Pretending To Be A Boss

The phone equipment on the bottom level was all communal and very expensive. To charge a personal mobile phone, one had to go to the third level and use an identity code.

Although Tang Xian was now a full-time worker, he still didn't have the access rights to the third level. This wasn't something he couldn't achieve, it was just that he was too lazy to handle it—it was very troublesome.

He'd rather pinch and scrape to save money than do some tedious tasks.

Ke sent him a text, probably with the pick-up address for Fortress 39.

Although there were still couriers who made deliveries, they were only within the fortress.

For example, when the rich people on the third level bought goods from the second level, there would be couriers who delivered the items to their doorsteps.

But for inter-fortress deliveries, they used a method similar to crack teleportation technology; however, this kind of transport between fortresses couldn't send living things, only non-living objects.

Ke Ye gave him an address at a goods pick-up center on the second level, and Tang Xian noted down the account number and password for the retrieval of the items.

Yet once again, a strange feeling—or rather, a sense of chaos—surfaced in his heart.

This world was truly bizarre.

Crack teleportation technology, quantum matter conversion technology—these belonged in the super post-modern civilizations that existed only in science fiction stories in human records.

However, living amidst these technologies today, Tang Xian felt a profound historical disconnect.

Even though technology was far more advanced than in any past era, the social system seemed to have regressed to something akin to the age of slavery.

This reminded Tang Xian of an ancient game called Age of Empires, where a map could contain entities from vastly different civilization levels.

The people from the bottom level, the second level, the third and fourth levels, or even the sixth and seventh levels, seemed like they were from different times.

For instance, Shang Lu and Ke from the fourth and fifth levels held knowledge that was thousands of years ahead of those from the first and second levels.

But even in the third and fourth levels, there were many times when Tang Xian felt a sense of primitiveness, which he guessed existed at even higher levels as well.

This was also why Tang Xian liked to study historical books. Humankind had experienced a great catastrophe, rumored to be caused by nuclear pollution and environmental fission, but there was no evidence to prove this.

How the massive Pyramid city formed, how nations transformed their governments into a federal system.

Who developed the teleportation cracks first, or who discovered the mines. These had no records.
Experience tales at empire

Tang Xian was well-versed in history and ultimately realized that some years were missing from it.

But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find any historical documents about these missing years.

He didn't ponder it for long. There was no use in brooding over such problems. Tang Xian prepared to meet with Luo and Liu Lang.

These two merchants were also his business partners on the bottom level. Now that he had a mobile phone, he naturally had to inform them of his contact information.

He quickly arrived at Decay Street.

Today, Luo was grinning broadly, panting with an open mouth, his face bearing an 'all customers welcome' expression as he watched people passing by.

Seeing Tang Xian, Luo's smile widened, and he almost rushed over to lick Tang Xian's face.

"Tang, you've finally come. I've been dying to see you," Luo said with his mouth agape, smiling broadly.

"You were waiting for me?"

Tang Xian noticed the sycophantic tone in Luo's voice and the fear in his eyes—an atypical divergence from the Luo he used to chat with.

He took a closer look at Luo.

The panel quickly revealed the reason for this man's posture.

[Current needs analysis: Please take away Miss Li of the Li family (95%), Others (5%)]

The 5% of other needs typically included urgent matters or trivialities that generally didn't need to be accounted for. So in Tang Xian's view, Luo's panel at this moment solely reflected a desperate wish to escort the menace from the antique shop's elegant room away. Tang Xian instantly understood the situation.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised that this incident had occurred today.

"You've really had a tough time," he said, patting Luo's shoulder, feeling somewhat apologetic.

"I wouldn't dare say so, not tough at all. Let me show you the way," answered Luo, shaking his head vigorously.

Without further ado, Tang Xian asked, "Where is she? How long has she been here?"

Luo did not bother to ponder how Tang Xian knew there was a woman in the store—one that they couldn't afford to provoke. He didn't dare think about it too much. His experience over the past two days was something he'd never forget in his lifetime.

He gestured towards the inner room, ready to lead the way, but Tang Xian nodded and gestured for Luo not to follow before walking towards the room himself.

Although he didn't know exactly what Luo had gone through these days, seeing someone who could normally exchange jibes now acting so obsequiously, as a dog would to its master, suggested that Luo's recent experiences had been pitiful.

There weren't many families with a Miss Li of the Li family, and Luo wouldn't normally be so subservient to anyone. Even when encountering dignitaries from the third or fourth levels, he would only show respect if they showed him face first. It was rare to see someone like Luo behaving so fearfully.

Tang Xian shook his head, feeling somewhat angry.

In the ten steps to the inner room, he thought carefully about the reason for this, combining what Ke had mentioned on the phone earlier that day. He had a vague idea about some of the past deeds of the Li family, but he still needed to find out their intentions.

Parting the door curtain, Tang Xian found the room devoid of the expected plethora of bodyguards, with only two women present.

One of the women, while not lacking in looks, had a certain murderous aura on her face, her muscle lines firm, lacking the boneless softness that a woman should possess.