Reporter Tan wore a slightly old but perfectly pressed suit, his tie fastened with meticulous precision. Behind his black-framed glasses was a pair of keen, profound eyes.
He had come to apply for membership in the Taixu Gang today, so he had put on the formal attire he had not worn in a long time. Once dressed in the suit, he regained the air of a first-rate reporter from Shenzhou Television.
"So this badge is the Taixu Gang's insignia?"
Reporter Tan picked up the chibi Azure Empyrea badge that every member received upon joining the Taixu Gang and examined it from every angle.
Behind the counter, Inori heard Tan's question and paused in the middle of wiping a glass.
Today, she was responsible for serving drinks at the counter. It was also a task assigned to her by Mr. Moon.
After all, the bar counter was an excellent place to pick up rumors and inside information.
She wore the Taixu Gang's pale-purple uniform, its cuffs and collar decorated with delicate tassels.
Hearing Reporter Tan's question, Inori nodded with a polite smile. "That's right. The badge's most basic functions are receiving Likes and Tips. At Level One, you can give three Likes to other people. Whenever you feel someone has helped you, don't be stingy. Give them a Like."
Reporter Tan brushed a finger across the badge's smooth surface. The screen displayed the number of likes he had received: 0.
"Mm, now I remember. HoMu Company in Shenzhou did the same thing for its employees. I wonder how that energetic little company is doing now." He spoke with some emotion. He remembered that the final report he had conducted before leaving Shenzhou had concerned that company.
The company's culture was extremely rare in this era. They did not merely focus on making games. In truth, they researched a little of everything.
You could even see their employees growing rice inside the office, claiming they wanted to ensure no one would ever have to experience hunger again.
"Then what are Likes and Tips used for?"
"Likes come with corresponding points. Once you receive enough Likes or points, your level will increase. Points can be used to participate in certain Taixu Gang activities, such as exchanging them for non-synthetic, all-natural food."
Reporter Tan was rather surprised, and the fabric of his suit rippled slightly with his movement. "Non-synthetic food? You can actually exchange points for something that precious?"
Although natural food remained mainstream outside, agricultural and subsidiary products were scarce in Dusk City, making it extraordinarily difficult to eat even a single bite of genuinely natural food.
The rice and flour sold on the black market were actually artificially synthesized organic foods. Although their flavors were similar, their nutritional value fell far short of natural food. As for texture, there was no comparison at all. Everything tasted the same.
Inori waved a hand. "Don't get your hopes too high. The stock of all-natural food is limited, after all. Most of the available rewards are small gifts like hanging pictures and pendants."
"A very typical reward-and-punishment mechanism. By using seemingly trivial favors and penalties, it guides members' choices and inclinations. Without realizing it, the members will gradually lean toward punishing evil and promoting good. It is a rather fine system."
The next second, a girl's cold voice sounded beside Reporter Tan's ear.
Reporter Tan turned and saw a beautiful young woman in a classical Shenzhou ink-wash-style cheongsam leaning elegantly against the counter.
"Furthermore, the rewards cannot be too generous. Otherwise, the members will act solely for the sake of obtaining them. Doing good for rewards can breed greed."
"That is why there are many different ways to earn likes and points. Those who dislike calculations only need to remember one thing: good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds are punished. Very wise."
After speaking, the young woman carried away three drinks made from a peculiar fruit juice.
Reporter Tan removed his black-framed glasses and sighed with admiration while wiping them. "What a profoundly learned and inscrutable young woman."
"Hahaha, don't mind her. According to the Mad... Gang Leader, this is nothing more than one of our Taixu Gang's insignificant little games. There's no need to take it so seriously."
Smiling, Inori handed Reporter Tan a drink as well. "These are free drinks supplied by the Gang Leader, but only during today's storytelling event."
Reporter Tan thanked her and then praised, "A game... Still, being able to arrange so many interesting 'little games' proves the Taixu Gang is filled with hidden talents."
"This badge was also produced by the Taixu Gang's factory, wasn't it? The Taixu Gang truly doesn't resemble a criminal organization at all. It even specifically creates so many jobs for its members."
"I've met that Qiang everyone calls the Black-Road Hummer before. I never expected to see him again inside the Taixu Gang's factory, much less working with such enthusiasm. It was practically a miracle. Should the Taixu Gang truly be allowed to continue developing in peace, the lives of the people in this city might indeed improve. It's just..."
This was not Shenzhou, after all.
In Dusk City, the people were ultimately not its masters.
As the saying went, whatever one feared most was bound to happen.
A shrill warning whistle sounded in the distance.
"That is the prelude to an imminent attack by the Ghostfire Syndicate Special Assault Team."
Having dealt with many criminal organizations, Reporter Tan naturally knew what it meant.
Before battles between criminal organizations in Dusk City, the city's security system would sound an alarm.
Because the whistle had been processed through amplification equipment, it was far sharper and more piercing than an ordinary whistle.
The Taixu Gang members who understood the meaning of the warning whistle turned pale. Clutching their heads in both hands, they trembled all over. "Hey, can you hear the roar of those motorcycles? That's... the Ghostfire Syndicate! Those damned plagues have come!"
The people who heard him looked around in terror. "What?! Dear God, why did it have to be the Ghostfire Syndicate? Are you sure you didn't hear wrong?"
"I told you Azure Empyrea couldn't be trusted! Did you seriously believe that suspicious storyteller? No one even knows where that storyteller went. This might have been a trap set by the Ghostfire Syndicate. I'm getting out of here!"
"Listen for yourself if you don't believe me. Only the Ghostfire Syndicate's motorcycles sound like rolling thunder. I've had enough of that noise!"
"Look overhead!"
Compared to the warning whistle, something else appeared that frightened everyone even more.
Several streaks of silver suddenly crossed the sky. When everyone looked up, they saw several missiles plummeting at high speed!
Before attacking other major criminal organizations, the Ghostfire Syndicate's chief would lavishly open the assault by bombarding the entire area with missiles!
Unlike the earlier skirmish between small squads, this was a war between criminal organizations. And war naturally possessed the cruelty of war. The violent meat grinder was never absent from its stage.
The missiles crossed the sky like shooting stars. Even the long trails of white smoke they drew at high altitude possessed a unique flair, as though someone were painting graffiti across the heavens.
Through a telescope, one could even see four wildly cursive characters painted in bright-red paint across the missile casings: "Best Regards."
They had yet to arrive, but their sound had already come first. Yet not a single person wanted to hear that noise or see that graffiti!
To make matters worse, high-decibel noise carried wantonly vented malice as it bombarded the empty streets, throwing the Taixu Gang members' minds into turmoil.
Chaos instantly erupted both inside and outside the theater.
Fortunately, how could a Taixu Gang base arranged by Vill-V possibly lack protective measures?
Vill-V had long since instructed Su to install the Water Curtain Defensive Barrier UPD.
A phoenix cry rang out above Taixu Hospital. A water-blue waterfall poured down from the top of the building, slowly expanding until it surrounded the entire base. Several missiles struck the waterfall at that moment, and the sparks they scattered were extinguished within the water.
Upon witnessing such a miraculous sight, everyone immediately felt reassured. Relieved smiles appeared on faces that had been filled with terror moments earlier.
However, before they could fully relax, the sight of Taixu Hospital's administrative building collapsing beneath missile fire instantly erased the sense of security that had only just arisen within them.
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