Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 469 - 341: An Unexpected Delight

Qu Jianlei didn’t dwell on the issue with the cameras and mimicked the action of opening the wardrobe locker.

Inside this wardrobe locker, there was pitifully little; just a small package, not much bigger than a wallet.

Qu Jianlei grabbed the small package and tucked it into his coat, then nonchalantly turned around and left.

When he reached the entrance to the cloakroom, he handed the wristband back to the attendant, marking the end of this task.

He wasn’t in a hurry to leave and instead walked up to the second floor again.

Unfortunately, his previous seat was now occupied by two men and two women, and the small plate of untouched nuts had been pushed to the table’s edge.

Are they trying to test my temperament? Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but speculate.

But sorry, I really don’t have the mood to play along with you! He picked up his wine glass and walked over to an empty table on the other side.

Meanwhile, he stealthily made a resolution within: If anyone dares provoke me again, they shouldn’t blame me for being rude.

However, unbeknownst to him, whether they heard his thoughts or not, there were no more antics.

He sat alone there, drank for another half hour, then got up and left.

After Qu Jianlei left, the two men and two women occupying his seat continued their playful banter.

Seven or eight minutes later, one of them finally spoke in a low voice, "Seems... nothing unusual?"

"It’s always like this," a woman murmured softly, "He really lives a tough life."

"Old Ivan gives money," another woman spoke softly, "But he’s a bit stingy, and likes to touch randomly."

"I’d rather he not pay, then we wouldn’t have to help," the former woman said, "Or he could give more, that’d be okay too!"

"Don’t underestimate old Ivan," a man spoke in a low voice, "When he was young, he was at least B-level peak."

The other three were stunned in unison, "That powerful?"

Indeed, you can’t underestimate a B-level peak; just because B-levels are plentiful on Zarif Star doesn’t mean such people are everywhere.

It’s the Pioneer Teams picking the best that gathered so many people, and the Pioneer Team Members are the standouts of their peers.

If they didn’t have such ability and confidence, why would they dare to pioneer on unfamiliar planets?

They want to prove their value—more bluntly put, they want to turn their abilities into cash, and are willing to take the associated risks.

If that still sounds too vague, let’s give an example: Mu Guoguo, the leader of the Blazing Fire Team, is only a B-level himself.

As long as your cultivation reaches B-level, you can form an Earth-level Pioneer Team!

Of course, forming a Pioneer Team comes with various restrictions, not just focusing on cultivation.

Regardless, being B-level qualifies you to form an Earth-level Pioneer Team; it’s a given rule!

Cyan Feather City has a population just over ten million; does it have a thousand B-levels? No! Does it have a hundred B-level peaks? Also no!

Locally born A-level individuals in Cyan Feather City total about thirty, definitely not over thirty-five!

A B-level peak is akin to one in a hundred thousand, and quite extraordinary.

That’s why young people mustn’t overlook old Ivan; once upon a time, he shouldn’t be underestimated, although now... a hero aging, earning some hardship money. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The one who spilled the beans, seeing their friends’ shock, couldn’t help but chuckle, "It doesn’t matter, just don’t be so grumpy in the future."

While they talked, Qu Jianlei had already wandered to a night market three hundred meters away.

Every bustling urban lifestyle circle is similar, whether it’s on Blue Star or here.

Next to the bar is probably another bar, and next to the casino, more casinos; that’s what makes a metropolis, that’s scalability.

Besides, there are some supporting services, also essential, born of necessity.

This night market mainly sells food, somewhat akin to street-side skewers in Divine Land.

Qu Jianlei wandered over, picked a stall that looked nice, and casually ordered a table full of dishes.

He ordered quite a lot, enough for four or five young men’s meal, though for him... it’s really nothing.

He sat there, eating leisurely—absorbing energy through eating and drinking can also enhance cultivation, though at a lower efficiency.

Qu Jianlei ate and drank for over an hour, sensing the "Night is Beautiful" atmosphere nearing its peak of revelry, then paid the bill and left.

At midnight, an old man finally emerged from the bar, stumbling towards a battered off-road vehicle.

He opened the car door and got in, waited for about two minutes, then the off-road vehicle let out a low growl and slowly started to move.

It’s not exactly drunk driving; the old man had set it to automatic driving.

Twenty minutes later, the off-road vehicle moved past two blocks and stopped beside a shabby four-story building.

The building looked very run-down, at least fifty or sixty years old.

The car door opened, and the old man got out.

He swayed in place for a while, staggered a few steps forward, then turned around and got back in the car.

About ten minutes later, the off-road vehicle drove to a relatively secluded small yard, with dim lighting.

This time, the yard’s gate opened and the car drove directly inside.

The gate closed, and the old man got out again; this time, his body still wobbled, though his eyes were bright.

He walked to the main house, raised his hand to touch the door lock, and the fingerprint-unlocking door opened.

He was just about to step into the door when his body suddenly stiffened, "It’s..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a shock in his mind, and he immediately passed out.

When he woke up again, he was already outdoors, with a brilliant starry sky overhead.

A blurry figure stood not far away. The old man thought for a moment and recognized who it was.

He sighed softly and began to mumble under his breath, "I knew I shouldn’t have taken this job... too greedy."

The shadow chuckled lightly, "People die for money, heard your faith is quite steadfast?"

"I’m just trying to make a little cash," the old man quickly replied, but in his heart, he felt himself sinking deeper—this trouble is big.

But he still tried hard to argue, "I absolutely wouldn’t dare earn money that’s not right."

The shadow squatted down in front of him, eyes shining brightly, "Haha, I’ve heard otherwise."

"I promise not to leak your secret," cried out the old man desperately, "You must believe me."

"Besides, I’ve set up a backup plan. If I die, your information will definitely be leaked!"

In the next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, then his head shook violently, and he passed out again.

Qu Jianlei knocked him out to better ensure the truth serum would work.

If injected while conscious and the person has received corresponding training, the effect of the truth serum would sharply reduce.

The serum was brought from Zarif Star; he didn’t think it would necessarily be useful, but better safe than sorry.

Honestly speaking, Qu Jianlei doesn’t enjoy doing the dirty work of killing.

But when Spirit Fox parted, he discovered Youyou had been captured and specifically marked Ivan as a key focus.

"Likes money, faith steadfast" isn’t a compliment—this person would betray you for a huge bounty!

In other words, Spirit Fox deemed this person unreliable; it’s fine to create a false identity, but in a pinch, you must silence them!

Since the Spirit Fox leader specifically cautioned, how could Qu Jianlei not pay attention?

As for whether he encountered anything? Maybe Youyou’s affair had nothing to do with him, but Zheng Ziyang’s death would certainly implicate him.

On his way to Cyan Feather, Qu Jianlei carefully analyzed the notion of "Electromagnetic Body Technique."

He was sure Zheng Ziyang had definitely never seen him display this technique, so he must have heard it from others in the Quantum Team.

Given that someone in the Quantum Team knows his technique is unique, exposure is a high probability event.

Qu Jianlei wasn’t sure how much greed the Electromagnetic Body Technique might incite, but he had to adopt broad defensive measures.

In this situation, silencing old Ivan became a necessary consideration for him.

Tonight’s encounter was his final observation of old Ivan.

Regrettably, the other person didn’t exhibit any qualities that made him worth sparing; in fact, he was somewhat disgusted by this person.

He injected three doses of truth serum into him, even though he didn’t know old Ivan’s cultivation level, but increased dosage couldn’t hurt.

As for whether the other can handle it, that wasn’t his concern.

Qu Jianlei didn’t even expect to gain any decent information from old Ivan’s mouth.

As for whether the information might leak? Who knows if it’s true or not; anyhow, those in such shady dealings often use various intimidation tactics.

To take a step back, even if it were true, it would only prove the old man was unreliable from the start, and killing him wasn’t wrong.

However, old Ivan truly did offer a surprise.

Not only did the old man not turn into an idiot, he also divulged some secrets—including his identity information and where his archives were.

The courtyard where old Ivan parked was one of his workshop segments, not only fabricating fake identities but also hiding a Secret Grid containing data.

The Secret Grid was built into the wall with a painting frame covering it, seemingly about one square meter in size and requiring a password to open.

In his subconscious, old Ivan somewhat resisted, refusing to reveal the password, though he did admit there wasn’t a self-destruct system.

For Qu Jianlei, this was simple; he directly used the Gold Attribute Cutting Technique to cut a large opening in the wall.

The Secret Grid contained not only various data but also weapons and ammunition, as well as some silver notes and house deeds.

Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but think back to the treasure box he found at the Hong Character Settlement on the Garbage Star, where he also got quite a few house deeds.

Regrettably, the interests related to those deeds were usurped by someone unknown, leaving him somewhat resentful at the time.

Thinking about it now, he didn’t even feel the urge to go back and settle scores—perhaps he could deal with it conveniently if given the chance.

Besides these, Qu Jianlei also discovered some energy-containing crystals in the Secret Grid.

These crystals were slightly different from those of the Mutant Beast, but upon sensing them, he could determine they could be used for cultivation.

The crystals were rather average in quality, eight were close to B-level, two were close to A-level.

This was considered the most useful thing for him, so his trip wasn’t in vain.

Additionally, he unexpectedly found a notebook inscribed with some black market information from various star systems.

The notebook had been used for a long time, nearly worn out, and it was uncertain how much information was still usable.

Nevertheless, an unexpected delight.

(Updated to, double the last three hours, request monthly ticket.)