Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Chapter 996 - 862: Letting Things Be

Qu Jianlei said not to worry, but given his habit of erring on the side of caution, he wouldn’t relax the surveillance.Quickly, Flower Scorpion discovered that the previous owner was causing trouble and reported it to the boss immediately.

However, Qu Jianlei didn’t care and simply said to continue the surveillance.

There were three people on surveillance duty: Flower Scorpion, Xiang Xue, and Celestial Sound.

Perception ability of the Light Attribute... of course, it’s very strong; wherever the light can reach, she can make use of it.

Coupled with the "Harmonize with Light and Dust" technique, it also has a strong concealment effect. The Light Attribute is indeed suitable for being a spy.

However, there are very few Awakened of the Light Attribute, and few are willing to use it this way.

Although Celestial Sound rarely interacts with worldly matters, she is relatively strong-willed.

The death of her cousin only upset her for one night, and then she pulled herself together to face life.

The three of them were responsible for investigation and had frequent exchanges of information.

So she was a bit confused: letting that owner spread rumors recklessly, wouldn’t it put us at a disadvantage?

However, by this time, Xiang Xue had already seen Qu Jianlei’s intention and comforted her schoolmate, "Just watch and wait."

Not knowing what was going on, Celestial Sound could only secretly observe, and ultimately was stunned to discover: the opposing gang really showed no reaction.

She couldn’t help but ask her senior, "Are they really not reacting, or are they lulling us into a false sense of security?"

In other words: how can these people not react? Aren’t gang members all very concerned about their reputation?

Xiang Xue answered leisurely, "Because they’ve certainly inquired and know that we’re not to be messed with."

She was exactly right; the opposing gang indeed noticed them and, as per usual, conducted background checks first.

Gang members aren’t just about fighting; to survive long, one must learn to assess the situation.

Qu Jianlei and his team bought the land at a good time, and although the opposing gang was irate, they had no inclination to dwell on it.

Two A-levels within the gang died overnight, leaving a huge power vacuum and plunging the organization into chaos.

From any angle, it seemed like sheer luck for Qu Jianlei’s team, inadvertently picking up a great bargain.

Of course, whether they could capitalize on this bargain is another matter; temporarily, the gang couldn’t pay attention to them.

However, once the rumors spread, the gang couldn’t ignore it—who wouldn’t want to rise and then not seek revenge for the old boss?

Yet upon investigation, they were shocked to find out the other side was a bunch of bumpkins from Homeland Star and... have only been here a short while!

To say that such people could cause such a big case... well, theoretically, it’s possible.

But murder generally has a motive, so what was theirs?

Before the five in their group were murdered, the other side hadn’t even contacted the original owners!

To buy land by eliminating potential competitors in advance... you’d need ten years of brain fog to come up with such a plot!

However, even if the motive is flimsy, it’s a fact that the other side benefited!

So it’s necessary to consider making a move, but before doing so, it’s important to understand the other side’s strength, right?

Xiang Xue admired Qu Jianlei’s strategy precisely here; by allowing the owner to spread rumors, it actually made the gang take them more seriously!

If the gang had never paid attention and Qu Jianlei had competed for the land from the start, the gang might have just acted without hesitation.

In that case, not only would the cost of buying the land increase substantially, but troubles would also continue afterwards.

But now, as there was no direct conflict, with outsiders spreading rumors, the gang had ample time to investigate.

This is far better than discovering halfway through a fight, "Oh crap, the opponent is incredibly strong."

By that point, it would be too late for regrets and impossible to halt; in the underworld, who doesn’t care a bit about saving face?

Therefore, this time Qu Jianlei’s "letting rumors spread" was very intentional: to encourage the other side to learn about their identity proactively.

Proactive understanding is better than a passive encounter; instead of stubbornly seeking revenge after suffering losses, it’s better to avoid the conflict beforehand.

The gang’s so-called concern for reputation is actually just about image—once public confidence is shaken, it’s hard to lead the group.

If unnoticed, it’s fine to suffer minor losses; those in the gang who can’t grasp this concept have long since met their demise.

Xiang Xue realized these subtleties, which is why she truly respects Qu Jianlei.

Honestly, she believes Qu Jianlei’s process of buying the land this time is so classic it could serve as a textbook example.

Only with this approach can risks be minimized while using the least amount of funds.

Her realization doesn’t mean others can easily comprehend; Claire pondered for quite some time before understanding her words.

Celestial Sound was even more confused, asking several times but was still somewhat puzzled, "Do they really not care about their reputation?"

Of course, the gang wants to maintain their reputation, but upon slight inquiry, they knew about this group’s actions on Homeland Star.

Being able to get the city hall to revoke a land acquisition decision and cause numerous incidents, they are obviously no small fry!

A brief analysis would clarify that there is definitely more than one A-level among this group!

The gang felt they might not necessarily lose, but over such trivial matters... was it worth it?

So even though they suspected the other side, they acted as if they hadn’t heard the rumors.

A week later, the residential courtyard was ready, and all eight of them moved in, personally making the final adjustments.

Until then, nothing unexpected had happened, proving Qu Jianlei’s calculations were accurate.

It’s worth noting that previously everyone was living separately, with some possibility of ambush; now it’s hardly feasible.

As for Qu Jianlei’s group arriving with seven people and now having eight... the Paradise Star Government simply ignored it.

Everything else could be disguised; the tens of millions invested were real, and more millions would be invested in the future.

Purely for the sake of money, some minor issues could be ignored. Couldn’t the extra person be a coordinator for the construction team?

Isn’t the business environment on Paradise Star great? It’s not just talk!

The backyard they marked out exceeded a hundred thousand square meters, amounting to over three hundred meters by three hundred meters.

The backyard was not previously much developed, with tall trees everywhere and even many small animals.

Qu Jianlei directed everyone to install surveillance equipment and various alarm devices.

This place was planned to host a Qi Gathering Array and Spirit Gathering Array, and possibly install large computing units, so surveillance had to be in place.

Little Lake was especially excited, tirelessly designing the blueprint.

Although it didn’t believe such a small area would be the end of its efforts, every journey starts with a first step!

While they were busy in the backyard, renovations of the front and middle courtyards also began.

The renovation budget of eighty million was mainly allocated to the first two courtyards, expected to take over a month.

Three days later, Qu Jianlei considered going back, taking the Paranoid, Flower Scorpion, and Claire with him.

On the Homeland Star, the Fourth Master had been in contact with everyone; so far everything was normal at the farm.

This time they were going back to swap three people, while Qu Jianlei himself was to complete the final verification of the standard version Spirit Gathering Array.

Originally, he wanted to take Xiang Xue and leave Claire, but since the Paranoid had already left, if Xiang Xue left too, Celestial Sound would be unsettled.

No matter what, Granny Jia had to stay; many follow-up matters on Paradise Star must be handled by her.

Also... this was Yunwu Mountain, a place Granny Jia was well-suited to, enhancing both vigilance and combat.

Early the next morning, just as Qu Jianlei was about to leave, someone came to visit.

It wasn’t just anyone; it was people from the group that had lost five members overnight, two B-levels came.

Qu Jianlei had no interest in meeting them but paused slightly to take a look.

This time, Bentley came forward to receive them; the visitors solemnly expressed their intention to invest upon hearing the place was to be turned into a guesthouse.

This was intriguing, and Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but want to hear how old Bentley would reply.

Bentley looked at them indifferently, "Do I know you?"

One B-level smiled and replied, "Does that matter? Aren’t we all just making a living in Yunwu Mountain and should help each other out?"

Bentley paused for a moment and then asked, "Do you have a lot of money?"

The other B-level replied, "It’s not bad; if money is needed, it’s always available."

"Then bring out two hundred million," Bentley replied calmly, "and we’ll give you a twenty percent share."

One B-level’s expression suddenly turned grim, seeing this, the other coughed lightly.

He smiled and said, "You’re joking, right? Surely it won’t cost two hundred million in total?"

Bentley looked at him expressionlessly, "Neither money nor an acquaintance... where do you get the audacity to propose a collaboration with me?"

"You!" The one who had kept their temper in check was now somewhat angry, "You’re going to do business when you open, aren’t you?"

This was exactly their purpose for coming.

Although the organization was in chaos, necessary positions had to be filled, and territories had to be claimed.

Equity participation was just an excuse; the aim was to test the other party’s integrity. If they were weak, they would naturally push further.

The next step would be dry shares, and it would get even more excessive from there.

If retreating, they could directly ask for some long-term rooms, with further steps still available if needed.

Regardless, such a probe was part of the necessary negotiations, and generally, outsiders wouldn’t act too extreme.

Even many powerful forces wouldn’t want to bicker with local bullies, paying some protection fee to avoid trouble, isn’t that wise?

In the notoriously chaotic Asteroid Belt, even Star Thieves collected protection fees, let alone here?

Their minimum demand was to book a few long-term rooms, convenient for taking care of their people in the future.

Of course, whether to pay or not, and how to pay could still be negotiated, but maintaining influence here was desirable.

The deterrent power and benefits of the syndicate were reflected in its influence over these major accounts.

Facing such disregard from the other party, at least they couldn’t lose their presence.