Chapter 58: Poaching

As soon as the chubby man heard that their meals could be improved, his spirits lifted instantly. “As long as the food gets better, overworking is nothing but a cloud in the sky!”

“Look, Wang Zhi! Another announcement has been posted!” Old He said, staring at the screen.

Effective immediately, to conserve energy, Dawn Tower will cease free electricity supply. Power will now be charged at a rate of 1 Survival Point per kilowatt-hour, deducted in real-time per residence. If a team’s Survival Points are insufficient, power supply will be cut off.

Effective immediately, due to material shortages, the prices of certain food items in the cafeteria will increase. New items added to the menu: …

Upon reading this, Wang Zhi immediately understood that the resources of Dawn Tower were beginning to dwindle, with the supply rate falling below the consumption rate.

“It looks like things are getting worse,” Old He commented beside him.

“No, this is just the beginning,” Wang Zhi interrupted, shaking his head.

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘just the beginning’?” the chubby man asked, puzzled.

“Some resources in Dawn Tower are already in a state of negative production. In a while, if resources truly become scarce, Dawn Tower will start eliminating the least valuable survivors. If a team or an individual runs out of Survival Points, Dawn Tower will have a legitimate reason to exile them,” Wang Zhi explained.

“Can’t everyone just be more frugal? Wouldn’t that solve the problem?” the chubby man asked again.

Wang Zhi sneered. “Heh… what if food prices skyrocket? What if a single bowl of rice costs 10 Survival Points? How long do you think you could last?”

“Then… then why not stockpile food now before the prices go up?”

Wang Zhi sighed. “Dawn Tower has rules against bulk purchasing or hoarding food, medicine, and weapons. If you want to stock up, the only way is to bring supplies in from outside.”

The chubby man suddenly understood. “Oh! I get it now! They want us to go outside for resources instead of depleting what’s inside Dawn Tower, right?”

“Smart. You’ve finally caught on,” Wang Zhi said, pleased.

At this moment, Su Muying and Liuli came downstairs.

“Yo, Sister Ying, Liuli, you two sure woke up late today. We’ve been waiting for you to eat,” the chubby man greeted them.

The five of them headed to the cafeteria on the second floor, where Wang Zhi brought up the price hike again. Long-lasting supplies had become highly sought after, and anything brought back from outside had to be used sparingly in preparation for the future.

“By the way, our Level 3 team is still short one member. Should we consider adding someone?” Su Muying asked.

“Mm… Let’s see,” Wang Zhi replied vaguely.

He didn’t believe for a second that someone as cautious and self-serving as Su Muying would genuinely want to bring in new members.

“Why are you suddenly asking about this? Did something happen?” Wang Zhi asked, curious.

“Nothing much. Yesterday, during training, the captain of the Samsara team approached me. He wanted me to join his squad, saying he could guarantee my safety and provide everything I needed,” Su Muying said casually.

“And what did you say, Sister Ying?” the chubby man asked eagerly.

“I told him he was too weak to satisfy me in that way and walked off,” Su Muying replied nonchalantly.

“Damn, Sister Ying, that’s badass! I wish I could be as arrogant as you one day,” the chubby man exclaimed in admiration.

“But that guy gives me a dangerous vibe. He might be weak in that area, but he’s definitely not weak when it comes to killing,” Su Muying said seriously.

“Interesting. So they’re even trying to poach my people now,” Wang Zhi murmured, deep in thought.

“There’s no harm in recruitment efforts. In a place like this, poaching people is completely normal. Don’t act impulsively, Wang Zhi,” Old He advised.

“Mm.”

Wang Zhi nodded, but he wasn’t about to sit back and do nothing. He had no intention of getting involved in internal conflicts, but he also couldn’t afford to ignore this situation in case the other party didn’t let it go.

After their meal, Wang Zhi used checking intelligence as an excuse to slip away, taking Liuli with him while the others went to train.

Whenever Wang Zhi needed to act alone, he preferred bringing Liuli along—sometimes, she was as silent as air.

“Liuli, don’t say anything unnecessary when we get back, okay?” Wang Zhi warned her in advance, just in case she slipped up.

“Mm!”

Wang Zhi arrived at the first-floor security headquarters. He had been reluctant to see Jie Xi again after being beaten by her last time, but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter her room.

This time, the door was open. Jie Xi was inside, not reading as usual, but sipping coffee while playing with her golden hair.

“What do you want?” Jie Xi asked, glancing up at Wang Zhi.

“Uh… I missed you, so I came to see you,” Wang Zhi blurted out before immediately regretting it. Jie Xi was no Su Muying—flirting with her would likely get him into trouble.

“Oh?”

Jie Xi picked up the large sword beside her, stood up slowly, and walked toward Wang Zhi. “You’re the only one who has dared speak to me like that and lived. The last guy, Zhao Yan, is already dead.”

Wang Zhi looked down at the massive sword pressed against his chest. Beside him, Liuli grew tense, drawing her Yelinglong sword, ready to strike.

“Liuli! Put your sword away! This is just Captain Jie Xi’s way of welcoming people,” Wang Zhi said with a grin, slowly pushing the large sword down.

“Hmph.”

Jie Xi withdrew her weapon and returned to her chair. “Wang Zhi, you come here so often you might as well move in. My subordinates are already gossiping that we have a thing. What do you think about that?”

“Captain Jie Xi, you shouldn’t pay attention to rumors. Even if we did have a thing, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it,” Wang Zhi replied.

“Oh? But if they ask me what breed of toad you are, what should I say?” Jie Xi asked, smirking.

“Uh… Captain Jie Xi, you’re joking. I actually came to ask about Tang Qilin from the newly promoted Level 3 Samsara team. What’s his deal?”

“Oh? They’ve only been Level 3 for two days, and they’re already messing with you?”

“Not exactly, but he did try to poach one of my people.”

“In this place, recruitment and competition are normal. You shouldn’t waste too much energy on this.”

“It’s not that I want to waste time on it, but I’m worried he won’t give up,” Wang Zhi admitted.

“I haven’t paid much attention to them. Maybe they got lucky, or maybe they actually have some skill. But I suggest you focus on training—things aren’t looking good, inside or outside the Tower.”

“I understand. Thanks, Captain Jie Xi! I’ll head to training now.”

As he left, Wang Zhi turned to Liuli. “If Tang Qilin approaches you, don’t respond to him.”

“Mm!”

Wang Zhi suspected Tang Qilin would try to talk to Liuli, so he made sure to warn her in advance.

As he passed the entrance hall, he watched as the returnees dragged themselves inside, their bodies covered in grime and bloodstains. Their exhausted faces were unreadable—whether from sorrow or relief, he couldn’t tell. Some carried bags of supplies, while others had rescued survivors.

Wang Zhi didn’t know why the world had become like this. Humanity had fallen from its once lofty pedestal, and he wasn’t sure if Tower of Dawn could guide them back to the surface—to reclaim the throne that once belonged to mankind.