Chapter 996: Spreading Hope

The Silver Government’s reaction did not exceed Fang Liangye’s expectations.

From the Silver Government’s attitude toward "Diamond Q," one could actually see their inner apprehension. After all, the Silver King was absent, and the one in power was merely a Seventh-Order Thief Saint. Controlling the entire Wuji Domain wasn't that simple.

"Did they take any action?"

"Yes!" The boy nodded heavily. "Early this morning, after the sanitation workers reported the matter to the cathedral, the cathedral was immediately brightly lit. Not long after, a large number of Fire-Tamperers rushed out and searched along several streets... And then, there were several Adjudicator Proxies carrying various weapons. They were almost all mobilized."

Fang Liangye was somewhat surprised to hear this, and he couldn't help but ask:

"You are... Cao Jun, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Fang! I only joined the union two days ago!" The boy held his head high and chest out.

"Where did you get this information?"

"Mr. Fang, have you forgotten? The elderly wandering the streets and the shop owners are basically the grandparents and parents of us workers... As long as we inquire slightly through the workers in the factory, we can know what happened on the street."

"No wonder..."

Nowadays, the young people in the Wuji Domain were all conscripted by the Silver Government for forced labor in factories. The city was basically left with only elderly people and middle-aged people with limited mobility. Their children were sent to factories to work day and night, leaving them completely helpless... Their dissatisfaction with the Silver Government must exceed everyone’s imagination.

Precisely because of this, as long as the young people in the factories with better conditions and telephones at home made a little contact with their families, they could obtain first-hand intelligence.

The middle-aged and elderly people on the streets were an intelligence network, and the factories where young people gathered were also an intelligence network. Combined, various messages were transmitted extremely quickly.

"Is this the power of the people..." Fang Liangye couldn't help but sigh.

In any era, the power of the people is terrifying. Unless the Silver King uses violence to blood-wash this domain, the people living in it will always find ways to seek a path to survival... The Human Rights Union was a tenacious vine growing toward the sun in the darkness.

"Mr. Fang, what should we do next?" Cao Jun asked excitedly, stars in his eyes.

Fang Liangye pondered for a moment.

"Secretly purchase all the playing cards in the city, then send them in batches to each factory... We have our people in every factory. Tell them how to use the cards, set up a decoy, and completely disrupt the Fire-Tamperers’ perception."

"Understood!"

Cao Jun took a few people and turned to leave. They each clutched the opened playing cards in their hands. Although their hands were sweaty with nervousness, their eyes were full of hope...

They had been oppressed for too long. The extermination of one district after another, the violent law enforcement of the Silver Government, and their companions dying inexplicably from illness had brought them to the brink of collapse... But now, they could actually deter the Silver Government with just a few playing cards!

They knew what the Silver Government feared. At this moment, what they held in their hands were no longer playing cards for entertainment, but weapons to resist power with mortal bodies.

The boys left the factory and scattered, running wildly along the roads into the depths of the smog, arriving at various different factories.

There were about a dozen factories in this factory district, and there were four such districts in the Wuji Domain... They moved through the factory buildings with ease, as if they had been there many times before. Although the work clothes in different factories were different, when they saw them appear, the original workers in the factory pretended not to see them and shifted their gazes elsewhere...

The boys arrived at hidden and narrow doors one by one, knocking cautiously:

*Knock, knock, knock.*

"Who?"

"It’s me, Cao Jun." The boy waved the playing cards.

"I’ve brought a glimmer of hope!"

……

"Jinx!! Why is it you again!"

At the entrance of the restaurant, the owner saw Jian Changsheng outside through the glass window, his face turning blue with anger.

Jian Changsheng gave a sheepish smile:

"Um... Boss, I’d like to ask you for a favor..."

"We don't have dine-and-dashers here!"

"No, what are you thinking... I came here after eating my fill this time." Jian Changsheng gestured with his hands outside the door. "Have you seen my other two friends? One wears small sunglasses and is a bit cheeky, the other is wrapped in white bandages and is a bit silly..."

“……”

The owner was somewhat impatient. "Go away, go away, you guys, one by one, are all troublesome to death..."

The owner was about to close the door, but Jian Changsheng pressed a hand firmly against the door handle, holding it shut. Seeing this, the owner’s eyes widened in anger. He used all his strength but couldn't move the door an inch, and for a moment, he panicked...

"You... what are you doing??"

Jian Changsheng supported the door with one hand and walked into the restaurant unhurriedly... He squinted and sneered, like a hoodlum in a leather jacket from a Hong Kong movie, as if he were about to demand protection money from the owner.

However, the next second, he instead took a few banknotes out of his pocket and stuffed them into the owner’s hand.

"This is..." The owner was stunned.

"Boss, we don't dine-and-dash. I came to pay you back this time." Jian Changsheng shrugged his shoulders. "Those two friends are very important to me... Tell me, have they been here? And where did they go?"

The owner looked at the thick stack of banknotes in his hand, and his expression softened significantly. He looked Jian Changsheng up and down carefully before speaking:

"That silly white-haired guy came yesterday. After finding out you weren't here, he walked in that direction by himself. I don't know where he went... That cheeky guy with sunglasses came this morning. He seemed to be in a bad mood, and after finding out you weren't here, he asked me to pass on a message to you, saying he was staying under the bridge next door..."

Jian Changsheng: ...

The nickname "silly white-haired guy" really fit Jiang Xiaohua perfectly. When Sun Bumian came and found he wasn't there, he at least knew to leave an address, but this guy Jiang Xiaohua just walked off blankly... Where was he supposed to find him now??

Jian Changsheng sighed helplessly and turned to leave. "I understand, thank you, Boss."

"Wait."

The owner hesitated for a moment before calling out to Jian Changsheng.

Jian Changsheng turned back in confusion. To his astonishment, the owner counted out three bills from the stack of money in his hand and handed them to him.

"This is..." Jian Changsheng was somewhat blank.

"Your wages." The owner said lightly. "Regardless, you washed dishes for me for a day. Now that you’ve paid back the money, I naturally won't let you work for nothing... Take it, find a proper job, and don't dine-and-dash next time."

After saying this, the owner walked into the kitchen without looking back, pretending to start cooking busily...

But in fact, there wasn't a single customer in the shop besides Jian Changsheng.

Jian Changsheng came back to his senses, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He shouted a "Thanks" to the owner in the kitchen, then strode out the door and disappeared at the end of the street.