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Chapter 618 Certificate of Surrender

By the time I got home, it was already midnight.

There could be no day or night underground—or even above ground—but out of custom, several large clocks still hang high in the streets, marking the current time.

As I opened the door, an unfamiliar, rotten smell assaulted my nostrils.

This place is windless all year round, and its ventilation and drainage systems are not very good, which has led to mold, rot, and rampant fungi becoming the main features of the place.

Houses, beds, roads, and even every visible and invisible corner were covered with colorful marks.

In practical terms, this place is basically only fit to be a place for some sewer dwellers to stay.

However, now...
This was the last refuge for tens of thousands of people.

It was particularly comical.

The house was much cleaner than before he left, as if San San had taken the time to tidy it up again—even the area between the stove and the stove was spotless. He had been busy for a long time, seemingly just to make his 'older brother' more comfortable.

Yes, 'older brother'.

Zhou You silently exhaled and, using the remaining light from the outside lamps, looked inside.

San San sat at the dining table with a half-open Braille book beside her, but her little head was resting on the table, as if she was taking a nap after reading.

Zhou You didn't wake her. Instead, he walked to the table, picked up the book, and looked at it.

Then, his expression became quite interesting.

"The Prince? What the hell is that?"

Although he was somewhat taken aback, he didn't take it to heart—these Braille books were clearly relics from the old era, probably found by the original owner from somewhere, and in his haste, he certainly didn't have time to choose them.

But it's just a disabled little girl looking at this.
Just as he put the book back down, the noise seemed to wake San San, who was falling asleep. The little girl groggily raised her head and asked instinctively.

"elder brother?"

Without even realizing it himself, Zhou You's lips curled up slightly. He rubbed San San's head and said with a smile.

"Yes, it's me. Sorry to have disturbed your sleep."

"No, no, I just didn't realize it while waiting for you."

Faced with Zhou You's kindness, the little girl seemed a bit flustered, but she still stood up—unaware that the book had been knocked to the ground—and then said in a flustered manner.

"Brother, are you done with your work?"

Zhou You didn't want to bring the messy things from outside into his home, so he simply picked up the book that had fallen to the ground, dusted it off, and then said...

"There's no end to this right now... well, I'm currently doing some business with someone, and it's a really busy time. I reckon I'll have to go out a few more times in the next day or two."

A look of dejection was clearly visible on San San's face.

But soon, she sensed something was amiss from Zhou You's actions.

Then, the disappointment quickly turned into surprise.

"Brother, is your leg better?"

Looking at the beaming little face, Zhou You also smiled and said.

"Well, although I'm not fully recovered, I've improved quite a bit. At least I can move around without any problems now. Oh, and to celebrate, I specially brought back some food. Not that kind of mutated rat meat, but a proper braised pork knuckle."

"Pork? This...this is way too extravagant!"

"Don't worry, the guy I do business with gave me a share of the profits in advance. I can't afford anything too expensive, but I can afford this little thing."

When the little girl hesitated before responding, and then struggled to drag the heavy bag into the kitchen, Zhou You's smile gradually faded.

He really liked this little girl.

But it's not simply about repaying a debt of gratitude or showing pity; it's a deeper, instinctive concern.

"It seems this body is affecting me without my realizing it. Strange, I've been reborn into other bodies before, but I've never encountered this problem. Could it be because I chose this body in a hurry?"

half an hour.

He shook his head again—just then, a little girl exclaimed in surprise from the stove.

"Brother, brother, what is this? It seems to be moving."

Zhou You chuckled to himself.

—Well, whatever, this man's last wish was to take care of his younger sister, so let's do what we thought before and help him out. Whatever we say, let's heal the little girl's eyes.

That way, he might be able to rest in peace underground.

The next morning, Zhou You was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Zhou You yawned loudly and sent San San, who was cautiously peeking out, back into the house. Instead of opening the door, he calmly put on his clothes, washed his face with a spoon, and stared at himself in the broken mirror for a long time until he thought he was indeed incredibly handsome. Only then did he whistle and unlock the door.

Sure enough, after being left hanging for so long, the guy outside was about to lose his temper and started yelling at him.

"You fucking-"

"Bang" sound.

The door closed again.

Then came another series of loud banging on the door.

When it was opened again, the person started cursing and swearing, his nose and eyes utterly rude.

You son of a bitch!

Close it again.

This was the third time. When the door opened, the person finally refrained from immediately launching into a tirade, instead glaring angrily at Zhou You.

With someone's thick skin, this kind of look was like a drizzle. He picked his nose and said casually.

"Excuse me, who are you, sir?"

"I--"

Just as he opened his mouth, someone pulled out a booger and flicked it off—it landed right on his collar.

In an instant, anger surged, and it looked like he was about to make a move—but for some reason, he suppressed it with astonishing patience and just gritted his teeth and said.

"I'm the tax collector for this area. Your family has been in arrears for a long time. I didn't hold it against a woman when you weren't back for a while, but now that you're back, shouldn't you pay the taxes?"

"Are you a tax collector?"

"Can't you fucking see this epaulette?"

"I thought it was just that guy Yi who was bored and wanted to collect debts, but I really didn't expect that even in this kind of living environment, there would still be people collecting taxes. By the way, how much should I pay?"

The man suddenly gave a mocking smile and then pulled out a receipt.

Zhou You was taken aback.

"Although my memory is a bit hazy, I've still bought things here a few times. Are you sure you didn't add two extra zeros to the end?"

Since it concerned his own job, the tax collector immediately became smug.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present—no matter what you say, you have to pay this amount."

Looking at the tax collector whose face clearly said, "I want a kickback," Zhou You paused for a few seconds, then said, "...What if I don't pay?"

The tax collector paused, seemingly surprised that Zhou You would be so direct—but then he said fiercely.

"That's easy. If you resist paying taxes, then we'll have to send people to forcibly collect them. In that case, not only will your house be taken away, but your sister will also be taken away to pay off the debt."

Zhou You's smile instantly became incredibly bright.

The next moment, the tax collector felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and then he was lifted into the air, landing two or three meters away.

Zhou You then withdrew his foot and asked with a smile.

"Excuse me, I didn't hear you clearly just now. What did you say?"

The tax collector struggled for a long time before finally getting up from the ground—but his face was already purple from the pain, and he could only manage to utter one sentence.

"Do you know what you're doing? You're attacking a public official! I, I—"

Before he could finish speaking, a large foot kicked him from behind, sending him sprawling into a muddy mess.

This time it wasn't Zhou You who knew how to use his hands, but someone else.

moment.

A head wrapped in bandages, wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat, peeked out from behind.

"It's so early in the morning, and you're just squatting here like a stone pillar. If you have nothing better to do, go help an old lady cross the street, don't get in the way here, okay?"

Looking at the face that was bruised and swollen but still retained its original appearance, Zhou You couldn't help but laugh.

"Brother Luo, you're in such a state, and you still can't bear to part with your clothes? Look at your legs, they're practically tattered rags."

Luo Liangde, who had just been beaten to a pulp last night, wasn't angry at all. Instead, he scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"What do you know? This is called retro style. It's said that decades ago, before the disasters started, this was considered fashionable."

After saying that, he moved closer to Zhou You and whispered something.

"Boss Yi asked me to take you there, saying he wants you to 'show your loyalty.' Wait, what exactly did you talk to him about? Given his twisted nature, why is he being so friendly with you?"

Zhou You answered with a smile.

"It's nothing, just a matter of mutual benefit. By the way, Brother Luo, could you lift your leg a little?"

"Lift it up? What do you mean?"

Following Zhou You's gaze, he realized that he was stepping on someone.

He quickly moved the torn leather shoe aside, and the tax collector struggled to climb out of the mud. He then shakily pointed at the two men, about to unleash a torrent of curses.

"You bunch of bastards, do you even understand that this is an attack on government personnel?! Just you wait, I'm going to call the bailiffs right now!"

"Government personnel?"

Zhou You, the newcomer, didn't answer, but Luo Liangde was already scratching his chin and scanning the other person—and then, he also laughed out loud.

"I thought it was something important. You're just a tax collector. Before you call yourself a government official, can you at least ask if you're registered with the city?"

Seeing Zhou You's puzzled expression, Luo Liangde explained in a low voice.

“Young man, as you know, this place is a mess. Every month, people die in the wasteland, but people keep fleeing from the wilderness to collect taxes. It’s always been a huge problem. So, to save trouble, the city has always outsourced this job, and those outsourced people are then assigned to lower levels. At the very bottom are these tax collectors.”

"Labor dispatch?"

"What word is that? But it's roughly the same meaning."

Watching the two whispering amongst themselves, the tax collector's face turned pale and then purple—but just before he was about to lose his temper, Luo Liangde casually tossed him a badge.

The man took the mask off his face, glanced at it twice, and his expression changed drastically.

Then, the man who had been shouting just moments before seemed to have his tail between his legs, and without uttering a single harsh word, he slunk away.

Zhou You watched with genuine curiosity.

"What did you give him? Why is he acting like a mouse seeing a cat?"

"It's nothing." Luo Liangde said, stuffing an identical badge into Zhou You's pocket. "This is proof of membership in Boss Yi's gang. He's one of the contractors for collecting taxes. Although he doesn't have jurisdiction over this area, he can still make this guy wish he were dead with just one word. You should take one too. If you encounter any of these petty scoundrels in the future, just flash it and it'll solve most problems."

Enjoy a trip.

"Brother Luo was beaten half to death yesterday, how come he's already joined in less than a day later?"

Luo Liangde also gave a wry smile.

"When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head—if I hadn't joined back then, all those pounds of my body would have been wasted."

After sighing and lamenting for a long time, he finally slapped his forehead.

"Oh right, Brother Zhou, I forgot about the important matter. Hurry up and come with me. Today is the day you prove your loyalty, don't delay."

But Zhou You didn't move his leg; instead, he grabbed Luo Liangde.

"Wait, Brother Luo, can you explain to me what this 'pledge of allegiance' is?"

Luo Liangde turned his head, puzzled.

"Didn't Boss Yi tell you?"

"He gave me a couple of instructions and then took me straight to the operating room. He didn't mention anything else."

"So you still choose to accept the pledge of allegiance?"

"As you said, Brother Luo, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."

Luo Liangde glanced into the room and suddenly realized what was going on—he tugged at Zhou You and whispered.

"How should I put it, this pledge of loyalty is to solve a problem for the gang, and then from now on, all the gang's grudges will be wiped clean by you."

"Even if I kill both of them, it won't matter?"

"Don't even mention two people, as long as you don't kill the gang leader, all the other debts can be cleared up in one go."

"Such a good thing, but the trouble must be considerable, right?"

"Usually, these are suicidal missions involving assassinating high-ranking members of rival gangs or government officials, but this time your mission is probably even more difficult."

Zhou You laughed.

"...Even higher than a suicide mission, wouldn't that mean certain death?"

Luo Liangde gave Zhou You a deep look.

“Brother, you’re just pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth—there’s only one thing that fits this description—that is, questions related to the bizarre.”

Zhou You raised an eyebrow.

So I have to go to the wasteland again?

Luo Liangde shook his head.

"No, this time it's a little different."

"After a scavenger family returned from the wasteland, the whole family suddenly became very strange. Several members of the gang went there, but they all disappeared. Gang Leader Yi suspects that they may have caused some trouble in the wasteland or obtained some treasure, so he needs someone to help check it out."

(End of this chapter)