"without."

Mingmei shook her head. Mu Chen looked at the three of them again and said, "I didn't expect to meet you here. Why don't you come and sit with us for a while?"

Mu Chen practically suggested that everyone share information, and Lu Xiaoyao and the others had no reason to disagree, nodding repeatedly.

On the way, they passed a stall that seemed to sell some kind of snacks. Sun Yunzhong saw it and gritted his teeth and spent a lot of money to buy a few pieces.

While Lu Xiaoyao and Dong Lei were whispering to each other that they didn't expect Sun Yunzhong, such a big boy, to be so greedy, they suddenly felt embarrassed when they arrived at Mu Chen's treehouse and saw Sun Yunzhong give the snack to Mu Chen.

They're both really clueless. =.=

However, Mingmei and Muchen did not actually accept the gifts. Muchen's treehouse itself was not very big, but fortunately the thick tree roots outside had been taken care of before, creating a large terrace. Muchen invited them to sit outside, then turned around and went into the house to get a plate. He cut the two or three small snacks from earlier and brought them out for everyone to eat together.

And so, the five of them sat together and exchanged information from the past two days.

“Aside from discovering the mysterious merchant, the three of us spent most of our time…” Sun Yunzhong hesitated for a moment, especially in front of his uncle, before finally saying, “…making a living.”

I haven't heard any news in the past two days, I've only been focused on surviving, I feel so useless _(：3」∠)_

Then Lu Xiaoyao chimed in, complaining about the burglary they'd been subjected to earlier that day. She added that they had little hope for the environment above and were pinning their hopes on going underground.

Upon venturing underground, they discovered that the underground city, at least in terms of technology and energy, was far superior to the city above.

Not only is the living environment there truly appalling, but the people there are also constantly pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human.

"I just arrived in the dungeon today too." Mingmei recounted how she encountered Mu Chen and was robbed when she went downstairs to take out the trash earlier that day.

A hint of dismay flashed across the group's eyes when they learned that the robbery had targeted Mu Chen.

"That person is amazing."

Recalling Mu Chen's performance today, Lu Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask, "What happened to that person in the end?"

"Dead."

Mu Chen said calmly, as if it were a very ordinary matter. Looking at the few people who were speechless, he asked in return, "Otherwise what? Let him go, and then wait for him to bring a group of people to launch a surprise attack, or wait for you to fall on hard times and for him to suddenly jump out and kick you when you're down?"

Or perhaps you're locked in a fierce battle with your opponent, only to have someone else jump in and deliver the final blow, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger?

"Um...yes."

If they hadn't been robbed and hadn't been spied on by their neighbors, they might have really thought that Mu Chen was too ruthless. But now that they've experienced it, they realize that what Mu Chen said wasn't just his subjective speculation.

"Well, when we were watching your match today, someone said that outstanding players would be appreciated by higher-ups. Did you receive any information after your match that made you come out so late?"

At this moment, Mingmei asked Mu Chen about why he was late coming out after the competition ended today.

"Not really... I just asked the people at the boxing ring about how the points and prize money I won in the matches were calculated. They also gave me some hints that if I perform a little better, I'll have a chance to meet some big shots."

Mu Chen had a faint smile on his lips. He was wondering what kind of powerful figures he would meet later, and even what kind of useful information he could get from them, when Lu Xiaoyao asked with a curious look, "What use is meeting such a big shot? Will he stop boxing and become a thug instead?"

Mu Chen: "..."

Everyone: "..."

"Open your mind to it," Sun Yunzhong couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. "What are we doing in this game?"

"Let's eliminate the destabilizing factors in the outer space..." Lu Xiaoyao doubted herself under everyone's gaze. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, so what do you think are the factors that make the alien sea unstable?"

"Well, there must be many factors involved. The people living here are a mixed bag, and many of them aren't good people..." Lu Xiaoyao answered Mingmei's question seriously.

She talked for a long time, saying that she was observing other people's reactions to confirm whether what she said was wrong or incorrect, but no one said anything and just let her continue.

Finally, Lu Xiaoyao became increasingly hoarse and her thoughts became unclear. She then said, "Ah, I don't know either. What I've said may not be complete, so does anyone have anything to add?"

“We don’t know.” Mingmei shook her head as well, but she immediately looked at Mu Chen, who understood and continued, “But they know about those who built underground cities and even have influence throughout the entire outer sea.”

They've been operating here for so long, they know the outer sea is chaotic, yet they're still able to manage everything through the rules of the underground city. They want the outer sea to be stable even more than we do.

At the very least, we can't destroy everything they've built up so far.

"That's right."

Sun Yunzhong reacted quickly. When Mu Chen finished speaking and looked at him, he immediately understood and explained in detail what Mu Chen had just said, addressing the two "brute" players in their team who were currently confused.