"Chief Steward, I've brought the people to you, let them get familiarized first, I'll go back and rest for a few days."
Tao Yu had brought the twenty members of the Crow Squad, as well as several folks from the Green Home Apartment, over to Jack to help look after them.
As the representative of the base's original inhabitants and the major-domo in charge of daily affairs, Jack, even if busy to the point of not touching the ground, still agreed to Tao Yu's request.
"Alright, just so happens I'm short on trustworthy folks, I'll borrow them for a few days."
Those from the lab had already been handed in as tasks along with the data and vaccines, and Da Hei had been locked up in the Alien farm.
Now only the members of the Crow Squad and those from Green Home needed to be settled in.
Once they gradually became accustomed, and after Panda and the others managed to get some machine tools, they could also join in on the company's affairs.
Now that he barely had enough resources for self-preservation, Tao Yu had already started thinking about traveling afar.
With reliable friends here to help look after things, when he was back in the real world, he could remotely keep track of things, and the gains and tasks could be directly brought back to the real world for completion, as the basics were already sufficient.
"Let's leave Cao Shaolin and Little Black here for now. With Wino following in the shadows, that's enough for now. Keep Little Black in Jack's room, let him take some time to feed it, and first give Cao Shaolin a temporary authority to keep Little Black in check..."
...
After more than two months, he had returned.
Looking at the familiar room in front of him, Tao Yu also felt a tickle at the tip of his nose.
"Show them my money-making speed, and maybe spruce it up..., forget it, it would probably suffice just to find a place in the Inner City, I'll see about it later."
Tao Yu originally thought about renovating the home.
But considering the earth-shattering change in his strength over the past four-plus months and his steadily rising status,
He felt that he should instead use all the remaining Yuan Force for strength training acceleration, as even the pure strength that he could openly display would be enough to establish a foothold in the Inner City.
"That Frank was quite full of himself, but his power was much less than our gym leader's brother. Compared to mechanical augmentation and alien implantation, his strength is clearly a notch lower."
Tao Yu pondered in his heart that not everyone in the Inner City had the wealth of the likes of Joseph and Wino. There were lower rungs in the Inner City too.
And the strength he could show openly in the Inner City was, by now, not at the bottom level.
"Better take it slow for now, digest this first, then see how things go next time I come back."
Aside from the hundreds of Demonization materials in his backpack, he had casually brought some daily necessities home, including some cigars for Uncle Hu.
The materials gathered locally in Las Vegas didn't require any extra spending; this was also a habit among the Pioneers.
But just as Tao Yu was getting ready to leave the house, he happened to hear some voices from the living room, it was his father's voice, sounding a bit anxious.
"Tiger, why hasn't the seventh son come back yet, it's been over two months, it's too long."
"Over two months is indeed a bit long. But the boy has improved so fast in strength, didn't he arrange to come back and let you know he was okay not too long ago? I don't see much trouble in it."
It was Uncle Tiger's voice.
Tao Yu had actually planned based on the gym leader's assessment of Wino, saying that Wino's strength could last at least two to three months, and he even specifically arranged a task to come back and report that all was well.
But his own family's understanding was limited; they were still filled with concern.
In contrast, Uncle Tiger's voice was markedly steady. Uncle Tiger himself should also be able to last more than two months.
"Dad, Uncle Tiger, stop discussing, I'm back."
Tao Yu, carrying his stuff, pushed open the door.
He saw his parents, his third brother and sister-in-law, his younger brother, and Uncle Tiger all there.
The assorted motley stools were all taken, with some sitting and others standing.
Anxiety was clear on his parents' faces, while his third brother and younger brother were also somewhat worried.
Tao Long's advice was derived from decades of experience and the cautious instinct of an Outsider.
And Tao Yu took it to heart. After all, there had been several Inner City Pioneers who had died by their own hands, and even more from the outside.
"Don't worry, I know my limits. Plus, I'm on very good terms with both the miss and the young master of the Suns."
Tao Yu took the opportunity to clarify his connections – it would be best if this news spread gradually.
It might just reduce his troubles.
There was a vast difference and much less hassle stopping a thought in the inception than after someone had acted upon it. Having had different experiences, Tao Yu knew this well.
However, it was undeniable that sometimes the extra windfalls were quite substantial.
Thinking of the Yuan Force that Frank had contributed, Tao Yu felt some satisfaction. If all the trouble were like this, he certainly wouldn't mind it occurring more often.
It's just unfortunate that oftentimes, they were self-destructive maniacs who not only didn't give any Yuan Force but also left no equipment behind.
Hacking at them was a waste of a good blade.
"The Suns, influential people... sss..."
Tao Long gasped in surprise, never having expected his son to gain such favor.
For someone who had spent decades in the Outer City, he had no idea how to handle it.
He was both shocked and delighted, but soon managed to compose himself.
"It's easier to meet Yama than to deal with his underlings. They are not the ones handling specific tasks, and at best, they only look upon you favorably – that's still different."
Tao Yu rolled his eyes at his father's suddenly eloquent words, throwing back at him the same kind of talk he used on his son,
"Why are you speaking so fancily all of a sudden? Where did you learn that from?"
"You little rascal..."
Before Tao Long could become annoyed, Tao Yu hurriedly took out his backpack and said,
"Here, these are the things I brought for Third Brother. Along with this vaccine, he should be able to slowly recover the use of his legs."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and everyone was dumbfounded.
Something that could regenerate lost limbs? He'd managed to get it in just four months?
Wasn't this speed a bit too incredible?!
It was only Tao Shi's youthful curiosity that couldn't hold back, breaking the silence as he asked,
"Bro, can this stuff really regenerate limbs? It must be expensive, right?"
Tao Shi, who often hung around the Chaoyang Society, had a bit of a discerning eye.
For Outsiders, limb regeneration was almost an unsolvable issue!
Whether it was mechanical arms or something that could regenerate limbs, neither was affordable for Outsiders.
In the past, with Tao Hu's Grade A talent, there was indeed a possibility of this – they believed that once Tao Yu grew up, there might be a chance to solve this problem.
But that was for when he grew up!
At least it would take a decade, right?
Tao Tong didn't dare to harbor any hope so as not to pressure Tao Yu. The current priority was to let Tao Yu grow up.
But what was this current situation?
It had been just over four months, and he'd already managed to obtain such incredible items?!
"Hey, it's a specialty product of the new Development Zone. But it has some serious side effects. It started with over a hundred fragments; each one is heavily contaminated. Just absorbing them would take Third Brother at least a month. After waiting so long, we can't rush it now..."