88: Section 88

Melissa had also heard of Jing Yuan's name. She said with a smile, "So it's Vice-Captain Jing Yuan of the Wasteland Hunters. Do you have business with me?"

"I do," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "How about we find a quiet place to have a good talk?"

Melissa looked at Jing Yuan. "Whatever you want to say, say it right here!"

Jing Yuan stared at Melissa and nodded. "Fine. We Wasteland Hunters have been short on Dust Citizen porters lately. I want to draft 4205 into the team and have him go down to The Surface with us."

Melissa's expression changed, but she quickly controlled her emotions and said, "Why are you telling me about your Wasteland Hunter business?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I heard 4205 is your exclusive cleaner, so I came to ask for your opinion first. You should know, being on The Surface with the Wasteland Hunters is a life-and-death gamble. Many Dust Citizens go down to The Surface and never come back."

Melissa struggled to control her emotions. "There are so many Dust Citizens on the Lighthouse, why do you specifically want 4205!"

"Because I know 4205's identity," Jing Yuan smiled. "Director Melissa, do you want me to say it out loud here?"

"What exactly do you want?"

"Let's find a place where no one else is around to talk!"

Jing Yuan's purpose was very clear; he was coming for Melissa.

Melissa had no choice but to bring Jing Yuan into her office.

Melissa closed the door and turned to ask Jing Yuan, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Jing Yuan spoke directly, "I've already investigated thoroughly. Director Melissa, you used your power to trade favors, arranging for your own son—the Dust Citizen 4205—to clean your residence. Under the guise of cleaning work, you share family time with your son in your home. Director Melissa, this is a serious violation of the three great laws!"

"Nonsense! What evidence do you have?"

"Getting evidence isn't hard," Jing Yuan smiled. "You've secretly raised your son to be so well-fed and healthy; there's plenty of evidence of that."

"Even if you have evidence, what can you do? The one who enforces the law is the Law Enforcement Office, not you Wasteland Hunters."

Jing Yuan laughed. "Right, I forgot Charles is backing you. With him around, you indeed don't need to worry. But... you also know the current situation of the Lighthouse... once this is exposed... do you think Charles will protect himself first, or you and your son?"

"Vice-Captain Jing Yuan, if I remember correctly, I haven't offended you, have I?" Melissa stared at Jing Yuan, her eyes filled with anger. "Why are you looking for trouble with me today?"

"Melissa, it's one thing for the Hall of Dawn missions to be randomly generated. But you and Charles turned the Hall of Dawn missions into tools for your own trades. Melissa, how could you have the heart?"

"Since the Hall of Dawn missions are random, isn't it the same no matter who you perform the mission with?"

"Is that how you comfort yourself?"

"What else can I do?" Melissa glanced sideways at Jing Yuan. "Aren't you a beneficiary of this as well?"

"Director Melissa, you and I are both pawns. Aren't the benefits you mentioned things we should have had in the first place?" Jing Yuan stared at Melissa and said, "Before the three great laws were enacted, wasn't it human nature to be with the one you love and with your child? The three great laws banned family relationships, but Charles takes these things that should have belonged to us and trades them as if they were his gifts. Melissa, haven't you ever thought, by what right?"

"Then what can you do? Tell me, can you fight the Lighthouse, or can you fight the three great laws?"

"Chapter 90: Just Today"

Jing Yuan originally wanted to use Melissa's Dust Citizen son to threaten her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

As for Melissa, she loved and protected her son; there was nothing wrong with that.

She was wrong for helping Charles and aiding his tyranny, but she also had no choice.

Not everyone has cheats or the ability to flip the table like Jing Yuan!

"Melissa, I need you to help me!"

"Why should I help you?"

"Don't you want you and your son to be able to live together openly? Don't you want to remove the Dust Citizen label from his head? Don't you want to see your son get married and have children?" Jing Yuan paused for a moment and added, "Or, do you think just living like this is enough!"

"You can change all this?" Melissa didn't believe him.

"I can't, but Mark can! You know that Mark is about to succeed as the City Lord; he will definitely bring change!"

Melissa fell silent. She had lived on the Lighthouse for so many years; she knew very well what kind of person everyone was.

If it were Mark, there truly was a chance to bring change.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want a list!"

"What list?"

"A list of the personnel Charles has traded with using the Hall of Dawn over the years."

Melissa stared at Jing Yuan and said in a low voice, "I have the list, but once I give it to you, Charles will know I was the one who provided it. Can you and Mark protect us?"

"Rest assured! Since we're going to topple Charles, we won't give him a chance to recover!"

Melissa hesitated.

To her, doing nothing was the safest choice.

But life on the Lighthouse was too difficult.

Day after day, when would it ever end?

Rather than continuing like this, it was better to take a gamble.

Melissa steeled her heart, walked over to a nearby computer, and directly pulled up that list.

Seeing her bring up the list so quickly, Jing Yuan immediately realized, "You have a record of every assigned mission?"

Melissa nodded.

Although this move was a huge help, Jing Yuan still found it incredible. It seemed Melissa had long ago thought that this day might come.

Looking at the list on the computer, Jing Yuan was even more shocked.

"Heavens! So many!"

On the list, Jing Yuan not only saw his own name but also some other familiar names. "Eun, Martin, Buri, Senge..." Jing Yuan looked at the list; they were all people around Charles. Although they were distributed across various departments, they all took orders from Charles.

Jing Yuan said through gritted teeth, "There are people from every department. Charles really treated the Hall of Dawn as his private club!"

Jing Yuan continued to look down. He had been assigned a total of seven missions, three of which were with Penny and four with Jing Nan.

Further down was Ran Bing's mission.

"Loriv, Ran Bing?" Looking at this name, Jing Yuan immediately thought of that big guy.

In the original story, it was also a big guy who entered the Hall of Dawn with Ran Bing.

This big guy's name was never mentioned, and he didn't even show his face, always wearing a mask.

On the real Lighthouse, this kind of large physique was very rare.

Jing Yuan had always suspected this person was Loriv, and now it was confirmed.

The missions for Loriv and Ran Bing were also scheduled three times!

"Is he worried Mark won't smash the Hall of Dawn?" Jing Yuan murmured to himself.

The list continued to the end, and Penny and Jing Nan were also on it, but the matched males were no longer Jing Yuan.

"You're also doing this to protect the people you like, right?" Melissa noticed something.

Jing Yuan didn't respond but instead asked, "When is Ran Bing's mission?"

"I don't know," Melissa explained. "I'm only responsible for the list here. The specific timing is handled by the Casualty Supply Department."

"Casualty Supply Department?" Jing Yuan looked at Melissa in confusion. "Why do they arrange it?"

"Normal Breeding Missions are scheduled by us according to the plan. I can insert the list provided by Charles into the normal schedule. But in special circumstances, he will directly arrange it through the Casualty Supply Department for expedited handling."

"I see. He's worried that if it follows the normal schedule, it won't be in time for..."

Melissa asked in confusion, "Won't be in time for what?"

"Nothing. Director Melissa, I have one more thing I need your help with."

"Go ahead."

"I need you to quietly lead me into the Hall of Dawn at a specific time."

...Not long after leaving the Gene Optimization Institute, Penny found Jing Yuan.

The Wasteland Hunters have communication devices and can contact each other.

However, the devices are monitored, so they generally only use them to find each other's locations.

The Lighthouse is only so big; if there's something to say, it's best to say it face-to-face.

Jing Yuan and Penny agreed to meet at the Outer Ring. Penny said with an anxious face, "Ran Bing has been assigned a Hall of Dawn mission."

"What? So soon?"

"Yes!"

Jing Yuan was a bit dazed. Instructor Elon's Far-Away Journey ceremony was just held this morning; how could they arrange a mission for Ran Bing on the same day?

"Do you know when it is?"

"Tonight at nine o'clock!"

Hearing Penny's answer, Jing Yuan was dazed again.

Tonight's mission... Mark smashes the Hall of Dawn tonight, and also goes to Nirvana to get medicine tonight!"