Ita Era

Chapter 43 Going Home (6)

The police car left, and Ding Shi drove off. Kai Ge, sitting in the back seat, asked, "Ding Shi, where did you get your ID?"

Ding Shi replied, "It's a test. The system sells items during the dungeon preparation time, including a driver's license. You can take a 10-question theory test for 10 yuan."

Everyone remembered, but either they just glanced at it or didn't notice the driver's license. Knowing the system's usual tricks, Ding Shi knew this system was intentionally making everyone overlook the driver's license. Logically, something so important should be on the first page of the inventory. Instead, the system placed the driver's license on the second-to-last page, selling it alongside similar-looking miscellaneous items like notebooks.

Chu Yu patted Mu Mu on the shoulder in the passenger seat: "See, I'm good at judging people." They'd only been out of town a short while, and several hundred yuan were gone just like that. If it weren't for Ding Shi's driver's license, they'd be getting ripped off even more.

Mumu turned around and said, "Yuyu, as the team leader, shouldn't you consider how to handle the situation where five people only have one certificate?"

Ding Shi said, "Every city has test centers, but I suggest you take the test in Nanyue County."

Chu Yu sighed helplessly, "Okay." She didn't know how much time this would waste.

Ding Shi turned right off the national highway and onto the rural road leading to Nannan Village. Passing through the village, he noticed there weren't many people around. Ding Shi slowed down and pointed out, "There's a vegetable patch to your left ahead."

Everyone looked over and politely remarked, "It's growing really well." But what's so special about a vegetable garden?

Ding Shi's eyebrows twitched, and he continued to remind him, "There are chickens stealing vegetables."

Ritian stretched his arm out from the back seat and pressed the car horn. The two chickens that had been stealing vegetables flapped their wings and ran away. Ritian chuckled and said, "Cowardly chickens."

Ding Shi wanted to kick him off the vehicle, but he didn't dare openly admit he wanted to steal vegetables and chickens, since he didn't know how high the average morality level of this vehicle was. They had only cleared one casual dungeon so far, and it seemed most people still retained basic moral values. Ding Shi didn't want to be an outcast in the team, especially one who was discriminated against and ostracized.

Although it concerned the success or failure of the mission, and even their lives, Ding Shi instinctively rejected such petty theft. However, if the majority of the team approved, he naturally wouldn't object.

Ding Shi's morality value is very flexible and differs from that of traditional good and bad people. If a good person's morality value is 50-100 and a bad person's morality value is 0-50, then Ding Shi's morality value is 15-85. Within this range, there is nothing he cannot do.

The car drove past the village entrance, where there was a notice board. Ding Shi glanced at it casually and noticed several wanted posters. He instinctively pulled over, and everyone looked at him, wondering what he was up to. Some even speculated that perhaps he was upset that his earlier praise of the vegetable garden hadn't been entirely sincere?
Ding Shi said, "There is an arrest warrant."

"Hmm." Everyone looked at each other, and Chu Yu asked cautiously, "This wanted poster is really good-looking?" Besides being good-looking, she didn't know how else to praise a notice board and a few wanted posters.

Ding Shi explained, "We witnessed the capabilities of RoboCop today. There are not only electronic surveillance cameras on the national highway, but also a considerable number of patrol cars. Why are there still wanted criminals at large? Isn't the police pursuing them? Kai, as a scout, could you chat with those ladies over there?"

Kai didn't understand: "What are you talking about?"

Ding Shi said, "I think there might be a dark zone."

Mu Mu was the first to react: "Ding Shi, do you think we'll pass through some illegal areas on our way home?"

Ding Shi nodded. Although Kai Ge didn't fully understand yet, he still went to chat with several older women about the wanted criminal, while the others got out of the car to look at the wanted poster. About ten minutes later, the car got back on the road.

Kai said, "I asked a lot of questions, but I didn't get any useful information. However, one of the older women mentioned Ferrang, the axe-throwing criminal, who was wanted by the authorities."

The old lady was from a village called Heishuigou. Due to urban development, many people left Heishuigou, which was far from the city, to work in the city, and Heishuigou was abandoned. The old lady met the old man in the city, and after they retired, they went back to live in the old man's hometown.

Ferrand's adoptive father was a hunter from Blackwater Gully who found him in the wild. At the time, Ferrand's face was half-eaten by wild animals, leaving him unrecognizable. It is said that Ferrand was a recluse and lived alone in the mountains after his adoptive father's death. Before the village was abandoned, the village chief spoke with Ferrand, but Ferrand refused to leave Blackwater Gully.

Several years later, numerous people reported that their relatives had gone missing in the Blackwater Ditch area. The authorities stated that after a comprehensive police search, no missing persons were found in Blackwater Ditch.

Kai said, "What I find strange is that since the police haven't found any missing persons in Blackwater Ditch, why are they issuing a warrant for Ferrang, the only human in Blackwater Ditch?"

Ritian didn't quite understand: "Why don't we just avoid Blackwater Ditch? We'll just follow the route and travel properly. What does Blackwater Ditch or Ferrang have to do with us?"

Instead of expressing approval or disapproval, everyone fell silent, unsure how to evaluate the matter. This was mainly because Ding Shi seemed very serious, and the others couldn't grasp his thinking.

Ding Shi's idea: wanted criminals are like walking copies of currency; they can both fight crime and make a fortune. Each wanted criminal is worth 500 silver dollars; catching a few allows one to directly board a plane and reach their destination.

Others' thoughts: What does this have to do with us? Blackwater Ditch is dangerous; we should just avoid it.

Ding Shi had more thoughts: The missing persons were not found in Blackwater Ditch, but Ferrand from Blackwater Ditch was wanted. This instance must have some unknown secrets.

However, since he was on a different wavelength from his teammates, Ding Shi didn't say anything more and drove all the way to Nanyue County. Ding Shi had looked at the map and knew the route well. At 2 PM, the Fish Team arrived at the driving test center. When they arrived, there were already nearly a thousand players queuing up to take their tests.

Inquiries revealed that some players in the waiting area were from Nanyue County; they were stopped and fined before even leaving the city. Others were from neighboring counties; they were intercepted by police on the road and taken to Nanyue County along with their vehicles.

Good news: There are no closing times at the testing centers. Even better news: The average waiting time is only 20 minutes. Bad news: The pass rate for Driving Test Part 2 is 75%, while the pass rate for Driving Test Part 3 is only 35%.

Even worse news is that the Fish Team needs to take a manual transmission driving test, and the pass rate for the second part of the manual transmission driving test is 20%, while the pass rate for the third part is 10%.

10 yuan per time.

Kai stalled the engine during the parallel parking maneuver on his first driving test (Part 2). He failed gear shifting on his second test (Part 3). He failed gear shifting again on his third test (Part 3). He stalled the engine during reverse parking on his fourth test (Part 2). He successfully obtained his driver's license on his fifth test (Part 2).

As bald Kai came out of the exam hall, he hugged Wang Ritian tightly, almost bursting into tears on the spot. The pressure was too much; 10 yuan each time, 10 yuan each time, he didn't even dare to look at Yu Yu's face.

Chu Yu maintained a calm and kind smile throughout, but only she knew that she could only maintain a smile. One by one, they entered the examination hall, one by one came out to collect their money, and one by one went back into the examination hall. Chu Yu watched their backs as they walked away, wanting to cry. If they pooled all the money they had saved for the certification exams, they could afford to buy and maintain an automatic car.

(End of this chapter)