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Chapter 90

Chapter 90 

 

From the injured man’s confession, Hao Jian learned that although some “Wujio” members had arrived recently, many had been blending in with the island's population for a long time. The difference was that the newer members carried firearms, while the earlier infiltrators did not. 

 

Hao Jian deduced that the armed members were likely key operatives. Capturing a few of them might provide valuable intel about the organization. 

 

“How many of them have guns?” Hao Jian pressed. 

 

The man, pale and on the verge of passing out from pain, blurted out everything he knew: “I’m not sure, but I’ve seen about a dozen of them with rifles. They’re mostly active around Huacheng Garden, and some of them guard the yachts at the docks... I’ve told you everything I know. You promised to let me go!” 

 

Hao Jian nodded. “Of course, I keep my promises.” 

 

Then, without hesitation, she shot the man in his other leg. As his screams echoed, she said coldly, “I’m not going to kill you. Whether you survive from here on out depends on your own luck.” 

 

The sound of zombies downstairs was growing louder, and the man heard it too. He instinctively tried to crawl away, but with both legs injured, even moving was agony. Glaring at Hao Jian with hatred and despair, he spat, “You liar! You’re just like them, aren’t you?” 

 

Hao Jian felt nothing at his outburst. She holstered her gun, checked for threats behind the police station, and then used a rope purchased from the system's shop to climb out the window. 

 

“Why didn’t you just kill him? You could’ve earned points,” the system asked. 

 

“To kill for the sake of killing, how would I be any different from the ‘Wujio’ members then?” Hao Jian replied. 

 

After a pause, she added, “Actually, your question makes me wonder: could there be a similar rationale behind Wujio’s slaughter?” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“In the world, there are certainly sadistic individuals and sociopaths, but it’s unlikely that a single organization like ‘Wujio’ would attract so many of them. Even if an ordinary person is brainwashed to kill, they wouldn’t become addicted to it unless they were either mentally unstable or driven by profit. 

 

“From what we’ve seen, Wujio operates in various ways: brainwashing people into religious zealotry, seeking power, or simply escaping reality. They’ve incited followers to target the weak, but they haven’t reached a level of pathological mass murder. 

 

“This suggests that the truly bloodthirsty individuals are only a minority among their key members. And yet, these key members act with such impunity in the city center. What emboldens them? 

 

“I used to think they were backed by officials, but now that the authorities are cracking down, how could these insiders continue to openly support them? Where are their weapons coming from?” 

 

Hao Jian gestured to the system’s weapons shop. “If there’s a team like Ding Guonian’s, and one of them has a system like mine that’s been upgraded to Level 5, they could buy one gun per day, with no limit on ammunition. Killing one person yields 10 experience points and 200 credits. Killing ten people earns enough for a rifle and bullets. Within a few days, everyone in the group could be armed.” 

 

“Are you suggesting Wujio’s core members have systems like yours?” 

 

Hao Jian shook her head. “As you’ve said, systems aren’t commonplace. Even if Wujio’s member base is large, the number of system users would be far fewer than their core operatives. My theory is this: the system owners are hiding among the core members, using the others’ bloodlust to mask their own activities.” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Let me give you an example. If I were acting with my junior apprentice, Shi Gongdui, Peng Mao, and Xin Ting, and I was the only one obsessed with killing, wouldn’t you, as an observer, find it suspicious?” 

 

“Extremely.” 

 

“But if everyone in the group was killing, I wouldn’t stand out. Even if someone noticed something odd, they wouldn’t single me out. Instead, they’d assume the organization’s philosophy revolved around killing for pleasure. This also explains how Wujio, which was merely a pyramid scheme before the apocalypse, transformed into what it is today.” 

 

“And your conclusion is?” 

 

“I believe I’m not the only clever one in this world. There are likely other system owners who’ve uncovered the system’s secrets. Like me, they probably distrust other system users and act with great caution. 

 

“As for why they don’t simply complete their tasks... people are diverse, and systems differ in their missions. The users selected by the systems are bound to have varying approaches as well.”  

 

The system was curious about how Hao Jian would handle the situation. 

 

“Without a doubt, if I encounter a ‘Wujio’ system host, I’ll find a way to eliminate them. Their presence only makes this already broken world more chaotic. Your so-called Apocalypse Survival System allows and even rewards killing, regardless of the victim’s innocence. There’s no punishment for killing good people. So, I believe I already have the answer to the question I asked you before.” 

 

“What question?” 

 

Hao Jian took a deep breath as she slipped into the women’s restroom of the table tennis hall. Pulling out a sanitary pad, she answered, “Your system isn’t solely about ensuring humanity’s survival. Hosts might collaborate, but they are also incentivized to kill each other. In fact, it’s an inevitable trend.” 

 

The prior agreement between Hao Jian and the system allowed for bold speculations and discussions without mutual suspicion, leading to a strangely more harmonious relationship. 

 

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, when I have a soul-deep connection with my junior sister, can you see it?” Hao Jian suddenly asked. 

 

“The system has no eyes and cannot observe what hosts do with their companions.” 

 

“Then how do you determine whether we’ve had a deep connection?” 

 

“Through various data changes between the host and their companion.” 

 

Hao Jian dropped the topic. After finishing in the restroom, she was about to leave the table tennis hall when she encountered a group of civilians being chased by zombies. 

 

Thinking quickly, she drew her gun and shot the zombies closest to the group. “Get inside!” she shouted. 

 

The panicked civilians rushed into the hall, and Hao Jian chained the door shut behind them. The remaining zombies clawed and snarled at the glass door, desperate to get inside. 

 

The rescued individuals, still catching their breath, eyed Hao Jian warily. They had noticed the gun in her hand, and that observation sent alarm bells ringing in their minds. They couldn’t help but associate her with the infamous “Wujio” group. 

 

Noticing their unease, Hao Jian said, “Head upstairs. It’s safer there.” 

 

“N-no, thank you for saving us, but we—” a frail man stammered. 

 

“What are you trying to say?” Hao Jian asked, her tone calm but firm. 

 

Seeing the gun pointed in their direction, the group clammed up and obediently moved to the second floor. 

 

“I saved them, so why are they so scared of me?” Hao Jian asked the system. 

 

“Maybe put your gun away before asking that.” 

 

Hao Jian shrugged. “What can I say? It’s the simplest and most effective way to get them to listen.” 

 

“They probably think that you’re part of ‘Wujio.’” 

 

“That means they’ve encountered ‘Wujio’ members before. Perfect, I might be able to get some intel from them. The sooner I complete this mission, the sooner I can see my junior sister again!” 

 

“Host, you’re setting up a death flag, you know?” 

 

“…” 

 

The second floor of the table tennis hall was relatively clean compared to the first floor. The tables were undisturbed, just as they had been before the apocalypse. 

 

The rescued group huddled behind a table, still nervous but slightly less wary now that the surroundings appeared ordinary and non-threatening. 

 

“You seem unfamiliar. Are you residents of the nearby neighborhood?” Hao Jian asked. 

 

The frail man answered first, “Not me, I work at a sports equipment store on Datong Road.” 

 

“I’m with a housekeeping company. I have no money or food…” said a plump, middle-aged woman, her fear still evident. 

 

The remaining three, a middle-aged man, a young woman, and a teenage boy, revealed their roles as a security guard, a swimming coach, and a resident of Huacheng Garden, respectively. The boy and the middle-aged woman were together, as she was the boy’s family’s housekeeper. The others had joined up while fleeing for their lives. 

 

“Which building in Huacheng Garden do you live in?” Hao Jian asked the boy, recalling that the garden was one of ‘Wujio’s’ strongholds. 

 

“B-Building 6,” the boy stammered.  

 

Hao Jian nodded knowingly and holstered her gun. The teenager then asked, “Are you a bad person?” 

 

“That depends on how you define good and bad,” Hao Jian replied. 

 

“Are you one of them?” the boy continued. 

 

“Who are ‘them’?” 

 

“The people who broke into our neighborhood, robbing and killing everywhere,” the boy said. 

 

The middle-aged woman hurriedly covered his mouth, exclaiming, “Huang You, stop talking nonsense!” 

 

Shaking her hand away, Huang You stared intensely at Hao Jian, as if ready to unleash pure hatred if she dared to answer “yes.” 

 

“No,” Hao Jian responded calmly. 

 

The group collectively exhaled in relief. 

 

“But I’m quite interested in those people you mentioned. Can you tell me more about them?” 

 

Most of them were similar to the four men Hao Jian had previously encountered people working on the island but not residing there. However, Huang You and his family’s housekeeper lived there permanently and had no reason to leave before the lockdown. 

 

Although Huang You’s family owned a villa, they were relatively less affluent than other residents, so their home wasn’t the first to attract attention when “Wujio” arrived at Huacheng Garden. 

 

When Huang You’s father realized these intruders meant harm, he immediately had the housekeeper pack up and prepare to leave. However, they were spotted while escaping through the back door. His father was shot dead, and Huang You managed to flee under the housekeeper’s protection. 

 

After a day of hiding, they met the others. While scavenging for food at a restaurant, they encountered a horde of zombies and fled in panic. 

 

“Where were you originally planning to go? Didn’t you notice anything unusual on the way?” Hao Jian asked. 

 

“We wanted to seek help from the guards on Haixin Island,” Huang You replied. “But the area near Haixin Island is already occupied by their people, so we decided to steal a boat from the swimming center’s dock instead.” 

 

At this point, the security guard asked, “If you’re not one of them, why do you have a gun?” 

 

“I took it off one of their people after I killed him,” Hao Jian said matter-of-factly. 

 

“But they all carry rifles. Yours is a handgun. Are you with the guards or the police? Did you come to save us?” the housekeeper asked cautiously. 

 

Hao Jian smiled faintly. “I did come from the police station.” 

 

That was technically true, she had indeed just left the station, but she never claimed to be a police officer. 

 

The group’s reactions varied, but most of them seemed to relax a little. 

 

“I can take you to the dock. Let’s go!” Hao Jian said. 

 

“But the zombies are blocking the door. How do we get out?” the swimming coach asked. 

 

Hao Jian pulled down a banner, twisted it into a rope, and tied it securely to the leg of a ping-pong table. “We’ll lower ourselves down.” 

 

Everyone seemed to agree with the plan. The security guard then said, “Ladies first, let the women and children go down first.” 

 

The sports store clerk volunteered, “I’ll go down first and scout the way for you.” 

 

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed the makeshift rope and descended. Nobody argued. After he safely reached the ground, Huang You insisted the swimming coach go next before following himself. 

 

Finally, the security guard turned to Hao Jian and the housekeeper. “Which of you will go next?” 

 

Hao Jian shut the window and smiled mischievously. “Before we go, why don’t we play a little game of ‘Trivia for Prizes’? Whoever can answer this question gets to go first. Why do you think ‘Wujio’ chose Huacheng Garden as their base instead of Century Garden or Palm Garden?”