Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 623 Routine
Then he let go.

There wasn't much money in the bag; most of the money from selling the crystal was still hidden at home—anyway, with Ijon Un watching over him, most people wouldn't dare to go to his house to steal anything.

As for this action, it's not something tragic or pitiful.

Zhou You could only sigh.

—How many worlds like this exist within the Black Book?
I can save one, two, three, or four people, but what about more?
Watching the kid run into the darkness with the wallet, Zhou You shook his head, first spreading his hands to indicate that he had nothing left, and then punching the brick wall next to him before the group of starving guys could swarm him.

Seeing the cracks spreading inch by inch, the observers hesitated for a moment before choosing to retreat back into the shadows.

They were looking for a disabled person they could manipulate at will, an evil person without infectious diseases who they could swallow whole, not a 'troublemaker' who could smash a brick wall with a single punch.

After seeing those people leave, Zhou You turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

My good mood was ruined by this incident.

Perhaps to clear his mind, he didn't seek the main road, but instead wandered around along the winding paths, taking in the sights.

When I first came in, I only had a fleeting glimpse of it, and these past few days I've been so focused on treating my leg that I haven't had time for anything else. It wasn't until today, when I finally decided to take a closer look, that I realized...
This world is worse than I imagined.

The filthy environment and dilapidated infrastructure are actually minor problems. The biggest problems are the lack of food and clothing, and the completely numb population.

Perhaps driven too far by the bizarre, this place, aside from a few exceptions protected by harsh punishments, has seen morality cross the line—in just this short stretch of road, Zhou You witnessed two robberies, seven thefts, and a clearly murdered corpse, stripped naked.
While it's true that people will go to extremes to survive, things have gone to this extent, which can hardly be considered normal.

To avoid trouble, Zhou You also hung the token that Luo Liangde had given him around his neck—this thing was more useful than he had imagined. He was not bothered at all along the way, and returned home about two or three hours later.

San San has been waiting for a long time.

He fumbled for the light switch and, seeing the little girl still sitting at the table, asked in surprise.

"It's already past midnight, why aren't you asleep yet?"

San San tilted her head and suddenly smiled.

For some reason, Zhou You suddenly felt
That smile was somewhat flamboyant?
But after rubbing his eyes, his face remained the same simple and unadorned one.

"."

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

After a while, San San suddenly asked a question.

"No, it's nothing." Zhou Youhuang shook his head. "By the way, the conversation got digressed—it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

San San groped for his white cane, stood up, and then smiled shyly.

"I'm waiting for you, brother."

"Why are you waiting for me?"

In response to Zhou You's questioning voice, San San smiled.

"It's not right for you to be busy outside while I rest at home. I made something simple, it shouldn't be cold yet, would you like some?"

Ha, I never thought that even in a different place, I would still be raised by a little girl mother.

Zhou You shrugged and sat down at the table—but he suddenly felt something prick his butt.

Upon taking it out, I realized it was the Braille version of "The Prince".

Zhou You casually tossed the heavy book aside.

"Hey San San, don't you get tired of looking at this every day? I've read this book before, and putting everything else aside, its hypnotic effect is top-notch."

However, San San tilted her little head.

"Brother, didn't you specially find this book for me to study?"

Why teach this to a blind girl who can't even leave her house and spends most of her time at home?

What was the original owner thinking?
Zhou You glanced at the book, which was so thick it could easily be used as a murder weapon, pursed his lips, and then picked up his chopsticks.

"Alright, hurry up and eat something. Kids shouldn't stay up late every night; it's bad for your health."

The days passed like this.

Although Luo Liangde was so anxious at the time that it seemed like the world was about to end, unexpectedly, nothing unusual happened in the past few days—everyone was living their lives according to the established pattern, with neither strange invasions nor any disturbances.

Everything was living according to the established pattern, except for one thing.

—The wasteland has yielded a bumper harvest.

Using the word "harvest" to describe it might not be quite appropriate, but you can understand the meaning—some of those who made it to the top died, but many more returned to the underworld with their wealth.

The mayor kept his promise and, although no one has won the prize yet, quite a few have become rich overnight.

Money can move people's hearts, and under this direct stimulus, even more people flocked to the wasteland one after another—for a time, this dilapidated underground area actually showed signs of prosperity.

Zhou You didn't go along, firstly because he still had enough money and was too lazy to move before Yi Zheng'en could make arrangements, and secondly because, for some reason, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it, but something just feels off.

So he stayed home completely.

San San didn't chase him away; in fact, she was quite pleased. To her, the peace and safety of their little family was more important than anything else. It would be the best thing if Zhou You could stay in the wilderness and do some small business here.

Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.

On this day, just as the two were having breakfast together, a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

"Who?"

Zhou You simply called out, and a hurried reply came from behind the door.

"Boss Yi's men, please open the door."

Zhou You frowned.

"Boss Yi? It shouldn't be the agreed time yet, what's wrong?"

"Things have changed. The boss needs you to go there right away, immediately!"

"Um, let me put on my coat first."

The other party was becoming increasingly anxious as they spoke.

"Now, immediately!"

“Alright, alright.” Zhou You shook his head, first letting the uneasy San San sit down, then putting the Wan Ren hanging on the wall back into his ring, before opening the door.

But what caught my eye was a completely unfamiliar face.

Zhou You frowned, and then said.

"I don't think I've seen you before. Where's that liaison officer that Boss Yi often sends?"

The man answered hastily.

"Something's happened to the gang! They're under attack now. The three groups have somehow teamed up and are besieging headquarters. The gang leader is in grave danger. You'd better get there right away!"

Zhou You frowned.

Given Yi Jong-un's arrogant behavior lately, it's not impossible for him to be ganged up on and beaten up. The question is, why did they target me?
Seemingly sensing Zhou You's confusion, the man said, holding his breath, "The debt you owe."

Well, it's only right to pay back debts—besides, I need this guy to find a way to take my girl out of the city, so I can't just watch him die like this.

Zhou You shrugged, gave a few instructions to the people inside, told San San to lock the door, and then left with the guy.

As soon as he reached the roadside, he froze.

There was a car parked there.

It looks like a Hyundai—although it's in decent condition, it's not exactly classy in terms of style or prestige—but this is the post-apocalyptic world after the blood moon, a world where all settlements and industries have come to a standstill except for places like amusement parks!
To put it more simply, when Ijon rushed over yesterday, he was only riding in a three-wheeled vehicle—although it was certainly beneath a gangster boss to ride in such a thing, there was no other way; if a proper car broke down, there was nowhere to get it replaced.

And now, this guy has actually sent out his most prized car just to pick me up?

Zhou You pointed at the car in astonishment, but the other party was too anxious to explain and simply pushed him inside.

"The fighting over there is so intense that ordinary vehicles can't get out. There's no other way, so the boss had to bring out his most treasured possession—after all, what use is a car if you're already dead?"

"That's not entirely wrong."

Just as Zhou You was still in a daze, the man had already skillfully gotten into the driver's seat, started the engine, and then the beat-up Hyundai, accompanied by a wisp of black smoke, suddenly rushed onto the road—

You can't expect good road conditions in this godforsaken place; it's full of potholes, making the ride bumpy.

Zhou You felt the massage on his buttocks and was about to close his eyes for a short while—but then he immediately opened them again.

He stared intently at the guy in the front seat and suddenly spoke.

"Hey bro."

".What's wrong?"

—In stark contrast to his almost frantic state before boarding the bus, he is now remarkably sparing with words.

Zhou You laughed.

"I never expected that our place would actually have proper roads. I always thought they were all those narrow, winding paths in the slums."

"After all, it was converted from air defense and underground emergency facilities back then, so it's normal to have roads for driving. It's just that it has been neglected for many years, so the road conditions are a bit bad."

"I see." Zhou You nodded. "But I vaguely remember that Boss Yi's office is in the east. Why do we seem to be heading west?"

"."

The other person didn't say anything, but simply pressed the accelerator even harder.

On the contrary, Zhou You remained calm and casually leaned back in his chair, then laughed again.

"While the Earth is indeed round, this is going a bit too far—you're not planning to go around in circles and get back, are you?"

The other party still did not answer.

Zhou You let out a soft sigh.

The next second, Wan Ren was already at the other's neck. The cold blade only needed to move forward one more inch to sever the other's throat without hesitation.

Even so, the other party remained remarkably calm.

As if unaware that his life was hanging by a thread, he spoke in a calm voice.

"You may have misunderstood something. I really don't have any bad intentions."

Zhou You laughed jokingly.

"If you didn't have any bad intentions, why would you impersonate someone else and trick me into getting on the bus?"

Of course, despite saying that, he didn't have much killing intent.

The other party—or the forces behind them—clearly has something to do with me; otherwise, they wouldn't have revealed themselves in such an obvious way.

Just be.

I don't know anyone in this city, so who could be looking for me?

Zhou You thought about it and decided that instead of figuring it out on his own, it would be better to be more straightforward.

He pressed the sword down further until a line of blood appeared on his skin, then he continued to laugh.

"Excuse me, brother, who is your master?"

This time, a few traces of emotion finally surfaced on that deathly cold face.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, it is a very distinguished person—and he only wants to talk to you about something to prevent you from being deceived by some ill-intentioned people, that's all."

noble but ill-intentioned
A name popped into Zhou You's mind, and he suddenly froze, then just lay back down, letting the other person take him somewhere he didn't know.

About an hour later.

The car suddenly stopped.

Looking up, I saw an abandoned residential area—it looked like it had been attacked by a strange force, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. A few tattered signs hung at the entrance, and I could only make out the few words that suggested this place used to be called Hengyuan District.

There was no one there, and due to the strange lingering effects, not even a single rat could be seen.

Zhou You glanced at the guy.

The other party didn't waste any words, but led Zhou You through many twists and turns, taking several small paths, before finally starting to dig in an inconspicuous corner.

Zhou You had no intention of participating in the labor at all; instead, he watched his actions, crossed his arms, and laughed.

"What a clever plan! You specifically chose this secluded place as your secret base—but while it's hidden and safe, there's hardly any protection. Aren't you afraid that some weirdo might suddenly decide to ambush you all one day?"

The man continued digging in the soil, speaking in a very ordinary manner.

"There's no need to worry about that, because this area is now Butcher Sun's territory."

"Um, whether you are attacked or not has anything to do with which supernatural phenomenon it is?"

“Yes,” the man uttered a single word, then continued, “because our master family has long since established good relations with Butcher Sun. No, I shouldn’t say Butcher Sun. Our master family has more or less taken care of most of the intelligent monsters in the wasteland above.”

As he spoke, he gave another mocking smile.

"Otherwise, do you think those few magic arrays could have stopped so many strange creatures? It's only because our master has done good deeds everywhere, spending countless sums of money, that we've managed to preserve this little bit of pure land."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hidden door appeared before them.

He waved, signaling Zhou You to follow.

The person did not refuse.

The two continued along the long passage, changing directions several times along the way, until they opened the last hidden door and found themselves in a bright and open space.

The sudden change in light made Zhou You squint.

But then he froze.

Wait a moment.

Where does the sunlight in this underground facility come from?

(End of this chapter)