Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 625 Departure
--who I am?

This is quite a mysterious question. Ordinary people would simply state their name, while philosophers would launch into a long and rambling discourse.

As for Zhou You himself
He really wanted to ask: Who are you talking about?
If it were this body, it would already be a corpse. It is only because it has been resurrected that it can still move around for the time being.

What about his original self?

Now you only have two teeth and a hand left, and that hand is still hanging on your wrist.

After thinking it over for a long time, Zhou You decided to take the safest approach.

That is to remain silent.

—Don't ask me anything, I don't know anything.

In response to his silence, the mayor laughed.

"I did a little research on you. You suddenly appeared in the city about a year and a half ago, with a younger sister. Judging from the looks of it, you must have offended some enemies and were fleeing. At the time, everyone thought you were a refugee with your family. Who would have thought you had such a skill up your sleeve?"

At this point, he suddenly raised his eyebrows.

"Speaking of which, I just remembered something—I sent out a reconnaissance team to figure out a few key points in the wasteland, but not long after they were sent out, we received news that they were all wiped out. Do you know why?"

Zhou You looked at him, remaining silent.

So the mayor continued.

"No, that's not right either. There are survivors among them, my brother. As the only one who survived, can you tell me where all my men went?"

half an hour.

Zhou You suddenly uttered a sentence calmly.

"I do not know."

"You do not know?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, the mayor's kind face turned cold.

"You idiot, do you think I'm a moron?"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the bowls and chopsticks to shake.

"I spent a fortune on those, and they were all wiped out inexplicably. You actually don't know? Did you sacrifice all these people as offerings to get this skill in return?"

You have to admit they're brothers, right? These two even guessed the same thing!

Faced with the other party's stern questioning, Zhou You crossed his arms and remained calm and unhurried.

"So, bro, you mean to call security and that kid in and just kill me here?"

The two sides stared at each other as if in a standoff.

After a while, the mayor suddenly burst out laughing.

"As expected of the person my brother has his eye on, he certainly has guts—alright, don't be so nervous, I don't want to pursue this matter."

Upon hearing this, Zhou You didn't bring it up.

"Don't do that! So many people have died because of you. Wouldn't it be too unfair to them if we didn't investigate?"

The mayor paused for a moment, then spoke.

“Friend, you probably don’t understand. Everything in this world has its price, just more or less. As long as the price is right, what does human life matter? It’s just something that can be sacrificed.”

Zhou You remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking.

“You know what? You said the same thing as your brother.”

Upon hearing this, the mayor's expression subtly showed displeasure—but he maintained his composure and continued speaking.

"Perhaps, after all, they are blood relatives, it's normal for them to look alike."

Traveling is the way.

“But I don’t think that I, a disabled person—oh right, I’m a bit better now, half-disabled—am more valuable than these dozens of lives.”

"of course."

"why?"

The mayor grinned.

"Because my younger brother values ​​you."

Before Zhou You could speak, he spoke again.

"Although he was an uneducated man, he had a very special quality—or rather, an innate talent—that was his exceptional ability to recognize talent. Anyone he took a liking to, even if they were just a dying gambler, would rise to great heights in the future."

"The last time he treated someone with such respect and courtesy was four years ago. That kid back then is now the leader of a hunting party, and his men have countless achievements."

Zhou You stared at the other person and suddenly burst out laughing.

"So you mean you're trying to poach my partner?"

The mayor readily admitted it.

"That's right, I just wanted to suggest that you find another job. After all, you know my brother's personality; he's a bit crazy, and it wouldn't be good for him to work for you. By the way, you've been asking me what I wanted from you, haven't you?"

It's been so long, and you're only just remembering?

Zhou You remained silent, only looking at him with disdain, while the mayor awkwardly scratched his neck.

"Actually, it's very simple. You should know that I contacted the amusement park, right?"

"Yeah, it's been playing on repeat every day for the past few days, I'm getting tired of it."

The mayor let out a soft sigh.

"Actually, I didn't tell you everything. The park did agree to shelter some of us, but there were conditions."

"What conditions?"

"They need an item from the wasteland."

Hearing this, Zhou You finally became somewhat interested.

"And what is that item?"

However, to everyone's surprise, the mayor simply shrugged it off.

"do not know."

"You didn't even know what they needed, yet you agreed to their terms?"

However, the other party responded with great conviction.

“Otherwise what? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something many people would kill for—do you know how many settlements like ours there are in the world? You know, this isn’t a transaction or a short-term training program, but a permanent resident’s family came to me, so naturally I immediately agreed.”

That makes perfect sense.

Zhou You had nothing to say, so he could only ask.

"So what do you plan to have me do?"

The mayor smiled.

"I heard that you are planning to go to the wasteland. I thought that since you are the person my brother has taken a liking to, you might be able to find that item. But it doesn't matter if you don't find it. As long as you find any unusual items, I will pay three times as much as my brother offers."

"Moreover, the payment is made on the spot."

After a while, Zhou You emerged from the garden-like basement.

The matter had been settled; he neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying he would consider it and make a final decision. Everything went smoothly, but he still vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Just to poach someone, they went to such great lengths, even condescending to meet me in person.
Intuitively, he felt that this guy was more like he wanted to confirm something with him—but for some reason, the other party denied it after meeting him and then turned to talking business.

But what was he trying to confirm? Could it be the identity of the chosen one? But that didn't make sense either. Based on the attitudes of the bosses in various scenarios towards their own side, they always preferred to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free. He couldn't just let it go like that.
But soon, a cold snort interrupted his thoughts.

Looking up, I saw the young man named Xiuyuan leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets, his face extremely unfriendly.

Knowing children's minds well, Zhou You immediately guessed what the guy was thinking, and then smiled.

"What's wrong, buddy? Sulking over a cigarette? I'm telling you, why are you getting so worked up about this?"

It sounded like advice, but the words were full of sarcasm.

Surprisingly, Xiu Yuan wasn't angry. He looked Zhou You up and down before speaking.

"You're just a parasite who gained some skills through sacrifice. I really didn't think you were some kind of body refinement inheritor. Taking you seriously would only lower my status. Alright, I can't be bothered with you anymore. Get lost."

Zhou You watched as the guy left like a victor, stunned for a long time, before finally shrugging and leaving with a wry smile.

Two or three more days passed.

During this time, Luo Liangde came to see him once, but didn't say anything, only that Boss Yi was urging him to leave quickly.

As it happened, Zhou You was also planning to go to the wasteland to look for clues to break the seal, so he readily agreed.

After packing his backpack and drying his rations over the past few days—there were indeed emergency foods sold in the underground city, but the quality was really questionable—Zhou You finally decided to explore the wasteland again after all the preparations were complete.

However, just before he left, his younger sister suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Turning her head, the little girl didn't say anything, but her face clearly showed worry.

At this moment, Zhou You realized that the girl had always opposed his becoming a scavenger again; she just wanted to do some small business and live a peaceful life.

pity.

In this world, there are always some things that are beyond our control.

Zhou You patted San San's head, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn't know where to begin.

Instead, San San sighed softly and then said.

"Brother, are you leaving again?"

There was no anger, no pleading, no crying, no reluctance; it was just like sending my older brother to work—ordinary, as always.

After a long pause, Zhou You spoke.

"Well, for some reason, I'm afraid I'll have to go."

"Can't we wait a few days?"

"This... really can't be delayed any longer."

"Then when will you come back?"

"Uncertain, but probably no more than half a month."

Hearing this, the young woman seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although she couldn't see, she still groped her way to Zhou You's clothes and gently brushed away the dust.

Then she said.

"Brother, you've never broken your promise to me since we were little. Are you sure you can come back safely this time?"

The voice eventually began to tremble.

Zhou You looked at the other person and grinned.

Although he was using a tattered body and had eighty percent of his skills sealed, he still spoke with great confidence.

"Yes, don't worry, I promise I'll come back safe and sound this time."

"Alright then, have a safe journey."

After saying that, the little girl naturally stepped back—but for some reason, before leaving, Zhou You suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him.

However, when they looked back, they only saw eyes covered by a white cloth.

As soon as he stepped outside, Luo Liangde was already waiting.

Upon seeing him come out, the man immediately threw away his cigarette butt and greeted him with a familiar smile.

"Brother Zhou, have you finished saying goodbye?"

"."

Looking at this overly familiar guy with a slightly speechless expression, Zhou You said.

"Brother Luo, did you time this perfectly? How come you always manage to come out at the right moment?"

Luo Liangde smiled shyly.

"In our line of work, we have to be punctual. Otherwise, if we break into someone's home to move for free and the homeowner happens to come back, it would be incredibly awkward."

"I'd forgotten you were a thief—but didn't you just fail recently and almost get sacrificed to a monster?"

In an instant, Luo Liangde's smile froze on his face.

But he was also shameless; after coughing twice, he acted as if nothing had happened.

"That was just a minor slip-up. After all, who in this world is without mistakes? By the way, let's not talk about that. Brother Zhou, are you planning to set off?"

“Well, we can’t delay any longer, let’s just do it.” Zhou You said, then looked at Luo Liangde and was taken aback.

The guy was carrying a travel bag, had taken off his flashy leather jacket, and was wearing a pair of marching shoes—similar to my own attire, clearly that of a scavenger.

"Brother Luo, are you also planning to take a trip to the wilderness?"

Luo Liangde's smile was quite ordinary.

"Yes."

"But I remember that after I pledged my allegiance, I settled your debts too. Unlike me, you don't have a medical bill that you have to pay back. Selling that crystal should have left you with a lot of money—at least enough for you to cover your expenses for a year or two. Why did you go up there? Could it be that Yi Zheng'en is breaking his promise and is trying to force you to go?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Liangde shook his head and gave a wry smile.

"No, this has nothing to do with Boss Yi, it's my own idea to go."

"What's the point?"

"I'm not after anything, I'm just fed up with this life of constant fear, and I'm going to take one last gamble." Luo Liangde pointed to his travel-worn face and said, "Brother, I've lived these past few decades in fear, day and night, afraid that I'll be snatched away by monsters in my sleep and turned into someone else's plaything. Now that I have a chance to take a gamble, I really want to go to Paradise and see it for myself—at the very least, I don't want my descendants to live in this kind of hellish environment like I did."

Zhou You looked at that uneasy yet expectant face.

He looked around again.

There are still many people dressed like them.

For some reason, Zhou You suddenly remembered a sentence.

—You haven't seen the people in hell. They will stop at nothing to climb out of the slightest chance, no matter how insignificant it may seem. You may complain about your life every day, but you don't know that this seemingly ordinary and boring life is actually a paradise that many people can only dream of.

I forgot which book I saw it in, but Zhou You felt it was very appropriate to use in this context.

So many people have given their all, just for a more stable life, haven't they?

After a long silence, he finally managed a smile and then spoke to Luo Liangde.

"Well then, I wish you all the best. It's about time, let's get going."

(End of this chapter)