Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 633 Acquaintance
(I've been hospitalized for treatment recently, so I might not have been able to spot some typos. If you find any, please point them out. Thank you so much. By the way, this novel has been covering all my medical expenses, but piracy is rampant lately, and my readership has dropped drastically, making writing it quite difficult. If possible, I hope you can support the official version. Thank you in advance.)
"Training brass knuckles for fighters"

Grade: Silver

"Effect 1: When worn on the hand, this item is regarded as a special supernatural item, which can switch between the virtual and the physical.

"Effect 2: When switching to physical form, physical damage will increase, and both fists will gain a hardening effect. When switching to ethereal form, damage to spirits will increase, and both fists will gain an absorption effect."

"Curse: Sacrifice of the Dead".

"Effect: This brass knuckle duster needs to frequently harvest the souls of its enemies. If it does not receive soul nourishment for a long time, it will devour the flesh and blood of its master to make up for it."

Every successful fighter achieves success by stepping over countless opponents; they crave victory and bloodshed.

Honestly, Zhou You never expected to find such a perfect piece of equipment, one that was so suitable for his current situation.

He selected the number without hesitation, and the man in the suit seemed a little surprised by his choice, but he shrugged, picked up the phone, and said a few words to the person on the other end.

Soon, a deformed servant entered.

The tray was placed down, revealing a pair of simple iron knuckle dusters. Zhou You picked them up and put them on his wrists. In an instant, a chilling aura rose up from Huguan Pass, stirring up his bloodlust.

He wants to kill something, right now.

But soon, Zhou You took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed that desire in his heart.

Upon seeing this, the man in the suit clapped.

"Good intentions—this customer, after you finish your work, would you like to apply for a job with me? Let me tell you, in this world, being an oddball is much more comfortable than being a human."

Zhou You rolled his eyes.

"I would be very grateful. I haven't stooped to that level yet, and I certainly don't want to become a pervert like you."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Xiaoer next to him.

Unlike Zhou You, this kid couldn't see the specific attributes of the equipment. Faced with a dazzling array of shopping options, he hesitated for a long time before finally clicking on one.

Zhou You looked slightly surprised.

The violin he chose was none other than the one he had just taken a liking to, which he thought was incredibly good value for money.

Was it luck, or...
After losing the grand prize twice in a row, the man in the suit seemed a little flustered—he looked quite regretful for his earlier act of generosity. However, given his personality, he could give up anything but his pride.

So even though he felt bad, he still had someone bring over an antique-style zither case and gave it to Wang Xiaoer.

Then, the man waved his hand dismissively.

"That's enough for now. Remember your next goal. If you fail to achieve it, I have many ways to get the things back."

After saying that, he tapped the table.

The next moment, the scenery in front of me changed abruptly, and when I looked again, all I could see was a vaguely visible street.

In the blink of an eye, they had already walked out of the back door of the mall.

Turning his head, he saw the same unobstructed marketplace. Wang Xiaoer's mouth dropped open, as if he couldn't believe he had escaped danger. It was Zhou You who finally pulled him up, and the boy finally came to his senses.

"Zhou, Brother Zhou, what should we do next?"

Zhou You looked up and glanced at it.

Perhaps due to the long delay, the blood moon had reached its active period, and various howls could be faintly heard from time to time under the bright moonlight.

Who knows how many strange things are hidden in this street? Even if none of them are particularly powerful, once you provoke one, the rest might swarm in like a tide.

"Now? Don't rush things now. Let's find a place to lay low and wait until things calm down."

A dozen minutes later, in an abandoned residential building.

This place was a safe zone marked on the map, and thankfully nothing unusual happened. It was just a mindless zombie hiding inside. Zhou You sneaked over, and with a casual effort, he broke off its head, which also gave his newly acquired brass knuckles a little power-up.

The two are now sitting in a corner, without a fire, having tidied up two clean spots to take a short rest during this precious time.

Zhou You leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and slowly adjusted his breathing while circulating his hard-won magical power. Wang Xiaoer, on the other hand, seemed somewhat at a loss, sometimes standing and sometimes sitting, as if he was hesitating about something.

After a long while, he finally said something to Zhou You.

"Zhou, Brother Zhou? Are you still awake?"

Zhou You didn't open his eyes, and just casually said something.

"You're still awake? What's wrong?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaoer fell silent again.

He hesitated for a long time, but finally chose to act instead of speaking.

He then took off the violin case from his back and handed it over shakily.

Zhou You finally raised his eyes, then chuckled to himself.

He could understand the other person's actions, which is why he found them so ridiculous.

"what do you mean?"

Wang Xiaoer stammered.

"Um... I was thinking... I don't feel safe keeping this, so I'll let you have it, Brother Zhou."

Zhou You shook his head.

"Boy."

"Zhou, Brother Zhou?"

Do I look like the kind of person who would take advantage of someone's misfortune?

"Of course it doesn't look like that."

"Do I look like the kind of person who is greedy and blinded by self-interest?"

"No."

"Then why would you think I would want something like this from you?"

Wang Xiaoer was speechless.

After a while, he said in a low voice.

"I noticed you hesitated for a while on this option, but perhaps the others were more important, so you chose another one. Therefore, I took the liberty of bringing this one out for you."

I only glanced at it a few more times, and my expression didn't change. How could this kid still tell that I was interested?

Being able to read people's expressions to this extent is quite a skill.

Zhou You did not answer his question, but instead smiled and pointed to the violin case.

"Do you know how much this thing costs?"

".have no idea."

“I don’t know much about the market either, but according to Luo Liangde, for supernatural items of this level, as long as you hand them over to the mayor, you can at least buy an identity in the core area.” This simple sentence immediately shocked Wang Xiaoer.

He had climbed out of that hellish bottom bit by bit, so he naturally knew how big the class gap was in this world—to put it simply, the identity of a core area required at least hundreds of lives to achieve.

How could someone so easily obtain such a thing through direct exchange?

however.

unexpected.

After hesitating for a long time, Wang Xiaoer still resolutely pushed the zither case over.

"I've already explained its value to you, and I've told you I'm not after it, so why are you still giving it to me?"

Wang Xiaoer gave a smile that looked like he was about to cry.

"Brother Zhou, if this were just an ordinary supernatural item, I would accept it, but what you said..."

He frowned and sighed heavily.

"Although I haven't read many books, I know the saying 'A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure.' If this thing is in my hands, I'm afraid it will be shot before I can even sell it."

Zhou You nodded – what he said made sense.

A destitute scavenger like Wang Xiaoer, carrying such an eye-catching object, probably wouldn't even be able to get through the gang's checkpoint.

If someone discovers the crime, it's considered lucky if they steal the body; there's at least an 80% chance they'll be killed and their body disposed of.

Seeing that determined look in his eyes, Zhou You smiled and then lifted the lid of the box.

A delicate violin lies quietly inside.

Zhou You touched it with his hand—and faintly, a pleasant melody rang in his ears. He couldn't name the piece, but it was incredibly familiar, making him want to pick up an instrument and play a tune.
Zhou You directly mocked him.

"Are you kidding me? I've never even touched one of these things before. You think I'd actually try to play it myself? You're more likely to expect me to smash someone with it than to play a musical piece."

Zhou You slammed the lid shut, suppressing the enraged string music, and casually tossed it back into the Diancang Ring before speaking to Wang Xiaoer.

"Alright, I'll accept it for now, but I can't just take it for free. Tell me what you want—but I have to warn you, I'm currently in debt to someone, so if you want the money, it might be a while before I can settle it with you."

Wang Xiaoer stared blankly at the suddenly vanished violin case, completely bewildered as to how Zhou You had managed it. After a long while, he finally came to his senses, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"Um... I wanted to ask, Brother Zhou, what are your plans for the future?"

However, at that moment, a sharp 'clang' suddenly came from not far away.

The two fell silent instantly. Zhou You frowned and quietly crept over, only to return two or three minutes later.

"Nothing much, just that the building was eroded so badly by the wind that a section collapsed. Oh right, what did you ask again?"

After calming himself down, Wang Xiaoer spoke much more fluently this time.

"Brother Zhou, what are your plans for the future?"

"After that," Zhou You answered crisply this time without hiding anything. "I won't lie to you, I plan to go to the apartment building. I have some things to take care of there, and I also need to settle some old scores."

“A dangerous zone? That makes sense. With your abilities, Brother Zhou, you certainly wouldn't be after such a small amount of money.” Wang Xiaoer took a deep breath and then said to Zhou You.

"Brother Zhou, the only reward I want is this one thing—coincidentally, I also have a lot of information about the apartment building, which I picked up from the black market, plus this violin. Could you take me there too?"

Zhou You never expected that Wang Xiaoer would propose this condition. He looked at the other party and then said seriously.

"Kid, you should know this is a death trap, right?"

"know."

"Then why do you still want to come with me?"

"Because I want to find a way out."

Before Zhou You could speak, Wang Xiaoer immediately chimed in.

"Brother Zhou, you should know what a quagmire this so-called 'city' is. Even in the so-called core area, people live a precarious life, at most a little safer than in the slums. Of course, my initial idea was indeed just to settle down, live a few years in peace, and fulfill my grandfather's last wish. But now..."
"I don't want to rot away here. I want to take a gamble and see if I can get out of here."

Zhou You remained silent.

Looking into that determined gaze, he recalled the words Luo Liangde had said before.

Even though the world has deteriorated to this extent, people are still trying to find a way out.

This is true.

Finally, he shook his head and said.

"Then why do you think you can achieve your goals by following me?"

Wang Xiaoer answered very decisively.

"Because I can't find any help from anyone else but you."

The other person spoke with great certainty, but from his slightly trembling hands, it was clear that he didn't have much confidence and was afraid that Zhou You would refuse.

Zhou You neither affirmed nor denied; he just watched.

After a moment, he suddenly raised his hand and then swung a punch backward!
In an instant, the half-peeping face shattered.

Zhou You shook off the zombie's bodily fluids from his hands and sighed.

"It seems the commotion earlier was too loud and attracted some uninvited guests. Alright, we can't stay here any longer, let's start making our move."

Wang Xiaoer didn't move, and he said hesitantly.

"But Brother Zhou, about what I just mentioned..."

“I agree, but I have to tell you in advance that the place is quite dangerous. I might not be able to take care of you, so you need to take good care of yourself.”

Wang Xiaoer immediately showed a joyful and excited expression.

Looking at that face, for some reason, Zhou You suddenly thought of his own apprentice.

They were equally clever and quick-witted, equally perceptive, except this one was much more mature than that brat.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. One grew up under the care of his uncle, while the other struggled through piles of corpses. Their upbringing was completely different, not to mention anything else.

only.

I wonder what happened to that brat after I left. The Zhenxie Division was quite interested in him back then. Maybe he became a civil servant with that fatso and lived a mediocre life. Or maybe he took over his uncle's escort agency, married his childhood sweetheart from next door, and eventually became the chief escort.
However, either outcome would be quite good for this kid.

Shaking his head to clear these pointless thoughts from his mind, Zhou You looked out through the now-shattered window.

The Blood Moon's maniacal laughter gradually subsided. Although it hadn't reached a stable period, the most dangerous time had passed.

So he patted Wang Xiaoer on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"We're on track, let's get ready for the next dungeon."

(End of this chapter)