Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 644 One Day

What is home?
It is a safe harbor, a place to rest when weary, and a last refuge in danger.
This sounds a bit poetic, but that's really how Zhou You felt.

In a world rife with crises like this, there has to be a place where things can ease up; otherwise, even with his temperament, it would be difficult for him to persevere.

Upon seeing San San's greeting, he couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I'm back."

The words were simple and plain, yet they seemed exceptionally precious.

At this moment, San San also sensed Wang Xiao Er's presence.

Although the little girl was blind, her other senses became much more acute. She immediately noticed the intruder and instinctively took a defensive action.

"Brother, what is this?"

"Oh, you mean him?" Zhou You shrugged. "He's a kid I brought from outside. He's helped me a lot, so I let him come along. Don't worry, he's not dangerous."

Wang Xiaoer, who was described as 'not dangerous', gave a wry smile, but still greeted him politely.

"Hello, um, Brother Zhou has helped me a lot before, and I've heard about you from him before. It's nice to meet you. Sorry to bother you."

Perhaps due to a long period of isolation, Wang Xiaoer's greeting was somewhat hesitant, but it was still evident that he was trying his best to express goodwill.

However, for some reason, San San, who is usually kind to others, seemed somewhat indifferent.

The blind girl raised her head, facing the direction from which the sound came, and after a long while, she whispered.

"Hello, my name is San San."

And then nothing more was heard from it.

Wang Xiaoer was immediately embarrassed and could only look at Zhou You with pleading eyes. Zhou You, however, was never good at handling this situation—he couldn't even handle his own little ghost girl—so he scratched his head and said something.

"Hey, how about we eat first?"

"."

"."

Wang Xiaoer and San San remained silent, both looking at him with blank stares.

".All right."

Zhou You sighed.

"Why don't you two continue talking, and I'll head over first?"

In the end, it was San San who gave in first.

The little girl shook her head, then put down her book, tied on her apron, and asked the two of them.

"We still have some eggs at home, and Chief Yi also brought over some meat and vegetables this morning. What would you like to eat?"

As a guest, Wang Xiaoer naturally had no right to speak, so he could say whatever he wanted with an awkward smile, while Zhou You looked at San San and fell into deep thought.

Come to think of it, I seem to be supported like that in real life too. Could it be that my fate is to be a freeloader?
Also, does this count as cheating?
".elder brother?"

Shaking his head to clear his mind of these unnecessary thoughts, Zhou You said with great certainty.

"Beef stew with potatoes!"

"There are no cows left in this place."

San San sighed, but still obediently walked towards the stove, leaning on her cane.

"Never mind, Chief Yi only sent chicken, so this will do."

The simple dinner began and ended quickly.

San San's cooking skills weren't actually that great—after all, she couldn't see and could only rely on her senses most of the time, and the ingredients weren't exactly fresh either. Yet Wang Xiaoer still devoured the food, even licking the bowl clean.

He came from a junkyard and had rarely eaten a full meal, let alone meat, since he was a child. He used all the money he earned from scavenging to buy various kinds of news. As for his own family's food, he just made do with what he could, as long as he didn't starve.

As for this kind of 'feast'
In his mind, only high-ranking officials could afford to eat this every day.

After finishing, San San went out to fetch water to wash the dishes. Wang Xiao Er and Zhou You originally planned to help, but the little girl firmly refused.

The explanation given to Zhou You was that he had just gone out and risked his life, so he should rest properly first.

San San completely ignored Wang Xiaoer's statement.

So all that was left was the two of them staring at each other.

After a long while, Wang Xiaoer finally spoke.

"Brother Zhou, thank you for treating me to a meal. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now?"

However, Zhou You stopped him.

“You just showed up with Ijon and know his secrets. It’s fine if you stay by my side; I doubt he’ll dare touch you. But if you leave this room, I’ll probably only be able to find your corpse in the trash the next day.”

Wang Xiaoer said in a panic.

"But Brother Zhou, you covered my ears and eyes at the time, I didn't hear or see anything!"

"The point is not whether you heard it or not, but whether he thinks you heard it or not."

Wang Xiaoer was stunned.

However, Zhou You still comforted and reassured him.

"But don't worry, as long as you stay by my side or stay in this house, you'll be fine—trespassing into my house is basically the same as going to war with me head-on, and he won't do that before we really turn against each other. Or is there something important on your end that you need to leave first?"

Wang Xiaoer muttered with a bitter face.

"It's nothing, but your sister doesn't seem too welcoming."

Zhou Yu shook his head.

“San San is indeed acting a bit strangely, but she’s still quite sensible. She shouldn’t throw a tantrum after we’ve explained things clearly.” He looked at Wang Xiao Er’s thin, stick-like body, thought for a moment, and then sighed. “However, my house only has two rooms. San San may be small, but she’s still a pretty girl. It’s impossible for you and a girl to live together. How about this, you sleep in the same room with me for now?”

It was a very ordinary arrangement, but Wang Xiaoer showed a very resistant expression.

Zhou You raised an eyebrow and then said jokingly.

"What, so unwilling? Could it be that you've taken a fancy to my San San? But even if you have, it's useless. Although I admire you, I would never let you become my brother-in-law."

Seeing that he was going off on a tangent, Wang Xiaoer not only did not relax, but became even more embarrassed.

Finally, he sighed and then said in a low voice.

"Um, Brother Zhou, I'm a woman."

"So what if she's a woman? A woman wouldn't let you sleep with my sister. Wait, what did you just say?"

Zhou You stared wide-eyed at Wang Xiaoer, who was clutching his clothes and looking uneasy.

"You're a woman??"

Wang Xiaoer nodded, blushing.

"Female in terms of biological sex or female in terms of psychological sex?"

"What is female in terms of both physiological and psychological gender?" Zhou You didn't explain, but instead scanned Wang Xiaoer up and down.

She has short hair and a very delicate appearance, but she can also be described as androgynous.

His physique was indeed very poor, but Wang Xiaoer was not very old to begin with, and coupled with long-term malnutrition, it was normal that his development had not kept up.

No, but that could also be an act or a gender identity disorder.
Zhou You thought for a moment, then a flash of inspiration shot out from mid-air, and then he sprang out.

The transparent talisman rushed into Wang Xiaoer's body without any resistance. A few seconds later, Wang Xiaoer's breathing suddenly became rapid, and then a slight flush appeared on his face—

Although this talisman may seem unorthodox, it is a genuine esoteric magic technique. Its function is to transform Yin energy into Qi, and it is generally used to adjust imbalances of Yin and Yang. However, there is only one key point.

That means it only works on women.

"Damn, you really are a woman? No, wait, what woman would name herself Wang Xiaoer?"

Wang Xiaoer offered a reluctant explanation.

"Brother Zhou, you know, in a slum like this, if I didn't find a way to pretend to be a man, I would have been... That's why I've always used the nickname my grandfather gave me."

"So what's your real name?"

Wang Pingling

Zhou You was speechless.

He had indeed heard Wang Xiaoer mention wanting to get married and have children, but Wang Xiaoer only mentioned getting married, not taking a wife, so he had misunderstood.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Wang Xiaoer said breathlessly.

"Brother Zhou, I feel terrible, could you..."

"Oh, right, sorry."

Zhou You waved his hand, dispelling the spell, and then fell into a deeper state of contemplation.

—Now that the gender issue is resolved, I still think about what I did in the shopping mall and apartment building before.
Damn, is this girl going to accuse me of sexual harassment?

Fortunately, there was no court in this post-apocalyptic world that could handle such cases, and it seemed that Wang Xiaoer—no, I should call him Wang Pingling now—had no intention of suing. So, after a chaotic scene, Zhou You decided to let her and his sister make do for the night, and then give her his room after he left.

Upon returning, San San uttered a sentence that seemed to have been expected.

"Brother, are you an idiot?"

Zhou You was speechless.

After finishing this fuss, he was finally able to return to his room. He first found a secluded spot and hid the zither case. Because the seal was not completely broken, the Diancang Ring was also restricted. Foreign items like this could only be put back in after a period of time had passed since they were taken out. Then, he habitually started drawing talismans.

However, for some reason, the talismans that used to be easy to use now seem particularly difficult to handle.

—Are you out of practice?

He shook his head.

Although it's not my own body, I've practiced for so long that even if I haven't mastered swordsmanship, I shouldn't be unable to draw it just because I changed my hands and feet.

Rather than feeling unfamiliar, it's more accurate to say that I can't settle down.

As for the reason
Zhou You glanced at the ceiling.

There was no moon to be seen here, nor any lights, and through those obstructions, he could still seem to sense that laughing, maniacal face.

Although it was presented in a light and understated manner, this thing was like Mount Tai, pressing down on one's back from the very beginning of the script, making it really hard to breathe.

So, if this thing really is the final boss of the script, how should I deal with it?

He silently questioned himself, but found no answer.

This is unlike those corrupted gods and Buddhas, several of whom could be killed even with human power; this is something of the size of the moon.
Honestly, even if you dropped dozens of nuclear bombs, you'd probably only get a bang.

After thinking for a long time, it's still a dead end.

But in the end, Zhou You let out a sigh of relief.

Then he picked up the pen and began to write on the yellow paper he had taken from the Diancang Ring.

—Forget it, there's always a way out. The Black Book can't possibly throw an unsolvable monster at me. First, I need to find a way to escape from this city. As for how to escape...
We'll think about it later. Who knows when we'll run into Master Roshi and blow this thing up with a Kamehameha?

The next morning, the knocking came as expected.

After the door was opened, a refined-looking young man with a smile on his face stood outside.

The gang members he had seen earlier had vanished without a trace, seemingly having obediently left—but Zhou You suddenly sniffed.

The air was as foul as ever, the smell of decay and sewage making the place resemble a sewer, yet there was a faint fishy odor in it.

—That's the taste of blood.

Zhou You looked at the young man for a few seconds, and the young man responded with a polite smile—after a while, Zhou You finally spoke.

"Sent by the mayor?"

The young man nodded.

"Yes, after hearing that you, Mr. Zhou, had returned, the master was so excited that he couldn't sleep for half the night. He specifically instructed us to invite you over today. The carriage is ready. When would you like to come over?"

His words, posture, and expression were all impeccable, as if he had practiced them a thousand times—but Zhou You did not rush to take a step, but asked a question instead.

"I remember there were a few of Boss Yi's men at the gate. Although I told them to get lost yesterday, it seems like I left a few spies behind. How come I haven't seen any of them today?"

"Are there these people?" The young man tilted his head and then smiled. "However, there were indeed a few stray dogs wandering around your doorstep, Mr. Zhou. We were afraid they would disturb your rest, so we took it upon ourselves to deal with them. It was indeed a bit impolite of us to do so, so please forgive us."

Zhou You looked at that seemingly bewildered and innocent face, and still smiled wryly.

"Fine, since they're stray dogs, let's just get rid of them—where's the car? I happen to have some questions for your mayor."

The young man bowed respectfully, making a gesture of invitation.

"Of course, the master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Nothing else happened after that.

The car quickly arrived at the location, and those waiting at the entrance were still the inheritors who had studied at the amusement park.

However, upon seeing a certain person, this guy no longer showed any arrogance, but rather a deep sense of apprehension—and after a moment of stalemate, he reluctantly opened the door.

However, before going in, he said something.

"You better watch yourself and don't do anything out of line, otherwise, if we all attack together, even if you have the greatest abilities, you won't be able to withstand it."

This is almost identical to what was said before, except that the pronoun has changed from "I" to "we".

—A huge flaw, which means that the guards around Yi Zhengyan are much stronger than those around Yi Zhengen, at least in terms of numbers.

Zhou You smiled, but didn't point it out. Instead, he stepped into the room.

Inside, the scenery remained as extravagant and unreasonable as ever. As he stepped inside, a laughing figure opened his arms and embraced him intimately.

"Brother Zhou, you've really accomplished something amazing this time! Putting everything else aside, I'm truly impressed!"

(End of this chapter)