Chapter 25
The dark green off-road vehicle sped through the desolate landscape, kicking up dust and leaving behind two long tire marks on the ground.
Yu Zhi leaned his right hand against the partially opened car window, his gaze lowered in contemplation of the earlier phone call.
From the conversation, it seemed Fu Suxi and the man named Ji were part of an ability user organization in B City. Whether the organization was legitimate or a state-run entity remained unclear.
One thing was certain—they were very interested in his “Mouth, mouth” ability.
While Yu Zhi admitted his ability was useful, it was far from invincible. Fu Suxi, with his power to steal abilities, could potentially take it from him at any moment.
He had no intention of getting involved in trouble tied to the protagonist’s fate; he still wanted to live a few more years.
Yu Zhi racked his brain, trying to recall anything A’Zheng might have mentioned about this organization, but no matter how hard he thought, there was no recollection.
Forget it. If I can’t remember, A’Zheng probably never brought it up.
Shrugging off the thought, Yu Zhi shifted his attention to the new task displayed on his interface:
[Main Quest 3: Love My Homeland (0/10)]
[Objective: Kill at least one mutant each day. The task lasts for ten days and refreshes at midnight. Please actively complete it!]
[Reward: 50 Universal Coins.]
[Failure Penalty: Deduct 50 Universal Coins.]
The task seemed simple enough, with plenty of time to complete it, so Yu Zhi wasn’t worried for now.
He turned to look at Lu Liming, who was slumped awkwardly in the seat beside him, head tilted back, eyes shut.
Yu Zhi gave him a gentle nudge on the arm. Lu Liming’s lips parted slightly, and he let out a soft snore.
“…”
Yu Zhi realized this silly guy wasn’t unconscious—he was sound asleep.
After twenty-plus hours without rest, spent either running or on the run, it was no wonder he had dozed off.
Since the car was relatively safe for now, Yu Zhi decided to let him sleep and recuperate. Meanwhile, he retrieved his backpack from [My Items] and began eating.
He had long since grown used to sleepless nights, and for now, he didn’t feel tired—just hungry.
Ravenous, in fact, to the point where he felt he could devour two whole cows.
Glancing at the driver’s seat, Yu Zhi saw that Fu Suxi didn’t seem to mind his snacking, so he buried his head and ate with gusto.
Finishing a pack of biscuits left him thirsty, so he opened a bottle of milk.
The milk felt a bit cloying, so he followed it with a can of chips.
After the chips, he munched on an apple—aiming for balanced nutrition.
Fu Suxi drove the entire way, while Yu Zhi ate throughout the journey.
The two-hour drive from H City to J City passed in near silence, broken only by the faint sound of Yu Zhi chewing.
When the off-road vehicle passed a large road sign reading “J City,” Fu Suxi finally spoke, breaking the silence.
“Who was the source of pollution in the dungeon?”
Without hesitation, Yu Zhi answered honestly, “A college student named Guo Qiang. I think he was just a freshman.”
Fu Suxi asked again, “What’s his connection to Guo Pengyi?”
Yu Zhi was surprised. “You know Guo Pengyi?”
Fu Suxi replied, “I don’t.”
If you don’t know him, how do you know his name?
Suspicious, Yu Zhi looked up at Fu Suxi and recalled the video clip the system had shown during Main Quest 1.
Pressing his lips together, Yu Zhi realized the patient in the operating room must have been Guo Pengyi.
Fu Suxi’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, meeting Yu Zhi’s gaze.
“You know Guo Pengyi,” Fu Suxi said. It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
Yu Zhi’s mouth twitched, and he decided not to bring up the system video. “Of course, I do. I live at Meteor Apartment. Guo Pengyi is the building manager.”
Fu Suxi raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.
Yu Zhi continued, “Guo Qiang is his son. He was helping out at the apartment building in March. I saw him a few times.”
After a brief pause, Yu Zhi decided to recount the events of the Cockroach Dungeon, including Zhu Boxue’s diary and Guo Qiang’s suicide letter. However, he left out one crucial detail: that he had stored Guo Qiang’s body in [My Garbage].
Sharing what he knew about the dungeon was beneficial—there was even a chance Fu Suxi might avenge Guo Qiang.
To conclude, Yu Zhi added, “You can figure it out yourself.”
Fu Suxi’s fingers drummed idly on the steering wheel as he gazed at Yu Zhi’s clear, dark eyes through the rearview mirror.
The dungeon itself no longer mattered to Fu Suxi. What intrigued him now was this person.
By some twist of fate, Yu Zhi had entered the dungeon and managed to piece together its intricacies with remarkable clarity.
He moved through this upended world with uncanny ease.
Most intriguing of all, he seemed to understand Fu Suxi—his actions, his desires—despite being a complete stranger.
Fu Suxi was certain he had never seen Yu Zhi before.
Had Yu Zhi seen him? Or merely heard of him?
Fu Suxi made no effort to hide the way his eyes scrutinized Yu Zhi, his penetrating gaze almost tangible.
Feeling as if Fu Suxi’s stare might bore a hole into his face, Yu Zhi turned to look out the window, pretending to admire the scenery.
*
The off-road vehicle wove deftly through J City’s streets. Like H City, the roads were littered with abandoned cars, and many buildings had shattered windows and broken glass doors.
The place was eerily quiet, empty, and desolate.
The biggest difference from H City was the lack of cockroach pollutants. Instead, there were numerous headless corpses scattered along the roads, rotting and reeking.
A faint stench of mold and decay hung in the air.
They drove around the city for two hours before dawn broke, eventually entering a university campus.
The campus was lifeless and eerily silent. The off-road vehicle rolled over headless bodies, barreling straight onto the open field of the campus’s outdoor sports ground.
Yu Zhi, munching on the last of his snacks—dried pork strips from his backpack—was startled when Fu Suxi suddenly spoke.
“Aren’t you curious?”
Yu Zhi looked at him quizzically. “Curious about what?”
“How I knew the pollution source was here,” Fu Suxi replied.
Yu Zhi wasn’t curious. For one, knowing too much was often a fast track to an early grave. For another, he doubted Fu Suxi’s prickly personality would lead him to share the truth.
But Fu Suxi stared at him, waiting, as if expecting a question.
Yu Zhi thought for a moment before offering dryly, “Fifty Universal Coins. I can be mildly curious and ask you a question.”
“…”
Fu Suxi’s lips curved into a silent smile before he replied slowly, “The answer is, I didn’t know the pollution source was here.”
Yu Zhi frowned in confusion. What kind of nonsense is that?
Before he could voice his thoughts, Fu Suxi added, “Since I answered your question, that’ll be 100 Universal Coins.”
“…”
Suddenly, the air was filled with a deafening roar. The rhythmic thrum of rotors grew louder, punctuated by sharp cracks.
Instinctively, Yu Zhi looked up and saw a helicopter rapidly approaching, heading straight for their location.
The aircraft hovered briefly before descending onto the field.
The doors opened, and seven or eight men emerged. They wore identical black uniforms, each emblazoned with a logo on the chest: two wheat stalks curving upward and downward around a small black dot that resembled an eye.
They must be from the ability user organization in B City.
Yu Zhi’s gaze lingered on the logo before shifting to their heavily armed figures. Guns were strapped to their waists and backs.
“Stay put. Don’t get out of the car,” Fu Suxi ordered as he opened the door and stepped out.
Yu Zhi was puzzled. Weren’t these people here to pick him up?
He peered outside and immediately noticed one particularly striking man among the group—a man with an eyepatch over his right eye.
The eyepatch-wearing man seemed to be the leader. As soon as he stopped walking, the rest of the group halted behind him.
The man stood at a calculated distance from Fu Suxi, not too close but not too far, and introduced himself. “Team Leader Fu, I’m He Hanhai from Team Three. Minister Ji assigned me to pick someone up.”
As he spoke, his gaze drifted past Fu Suxi, landing on Yu Zhi inside the off-road vehicle. “Are you Mr. Yu?”
Before Yu Zhi could respond, Fu Suxi interjected, “No, he’s not.”
Yu Zhi rolled down the car window, gave He Hanhai a polite nod, and said, “That’s right. I’m not Yu Yi.”
“My name is Yu Ling.”
“Ling, as in the zero that’s not a one.”
Fu Suxi: “…”
He Hanhai: “…”
The air fell into a moment of awkward silence.
He Hanhai didn’t overthink it. Spotting another man sleeping in the back seat, he naturally assumed that was Yu Yi.
Perhaps Yu Yi and Yu Ling were brothers.
He gave a subtle signal to his squad members, and the group began cautiously approaching the off-road vehicle.
The closer they got to Fu Suxi, the tenser their bodies and expressions became.
He Hanhai had never worked with Fu Suxi before, but he had heard plenty of stories about the man’s unpredictability. Minister Ji had specifically warned them to be wary of him.
Recalling that warning, He Hanhai repeated, “Team Leader Fu, we’re here to escort Mr. Yu Yi back to B City. Please cooperate.”
Fu Suxi nodded perfunctorily. “Where’s the detector Ji Yangqiu gave you?”
He Hanhai halted mid-step, momentarily puzzled. “I was only instructed to escort Mr. Yu Yi back to B City.”
“With Ji Yangqiu’s meticulous nature, he would’ve arranged for you to have a detector,” Fu Suxi remarked nonchalantly. “You brought it, didn’t you?”
Caught off guard, He Hanhai replied instinctively, “Yes, we did.”
Pollution concentration detectors were rare and highly complex to produce, often in short supply. Without Minister Ji’s insistence on ensuring Yu Yi’s safe return, their team wouldn’t have been given one at all.
“That’s all I need to know,” Fu Suxi said abruptly.
Before He Hanhai could process the statement, Fu Suxi lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat.
He Hanhai, prepared for battle, reacted quickly. His eyepatch came off in one swift motion, revealing a kaleidoscope-like eye with multiple pupils swirling hypnotically.
The overlapping pupils rotated and gleamed, casting a dizzying spell that momentarily clouded Fu Suxi’s mind.
For a split second, Fu Suxi faltered.
Seizing the opportunity, the other squad members raised their guns and pulled their triggers, aiming tranquilizer darts at Fu Suxi.
But just before the darts could hit him, Fu Suxi twisted behind He Hanhai, using his body as a human shield.
The squad hesitated, unwilling to harm their captain. Their movements became cautious and restrained, and within minutes, Fu Suxi had taken down half of them.
Gunfire echoed across the open field in sporadic bursts.
From inside the car, Yu Zhi decisively rolled up the window, protecting himself from any stray shots.
Only then did he piece together the situation. Fu Suxi’s earlier questions now made sense—he truly hadn’t known the pollution source’s location. His goal had been to provoke Ji Yangqiu into sending a team as quickly as possible, creating an opportunity to seize equipment.
It was evident that He Hanhai’s squad wasn’t just here to “escort” him; they were prepared for a confrontation, fully armed and wary of Fu Suxi.
As Yu Zhi reflected, more members of the squad fell.
Despite their diverse abilities, the team stood no chance against Fu Suxi.
Fu Suxi showed no intent to kill, avoiding explosives and tranquilizer darts with unnerving agility. His close-combat skills were unmatched, and he moved like a phantom, delivering devastating blows before his opponents could react.
Soon, only Fu Suxi remained standing, unscathed amidst the chaos.
Yu Zhi leaned against the car window, watching as Fu Suxi rummaged through He Hanhai’s pockets.
The man searched thoroughly, like a thief going through loot, and eventually pulled a device about the size of a smartphone from an inner coat pocket.
After securing the pollution detector, Fu Suxi didn’t return to the car. Instead, he walked purposefully toward the nearby helicopter.
Yu Zhi glanced at his retreating figure, then at the unconscious men scattered near the vehicle, before quietly opening the car door.
The helicopter pilot, still seated inside, paled at the sight of Fu Suxi approaching. “T-Team Leader Fu, I’m just logistics! I only fly the helicopter—”
Before he could finish, Fu Suxi knocked him out with the same indifference as before.
Dragging the pilot out, Fu Suxi tossed him to the ground and then raised his hand, stowing the entire helicopter into his spatial storage ability.
Although his primary goal was the detector, he saw no harm in keeping the helicopter as a contingency.
Satisfied, he turned and walked back to the off-road vehicle, only to spot Yu Zhi happily munching on pork jerky.
Fu Suxi’s gaze swept over Yu Zhi, then briefly flicked to the still-sleeping Lu Liming, before he opened the car door and climbed in.
“What’s the detector for?” Yu Zhi asked curiously from the back seat. “Can it measure pollution concentration?”
Fu Suxi gave a noncommittal hum and activated the device.
[Pollution Concentration: 1%]
As expected, there was no pollution source in J City.
Suddenly, warm breath brushed against his shoulder. Alarmed, Fu Suxi turned his head sharply, only to find Yu Zhi leaning forward, his round, curious eyes fixed intently on the detector in his hand.
Yu Zhi seemed so absorbed in the gadget that he didn’t even notice the plastic wrapper from his jerky poking Fu Suxi’s shoulder.
“Sit properly,” Fu Suxi said curtly.
“Oh.” Yu Zhi leaned back slowly, letting the wrapper brush against Fu Suxi’s shoulder one last time.
Just before the sharp edge of the plastic left Fu Suxi’s body, a tranquilizer gun materialized in Yu Zhi’s hand.
The similar sensation didn’t immediately raise Fu Suxi’s suspicion.
Without hesitation, Yu Zhi pulled the trigger.
A muffled “thud” sounded as the dart embedded itself in Fu Suxi’s shoulder.
At the same time, Yu Zhi mimicked Fu Suxi’s earlier movements, swinging his fist toward the man’s temple.
Before it could land, Fu Suxi’s icy hand caught his punch mid-air.
Realizing what had happened, Fu Suxi’s expression darkened, and he enunciated coldly, “Yu. Yi.”
Yu Zhi blinked innocently. “I’m Yu Ling now.”
With that, he kept pulling the trigger, unloading every last dose of tranquilizer into Fu Suxi’s shoulder without flinching.
The tranquilizer, designed specifically for ability users, took effect immediately. Before Fu Suxi could retaliate, his vision blurred, and he succumbed to the drug’s potency, falling into unconsciousness.
Even in his stupor, his hand remained clenched around Yu Zhi’s fist.
Yu Zhi discarded the tranquilizer gun, pried Fu Suxi’s hand off, and delivered a few extra punches for good measure. “Like my fists so much, do you?”
Feeling a bit better, he bent down to retrieve the detector, which had fallen into the glove compartment, and stowed it in [My Items].
As he sat back in his seat, his hand accidentally brushed against Fu Suxi’s face.
Cool to the touch, it left an unmistakable presence.
Yu Zhi hesitated, then glanced down at Fu Suxi.
The sharp lines of his face were like a blade, his defined lips firm even in unconsciousness. Despite being out cold, his presence remained oppressively palpable.
Yu Zhi poked Fu Suxi’s cheek with a finger.
Ice cold.
“This crazy dog’s body temperature is practically ghostly,” he muttered, his finger lingering on the frigid skin.
The live stream chat exploded with activity:
[User “Wealth Flow” curious about your plan! – Tipped 50 Universal Coins.]
[User “No Extra Sugar” can’t wait to see you do unspeakable things to him! – Tipped 40 Universal Coins.]
[User “Light Bulb” asked “What’s your innate ability?” – Tipped 30 Universal Coins.]
[User “Rich Young Master” looking forward to your counterattack! – Tipped 0.1 Universal Coins.]
Yu Zhi ignored the barrage of comments, pinched Fu Suxi’s cheek between his fingers, and gave it a harsh tug. “Hand over all your Universal Coins!”
Fu Suxi remained completely unresponsive.
The balance on Yu Zhi’s interface didn’t gain a single extra digit.
Frustrated, Yu Zhi demanded from thin air, “System, why can’t I take his Universal Coins?”
The system dutifully responded:
[Universal Coin transactions require both parties to be conscious for a valid exchange.]
“I’m not trying to trade with him,” Yu Zhi argued indignantly. “I’m robbing him!”
The system hesitated before responding:
[Robbery of Universal Coins also requires the target to be conscious to complete a voluntary transaction.]
Still unwilling to give up, Yu Zhi pressed on. “What if I steal from him?”
[Analysis shows you have not activated any theft-related innate abilities. Please explore other transaction functionalities.]
Realizing there was no way to siphon Fu Suxi’s money while he was unconscious, Yu Zhi finally gave up.
Fine, he thought. If I can’t get his money directly, I’ll find another way to profit off him.
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Zhi grabbed a handful of Fu Suxi’s hair, turning the man’s face toward the system interface alongside his own.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!” Yu Zhi announced cheerfully.
“After the past two days, I’m sure everyone’s familiar with Fu Suxi, so let’s cut to the chase.”
With a devilish gleam in his eyes, Yu Zhi asked, “Do you want to see Fu Suxi utterly humiliated? How about coquettishly flaunting himself in a shameless display? Or maybe…”—he paused dramatically—“completely naked in all his debauched, sinful glory?”
Each word rang out loud and clear, striking with deliberate weight.
“I, Yu Ling,” Yu Zhi continued with a sweet, innocent smile that only served to emphasize his audacious intentions, “am here to fulfill your most shameless desires!”
“The bidding starts at 1,000 Universal Coins! The highest bidder wins!”
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