Chapter 53
The night the system appeared, the S City Special Operation Bureau immediately took control of the entire city. While they didn’t completely calm the panicked populace or fully suppress malicious individuals, they managed to guide most of the citizens to complete the main task. Later, they rebuilt the S City Safe Zone, ensuring the safety of everyone inside.
Because of the bureau’s mild and protective image during this time, Scarface had always taken it for granted that the Special Operation Bureau was akin to a supernatural version of the police force in this apocalyptic era. And he’d been in and out of police stations more times than he could count—nothing to be afraid of. Confident in his petty abilities, he and two others had sneaked in.
Now, faced with Fu Suxi radiating icy menace, Scarface was filled with waves of regret so strong he felt himself blacking out.
The bureau is this ruthless?!
If you wanted to kill for profit, why not just do it right away? Why bait us into coming here first?!
Realizing Fu Suxi was the one in charge, Scarface immediately began begging for his life. “Boss, I was wrong, really wrong!”
“Everything I said earlier is true. We were really just after the universal coins. The money from regular tasks isn’t nearly enough, and we don’t dare mess with pollution sources or pollutants. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have dared to come after you…”
Lin Xiangyuan kicked him hard and demanded, “There were at least ten of you blocking our car during the day. Where are the others now?”
Scarface quickly explained, “The rest didn’t dare come in—just the five of us idiots sneaked inside. Two of them aren’t here right now; I don’t know where they went. Maybe they ran away when they saw things going south.”
The numbers matched up. Lin Xiangyuan pressed on, “How did you get in?”
Knowing he had no chance left, Scarface spilled everything in one go. “It was Xiao Lin who led us over the wall. He and his friend aren’t here anymore. The bombs were also his idea—he said we should kill our target with the explosives and then run. By the time we found that guy—uh, I mean, your man—Xiao Lin and his friend had already disappeared…”
As he spoke, Scarface suddenly realized something and blurted out, “It’s Xiao Lin and his friend who are suspicious! Those two weren’t after money like us. They’re probably working for someone else!”
Scarface swore repeatedly, “I swear to God, the three of us were only after money! Just money, I promise!”
Lin Xiangyuan gave him another kick and cursed, “Proud of killing for money, are you?! You scumbag!”
Scarface flinched, trembling, and dared not speak further.
Fu Suxi turned to Shan Yu. “What interview?”
Shan Yu stepped forward and whispered, “After the system appeared, we followed headquarters’ instructions to recruit a batch of newcomers who awakened their abilities post-system. But the interviews weren’t held in the bureau, let alone anywhere they’d learn their way around this place…”
Fu Suxi glanced at Scarface again and continued questioning, “Who told you to bring him out of here?”
Scarface stammered, “I-I thought of that myself. I planned to take him out and figure out another way to kill him after that.”
Fu Suxi turned his gaze to the other two trembling men lying prone on the ground.
These three were clearly a disorganized group of small-timers, nothing like the two self-detonating agents from earlier.
Looking back at Scarface, Fu Suxi asked flatly, “You were the organizer?”
Scarface didn’t want to admit it and was about to shift the blame when he met Fu Suxi’s cold, dead-eyed gaze.
Those black, narrow eyes carried no emotion. They stared at him as if he were a piece of rotting meat. The oppressive aura made Scarface shiver uncontrollably.
Stammering, he finally admitted, “Y-Yes, but—but—”
Fu Suxi didn’t wait for him to finish. He turned to Shan Yu. “Dispose of those two, then take him to find the group from earlier.”
Shan Yu nodded and ordered her team to escort the three men out. Before leaving, she asked in a low voice, “How should we deal with the ones outside?”
“Kill them,” Fu Suxi replied casually.
With that, he left the room, leaving Shan Yu and Lin Xiangyuan behind to stare at each other in silence.
After a moment, Shan Yu instructed, “Take care of it, per the minister’s orders.”
Lin Xiangyuan hesitated and asked in a low voice, “Are we really going to kill them all?”
Shan Yu’s face was grim. “We have to. The world isn’t what it used to be. These people dared to kill us for livestream money—imagine what they’d do to ordinary citizens.”
“What’s even more troubling are those two self-detonating agents.”
Lin Xiangyuan sighed heavily. “I just worry that if the body count keeps rising, the general public will start resenting us…”
*
Yu Zhi had a long, strange dream. He dreamed of playing in the mountains as a child.
In the dream, he wasn’t human. One moment, he was a tree; the next, a fish; then, a raindrop falling from the sky.
Just as he transformed into a stone, a bolt of lightning struck him. The pain and tingling were so intense that it dragged him out of his dream.
Yu Zhi’s eyelids fluttered open, and his entire body still ached and tingled.
It wasn’t the kind of pain from his external injuries; it was as if a powerful electric current had run through him.
His brain was still groggy, but his body instinctively looked at his universal currency balance first.
[50.9 UC.]
Yu Zhi: “???” Only 50 left?
His eyes widened in disbelief as he frantically asked the system, [What about the money from the betting pool?!]
[It’s been automatically distributed.]
Yu Zhi sucked in a sharp breath and glanced at the current time.
It was a little past 5 PM. He had been unconscious for over twenty hours.
And for every single one of those minutes, he’d spent 100 UC.
His vision darkened as his heart bled.
He’d kept his life, but his wallet was dead.
Tens of thousands of credits—all gone just like that!
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but scold the system: [Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!]
The system sneered: [I did try waking you half an hour ago. You didn’t respond—even to electrocution.]
[I zapped you for thirty minutes straight before you finally woke up. Congratulations—you’re remarkably resistant to electricity.]
Yu Zhi: […]
Feeling the sting of his losses, he closed his eyes and repeated to himself like a mantra, It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine. At least I’m still alive. Money can be earned again… But who was he kidding? Earn it again? How?!
[User “The Arrogant Rich Young Master” congratulates you on your survival and tips you 0.1 universal credits.]
[User “Momo” is curious about your ability and tips you 20 universal credits.]
[User “Pure Love Warrior” informs you that someone failed in their attempt to kill and silence you.]
[User “Reborn in Another Dimension Romance” reminds you that the main task is still incomplete.]
Yu Zhi’s face darkened further at the last comment. He had almost forgotten about Main Task 3.
The task panel popped up automatically:
[Main Task 3: Love My Homeland (Progress: 2/10)]
[Objective: Kill at least one mutant each day. The task lasts ten days and resets at midnight. Please complete it actively!]
[Reward for Completion: 50 universal credits.]
[Penalty for Failure: 50 universal credits will be deducted.]
There were six hours left in the day.
Yu Zhi tried moving his arm but immediately winced from the pain. His body, after some rest, felt even more sore than before. Just shifting slightly sent waves of agony through his joints and muscles, twisting his expression in pain.
His body felt worse than it would after running a thousand meters in one minute—every joint and muscle seemed to be screaming. The only part of him that could still move freely was his eyeballs.
Forget completing the task—he couldn’t even move!
His eyes darted around the room, landing on the IV drip stand by the bed. He exhaled in relief. Someone was bound to come by soon.
[User “National Grade Human Weapon” notes that the prophecy didn’t come true.]
[User “Strawman’s Slander” curses the prophet and accuses you of colluding with the system.]
[User “World’s Cutest Girl” reminds User “Strawman’s Slander” that the prophecy only said you were likely to die—not that you would die.]
[User “Strawman’s Slander” continues to curse you and accuse others of being complicit with you.]
The chat erupted into an argument, with messages scrolling rapidly.
Yu Zhi watched as “Six Million Brother” (Strawman’s Slander) spiraled into an enraged shouting match with the others. Amid the chaos, he picked up on a key detail:
The prophecy had indicated he was likely to die in S City—not that his death was guaranteed.
What these viewers had been so certain of was Fu Suxi’s role in killing him. They firmly believed Fu Suxi would find him in time and finish him off.
Yu Zhi found it odd how much trust they had in Fu Suxi. Sure, Fu Suxi was strong, but Yu Zhi had the “Mouth-Mouth” ability, which could neutralize Fu Suxi’s killing intent. The viewers had witnessed this firsthand.
So why were they so blindly confident in Fu Suxi?
Was it because he was the protagonist of the story? Or because his brutal and decisive actions aligned with their values?
As he pondered, the door to the room suddenly opened.
Dr. Qi entered, holding an armful of medicine. Spotting Yu Zhi awake, he paused for a moment before striding over. “Finally awake. You’ve been out for over twenty hours without any response, no matter the noise. Old Shan and Old Lin thought you’d slipped into a coma and made me run a bunch of tests on you.”
Yu Zhi opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that no sound came out.
Dr. Qi immediately poured him a glass of water and helped him sit up.
After taking a few sips, Yu Zhi rasped, “Did anything happen while I was out?”
At this question, a particular image flashed in Dr. Qi’s mind—the scene he had witnessed the previous day. His lips twitched as he struggled to find the words.
Should he say that Minister Fu didn’t spare Yu Zhi even while he was unconscious?
Should he mention the incriminating sight of Minister Fu holding a phone in one hand, presumably taking… unseemly pictures?
After a long pause, Dr. Qi opted for a vague hint: “Let’s just say I didn’t see anything I wasn’t supposed to.”
Yu Zhi fell silent. That phrasing practically screamed that Dr. Qi had seen something inappropriate.
Something that couldn’t be spoken of… Did Fu Suxi do something to him while he was unconscious?
Lowering his gaze, Yu Zhi noticed that the clothes he was wearing weren’t the same as before he had fallen asleep.
Tentatively, he asked, “Did… he strip my clothes off?”
Dr. Qi nodded emphatically while mumbling, “I didn’t see anything.”
“…”
Yu Zhi quickly assessed his body. There wasn’t any unusual soreness.
After a moment of reflection, he guessed that Fu Suxi—true to his character—had likely been trying to exact some petty revenge for what happened in the off-road vehicle. And Dr. Qi must have walked in at just the right (or wrong) moment.
Yu Zhi pressed further, “And then?”
Dr. Qi, realizing he didn’t want to get involved in their twisted drama, swiftly redirected the conversation. “Then Minister Fu went to check on Old Zuo and the investigation into the Taijiang High School incident.”
Taking the opportunity to change the subject entirely, Dr. Qi added, “By the way, something big happened last night. You almost got into serious trouble.”
He recounted the events involving Scarface and his group infiltrating the bureau, explaining everything in detail.
Only then did Yu Zhi’s attention shift away from Fu Suxi’s antics to focus on the more pressing matters at hand.
Yu Zhi stared at the colorful assortment of transparent liquid bottles in the bag, completely at a loss for words.
His fingers trembled as he picked up one of the bottles and read the label: “Smooth and Passionate, Edible and Non-Sticky.”
“…”
“Captain Shang,” he began slowly, tilting his head to look at her. “What is this?”
Shang Yu cleared her throat awkwardly, her expression slightly evasive. “I heard from Dr. Qi that you might need this kind of… aid. Don’t worry—it’s all the best quality.”
The corners of Yu Zhi’s lips twitched violently. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond.
After taking a deep breath, he tossed the bag aside and decided not to address the ridiculousness directly. Instead, he said with forced patience, “I was asking about the reward for clearing the pollution source at Taijiang High School. You know, the universal credits.”
“Universal… credits?” Shang Yu blinked, staring at him blankly for a moment before realization dawned. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “Oh… that’s what you meant!”
Yu Zhi gave her a look that seemed to say, What else would I mean?!
Shang Yu coughed to cover her embarrassment, then hurriedly explained, “Right, about the reward. The credits and recognition for clearing the pollution source are all recorded under your name, but Minister Fu collected the reward on your behalf. He didn’t mention when he’d give it to you, though.”
Yu Zhi’s face darkened further. “Why did he collect it?”
“Well…” Shang Yu hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “He said it was for safekeeping. You were unconscious at the time.”
Safekeeping my foot! Yu Zhi cursed inwardly. What kind of “safekeeping” involved someone else pocketing your reward without your consent?
Suppressing his frustration, he said, “So, when will I actually get it?”
Shang Yu’s expression turned even more awkward. “That… you might have to ask Minister Fu yourself.”
Yu Zhi slumped back against the pillows, too tired to even curse anymore. Of course, it had to be in Fu Suxi’s hands.
That guy probably thinks my money is his now. He might even claim he’s collecting interest!
Shang Yu, noticing his sour mood, thought to herself, Is this how they fight? But their relationship is supposed to be…
Unable to resist her curiosity, she asked hesitantly, “Uh, do you want me to ask Minister Fu for you?”
“No need,” Yu Zhi muttered. “I’ll handle it myself.”
Shang Yu nodded and decided it was best not to linger. She left with a polite farewell, leaving Yu Zhi alone with his thoughts—and the embarrassing bag of items she had mistakenly brought him.
*
The room fell silent.
Yu Zhi stared at the ceiling for a while before finally looking at the bag again. Resigned, he reached for it and stashed it in his inventory, not wanting to leave it out in the open in case someone else walked in.
Once that was done, he let out a long sigh. At least I’m alive, he reminded himself again.
He glanced at the system panel, which still displayed the remaining hours for Main Task 3.
Time was ticking. He had no choice but to start thinking about how to complete it—even if his body still felt like it was falling apart.
[Repel Dryness]
[Seamless Flow]
[Unbridled Fusion]
“???”
After a long silence, Yu Zhi’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. “What exactly did Xiao Zuo say to you?”
Shang Yu thought for a moment, then imitated Zuo Feiyang’s grief-stricken expression and tone: “It’s not you who’s wrong—it’s the world!”
Yu Zhi: “…”
