| WRIAWW | It's Not Me Who is Sick | 05
In the Infinite Space, there are three major guilds, each standing firm side by side, unwilling to yield to the others.
These three guilds have their own informants planted in the Survivors' Forum. These informants usually do nothing but keep an eye on the forum's every move. As soon as any news breaks, it is immediately reported to the higher-ups.
For instance, just minutes after the post was published, all the relevant parties were already informed.
The reactions from the other two guilds varied.
However, the Watchtower Guild adopted a notably more aggressive stance.
"A newcomer who triggered a C-level mission?"
"The Spiritual Guild made the first move... why is it always the Spiritual Guild!"
"The Spiritual Guild is our arch-enemy. This time, we must be on high alert and not reveal any contact information."
"Surely, the newcomer knows how to use the Survivors' Forum, right? Come on, post now and offer a high price to recruit them!"
On the other hand, the Moon Guild continued its usual laid-back tradition.
"Boss, what stance should we take?"
"No rush. Many geniuses have fallen in the Infinite Space. Let's wait and see."
"Alright. Since we're not making a move, the Watchmen Guild next door will surely get restless. We might as well reap the benefits."
"Should we inform the guild leader about this?"
"Forget it. You know our guild leader doesn't bother with these matters. He's just a figurehead. Let's stay calm. We were recently plotted against by the Spiritual Guild. Let them fight it out while we watch from the sidelines. There’s no need to rush."
"Got it."
...
Whether choosing to stand by or take the initiative, the guilds were in a state of turmoil.
On the forum, the post's thread grew longer and longer, with everyone enthusiastically discussing this sudden newcomer.
[It’s been years since a talented newcomer appeared in the Infinite Space.]
[Indeed, who was the last one?]
[Probably Zhou Ke'er, ranked tenth. It feels like the rankings haven't changed in a long time.]
[Have you seen who's on the leaderboard? Either guild leaders, mercenary chiefs, or top players, almost all of them have cleared a dungeon first and hold the rights to dungeon bases. How can we compare?]
[Yeah, not to mention the unmatched evaluation rate of 1st place, even the top five are beyond reach for most people.]
[Speaking of which, the top five must have accumulated enough points to leave the Infinite Space. Why haven't they left?]
[You must be a newbie. A few years ago, a batch of people left the leaderboard. Only Joshua in 1st place, Qin Ye in 2nd, and the Black Witch in 3rd are still here.]
[Joshua can't leave!!! If the top-ranked Joshua leaves, who will heal me?]
[Exactly! Joshua is my guiding light. If he leaves, everyone in the Infinite Space will be missing arms and legs.]
[+1]
[+110, I swear to follow Lord Joshua to the death! Quick, where's the Temple Army?]
[The Temple Army is here! Protecting the one true god of the Infinite Space!]
[+10086]
[Enough talk, I'm still in line trying to grab Joshua's Soul Lamp.]
Although the thread went off-topic, there's no doubt that this news was like a depth charge, stirring up new waves in the already turbulent forum.
Not to mention Wen Pushi, who saw this news on the forum and was filled with regret, pounding his chest in frustration. On the surface, the Spiritual Guild didn’t seem as ecstatic as others might have expected. Instead, the atmosphere was heavy.
At the guild’s headquarters, inside the A-level dungeon, the Eternal Night Castle, the high-level meeting room was packed to the brim.
Almost all the available senior executives were present, except for the seats at the head and the sides, which remained empty.
“Where’s the guild leader and the others?”
“They went to tackle the ultimate dungeon and took on an S-level mission, they haven’t returned yet.”
The remaining few looked worried.
“What do we do now? We need to handle this before the guild leader gets back. It’s one thing if we had that newcomer’s contact info, but we don’t, and now we’re the target of everyone’s criticism.”
“That despicable Watchtower Guild, they always jump in to stir up trouble whenever something like this happens. How shameless.”
“It can’t be helped. We plotted against them last time, and they took a silent loss. They’re bound to come back with full force to retaliate.”
“Enough chit-chat, think of something! Or do you not want your year-end bonuses?”
Amid the gloomy atmosphere, someone suddenly spoke up, “I might have an idea.”
Everyone perked up, sitting up straight.
“As expected of our guild’s top strategist, you always have ideas.”
“Brother Ning, don’t keep us in suspense. We can’t possibly match your intellectual prowess. Just tell us what to do.”
Ning He calmly said, “Since we’re already in this mess, let’s turn the tables.”
“Didn’t Liu Jianhua say that Wen Pushi, that D-level guy, is the only one who’s had contact with the talented newcomer? Let’s start with him, offer him some benefits to win him over, and then have him reach out to the Watchtower Guild.”
“You mean... cut them off at the root? Have Wen Pushi play the villain and keep the Watchtower Guild on the hook for now?”
“Exactly. At the same time, have our members focus on C-level missions this week, increasing the chances of encountering the newcomer in the dungeons.”
After some consideration, the others realized this plan might actually work.
After all, a talented newcomer is like a hot commodity. Even if the Watchtower Guild becomes suspicious, they’d never pass up the chance to poach such a talent.
“Alright,” Vice Guild Leader Shu Xingguang made the decision on the spot. “Let’s do it!”
...
Meanwhile, Zong Le, at the center of this storm, was completely unaware of the uproar he had caused in another dimension.
After exiting the subway, he walked straight home.
On the way, he passed by a market and even stopped to buy some discounted, slightly wilted vegetables for his dinner.
Zong Le lived in the outskirts of Guiyi City, in a somewhat rundown residential complex. Twenty years ago, this place was quite prestigious. This place allocated to public servants and home to many notable figures, like Zong Le’s parents, who were reportedly engaged in confidential research work and hadn’t returned home in over a decade.
But as the complex aged and its facilities became outdated, it gradually fell into decline. Now, it was mostly inhabited by elderly residents or left-behind children.
“Hey, Uncle Wang, good evening!”
“Oh, it’s you, Le.”
Hearing this, the gatekeeper, who was watching a small, old TV with a fan blowing, turned around. He waved his palm-leaf fan a couple of times, and a look of disappointment flashed across his face when he saw Zong Le’s intact limbs. “You made it back alive again today? Heh, congratulations.”
“It’s was luck, just luck.”
After routinely greeting the gatekeeper, Zong Le walked inside with practiced ease.
The sound of violent chopping from the butcher's shop on the first floor signaled that he had reached Building 4.
His home was located at the very end of the complex, and the entire building had only four residents, including him.
The stairwell was unlit, pitch black to the point where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Zong Le deftly pulled out his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight. Unexpectedly, as he shone the light upward, the beam caught a glimpse of a pale white skirt hem, disappearing around the corner of the stairs.
"Sister Liu?"
The silhouette somewhat resembled his depressed neighbor who stayed up all night singing opera. Zong Le couldn’t help but feel worried.
"Sister Liu? Is that you?"
He called out while climbing the stairs three steps at a time.
But strangely, even after chasing all the way to the top floor, he didn’t see anyone else.
Zong Le could only shake his head and head back down.
When he reached the third floor, he knocked on the door across from his.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Despite it being the hottest time of the year, standing in front of the door, he didn’t feel any warmth. Instead, a chilling cold seeped out, giving off an eerie vibe.
A minute later, a creaking sound came from inside, as if someone was impatiently scratching the door from the other side.
Zong Le immediately understood. "Oh, Sister Liu, you’re home."
Some time ago, Zong Le had been woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a child bouncing a ball upstairs. While taking out the trash, he had accidentally seen a figure in a white dress standing on the edge of the rooftop. Terrified, he had sprinted and climbed up the drainpipe with his bare hands to the top floor to rescue the person.
That person was his neighbor, Liu Rouya.
From the gatekeeper, Old Wang, Zong Le had learned that Liu Rouya had been a victim of domestic violence. Not only had she suffered extensive burns and disfigurement, but she had also lost her son and ex-husband in the incident.
Perhaps because of her experiences, Liu Rouya had become mentally unstable. She usually covered her entire face with her hair, never spoke, and only sang opera at night. Occasionally, she would engage in dangerous behavior.
Since then, Zong Le had taken extra care of his neighbor, always knocking on her door to check on her whenever he left or returned home.
Like now.
The scratching sound from behind the wooden door grew louder, and Zong Le knew she was getting impatient. He quickly apologized.
"Sister Liu, don’t be mad. I’m just worried you might be feeling down again. Life is beautiful and bright. Don’t torment yourself because of others’ mistakes. We’re neighbors, so it’s only natural for me to care. I hope you don’t find me annoying.”
After delivering his daily dose of encouragement, Zong Le slipped into his own home with his groceries.
His home wasn’t large, just eighty square meters. The furniture was all over a decade old, and some corners were damp, but it had good natural lighting—it was the best house in the entire complex.
Although the sky outside was perpetually dark, making the lighting seem irrelevant, the streetlights still counted as a source of light.
After changing into slippers, he headed to the kitchen to whip up a quick dinner.
Only after sitting down at the dining table with his meal did Zong Le have the time to open his phone and properly examine the strange job-hunting app.
"Let’s see how to use these survival points..."
Despite the many strange occurrences today, Zong Le’s top priority was still making money.
No matter how bizarre things got, they could wait. What was urgent right now was money.
He was now so poor that his house was bare, and any spare money he had was spent on medicine. If he didn’t find a stable source of income soon, he wouldn’t even be able to afford discounted vegetables in a few days.
How could a healthy, able-bodied adult fail to support himself? Was that even reasonable?!
“Oh, I found it, the mall!”
Fortunately, perseverance paid off. After some fiddling on the app, Zong Le finally found the entrance to the mall.
However, he was clearly celebrating too soon. Upon entering, he realized this mall was nothing like what he had imagined.
【Full-body Level 1 Enhancement (Newbie Benefit) (Limited-time Discount) Survival Points: 300】
【Strength Level 1 Enhancement Survival Points: 300】
【Agility Level 1 Enhancement Survival Points: 300】
【Mental Power Level 1 Enhancement Survival Points: 300】
【Low-level Talisman Survival Points: 50】
【Mid-level Talisman Survival Points: 500】
【High-level Talisman Survival Points: 1000】
【Ultimate Talisman Survival Points: 5000】
......
“What on earth is all this?”
The list went on and on, filled with various enhancements, seemingly endless.
Zong Le browsed repeatedly, searching and searching, until he finally found what he wanted in a corner on the last page.
【Exchange In-game Currency 1 Survival Point = 10 Currency】
“I have 800 survival points, which means I can exchange for 8,000 yuan... Damn, I’m rich!”
The moment he saw the exchange rate, Zong Le jumped to his feet.
To put it into perspective, he usually spent around 1,500 a month, living frugally and occasionally only eating to about 70-80% fullness. Eight thousand was undoubtedly a fortune to him, enough to ensure he could eat his fill every meal.
“Never mind, let’s try exchanging some first.”
He immediately clicked to exchange 100 survival points. The next second, a paper box appeared out of thin air on the dining table.
Zong Le opened the box, and inside was a neatly stacked pile of 1,000 yuan.
He pinched himself: “Ow! That hurts, it’s real.”
So everything that had happened earlier wasn’t a delusion or a figment of his imagination.
“This job has potential... it’s so easy to earn a full 8,000 yuan!!!”
On his way back earlier, Zong Le had been worrying about his job. After meeting those survivors, he even started doubting whether he had joined some illegal organization. Little did he know that he’d be greeted with such a pleasant surprise.
After all, money is the primary motivator. Having received a reward far beyond his expectations, Zong Le became even more determined to stick with this simple yet well-paid survivor job.
“Let me take a closer look!”
Zong Le first opened the forum.
The survivor forum had many sections, and as soon as he entered, he was overwhelmed by the lively atmosphere.
“These post titles are so weird. Why are they all discussing some talented newcomer being fought over by three guilds? Betting on when this newcomer will make it to the rankings? I don’t get it. Forget it, I’ll look at something else first.”
Following Wen Pushi’s advice, Zong Le skipped over these and went straight to the pinned post titled “Newcomer’s Guide.” He carefully read through the rules, striving to memorize them thoroughly to avoid making the mistakes typical of a workplace rookie.
After going through all this, Zong Le had a pretty good understanding of the nature of the survivor’s work.
"Hmm...it feels a bit like a bounty hunter who specialize in dealing with weirdness."
Wherever a weirdness event occurs, the main system would teleport the survivors there.
After completing a mission, there would be a settlement and corresponding ratings.
From a professional standpoint, protecting public safety and maintaining world peace had always been Zong Le's life pursuit. He never expected that along with a high salary, there would also be professional honor, which instantly made him feel a bit more favorable towards the identity of a survivor.
Especially after he took the ID "Cola" and posted in the newbie section.
[Newbie question: Are human eyes pure black?]
[Newbie question: Is the sky black, is the moon red?]
The replies below were heartwarming.
[OP, have you gone mad from doing missions? Would a normal person have such doubts?]
[I think so too, OP can't even distinguish between reality and the instance.]
[Probably acting, reported for trolling.]
[Brothers above, don't just laugh. Dealing with weirdness every day, it's not strange for one to lose their mind. I've been through this stage too, so I'll help as much as I can. OP, remember, normal people's eyes are black and white, the sky has day and night, and the moon is white. Remember this! If you see pure black eyes, that's an NPC. If you see an unusual sky and moon, you're in an instance! Don't be confused, don't hesitate! Our goal is to eliminate weirdness, accumulate enough survival points, and return to the normal real world. This is the dream of every survivor!]
[Damn, big brother’s words got me pumped, like some rule-based talk. But rough as it is, it's true. Aren't we survivors struggling in the infinite space just to return to the normal world!]
[Exactly! Our goal is to return to the real world!]
[Sniff, there are people waiting for me back home, I can't fall here.]
[I miss my mom.]
......
In the months since leaving the mental hospital, the feeling Zong Le most often experienced was loneliness.
He felt out of place among people; his ideals, aspirations, and kindness seemed worthless in others' eyes. The whole society seemed sick, dangerous, cold, chaotic, and devoid of humanity.
But in this forum, he found that he wasn't the odd one out; he felt warmth here.
Besides his own post, many strategy posts in the forum had replies uniformly thanking the experts, and even some survival points as rewards. Who knows how long it had been since he last heard the word "thank you" in real life.
Unexpectedly, in the forum, he saw a scene of harmony, friendliness, and peaceful coexistence, which moved him.
"So, it's not me who's sick... but this world!"
Zong Le felt that he had completely understood everything!
"Thump thump thump thump thump thump."
At midnight, the crisp sound of a child bouncing a ball came from upstairs.
Normally, this noise would wake him up. His overly sharp senses weren't always a convenience; sometimes they were a nuisance. Even wearing earplugs could only block out part of the noise.
But tonight, Zong Le had no desire to sleep. He was extremely excited, rolling around on his bed with joy.
At the same time, he secretly made up his mind.
"Although the survivors are kind, they are still outsiders, and their help is limited. As a local, I have a greater responsibility and duty to help people recover from their illness and restore society to normal!"
Having made up his mind, Zong Le got out of bed, lit a lamp, and began studying late into the night. He opened forums, took diligent notes, and strived to perfectly integrate with these survivors during the next mission.
It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that he finally put down his pen.
Just then, a new task appeared on his phone's mission list.
【Happiness Index Survey of Residents in Ankang Community】
【Task Level: B】
【Task Location: Ankang Community, Guiyi City】
The moment he saw the task location, Zong Le was stunned.
"Wait, Ankang Community in Guiyi City... huh? Isn’t that my home?"
0 Comments
Post a Comment