Working Records in a Weird World - 18

 

| WRIAWW | Those Who Hate Or Love Him are Not Spared | 18

After closing the skylight of the prayer room, Zong Le stood on the roof for a while, letting the cool breeze wash over him.

Having unintentionally overheard such a private conversation, he felt both awkward and guilty, his conscience felt deeply troubled.

"Sigh, what a mess," Zong Le muttered, rubbing his temples. He even felt the need to find a confessional room to repent.

But on second thought, this trip wasn’t without its gains. At least he had confirmed that there was no danger in the prayer room, and no need for him to intervene.

Earlier, he had deliberately closed his eyes to sense the surroundings. His intuition told him that the silver-haired, smiling man was even more dangerous than the openly hostile Madame Xue, the Black Widow. If the two of them were to clash, it was hard to say who would be the hunter and who the prey.

Still, who could have imagined that the saint who is worshipped and admired by the entire Infinite Space, would turn out to be such a character?

"No wonder I felt such a strong sense of unease the first time I saw him," Zong Le thought.

This further confirmed his earlier suspicions. That Maltese dog wasn’t just afraid; its fear was a sign of submission and not out of genuine affection.

"Really, you can’t judge a book by its cover..."

While there was no law stating that the savior admired by the entire Infinite Space had to be compassionate and benevolent, deep down, Zong Le silently labeled this 1st as a "bad person."

From now on, he would definitely keep his distance from this individual.

Of course, even though he had accidentally stumbled upon this earth-shattering secret—one that could explode the Survivors’ Forum if revealed—Zong Le had no intention of spreading it.

He was tight-lipped by nature, and since this was someone else’s private matter, which he had overheard unintentionally, there was no way he would deliberately disclose it.

With these thoughts in mind, Zong Le retraced his steps.

The return journey was smooth.

He employed the same tactics as before, deftly avoiding the patrolling guards and climbing down from the edge of the roof. After estimating he was close enough to the windowsill, he hung from one hand, his toes lightly hooking the slightly ajar window, which slowly swung open inward.

After completing this maneuver, he simply let go, executing a graceful spin mid-air. His body, as light as a cat’s, swung back and landed steadily on the expensive woolen carpet.

The entire sequence took less than a minute, a sight to behold, with not a single unnecessary sound. Even the renowned great medium, Shu Xingwen, known for his keen perception, who was just half a corridor away around the corner, failed to detect any abnormality.

Zong Le didn’t linger. He turned and headed back.

As luck would have it, just a few steps later, he felt a sudden surge of terrifying, weird energy erupting from the center of the villa.

"Hiss—"

This sinister energy was all too familiar to Zong Le, as it emanated from the S-level weird he had recently fought. Strangely, this weird, which should have been half-dead and lying low to avoid further harm, was now letting out a piercing, mournful shriek. Its distorted presence shook the entire villa, causing the building to tremble slightly.

Moreover, Zong Le faintly sensed that it was rapidly approaching the prayer room.

"With the strongest survivors gathered there, I don't have to anything," Zong Le thought.

Although it was unclear why the S-level weird suddenly abandoned its concealment and confronted the survivors face-to-face, this undoubtedly saved Zong Le a lot of effort.

Next, he only needed to return to the reception room as quickly and nonchalantly as possible, and then leave the place immediately after the weird domain was lifted. This way, he could avoid paying the expensive protection fees and villa repair costs!

It's the perfect plan!

Zong Le mentally gave himself a thumbs-up and quickened his pace.

On the other side, after the complete conversation breakdown, the situation in the prayer room suddenly became dire.

"Pick up the candlestick."

Madam Xue's expression was one of terror as she struggled desperately.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't regain control of her body. She could only watch helplessly as her hands obeyed the verbal command, moving uncontrollably toward the silver candlestick burning on the table, gripping it mechanically.

The melted white wax dripped onto her delicate lace gloves, but she seemed to have lost all sense of pain, maintaining the motion like a lifeless puppet.

"Very good." Joshua smiled gently.

His voice was soft, as if he were reciting a blessing: "Now, stab it into your throat."

The leisurely tone and the horrifying command created a bizarre contrast. It didn’t feel like inciting a murder, but rather like presiding over a sacred ritual in a church. Each syllable, when taken alone, exuded elegance, but when combined, they emitted a chilling sense of bloodshed.

As the candlestick gradually approached her neck, the color drained from Madam Xue's face.

Though she screamed inwardly, it was to no avail. Her hands had already betrayed her will, obeying someone else's command.

Finally, the sharp tip of the candlestick mercilessly pierced her throat, and blood gushed out like red silk. Yet the hand holding the candlestick didn’t stop, continuing to apply terrible force until the sharp metal pierced through the back of her neck, its blood-stained tip glinting coldly in the air. 

Only then did the brutal act come to an end.

"Gurgle... gurgle..." Her vocal cords destroyed, she could no longer speak.

In her final moments, Madam Xue's unfocused eyes still held a question:

How could someone possess such power?

Until the very last moment of her death, she wondered where she had gone wrong, what she overlooked that had reduced her to a lamb to slaughter.

After issuing the command, Joshua didn’t even glance back.

He had an almost arrogant confidence in his own abilities. As long as the conditions were met, no one could escape his grasp.

All survivors in the Infinite Space knew that Joshua’s healing abilities were unparalleled, capable of mending even the most severe injuries, as long as the person had a breath left.

But almost no one knew that healing was merely an additional ability tied to his identity as the "Patriarch of the Temple." After conquering the Temple dungeon and being ranked as the 1st, he possessed an innate special skill. Unlike the seemingly mundane healing ability, this hidden and powerful technique was the true foundation of his unrivaled throne.

Joshua named it the Eros Code.

In his vision, there is a number floating above each person’s head.

These numbers varied, precisely quantifying the target’s emotional intensity toward the entity known as "Joshua."

When the target object harbors positive emotions such as admiration, affection, following, or worship towards him, the numbers would display a warm orange-red hue and climb upwards.

Conversely, if negative emotions like hatred, jealousy, hostility, or disgust were to arise, the numbers would turn into a cold deep blue and continue to plummet.

The Eros Code ability itself does not possess any offensive capabilities.

The only thing it can do on a daily basis is to constantly monitor changes in others' attitudes towards him, occasionally serving as a lie detector.

Its true lethality lies in the intensity of emotions people invest in the person "Joshua."

The higher the emotional investment, the easier it is for him to control them with words. Once a certain level of intensity is reached, Joshua can even command the other party to do anything merely through words alone.

For example, the death order Joshua just forcibly issued to Madam Xue.

Originally, Joshua had no intention of utilizing this slow-acting ability. However, the latter was too intrigued about him, and during their verbal exchanges, she continuously attempted to tear off the perfect mask on the silver-haired Patriarch's face, and it only intensified as it continued on.

Thus, Joshua decided to go along with it, leveraging the characteristic of the weird domain that one cannot lie, allowing her to have her wish fulfilled.

It would be more accurate to say that it was not Joshua who killed her, but the extreme ecstasy that erupted upon glimpsing the true Joshua behind the mask that led to her demise.

This intense emotion caused her to willingly place the noose around her own neck, handing over the reins of her life and death to Joshua. The latter only needed to issue a command nonchalantly to complete a perfect self-murder.

Even the most experienced detective investigating the scene would not be able to find any clues.

Strict conditions, but with a generous reward—this is the Eros Code.

But this ability, named after the ancient Greek god of desire and emotion, is far more powerful than just that.

The most terrifying aspect is that the emotions that can be manipulated are not limited to positive ones; intense negative emotions can also be controlled.

Those who admire him will be under his control, and those who loathe him can also be under his control.

All who invest strong emotions in "Joshua" are like lambs under his shepherd's flock, ready to be controlled at any moment.

Those who hate him, those who love him—none are spared.

Of course, under normal circumstances, Joshua does not prefer to use the "force order" method.

Because people are not fools; after a force order is issued, their emotions are bound to change.

Just like earlier, before the order was issued, Madam Xue's number was still floating at an orange 55. After his command, that number suddenly plunged into the depths of -70.

However, influenced by the mysterious force, the emotions of the NPCs in the dungeon are generally extreme. Even if Joshua's first command did not result in her suicide, the deep hatred Madam Xue harbored would be enough to support him in issuing more commands.

But normal survivors are a different story. For instance, survivors like 2nd Qin Ye and 4th Santa Claus, who are older, more experienced, and emotionally stable, even if a force order could be brewed once, there would absolutely be no chance for a second command after success, it only increases the risk of exposing his ability.

Joshua has no intention of revealing this ability to the public.

Therefore, more often than not, he prefers to use the art of words, using gentle words that are subtly loaded with hidden meanings, to achieve his subtle purpose. This ensures that he can extract the maximum benefit from lambs.

Thanks to this special ability, Joshua was able to detect the eavesdropper on the skylight.

In truth, he still didn’t know how the person managed to conceal their presence so perfectly. But the number "0" floating in the night sky was glaringly obvious, there was no way he could be mistaken.

"Could it be an NPC......"

If it were an NPC, that would actually make things easier. But if the other party was a survivor—

Only the dead could know his secret.

Joshua lowered his gaze, masking the icy killing intent in his eyes.

He straightened his collar, calmly stepped over the lifeless body of Madam Xue, whose eyes were still wide open, and pushed open the door to the prayer room.

Outside, the two teams had already gathered.

Qin Ye’s boot was pressing down on a mangled, bloody mass. The weird had been pierced through by a military knife, pinning it to the ground. With the assistance of Shu Xingwen’s spirit medium suppression, it was now letting out a blood-curdling scream.

"Is this the S-level weird?"

Joshua glanced at it.

He could tell that this weird was an underdeveloped embryo. Due to its incomplete growth, its semi-transparent skin and muscle tissue were still fused together, forming a grotesque and unsettling shape.

At a glance, it resembled a deformed, skinless monkey, constantly dripping black-red mucus that sizzled and burned holes into the carpet.

"Yes," Shu Xingwen nodded. "What’s strange is that it’s much weaker than I expected, as if it had been injured before."

"Maybe it hurt itself while hunting due to being inexperience?"

"Even so, it’s still an S-level weird. It shouldn’t be that clumsy. But I sensed that it stayed in the reception room for a few minutes earlier—perhaps Bai Shao injured it. It probably tried to hide and heal, but then sensed something had happened to Madam Xue and launched a counterattack."

"After all, she’s its biological mother."

Watching the S-level weird, even in its pitiful state, still baring its teeth at its surroundings, Joshua spoke in a calm tone: "The series of murders around the Tianmenfu community over the past year were all orchestrated by Madam Xue, who used them to feed it."

"Its brain isn’t fully developed, so its intelligence is low. It simply obeys its ‘mother’s’ orders."

The other S-ranks exchanged glances, completely baffled as to how the brainy expert had reached this conclusion.

But regardless of the reasoning, they were good at accepting conclusions.

"No wonder when I examined Madam Xue’s body earlier, her pregnant belly, which was so full before, was completely deflated now."

"No wonder we couldn’t sense this weird’s presence before—it was hiding inside the NPC’s womb. It probably only came out to hunt and feed."

"I knew it. Shu Xingwen’s sensing ability has never failed before. It was just physically blocked......"

As for how Madam Xue died, no one cared.

Even though she had given birth to an S-level weird, she was still essentially an ordinary NPC with no combat ability. Even a D-level survivor could easily take her life. Even if she hadn’t died earlier, she was destined to be eliminated to prevent any future troubled

"Alright, alright, let’s wrap this up."

Watching Qin Ye’s blade ignite with flames, finishing off the weird with a single strike, Shu Xingwen stretched lazily in place.

As the S-level weird died, the colors around them began to slowly return, a sign that the weird’s domain was dissipating.

[S-level mission ‘Tianmenfu Masion 4th Building’ completed]

【Team Mission Evaluation: Perfect】

【Individual Mission Evaluation: Perfect】

"No rush," Joshua said casually after hearing the system prompt. "There's still plenty of time before the teleportation countdown ends. Bai Shao has been guarding the reception hall. Let's head back and check on their situation. If any low-level survivors are injured, I can treat them on the spot, saving them a trip to the Temple."

Hearing this, the S-level members of the team were filled with admiration.

"Joshua is such a great guy."

"Yeah, he even cares about D-level survivors. No wonder he's 1st."

Out of the corner of his eye, Joshua noticed the numbers above their heads jump up a few notches, and a hint of disdain flickered in his heart.

Most people are foolish and are easily blinded by simple tricks.

There was no real need for this detour; they would all reunite in the Infinite Space eventually.

Joshua's true purpose for insisting on going back was to confirm whether the one who had been watching them was among that group of D-level survivors.

He clearly remembered that when they had briefly crossed paths in the villa's hall earlier, there was a strikingly handsome black-haired young man among them.

Of course, what left a deeper impression than his appearance was the "0" displayed above his head—indicating zero favorability.

This number had caught Joshua's attention for a few extra seconds. After all, given his reputation and following in the Infinite Space, it had been a long time since he had encountered a survivor with an initial favorability rating below 20, let alone a complete zero.

Unless, of course, it was a newcomer who had just entered the space and hadn't even bothered to check the forums.

Unfortunately, Joshua didn't believe in coincidences.

"Patriarch!" Before they could turn back, Bai Shao hurried over.

"Where are D-level survivors?"

"They ran off, of course."

Bai Shao muttered under his breath, "They rushed toward the exit as soon as the weird domain was even lifted, as if they were in a hurry to be reincarnate. We acted as their free bodyguards and even helped them out, practically becoming their babysitters, and yet they didn't even bother to thank us..."

Hearing this, Joshua immediately walked over to the windowsill.

His gaze lingered on the unlocked window latch for a moment before looking into the distance.

Unfortunately, the garden only showed the figures of other survivors fleeing in panic after the weird domain had dissipated.

The most suspicious black-haired young man was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished into thin air.

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