| WRIAWW | Joshua's Favorite Kind of People | 64
This arrangement was quite reasonable. After all, everyone understood that the dangers during the day and night were different, even though the ultimate dungeon was always shrouded in darkness.
"In that case, let's split into groups."
As soon as the words were spoken, Liu Jianhua and Dong Feng rushed forward, eager to voice their preferences. "I want to be in the same group as the newcomer!"
"No, I asked first. And his name is Zong Le. It's rude to keep calling him 'the newcomer.' Is this the level of courtesy we can expect from the Watchtower Guild?"
"You—"
Seeing that the two were about to lose their tempers, Joshua, who had anticipated this, quickly stepped in to mediate.
"Let's not argue over such trivial matters and risk damaging trust among each other," he said in a soothing voice. "Here's what I propose: Zong Le is the lowest-level survivor among us. As such, it's only right that I take extra care of him. He'll be in my group."
Hearing that, both Liu Jianhua and Dong Feng fell silent.
Their earlier argument had been nothing more than an attempt to sway Zong Le to their respective guilds during the mission. While Joshua's arrangement didn't align with their expectations, it also didn't give the opposing guild an advantage. After some thought, they found it acceptable.
Seeing their agreement, Joshua turned to Zong Le, his silver lashes lowering slightly as he inquired, "What do you think?"
His demeanor was flawlessly composed, as if the earlier strategic maneuvering had never occurred.
Zong Le suspected this was deliberate, but without evidence, he could only reply, "Whatever works."
"Then it's settled."
Joshua smiled gently, swiftly assigning the remaining members to their respective groups.
Afterward, he pulled out a brass pocket watch he carried with him.
"It's five o'clock now. Converted to normal time, the sun hasn't set yet. We'll split up and investigate for an hour, then regroup in the living room at six. As you explore different rooms, make sure to note their locations. Once we're back in the living room, we'll need to draw a floor plan of the apartment to ensure we complete the side quest effectively."
"Got it!"
"Roger that, boss!"
After the others had left, Joshua slowly approached Zong Le.
The silver-haired man, now free from his saintly facade, exuded an undeniable aura of authority. He was taller than Zong Le, and his shadow almost completely enveloped the younger man.
Some things could be disguised, but what emanated from one's core cannot be changed.
"Let's go," Joshua said with a smile.
The apartment was on par with the most luxurious estates, designed for financial magnates. The extravagant advertising slogans about "overlooking the clouds and admiring the commercial empire" were materialized in the form of floor-to-ceiling windows and a wine cabinet stocked with vintage Lafite.
The next room appeared to be a tea lounge, adorned with a Persian handwoven rug and expensive tea sets.
Zong Le lagged two steps behind Joshua, not entering the room but merely glancing inside before averting his gaze.
Meanwhile, Joshua was inspected the room and checking for a weird, but in reality kept his focus on his most intriguing prey.
"Don't you have anything to say?" he asked.
"Huh? About what?"
"About the topic we left unfinished earlier."
Zong Le was puzzled: "Didn't we just finish our conversation? I asked you why you wanted to kill me, and you told me the reason. I apologized, so isn't it over? Or do you not accept my apology and still want to kill me?"
"..."
The seemingly casual words carried an undeniable sense of pressure. After realizing the other party had such strength, it felt like an unsheathed blade—though not yet revealed, it sent chills down one's spine.
"How could that be?" Joshua's lips curved into a perfect smile as he deftly steered away from the dangerous topic: "Of course, I accept your apology."
"Then it's settled. We're even."
"Can it really be considered even? I genuinely wanted to kill you."
Zong Le shrugged indifferently: "But you didn’t succeed, so at most, it’s attempted murder. Besides, I’ve also wronged you in some way. Let’s call it even and move on."
Joshua: ?
At this moment, the silver-haired patriarch finally understood the feelings of those who had interacted with him before. Their common experience was chatting with Zong Le started off smoothly, only to be suddenly struck speechless by a single sentence.
But as a master of psychological manipulation, Joshua had seen it all. After a brief pause, he regained his composure.
He had meticulously set up this chessboard, determined to harness this formidable power.
How could he let it end so abruptly?
Unfortunately, Zong Le had no interest in continuing the conversation and bluntly stated: "There's no problem with this room."
Joshua raised an eyebrow, about to inquire, when the black-haired young man answered his own question.
"There’s no smell of blood."
A room where someone had died would not only carry the scent of blood but also a thick aura of resentment, especially in cases like the Blue Ocean Apartment massacre, where subsequent tenants died under mysterious circumstances.
For instance, Zong Le could sense something weird hidden in this room, but it wasn’t in the tea lounge.
"Alright, let’s move to the next room."
Joshua didn’t press further.
The two continued their search through the apartment, passing the maid’s room and the study without noticing anything unusual. Finally, as they pushed open the door to the last room, a chilling coldness swept over them.
It was a playroom, likely intended for the apartment owner’s children. Scattered building blocks lay on the floor, and soft cushions were arranged in rows, each adorned with dolls wearing dresses of different colors.
The walls were decorated with soft furnishings, and the phrase "Happy Birthday" was written in English, though its owner was no longer there.
Zong Le crouched on the floor, examining a dark, solidified substance on the carpet. It didn’t look like blood, yet it had seeped from a human body. He felt like he knew the answer but could not fully grasp it, and fell into deep thought.
"Interesting."
A voice came from one end of the room.
The silver-haired man stood still, skillfully picking up one item from the countless sea of balls, a plush toy, glitter stickers, a Barbie doll...
The other end of the ribbon was connected to a hook on the ceiling. Joshua tilted his head, calculating the height: "She was no older than ten. She must have been sitting on this cushion when she died and holding a Barbie doll’s makeup mirror and children’s lipstick."
Suddenly, a look of realization crossed his face: "Ah... so she was strangled by this and hoisted up to the ceiling."
As these words were spoken, the ribbon began to move on its own, twisting without any wind.
If a medium were present, they would recognize this as the work of the deceased's lingering resentment.
Such resentments typically arise from weirds who died tragically, though they are usually not strong enough to manifest into full-fledged weird. However, they can often startle people unexpectedly. If someone were sleeping here, they might even vividly dream of the deceased's entire death process.
As he spoke, Joshua glanced back at the clump that Zong Le had been struggling to decipher for hours and casually remarked, "That’s the solidified essence left behind by someone who died by hanging. It’s extremely yin and is considered a rather obscure ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine."
[Deduction successful, side quest completed (1/4)]
Zong Le: "..."
For once, he found himself at a loss for words, a rare feeling prompted by the system’s notification.
What was this? He hadn’t even figured out the clues yet, and the other guy had already analyzed both the murder weapon and the cause of death?
Suddenly, Zong Le understood the comments on the forums about those who excelled in the brain faction: teaming up with them felt like taking an exam where they’d already handed in their papers before you even finished reading the questions.
Feeling thoroughly outmatched in intelligence, Zong Le’s heart surged with a deep sense of caution.
He wasn’t good at dealing with smart people, especially someone like Joshua, who had already earned the "bad guy" label in his book. But then again, if he couldn’t handle it, couldn’t he just avoid it?
With his vast experience in reading people, Joshua only needed one look to understand what the black-haired young man was thinking.
It wasn’t because he had mind-reading abilities, but because Zong Le’s micro-expressions were all written plainly on his stoic face, making him incredibly easy to read. With a little thought, Joshua could easily deduce the reason.
"I’m just slightly better at analyzing, that’s all," Joshua said with a smile, trying to convey his harmlessness. "If we really encounter a weird, I’ll have to rely on your combat skills."
"Oh."
Sensing Zong Le’s cold response, Joshua wasn’t discouraged.
The Eros Code, though unsolvable, required a tedious and complex process of building goodwill in the early stages. It wasn’t an ability that yielded immediate results; rather, its effects were slow to manifest. Over the years, Joshua had grown accustomed to this process and had mastered it.
Zong Le was the most coveted target Joshua had ever pursued. Before deciding to "conquer" him, Joshua had prepared himself for a long-term battle. After all, Zong Le’s value far outweighed the time investment required.
As long as he could raise Zong Le’s goodwill, even if it didn’t reach the demanded standard of a fanatic. As long as it surpasses 60, the threshold for issuing a single force command, would be equivalent to having a human weapon at his disposal at any time.
It was undoubtedly a profitable deal.
Most importantly, although Zong Le was strong and aware of his true nature, he still knows nothing about his Eros Code ability.
Those who stood at the pinnacle of strength often overlooked the subtle traps.
And turning small stakes into big wins was Joshua’s favorite game.
He understood the principle of overdoing things, so during the subsequent exploration, he didn’t force unnecessary conversations but instead focused wholeheartedly on the investigation.
Of course, this A-level mission was hardly a challenge for Joshua; the real "mission target" was still Zong Le.
Every movement and action of the black-haired young man was observed by another pair of blue eyes. His meticulous mind captured and compiled these trivial pieces of information, weaving them into a perfect hunting net.
Soon, the area around the apartment was thoroughly explored, and aside from the playroom earlier, no other abnormalities were found.
On their way back, they heard a short, sharp scream not far away.
"Fuck!"
Zong Le reacted swiftly. Upon hearing the scream, he darted out like an arrow and disappeared in an instant.
When Joshua arrived at a leisurely pace, he was greeted by this scene. Two survivors were red-faced as they hurled insults at each other, with overturned wine glasses scattered at their feet. Zong Le stood between them like a mediator, trying to calm one down, then the other.
"Please, stop arguing..."
The silver-haired man's lips curled into a faint smile.
In fact, this was precisely the situation he had meticulously designed. By deliberately pairing two incompatible individuals together, he had created conflict to test his reaction.
Zong Le was indeed kind-hearted as the rumors on the forum suggested.
He has a high sense of morals, kindness, and a strong sense of rules and boundaries.
In other words, he was a genuinely good person.
And he was exactly the type of person Joshua liked the most.
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