Chapter 123

Chapter 123

At this point, what could possibly elude Bu Jiu Zhao's understanding?

Xie Yin Xue's reasons for leaving the battleship were clearly explained to Liu Bu Hua earlier, but that wasn't the whole story. Apart from the reasons he openly stated, there was one he didn't mention explicitly: He didn't want to remain on the battleship and partake in the infighting among participants.

While only Zheng Shu openly admits to seeking immortality, among this group, I suspect only Liu Buhua genuinely intends to abandon the pursuit of "Shuo Changsheng" and return to real life.

Thus, deep down, they might all harbor thoughts like Zheng Shu, wanting to eliminate a few competitors while surviving.

Xie Yin Xue is no exception.

However, more than ousting potential competitors, he desires the answer to a particular question.

The "Ying Luo Jing: Existence and Nonexistence Chapter" states: good deeds receive good rewards, and evil deeds, evil repercussions.

So, in this "Shuo Changsheng" game, what rewards await those who act righteously?

Driven by this question, Xie Yin Xue left.

To outsiders, his departure seemed more like fleeing out of guilt.

"If, in this 'Shuo Changsheng,' the righteous live longer, then having selflessly provided them with a vaccine and revealing all the shortcuts, I've done my utmost. I should be the last one standing."

"How they fight amongst themselves, how they turn on each other—it's not my concern. I'm merely a 'good Samaritan' who has done a kind deed."

As the young man uttered the last sentence, there was a hint of self-mockery in his voice.

Hearing this, Bu Jiu Zhao suddenly asked, "Do you want to remain detached, or are you reluctant to be a mere bystander?"

With internal strife, casualties are inevitable.

He keeps claiming he left to stay out of it, but who knows if he's being sincere? Who can tell if he left because he couldn't bear to watch someone dying, unable to remain indifferent?

"Bu Jiu Zhao, you think too highly of me. Does the distinction matter? The outcome is the same, anyway."

Xie Yin Xue, who had stopped smiling, smirked again after hearing Bu Jiu Zhao's words, then looked out at the desolate city, his voice neutral: "Immortality can be achieved by only one. Even if I emulate Chen Yun's good deeds, I am not her."

If he's not a genuinely good person like Chen Yun, how could he do good deeds without expecting anything in return?

As the saying goes: it's not about having too little, but rather about uneven distribution.

If he truly were a good man, he wouldn't provide vaccines only to female participants and exclude the men. If he truly were magnanimous, unfazed by Yuan Si Ning taking both his arms, he wouldn't have let Liu Buhua make that comment to Yuan Si Ning and Pan Ruo Xi publicly during the milk tea incident.

His departure, alongside Liu Buhua and Bu Jiu Zhao, combined with that remark and the "shortcut" he left on the wall — these three elements provide both a lifeline and a spark for the impending internal conflict.

The male participants might be envious that the female participants received extra vaccines, and the women might wonder why, despite promises of one free vaccine per person, Yuan Sinning got an extra one.

They all would deem it unfair.

The fact that nobody aboard the warship is willing to hunt the Kusoppacha monster is the best evidence that internal strife has already begun among the participants.

People like Zhuo Changdong, Xie Aqi, and Mu Yujie are avoiding the hunt to evade risk; Chen Ningmo might not be hunting because he doesn't want others to clear the challenge with just a bit of money. Or perhaps he's trying to inflate the price of the vaccine, and in a more sinister theory, he might not care about the money at all, hoping only to reduce the competition. After all, the allure of "immortality" might be greater than wealth.

If it's the latter reason, then Chen Ningmo might not hunt today or even tomorrow. Even if he does, he might bring back just one limb to make enough vaccine for him and Zheng Shu.

For the others to survive, they either hunt and bring back another limb themselves or trust Xie Yinxue's words on the wall and rely on their flesh until the last day.

But they are reluctant to choose either option.

So, everyone remains in a stalemate in the meditation room until dusk approaches, and as nightfall nears, someone finally speaks.

That person is Mengni.

"Mr. Chen, if you're resting today, will you hunt tomorrow? I'm willing to pay more for the vaccine."

Mengni is undoubtedly a captivating woman. Perhaps not the prettiest, but her figure is top-notch, and her voice has a seductive allure. When she speaks with that sugary tone, it's hard to discern whether the "money" she's offering is literal wealth or a more metaphorical treasure.

Unfortunately, Chen Ningmo isn't swayed by her charm, or perhaps he simply isn't interested in Mengni. He gets straight to the point: "How much more?"

Seeing Chen Ningmo's indifference and Zheng Shu's lack of reaction, Mengni realizes her charms won't work here. She promptly offers, "Triple. Any more and I genuinely can't afford it."

Tripling six million would mean eighteen million for one vaccine.

Chen Ningmo doesn't immediately agree but studies Mengni's eyes intently. After half a minute, convinced she's sincere, he says, "Deal."

"We'll make the vaccine from our group's bait the day after tomorrow," Mengni sighed with relief, then turned to Mu Yujie, who was holding the long bait bottle, adding, "It's the least I can do for a teammate."

Mu Yujie looked surprised but quickly thanked her, "Thank you."

While Mengni added the condition of "the day after tomorrow", ensuring she gets the vaccine from Chen Ningmo and Zheng Shu first, her gesture was still heartwarming.

But upon hearing this, Xiao Xingxi became restless.

First, she looked at Mu Yujie with envy, then turned her longing gaze to the bait held by Xie Aqi.

Xie Ah-Qi noticed her gaze, but instead of tightening his grip on the glass bottle, he relaxed, allowing Xiao Xingxi to look freely. This item was a shared property of their team, not the finished antibody vaccine. Its use had to be decided jointly by the team.

If Xiao Xingxi tried to claim the human-arm bait for herself, without considering her thoughts, to make a vaccine, she'd violate the game's rules—a trade-off not worth the risk. She wasn't as generous as Meng Ni, primarily because she couldn't afford the 18 million to buy the antibody vaccine from Zheng Shu and his team.

So, Xie Ah-Qi said to Xiao Xingxi, "Let's go out tomorrow and try to hunt down a Kusoppacha."

Xiao Xingxi despaired, "We won't be able to. I'm a terrible shot."

Xie Ah-Qi asked her, "Then, do you want to buy from Chen Ningmo's team?"

"I don't have that kind of money..." Xiao Xingxi hesitated, "Ah-Qi...do you?"

Was she asking him to buy it?

Xie Ah-Qi wouldn't. Instead, he proposed, "Let's go halves on one. Each of us pays nine million. We'll then turn the bait into a vaccine, enough for both of us."

It would be fairer if both chipped in.

Nine million was a sum she could manage, maybe by borrowing a bit more.

However, Xiao Xingxi didn't have that money.

Eighteen million was astronomical to her, and even halved to nine million, it was a lot.

But she knew if she admitted her lack of funds, they would have to hunt the Kusoppacha. So she fibbed, whispering, "Okay, let's buy together."

Xie Ah-Qi turned to Chen Ningmo, "We'll buy one too."

However, Chen Ningmo fixed his gaze on Xiao Xingxi, just as he had on Meng Ni. After a few seconds, he smirked, "Miss Xiao, don't try to deceive me. You can't afford that amount."

Xiao Xingxi was already feeling guilty. When her lie was exposed, the panic in her eyes was unmistakable.

Xie Ah-Qi immediately understood, reprimanding, "Trying to get something for nothing?"

Xiao Xingxi mumbled, "Can't we get a discount?"

If it were the previous price of six million, she might be able to manage splitting it to three million. But she genuinely couldn't gather nine million.

"Do you think this is a market bargain? That I'll haggle with you?" Chen Ningmo cut her off. Since Xiao Xingxi had never bought their vaccine before, even if she died in the game, he wouldn't worry about not getting paid. "Life is priceless. Eighteen million for a life seems worth it to me."

In some sense, it was worth it. At least Chen Ningmo valued money and wasn't ruthlessly intent on eliminating all competitors.

Zhuo Changdong and Feng Jinshan had sufficient funds. They adopted Xie Ah-Qi's suggestion, each contributing nine million to jointly purchase a vaccine. This way, they could clear the level without risking a hunt for the Kusoppacha.

Xiao Xingxi's eyes reddened with distress, and she implored, "Ah-Qi, what do we do?"

Softened by her pitiful tone, Xie Ah-Qi responded with more gentleness, "What can we do? If we're broke, we can try hunting tomorrow. Alternatively, we could consider the method Xie Yinxue suggested. Do you have any other alternatives?"

Xiao Xingxi sniffled, not replying.

Xie Ah-Qi took her silence as acquiescence and encouraged her, "Study that gun more closely. If we manage like before and secure just one piece of flesh, that'll suffice. Keep your spirits up."

Xiao Xingxi murmured, "Okay."

At this point, among the remaining participants on the battleship, only Pan Ruoxi and Yuan Sining hadn't addressed the issue of acquiring the final clearance vaccine.

If Zheng Shu and Chen Ningmo's hunt went smoothly tomorrow, they might have surplus vaccines for sale. Unfortunately, Pan Ruoxi faced the same dilemma as Xiao Xingxi and Xie Ah-Qi—she lacked the necessary 18 million.

Deceiving Chen Ningmo for a vaccine seemed implausible.

To make matters worse, her and Yuan Sining's arm bait had been expended on the first day, leaving them no chance to try their luck hunting a Kusoppacha.

With stress causing the corners of Pan Ruoxi's mouth to blister, she was at a loss. Was her only option the method Xie Yinxue suggested on the wall?

If that method worked, perhaps she could swallow her pride and comply with Yuan Sining's earlier request to use her own leg as bait for hunting.

If they successfully hunted the Kusoppacha and acquired new flesh, the problem would be resolved. If not, she could still resort to Xie Yinxue's method later.

With this in mind, Pan Ruoxi turned to Yuan Sining, intending to discuss her plan.

She'd already decided to make a concession. Yuan Sining needed two vaccines to clear, one more than her. There was no reason for Yuan to disagree—especially since both were left out when Liu Buhua distributed the vaccine-infused milk tea in the morning.

Wait a moment...

They were both left out?