Chapter 81 Virus Town 3

Chapter 81: Virus Town 3

Zhong Rui gave a helpless smile. "Eliminating them all depends on luck. The more we eliminate, the less danger there is. It’s better to act with that mindset."

As the saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20. If they had known the game’s content in advance, the challenge’s difficulty could have been reduced by more than half! Unfortunately, by the time they realized it, it was already too late. *(Note: This idiom means realizing something only after it's too late.)*

At that moment, Su Han said calmly, "I was the first to arrive at the center of the square. Since no one else was there yet, and I happened to find a sachet of spice powder in a corner of my Portable Storage, I quietly sprinkled a little on the ground and chairs. The fragrance is very subtle, and the powder is white, making it hard to notice—though a careful sniff would reveal it. Also, stepping on the ground would leave traces on the soles of shoes."

Ye Qing and his two companions were once again speechless.

Zhong Rui was surprised. "Why did you think to sprinkle spice powder?"

"Because this is Virus Town!" Su Han said flatly. "The system clearly wants players to come into contact with the pathogen. After that, I’d need to know who’s suspicious and must be avoided, right? And since the opportunity was right there in front of me..." So she didn’t hold back.

After discussing for a while, Zhong Rui cleared his throat and announced, "In short, our odds of tracking down all the escapees are higher now."

Ye Qing was lost in thought. Originally, he thought these two were smart but still slightly inferior to him, so he deliberately guided them to speak first. Once they shared their ideas, he could casually present his own and outshine them with his intellect.

There’s a saying: "Cast a brick to attract jade." *(Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to use something ordinary to elicit something extraordinary.)* Except he intended for them to be the brick while he played the jade, gaining influence in the makeshift team.

But as the two talked, they nearly solved the problem themselves...

Ye Qing couldn’t help but reflect—why had he assumed he was superior? Was this what they called baseless arrogance?

"What about you? Any thoughts?" Though Su Han had low expectations, she still asked out of courtesy.

Ye Qing kept a straight face. "I sat in the last row. While Professor Chen was speaking, I secretly held fluorescent powder between my fingertips and let it drift with the wind. Since I was in the last row, my teammates covered for me, and the action was discreet, so no one noticed."

"Fluorescent powder?" Zhong Rui and Su Han were both stunned.

They examined each other and realized there were indeed odd flecks of powder on their backs and pant legs.

Ye Qing calmly explained, "I pinched the powder between my fingers and let it drift with the wind. Since I was in the last row, my teammates covered for me, and the action was discreet, so no one noticed."

Under normal circumstances, his meticulous thinking and skillful methods would have been impressive. But with Su Han’s brilliance preceding him, he only managed to keep pace.

Su Han had low expectations, but after hearing the unexpected answer, she was pleasantly surprised and then turned to the other two with hopeful eyes.

Cheng Qi, "..."

Ding Yaowei, "..."

In their trio, there was only one brain—Ye Qing. The other two were essentially limbs, responsible for executing plans.

Ding Yaowei thought blankly, *Stop looking. Even if you stare, I won’t come up with anything.*

Cheng Qi, however, struggled for a long time before blurting out some numbers: "There are 100 players in total—3 latecomers, 5 present here, 47 in isolation rooms. That means 45 are unaccounted for."

But apart from Ding Yaowei, the other three already knew this...

Zhong Rui scanned the group and said gravely, "We’re short on time. We need to act quickly. With no supplies available across multiple instances, players are likely short on food and daily necessities. They’ll probably head to the supermarket. Su Han and I will keep watch at the entrance. If we encounter any players, we’ll sound them out directly."

"Do what you think is best. Oh, and it’d be best to send someone to pay someone to make an announcement."

"Also, if you’re out of ideas, I suggest keeping an eye on the pharmacy. You might get a lucky break."

With that, he motioned for Su Han to follow, and the two hurried off.

Ye Qing and his two companions exchanged wry, knowing looks.

Cheng Qi was the first to ask, "What do you think of those two?"

"Independently capable as solo operatives, sharp-witted—in short, a serious handful and absolutely not suited to be enemies." Ye Qing's smile was bitter. "Against either one of them, I wouldn’t be confident of victory. And damn it, we had to run into both at the same time!"

"Isn’t it said that a team can’t have two voices?" Ding Yaowei was puzzled. "What if their opinions clash? Who do they listen to?"

"Go solo; duke it out and let the winner call the shots; play rock-paper-scissors... there are plenty of solutions." Ye Qing said flatly.

Cheng Qi couldn’t help but sigh, "No wonder they say two tigers can’t share one peak unless they’re a pair."

Ding Yaowei still found it hard to believe. He asked again, "A guy being capable solo is one thing, but a girl too? No way, seriously?"

"I don’t want to believe it either, but the facts are right in front of us." Ye Qing sighed lightly. "If Su Han were only smart but lacked combat ability, the easiest fetch-and-carry work should’ve fallen to her—that’s just making the best use of resources."

"Knowing your limits is the bare minimum for anyone calling themselves smart. Su Han dared to go to the supermarket, so she must have something to rely on. On the other hand, Zhong Rui wouldn’t deliberately drag along a liability that hinders his own actions."

"In other words, if Su Han’s combat ability were lacking, the task split would’ve been Su Han handling the legwork while Zhong Rui borrowed one of us, then acting separately. Since her combat ability is sufficient, the division ended up as it is now—them holding down the supermarket while we handle the legwork."

"Also, haven’t you noticed? Pharmacy stocks are limited and easily cleared out, so naturally, more players would go to the supermarket for supplies! They shouldered the toughest job themselves without even asking for our support."

In a temporary team lacking combat strength, all five should act together.

Ding Yaowei looked completely lost, completely unable to process the flood of information he’d just heard.

Cheng Qi fared slightly better, even managing to shift his perspective. "With our level, haven’t we beaten three dungeons? Those two joining forces must’ve beaten even more. Higher levels, better stats, more extra rewards—of course they’re oozing confidence."

Ye Qing couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart. He’d thought his team was undoubtedly the best and most elite in the competition, only to encounter two people who crushed them in every aspect, practically shattering his confidence...

**

Before the lecture, Zhong Rui had visited the supermarket, so he took the lead in guiding the way. Soon, the two arrived at their destination.

At first, Su Han worried she wouldn’t be able to distinguish players from NPCs, but one glance inside made it all too obvious! Several people were behaving conspicuously, grabbing supplies as if the apocalypse were coming tomorrow.

There was one young woman, however, who showed restraint, casually picking up just some food and daily necessities, playing it cool. If Su Han hadn’t vaguely recognized her face and noticed the powder on her clothes, she might’ve flown under the radar.

Zhong Rui suddenly asked, "Do you really believe the hospital can develop a targeted drug during the instance?"

"Even if they don’t, it’s fine." Su Han shrugged. "Professor Chen said the virus has an incubation period of 3 to 5 days, and I’ll level up on the fifth day. By then, my stats will reset to full, all debuffs will disappear, and the virus won’t be my problem."

"Even if leveling up isn’t possible, didn’t you stockpile Vitality Potions? Those can also remove all debuffs from players."

"So whether the hospital develops a cure or has to deal with patients, it’s none of our concern."

"I often feel grateful we’re not opponents." Zhong Rui murmured softly.

Su Han turned to him and said earnestly, "You’re such a pain—I wouldn’t want to be your enemy either!"

Both went quiet.

Suddenly, Su Han asked, "You really didn’t leave any backup plan?" She found it hard to believe!

"Nope." Zhong Rui answered firmly and without hesitation. "Other than memorizing all 97 players’ faces, I did absolutely nothing else!"

She’d also tried memorizing players’ faces on the sly, but trying hard didn’t mean she’d remember everything or instantly recognize someone upon meeting.

Just then, a person emerged from the supermarket, loaded down with bags.

Su Han stopped them, her expression cold. "No use hiding—you’re coming with me to quarantine."

"What's all this about?" The man spoke with a thick dialect accent, playing dumb.

So Su Han patiently repeated her reasoning, emphasizing that isolating everyone would prevent the virus from spreading widely.

The man continued his act, "What nonsense have you been spouting since earlier? I don’t understand! Are you out of your mind? Jesus, don’t drag me into your madness!"

He was determined to play dumb to the end.

Su Han remained expressionless, her fingers inexplicably itching (to do something).

Zhong Rui said coldly, "I’ve stockpiled enough high-yield explosives to blow you to smithereens. Does that make it clearer?"

The man immediately looked startled and fell silent.

Su Han nodded. "Seems like he understands now."

After a long pause, the man suddenly caught on. "You’re setting a trap for me, aren’t you? Like hell you'd use high-yield explosives while standing right here!"

"Stay put. I’m not lying," Zhong Rui said casually. "With over 600 HP, you’ll die before I do."

The man, "..."

"Either come with us to the hospital for quarantine, or get wiped out right here. Which will it be?" Su Han was unyielding.

Did he even have a choice? The man gave up pretending and angrily stuffed his supplies into his Portable Storage. Fortunately, the two only detained him and didn’t moonlight as robbers.

"Another one’s coming out," Su Han whispered.

While the two were focused on the supermarket, the first captive spotted his chance to bolt. Hell no he was going to the hospital! Who knew what would happen once locked in?

Who knew that the moment he took a step to the side, Zhong Rui's indifferent voice immediately sounded, "Don't make any moves that could cause misunderstandings. Trust me, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Su Han then said, "Sacrifice yourself to give others a chance to escape. Do you have that resolve?"

The man, "..."

He raised his hands high and swore in an unusually serious tone, "I don't plan on doing anything. I promise to stay right here."

Going into the hospital isolation room might lead to trouble, but disobeying now clearly meant being immediately kicked out...

Author's note: A player: They are actually good people. Look, they haven't even robbed anyone yet. Zhong Rui and Su Han: Our inventory is already full; we're exhausted.

I did some research, and it's very hard to detect the powder if there's only a small amount. You'd have to sniff very carefully to catch the scent.