Bustling World

Chapter 151: Beginning of the End

154 held up his hand and began to count, “I can list out some data for you. Excluding the invigilators, there are a total of 1721 people in the Invigilator’s District.”

He raised a finger, “Of course, it includes those such as the management and staff at shops, restaurants, bars and the like. Those people wouldn’t be able to access the system’s core that easily so excluding those 1144 people, there are 577 left.”

He raised a second finger, “Of these 577 people, there are those working in information management or monitoring centres and the like. In theory, there is a chance that they can reach the system’s core but there are both young and old, male and female. The original designer is not young, so the second step is to exclude those of the wrong age and gender. That leaves 187 people.

154 raised a third finger, “Amongst those, there is a small group with very specific abilities and skills so it would be almost impossible to hide their identities. Excluding them, we are left with 131.”

As he did this type of calculation, 154 seemed to show a trace of the system in him but that feeling would be interrupted because the next moment, he would reveal his human-like temperament.

“131 people. It doesn’t sound like a lot at first, but it is still very troublesome. In theory, no one can be excluded from suspicions and we can’t check on them individually now. Even if I have the time to analyse it now, it will take some time. Picking one out randomly from this group is practically going in blind.” 154 waved those three fingers as he complained.

Just as he finished saying those, someone was ‘blindly’ picked out.

“There is one who fits quite well.”

“I thought of someone.”

You Huo and Qin Jiu spoke almost at the same time.

154’s expression stiffened. He silently put his fingers away, “Who?”

“The old man guarding the punishment sector at the Twin Towers.” You Huo said.

Qin Jiu who heard this laughed, “I thought the same.”

“The old man?” 154 said, “He is indeed among the 131 people. The information for him is rather vague with only his name and age and those two things may also not necessarily be true.”

The old man would almost stay in that place all year round and almost never ventured outside. Whether it was an invigilator, an examinee or other people living in the Invigilator’s District, most weren’t familiar with him.

It is said that his memory was bad, and he could no longer remember when he entered the system or what he had done during those years. He only had a faint impression of certain special people.

And the punishment sector he stayed at was indeed not far from the system’s core.

154 thought about it, “He is indeed a very suitable candidate, but he is not the only one like this.”

He listed several others in similar situations.

Qin Jiu said, “Just basing off the conditions you mentioned, of course there is more than one who meets it. But if you add another condition to filter them out, the situation is different.”

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154 asked, “What condition?”

“He should be a person I come into contact with often.” Qin Jiu emphasised, “When I was an examinee, someone in the Invigilator’s District I often interact with.”

154 revealed a trace of doubt before suddenly understanding.

“That’s right!” He exclaimed, “I only paid attention to the last time it failed and almost forgot that you two were also interrupted the first time you joined forces.”

At that time, Qin Jiu was still an examinee and You Huo was Invigilator A. The reason for the interruption was because the system discovered their overly intimate relationship.

In fact, there was no problem with their interactions. To put it simply, one violated rules all day while one was responsible for the punishment. That was the only point of intersection.

What can a machine detect? Only humans.

Only humans can see the undercurrents; only humans can rely on their intuition to keenly detect the union between the two and realise that they may be planning something.

Once this condition is included, everyone else was crossed off the list. In the end, it really only left one —– The old man at the punishment sector.

Every punishment Qin Jiu underwent here had to go through him and every time Invigilator A came to pick him up, it also happened right before him.

He had seen the two men’s interactions and heard the dialogue between them, even more often than most other invigilators.

It was just that the old man appeared too harmless, so they had subconsciously overlooked this ‘roadblock’.

Recalling the old man’s appearance, You Huo fell silent again.

Why was it? He was very puzzled. That old had not only appeared harmless, he even seemed kind when he watched him interact with Qin Jiu.

If he really was that head designer, why would he wish for the system to continue even whilst knowing that it was going out of control? Just because it was his creation? Out of desire to save his ‘masterpiece’?

Only a madman would help out a gangster without logic or reason, but that old man didn’t look crazy.

He really couldn’t understand—–

With something wrong with his creation, he could clearly stop everything and destroy the out of control system. After leaving, he could always modify and adjust it to ensure that this ‘masterpiece’ is more in line with his original intention to train and select military talents within a controllable capacity.

But he didn’t choose to do this and had instead stayed in the system all this time. Under the influence of the system, he even gradually forgot about reality.

What were his intentions?

You Huo couldn’t understand. Just like how he couldn’t understand why that person who gave birth to him was so obsessed with the system.

“That’s right.” Qin Jiu suddenly asked 154, “Do you have a photo of that old man?”

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“Why would I be carrying around a picture of the old man?” 154 asked with a wooden face and added after a slight pause, “But…….if you really have to see, I can get it.”

Qin Jiu: “Then please.”

154: “……..”

He took out his phone and asked, “Haven’t you already seen him? Why do you want a photo?”

Qin Jiu watched him fiddle with the phone and explained, “We found a photo in the earlier exam and the leader of the research team was in it but unfortunately, the face was burnt off. On the more fortunate side, Doctor Wu said she has seen that leader before and will recognise him if she sees him. We’re going to check with her.”

154 nodded, “Oh, that’s true. Check first before you accuse the wrong person.”

Several minutes later, they knocked on the Wu Li and Yang Shu’s door to explain their intentions.

154 passed his phone to Wu Li. On the screen was a picture of the old man sitting on a chair in the punishment sector. His back was a little arched and his silver-grey hair was slightly messed up by the wind as he looked out at the sky in daze.

Perhaps it was because the photo was static and most of the gentleness and kindness You Huo felt from him couldn’t be felt through the photo, he did indeed appear to somewhat resemble a ‘researcher’.

154’s photos were very complete. Left side, right side, front on and back side, there was a photo of the old man from every angle.

Wu Li furrowed her brows as she swiped through those four photos.

Everyone watched her intently only to see her look back up after going through them several times, “It’s not this person.”

This answer was outside of their expectations. You Huo, Qin Jiu and 154 were all taken aback.

“Are you sure?” You Huo pointed at the screen, “Could it be that the photo is too distorted or because he is older now?”

They have already ruled out the others so what’s left should be the answer. They didn’t expect it to be denied by Wu Li.

Wu Li shook her head, “The degree a photograph can distort someone’s appearance is limited and whether a person is slightly younger or older, fatter or thinner, it doesn’t affect recognition or where their bones are positioned.”

Bones……..

They couldn’t understand a doctor’s way of identifying someone, but they knew with Wu Li’s character, she wouldn’t say something so conclusively without confirming multiple times.

She passed the phone back to 154, “He’s really not the one I saw.”

“Alright.”

The clues they thought they had pieced together were once again a mess.

154 glanced at the time, “The rest should arrive soon, about a thousand of them. I will continue to process the admission tickets so that it would at least say that you have completed your fourth subject. If not, the card wouldn’t work, and you won’t be able to buy any weapons or medicine.”

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He said this as he went to open the door but before his fingers could reach it, the door was slammed open.

154 almost jumped from the fright but he managed to forcibly maintain his cold, stern image.

Just as he wanted to ask what was going on, he saw a figure rush into the room sporting hair that resembled a bird nest.

“922?” He widened his eyes, “What are you doing giving me a fright?!”

The person who rushed in was 922 or more precicely……..One of the members of the death squad, Wen Yuan.

“I’m looking for boss.” 922 had probably just woken up and his footsteps were a little unsteady.

“I’m here.” Qin Jiu who was standing behind him patted his shoulder.

922 turned around.

It could be seen that he had a lot to say. He probably remembered something and was startled awake from his slumber.

But the moment he saw Qin Jiu, his lips just parted and closed several times. He suddenly forgot everything he had wanted to say.

Qin Jiu looked at him, “Awake?”

922 nodded: “Yeah, I’m awake.”

He had lived blindly in the system for so long and no longer remembered who he was or why he came. He just subconsciously felt that……..He should stay here a few more years and interact with a few more people. If possible, he should join the inner circle of invigilators so that he could get closer to the core.

And then?

And then he also didn’t know what he wanted to do.

He didn’t know where he came from and only after so many years, he finally woke up.

922 stretched out his fist and lightly bumped it with Qin Jiu’s.

This was what every member would do when they greeted him. He hadn’t done it for a long, long time. Only now, he finally remembered.

He finally remembered himself.

He was called Wen Yuan, from the death squad. He was responsible for gathering information and processing them as well has equipment design. His direct contact person was Qin Jiu.

Their mission was to destroy the system from the inside and their aim was to set everyone in here free.

They had once sworn that if the members of the death squad no longer hid and gathered up, it must be the day where everything was about to end; the beginning of the end.

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