Chapter 225

Qin Su glanced at the comments mentioning him, but since it wasn't necessary, he didn't pay any attention to them.

Based on Aldrich's report and what he had witnessed, He Muzhi was now hiding among the tens of thousands of cyborgs captured by the Ossotalia Empire's Cyborg Army who were busy arresting people everywhere, plotting how to destroy the entire Modification Base that only targeted the 'Deputy Commander' in one fell swoop.

At first, Felix thought he was just ordering the capture of batches of people to provide samples for modification, but he never expected to lead the protagonist of this Comic World into a den of thieves.

Felix's actions, which were tantamount to courting death and could bring annihilation to the entire base, were not only impossible for him to interrupt in advance, but he would also provide He Muzhi with as much convenience as possible.

Only...

"777, look at this photo, doesn't it look a little familiar?"

Qin Su stared at the photos and videos that had been playing on a loop for a while, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt.

He had only ever felt this way with He Wenyuan.

On the Optical Brain screen, there was a humanoid Hover, moving object whose body, except for its head, was encased in soft, white, fish-scale-like metal. The exposed head did not reveal any facial features; only the part of the mask that was not fully covered showed a pair of black eyes and a golden, obviously artificially implanted and modified metal skeleton on the right cheek.

777 had already watched it several times with Qin Su, and upon hearing this, seemed eager to share her thoughts, as if she had been holding back for a long time:

[His eyes! His eyes look exactly like yours, host; they're both black!]

Aside from this reason, the system couldn't think of any other place that could give Qin Su that familiar feeling.

[You're not so domineering as to want to monopolize the black pupils now, are you?]

Qin Su: "... In your eyes, am I really that unreasonable?"

[Is there even a question?] 777 was stunned.

Qin Su: "... Negative reviews, I won't listen."

(Class 6 his classmates, some had black eyes, but he never paid much attention to them...

'Wait a minute, how did he get led astray by the system?'

Qin Su was in a real bind.

'He and the system are both people who dare to ask questions and dare to speak out.'

One second after making a complaint, Qin Su voiced the strange thought that had been running through his mind ever since he saw the 'white strip-like object': "Are you sure He Wenyuan really dead?"

[Of course, I couldn't possibly be wrong; He Wenyuan was truly and utterly killed by the protagonist, and no trace of his life could be detected.]

Qin Su cautioned, "The Living Dead also show no signs of life."

[The Living Dead are incapable of maintaining their own consciousness. Judging from the video you watched, that white, strip-like creature, though it rarely speaks, has its eyes moving around. How could it possibly be a Deputy Commander, leading Cyborg Army to capture Test Subjects for its own drug trials and modification processes? It's terrifying; it clearly has a brain.]

"That's for ordinary people," Qin Su insisted. "He Wenyuan is different. He's a villain, and a villain whose luck is several times better than He Muzhi, the protagonist of the comic."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the buffs are fully stacked.

If the Apocalypse World my Parents lived in could evolve beings like the Zombie King —beings whose life signs have disappeared but whose minds can still think and who are terrifyingly powerful—why can't this world do the same?

[... I've wanted to say this for a long time, isn't your paranoia a little too severe, host?]

Others may not know, but the one bound to Qin Su knows Qin Su's every move in this world perfectly. On the surface, the host seems to have everything under control and is in complete control, but in fact, every second before the plan is implemented, he is still making every effort to make sure that his every move is correct.

Although he had confirmed this multiple times whenever he had time before.

"Let's just say that." Qin Su did not deny that he had severe paranoia. He turned on his Optical Brain and skillfully switched to the Electronic Eye of the prison where He Muzhi was being held, which Felix called 'H-Number Farm'.

"Better safe than sorry; it's always better to think more than less, or you'll die without even knowing how."

Seeing someone near He Muzhi through the Electronic Eye, Qin Su continued with the unfinished tasks on other Optical Brain screens while occasionally glancing at He Muzhi's condition.

Seeing Qin Su readily admit it, 777 felt a little uneasy, but since Qin Su no longer spoke to it, it didn't dare disturb Qin Su and could only remain silent. It skillfully opened the strategy notes it had prepared for its future host and added a new entry:

[Stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice; suspicious of everyone they dislike.]

Seeing the new page from the Optical Brain, Qin Su, forced to read the negative reviews, thought, "..."

'It's one thing to just use that nice notebook to take notes all day, but when you criticize him, can you at least do it behind his back a little?'

Unable to change the system, Qin Su could only change himself. He silently looked away from the page that seemed to have a lifespan longer than his own.

The abducted people were clearly treated as quick-to-exploit commodities. They were not held in solitary confinement, but were separated into huge prison cells, where they ate, drank, and relieved themselves all in the same area.

After waiting for a long time, Qin Su saw He Muzhi finally walk through the crowd of people who had been abducted from various planets, walk to a relatively deserted place, take out the nutrient solution bottle that was already badly worn on the outside, unlock it with his fingerprint, and tilt his head back to drink.

After He Muzhi finished drinking, Qin Su replaced the image in the Electronic Eye and sent a message to He Muzhi's Optical Brain.

[Qin Su: Image. jpg]

[Qin Su: stripped away.]

Knowing that the students in Class 6 thought that "since we can't figure it out, we should do everything we can guess", Qin Su deliberately kept it brief and did not specify where to peel off.

If it really was He Wenyuan, he couldn't possibly not lose control and become agitated upon seeing He Muzhi. Even though... He Muzhi's face was now covered in black grime and dirt, making it impossible to recognize his original features, he could still feel He Wenyuan's resistance through the screen. He Muzhi's feelings must have been even stronger than his.

Peeling off the mask and the outer soft metal layer, seeing He Wenyuan's face, He Muzhi would be shocked and have the thought that 'he knew all along that it was He Wenyuan who made him do that.'

If not... He Muzhi and tens of thousands of others were kidnapped to provide modification experience for the Deputy Commander's 'white strip'. Only when he died could all this end. When killing the other party, removing the mask and the soft metal covering the other party's body was just an extra step in the process. How could it not be that his purpose coincided with He Muzhi's, and made He Muzhi realize his own brutality again, so that he would keep his distance from him.

"!"

Before he could even swallow the nutrient solution, He Muzhi put down the bottle and saw a message from Qin Su on his Optical Brain terminal. His pupils dilated. In this place, without using special methods, they had no way to contact the outside world using the Optical Brain. He was very certain that he had not activated any private military special short-term communication equipment, so this was Qin Su contacting him proactively.

Realizing this fact, He Muzhi was instantly filled with joy and surprise. His eyes didn't falter, and he quickly controlled his excitement to see the contents of the picture.

' (Class 6, he never thought Qin Su would look at him, let alone give him an extra task.'

"...?"

The combination of images and text left He Muzhi momentarily speechless.

Qin Su carefully observed He Muzhi's expression, making sure he saw clearly, then cleared the message, shut down He Muzhi's Optical Brain, and restored the Electronic Eye image to normal.

777 saw the message Qin Su sent and added a parenthetical note to the latest note she had just written.

(Ps: and skinned him alive.)

Qin Su: "...?"

'Does this record confirm what he actually did?'

Before He Muzhi could figure it out, he saw the Optical Brain retract in front of him, swallowed hard, and quickly looked up at the Electronic Eyes patrolling the prison along a fixed trajectory. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest.

He had seen the man in the photo before; he was the Deputy Commander of the cyborg Cyborg Army of them. Through his inquiries over the years, he had learned that the purpose of everyone here was to gain cyborg experience for that Deputy Commander. Naturally, only his death could prevent any more innocent people from being abducted in the future.

His goal was not only to work with Aldrich to destroy this hellhole, but also to kill the 'Deputy Commander'.

Qin Su... but he made him detach?

Where? That layer of white, soft metal, or the skin underneath? According to those who had close contact with the 'Deputy Commander,' a liquid with a mixture of various odors seeped from his body. Is there really skin underneath?

Or are you referring to that mask?

The mask was alright, but the skin... The thought of that bloody scene sent a chill down He Muzhi's spine.

It's not that I sympathize with the 'Deputy Commander'; the other side used so many of their lives to exchange for some kind of modification experience. Even the most saintly person wouldn't sympathize with them.

He just felt...

'Is Qin Su dissatisfied with his handling of such matters? Does he think he's too soft-hearted? Is that why he specifically gave the order?'

After much thought, with the video time fast approaching, He Muzhi decided to ask his classmates for advice during the next video.

Is this correct?

A normal person seeing such a horrifying command would think, "Help! Family! It's so terrifying, so bloody, so brutal!"

(Class 6: Oh? Is it because we didn't do well enough that the Class Monitor reminded us?

--

"What are you looking at?" Raymond's smile vanished, and he began to skillfully mimic Qin Su's demeanor again when Qin Su wasn't around. He stared sternly at the guy named Hobert who had moved the Warship a short distance away from him. "Want to be like them?"

"No, no, no, we didn't! Don't talk nonsense!" Having finally managed to persuade the remaining people to follow him closer to Raymond using the excuse, "You all saw what happened to those who abandoned Raymond. If you dare to abandon him now, be careful, you'll be the next ones treated like this by Raymond," Hobert denied it three times in a row, upon hearing Raymond's cold words, "I just wanted to ask when you're coming back?"

Given the Federation's status, a new office location in Zevisto could be 'refreshed' very quickly if the Federation wanted to.

He was certain that the reason it was so late this time was deliberately done by the group of people who had been captured by the Rebels, in an attempt to delay the inevitable and ensure that the 'missing' Raymond would die more thoroughly.

It was only by sheer force that the Herberst Family refrained from interfering with Raymond's movements, thanks to Qin Su's insistence. In other words, with Qin Su as the scapegoat, not taking the opportunity to kill Raymond would be disrespectful to this chance.

Who would have thought that, judging from the Warships Raymond controlled, not only was Raymond not dead, but he had also changed his identity and was thriving in the Rebels?

It's impossible that Zevisto's Rebels didn't know who Raymond was. Providing Raymond with conveniences was clearly a way of currying favor with Qin Su. Raymond was probably aware of this as well, and naturally used Zevisto's Rebels to get rid of the group that tried to kill him.

"Why go back?" Raymond was speechless. Go back to be tortured again? Only a fool would go back. While thinking this, Raymond, facing someone who hadn't actually tried to kill him, still offered a perfunctory reply, "Can't you see? I'm communicating well with Zevisto Tohka. What? You want to steal my credit?"

Hobert: "?"

'Is it considered "exchange" when a good family uses the other family's influence to attack their own?'

"... No, no." Hobert, his mind racing, forced a smile. "Then please continue your conversation, and... we won't disturb you any longer?"

Raymond waved his hand dismissively, "Go away, get away from me!"

In the empty room filled with countless Optical Brain screens, Qin Su heard Raymond's voice coming from one of them. "..."

' Raymond's pace seems a bit too aggressive. I wonder if Hobert likes this type of junior player like Raymond?'

Unable to find a replacement, Qin Su chose to calm himself down while resigning himself to the situation and doing nothing.

"Okay." Having stated his position and made it clear that he wouldn't offend Raymond like the previous group and be used by him to kill someone, Hobert turned and led the other silent people on the Warship away, without mentioning Qin Su.

Someone had cheated him one minute, and the next minute he claimed to be one of Qin Su's men. How could Raymond possibly believe that?

--

A new week of videos begins.

He Muzhi finally found a place to enter the video and heard the voices of his classmates, which didn't seem to have much difference in meaning.

"Dear classmates, I confess, I've gone astray. I've handed several Federation members over to the Rebels, and now I'm rising through the ranks within their Rebels."

"I'm tainted. I confessed my love to that Alpha in front of everyone, and now he doesn't even treat me like a son of a bitch. He turns around and avoids me from a hundred meters away."

"Wait a minute, Anthony, that's disgusting."

"You think I wanted this? But I can't out-argue him, I can't out-fight him, and I'm not as high-ranking as him. He can't get rid of this freeloader, so he had to resort to this tactic. Tell me, is it even effective?"

"Through my relentless efforts, they've now been knocked out by drugs planted by their own people. The Military District hospital is overflowing, and I'm laughing so hard I'm the only survivor left in the entire area. It's bad, but I'm ecstatic."

"Me? I've been gradually revealing all their secrets that they can't show to others. I'm releasing new information in their office every day. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be very busy for the foreseeable future and won't have time to care what I'm doing."

"I now think that besides the reasons we had guessed before, the Class Monitor put us in the enemy camp because he wanted to create an opportunity for us to avenge ourselves and our families."

"This is so enlightening! Class Monitor, I'm so upset! I'm crying my eyes out. Thinking back to how I was so afraid of Class Monitor for such trivial reasons, I feel so ashamed!"

"So we've all gone astray together? Whew... that scared me to death. I thought I was the only one. Well, it's alright now."

At first, the Class 6 were all secretly terrified of each other. But when they checked the accounts, they found that everyone was like that, and they immediately felt relieved.

After listening for a while, He Muzhi finished recounting how Qin Su had contacted him and given him instructions, and then asked, "Did the Class Monitor contact you too?"

"What? The Class Monitor contacted you?"

"Suddenly turned into a lemon-lover, I'll be sour first, you guys can do whatever you want."

"Count me in."

"I get it now, it must be that I didn't do enough to satisfy the Class Monitor."

+.

"Then what are we waiting for? Why waste time here? Let's immediately seize the opportunity before the holiday internship ends and continue working on something big. Let's strive to make the Class Monitor so satisfied before the holiday ends that he contacts us privately, just like he does with He Muzhi!"

"Hey, have you guys forgotten how we were a little afraid of our Class Monitor before?" Seeing everyone's unwavering enthusiasm for Qin Su, Blumer wondered if he had another memory.

"Blumer, what nonsense are you talking about? There has never been any doubt between us and the Class Monitor!"

"Exactly, don't try to sow discord between us and our Class Monitor!"

In a few words, He Muzhi realized that he was the only one in Class 6 who had received Qin Su's private order. A secret joy rose in his heart, and he secretly resolved to make Qin Su satisfied with this operation.

After the video ended, because Qin Su only contacted He Muzhi and the other students in Class 6 did not receive any private contact from Qin Su, countless students in Class 6 decided to make persistent efforts and use all means and strength to create a commotion that would make Qin Su treat them differently.

After six days of covert surveillance, everything was ready. He Muzhi pretended to be forced into a new batch of "tools" to provide "reform experience" for the "Deputy Commander," and was escorted away from the prison where he had lived for many days.