The Plan

On the first floor of the Silver Tower, in the main hall, Sasaki was talking with another Wa person.

Behind them, over a dozen newcomers had already gathered.

Sasaki's face darkened as he berated them, "A bunch of trash, surviving this is just eating up resources."

The other Wa person also said, "The quality of newcomers in recent months has been really poor."

"It's all Adams' fault. Ever since he took office, we haven't had any good luck."

Sasaki nodded and continued to check the status of other newcomers according to the list.

To know who else hadn't come down, one just needed to see if they were in a "deleted account" status due to death. Those who died obviously didn't need to be waited for.

"Another batch died. Will there only be these thirteen people left in the end?" Sasaki frowned.

Just then, Luo Yan, along with four others, emerged from the elevator.

Sasaki glanced at him and waved him over, "You survived? With your courtesan's beauty, it would be a shame if you died."

Luo Yan had lost an arm, yet he still managed to survive, which made Sasaki quite pleased.

But Luo Yan's expression turned grim upon hearing this, and he immediately said, "Not only did I survive, but I also received a reward."

"Oh?" Sasaki immediately had him announce his balance. Indeed, he had 100 points.

"Yosh, 100 points on the first try."

He was very satisfied. He had one of his subordinates casually search Luo Yan, and then let him rejoin the group.

The others followed suit. It turned out that this entire batch had received rewards, having genuinely survived through their own abilities.

"You were all in the same game?" Sasaki collected 500 points.

Luo Yan nodded dejectedly, "Yes, we cooperated and trapped the Radiator in a secret room at the last moment, then seized the opportunity to escape..."

Sasaki, having obtained the redemption voucher, didn't care about the details. Instead, he praised, "Finally, someone managed to bring back a redemption voucher. Good job, you're worthy of being a Vocational School graduate."

Luo Yan rejoined the group and scanned the crowd, not seeing Gaoxin, which made him a little worried.

After waiting for about ten minutes, with a whoosh, an elevator door opened.

Gaoxin, Sule, Liu Xu, and six others, a total of eight people, emerged from the elevator.

Sasaki glanced over and then looked stunned.

Gaoxin was leading the way, wielding a giant axe, striding forward with large steps. He was dressed casually, looking like a free-roaming player.

Behind him, seven players followed closely, their clothes tattered. Sule, in particular, was carrying a large bag in each hand, filled with packed food and drinks.

"Hmm?" Sasaki was surprised. He hadn't held out much hope for this batch of newcomers, but he hadn't expected Gaoxin to come out directly carrying a Mechanical Battle Axe.

Judging by his appearance, his gains were substantial?

He stepped forward directly and grabbed the axe, tapping it a few times and then feeling the edge of the blade.

The Wa person beside him said, "I've seen this kind of battle axe before. It's worth 1000 points."

"How many redemption vouchers do you have? Announce it." Sasaki said, tilting his chin.

Gaoxin consciously went forward to announce his balance, while also opening his arms for a body search.

Sule, Meimei, and the others did the same. However, Liu Xu and the others did not; she was not a newcomer.

"Lord Beast Fang, these few are from our team," a muscular man said, bowing as he approached.

"Scram," Sasaki waved his hand.

The muscular man acknowledged him and then led Liu Xu and four other members of the Redemption Squad away. Gaoxin secretly thought that the muscular man was the "Brother Qiao" they had mentioned.

As they walked away, Liu Xu leaned closer to Brother Qiao and whispered something.

Brother Qiao turned his head and their eyes met.

Gaoxin showed no reaction, merely watching them leave.

Before coming down, there had been a rare period of free time. He had asked all the questions he needed to and made all the arrangements.

Next, he would strive to become a member of the Redemption Squad. He figured with his current talent, it would be effortless.

"Not a single redemption voucher?" Sasaki asked, dissatisfied after the body search.

Gaoxin showed a helpless expression, "We survived entirely by begging the Radiator. After he came out, he took all the survival rewards."

"This axe, we picked it up from a Big Beard who died in a hidden area after old cat left."

Sasaki frowned, "What old cat?"

The few of them stammered out the story of the game, their alibis already coordinated.

Gaoxin easily fabricated a tale of dealing with the Radiator in an underground hidden area, where Big Beard eventually died in a trap. Old cat was unaware of this, allowing them to snatch the axe.

"Not bad. You actually managed to use a trap to kill a Radiator."

"Good. Although there are no redemption vouchers, obtaining spoils of war is still somewhat useful."

Sasaki weighed the battle axe.

This thing was worth a thousand points, wasn't that more valuable than the meager offerings from the newcomers?

Among those who survived this time, Gaoxin was the only one who hadn't repaired himself. He was still covered in injuries, with various scratches, bruises from falls, and even clear bruising on his ankle, clearly having gone through a lot of struggle.

Sasaki didn't think too much about it. Repairing such injuries only cost 1 redemption voucher for a Glass Person. Since Gaoxin hadn't repaired himself, it meant he didn't even have 1 voucher. He must have used all his rewards just to survive... what else could he have done?

"Return to the group."

Gaoxin and a few others stood next to Luo Yan. Luo Yan said in a low voice, "Lucky you, you're alive."

"How much did you pay?" Gaoxin asked him.

Luo Yan said bitterly, "One hundred."

Gaoxin looked at Luo Yan in surprise, his eyes seeming to say: Are you really that honest?

Luo Yan looked at Gaoxin resentfully, his eyes seeming to say: I couldn't help it...

Gaoxin understood. Luo Yan was a courtesan's beauty. Even if he wanted to keep the rewards, he had to consider whether he himself would be sent to be a courtesan...

He came to participate in this game, but it was Fúshé who had strongly advocated for him. If he didn't show his value, perhaps Fúshé would send him to be a courtesan again with just a word.

The group waited for a long time, until it was dark.

In the end, a total of 28 people returned to the group; all the others had died.

"Follow me!" Sasaki's expression was grim as he led the group away, clearly displeased with the performance of this batch of newcomers.

Soon, they were brought back to the original training ground.

Here, Fúshé and Rou Si were hosting a banquet.

Rou Si ate and drank heartily, with a large piece of whale meat on the table in front of her, eating with her mouth full of oil.

"Is this all that's left?" Fúshé frowned slightly upon seeing only 28 people return.

Sasaki lowered his head and said, "The newcomers' quality is very poor. The best performer this time was that courtesan's beauty, who, along with four others, earned five hundred points."

"Next was a murderer, skilled in firearms and hand-to-hand combat, who also earned one hundred points in the game."

"Oh, and there was a kid who got lucky and picked up a C-Class Nano Weapon."

Clearly, he didn't think much of Gaoxin, believing it was purely luck and only mentioning it briefly.

Seeing this, Gaoxin could only offer a wry smile, but there was nothing he could do. He had to prioritize protecting the fact that he had obtained over three thousand redemption vouchers.

"Alright, let the newcomers go rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll start forming teams," Fúshé said.

Immediately, someone led them to eat.

They were treated like beggars, herded into a fenced-off area at the corner of the training ground, with tall walls behind them.

The newcomers were confined inside, like sheep, sitting on the loess, and were fed dry, unappetizing food.

However, Sule had brought a large bag of food from the mansion. Sasaki only glanced at it and didn't pay it any mind; he wasn't about to "fight for scraps" with slaves.

At this moment, Sule was distributing the food to everyone.

The newcomers rejoiced and ate heartily, unsure if they would ever be able to eat such good food again.

"Your game venue is quite nice, you can even bring out so much good food?" Luo Yan said, pulling Gaoxin to a corner after he had eaten his fill.

Everyone had finished eating by now, and they dispersed in twos and threes, lying down to find places to rest.

They had experienced too much on the first day, and many were exhausted. Some lay awake, emitting faint cries, while others, without caring about anything else, were fast asleep.

In the dead of night, Gaoxin sat next to Luo Yan, looking at the stars and moon in the sky, and sighed, "We were lucky to survive; we almost all would have died."

Luo Yan smiled, "It was alright. The low-level game felt quite simple."

Sule came over, his face looking strange, "Simple?"

Meimei also looked at Luo Yan in disbelief. Although everyone had survived this time, they had experienced the difficulty of the Redemption Game... especially for Glass People, who were practically treated as 'game props'.

Luo Yan said, "It was quite simple. There were many ways to survive in the game, and even if that failed, you could negotiate."

"The Radiators participating in the game are all after redemption vouchers. As long as you grasp their psychology, weaker individuals still have room to maneuver."

For a moment, Sule and Meimei both wore resentful expressions.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luo Yan asked curiously.

Sule couldn't help but say, "It was much harder for us than for you."

Luo Yan was confused, "Didn't more of you survive? How could it be that much harder? Did you encounter a boss in your first game?"

Sule and Meimei still had lingering fear of Silver Hand. Wasn't that exactly encountering a boss?

They looked at Gaoxin, their expressions asking if he would tell him.

Gaoxin directly pulled Luo Yan aside and quietly told him the true experience of the game.

After listening, Luo Yan was stunned, "What? You actually fought a boss?"

Seeing their lingering fear, Luo Yan wiped the sweat from his brow, "SR, huh? Just hearing your description makes it sound incredibly difficult..."

Then he realized something and looked at Gaoxin, "You've been enhanced too?"

Gaoxin shot him a sideways glance. The "too" was very telling.

"Grew a brain, you?"

Luo Yan grinned, "Toned some muscles."

As he spoke, he unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and tensed his body. Instantly, his muscles bulged, appearing even more explosive than when they first met him.

"Are these muscles even useful?" Gaoxin sighed.

Luo Yan buttoned his shirt back up and said, "What else? I only have a few hundred points in total, and adding them to strength gives the most direct enhancement."

Gaoxin nodded. Luo Yan's choice made sense, as he had few redemption vouchers.

Adding points anywhere else wouldn't make a significant difference, but strength alone would bring the greatest change in power.

While he might not be able to deal with Radiators, he should be quite strong against other Glass People.

"Sigh, I don't even know how they'll arrange us tomorrow. Let's get some rest," Luo Yan said.

Gaoxin asked him, "Are there no members of the Redemption Squad in your game?"

Luo Yan blinked, "Yes, but they're all ordinary people, and they all died."

Gaoxin immediately shared the information he had obtained from Liu Xu.

After listening, Luo Yan fell into deep thought.

Sule couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why did you insist on bringing the axe out? We just gave it to the Wa people for free."

Gaoxin said, "That axe is worth a thousand. Handing it in is equivalent to a thousand in performance points. Maybe I can get a chance to gamble with Black Medicine, let's give it a try."

Everyone was shocked. Meimei asked, "You want to gamble with your life? That's only a one-in-ten chance."

Gaoxin shrugged, "It's not like we're gambling with our lives immediately, and it wasn't stated that we have to use their Black Medicine."

"I just need to earn ten thousand points in the game before the deadline for the life gamble and exchange it for a gene protector."

"Then I can have a hundred percent success rate when participating in the Radiation gamble."

Everyone pondered. So that's what it was, they were aiming for the Radiation Chamber.

Becoming a Radiator wasn't just about having a gene protector. While it was the most crucial element, the prerequisite was to first receive a massive amount of radiation, causing gene collapse.

For a normal person, it was useless.

Sule asked, "Can this kind of medicine be brought out? Won't it be confiscated?"

Gaoxin smiled faintly, "Didn't you see Liu Xu being directly taken away by her captain?"

"The Redemption Squad settles accounts once a month and operates under a collective responsibility system. Ultimately, the entire squad has to turn in ten thousand points."

"Meaning, before the settlement, the redemption vouchers are theoretically on our accounts."

Meimei said, "Liu Xu said it was on the captain's account, right? After everyone participates in the game, the captain collects the redemption vouchers and keeps records."

"When the collection day arrives, if they can't submit ten thousand, the captain is definitely dead! For every hundred points short, they have to pay with a life!"

Gaoxin nodded, "But if the entire squad can earn more than ten thousand redemption vouchers, the remainder can be kept."

Meimei asked, "Really? What else did you talk about with Liu Xu later?"

She remembered that while everyone was coordinating their stories, Gaoxin had pulled Liu Xu aside to discuss something privately.

Gaoxin said in a low voice, "Just letting her scout ahead. According to Liu Xu, Brother Qiao's team had several hundred redemption vouchers left over last month."

"But he didn't keep it for himself; it was treated as team funds for everyone's survival."

"After all, luck isn't always on your side every month. If a team's performance falls short in any given month, they can use the leftover points to cover the deficit."

"That Brother Qiao often ventures into the game himself to cover the team's shortfalls, saving many lives. That's why everyone in the team respects him."

Sule and the others nodded. It seemed that Brother Qiao was indeed a good person. Recalling that people like the bald man back then hadn't spoken ill of Brother Qiao, but rather mentioned him with admiration, was telling.

"So, the Redemption Squad can also keep leftovers, but because the amount to be submitted is too high, and it's collective responsibility, those who earn more have to subsidize those who earn less, making it impossible to keep anything," Sule said.

"Perhaps it's tacitly allowed. After all, a horse can't get fat without night fodder..." Meimei stared at Gaoxin, "In that case, we have a lot more room to maneuver."

Gaoxin pursed his lips, "But we might not join that team. Not all captains are as good as Brother Qiao."

"I've heard some teams are miserable. The captains, relying on their little power, act like tyrants, completely forgetting that everyone is a slave."

Everyone gave a wry smile. It was normal; there were too many people like that.

Luo Yan, having understood everything, said calmly, "If we can't choose our teams, it's all for nothing."

"So... do you know of a way for us to choose our teams?"

Gaoxin nodded at him, "That is to become one of the most outstanding new recruits."

"That Brother Qiao back then was one of the most outstanding among the new recruits of the same batch."

"After the Wa people sent him to the Redemption Squad, he was handed over to the captains to compete for. They all scrambled to get him, and whoever he promised to join, he would join that team."

"Other new recruits weren't so lucky. The Wa people would throw them wherever they pleased, usually into the teams with the fewest members."

Luo Yan asked, "Then how do you qualify as an outstanding new recruit?"

Gaoxin's gaze was sharp and bright, "The most suitable for the Redemption Game is the most outstanding new recruit."

"It's a comprehensive consideration of cultural education, skill specialties, and physical fitness."

"Of course, and also for my contributions in the first Redemption Game, which is why I chose to bring out the Giant Axe."

Luo Yan scratched his head. By that logic, he was a shoo-in, right?

After all, Fúshé had heard he graduated from Vocational School and didn't let him become a Courtesan, instead sending him into the Redemption Game.

Whether he was the best was debatable, but he was definitely getting into the Redemption Squad.

Luo Yan asked, "Hmm, do you have confidence? What's your educational background?"

Gaoxin smiled slightly, "No formal education, but my special skills..."

He directly took out three unopened bottles of purified water from the drinks Sule had brought and lined them up.

"You pick one, then mix them up however you like, and I'll still be able to find it."

Luo Yan pointed to a bottle. Gaoxin stared at it for a moment, then turned around.

A commotion came from behind, quickly making Gaoxin turn back.

Gaoxin glanced over and pointed to one of them, saying, "This one."

Luo Yan, Sule, and the others were stunned. They had even deliberately wiped the bottles clean, wondering how Gaoxin guessed correctly.

"One more time," Luo Yan said.

Gaoxin turned away again. After a short while, he turned back and quickly pointed out the correct one again.

This was repeated several times, and everyone was convinced.

"No, how did you know? Is there a difference between these three bottles?" Luo Yan was shocked.

Gaoxin smiled, "It's useless even if you wipe the bottles clean, because the water is different."

"Huh?" They examined them closely but couldn't see any difference in the water; it was just clear water.

"Even though it's purified water, it still contains extremely tiny impurities. That's like the mark of this bottle of water, unique. You wouldn't notice these details, but I can discern them," Gaoxin said seriously.

Luo Yan stroked his chin, "Enhanced visual recognition ability, huh... Anything else?"

Gaoxin smiled, "Auditory recognition works too. In fact, I didn't even need to turn around just now to know where you put this bottle."

"Also, my memory is quite good. If there's a chance in the future, I hope to learn from you properly."

Luo Yan grinned, "No problem, no problem. I'll teach you everything I know."

p.s: Sorry.