You Lied to Me

Sule quickly recounted everything that had happened after Gaoxin lost consciousness.

Gaoxin was both anxious and moved after hearing it.

Luo Yan had done it to save him. Given his condition at the time, he would have died without Rou Si's treatment.

Yesterday, he had originally intended to rely on his brain to identify and predict his opponent's movements, then use a few small strategies during the fight to take a gamble.

Although it had still been extremely dangerous, he had had no other choice. He could only risk his life to find a way to survive.

He had not expected to survive, only to be sabotaged by that drug. Fortunately, Luo Yan had exposed his secret and saved him with his blood, allowing him to unlock his potential at the final moment and reach the level of a Superior Glass Person.

In the end, Luo Yan had saved his life twice.

"Toy?"

Gaoxin was furious. He suddenly slammed a fist into the wall, and a deafening boom rang out.

The metal wall was left with a dent.

The skin on his fist had split as well, and blood flowed from it.

Sule exclaimed, "Brother Xin Ku, you're actually that strong?"

Gaoxin remembered that this was Luo Yan's secret and only said quietly, "I was enhanced."

"Oh..." Sule wondered, Wasn't it his brain that got enhanced? His body got enhanced too? He felt that something was off, but did not ask further.

Soon, someone pushed open the door. "What are you doing? Trying to tear the place down?"

A woman with a delicate voice walked in wearing a nurse's uniform.

At first glance, however, she had an ugly appearance, rough skin, small eyes, a flat nose, and a barrel-shaped waist.

Sule scratched his head. "Sister Jing, my brother's awake."

Sister Jing glanced at the wall. "You smashed the wall the moment you woke up. Who are you taking your anger out on?"

Gaoxin regained his composure. "Nothing. I was just testing whether my body had fully recovered."

Sister Jing smiled. "Your body recovered ages ago. How could Rou Si's Vitality Fatty disappoint? Colonel Daye even had me give you an injection of nutrients. You're practically healthier than ever."

Gaoxin jumped twice in place. He secretly thought that being healthy was the least of it. He was also filled with strength.

Luo Yan's blood had indeed unlocked an ordinary person's potential. His current strength was far greater than before—at least double!

"Come out. A whole crowd is waiting for you outside." Sister Jing beckoned.

The two of them went out. This was a large medical station with five floors, and he had been lying in an ordinary ward on the first floor.

Sister Jing led them out of the station, then leaned against the entrance to watch the show.

There was a large group of people in the courtyard outside. They stood in groups of three or five, smoking and chatting.

When they saw Gaoxin come out, they did not react at first.

It was not until they saw Sule following him that they realized what was happening and immediately swarmed over.

"Are you Gaoxin, the one who killed Daishan Beida?"

"We've all heard about it. You killed him despite weighing less than half as much as he did. That's incredible."

"It's hard to believe. He doesn't look strong at all."

"That makes it even more impressive. You crossed three weight classes! Now that's a true tough guy!"

"Join Team 24! Our team needs talent like you!"

"Of course you should join Team 21. All our resources will be directed toward you, and you'll only need to participate in one game a month."

"Come to Team 19, Gaoxin. Once you're here, participate whenever you want. If you don't feel like it, don't. You can rest for the entire month. Our team has the best performance this month. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live well."

"Don't listen to him. Team 02 has always had the best performance. We were only unlucky this time. You can rest whenever you want in our team too."

"Come to Team 07. We have plenty of beautiful women! I'll arrange for them—and ten underlings—to serve you."

Everyone clamored over one another, inviting him enthusiastically and offering all kinds of conditions.

After a full day of spreading, news of Gaoxin killing Daishan Beida had clearly traveled throughout the Redemption Squad.

Although there were quite a few Superior Glass People in the Redemption Squad, none dared claim they could definitely defeat Daishan Beida. He had been a karate master trained by the Enforcer group, as well as a super-heavyweight enforcer weighing 150 kilograms.

Yet he had been killed by a newcomer! How could that not shock people?

Although no one had personally witnessed the duel, the fact that he had accomplished such a feat before a group of Wa people proved that he was genuinely formidable, without the slightest exaggeration.

"You're all too loud. I can't hear!" Gaoxin called out.

The crowd soon fell silent and looked at him expectantly.

Some looked fierce, while others appeared refined, but without exception, they all carried weapons, including firearms.

They were all captains of the Glass Redemption Squad's teams, each leading nearly a hundred people.

It could be said that these were the Glass People living the best lives. Now, every one of them was doing everything possible to recruit Gaoxin.

Gaoxin sighed inwardly. He had finally fought with his life to obtain this opportunity, and he felt even more grateful to Luo Yan.

But Luo Yan had been taken away, so he could only make plans slowly.

Gaoxin steadied himself and scanned the crowd. At last, he saw a muscular man. That was Brother Qiao, with Liu Xu standing behind him.

Gaoxin did not hurry, however, and instead sized up the others.

"Can I choose freely?"

The captain of Team 02 was a tall white man. He pushed everyone behind him and smiled. "Of course. That's the usual practice."

"The weak are assigned directly to teams with fewer people. Only the strong have the right to choose."

Before Gaoxin could speak, Sule shouted from behind him, "Wherever Brother Xin Ku goes, I'll go too."

The crowd immediately stirred. Good heavens, these two Superior Glass People were bound together.

Recruiting one meant recruiting two, which undoubtedly made the competition even fiercer.

"Come to Team 02. Our team is full of talent, with more than twenty Superior Glass People. If you come, I'll make you vice-captain directly!" The white captain spoke bluntly, happily explaining his team's advantages.

The other captains grew anxious. Those whose teams were not particularly strong shouted one after another, "Team 02 gets to choose Superior Glass People every time! You've already taken Luo Ban. Are you still going to compete with us?"

The white captain laughed loudly. "Precisely because Luo Ban has already joined our team, Gaoxin should come too."

"The strong take everything! Team 02 is that powerful. We've met our quota for twenty-four consecutive months, and we've ranked first in performance for ten straight months. What do you say?"

"Gaoxin, don't bother with those weak teams. You'll have an easy life in ours."

Several other powerful teams also offered their own benefits and enthusiastically explained their advantages.

They made it sound as if joining their teams meant lying down and earning Redemption Vouchers without risking their lives in games.

But that was obviously impossible. Every team recruited strong people to increase its chances of earning more Redemption Vouchers.

Gaoxin secretly laughed. They were taking advantage of his status as a newcomer and boasting wildly.

He immediately turned his gaze toward Brother Qiao, wanting to see what this man would say.

Brother Qiao understood at once and finally stepped forward. "Gaoxin, although Team 09 isn't especially strong, we've met our quota for eight consecutive months. If you come, I'll give you the captain's position."

"???" The other captains were completely stunned.

What? Give up the captain's position?

The captain of the Redemption Squad, like the captain of the Laborer Group, was essentially the greatest authority a Glass Person could obtain.

The captain of the Redemption Squad did face some danger. If the team failed to meet its quota, the captain had to pay with his life!

But the captain controlled the schedule. Who participated in games, who did not, and who participated in an easy or Intermediate Game—all those powers were in the captain's hands.

At the final moment, whether they went all-in and sent everyone into a game or boldly spent their savings to gamble in an Intermediate Game, they might still make up the shortfall at the last moment.

Actually, as long as the people in the team were not too incompetent, meeting the quota was fairly easy, and the captain would not die so readily.

With enough luck, an affluent captain could even use this opportunity to become stronger. One after another, they could become Superior Glass People and obtain firearms.

In short, the captain's authority was extremely important. Giving it away was like handing over one's life.

"Oh? You're letting me be captain?" Gaoxin had not expected him to offer such a condition.

The other captains grew anxious. "Gaoxin, don't listen to that Qiao guy's nonsense. He has no authority to transfer the captain's powers."

"Remember, if the team fails to meet its quota, the captain has to pay with his life. If captains could all give away the position at the last moment and find some underling to die in their place, wouldn't that be absurd?"

"That's right. He's lying to you. He just wants to trick you into joining his team. Once you're in, you'll have to listen to him. If he tells you to participate in a game, you'll have to go."

Hearing them undermine Brother Qiao, Gaoxin laughed. "So the conditions you offered—participating once a month, or even participating freely—were all nonsense too?"

Some of them immediately froze.

The white captain of Team 02 said at once, "My team is the strongest. You'll be vice-captain if you join, and I keep my word. As for participating in games, the vice-captain doesn't have to participate. It's up to me, unless the team truly cannot meet its quota at the end and needs to enter a game."

"Without a doubt, joining the strongest team is your best choice. Our team has met its quota for nearly two years."

Brother Qiao smiled. "Gaoxin, I admit that I truly don't have the authority to hand the captain's position over to you."

"But wouldn't this be even better? As long as you trust me, you and I can be co-captains of Team 09. If we fail to meet the quota, I'll be the one to die in the end!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Authority equivalent to a captain's, without the captain's consequences?

Did they have to compete this fiercely?

Even the strongest white captain lost his temper. He turned around and grabbed Brother Qiao by the collar. "Qiao Long, are you fucking crazy?"

Qiao Long smiled faintly. "I'm not crazy. I'm just tired of being captain. I've wanted to step down and make way for a worthy successor for a long time."

Everyone was speechless. Someone could get tired of being a leader?

Gaoxin smiled. Brother Qiao might have been placating him too, but the other captains were even more likely to do so. Compared with them, he at least had Liu Xu and the others as a foundation of trust with Brother Qiao. They had already met indirectly and tested the waters.

Brother Qiao had directly announced in front of everyone that he would let him be captain. In terms of both emotion and reason, he had shown enough sincerity.

Gaoxin decisively called out, "All right. I'll join Team 09."

Hearing this, the white captain angrily swung a fist at Qiao Long, as if venting his frustration.

Qiao Long was not to be outdone and swung a fist back.

Bang!

Qiao Long was knocked backward repeatedly, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

The white captain also took a punch. His face reddened slightly as he covered his neck and staggered twice.

Every captain present was a Superior Glass Person, and their primary difference was their weight. Without a doubt, the white captain was the strongest. He weighed around 120 kilograms and was the most heavily built person there.

Qiao Long was a head shorter, yet he had endured a punch without falling, which was enough to demonstrate his strength.

"You dare hit back? You want to fight?" The white captain angrily advanced, intending to continue. Several other captains also moved forward alongside him.

"Peter, don't fucking lose your mind here." Many people near Qiao Long also clenched their fists and prepared themselves.

Gaoxin's heart stirred. It seemed that the various teams also had alliances among themselves.

"Hey, if you want to fight, fight me!" Gaoxin stepped forward and stood in front of Peter, the white captain. Sule hurriedly followed him.

Peter was stunned. "I'm beating him. What the hell does that have to do with you?"

Gaoxin stared coldly at him. Even though Peter was a head taller, he did not show the slightest fear. "I'm the captain of Team 09. You're beating my team member. Do you think that has nothing to do with me?"

"What?" Everyone was stunned. Good heavens, he had already slipped into the role? He had taken up his post quickly.

"Newcomer, do you know that among the three thousand Glass People in the entire Redemption Squad, I'm the leader?"

Gaoxin looked at Peter. "The leader is still just a sheep. Aren't we all slaves? What's there to be smug about?"

"You..." Peter's brown pupils contracted. He had no way to refute that. He stared at the fearless Gaoxin, then glanced at Sule and the alliance of captains behind Qiao Long.

In terms of quality, his side was stronger. But in terms of numbers, Qiao Long's alliance had more people, since most of them came from mid- and low-ranking teams that had banded together.

Under normal circumstances, he would not be afraid. Numbers were useless; he only needed to take down the leader.

But now, that leader was Gaoxin!

Gaoxin did not look particularly strong, but his record was undeniable. He had killed a Wa enforcer—a 150-kilogram Daishan Beida!

Although Luo Ban had said that Daishan Beida had underestimated him, this had been a battle to the death! Even if Daishan Beida had been careless, killing him still proved Gaoxin was formidable!

Peter eventually said, "Fine, fine, Gaoxin. This is a hospital. Don't disturb the patients' rest."

"Tonight! I'll wait for you at the execution grounds tonight."

With that, he led his people away.

Although he had backed down, he had not completely yielded. He still had to maintain his authority. After all, he was the leader of a group of powerful Glass People.

Since Gaoxin refused to join him and would not be under his direct command, he could only use his fists and influence to force him into submission. In terms of the number of tough fighters, he was not afraid.

Gaoxin was not interested. What could Peter do if he did not go?

He only wanted to leave, so he immediately left with Qiao Long.

This was a camp far from the village center. There were many places that resembled dormitory buildings, as well as a hospital and a cafeteria.

Everything looked much better than the Laborer Group's living quarters.

Clearly, if they wanted the slaves to fight for their lives, they could not make the other aspects of their treatment too harsh either.

Even the system left quite a bit of leeway for outstanding teams. Perhaps they believed that a horse would not grow fat without night fodder. As long as the required Redemption Vouchers were not lacking, the Wa people turned a blind eye.

Gaoxin and the others got to know one another on the way. Qiao Long planned to take Gaoxin to the dormitory building where Team 09 was located before discussing serious matters.

Unexpectedly, Gaoxin waved his hand. "Wait a moment. Some things aren't urgent. Let me ask you something: Can I leave the base and move around freely?"

Qiao Long explained, "Uh... You can't move around freely. When you're not participating in a game, you're restricted to the Redemption Squad's camp."

"To leave, you must be accompanied by the captain."

Gaoxin nodded. "Good. I want to go out now."

Qiao Long raised his eyebrows. "Where? You're not planning to..."

He clearly knew that Gaoxin intended to escape, but which slave did not want to run? As long as he did not actually violate any prohibitions, even if the Wa people heard about it, they might not react too strongly.

Gaoxin said, "Do you know where Rou Si lives?"

"Uh..." Qiao Long frowned, looking troubled.

Gaoxin could tell that he definitely knew where Rou Si lived, so he hurriedly said, "Take me there, please. This is very important to me."

"All right!" Qiao Long agreed.

He turned around and told Liu Xu to return to the base first. Then he took Gaoxin and Sule out of the camp alone and headed straight for Rou Si's residence.

According to Qiao Long, most members of the Black Hand Gang lived at training camps throughout the area and devoted themselves to arduous training every day.

Rou Si, however, was an officer. She had her own private residence and training grounds in the center of the village.

It was a detached house occupying a thousand square meters, located around the second ring of Yamaguchi Village.

Looking carefully, they could even see a cute, chubby pink doll hanging by the entrance. At a glance, it was obvious that the owner of the house had a girlish heart...

"This is it..." Qiao Long said quietly.

Gaoxin had not expected the trip to go so smoothly. "I thought we would have to pass through numerous checkpoints. I didn't expect you to bring me here so easily."

Qiao Long said, "This is Yamaguchi Village's developed area. As long as you have enough Redemption Vouchers, anyone can come here to buy a house..."

"I was worried earlier because I was afraid you would cause trouble here... Rou Si is not only medical personnel. She's also extremely powerful, and her status in the Black Hand Gang is not low."

"If you anger her, our entire team will be buried with you. After all, I'm the one who brought you here..."

Gaoxin nodded. The combat power here was calculated by body weight at every turn, and when it came to weight, who could compare with Rou Si?

That woman has to weigh at least a ton, right? Even though she's only Sub-Wolf Level, she has a full fifteen tons of strength! One slap could kill Sasaki!

Qiao Long had brought him here. If anything happened, he would be held responsible.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Gaoxin said indifferently.

Qiao Long curled his lips. "I know who you're looking for. Since that's the case, I won't go with you. Pay her a normal visit. The doorbell's over there. Whatever you do, don't climb the wall. This house has an automatic defense system."

He and Sule retreated to the corner of the wall and watched as Gaoxin walked up alone and pressed the doorbell.

Before long, a man's projected image appeared on the wall. "May I ask who you are and what brings you here?"

Gaoxin didn't recognize him, so he said, "I came to thank Lady Rou Si for saving my life yesterday."

The man said, "Lady Rou Si isn't home. Please come back this evening."

Hearing that she wasn't home, Gaoxin instead felt relieved. He asked, "You're Lady Rou Si's servant, right?"

The man seemed somewhat flustered. "Yes! Lady Rou Si really isn't home. If you have something important to discuss, you can tell me. I'll pass it on to Lady Rou Si."

Seeing that the man was more worried about offending him, Gaoxin thought for a moment and said, "Could I come in for a cup of tea and wait for Lady Rou Si to return?"

The man was stunned. "May I ask who you are..."

Gaoxin raised his voice. "I'm asking whether I can or not."

The man hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, another familiar voice came from inside. "Xin, is that you?"

Gaoxin was instantly overjoyed. "Vocational School Brother!"

"Wait a moment..." It was Luo Yan's voice. He seemed to be discussing something with another servant.

A moment later, the courtyard gate clicked open, and a huge, rotund man waddled out.

The smile on Gaoxin's face stiffened. He didn't recognize him at first glance. Only after looking carefully did he realize that this was Luo Yan.

"You..."

"Don't say anything. Come with me." Luo Yan pulled Gaoxin inside, but instead of entering the house, he led him to a warehouse passage in the courtyard.

The two of them went inside and discovered that the space below was a cold-storage room. Whole pigs, cattle, and sheep hung everywhere, along with animals such as walruses, seals, and dolphins.

This was an entire meat warehouse!

Gaoxin even saw several enormous rats. Even stripped of their fur, they weighed around two hundred kilograms. Something this outrageous had to be Radiation Beasts.

"There's no three-dimensional surveillance here. Say whatever you need to say here." As Luo Yan spoke, his double chin emerged.

"Three-dimensional surveillance?" Gaoxin asked worriedly. "You just let me in and even brought me here. Won't that cause trouble?"

Luo Yan shook his head. "It's fine. What respectable person the hell watches surveillance footage? As long as nothing happens, it's fine... When she comes back, she eats. After eating, she plays, then drags me around to tell her stories. When she's happy, she..."

He didn't finish, but Gaoxin's eyes had already reddened.

"Sigh. Actually, as long as you keep her happy, this woman is pretty simple-minded. She especially loves listening to stories. I'm very good at telling them, and I've already won her favor. Look, my hand has grown back."

"The fat woman just has somewhat twisted tastes. She considers obesity beautiful. I've only been here for a day, and she's already force-fed me until I weigh two hundred and fifty pounds... She forces me to eat huge amounts of food every day too. Damn it, I have to eat nine meals a day..."

Gaoxin hugged him. "Why don't we run right now?"

Luo Yan sighed. "Don't be stupid. The entire Yamaguchi Village is covered by a surveillance magnetic field, like a huge barrier."

"Everyone who enters or leaves the barrier will be scanned. Don't let the fact that you can wander around the center of the village fool you. The moment you dare leave Yamaguchi Village, you'll be discovered."

Gaoxin's expression turned cold. So that was how it was. No wonder the audience's comments had warned him not to think about running away directly. It was impossible.

Clearly, hiding wouldn't help. He needed to at least possess the strength to deal with his pursuers.

There was no need to think about it. The pursuers couldn't all be Glass People. They had to include beings at Wolf Level at the very least.

"How's your body? Are you fully healed?" Luo Yan looked over Gaoxin's body carefully.

Gaoxin said gratefully, "I'm perfectly fine. Luo Yan, if it weren't for you, I'd definitely be dead by now."

Luo Yan grinned with his fat face. "Don't say that. Didn't we agree yesterday that we're brothers? You've joined the Redemption Squad by now, right?"

Gaoxin immediately explained the situation, then concluded, "I'll definitely become a Radiation User, and then I'll take you with me."

Luo Yan nodded. "Yeah. Right now, I can only rely on you. I can't even leave this house..."

"But I still have quite a bit of freedom indoors. From now on, whenever Rou Si isn't home, I'll take down the fat-man doll hanging on the door. If you see it gone, you can come find me."

"If you need anything, I can't help with much else, but I have plenty of food. You can eat your fill!"

Gaoxin indicated that he understood and was about to say goodbye.

Suddenly, he thought of something, but hesitated.

Seeing him struggling to speak, Luo Yan asked, "Is there something else?"

Gaoxin said, "It's nothing. It's just that the blood you gave me to drink yesterday, the effect..."

Luo Yan cut him off directly. "Hey, you woke up feeling weak, right? That's normal. It was a one-time effect. The potential it unlocked only caused a temporary burst. I just didn't tell you yesterday."

"Huh?" Gaoxin was stunned.

He had only wanted to ask Luo Yan for some more blood so he could give it to a group of people he trusted in the Redemption Squad.

He hadn't expected Luo Yan to say something like that.

One-time? Then why did I wake up feeling full of energy? Although I never tested it, even Sule was astonished when I punched the wall earlier. Clearly, my strength is now about the same as Sule's.

Could it be another issue with me? After all, Mind Shift No. 1 had also become a permanent effect in my case.

Gaoxin narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "It's a one-time effect...? Luo Yan, then give me some more. I'm going to risk my life in the game, and I'll need this during a death match."

Hearing him ask for more, Luo Yan hurriedly said, "Don't keep throwing yourself into death matches. Didn't you strengthen your brain?"

Gaoxin said seriously, "What use is a brain? The other side might not even give me a chance to negotiate. You saved my life. No matter what, I have to take you with me. If I don't risk my life in the game, how am I supposed to earn more Redemption Vouchers?"

"Even if I don't use it myself, I can give it to someone else. Don't worry. I'll keep your secret. I'll just say I exchanged for it."

Luo Yan fell into a dilemma.

Finally, he sighed. "All right, I'll tell you the truth. My blood doesn't have any special effect that unlocks potential at all."

"Everything I told you yesterday was a lie..."

"What?" Gaoxin's eyes widened, and his mind buzzed.

P.S. Sorry.