Young People

The next morning.

In District 7, where tents stood in rows, the streets teemed with people.

Last night's chaos had injured quite a few civilians, but people's pessimism was never shared by everyone. For everyone else, life still had to go on—with a smile.

From what Lu Bai had observed so far, most people were still going about their business as usual, perhaps discussing last night's events in their free time.

"So you really can't use the published locations to find the deathmatchers."

He had carried a small stool to the entrance of his tent and sat down, resting his chin in one hand as he watched the people coming and going.

Not long ago, the System Panel had published a new set of location data.

Unfortunately, almost none of the red dots representing deathmatchers on the location map were inside tents.

Apparently, the deathmatchers had deliberately left their tents just before the system published the location data.

Given that, Lu Bai figured the few red dots still inside tents were more likely to be traps.

Of course, that didn't mean he had learned nothing.

A quick count of the red dots on the map confirmed that nearly a hundred deathmatchers had gathered at this temporary shelter.

"Don't listen to those idiots bragging. The moment they heard gunshots, they were so scared they burrowed under their blankets and started shaking. I'm different. See this cut? Last night, I stepped out of my tent and saw that murderer. I rushed over and kicked him. If I hadn't helped hold him back, he'd probably have gotten away. The soldiers wouldn't have shot him dead on the spot otherwise."

The middle-aged man in floral shorts spoke with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, holding forth as if he were some kind of big shot.

A handsome young man in a white shirt gave him a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Whoa, you're the real deal, bro."

"You bet. Let me tell you, before the virus broke out, my neighbors and I..."

Lu Bai glanced over, then looked away. There were far too many people chatting in small groups like this. Nothing about them was worth paying attention to.

With nothing better to do, Lu Bai decided to go over the information on the location map again.

As he did, he caught a faint whiff of disinfectant.

He exited the System Panel and turned to look. It was the young man in the white shirt.

The other man sat down beside him with polished manners. Even though he was sitting rather close, Lu Bai couldn't just chase him away.

Noticing Lu Bai's gaze, the polite young man smiled at him. "Is something troubling you?"

"What?"

Lu Bai paused, then narrowed his eyes.

"Please don't be nervous. I have no intention of making an enemy of you." The young man paused, then added, "I hope we can work together."

"What do you mean?" Lu Bai tilted his head to one side. Though he was asking a question, he didn't look at the young man, seeming instead to watch the people nearby.

The young man spoke up. "You can call me Agu. Let's skip the pointless probing. I'm acting alone, and I assume you are too."

"That much is obvious."

Lu Bai gestured at the empty tent behind him and smiled without confirming or denying it. "Why should I work with you?"

Lu Bai wasn't surprised that the young man had figured out he was a deathmatcher. What interested him was how confident the other man seemed that he could persuade him.

"Because you need my information."

The young man who called himself Agu smiled. "You haven't received full deathmatcher training, have you?"

"What makes you say that?" Lu Bai asked, keeping his expression neutral.

"Want some?"

Agu took a pack of gum from his pocket and offered it to Lu Bai.

When Lu Bai didn't reach for it, Agu didn't mind. He took out a piece for himself, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth. "It's obvious. To deal with one deathmatcher, you not only enlisted the official forces at this military base, but also caused a huge commotion.

"Why do you think everyone gathered here, only to lie low afterward?

"From your perspective, doesn't that seem strange?"

"The deathmatchers have all gathered here."

Lu Bai thought for a moment. "They're preparing to fight over something?"

Before Agu could explain, Lu Bai figured it out.

"They're lying low because they're waiting. Which means that thing hasn't appeared yet. Oh, a virus cure or a vaccine?"

Agu fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "It seems I was wise to approach you about working together.

"If you'd received deathmatcher training, you'd know that every deathmatch arena, regardless of its background, has a node capable of drastically changing the course of the world. That node could be an object, a living creature, or even a passing breeze.

"Once a deathmatcher has held that node for more than twenty-four hours, his points double. After that, he earns double points for everything."

After listening, Lu Bai didn't ask the foolish question of what points were for, which would have given him away. Instead, he asked, "So, Agu, what's the price?"

"You're perceptive."

Agu praised him, then explained in detail. "The moment a deathmatcher gets hold of a node, the System Panel starts publishing his real-time location. It keeps doing so until the node changes hands."

Lu Bai said, "But you can't be completely certain the node will appear at this military base, can you?"

"Mm, I admit I'm taking a gamble—including by exposing myself to you and proposing we work together." Agu was entirely candid.

At the same time, a girl in a dark green school uniform made her way through the crowd. Her delicate face, still full of youthful softness, was tinged with worry.

But when she spotted Lu Bai sitting at the entrance to his tent, talking to a young man in a white shirt, all the worry vanished from her face.

She hurried over to Lu Bai and let out a long breath. "Classmate Lu, I heard there was a lot of chaos in your district last night, and that there was gunfire. You're okay, right?"

"Classmate Wu Ya."

Lu Bai smiled and nodded. Through the bustling crowd, he also noticed Tian Wang and Ke Jiangni following behind Wu Ya.

Agu watched the scene with an amused expression.

He spat out the piece of gum he'd been chewing for ages, now completely flavorless, and said, "Just as I thought. You really are a good person.

"Anyway, think it over. It'd be best if you gave me an answer before tonight. If you agree, just give me a thumbs-up outside your tent. I'll come find you then.

"That's all for now. I won't keep you two from catching up." With that, he turned and left.

Wu Ya watched Agu's retreating figure. She wanted to ask Lu Bai if her arrival had interrupted their conversation.

But she felt that asking might make her sound like she was playing innocent to stir up trouble. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked, "He's not from our school, is he?"

"Neither am I," Lu Bai replied at once.