I'll Count on You Next Time
It's not entirely about saving one's life; Yu Xing simply didn't intend to treat this Yugi as a battlefield for a complete war with the Lingren.
He had just returned and hadn't figured out many things, putting him at a huge disadvantage. His only support— the Broken Mirror Squad —was Zhao Yijiu and Carlos.
The team's strength largely stems from the teamwork among its members; spreading out like this only gives the enemy an opportunity.
Therefore, for Yu Xing, now is not a good time to take action, not to mention that Zhao Yijiu and Carlos still have the mission given by the system. Yu Xing just wants to end this Yugi world as soon as possible and return to reality.
He conveyed his meaning, then, leaning against the lounge, smiled at the Luo siblings and said, "This world is a post-apocalyptic world, beset by internal and external troubles. Neither the virus nor the survivors are good people. I don't like this kind of world, and I don't really want to play in it."
"From what I'm saying, you already have an idea." How could Luo Qishan not understand Yu Xing's implication? The other party had come to them for an alliance, so of course they couldn't put themselves on the side of complete dependence; they must have their own bargaining chips.
Cooperation is only possible between equal parties.
"To be honest, although I haven't been here long, I've gathered quite a bit of information, and I do have some leads on the mission." Yu Xing's gaze swept over the two men's arms.
The Luo siblings wore the uniforms of the survivors of Base 51, which were loose and baggy, but they rolled up their sleeves to make it easier to work, exposing their smooth arms to the air.
There were no knife wounds left by the testing on his arm; it was completely smooth, as if the base had never used those frightening testing methods.
To demonstrate his access to information and express his sincerity in cooperation, Yu Xing first offered a conclusion. "The end of this Yugi lies in the stance of Base 51, right? That detection has a problem."
Luo Jue glanced at him, then her gaze drifted to Yu Xing's hand.
She asked hesitantly, "Have you been tested too?"
"No, with my current identity, I can avoid detection." Yu Xing simply pulled up her shirt sleeves and held out her hand. "Here, do you want to be checked?"
The survivors have to undergo testing every week, but the wounds heal very quickly. For an ordinary person, there would be no need to use the word "examination" when faced with an arm that shows no trace of injury. However, Yu Xing felt that the two members of the Luo family were capable of making judgments.
He concluded that there was something wrong with the base, and one of the reasons came from Luo Jue. He had possessed Carlos and witnessed Luo Jue using a yellow talisman to purify the cut wound.
The stuff oozing from the wound was disgusting, like maggots attached to the soul, slowly absorbed by the yellow talisman.
Luo Jue didn't stand on ceremony. He grabbed Yu Xing's arm and examined it closely for a long time, his eyes wide open. If Yu Xing hadn't known that Luo Jue didn't have a penchant for eating people, he would have almost thought that Luo Jue wanted to roast his arm and eat it.
After a while, Luo Jue reluctantly released Yu Xing, then turned to Luo Qishan and nodded. "No problem, she wasn't infected."
"Okay, we'll cooperate with you." Seeing this, Luo Qishan no longer hesitated and finally gave a direct answer.
"This world is incredibly difficult. The grudges between the participants are only a small part; more importantly, there's the omnipresent virus and... the intense control from the base." He straightened his slightly wrinkled uniform, a hint of disdain in his expression. "I hate this world too. It's full of hypocritical 'commanders,' turning a land of hope into their own power fortresses under the guise of sheltering survivors."
"Yu Xing, you are a variable, and in such a power fortress, what we lack most is a variable."
The system gave them a task, which was both an aid to survival and a shackle. These twenty deducers had to follow the roles assigned by the system from the very beginning, causing them to lose their initiative.
They were all "survivors who had finally been found after being stranded," and once they entered the base, they had to be grateful, obedient, and monitored.
The Lingren's choice to join the cleanup team was a form of resistance against these shackles, a way to seize that limited freedom of action by getting closer to the center of power. He and Luo Jue, on the other hand, volunteered to raise chickens, thus indirectly gaining freedom of action by staying away from the center of power.
Luo Qishan smiled.
Yu Xing is quite remarkable.
This guy was granted the highest degree of freedom from the moment he arrived, and it was Yu Xing's presence that some plans were able to be successfully implemented.
"Now that we've reached a consensus, let's talk about this instance." Yu Xing crossed her legs, looking very relaxed.
Luo Qishan nodded. "First of all, it's true that the whole world is filled with the vengeful spirit virus, and the base is humanity's resistance force."
"However, according to our investigation, Base 51 doesn't seem content to be just a rebel; the female commander has many ulterior motives behind the scenes, and she doesn't seem to want to continue cooperating with other bases."
"Yes! I feel like she's doing some kind of experiment. On the surface, she's cooperating with other bases to test survivors, but in reality, she'll find a way to kill anyone she doesn't like to consolidate her rule." Luo Jue curled her lip in disdain. "We know that last time she got some people out of the testing, claiming that no one was infected, but in reality, she secretly detains a few people every time there's a test."
"Those people were all infected with the virus?" Yu Xing raised an eyebrow.
Even the most heavily protected bases can be vulnerable to viruses, since the virus is so dense that ordinary people can't even see it.
However, Carlos is also among the "infected," which is incomprehensible. The researchers can clearly feel the difference between being infected and not being infected. Carlos cannot be infected, yet he is still being targeted.
This targeting came without warning. The only possibility is that the Lingren interfered and framed Carlos. But... judging from the current situation, it might not necessarily be the Lingren's doing. If the female commander wanted Carlos dead out of her own volition, she could use the excuse that he was infected.
The question then becomes clear—what happened to Carlos that made the female officer target him?
Yu Xing recalled Carlos's experience before the test and had a very subtle idea.
He had an experiment to conduct, and fortunately, with the collaboration of Luo Jue and Luo Qishan, his idea could be realized.
"So..."
The three of them whispered in the lounge for a while, then left right on time.
Having said most of what she wanted to say, Yu Xing smiled and said to the little girl as she left, "I'm counting on you for next week's test~"
The Luo siblings walked towards the chirping chicks, while Yu Xing walked briskly away from the breeding area.
Just as he reached the edge of the block, he heard a sarcastic voice say, "Officer Yu, what brings you here? The smell in here is awful."
A secretary next to the female officer was carrying a stack of documents, seemingly just passing by.