How to Remove the Lust Card

The threat of the Lust Card had Yu Yuan on edge.

But reason told him that waiting until nightfall to go out was the safest choice.

He opened the chat channel to see whether the bait he had cast earlier had drawn out anyone with bad intentions.

Only then did he notice that everyone was discussing the newcomers.

Twelve hours had passed. Two replacement newcomers had entered the Wasteland, and both had already built their Hideouts.

As the players discussed them, the name [Fish Abyss Shelter] kept coming up.

After all, Fish Abyss Shelter had climbed 501 places in the rankings in just one day in the Wasteland Game. The leap made every other player feel inadequate.

Naturally, it was a hot topic.

Yu Yuan had expected as much. He skimmed through the messages, then his gaze turned cold and an icy smile touched his lips.

Moss Hut Shelter was steering everyone's attention toward him again. The timing was just after he had listed the cigarettes.

[Moss Hut Shelter: Has anyone else noticed that since yesterday, cigarettes have gone up for sale every time @Fish Abyss Shelter rises in the rankings? Is that a coincidence?]

[Moss Hut Shelter: @Fish Abyss Shelter, if you've found rare supplies, how about making a trade with everyone? Did you find a supply warehouse? How else could you jump 501 places in a single day?]

"What the hell is this guy after...?"

Yu Yuan was now certain that Moss Hut Shelter bore him ill will. He just couldn't understand where it came from.

Does he want to rob me after the Beginner Protection Period ends?

Then why draw everyone else's attention to me?

It's not like sending messages costs anything!

Being targeted by someone whose motives he couldn't fathom felt like having a parasite clinging to his bones. It set Yu Yuan's teeth on edge.

He opened the Hideout Memo, marked Moss Cottage as hostile, then checked the other messages.

Thanks to Moss Hut Shelter's deliberate nudging, Fish Abyss Shelter did come up often in the chat channel.

And almost every time those few people mentioned Fish Abyss Shelter, someone would casually tag Cigar Hideout.

Yu Yuan suddenly understood.

Those people were probably working with Moss Hut Shelter to make him an enemy.

No one knew who had listed so many cigarettes, but Moss Hut Shelter's insinuations and its accomplices egging everyone on had done their work. After a few messages, it was as though everyone had decided Fish Abyss Shelter was the seller.

And that he was competing with Cigar Hideout for the tobacco business.

They've even got shills working against me!

Yu Yuan noted down each of those Hideout IDs, then closed the chat channel.

Something was seriously wrong with Moss Hut Shelter, but it couldn't touch him during the Beginner Protection Period. As long as he didn't let its actions distract him, developing his Hideout remained his first priority.

The most urgent problem, though, was still the Lust Card. Time was running out.

He picked up the book he had brought back from Room 506 the night before and flipped through it.

Then a heading caught his eye. He paused and immediately turned back to the page.

—How did medieval pirates satisfy their physical needs on the open sea?

During long voyages, the ways medieval pirates satisfied those needs were constrained by seafaring conditions and shaped by the culture and environment of the time.

Common solutions included:

1. Same-sex relationships. Some pirate groups tacitly accepted this practice... (Well, well...)

2. Violence during raids. When pirates attacked merchant ships or coastal towns, they often took captives... (I'd have to find a woman first. Where would I find one in two days?)

3. Temporary partners. When they docked, pirates would visit brothels... (Come on, this is the Wasteland. If this were a peaceful society, I wouldn't need you to tell me. I'd know better than you.)

4. Keeping animals. Sheep or goats provided not only food but also, for a time, served as... substitutes. This gave rise to tales that sheep could seduce humans, and later to the demonic image of the black goat... (Isn't that just like those guys from India... No, wait!!!)

Yu Yuan froze at the fourth suggestion and fell into thought.

The hope in his eyes slowly died, leaving only an agonizing choice.

A news item he had read in the paper that morning surfaced in his mind.

—Eight Kerry Hill Sheep were roaming the ecological area west of Red Bank Park in 12th Block.

Damn—

Every part of him recoiled, but reason told Yu Yuan this might be his last way to remove the [Lust Card].

He opened the Fate Card again. Looking at its line of text, he made up his mind.

"To survive! As long as I can survive... Wait, that woman..."

The grim resolve Yu Yuan had just mustered vanished in an instant.

Delighted, he snatched up the pink wallet he had tossed aside.

He stared hard at the woman in the family photo... at the small mole beneath the corner of her eye.

He remembered the conversation between Brother Biao and the other two outside Phoenix Tree Apartments the night before.

—Monkey: That woman was so damn tempting, especially that little mole by her eye. I just couldn't stop.

The mole. That meant the woman Brother Biao and the others had talked about was the woman in the photo.

Yu Yuan's eyes widened.

She's a woman!

Remembering something else, Yu Yuan pulled the water bill from a compartment in the wallet. When he saw the residential address written on it, a relieved smile finally spread across his face.

"An address. If I have her address, I should be able to find her home. It's only been a day. She should still be alive."

He didn't know whether Brother Biao and the others had caught her at home, but a chance was better than none.

He immediately opened the Virtual Map and searched for the address on the water bill.

It took Yu Yuan only two minutes to find the house on the map.

—68 Kanchino Street.

It was on the western side of 11th Block, bordering 12th Block.

By the time Yu Yuan climbed out of the sewer and slipped behind a utility pole under cover of darkness,

it was already nine at night.

A short rest that afternoon had restored his energy. He had also familiarized himself with the Glock 17 Pistol, making sure he could fire the instant danger appeared.

The Kukri, alloy Folding Crossbow, backpack, and crossbody bag had become his standard gear.

Canchino Avenue was a typical residential street. Detached houses lined both sides, each with its own lawn, garage, and basement.

Now all that remained along the street were fallen notice boards, snapped trees, overturned trash cans, and plastic bags scattered everywhere.

The lawns had run completely wild. Yu Yuan was more than happy with the weeds standing half a meter high.

Following the Virtual Map, he soon found 68 Kanchino Street.