Chapter 251: Don’t Worry, the Person Who Can Hurt Me Hasn’t Been Born Yet!
Right now, the abilities of the others are unknown, but the One-Eyed Kid felt his partner could only be described as monstrously powerful.
Zhang Yangqing’s extermination of the mutated grotesque beetles had indeed left an indelible impression on him.
So, he naturally knew which choice to make.
Besides, Zhang Yangqing was someone who came from the same rehabilitation center as him. Just as Zhang Yangqing trusted him, who else could he trust if not Zhang Yangqing?
After Zhang Yangqing walked outside, the middle-aged man wearing a mask sauntered over with the ease of an old acquaintance.
Having lived here for a relatively long time, he seemed to regard this place as his own territory.
His son was right beside him, crouching on the ground.
Like a leopard, his eyes gleamed with ferocity, poised to strike.
Unlike his father’s amiable appearance, the aura emanating from the man’s son was sharp and intimidating.
In contrast, this middle-aged man exuded the demeanor of a leader; his words were not only smooth and tactful but also carried an air of authority.
His words always made you feel like he cared about you, but upon closer inspection, you’d realize he was subtly fishing for information.
Just like a moment ago, the middle-aged man had inquired, “Why didn’t that companion of yours come out? Is he injured?”
“Do you feel any discomfort anywhere? I can take a look for you.”
“And rest assured, now that we’re all here, we’re like family.”
Phrases like these came frequently. He simply wanted to ascertain the relationship between Zhang Yangqing and the One-Eyed Kid, and gauge their combat strength.
If Zhang Yangqing was considered a burden, Zhang Yangqing believed he would be dealt with swiftly.
After all, in times of scarce resources, who would be so charitable as to support idlers? Unless you could prove your worth.
There were many people around, their gazes seemingly fixed on Zhang Yangqing, awaiting his answer.
From beneath the raven mask Zhang Yangqing wore came a steady, deep voice.
“Don’t worry, Uncle. The person who can hurt me hasn’t been born yet.”
Everyone: “…”
This sudden, unexpected swagger nearly made the people around stumble.
One person leaning against a pillar almost slipped and fell.
Beneath the masks of the seven or eight people nearby, expressions of astonishment were visible.
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened even further.
Buddy, I asked about your situation, and you’re busy showing off?
If you’re so incredible, why don’t you just stroll right into the city?
You’ve ended up in this place, and yet you’re still spouting such arrogant nonsense.
Hearing Zhang Yangqing’s brazen words, for a moment, people wondered if this guy might not actually be infected.
But that thought was quickly dismissed; they figured the kid was just being stubborn.
Yet, this one boastful sentence rendered all the middle-aged man’s carefully crafted probing questions utterly useless.
What followed was even more absurd. No matter how the middle-aged man probed,
Zhang Yangqing did nothing but boast.
He said whatever sounded the most impressive.
In the eyes of the others, this kid was just talking big without any filter.
Finally, the middle-aged man’s son couldn’t bear to listen any longer and snapped angrily, “Are you spouting nonsense in front of the divine statue? Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
Without even glancing at him, Zhang Yangqing retorted directly, “If you’ve got the guts, wake him up and we’ll see who faces retribution.”
This terrified the people nearby, with some even urging Zhang Yangqing to quickly kneel and apologize.
Although they had never seen a god, they wouldn’t dare show disrespect.
Kneel and apologize?
Out of the question. Forget Zhang Yangqing; the superhumans here generally wouldn’t worship a statue.
The gods worshipped by each supernatural faction differed; those were the sources of their power.
Only ordinary Chosen Ones might pray to the gods upon entering, seeking some psychological comfort.
Zhang Yangqing feared none of that. I’m just talking nonsense to shut your father up, kid. Don’t get in my face.
If you really provoke me, I’ll show you right now what retribution means.
As the situation seemed to escalate, the middle-aged man once again stepped in as the peacemaker, trying to diffuse the tension.
Since sweet talk wasn’t working, the middle-aged man switched to reasoning, appealing to sentiment and shared circumstances.
He began with phrases like “We’re all family here,” seemingly trying to brainwash everyone into better integrating into the collective, making them easier to direct.
After all, he was the person in charge here and didn’t want any infighting.
If Zhang Yangqing truly proved uncontrollable, he might consider eliminating him to ensure the group’s safety.
Only if the group was safe could he personally benefit from it.
That was enough talk for today. With night falling, the middle-aged man told the Chosen Ones to get some good rest.
Tomorrow, the group would decide whether or not to accept the Chosen Ones into their fold.
This meant they would hold a small private meeting during this time to determine the Chosen Ones’ fate.
The first wave of Chosen Ones seemed like a sure bet.
Most of them had demonstrated teamwork skills and a willingness to follow orders.
Some had even begun currying favor with the middle-aged man.
Only Zhang Yangqing displayed an attitude of “I’m invincible, you all do whatever you want.”
Many viewers in the livestream didn’t think Zhang Yangqing would be able to integrate well here.
Given his attitude, the middle-aged man and his son, along with the three nurses, were bound to oppose him.
Some viewers even speculated that Master Zhang was deliberately acting this way, waiting for them to make things difficult so he could have an excuse to lash out—a pretext to start something.
Admittedly, this theory held some plausibility.
If any other Chosen One acted like this, wouldn’t it be suicidal?
But for Zhang Yangqing, it actually seemed quite possible.
However, they’d have to wait until tomorrow to know the outcome.
That night, at four in the morning, Zhang Yangqing woke the One-Eyed Kid.
It was the Kid’s turn for watch duty, and Zhang Yangqing’s time to rest.
The One-Eyed Kid nodded, got up, took a drink of water, and began his night watch.
At this time, the middle-aged man also seemed to be awake, keeping watch by the fire.
Seeing the One-Eyed Kid approach the fire, he came over to greet him.
It seemed he intended to use a caring approach to gather some information once more.
Ideally, he wanted to pry out details about Zhang Yangqing. He knew that despite Zhang Yangqing’s posturing all evening, the man had been utterly tight-lipped, revealing no useful information whatsoever—a testament to his cleverness.
This kid looks simple-minded, should be easier to deal with. Surely he won’t talk as much as his friend.
The middle-aged man was half right. The One-Eyed Kid indeed spoke little, but he was far from easy to deal with.
The middle-aged man asked many questions. Whenever the One-Eyed Kid didn’t know how to answer, he simply remained silent or responded with a single nasal “Mm.”
No matter how the middle-aged man asked, the Kid remained aloof and indifferent.
How could anyone extract useful information from someone who barely opened his mouth?
The middle-aged man even started to suspect he was a mute who only knew how to say “Mm.”
This thoroughly exasperated the middle-aged man. What’s wrong with these two? One speaks nothing but lies, the other doesn’t open his mouth all night!
He felt like a fool, wasting the entire evening questioning these two.
Had he known their personalities were so bizarre, he wouldn’t have bothered!
The next day, contrary to all the viewers’ expectations, Zhang Yangqing actually joined the small group.
Viewers might not understand why, but Zhang Yangqing had seen through the situation, which was precisely why he had spoken as he did the previous night.
Although these people appeared to be in the same boat, they were actually estranged from one another in spirit.
Others in the team seemed unwilling to offend the middle-aged man and his son, since the man was a veteran member and his son was powerful.
Now, there was someone unafraid of trouble, someone willing to cross the father-son duo.
If some opposed Zhang Yangqing and the One-Eyed Kid joining the team, then others would surely support them.
His supporters were bound to be the five lone wolves sleeping inside the temple.
After all, they hadn’t secured comfortable rooms and were marginalized members of the group.
Naturally, they harbored some resentment towards this arrangement.
They weren’t comfortable voicing it, so they needed an external force to intervene.
The middle-aged man would certainly remain neutral. As long as the family of four also stayed neutral, not wanting to offend anyone,
the opposition from his son and the three nurses would be ineffective.
Why was Zhang Yangqing so sure the family of four would stay neutral? Because people with families generally avoid making enemies—they have vulnerable liabilities.
This was a weakness of human nature.
Besides, if the family of four did oppose him, Zhang Yangqing had a backup solution ready.
Those familiar with Zhang Yangqing knew that his so-called “solution” was naturally to eliminate those who opposed him, leaving only those who agreed.
By the time Zhang Yangqing woke up, the One-Eyed Kid had been observing the surroundings for a long time.
He was actually trying to observe the marks on others’ necks to determine the nature of their afflictions.
This was something Zhang Yangqing had instructed him to pay attention to upon their arrival.
But being short, he could only see the necks of those with low collars.
Those with high collars were beyond his direct view—a clear disadvantage.
Therefore, he could only pretend to walk past when others sat down to eat, trying to catch a glimpse.
It was only during mealtimes that these people would remove their masks.
The middle-aged man lived up to his demeanor—authoritative in appearance, yet seemingly benevolent and kind-hearted, at least on the surface.
His son was arrogant and defiant, his gaze sharp, as if everyone owed his family money.
The three nurses each had their own merits, all reasonably attractive.
From the family of four, only the husband and wife came out; the two children rarely left their room.
But this actually made it easier to deduce what illness the children had.
The father-son pair, the three nurses, the family of four—
seeing just one member was enough to know the affliction of the others in their group.
After all, they lived together, so they must have contracted the same plague.
As for the five lone wolves, they exhibited three different types.
At this stage, following Zhang Yangqing’s instructions, the One-Eyed Kid hadn’t deliberately concealed his own symptoms. This was to help them easily identify who they could safely interact with.
The observations the One-Eyed Kid was making were also the tasks keeping the other Chosen Ones busy early that morning.
The viewers’ guesses were correct: Zhang Yangqing was indeed using the kid like a game guide, preferring to laze about and let others do the work whenever possible.
After gathering this information, the One-Eyed Kid reported back to Zhang Yangqing.
The marks on the necks of the father and son were green.
The marks on the three nurses’ necks were purple.
The marks on the family of four’s necks were red.
Only the three nurses had neck marks similar in color to the Chosen Ones, meaning they were a compatible type for contact.
But the three nurses seemed somewhat dismissive of the Chosen Ones, which many found quite troublesome.
Among the five lone wolves, only one had a purple mark; the remaining three had green marks and one had a red mark.
After relaying the specifics about each person to Zhang Yangqing, the One-Eyed Kid had completed the task Zhang Yangqing had assigned him that morning.
The next task would depend on when Zhang Yangqing chose to inform him.
After breakfast, the middle-aged man put on his mask and gathered everyone in the center of the temple; he had matters to discuss.
Even though everyone wore masks, they still kept some distance from members of other factions.
The middle-aged man cleared his throat and began explaining the issues they needed to address next.
After all, they hadn’t gathered here intending to live out their lives in this place.
How to enter the city, how to cure the virus, how to find food—these were the pressing problems to solve.
As for medicine pills, the middle-aged man didn’t mention them, since no one would be willing to share theirs.
This also indirectly revealed that people didn’t want to expose their remaining supply.
However, collaborating on finding a way into the city and locating food—these were areas where everyone could contribute, and that was the purpose of their cooperation.
The middle-aged man planned to divide everyone into groups based on the type of plague virus they carried.
This would minimize the risk of cross-infection with multiple virus strains during task assignments.
He began explaining what tasks needed to be done.
For instance, today, the group with purple neck marks would go into the primeval forest to search for food.
The group with green neck marks would scout around the city perimeter, looking for sewer pipes, hidden openings, secret passages, etc.—anything that might provide entry into the city.
The group with red neck marks would be responsible for observing and recording the surroundings, and guarding the temple.
Then tomorrow, they would rotate: the green group would search for food, the red group would look for city access routes, and the purple group would observe the surroundings and guard the camp.
And so on for subsequent days, ensuring everyone’s workload was roughly equal.
This way, everyone could utilize their respective strengths.
This arrangement indeed left no room for complaints.
No one felt their assigned task was too arduous, since everyone would take turns doing each job.
Furthermore, everyone present shared the same goal: to get inside the city and cure their illness. Many hands make light work.
Upon completing their daily tasks, each group would send a representative here to exchange information, ensuring new progress was made every day.
As he spoke, the middle-aged man produced four walkie-talkies, keeping one for himself and giving the other three to the representatives of each group.
This allowed them to maintain communication, enabling rapid support if the camp encountered danger.
The middle-aged man acting as the overall commander was something no one objected to—not even Zhang Yangqing.
He was more than happy to let someone else volunteer for such a troublesome role.
He was only concerned that the middle-aged man might lack the capability; if so, Zhang Yangqing would find a way to take over command himself later.
But the middle-aged man seemed somewhat competent. As long as he didn’t make any mistakes, Zhang Yangqing was content to let things proceed as planned.
Because at this stage, many things were still unknown and required intelligence to verify.
The groups were now formed: Zhang Yangqing, the One-Eyed Kid, the three nurses, and one lone wolf—a six-person purple group.
The family of four and one lone wolf—a five-person green group.
The middle-aged man, his son, and three lone wolves—a five-person red group.
The personnel distribution was fairly even. Among the other Chosen Ones, the groups were perfectly arranged in a 5:5:5 ratio.
All this was likely a pre-arranged plot by the Spooky Tale World; the various coincidences aligned with an almost predictable pattern.
Only Zhang Yangqing had brought an extra person, resulting in a 6:5:5 split.
At this stage, everyone dispersed according to their assigned groups, moving to separate areas to select their representative, or group leader.
They also began familiarizing themselves with their group members, opening their masks to remember each other’s features.
Since they shared the same illness, cross-infection was unlikely.
Initially, the three nurses had a poor impression of Zhang Yangqing because he had ignored them upon arrival.
And last night, he’d spouted all that boastful nonsense—so annoying!
But who would have guessed that the moment Zhang Yangqing removed his mask, the purple group let out a collective gasp of surprise.
The other groups had no idea what happened and looked over curiously.
But once they looked, they couldn’t help but sharply inhale.
Beneath the raven mask was revealed a face of unparalleled, breathtaking handsomeness.
Zhang Yangqing was naturally gifted with exquisite features, a countenance of striking elegance and heroic spirit, and a demeanor simply unmatched in the world.
Just standing there, doing nothing at all, he seemed the most radiant existence between heaven and earth.
This was devastatingly effective against all human females.
The three nurses transformed instantly from aloof and cold figures into lovestruck admirers.
They stood rooted to the spot, their eyes practically shaped like hearts.
Other Chosen Ones needed to use flattering words to improve their relationship with the three nurses.
Zhang Yangqing merely removed his mask, and instantly maxed out the three nurses’ favorable impression of him!
It almost made the viewers forget he possessed such a unique, natural advantage.
[Commentary: It can be confirmed, these women aren’t insect-people. Insect-people definitely wouldn’t make lovestruck expressions because different species wouldn’t know which human is handsome!]
[Commentary: Sounds absurd, but based on the experience from the last round, I think your point actually holds some logic.]
[Commentary: Master Zhang could clearly rely on his looks, yet he consistently relies on his strength.]
[Commentary: You don’t understand. Looks can conquer women, but strength can conquer everyone!]
When someone is merely handsome or merely strong, viewers can critique them with mixed praise and criticism.
But when encountering someone who is both devastatingly handsome and incredibly powerful, viewers can only express admiration, with no other words.
Being handsome was just the icing on the cake. The main objective of this stage remained how to enter the city.
After all, the city guards were likely all male; Zhang Yangqing relying on his looks would be difficult.
However, he had no intention of doing so anyway.
This was precisely why the short ninja from Sakura Country held such a massive advantage in this Spooky Tale.
From the very beginning of the instance until now, attentive viewers could see it was mostly about evading danger, infiltrating heavily guarded locations, and obtaining key items.
Even this final stage was similar: navigating sewers, even ventilation ducts—places others wouldn’t dare consider—the ninja could manage.
Even facing hidden tasks, as long as he knew the location, the ninja could use his special abilities to infiltrate the insect nest, approach the queen insect, and deploy the black liquid.
But he had recklessly gotten himself killed early on, earning a severe scolding from Sakura Country’s viewers.
Sakura Country’s viewers all felt that if their ninja hadn’t thrown his life away, achieving an SSSSS rating in this round would have been effortless.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time they’d thought this way. Whenever their country’s Chosen One died recklessly, they believed a perfect score was easily attainable otherwise.
Their claims also drew scorn from viewers worldwide; anyone can be a hindsight expert.
But how many can actually accomplish it?
