Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Yin Shuang’s Solo Tower Invitation

Ming Che immediately agreed upon hearing Bai Wu’s interest.

Bai Wu had a sharp mind, which was what he valued the most about Bai Wu.

"No problem, speaking of which, wouldn’t you consider joining our Garrison Corps? Don’t worry about the Investigation Corps, I’ll take care of it for you. Although I won’t take over the vice-commander position like Wu Jiu in the future, to tell you the truth, the fourth layer is really boring. The happiest place in the entire High Tower is still the third layer. On the third layer, my face carries a lot of weight."

Bai Wu said:

"Captain Ming, if we are like-minded, wouldn’t it be better for me to be in the Investigation Corps and you in the Garrison Corps?"

Ming Che mulled over this, and it seemed to make sense, but he felt something was amiss.

The sentence was like saying, "Darling, as long as we truly love each other, it doesn’t matter if we don’t get a marriage certificate."

Pure friends naturally don’t need any relationship for assurance. But clearly, Ming Che and Bai Wu weren’t there yet.

However, Bai Wu didn’t mind; he had thick skin.

"The Harbinger is hidden among the guests I’ve invited. Actually, I could give you the list and you could investigate him privately."

"No need, investigating the Harbinger is just one aspect, I also want to see how many good-looking girls there are at the gatherings organized by Captain Ming."

Ming Che laughed heartily, giving Bai Wu a look that said everything without speaking.

Then, Bai Wu chatted with Ming Che for a bit longer, mainly because Ming Che was very curious about just how dangerous the red zone really was.

Bai Wu also rambled on, saying that inside, just any creature was a level nine mutaunt, and how they repeatedly fell into life-threatening situations, all depending on the Captain wielding a short knife, fighting from East Street to West Street, from the first floor to the twenty-fourth.

Ming Che couldn’t help but sigh; since ancient times, the strong are cherished, and his own charisma could never outweigh Little Dwarf’s strength.

It wasn’t that Bai Wu was bored when he made up these stories; he didn’t want to leave too early. When it came to the topic of women, Bai Wu quickly brought up the case of the missing girls from the lower level.

It wasn’t something that had to be kept secret, and Bai Wu was quite keen to see if he could get any information through Ming Che.

But clearly, Ming Che couldn’t offer much help with the case:

"I must say, it’s quite embarrassing. Although our corps’ structures are similar and we have a security team responsible for investigating various cases, it’s mostly noble cases we focus on. As for the lower levels, there isn’t much attention given. Even if we want to give attention, we simply can’t keep up with it all. You, Bai brothers, down in the lower levels should be clearer about this than us, it’s just too chaotic there."

Bai Wu did not deny it.

The security on the lower levels was terrible, with too many crimes happening every day. If it wasn’t for Dwarf’s Wife being schemed against by Cain, along with the incident involving the Chengzi sisters back then, he wouldn’t have even noticed this case.

"Is there something special about this case?" Ming Che was not dumb and knew that there was a point to every conversation Bai Wu initiated.

"There happen to be two friends involved, hm... very pretty friends."

The hint in the latter half was obvious, and Ming Che thought to himself that this kid really kept a low profile; casually asking led to at least two possibilities.

"Alright, I will pay attention to it for you, and I’ll ask around at other noble social events. Some nobles are involved in the ’dark business,’ and I know some of them. I’ll see if I can find out anything."

In fact, Bai Wu knew that the real mastermind behind the scenes was very likely from the fifth layer.

After defeating Lilith, Dwarf’s Wife switched into Lilith’s clothes that day, and the two, being similarly built, left the Hongyuan Production Base.

On the way, she let slip Lilith’s plan, that if the rescue failed, she would be sent to a manor on the fifth layer.

But for now, Bai Wu had no other leads. Who knew how many manors there were on the fifth layer?

With the limited information gathered from Ming Che, Bai Wu didn’t linger any longer. In his eyes, the young master had always been nothing more than a tool.

Of course, this tool was not the initiator of some conspiracy and had no deep entanglements with the dark forces outside the tower, which was something that made Bai Wu quite happy.

Perhaps he could be friends with Ming Che, provided that he had no deep connections with higher-level rulers.

One week later, Bai Wu would be invited to attend some sort of "major lecher exchange club." He was actually looking forward to it.

Yet, one week was enough time for him to leave the tower again.

But before leaving the tower, there were still some people he had to see.

...

...

Asylum.

Bai Wu discovered that although this place was a world of the mad, every visit brought a sensation of a unique order.

Two old men were always playing chess. Dr. Zheng was always being educated by his nurses.

The fool with drool on his lips always smiled at him, and after reaching the sixth floor, the transmigrator was still trying hard to contact the Space-Time Association.

Bai Wu did not knock directly on the door, as Yan Jiu’s room had a visitor.

Ever since Liu Chengzi met Yan Jiu, she had often run over to her place. It wasn’t that as a ruler’s daughter, Yan Jiu could give her lots of Tower Currency.

It was that a girl with many thoughts and a girl with a simple mind actually matched well.

Especially when teaching Yan Jiu how to flirt with men, this gave Liu Chengzi a great sense of accomplishment. Previously self-admiring, she always thought she had astonishing abilities, but lamented the lack of audience appreciation.

Now she had one.

Yan Jiu was practically her disciple, but this disciple’s style was completely different from the master’s.

"If Bai Wu tells you at this moment, ’I have to go,’ you can’t directly ask him when he’ll come next time, Jiu, remember, you can’t live like a resentful woman secluded in a boudoir,"

"But I do want to know when he’ll come next,"

"You’re so naive, silly girl! You always have to keep the initiative in your hands. It’s not good to wait for others to tell you when they’ll come. First you have to learn to create opportunities, but the opportunities you create are also chances for the other person. Let big sister here teach you what to do."

As history repeated itself, Liu Chengzi, unaware of Bai Wu’s arrival again, began to teach Yan Jiu.

She treated Yan Jiu as a man, then hugged her from behind. Yan Jiu’s eyes widened, although she realized this was Chengzi’s practical teaching, she still felt uncomfortable. After all, she had rarely been so intimate with anyone since she was young.

"Well, okay, you take care outside, don’t worry about me, I can be fine alone... ah, the day after tomorrow the amusement park is offering a discount for couples, and I have to go alone at the full price. If something fun happens, I’ll record it and tell you about it,"

In Liu Chengzi’s eyes, there was a hint of reluctance, but more so an accustomedness to loneliness. She smiled as she spoke to the man, without deliberate sorrow or self-pity, yet it was exactly this that made one’s heart ache.

This sentence did not overtly detain the man, yet it revealed plans for the day after tomorrow to bring him along for fun, hinting at her inner thoughts but also giving the man an opportunity, a chance to surprise the girl.

Of course, the essence of this method lay in the expression rather than in words, using one’s empathy and likeability to mask loneliness, which most men couldn’t resist.

Yan Jiu couldn’t grasp this concept; she just felt that Chengzi was so pitiful and naively said,

"I’ll go with you!"

"Pshaw! What do you mean, ’go with me’? I was just giving you an example! Next time Bai Wu leaves, you talk to him like this, remember my expression, movements, and eye contact!"

Liu Chengzi was anything but pitiful; she lacked for nothing, least of all male companionship.

Yan Jiu knew from the start that this was a lesson for her, but she still earnestly said,

"Chengzi, if you have nobody to accompany you, just come find me, okay? I can play with you anytime."

Yan Jiu spoke these words with seriousness. Watching Yan Jiu’s calm expression, Liu Chengzi suddenly realized something—

This young girl couldn’t smile; her smiles were stiff and awkward, making these techniques of flirting utterly useless for her.

Liu Chengzi was suddenly reminded of two friends who had disappeared.

She knew too many men, many of whom would tell her that they would protect her like her best friend. She knew very well how real that was, a single kiss was enough to test the truth behind those words.

Such pure concern coming from a friend, Liu Chengzi hadn’t felt in a long time. Suddenly feeling reinvigorated, she clapped her hands and declared,

"Alright, stinky men are unreliable. Big sister will come look for you often."

Just at that moment, Bai Wu knocked on the door. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Liu Chengzi immediately had a bad premonition, her smile freezing in place.

As expected, Bai Wu’s cutting response came from outside the door:

"Yan Jiu can’t leave the Asylum. You can change the amusement park couples’ discount to the Asylum hosting an art exhibition. Besides, as a member of the Investigation Corps with a secondary tag, I don’t get to enjoy any discount activities either. Moreover, we are friends, not lovers."

Upon hearing Bai Wu’s voice, Yan Jiu opened the door and said like a little housewife:

"You’re back so soon?"

"Yes, this time the investigation outside the tower didn’t take much time."

Although the casino was full of secrets, Bai Wu didn’t linger too long on those bets.

For a moment, Yan Jiu didn’t know what to say, just staring at Bai Wu wide-eyed because he hadn’t deliberately piled on a smile at Bai Wu’s request.

Liu Chengzi watched the girl stare intently at Bai Wu, suddenly feeling a bit superfluous, while also feeling anxious for the girl who struggled to make conversation.

Fortunately, this time Bai Wu had come prepared.

"I’m here to learn painting."

"You? Painting?" Liu Chengzi’s eyes widened.

Bai Wu said:

"The camera can be used too few times. Many landscapes outside the tower can’t be captured. If I could have superb painting skills like Yan Jiu, maybe in the future I could bring back many landscapes from outside the tower."

Bringing back landscapes was one aspect, but mainly Bai Wu needed some sort of painting-like records.

Electronic devices from the High Tower couldn’t be used outside; only Spirit Possession items could, but considering his own pot and now that the Talent Sequence had lined up, he had such few items for Spirit Possession that he didn’t count on it.

He could only learn to paint from Yan Jiu.

He was certain that some paintings of scenes from outside and even inside the tower would play some unexpected roles in the future.

Because unlike photos, paintings can incorporate many personal subjective elements.

People always have the most charm and confidence when doing what they’re best at, but faced with Bai Wu’s request, Yan Jiu still felt nervous:

"Can... can I teach you well?"

After thinking about it seriously, Bai Wu humbly replied:

"As of now, you are the most excellent painter I have ever seen. And if you have many students in the future, ninety-nine percent of them won’t be smarter than me. So the chances of you failing to teach me are very low."

"Oh, oh, okay then."

"I want to learn too! But I’ll wait until Bai Wu isn’t here," Liu Chengzi suddenly said.

"Why?" Yan Jiu didn’t quite understand.

Being with someone you like, doing what you enjoy, is probably the happiest moment in a person’s life. Take away eating, sleeping, zoning out, working, and all sorts of meaningless or unhappy times, and you’ll realize such opportunities are in fact very rare.

But when a person is sad and in despair, only those scant memories shine like a warm sun all on their own.

Liu Chengzi tactfully didn’t want to be a third wheel; the light she gave Yan Jiu was just like fireflies, no match for Bai Wu.

The following three days turned out to be the happiest days for Yan Jiu.

Creating is fun, but learning to create is not.

The more monotonous the task, the more Bai Wu wanted to do it in one go, cleanly and decisively, without prolonging it.

So for three days straight, his enthusiasm was so apparent that Liu Chengzi and Yan Jiu both got the wrong impression that he must really love learning to paint.

Thus, Yan Jiu also felt happy, though in her range of emotions, happy simply meant not being sad.

In the span of three days, Bai Wu had roughly progressed from a novice to proficiency, not quite a master and still a significant distance from Yan Jiu’s level.

But due to the short learning time, Yan Jiu sensed Bai Wu’s astonishing talent.

This man was a genius, a prodigy who learned everything quickly. She found it strange that with such learning abilities, Bai Wu should not have been unknown, even in the lower levels.

The lower levels also arranged for people to learn, and if someone showed high talent during their studies, they would be noticed by the upper echelons and assigned to some special professions, which is another way in which knowledge altered one’s destiny.

The requirements for such talent were extremely high, but Bai Wu was undoubtedly qualified. Yan Jiu remembered Liu Chengzi mentioning that Bai Wu used to be a beggar.

This puzzled Yan Jiu, and she was very curious about Bai Wu’s childhood. How exactly had he passed his younger days?

Yan Jiu did not ask these questions, and Bai Wu never talked about his past when chatting with others.

...

Upon hearing that Bai Wu had graduated from the artistry in just three days, Liu Chengzi felt that this matter seemed quite different from what she had imagined.

Although it looked complicated, maybe it wasn’t that hard after all? So she began to learn painting with Yan Jiu as well.

Similarly, within three days, Liu Chengzi finally went from knowing nothing at all to understanding just a little.

The gap between her and Bai Wu in artistry was like comparing an integrated graphics card with an RTX 3090, or a minimalist line drawing with a masterpiece full of vibrant colors.

This made Liu Chengzi doubt herself, realizing that people truly could not be all painted with the same brush.

...

...

During the three days Bai Wu was learning to paint, a major event occurred in the Investigation Corps—Wu Jiu was about to become the deputy commander of the Investigation Corps.

In the absence of the power to change the system, some things should not be contemplated, and Wu Jiu had always believed that. He was fully aware of the chaos at the lower levels and the corruption at the higher levels; changing these had always been his life’s goal.

However, the decision to ascend to the position of deputy commander of the Investigation Corps was not a sudden resolution, or due to any particular shock from the last investigation.

Instead, it was that Wu Jiu himself, and even Qin Zong, felt the timing was now ripe and appropriate. Despite his youth, Wu Jiu was now suitable to touch the level of the managers.

For the Investigation Corps, this was naturally a cause for celebration.

Bai Wu also felt that perhaps before long, he could learn more about the fourth level through the captain.

He might even get to make contact with the fifth level.

The Investigation Corps was busy from top to bottom, especially the Seventh Unit where Wu Jiu had served; they now had to select a new captain.

Everyone was discussing how the higher-ups would arrange it.

To Bai Wu, these were boring matters.

Wu Jiu’s promotion was good news for him, but he didn’t want it to affect his exploration outside the tower with the captain.

After completing his painting studies, and with a few days remaining until Ming Che’s gathering, Bai Wu decided to venture outside the tower.

With the captain too busy and Qin Lin still reclusively dealing with his misfortune, only "Regeneration Hero" Bai Xiaoyu was left to accompany Qin Lin.

Therefore, Bai Wu had no choice but to leave them behind.

He originally thought the four members of the Vanguard Group would also be too busy to leave the tower, and he would have to venture out alone.

But to Bai Wu’s surprise, Yin Shuang suddenly approached him.

This normally reserved ice queen had unexpectedly extended an invitation to venture outside the tower.

(Anti-theft character count: 4240, Actual text count: 4557 characters)