Free Web NovelChapter 503: Chapter 120: Money, Charlatan, Cat Girl
Bai Wu’s tone actually wasn’t very anxious.
Bai Yuan had a high regard for Jing Yi, and between the two of them, deception was mutual with victories on both sides.
If the commander of the Evil Fallen this time was Bai Yuan, Bai Wu guessed, Bai Yuan would do the same.
After all, Bai Yuan’s approach was to conquer the heart.
Jing Yi tried to make humans feel a sense of worship for the Evil Fallen, which had something in common with Bai Yuan’s method of having the Evil Fallen experience human memories, turning their hearts human.
"This city will ultimately become very deformed. Humans might develop some sort of dependence on the Evil Fallen,"
It was Zhao who spoke.
Zhao knew that the person before him was no longer Tang Jing.
This kind of miraculous thing would have surprised him in the past, but now he could accept it calmly.
Bai Wu laughed and said:
"Domestication is just like that. It’s the same as you capitalists cutting leeks while also giving them motivational speeches, encouraging them not to give up."
"These humans are being exploited by the Evil Fallen, yet they are also tearfully grateful to them. It’s exactly the same."
Zhao coughed awkwardly:
"Cough, cough, at least we don’t eat people... My money, although it comes from the poor, is at least spent on them."
Bai Wu retorted:
"You think you can become the world’s richest man without eating people? Do you think you’re Mr. Pei?"
"But don’t worry, I’m not here to criticize you. You’re right, compared to other tycoons, at least your money is used to protect this world."
The last thing Bai Wu said made Zhao feel a bit better, and he was no longer so tense.
He was actually worried that the real Light Arrow Knight might hold a bad impression of him.
Bai Wu was just testing Zhao. Seeing that Zhao was fairly open, they returned to the topic of Sanchez City:
"What should be done about this city? Currently, it is indeed a safe place, and more and more people are heading here."
"Many people were originally planning to go to High Tower because there were rumors that it was the land of salvation, but then, because of the appearance of this city, the number of people heading to High Tower greatly decreased."
"Now, in Sanchez City, oh, resources are abundant, and they’re in high demand."
Bai Wu suddenly thought of a question:
"The currency circulating in Sanchez City should still be Meinan Currency, right?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Zhao, my companions are on their way here, and I need you to prepare plenty of cash."
Under his mask, Zhao’s face showed difficulty.
"How much cash?"
Bai Wu shook his head:
"Not a specific figure, but all the cash in this world. Gather as much as you can."
After some thought, believing he understood Bai Wu’s intention, Zhao objected:
"It won’t work... are you planning to enter that city and control it with money?"
"It’s impossible, as far as I know, people entering that city will have all their money taken away, and each person, after entering the city, will only have a certain amount of initial money."
"As for how to earn money, how to make a living, they have to fulfill the various requirements set by the Kein Group."
Bai Wu hadn’t anticipated this move by the Kein Group.
"Thus, the cash flow from outside Sanchez is unable to change the prices inside."
Bai Wu found this interesting. He knew the boss of the Kein Group could very likely be the Club K, that businessman.
Xi Yunzi, Heart K, a charlatan.
Club K, a businessman, suspected to be the boss of the Kein Group.
Club K, an artist who can catalyze the rules.
And the last, Diamond K, Dong Nianyu, who is currently likely to be with Shen Shuyue.
These four Ks wouldn’t participate in the attack on High Tower; they were the vanguard of the farm, hence in future Sanchez City, these four would hold high status.
After a bit of thought, Bai Wu found a breakthrough. If he wanted to save the city, he probably had to start with the charlatan, Xi Yunzi.
Of course, all of this would only matter after a successful defense of High Tower.
Bai Wu looked at Zhao:
"The money I asked you to prepare is not for causing chaos with the prices in Sanchez City. You just prepare the money, the more you prepare, the greater your contribution to this world will be."
Zhao was completely baffled. Even Tang Jing reminded him in his consciousness:
"Master, money is the least valuable thing now... Everyone is bartering. Medicine, pure water, food, these are the most valuable things."
"In the ruins above ground, cash is everywhere... just like waste paper."
Bai Wu looked at a confused Zhao and said:
"The more cash, the better. No matter what means you use, even if you have to trade goods for cash, you need to have it prepared for me."
"Ah, this..." Mr. Zhao had never thought there would be such a demand.
He was really... so poor that he only had money left. He kept thinking, why didn’t he spend this money earlier to build a bigger sanctuary and store more supplies.
In this kind of apocalypse, cash really had no meaning.
But unexpectedly... Bai Wu had made this request.
Bai Wu didn’t consider this matter too important. He was somewhat looking forward to someone’s encounter with Mr. Zhao, but not overly so.
It was just a casual move in the game; if it worked, great, and if it didn’t have much effect, then that was also fine.
"I must go. If there are any other situations, contact me in time. As for the city, just leave it as is for now. The more important place at the moment is the High Tower."
God Descent was lifted.
After Tang Jing regained control of his body, Mr. Zhao felt very puzzled:
"What does he want with so much cash for?"
"I don’t know, but Master must have his reasons for doing so."
"You really believe in him without reservation, don’t you?"
Though Mr. Zhao said this, he also started thinking about how to collect as much cash as possible.
If Bai Wu had made only this one request, then he had to find a way to fulfill it to the utmost.
"Alright, your master may be strange, but that’s how great figures are. Since it’s his request, I’ll give it my best try."
As Mr. Zhao spoke, he added another comment:
"But is he missing the point? Is it really okay not to bother with that city?"
Tang Jing still had absolute trust in Bai Wu:
"Master will surely take action. Sanchez City might have changes very soon."
...
...
Mr. Zhao began his journey to collect money, and to someone like him with substantial assets, making money was as simple as breathing.
Yet inexplicably, although Mr. Zhao did not know the purpose, he felt a sense of sanctity.
It was as if his actions could trigger some major transformation.
While Mr. Zhao was busy gathering funds, another person in Sanchez City was also feeling troubled.
Meinan, Sanchez City.
Billboards with phrases like "The Last Sanctuary for Humanity" were erected everywhere.
Jing Yi chose this city because the properties in Sanchez City were the highest among all cities.
A forest of skyscrapers gave this city a cyberpunk feel.
This also allowed the city’s land to accommodate as many people as possible.
Nowadays in Sanchez City, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that even the spaces in the sewers were being speculated on.
Although there were many people, Xi Yunzi, one of the managers of Sanchez City, was not happy.
The head of the Kein Group had become the Ace of Spades, and the Club King, the painter, had been transferred elsewhere.
The city, in name, was a gift from Jing Yi to Dong Nianyu, who would be the city’s queen.
But Dong Nianyu had disappeared for a while. Even the kings did not know where Dong Nianyu had gone.
Now, the two managers of the city were the head of the Kein Group and Xi Yunzi, who was responsible for maintaining order within the city.
Being placed in charge of managing this city had already annoyed Xi Yunzi, a charlatan.
He didn’t like such places.
Although the people here respected him, they weren’t very religious.
Xi Yunzi’s power came from humanity’s belief in gods. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
The more believers, the stronger the power.
But the problem was that belief alone wasn’t sufficient.
They had to be true believers in the existence of gods, which meant that the believers needed to be slightly fanatical.
And such people... often didn’t last long in crisis situations.
Just like normal people would call for help when drowning, the citizens of a normal country would seek doctors when infected with disease.
But many fervent believers wouldn’t. They would choose to trust in God’s guidance.
And so God guided them to drown or to die without medical treatment. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
When Evil Fallen approached, most people chose to flee. Yet worshipers would chant: Praise the true God.
And then get eaten by the monsters.
So, during apocalyptic crises, those with sane minds, who believed in science, stood a much better chance of surviving than those irrational believers.
Most of those who eventually came to Sanchez City were normal people.
These individuals didn’t believe in gods or ghosts, nor did they chase after celebrities. They knew well that idols wouldn’t descend from the heavens, and that heaven helps those who help themselves.
Of course, Sanchez City wasn’t devoid of believers, as there were quite a few in the city, just not as fanatical.
In any case, due to the apocalyptic crisis, Xi Yunzi’s powers had greatly diminished.
His charlatan intuition told him—he might be in danger.
Now in charge of the Kein Group, the King of Spades’ influence continued to grow, while Xi Yunzi’s own power was steadily decreasing.
Even though everyone came from the farm, who wouldn’t want to have sole control over the city?
Xi Yunzi might have some conspiracy theories, but as a charlatan, his intuition was almost as accurate as that of the "Light Arrow Knight".
Therefore, Xi Yunzi desperately sought a way out.
The current Sanchez City was constantly mutating.
The Kein Group had implemented a policy—
Every person entering the city would have all of their money taken away.
And then they would be given fifty Meinan Currency as starting funds.
As for all the resources of the city—jobs, houses, cars, food, clothes, and so on, everything was clearly priced.
The city overseen by the King of Spades encouraged everyone—
Under a no-violence policy, to make money from others, and to obtain more resources.
Outside of this city, money was the most useless thing.
People might spend hundreds of thousands of Fuyue Shields, or tens of thousands of US Dollars for an expired slice of bread.
But in this city, since there was no shortage of supplies and goods were only purchasable with currency, money became vitally important.
It’s worth mentioning that women with the ability to conceive received preferential treatment here, as long as they were willing to sign the "Womb Lease Agreement" with the Kein Corporation, they could obtain hundreds of Meinan Currency.
It was hard to imagine that, although lives were not directly bought, life in this city was gradually being commodified.
If Bai Wu were here, he would discover that Sanchez City was forming some sort of rules.
It was very likely to evolve into a certain region.
People’s obsession was to make money, to find ways to hold onto their fifty Meinan Currency, and also to find ways to take money from others.
And the game’s rules were deceit and trade.
So the whole city was forming a new rule where everything was tradable.
In such a place, who would care about preaching?
Even sitting down and begging along the streets was better than listening to the tedious rants of charlatans.
Xi Yunzi grew increasingly disgusted with this place.
Perhaps it was true that those from the Clubs were rebellious by nature.
That day, as Xi Yunzi wandered through the city, he occasionally asked some people if they were willing to believe in various gods.
Of course, it was fruitless.
As he passed the city’s largest square, he saw the same sign that Zero had put up back then—
"Twist never descends."
This was somewhat ironic, but just as Xi Yunzi was about to give the sign the finger, his phone rang.
Xi Yunzi found it strange, as the incoming call displayed an unknown area.
After hesitating for a second, Xi Yunzi answered the call.
"Hello, charlatan."
...
...
Western Meinan.
From a distance, one could already see the towering High Tower, as if it were a pillar from another dimension.
Everyone following "Wu Jiu" was amazed by the High Tower.
Along the way, due to circumstances in Sanchez City, there were few left willing to follow this "Mr. Valley".
"Wu Jiu" was content to be unburdened; her management skills were limited, and she was never good at handling so many people.
The fewer, the better.
By now her mission had also been accomplished. All she had to do was to lead these people to the base of the High Tower and, as someone had told her, use the Teleportation Stele to send this group of people into the High Tower.
That was what "Wu Jiu" had planned.
But when she actually led a bunch of people to the High Tower, there was a slight change of plans.
At the endless base of the High Tower, there were some Evil Fallen lingering around.
These Evil Fallen were weak, having mutated only recently.
For Wu Jiu, it wasn’t even an appetizer.
When Wu Jiu demonstrated her formidable strength and dealt with all the Evil Fallen around, those following her breathed a huge sigh of relief.
They didn’t know whether Sanchez City was truly the last haven.
But they were very clear that under current conditions, it was nearly impossible for humans to own a large territory.
If they did, there must be a problem.
So this group of people followed Wu Jiu all the way and finally arrived at the High Tower.
The perimeter of the High Tower was covered with Sequences language, which even the seven-hundred-year-old Wu Jiu didn’t recognize.
Even from a kilometer away, one couldn’t see the entirety of the High Tower, and visually it gave the impression that "this is just the tip of the iceberg."
Wu Jiu thought so too, the High Tower was visually too stunning.
So much so that even she took several more glances before preparing to leave, when something unexpected happened.
A team appeared before her.
"Captain!"
A very familiar title from someone’s memory made Wu Jiu feel a bit of warmth.
But the following actions were too warm, so much so that Wu Jiu felt disgusted.
When Zheng Yue saw Wu Jiu, he was immensely excited.
After all, Zheng Yue had left the High Tower before Wu Jiu returned.
Moreover, when the group left the Tower, Zero was already neutral toward humans and didn’t offer help.
So all along the way, Zheng Yue, Wang Su, Yin Shuang, Wang Shi, Shang Xiaoyi, Lin Wurou—they all had no idea what had happened.
They didn’t know that Wu Jiu had already returned from Denglin City.
And they didn’t know that the Wu Jiu in front of them wasn’t Wu Jiu but Li You.
Therefore, Zheng Yue rushed forward in a sprint:
"Damn it, how come you’re here? I thought you went to Denglin City... with no return. I tell you, if you really died, I would definitely have sought trouble with Yan Zizai."
"You’re saying he’d just let you go to that kind of place? Is his brain bubbly?"
Unlike others, Zheng Yue and Wang Su knew about Bai Wu’s death and Wu Jiu’s mission to Denglin City.
So seeing Wu Jiu, Zheng Yue was exceptionally excited, thinking that Wu Jiu had somehow managed a narrow escape.
He didn’t have time to wonder how Wu Jiu could instantly teleport here.
In any case, he hugged Wu Jiu excitedly.
This made Li You furrow her brows.
"Captain! We were still thinking, if we met monsters attacking the High Tower, whether we could defend it."
"Yeah, we’ve been very careful all the way, fortunately the Evil Fallen in the area beyond the Mist are not of a high mutation level."
"Now we’re not afraid, with the captain here, we’ll have no worries!"
The members of the Seventh Squad Vanguard Group were all chattering and laughing, extremely excited to see Wu Jiu.
Even Wang Su, the Guardian of the Wang Family, revealed a smile.
Although she was not close to Wu Jiu, she knew that this person had set a terrifyingly unsurpassable survival record.
At this moment, even though Li You didn’t like being hugged, seeing the genuine happiness bursting from everyone’s hearts,
a feeling she had never experienced surged within her.
They must really trust that Little Dwarf, right?
The fear in everyone’s eyes disappeared completely; in their eyes, was this Little Dwarf truly such a comforting presence?
Li You could imagine what it felt like, like a group of people in the dark, seeing a twinkling light.
Her frowning brows slowly relaxed.
She felt a stronger desire to peer into Wu Jiu’s past.
She had planned to leave, but these people... every single one of them was too weak, much weaker than the Little Dwarf.
Forget it, she would stay. That’s what Li You thought, suddenly changing her mind about leaving.
Passing by a certain city, she could sense that the Evil Fallen City hidden within harbored many powerful monsters.
On their own, this group definitely wouldn’t be able to withstand them.
Through establishing a connection with Wu Jiu these days, she had learned of the events that had happened in this world.
These people... in Li You’s eyes, they would probably all die at the hands of the Evil Fallen.
She had killed many humans and wouldn’t be stirred by compassion just because these humans were about to face a catastrophe.
The reason she chose to stay and help these humans was only to hope that the Wu Jiu in these weak humans’ hearts—would remain shining.
(There should be one or two more Chapters left to lay the groundwork. The High Tower battle will be multi-threaded, but I’ll ensure that each thread is as exciting as possible.)
