Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 601: Chapter 218: Two Different Approaches to Breaking the Situation

The free individuals roving this city were the nightmare of every identity performer.

Of course, they occasionally did good deeds, such as helping a certain identity to smoothly accomplish various tasks.

Such times were rare; in the depths of the human heart, there was always a desire for destruction.

It was suppressed by people’s moral conscience, but if one day they attained absolute freedom, then the morals that bound a portion of that freedom would also be discarded.

This group of free individuals had come here to cause destruction.

They were here to ruin the people who strove hard to play their roles well, even though the city itself was not friendly to these people.

And the free individuals would encounter no resistance; upon seeing a free individual, everyone felt an innate sense of fear and submission.

Those were the rules of the city.

But why...

Why was there not a trace of fear or submission in this dwarf’s eyes? Not even the rage before despair set in?

Wu Jiu’s gaze was as sharp as a sword, commanding without anger.

But he indeed did not feel anger.

To him, the white-robed masked individuals wielding hockey sticks, long knives, chainsaws, and chains were just a bunch of insignificant scoundrels.

The free individuals had never faced such a provocative look, interpreting this calm gaze directed at them as mockery.

He decided to swing his chain!

He forcibly overcame the fear evoked by that gaze, even though his heart sensed danger, still choosing to believe that in this city, no one could break the rules!

Pang!

The chain was crushed by Wu Jiu’s terrifying grip strength, shocking the white-robed man who had swung it. freeweɓnøvel.com

Wu Jiu’s words were the same:

"You’ve broken things and scared off the customers, pay the bill, and leave."

"I’ll pay your mom!"

A white-robed individual with a shrill voice still refused to believe, guessing that this short man could protect himself but was unlikely to harm them.

So he didn’t choose to confront Wu Jiu, instead he took the chainsaw in his hand and charged toward Ruan Qingyun, who was leaning against the wall.

Ruan Qingyun was extremely frightened upon seeing this, even though she could actually dodge.

Her body wasn’t restrained, but there was a voice in her head telling her that the free individuals could do anything to her.

At that moment, at last, a hint of anger surfaced on the usually calm Wu Jiu.

The chainsaw never touched Ruan Qingyun; instead, a free individual’s body flew several meters away.

Wu Jiu was certain that the other party aimed to kill Ruan Qingyun with a lethal strike just now.

His disdain for these people intensified:

"The act just now can’t be resolved with extra money. You will pay the price."

The restaurant’s workers were startled.

Ruan Qingyun also looked at Wu Jiu incredulously, and even the other white-robed free individuals didn’t expect such a scene.

A free individual... beaten up?

Could the long-standing rules of this city be broken so easily?

Was this a free individual hiding in the guise of a restaurant part-time worker?

But why did his own eyes show... that the other side indeed was a chef?

The free individuals looked at Wu Jiu in shock, their eyes betraying their undisguised fear.

Evil individuals, when encountering someone more evil, often become weaker than kind individuals faced with evil.

They looked at their comrade who had been propelled back several meters, who hadn’t even grasped how he had been repelled, their legs trembling.

Because the white-robed free individual’s mask was deformed, as if a tremendous force had indented it into his face.

His entire body seemed devoid of any intact bones, writhing in pain on the ground without being able to move; the only thing he could move was his fingers.

"Gu Qingyu... they are free individuals. If we provoke them, we’ll be in big trouble," Ruan Qingyun didn’t want things to escalate.

In fact, things had already escalated, as the pallor of the nearby staff turned ashen.

He dared not entertain the thought of striking a free person, he didn’t even know if he could do such a thing.

But if someone did, he would only think, "It’s all over now, things have blown up completely. If the proprietress doesn’t fire me... no, even if the proprietress does fire me, these people would retaliate, right?"

They would remember our faces and take revenge after we get our next identities, or perhaps they would meddle even before our new identities arrive.

Who knows what these absolute free people are capable of?

Arson, killing, looting, zero-cost acquisitions, all the things written in the criminal law, in their eyes, are blasphemies against freedom. Offending such people...

This shop wouldn’t have a future.

Thinking about this, the clerk’s look towards Wu Jiu even held more animosity than towards those white-robed free people.

Ruan Qingyun was different; she was just scared, thinking about how to resolve the situation.

Wu Jiu noticed this too, and he suddenly remembered some experiences from the lower levels of the High Tower.

The nobles from the higher levels bullied the weak miners below; you must never stand up for the miners, for not only would the miners not be grateful, they would curse you for meddling.

Because though you seemed to have helped them, it would only bring them greater pain when they encounter these nobles again in the future.

It was like children in school learning one thing, if you get hit, endure it, don’t tell the teacher.

If you tell the teacher, they may help you once, but in places where the teacher isn’t present, you will be bullied even worse by others.

To resolve such a predicament, one must make the bullies understand what it means to counter violence with violence.

Ruan Qingyun’s voice, the look in the clerk’s eyes, and the actions of those white-robed people, filled Wu Jiu with immense disgust in that moment.

Once upon a time, it was precisely because he hated this great inequality between people that he had joined the Investigation Corps, wanting to change these things.

Although those memories had been erased, the heroic spirit embedded in Wu Jiu’s blood was still there:

"Ruan Qingyun, I’m not being a chef anymore."

As Wu Jiu spoke, he took off his chef’s outfit to Ruan Qingyun’s astonishment.

"These people won’t cause you trouble, rest assured."

The imposing man turned his head and smiled at Ruan Qingyun.

Ruan Qingyun wished she could remember that smile for the rest of her life, hoping to still remember it even after her next identity arrives.

Wu Jiu said:

"I will take them away from here, until we meet again."

"Wait, don’t do anything foolish! Gu Qingyu, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Ruan Qingyun realized the resolution in Wu Jiu’s words.

She had been shocked too many times today; in this city, there were plenty of powerful people and monsters, but the strength Wu Jiu exuded was of a different level.

"I’ve always felt that only those who can make choices are human, otherwise, they’re nothing but blindly following slaves."

"My intuition tells me I can’t shake off my identity, but my true heart tells me I must do this."

Those were Wu Jiu’s last words. After speaking, he walked step by step toward the white-robed free people, and with each step he took, the free people took a step back.

That terrifying aura made all the free people very frightened. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Eventually, one of the free people could no longer withstand the atmosphere, threw away their weapon, and screamed loudly as they fled.

Once someone started to break down, the desolate feeling of collapse spread like the fastest-moving plague.

Those who had just now boasted themselves as superiors, these absolute free people, started to flee in panic.

Wu Jiu’s footsteps also quickened, always maintaining a distance, as he picked up one of the free people with broken bones from the ground, who was unable to move.

The gaze from the indentations in the free person’s mask met with Wu Jiu’s.

It was a terrifyingly profound gaze, and with that look, the free person suddenly understood...

This guy isn’t human... He absolutely isn’t someone who should be in this city.

This is a demon from hell.

...

More than ten minutes later, the clerk was still trembling in the corner, while Ruan Qingyun silently began tidying the messy dining area.

Only some cutlery and chairs were damaged, which had no impact on her identity.

Even if she had to close for the day tomorrow, as long as this eatery remained, she believed she could still play her role well.

Perhaps not perfectly... but it could provide a good start for the next life that was about to arrive.

As she thought this, her hand reached for the shattered tableware, but she felt as if her strength had left her, causing the already broken tableware to fall and smash again into even smaller pieces.

Fear and unwillingness left her body devoid of strength, even though Gu Qingyu and those people had already walked far away.

What would happen to him?

Why was he able to take on that group of people?

He clearly looked like a newcomer who had just entered the city, right?

He was clearly targeted because of her, his boss; at this time, all he had to do was hide in a corner like the other employees and show a scared expression.

Why bother meddling?

Ruan Qingyun didn’t know if she was blaming herself or blaming Wu Jiu, as Wu Jiu’s last words kept replaying in her mind.

"Only those who can make choices are human, otherwise they’re nothing but blindly obedient slaves."

So-called choices, in such a city, were truly a luxury.

Yet somehow, Gu Qingyu managed to easily break free from the shackles of identity.

Was it his choice to abandon his current identity on the day before he was due to switch to a new one?

What kind of man was he, really?

Having offended the free people... what would he experience in this city?

Would she ever see him again in the future?

...

...

In another part of Baichuan City.

In a high-end office building, Bai Wu watched as a group of old people, children, and teenagers who should be of high school age walked back and forth in business attire, finding the day rather dull.

Of course, Bai Wu still played his role perfectly.

He could easily step out of any given identity, but without any clues for the time being, Bai Wu decided to first be a "person trapped by his identity." Within the game’s rules, he looked for information that could break the game’s boundaries.

At this moment, Bai Wu was quite like Wu Jiu, seemingly very principled and rule-abiding in his actions.

On the other hand, Wu Liu was more like Bai Wu.

But Bai Wu was unaware of what was happening in another corner.

Now, he was a performer.

Although lacking in experience in playing the role of a husband, when it came to playing an employee, a passenger, or various other characters, Bai Wu was like a master.

Coming to the company for a day, he efficiently solved the boss’s problems, completed his tasks ahead of time, and even volunteered to work overtime.

These tasks were too easy for Bai Wu, and he used his work to learn a lot about the city.

For example, how everyone was confined by their identities, the rules of changing identities, and about the free people.

To conquer the first location, one must first understand a place; Bai Wu, during his work, seemed to have figured out the game rules.

At the moment, his attention was on another matter—urban legends.

With just over ten minutes left until overtime ended, Bai Wu was browsing the internet, slacking off while on the clock.

"The Ghoul with an Odd Face, and pets injuring people... the ghoul specifically devours the friends of others and grows a new face as a result."

"And pets injuring people, it’s as if all pets have gone mad at once."

"Is it caused by identity? Not necessarily..."

"Perhaps in this city, there’s not just one heavily distorted familiar figure."

Retaining memories allowed Bai Wu to ascertain that those he encountered in the fifth layer of the Well World were people he had met in the past.

Only now, these people, or some rules, were heavily twisted.

"Dandelion, Jing."

After a simple analysis, Bai Wu came to a conclusion.

"The Ghoul with an Odd Face... could be Dandelion."

There was an indescribable bond between Dandelion and Bai Xiaoyu.

This man-eating monster, who regarded everyone with an attitude of mockery and loathing, had already been led astray by Cain while still human.

Perhaps he was inherently evil, and Cain simply unleashed the evil within him.

Only Bai Xiaoyu was the single soft spot in Dandelion’s heart.

"If correcting these severely distorted Guardians can give me more clues about the fifth layer, as well as the truth about the World Will, then I cannot let this Ghoul with an Odd Face go..."

"As for the pet injuring someone, the pets I’ve come into contact with are Jing and Jiang Yimi’s cat... Personally, I’m more inclined to suspect Jing."

The Guardians of the Twisted Jungle and Baichuan City Zoo were none other than Dandelion and Jing.

Adding the mastermind behind the identity rules, it was very likely to be Violet, Bai Wu realized...

This Baichuan City truly abounds with talent.

"Tomorrow is the weekend, I need to find a way to meet up with the captain."

Even the most capitalistic boss couldn’t find fault with Bai Wu, who not only completed his own tasks perfectly but also stayed overtime to finish others’ tasks.

He was even the last one to leave the office, to the point where the boss had to call, using a tone that mixed reproach with concern, emphasizing that this was a family-like company and the employees were his kin, urging Bai Wu to go home earlier.

Bai Wu promised with a smile while feeling bitter inside.

Once he left the building, he had to take on another identity... as Yan Jiu’s man.

...

...

Back at the community on Academy Street, the moment he knocked on the door, Yan Jiu opened it and said in an excited tone, though with no smile:

"Dear, you’re back!"

"Hmm... I’m back."

"You must be tired."

"Not really, I wanted to work overtime. The boss is no fun, depriving me of my right to overtime."

Bai Wu’s words completely baffled Yan Jiu.

"Then... are you hungry? I’ll go heat up the food."

Dinner was already prepared and quite lavish, but Bai Wu just wouldn’t come back, so Yan Jiu ended up waiting.

Then the food got cold, and she became very hungry, but since Bai Wu hadn’t returned, she eventually dozed off at the dining table.

Seeing all these dishes, Bai Wu still felt a warmth in his heart.

"I’m a bit hungry, let’s eat."

"Sure."

Yan Jiu was about to help Bai Wu change his shoes, a gesture of intimacy that made Bai Wu uncomfortable, but after thinking about it, he realized he needed to cooperate with Yan Jiu, so after the countdown ended, she could get a better assessment...

Tomorrow, with only a day and a half left on the countdown, what, exactly, would happen?

During dinner, Bai Wu found it impossible to come up with topics for conversation.

He understood that he was suddenly thrust into this, but for Yan Jiu, he had already been her man for some time.

So it was Yan Jiu who did all the talking.

But soon, even she seemed to run out of things to say, bowing her head and idly pushing around the food in her bowl, her expression hidden.

Bai Wu didn’t mind and just thought, does this Yan Jiu share any similarities with the Yan Jiu from Baichuan City?

He didn’t know the answer and quickly dismissed the thought.

Bai Wu ate while pondering how to break out of this predicament, how to find the source of the twisted rules.

At that moment, Yan Jiu spoke up again:

"Actually... I don’t want to change my identity."

"Why?" Bai Wu asked, puzzled, looking at Yan Jiu, who still kept her head down, hiding her eyes from view.

"I like you, not just pretending. I truly like you, and I want you to be my husband. Bai Wu, they say that after changing identities... a small part of the memory is retained..."

"Bai Wu, I so wish to remember you... With the next identity, I still want to come to find you..."

As she said this, Yan Jiu raised her head, tears wetting her cheeks, her eyes brimming with moisture.

Bai Wu’s body suddenly stiffened.

It turned out that this Yan Jiu was so similar to the real Yan Jiu.