Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 603: Chapter 220: The Instinct of Mutual Trust

The roar of motorcycles came from Academy Street, as if after the command was given, those who had acquired Hunter identities had regained some of their abilities.

The adults playing the role of children were no longer meek and compliant; they shed those super mismatched costumes and roared along the streets in motor vehicles.

Perhaps the twisted source of this world has some incorrect understanding of the Hunters?

Bai Wu was convinced that this group was like the biker gangs from an island nation during the Showa Era, reveling in strange screams and yells.

Even though there was only one head of Gu Qingyu, it seemed as if everyone could get one just the same.

Bai Wu speculated that perhaps a change in identity could alter some perceptions?

That should be the case, although getting a new identity would erase memories, correspondingly, it would also bestow a set of basic memories.

So, when children drive, at least they know what a steering wheel is.

And when office workers slack off, at least they know where to leave their computer screens.

Walking down the street, Bai Wu glanced in a certain direction and subconsciously, also looked at the still brightly lit, yellowed pages in the dark night.

"He missed his eyes; he wished at this moment his eyes could point out the location of his dear friend, just as they had done in many past adventures.

Oh, those poor eyes, when will they once again see its playful words?"

Indeed, relying on the pages was useless. The pages were the World Will, but no matter what kind of will you were, if you don’t provide me with clues, then you’re not as good as Yan.

But Bai Wu wasn’t in a hurry, the Captain’s presence was very strong, and Bai Wu could use his perception to find a rough direction.

The city was large, but to Bai Wu now, the ends of the earth were but a short distance away.

He began to sprint, moving through the city’s forest of tall buildings as if he had broken free from the shackles of space, bouncing from one skyscraper to another.

As he looked down upon the city, Bai Wu saw many Evil Fallen dispersing and searching every corner.

Even the trash cans were not spared a thorough search.

Some would knock on every door, house by house, and their intentions were far from pure.

These people weren’t really looking for the suspect who kidnapped the free people; if they found them, great, otherwise, they could use this change in identity as an excuse to commit crimes at will.

Such events were probably occurring in every corner of the city, so Bai Wu didn’t bother to intervene; it was simply beyond his control.

After sprinting for a while, Bai Wu moved from Academy Street to Baichuan Middle School.

There was no sign of calamity in the middle school; it seemed that Jiang Yimi was not within the range of the secondary distortion.

Bai Wu only briefly sensed the surroundings. Surprisingly, the campus, which should have been a heavily afflicted area, was actually the most normal.

Setting off once again, Bai Wu arrived at the zoo.

The location of the zoo had changed; it was no longer on the outskirts but within the city center.

From the outside, if one didn’t look at the neon lights arranged into flickering signs, no one would guess that this mechanical structure, comparable to several giant sports stadiums put together...

was actually a zoo.

Its highly mechanized shell was like a massive mechanical bastion.

Only the giant, flashing neon signs told the public that this was the Baichuan City Zoo.

Compared to the bustling city at the moment, the zoo seemed like a forbidden urban area.

Only within the towering walls was there an array of strange sounds emanating.

This zoo was not simple, and even its signs were odd.

They carried warnings that were hard to comprehend—

"Entering the zoo does not require a life-and-death contract; we will ensure as far as possible that you leave the zoo alive. However, should you undergo any changes after leaving, please seek treatment at the Ninth Psychiatric Hospital, do not blame us." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"What you see here are animals and only animals. If it doesn’t look like an animal, then it must be a staff member in disguise, please have no doubts."

"Lions do not drink gasoline. If one asks you for motor oil, please keep your distance immediately."

"As everyone knows, dogs don’t grow dense muzzles of gun barrels. The sound of a dog barking isn’t gunfire, and there are no dogs in the zoo, no dogs, no dogs."

"Boa constrictors don’t go to the bathroom."

"Please turn off your electronic devices before entering the zoo and check your communication devices before leaving. It is recommended to run a virus scan."

"If you find your pet has grown steel teeth, or even that it can be charged after you return home, please believe it has absolutely nothing to do with our zoo."

"If you have the private desire to be an animal, please contact us, I will provide you with the best showcase."

There was a whole host of strange rules, and Bai Wu came specifically to the entrance of the zoo just to take a look at them.

He even stopped in his tracks, no longer searching for the captain.

What city has hundreds of cases a day where people are bitten by their pets?

Or where massive, multivehicle accidents happen every day?

With so many strange things happening in this city, the zoo had become accustomed to it.

But such a large zoo was still a misfit even in urban legends.

And it seemed that this zoo might embody another kind of distortion...

Was Baichuan City truly a convergence of various distortions?

Bai Wu guessed that there should also be Guardians here, but he didn’t linger; once he confirmed that no one dared to get close to this place, he left and continued to search for Dwarf.

In his frenzied run, Bai Wu passed by a corner of the South District and smelled a strong scent of gastric acid.

The nauseating smell was almost pervasive in this nearby area.

Even as he jumped from building to building high above, he couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach.

What made Bai Wu even more disgusted was that he had to admit, he had smelled this odor before.

"How odd, are all the strange events flocking together tonight?"

From the alley came the sounds of human screams, as well as the sounds of chewing and tearing flesh.

But soon, that same voice slowly morphed into joyous laughter.

Whatever was happening in the alley, Bai Wu didn’t know.

He didn’t stop, because nearby, he had found the hideout of the captain and those Freedom Fighters.

Soon, Bai Wu discovered an uncompleted building in the South District.

The building was meant to be a commercial office, but it hadn’t been renovated, not even painted, and various steel structures outside had not been removed.

Outside the building, many Evil Fallen and humans were continuously searching, but few Hunters had entered the building.

As he drew closer, the scent of Wu Jiu became more familiar, and the localization more precise.

Although this was a city with severe distortions, where monsters were much stronger compared to the real world,

in the last few years, he and the captain had already surpassed many stages.

No matter what, the captain was among the most exceptional beings in this city.

And Bai Wu was all too familiar with the captain’s aura.

He now sensed the captain’s exact location.

At the same time, he furrowed his brow, as the stomach-churning scent of gastric acid seemed to be slowly spreading this way as well.

"Today’s mission should be to rendezvous with the captain and to extract intelligence from the Freedom Fighters. Hopefully, there won’t be any complications."

Like a white arrow in the night, Bai Wu’s thoughts had shifted, and he was already inside the steel and concrete skeleton of the building.

The city’s lights were bright, but not enough to illuminate every inch of darkness at night.

Deep within the pitch-black twenty-story building, Bai Wu felt a gaze.

This gaze was as sharp as a sword, not at all like that of a blind person.

When the other party sensed Bai Wu’s presence, they were suddenly engulfed by an indescribable sense of familiarity.

But not long before, he had received that urgent order for a manhunt and knew that everyone in the city wanted his head.

And quite clearly, if this person who inexplicably seemed familiar was an enemy, it would be a difficult enemy to deal with.

Bai Wu felt the captain’s hostility.

"No way, even if the sky here is very dark, even if your head is very valuable right now, captain, you shouldn’t think that I would harm you, right, captain?"

Bai Wu’s mind was constructing a multitude of information, and he guessed that perhaps the captain had lost his memory.

"Who are you?"

The owner of the gaze from the darkness spoke, and this person was Wu Jiu.

Behind Wu Jiu was that group of freedom fighters who had been beaten until they lost their dignity and their presence.

After leading that group of freedom fighters away, Wu Jiu didn’t know what to do with them for a time.

He was not clear about how much evil these people had done, nor did he know that in this world, there was no real death.

To die was simply to live on with an even more "despicable" identity.

Although in Wu Jiu’s view, there were no highs or lows in identity.

"It seems you’ve lost your memory, then let me change the question. Your sight is impaired right now, but your other senses have been greatly amplified. You should be able to feel me, to feel a sense of familiarity, right?"

"Yes, that’s why I’m confused."

Wu Jiu replied very honestly, as he too was perplexed by this sense of familiarity and hoped to know the reason.

Bai Wu was very happy then, so the captain still cares about me after all!

"I am your battle comrade. If I’m not mistaken, I must be the first one to find you because to me, you are equally familiar. We have experienced life and death together many times."

"I don’t believe you."

What if this was the other person’s ability? Wu Jiu was very cautious.

In fact, there was indeed such an ability: the Sequence Integrator could make the other person feel an uncanny sense of familiarity.

Wu Jiu was unaware of this Sequence, but he knew that people who wanted his life were all around the city.

Down below this unfinished building, Evil Fallen were already approaching.

Bai Wu was unhurried:

"The countdown has not ended yet. If I’m not mistaken, after the countdown ends, everyone’s identities will reset, and the crisis will be over, so what we need to do is just to survive the last day."

"I know you don’t trust me, captain. Under these circumstances, your head is indeed very valuable. Just put yourself in their shoes, and you’ll understand who wouldn’t want to be a free person?"

"But choosing between a free person and the captain is not a question for me. I will make the captain believe me, which will be easy."

Bai Wu’s figure flashed, causing Wu Jiu to become alert in an instant.

Bai Wu moved quickly, like a streak of light.

Wu Jiu was equally fast and could have stopped Bai Wu, but the feeling of familiarity plagued him, and because Bai Wu had not attacked him, a subconscious hesitation... made him a beat slower.

And a single beat was enough; the sound of a neck being twisted was followed by a muffled groan, and a robed freedom fighter fell to the ground.

"There, I’ve submitted my pledge of allegiance."

In the darkness, Bai Wu said with a smile to Wu Jiu.

Wu Jiu was taken aback, not expecting Bai Wu to actually kill a freedom fighter. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"Now they should understand that I didn’t come to rescue them. Because from now on, I am also an enemy to everyone in the city. There shouldn’t be any problems now, right?"

"No... no more problems."

Bai Wu’s actions still surprised Wu Jiu. Could this person really have a significant connection to himself?

He even casually killed a free person. Didn’t he care about the power of absolute freedom at all?

Wu Jiu wasn’t a hesitant person, and he quickly made a decision:

"My name is..."

"Gu Qingyu, I know, I’m Bai Wu. Captain, I’ve got to say, Captain, you really are a godsend..."

"What is that? My real name?"

"That works too."

Bai Wu spoke from the heart; he had been worrying about how to find the free people, but then a free person took the initiative to seek out the captain.

Recalling past adventures... before meeting himself, the captain had survived twenty-four days after being tortured by Nie Chongshan.

Twenty-four days, a negative trait every four hours, and under severe injury, he had miraculously not encountered a single fatal negative trait.

Then at Zao Lake Village, while he was still collecting clues along the way, the captain had already maxed out the Water Ghost’s favorability.

"However, even though you, Captain, have an invincible luck, and sometimes you even outcheat me, right now you still need to listen to me. I’ll command the next actions, no problem, right?"

"No problem."

Doubting those you use means not using them, and trusting those you use means not doubting them; moreover, that sense of familiarity with Bai Wu made Wu Jiu internally resist any doubts about Bai Wu.

It seemed that trusting this person was his own instinct.

Bai Wu, sensing the Evil Fallen drawing closer, said:

"There are powerful monsters hiding in this city, not few in number. If we fight, it will drag out the pace, and we don’t know if there will be even greater crises later."

"On my way here, I discovered that this city actually also has forbidden areas. Identity distortion is a source of distortion, and so is the Ghoul with an Odd Face. I guess another source of distortion is the zoo."

The content of the news broadcast was critical. Three pieces of news: a major car accident, a man-eating ghoul, and pets injuring people.

In fact, these three pieces of news corresponded to three types of distortions.

"Each distortion has its own territory... They might cooperate, or they might not, but now, with chaos throughout the city, the area around the zoo is quiet. We can hide there."

Wu Jiu nodded, but he also had a question:

"What about these people?"

"These people, I’ll take one, you take one, and the rest, dispose of them all."

Bai Wu calmly decided the fate of a group of people. Wu Jiu, however, wasn’t surprised by the other’s decisiveness in killing.

But Bai Wu knew, although the captain’s blade never hesitated, his heart was not one of a bloodthirsty person.

"Death for them is just the beginning of the next journey. This city will not have death, but death will cause the next identity to start from an extremely poor one."

"These free people have committed many evils in their daily lives. Let them understand the suffering of other identities, taste the flavor of being unfree. It suits them well."

Bai Wu didn’t need to explain, but after explaining, Wu Jiu trusted Bai Wu even more.

Is this what they mean by ’The road reveals itself when the carriage arrives at the mountain’?

He himself was worried about how to break the game, and then this man named Bai Wu arrived.

What Wu Jiu didn’t know was that the feeling Bai Wu gave him, he had once also given to Bai Wu.

"That corrosive, sour stench is back... We must hurry and prepare to head to that haunted zoo."

"What’s with that smell?"

"If I’m not wrong, it’s the Ghoul with an Odd Face, but I don’t feel like facing him right now."

"Fine, lead the way." Wu Jiu now completely trusted Bai Wu. He didn’t question further. The feeling was very familiar, very comforting.

Bai Wu furrowed his brows, for he had a feeling that the creator of this stomach acid smell was coming for him and the captain.