Chapter 25: Attempting Cooperation

Y-054, 55, 56, 57… thinking back on all those codes was just a headache. Xia Mi decided to simplify the information, summarizing the current situation as follows:

Building 6 originally had four “Zhuo”: No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7. No. 4 was the first to hatch, it had already devoured No. 5 and No. 6, and now it intended to eat No. 7 and a “Rong.”

No. 7 was no coward, either. It was lurking effectively, planning to wait for No. 4 and the “Rong” to exhaust each other so it could swoop in and reap the rewards.

“And I’m that ‘Rong,'” Xia Mi thought, finally facing reality.

Previously, she had been stubbornly unwilling to admit she was the “Rong,” mainly out of concern that such an identity might negatively impact her political background check.

But as a steadfast soldier of the people, the interests of the people stood above all else. If the lives of the people could not be saved, whether she passed a background check or not did not really matter anymore.

Now that she no longer cared about hiding her identity or deceiving herself, there was no need to flatter her superior. She could say whatever she wanted and enjoy the same blunt freedom Shield had.

Calling her boss “Xiao Liao” felt pretty good, actually.

Liao Tianhua did not mind the address. He noticed the sense of tragic resolve in Xia Mi’s words and asked with concern: “Xiao Xia, you have always been optimistic. What happened to make you so pessimistic?”

Xia Mi: “It is nothing much. I just lack confidence because of insufficient firepower. I might not necessarily die, but I have to give it my all. Before I act, I want to settle things ahead of time. If I really do die, it would be miserable to leave these words unsaid.”

Liao Tianhua: “Then have you considered how awkward the situation will be if you survive?”

Xia Mi: “…”

There was a reason Liao Tianhua was the leader, his perspective on problems was far more comprehensive than hers. She had been feeling quite tragic just now, like a hero departing on a one-way mission, but now she was already feeling awkward in advance.

Xia Mi: “When you encounter something you do not know how to handle, ask your leader. Captain Liao, what do you think I should do?”

Liao Tianhua: “Don’t worry. I will have amnesia.”

Xia Mi: “Captain Liao, you truly are a great leader worthy of your subordinates’ respect and study!”

Though they had never met, Xia Mi had already formed a basic impression of Liao Tianhua. An image of a man with a medium build, a slight beer belly, thinning hair, a square face¹, and thin gold-rimmed glasses emerged in her mind.

This was her future role model.

After chatting with Liao Tianhua, Xia Mi’s mood lightened considerably.

She suddenly felt there was no need to be so pessimistic. It was just three enemies: the mosquito, No. 4, and No. 7.

She knew the mosquito was in 702 and No. 4 was in 701, while No. 7 was lurking in the shadows, waiting for her and No. 4 to wound each other before making its move.

Her Purification Grenade could only deal with one “Zhuo.” Once No. 7 and No. 4 were separated, no matter which one she killed, one would always remain.

That was the crux of the problem.

Xia Mi’s original plan was to follow the actions of the game’s second ending: go to 701 first to eliminate No. 4 with the Purification Grenade, then go to 702 to absorb the mosquito.

At that point, the nest would be dissolved, and No. 7 would definitely appear to attack her.

With her 250 zhuo coins plus the power absorbed from the mosquito, she should be able to take No. 7 down with her.

Even if she luckily defeated No. 7 and survived the fight, she would still die from the mosquito’s poison.

Xia Mi had intended to sacrifice herself heroically, which was why she had spoken so bluntly to Liao Tianhua.

But Captain Liao’s optimism encouraged her. Xia Mi decided to find another way.

It was four in the afternoon. There were still six hours until ten o’clock at night. There was actually enough time to formulate a new plan. A basketball game could be overturned in the final minute, she had six hours, so there was still hope!

Xia Mi sent a message to her role model, Captain Liao: “What do you do when your thinking gets stuck in a rut?”

“Thinking stuck in a rut…” The only time Liao Tianhua had ever been stuck like that in his life was while doing math problems. Usually, in those situations, he chose to copy the answers.

But he was Captain Liao now, he could not reply to a subordinate like that.

Liao Tianhua thought for a moment and replied: “Look back at the path you have traveled, and the answer will emerge in your heart.”

Xia Mi thought back on her experiences over the past day and night. Suddenly, it occurred to her that at the very beginning of this path were those Administrative Aptitude Test questions for the civil service exam.

And at the heart of the civil service exam lay the theoretical foundations.

She rummaged through her battered backpack and found that copy of Mao Gai.

After everything she had been through, the book was weathered and worn, transformed from new to old, with some pages even torn and missing.

Xia Mi flipped through it randomly and landed on “On Contradiction².”

“…One must distinguish between the primary contradiction and secondary contradictions, grasp the primary contradiction, and unite all forces that can be united…”

Xia Mi gradually drew strength from the words.

Xia Mi thanked Liao Tianhua: “Captain Liao, thank you for the reminder. As expected, the answers to everything are hidden within the theoretical knowledge of the civil service exam. I have a plan now!”

Liao Tianhua: “…”

He had told her to look back at the path she had traveled so she would straighten out her logic from the beginning, not so she would start reminiscing from the moment she “rented this apartment to study for the exam”!

Unaware of Liao Tianhua’s internal monologue, Xia Mi had a new line of thinking.

In this building, multiple complex contradictions existed. Among them, the conflict between No. 4 and herself, and No. 7 and herself, were contradictions where only one side could survive.

But at the same time, she had overlooked one conflict: No. 4 and No. 7 were not exactly brothers in arms. Their relationship was also one of life and death, and this contradiction might even take priority over her.

Because the observation records for Y-057 mentioned that there was a specific feeding order.

It wanted to eat the “Rong” last, and the person with the “foster mother’s” scent second to last.

So who was third to last?

Clearly, it was No. 4 Zhuo.

Currently, most people in the building had been sprayed with water. Except for the five people in 703 and 704, everyone carried Liu Yunxia’s scent. Until No. 4 was dead, No. 7 would not touch them.

No. 4, however, wanted to eat its own brothers first to become the sole “Zhuo” in this Domain before it could peacefully enjoy the food in its territory.

After peeling back the layers and analyzing the contradictions, Xia Mi unexpectedly discovered a new path.

Why did she have to fight both No. 4 and No. 7 Zhuo alone? Why not wait for No. 4 and No. 7 to fight it out before making her move?

In the game, No. 4 had fainted in Room 701 and was easily finished off by Xiao Mi with a grenade, which proved that No. 4 was in a weakened state.

Who had injured No. 4? It was very likely No. 7!

Xia Mi felt that there was not actually such an urgent life or death conflict between her and No. 4. She might be able to team up with No. 4 to take down No. 7 first.

It did not matter if she could not find No. 7’s whereabouts. No. 4 and No. 7 were of the same kind, No. 4 might be able to find it.

If she let No. 4 and No. 7 fight like the snipe and the clam³, wouldn’t she be the fisherman who benefited from their struggle?

“Sure enough, all the answers are in the books.” Xia Mi hugged her copy of Mao Gai to her chest like a precious treasure.

Xia Mi chose No. 4 as a potential partner because No. 4 had hatched two months earlier, possessed a stronger sense of humanity, and was even literate. It had been able to tamper with her text messages (see Chapter 5). Although its education level was not high, it was clearly educated enough to communicate.

No. 7, on the other hand, had very low intelligence. It had only recently hatched and could not even distinguish whether its foster mother was a single person or a group. It was very difficult to communicate with.

Xia Mi arrived at the door of Room 702 and quietly opened a small crack, waiting for a mosquito to fly out.

Room 702 was full of mosquitoes, but Xia Mi did not need that many. One was enough.

Xia Mi’s reaction speed was now close to the human limit. Her eyes, ears, and hands worked in perfect coordination. The moment the first mosquito flew out the door, she immediately slammed it shut, trapping the rest inside 702.

Then, Xia Mi grabbed the mosquito by its wings, gritted her teeth, and forced its proboscis into her neck.

After the auntie from 704 was bitten by a mosquito, she could hear “Its” voice in her mind. Xia Mi judged that this “It” was No. 4 Zhuo, who had hatched two months ago. She wanted to communicate with No. 4.

The game had already verified that the toxicity of a single mosquito was not enough to kill her, it took a whole swarm.

After being bitten, Xia Mi felt a wave of dizziness. The wound on her neck became red and itchy, an itch that reached deep into her soul, making her want to claw her own skin off.

It itched so much! Xia Mi crushed the mosquito under her foot as a vent for her frustration. She really was a ruthless person.

Xia Mi’s gamble paid off. Soon, a very weak voice appeared in her mind:

“Rong… delicious… eat… mine…”

After the mosquito bite, Xia Mi felt a mark. It was the mark of a predator.

But the predator was very weak right now, it could not attack Xia Mi immediately.

Xia Mi sent a message through the mark: “You seem to be injured.”

The other party replied after a while: “…Injured… yes… this is called… injured.”

No. 4 Zhuo was growing and learning rapidly, already mastering many words.

Xia Mi asked: “Who hurt you?”

No. 4 Zhuo: “Brother… nutrients…”

Xia Mi continued: “Do you know where your brother is hiding? How about I help you turn your brother into nutrients?”

No. 4 Zhuo did not answer. It clearly could not understand such complex speech.

Xia Mi tried to teach it: “You’re no match for me right now. I want to kill you, and your brother wants to kill you too. But if you cooperate with me and eat your brother, you won’t just heal from your injuries, your strength will increase greatly, and you’ll have the ability to eat me. Let’s team up against your brother first, then have a fair fight later, okay?”

No. 4 Zhuo: “#￥%￥#……%@#@”

Xia Mi: “I don’t understand the signals you Zhuo send to each other. Stop sending gibberish, okay?”

No. 4 Zhuo: “You… more… dangerous…”

The little brat was actually quite smart.

Xia Mi asked: “Don’t worry. When you’re fighting No. 7, I won’t take the opportunity to attack you.”

No. 4 Zhuo: “Absorb nutrients… I still… can’t beat… you…”

Xia Mi felt like she had been complimented. She said with surprise, “Am I really that strong? Thank you for the recognition. I cannot find a job and I am at a low point in my life, I really need validation from others.”

Liao Tianhua was the first to recognize her, Shield was the second, and No. 4 Zhuo was the third!

No. 4 Zhuo: “You… too strong…”

Xia Mi said: “You know I’m strong, so you’ll have even less of a chance if you don’t eat your brother. Listen to me, eat your brother and you’ll have a fighting chance.”

No. 4 Zhuo: “Don’t trust… you…”

This little thing was completely stubborn!

Xia Mi thought for a moment and said: “Then what will it take to earn your trust?”

No. 4 Zhuo: “You… get weak… mosquitoes… suck blood…”

Xia Mi: “You mean, let a lot of mosquitoes suck my blood so that blood loss and poisoning make me weak? Then you can deal with No. 7 with peace of mind.”

No. 4 Zhuo: “…Yes…”

Xia Mi said decisively: “I’ll do it, but you have to tell me where No. 7 is first.”

An image appeared in her mind.

At 10:00 PM last night, after the nest opened, No. 4 Zhuo first went to Room 803 to devour one of its brothers. This period of time gave No. 7 Zhuo a chance to develop.

A Zhuo would always devour its host first, but No. 7 was a special case. It was unwilling to eat its “foster mother,” so it went straight down the drain to the 7th floor, searching for that fragrant “Rong.”

But even No. 4 did not dare enter Room 703, so No. 7 naturally did not dare either. After arriving on the 7th floor, it went to Room 701, opened a small nest, and merged with the cancer patient living there.

Its body turned into a mass of disgusting tumors, flowing like liquid. It crawled through the sewers, creeping through the shadows of the building.

Following the mysterious connection between Zhuo, it went to Room 1127, devoured No. 6 Zhuo, and dragged the body of the resident of 1127 back to Room 701 to store it like a trophy.

No. 4 Zhuo felt No. 7’s presence and discovered it had eaten the nutrients it had reserved. In a rage, it parasitized the young man from the couple in Room 803 and came to Room 701 for a final showdown with No. 7.

This nest had been opened by No. 4. It possessed absolute confidence, believing it could defeat any opponent.

However, during this time, Xia Mi had been moving from floor to floor, absorbing the corrupted parts and weakening No. 4’s power. No. 4 was eventually wounded by No. 7. Instead of consuming No. 4, No. 7 trapped it inside a human body and dragged the dead woman from Room 803 into Room 701, laying her out as part of its collection.

Powerless to move, No. 4 used the mosquitoes to command the woman from Room 704, hoping she could capture Xia Mi. It intended to devour Xia Mi to regain its strength.

Unfortunately, the woman failed, leaving No. 4 paralyzed on the floor of Room 701.

Throughout this entire process, No. 7 remained hidden in the darkness of the sewers, silently biding its time.

Xia Mi recognized this mass of flesh.

In the first playthrough of the game, after Xiao Mi had slaughtered every corrupted person in the building, this thing was the final boss that appeared at the very end.

Translator’s Notes