Chapter 35.2 – Bloody Ferrara (7)
◎You’ve corrupted Xiaoxing◎
Song Ke sat on the ground and took a break, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t checked the rewards for the A-level mission.
“Let’s check together!” She called out to Zhuang Qingyan and Xu Xing with a sense of ceremony. This was their team’s first completed mission.
Two shiny heads crowded together, along with Zhuang Qingyan lazily leaning on his wheelchair, not wanting to move. All six eyes focused on the projection screen in front of Song Ke.
On V587’s mission list, there lay a shining red commission:
A-level mission (Code VA00001, status: completed): Eliminate the awakened zombie Zhang Lei, Biological ID: LYG1301756
Points earned: 1000
Alliance credits earned: 0
Friendly reminder: Your team has entered the total ranking list for C72 District points. Would you like to make it public? (Yes/No)
Ignoring the other irrelevant information, Song Ke stared at the middle line, finding it hard to believe as she confirmed it once again.
“Alliance credits earned: 0”
Song Ke: “…”
Could someone please tell her why even B-level missions had 2000 Alliance currency, and yet a proper A-level mission had a reward of 0! She had fought so hard to reclaim the awakened zombie, and the result was 0! Who could endure this!!!
Song Ke’s eyes went dull, appearing deeply affected, and the other two couldn’t bear to watch.
“Sister…” Xu Xing was still trying to figure out how to console her. “It’s okay, you don’t have to pay me back…”
Zhuang Qingyan interrupted him, “It’s not that bad. Didn’t you accept a B-level mission as well?”
Song Ke’s eyes regained a glimmer of hope. “Oh, right.”
At least there were still 2000 Alliance credits!
“When clearing the zombies on the first floor of the city hall, did you notice that these people resemble the publishers?” Zhuang Qingyan pointed at Liu Xiaohui and the others in the center of the room.
“I’ll go, go ask,” Song Ke stood up.
“Wait,” Zhuang Qingyan tugged at her hood. “It’s not appropriate for you to go. They are very hostile towards us right now.”
Although Song Ke didn’t personally kill Zhang Lei, they all entered the room together. Not to mention that she had casually tossed Zhang Lei’s body with a knife earlier. The way these people looked at them was filled with hatred.
“What should we do then?” Song Ke looked troubled.
“There’s someone best suited for this task,” Zhuang Qingyan replied cryptically.
“Who, who is it?” Song Ke asked.
“Who?” Xu Xing also inquired.
Then, he found that the two of them looked at him at the same time.
Xu Xing: QAQ
…
Liu Xiaohui had finally managed to regain some composure but sat in place in a dazed and absent-minded state, unable to snap out of it.
The two remaining male colleagues, physically and mentally exhausted, finally succumbed to fatigue, clutching their heads and slumping to the ground.
Just then, a boy with curly hair and big blinking eyes approached slowly.
The boy glanced at the lifeless Liu Xiaohui for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the two tired men and softly asked, “Big brothers, can I ask you a question?”
Their willingness to communicate was not strong, but considering that the person asking was an adorable child, one of the slightly plump men nodded in a somewhat more friendly manner. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you, big brother!” Xu Xing blinked his innocent large eyes, looking grateful.
He lowered his head and fiddled with his terminal, displaying his task interface. “My sister and I came to Luli Port because we received this task, ‘Clear the first-floor zombies at the City Hall.’ Big brother, was this task issued by you? Have you been trapped here for a long time?”
Xu Xing’s words were quite skillful. Firstly, he explained their reason for coming, emphasizing that they were here for a “rescue mission.” Unlike the beautiful woman who often resorted to violence, they were definitely not associated with her. Secondly, after inquiring if the man was the task issuer, he added a caring message, gradually breaking down the man’s psychological defenses.
Sure enough, the man’s attitude softened a bit when he heard Xu Xing’s words. “Yes, I posted it on the Survival Platform.”
He took out his phone. Like Hua City (D99 District), the star network in Luli Port (D50 District) was also paralyzed, but there was an app called “Doomsday Self-help Platform” on his phone. It didn’t require an internet connection, was universally used throughout the Alliance, updated in real time, and allowed users to exchange information and post-rescue missions.
Xu Xing compared it with his terminal and confirmed that this man was the issuer of the B-level task. However, the man’s interface was noticeably different from his. It didn’t display any ABCDE levels or any information about awakener teams. It was likely that the Alliance’s central hub or artificial intelligence collected help requests from various regions, evaluated them, and then forwarded them to the corresponding local awakeners.
The man gazed at Xu Xing’s brightly shining cartoon terminal, his eyes devoid of envy but filled with numbness. Citizens in different regions had different statuses, rights, and access to information. People in District D would never use a terminal that surpassed the local technological level unless they became awakeners.
Xu Xing turned off the projection and innocently tilted his head. “Big brother, the zombies outside have been cleared. You’re safe now, and you can leave through the main entrance.”
Indeed, all the zombies in the city hall had been thoroughly cleared. They could leave without much danger. As for the awakeners, as Zhuang Qingyan put it, they didn’t have the time to bother with these small fries.
“Good, thank you,” the man said, his spirits somewhat lifted upon hearing this news.
“Then, big brother, could you please help us confirm the completion of the mission?” Xu Xing folded his hands together, his eyes moist, wearing a pitiful expression that seemed to say, “Please.”
“…Alright.”
Not far away, Song Ke was momentarily speechless. She turned her head and looked at Zhuang Qingyan with an expressionless face.
“Why did you teach, teach him all this? You’ve corrupted Xiaoxing.”
“Me? Corrupted him?” Zhuang Qingyan looked puzzled.
…
“Ahui, let’s go,” the man said, taking heavy steps towards his companions.
“No… we should take Leizi with us!” Liu Xiaohui clutched Zhang Lei’s head tightly, unwilling to let go.
“Didn’t you just hear? There are many people downstairs looking for Leizi. If we bring him along, we won’t be able to escape,” the man explained in a pained tone.
Liu Xiaohui shook her head in anguish.
Another man shouted with deep sorrow, “Ahui, you need to snap out of it! The people who died can’t come back. Don’t let Leizi sacrifice for us in vain. We need to survive!”
In the end, Liu Xiaohui was led away by the two men. They were employees here and were familiar with the labyrinthine corridors of City Hall. Soon, they disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
After these people left, two minutes later, Su Cha, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly whispered, “Pursuers are coming.”
Song Ke released a trace of her mental power and indeed sensed numerous scattered and diverse energy signatures nearby. These awakeners were systematically searching each room, and the sounds of their approach were faintly audible from the office. In a little while, they would be close to this room.
Beautiful Sister’s expression first tightened, but then she seemed to think of something and raised her gaze towards Song Ke’s group.
“Hey, you guys across the hall! Aren’t you going to come up with a plan? How are we going to get out of here?”
The three members of V587 displayed an unexpected level of telepathy at this moment. One looked up at the sky, another looked down at the ground, and the third smiled and stared at the others, but none of them spoke.
Beautiful Sister exclaimed, “What’s going on? You had all sorts of tactics when dealing with us earlier, and now you’re just giving up?”
“You!” She pointed her brightly painted finger at Song Ke and then turned to Zhuang Qingyan. “And you, weren’t you pretty capable just now? Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got?”
“Sorry, provocation doesn’t work on me,” Zhuang Qingyan replied calmly.
Beautiful Sister: …
Okay, you guys aren’t in a hurry. It’s just us who are in a hurry, right?
Feeling a bit embarrassed by her words, Song Ke took two steps forward, approached the window, and peered down. The office was about three stories high above the ground, taller than a typical building. She could manage a jump, but it was clear that Zhuang Qingyan and Xu Xing wouldn’t be able to.
Song Ke picked up the cold jagged blade in the corner and used her eyes to ask Zhuang Qingyan if they should break the window to escape.
After pondering for a moment, Zhuang Qingyan extended his hand to her. “Give me your terminal.”
Song Ke removed her needle-shaped terminal and handed it to him. After a few moments of manipulation, they waited for two or three minutes until they suddenly heard a knocking sound from outside the window.
The group immediately turned their attention toward the noise and were surprised to discover a mechanical arm!
As the electronic eye hanging from the tip of the arm noticed Song Ke’s group looking at it, it excitedly shook and gestured with its metallic joints, making a beckoning motion.
It was the two transport carriages left at the entrance!
The carriages were parked right under the window in the shadow of the building, an extremely concealed location, far from all exits and unlikely to be discovered easily. A long mechanical arm extended all the way up to the third floor, gripping the window sill, then flattening out and unfolding, forming an escape slide.
Song Ke: “…” Can this even work?
Others looked at Zhuang Qingyan in shock.
“I tried sending the coordinates to it, and it calculated and built the nearest escape route automatically,” Zhuang Qingyan explained calmly, without taking undue credit.
A simple artificial intelligence possessed this level of intelligence. How terrifying must Ilya, the Lord of Ferrara City, be?
For the first time, Song Ke started to wonder about the extent of artificial intelligence development in Ferrara.
With the slide in place, the group of awakeners slid down smoothly, escaping from under the noses of the heavily guarded pursuers.
After leaving City Hall, they ran several kilometers before slowing down, making sure no one was pursuing them.
Zhuang Qingyan looked at the other two. “Let’s part ways here. It’s better for both of our sides.”
Beautiful Sister raised her chin. “Of course, I have no objections.”
Their temporary cooperation was fragile, even more fragile than paper, easily broken with just a bit of moisture. Moreover, both sides were still wary of each other.
Song Ke pulled the two carriages and took a step in the direction where the transport vehicle was parked.
Coincidentally, Beautiful Sister and Su Cha also took a step in that direction.
Song Ke hesitated for a moment, then lifted her foot and took another step.
Oh! They bumped into each other again!
She immediately stared cautiously at the people in front of her. What were they up to? Why were they following her?
“Oh, are you also returning to Ferrara?” Beautiful Sister teased. She noticed Song Ke’s expression and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me like that? You don’t know me?”
She seemed somewhat surprised, her gaze shifting between Song Ke, Xu Xing, and Zhuang Qingyan. “You really don’t know me… are you visitors?”
“Who are you, must we know you?” Xu Xing couldn’t help muttering.
The beautiful sister burst out laughing, her face absolutely radiant. “No need, it’s even better if you don’t know me.”
“I’m Lin Youyou. Maybe we’ll meet again someday. Farewell.”
