INSIDER Chapter 114

Unlike Lu Chu and 7, who were both shocked, Song Gui and the others appeared completely bewildered upon hearing the term “Cleaner.”

Yuan Kejie immediately asked, puzzled, “Cleaner… what is that?”

Seeing their confused expressions, clearly indicating they had never heard of such a thing, Dai Chenggong felt more confident. He knew his trump card would undoubtedly attract the attention of those who captured them, ensuring the safety of the five of them at least until this “game” ended.

Dai Chenggong planned to reveal only half of the information now and keep the rest until the end. However, he couldn’t guarantee that Song Gui and the others wouldn’t turn on them and kill them to silence them once they knew the full story.

Since surrendering, he had been gambling. This time, he gambled that these people would keep their word.

Dai Chenggong then explained, “You must be aware that there are countless ‘rules’ here, and each ‘rule’ has numerous players. However, the number of players that each ‘rule’ can accommodate is not infinite; it’s limited. When a ‘rule’ reaches its maximum capacity, no new players can join, even if the current players fail their tasks and die.”

“I knew that,” Yuan Kejie said. “When I first entered the game, I encountered many people in the illusion. Later, with each new illusion, familiar faces disappeared one by one, and the number of people only decreased.”

Currently, with the five of them included, there were only about twenty people left in their “rule.”

“Exactly,” Dai Chenggong continued, “Moreover, there’s another rule: the ‘rules’ and the players coexist. If all the players die, the ‘rule’ will disappear as well.”

Although this was the first time Song Gui had heard of this, he wasn’t too surprised. “I had guessed this about the coexistence of ‘rules’ and players. So far, what you’ve said matches my thoughts.”

“Impressive,” Dai Chenggong praised.

Roqi raised an eyebrow at Dai Chenggong. “So?”

Dai Chenggong was genuinely afraid of this easily angered young girl. Apart from the formidable man who could single-handedly take on mechs and tanks, he felt that the most dangerous person here was this little girl who only reached his chest.

When Roqi asked, Dai Chenggong immediately returned to a serious demeanor and solemnly continued, “Actually, the ‘Cleaner’ is related to the law I just mentioned!”

“What connection?” Roqi asked.

Dai Chenggong said, “The ‘Cleaner’ told me that when a ‘rule’ has only one player left, that person might become a ‘Cleaner.’ The ‘Cleaner’s’ task is to eliminate the NPCs who have deviated from their scripts.”

Song Gui rubbed his chin. “So, they eliminate the bugs… It seems their rank is higher than ours as ordinary players.”

Yuan Kejie caught another key point and asked, “Might become a ‘Cleaner’… Are there prerequisites for becoming a ‘Cleaner’? What are they?”

“I don’t know,” Dai Chenggong shook his head. “He didn’t tell me much.”

Seeing he wasn’t faking it, Yuan Kejie didn’t press further and began to ponder.

After listening to the entire explanation, Lu Chu was almost certain that the person Dai Chenggong mentioned was indeed a Cleaner. The information Dai Chenggong provided matched what 7 had told him; the prerequisite for becoming a ‘Cleaner’ must be clearing all solo instances.

After a moment, Yuan Kejie added, “‘Cleaner’ sounds a bit like raising Gu.”

Song Gui shook his head. “It’s different. Raising Gu involves Gu insects killing each other until one strongest Gu King remains. A ‘Cleaner’ is someone who survives to the end and continues to fight alone.”

After discussing this, Dai Chenggong rubbed his handcuffed hands and smiled, “I’ve told you so much, and there’s not much important information left. Our good cooperation should be based on us having a trump card. Can we save the rest of the information until the end of this game?”

Roqi shrugged, indicating that she was only responsible for fighting, not making decisions, which she left to the others.

After exchanging glances with the others, Song Gui nodded, “Alright.”

At this, Dai Chenggong raised his cuffed hands, smiling flatteringly, “Since we’re partners now, we should help each other and build trust and love. Can you unlock these handcuffs?”

The others in Dai Chenggong’s group echoed, “Yes, we’re teammates now. Moreover, you guys are so strong; we can’t resist. It’s not safe to wear these handcuffs, and it drags everyone down. We feel bad about it…”

After some discussion, Lu Chu’s group agreed to their request.

After unlocking the handcuffs, the two groups introduced themselves and remembered each other’s names. They then divided into two teams: those in the tank and those in the off-road vehicle.

7 naturally stayed with the tank because only he could operate the armored vehicle among the eleven of them. Lu Chu and Yuan Kejie also stayed in the tank, while Song Gui, Roqi, and Qian Zhen took the off-road vehicle. In Dai Chenggong’s group, he and two men stayed in the tank, while the other two, one driving the off-road vehicle and one in the back seat under supervision, completed the team.

Once ready, Lu Chu said, “Next, we’ll find the person Dai Chenggong mentioned, Zhang Xin, while completing this game’s task.” No matter what happens, they must complete the current task. Otherwise, if they die in the game, they lose everything.

Before moving to the off-road vehicle, Song Gui suddenly thought of something. Dai Chenggong said that when only one person was left in a “rule,” that person could become a ‘Cleaner.’

What about Qi Li?

If he remembered correctly, Qi Li had said he joined their team because he had no teammates to fight with. If so, could Qi Li also become a ‘Cleaner,’ or was he already one? If so, did Lu Chu know?

Song Gui subconsciously looked at 7.

Unexpectedly, he found that 7 was also watching him, his eyes deep and guarded.

Song Gui was surprised—guarded?

From the moment Dai Chenggong mentioned NPCs deviating from their scripts, 7 had been secretly wary of Song Gui.

Only three people knew that Lu Chu was an insider: Lu Chu himself, 7 who saved him from the original world, and Song Gui, who experienced the entire “Loss of Sensation” game and met another “Lu Chu.”

If being an insider was truly the key to leaving the game, would Song Gui, tempted, harm Lu Chu, expose his identity, or pose a threat to him? Considering this, 7 had to monitor Song Gui to ensure he couldn’t harm Lu Chu.

Seeing that Song Gui had no ill intentions toward Lu Chu, 7 didn’t lower his guard. He wouldn’t gamble with Lu Chu’s safety.

Understanding 7’s vigilance, Song Gui felt at ease.

Regardless of Qi Li’s identity, whether he was a ‘Cleaner’ or not, one thing was certain—he was absolutely sincere towards Lu Chu.

Therefore, this powerful man would always stand on their side, never against them.

That was enough.

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On the wide suburban road, an off-road vehicle led the way, carrying four men and a young girl. One man drove, the girl held a gun in the passenger seat, and the other three men in the back also had guns. Behind the off-road vehicle was a heavy armored tank with a gun on top and a man’s head visible, learning to use the weapon. The number of people inside the tank was unknown.

The man learning to use the gun was Lu Chu.

Their team, formidable just by appearance, was not to be trifled with.

During the Purge Day, those still moving about were either seeking revenge or were killing maniacs or bored elites treating killing as a game. These people weren’t reckless enough to provoke a team with an armored tank.

Thus, Lu Chu and the team encountered no obstacles or provocations as they traveled from the suburbs to the edge of the city.

When they were about to enter the city, a car blocked the road, prompting Song Gui and the others to check it out.

“What’s the matter?” Lu Chu asked through the tank’s found walkie-talkie when the off-road vehicle stopped.

Song Gui replied, “A car is blocking the road; we might need to push it away.”

So Lu Chu and Dai Chenggong got out and approached the car blocking the road.

The car windows were spattered with blood, obscuring the view inside. Instead of picking the lock, Roqi smashed the side window with a stick.

Inside, they found a man who had been brutally killed, his organs spilling out, blood everywhere.

The man’s gruesome death was shocking, especially since Lu Chu’s group recognized him as one of the middle-aged men from the six-person team they encountered at the start of this game.

The man held a note in his right hand, which Lu Chu took and read:

• “Never feel ashamed or self-loathing because the wrongdoers are not you, but these filthy things.”