INSIDER Chapter 119

Zhang Xin was momentarily stunned by Lu Chu’s words. After regaining his composure, he smiled and said, “That sounds quite convincing.”

But he would never doubt himself.

“It’s not just convincing; it’s a fact,” Song Gui replied.

Zhang Xin remained unmoved. “I only believe what I see.”

“And what do you see?” Song Gui asked. “What have you seen, and how much can you actually see?”

Zhang Xin replied with a sneer, “What do you mean by that?”

Lu Chu added to Song Gui’s statement, “No one can have a God’s-eye view. Therefore, no one can see every corner of the world with their own eyes. What you see will never be the whole picture.”

Song Gui looked at Zhang Xin and asked, “If on the day of the Cleansing, a poor person struggling to survive tried to rob and murder a wealthy person to steal their property, who would you help?”

Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow. “The commoner.”

Song Gui countered, “What did that wealthy person do wrong? He didn’t kill or break the law. He lived his life diligently and lawfully. Yet, because of his wealth, the so-called kind-hearted commoner intends to kill him on the day of the Cleansing.”

No one would be held accountable for what happened on the day of the Cleansing. Regardless of how many were killed or how many crimes were committed, as long as it happened on that day, it was within the rules.

Within twenty-four hours, all sins committed would be legally forgiven.

“And after that,” Song Gui continued with a tone of deep irony, “the wealthy person is dead, his wealth is stolen, and the person who killed him lives comfortably thereafter. The commoner you intended to protect has now become the wealthy person you claim everyone should despise. Then you’ll say, ‘Ah, the wealthy are all evil. Look at how they got their money; it’s disgusting.'”

Zhang Xin fell silent.

Song Gui stopped talking to him. Although Zhang Xin, like Lu Chu, was someone who had deviated from the original plot, Song Gui had known from the first meeting that he could never trust Zhang Xin with his back. Zhang Xin was smart, but his intelligence was accompanied by a deceitful aura.

The risk of cooperating with him was too high.

At that moment, Luo Qi pulled out a pair of handcuffs and prepared to cuff Zhang Xin’s hands.

Song Gui laughed, “You actually brought those. Impressive.”

Luo Qi scoffed, “Not everyone is as dumb as you.”

Zhang Xin smiled, extending his hands to let the shorter girl cuff him. “You ‘players’ are interesting, even recruiting minors.”

Luo Qi didn’t respond immediately. After cuffing him, she stomped hard on his foot, grinding her heel into the top of his shoe. “You should learn some manners.”

Luo Qi’s strength was considerable. Zhang Xin’s shoe cracked, his foot turned blue and purple, and his bone was nearly broken. He trembled, sweat on his forehead, but the annoying smile remained.

Song Gui warned, “Luo Qi, if you keep going, he won’t be able to walk and will slow us down.”

Luo Qi rolled her eyes but released his foot and sat down to rest.

During this moment, Lu Chu explained to the others the anomaly of this game: it continuously repeated the day of the Cleansing, bringing in waves of new players. Zhang Xin deviated from the main storyline because his world had become entirely chaotic.

Song Gui, intrigued, remarked, “A world used repeatedly…”

Outside, night had fallen. The modern cityscape, filled with skyscrapers, was devoid of neon lights.

The city resembled a desolate cemetery, with the high-rises standing like solemn tombstones.

Keeping the lights off was a unanimous decision. On the day of the Cleansing, turning on the lights was like boldly declaring, “I am comfortable and unafraid, come kill me.” Most citizens wished they could disappear, unseen and forgotten, just to survive the day.

Lu Chu and his group found a good hiding spot.

The clinic had plenty of medical supplies for treating wounds. Their previous supply had run out, and after a fierce battle, they had sustained injuries. Now they could restock and disinfect their wounds.

Seeing how 7 had fought fiercely earlier, Lu Chu was concerned and sat next to him. “Are you hurt?”

7’s lips curved slightly as he shook his head. “No.”

Lu Chu, still worried, carefully checked 7 for injuries. Thankfully, apart from a torn and bleeding old gunshot wound, there were no new injuries.

7 allowed Lu Chu to examine him. Once Lu Chu was reassured, 7 pressed him into a seat. “Let me clean your arm wound.”

Lu Chu noticed a bullet graze on his arm, leaving a scorched mark. While minor, 7 couldn’t tolerate it. He cut Lu Chu’s sleeve to treat the wound. However, as he pulled up the sleeve, Lu Chu saw the number above his health bar had changed from “9” to “21.”

7 first noticed Lu Chu’s wound, everything else secondary. With Lu Chu’s quiet reminder, he saw the number change.

Lu Chu checked the others, who also had “21” on their arms. He turned to Zhang Xin, cuffed in the corner. “It seems those people were also players.”

Initially, Lu Chu thought they were Zhang Xin’s followers.

“Of course,” Zhang Xin shrugged. “I brought you a lot of kills; you should be happy.”

Lu Chu frowned.

Song Gui looked at Zhang Xin. “What leverage do you have to make so many players follow you?”

Zhang Xin replied, “What you came for is the same as theirs.”

Lu Chu and 7 exchanged glances. Someone had told both Dai Chenggong and others that Zhang Xin was a bug.

Lu Chu pondered the motive of the mysterious informant. Their sudden appearance and actions were puzzling. If they were warning Dai Chenggong out of goodwill, why warn others too? And from Zhang Xin’s words, it was clear the mysterious person had spoken to many. This person was undoubtedly the informant.

Lu Chu sensed that both Zhang Xin and the mysterious informant were not helping but rather instigating conflict among the players.

Without encountering the informant, all these thoughts remained speculative.

Lu Chu asked Zhang Xin, “What else did that person tell you?”

Zhang Xin twisted his neck. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because your life is in our hands,” Dai Chenggong threatened.

Zhang Xin laughed, “Do you think I fear death? Didn’t your teammate just say this game repeats indefinitely, replaying the day of the Cleansing? I’ve been through thirteen cycles, each ending with a different death. If I die now, I’ll just start a new cycle. My life isn’t in your hands; it’s in the ‘rules.'”

Dai Chenggong was at a loss for words.

Zhang Xin glanced at 7. “I must admit, you’re stronger than any players before.”

The disparity in strength was terrifying.

Lu Chu didn’t know how many groups of players were in this game, but twenty-one kills meant defeating four teams, enough for a passing grade.

Song Gui noted, “I think we can hide here overnight and still pass when the Cleansing ends.”

Dai Chenggong agreed, “I think so too!”

Feeling safe with Lu Chu’s team, Dai Chenggong’s group felt fortunate. Without teaming up with them, they would have suffered heavy losses against the armored tanks.

“So,” Song Gui smiled at Dai Chenggong, “you can tell us the other half of the information now.”

Dai Chenggong hesitated, the other half… now?

Liu Zebing immediately objected, “We agreed to tell you at the end of the game. We trust you, but it’s good to have a bargaining chip.”

Dai Chenggong nodded, “Rest assured, we’ll tell you everything before the game ends.”

Lu Chu noticed Zhang Xin’s intrigued look and understood Song Gui’s intention. He then told Dai Chenggong, “But we don’t want to wait until tomorrow.”

Dai Chenggong was speechless, unsure of how to respond.

Suddenly, Zhang Xin smiled. “You want to know how to escape the game world? Why not ask me? I might tell you. Why keep useless people who hold you back? Killing them would increase your score.”

Dai Chenggong was furious, “What do you mean, Zhang Xin?”

“Just that,” Zhang Xin replied. “To escape the ‘rules’ and return to your world, you need to take someone who deviated from the main storyline to a world without them and find their birthplace.”

This revelation addressed everyone’s main concern.

Now, Dai Chenggong’s group seemed truly unnecessary to Lu Chu’s team.

Zhang Xin awaited the conflict between the groups to escalate, but he saw only understanding expressions on Lu Chu and Song Gui’s faces.

Zhang Xin realized he had been tricked.

Song Gui, respecting his promise, had no intention of asking Dai Chenggong. He merely wanted to provoke Zhang Xin, who liked seeing players distrust each other. Zhang Xin, eager to escalate the conflict, revealed everything, believing it would turn Lu Chu against Dai Chenggong’s group.

Song Gui looked at Zhang Xin with a faint smile.

Lu Chu politely thanked Zhang Xin, “Thanks for the information.”

It was a victory for the strategists.