Chapter 21: Splitting Up, Acting Separately!

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Not at all unexpected to Jiang Yi. After Liao Yuanfeng questioned the shrewd boy holding the compass thoroughly, he learned some background. These three boys had originally been part of a small group called the “Green Bay Gang.” The name came from an internet café called Green Bay. Members of this gang were mainly students and troublemakers who frequented the internet café. When the apocalypse struck, they were all at the café and naturally formed a team. At its peak, the Green Bay Gang had over fifty members. But as time passed during the apocalypse, casualties and internal conflicts caused the group to gradually fall apart. Now, only about eight or nine remained. These three boys had just recently left the gang due to a simple cause: disputes over benefits. According to the shrewd boy, the gang’s leader had pretended to gift him a green spinning wheel. But when he drew a good prize from it, the shameless leader snatched it away, claiming the wheel belonged to him. Such situations were common in small, disorganized groups. At the Fortune Club, the rules for drawing prizes were agreed upon. But in small gangs, it was hard for any one person to convince all members to follow a binding agreement. Without rules, betrayals and broken promises were frequent. Such groups rarely lasted long. Only those led by a core strong leader with absolute authority and strength could gradually develop. The Green Bay Gang clearly lacked these elements. After clarifying his background, the shrewd boy also shifted the responsibility for the compass to the Green Bay Gang. “That gang leader stole my Windstorm Boots prize, then threw me this compass as compensation.” “After leaving the gang, I studied this compass and it seemed useless.” “But now hearing you, it seems it actually has a tracking function—to locate that celebrity Zhou Yiming?” The boy spoke methodically and did not seem to be lying. Another short boy nearby muttered in complaint, “I told you this thing is useless. We should have just thrown it away! Then we wouldn’t have gotten into such trouble!” The shrewd boy quickly shushed him, then told Liao Yuanfeng, “Don’t listen to him. If it can help you, we don’t mind the trouble.” Indeed, the shrewd boy was calm and personable. His words eased Liao Yuanfeng’s previously irritable mood considerably. Liao Yuanfeng himself was quite conflicted. If it were ordinary people, losing them was normal during the apocalypse—disappearances and deaths were common. But Wang Xueyan from the Blood Swallow Club truly loved Zhou Yiming! The task she issued came with a generous reward. It was clear she was determined to find Zhou Yiming. So Zhou Yiming could not be treated like an ordinary missing person. At minimum… if alive, they wanted to see him; if dead, see the body. After a moment’s thought, Liao Yuanfeng decided. He asked the shrewd boy, “Are there any official players in the Green Bay Gang?” If so, he could post inquiries in official player chat channels or forums. But the boy’s eyes lit up with curiosity, “What’s an official player? Are you all official players? Can you tell us how to become one?” Liao Yuanfeng shook his head disappointedly and didn’t answer. He thought a moment, then asked, “Do you know where the Green Bay Gang mainly operates?” The boy answered fluently, “Their original base was the Green Bay internet café, but they moved several times later.” “When we left, the gang was based at the Baishang Life Supermarket on Rongjiang Road.” “But the leader said they were planning to go to Yucai Elementary School on Xi Village Road to find someone…” Baishang Life Supermarket and Yucai Elementary School were in two different directions. Liao Yuanfeng considered this and glanced at his own group. After a brief silence, he looked at the two captains he appointed, Luo Shan and Fan Hu. “Are you two familiar with these places?” Fan Hu, tall and burly, replied immediately, “I’m quite familiar with Baishang Life Supermarket. I used to shop there.” Luo Shan looked a bit embarrassed and scratched his head, “Um, I’m actually pretty familiar with Green Bay internet café. I used to go there often for internet.” “Alright! Then,” Liao Yuanfeng decided, “my team will go to Yucai Elementary School.” “Fan Hu, you lead your team to the supermarket.” “Luo Shan, you take your team to the internet café.” “Zhou Yiming is a top-tier entertainer—you all know what he looks like. Our mission is to find him as soon as possible!” Fan Hu was a veteran member of the suicide squad, on track to become an official member. He had undertaken far more dangerous missions. Naturally, he accepted immediately. Luo Shan, however, had only just joined the suicide squad. This was almost his first official mission. He was somewhat nervous inside but afraid to show weakness in front of Liao Yuanfeng. So he gritted his teeth and agreed without protest. Zhang Peng in his team looked pale and murmured, “But there are only five of us and no official players… What if something happens?” Hearing this, the shrewd boy glanced at Zhang Peng and seemed to understand the team’s situation. Liao Yuanfeng glanced at Zhang Peng and said gravely, “This mission is much simpler than going to the Beast World!” “There will still be danger, since this is an apocalypse. It can never be as peaceful as before.” Page (2/3)

“But the world is what it is now. We have no choice but to adapt!” Zhang Peng dared not say more. Fan Hu sneered as he glanced at Zhang Peng, “If I’m not mistaken, Green Bay internet café isn’t far from this commercial street.” “So of the three teams splitting up, yours is the easiest. And you still complain about danger?” With his strength, Zhang Peng didn’t dare argue and hung his head in frustration. Liao Yuanfeng said no more and handed small cloth bags to Fan Hu and Luo Shan. “Inside are a sachet of beast-repelling incense and a piercing arrow.” “If any team finds Zhou Yiming, shoot the arrow.” “If no one is found by midnight, return here and regroup.” Both Fan Hu and Luo Shan nodded after receiving the bags. Thus, the three teams completely split up. After Liao Yuanfeng and Fan Hu’s teams departed, Zhang Peng finally muttered quietly, “It’s just that he’s stronger, big deal!” “If I get luckier later, I might even surpass him!” The “he” naturally referred to Fan Hu, who had just put him down. Gao Chang frowned but said nothing. Luo Shan wanted to teach Zhang Peng a lesson but remembered his +5 all-attribute buff was temporary and decided to avoid trouble. So, he ignored Zhang Peng’s mood and arranged, “Although Liao said to go to Green Bay internet café,” “our mission is to find Zhou Yiming.” “So my thought is—” “Since the internet café isn’t far, let’s not drive. We can walk and look for people along the way. It’s more thorough than driving.” Jiang Yi, knowing Luo Shan had found Zhou Yiming before, was willing to follow his plan. Zhang Peng was unhappy. Their team was weak, and walking was riskier than driving. But before he could object, the usually quiet Jiang Yi spoke up, “Since Liao assigned you as captain, we’ll follow you.” This effectively confirmed Luo Shan’s temporary leadership and shut down Zhang Peng’s objections. Luo Shan was pleased but then Jiang Yi added, “I’m quite familiar with the route to Green Bay internet café.” “Why don’t the four of you go ahead? I have an upset stomach I need to take care of first. I’ll catch up later.” Page (3/3)