area51novel Page 57
Page 57
Seeing that it was almost time, Nie Qingyun asked directly through the communication channel:
"If you've obtained any useful information, just get to the point."
Cheng Yuqiu paused for a moment, then responded calmly:
"There were more than 70 people in the tennis hall, 12 of whom were 'Transcendent'. The leader was the former Minister of Sports, named Liu Chengyuan."
"This person was the first to become a transcendent being, and then led them there to hide from the zombies."
"The strategy we adopted was similar to that of my cousin and her family, which was to send out people to search for supplies every now and then."
"And he would also take some ordinary people out to kill zombies, after others became transcendents one after another."
"They adopted a 'mentoring' approach, with each search for supplies led by a transcendent being, who would kill as many zombies as possible while ensuring their safety, in order to help others become transcendents."
"These people who come out, in addition to looking for food and supplies, will also try their best to search for survivors to take back."
"In addition, Yagawa Yu and Han Zheng were able to improve their attributes because they obtained items that could improve attributes from Liu Chengyuan."
"Is there anything else I need to ask?"
Cheng Yuqiu recounted all the information she had received in one breath and then asked a question.
"That's fine." Nie Qingyun responded and walked out from the corner of the stairs.
Cheng Yuqiu's ability to ask so many questions was actually quite unexpected to him.
With this intelligence, the rest is much simpler; all that's needed is to ensure the intelligence's authenticity.
Moreover, there are some things that cannot be entrusted to Cheng Yuqiu. After all, how to deeply uncover what others do not want to say is not a simple skill.
By comparing the information with that in the "Apocalypse Survival Guide".
Nie Qingyun gradually sensed that the tennis hall, or rather this group of people, was full of eeriness.
He had a vague suspicion, but he subconsciously didn't want to think about it in that direction.
After all, those things were too dark and heavy.
Seeing Nie Qingyun approaching from a distance, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became much more subdued.
The sudden sound of footsteps pulled them back to reality from their brief reverie.
Apart from Cheng Yuqiu, everyone else seemed extremely uncomfortable.
"Go downstairs and pick out a few more suitable clothes to take with you." Nie Qingyun walked to Cheng Yuqiu's side and gestured with his eyes towards the stairwell.
"This outfit is fine. I already packed the rest of the underwear..."
"Go to the first floor."
Before the girl could finish speaking, Nie Qingyun interrupted her.
The other person's tone was so harsh that she couldn't help but look up.
Upon seeing the other person's somewhat indifferent gaze, she stopped talking, stood up from the ground, and obediently walked towards the stairwell.
In Cheng Yuqiu's memory, Nie Qingyun rarely spoke to her in this tone, so something must have happened.
However, it is clearly not the right time to ask.
After the girl disappeared, under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen pairs of eyes, Nie Qingyun pulled over a chair and sat in Cheng Yuqiu's original spot.
He scanned the eyes of everyone present before speaking calmly:
"From a macro perspective, the larger the human population, the more beneficial it is for the entire human community."
"So, unless it's a threat to me or the profit is huge, I don't like killing people."
As he spoke, he glanced at Yagawa Yu, who had been carried to a sofa and was still unconscious, and continued:
"He is still alive because he is weak enough that he does not pose a danger to me."
"And the reason you've survived until now is because you're very smart."
"Know fear when facing an enemy you cannot defeat."
"This is truly commendable."
"But I absolutely hate liars."
As he spoke, he suddenly looked at a boy with long hair.
"Your name is Han Zheng, right?"
Han Zheng was taken aback, clearly surprised that Nie Qingyun could call him by his name directly.
Without giving the other party much time to think, Nie Qingyun continued:
"Your current strength attribute is 13, and the rest are 11, 9, and 10 respectively, and you have no skills."
"The reason you have this attribute is because you obtained something called [Essence of Chaos] from Liu Chengyuan."
"Its item level is D, and its effect is to randomly increase a total of 5 attribute points, and it only takes effect once per Transcendent."
Upon hearing Nie Qingyun's words, Han Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and then his eyes widened.
Because this information was something he had never mentioned before.
Especially that thing called "Essence of Chaos," which any transcendent being who comes out of the tennis hall will keep quiet about.
Nie Qingyun took in Han Zheng's expression and, without waiting for a reply, was basically certain that the item that boosted his attributes was the [Essence of Chaos].
My heart sank even further.
According to the "Apocalypse Survival Guide," the "Essence of Chaos" is something that only drops when a subspecies of ordinary zombies, evolved from them, dies.
But there are only half a month left until the apocalypse, and ordinary zombies will not undergo natural evolution for at least a month.
So what other conditions could cause ordinary zombies to evolve?
some.
If enough [Seeds of Mutation] are spread among ordinary people, they can be promoted to a higher level of existence.
In other words, it means eating enough people.
Nie Qingyun's gaze turned cold as she looked at Han Zheng, whose expression was clearly wavering.
"Now, answer my questions carefully."
"If I find that the answer you provide does not match the information I have."
“You will all die.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Qingyun suddenly summoned a triangular dagger from the data space and pressed it against Han Zheng's neck, his voice like an ice pillar shattering in the air.
"You bastard, how many ordinary people have you killed?"
Chapter 73: The Fukada-sensei you mentioned, is she not the one I'm thinking of?
The opponent's actions were too fast; so fast that Han Zheng hadn't even figured out a countermeasure before he was forced into a desperate situation.
He felt a chill creeping down his neck, and the blade was closing in on him. Just as the sharp edge was about to sever his skin, he suddenly spoke.
"I have never killed anyone!"
Seeing this, the others suddenly came to their senses and gripped their weapons tightly, but this action only brought them some psychological comfort.
Because they had given up the will to resist from the very beginning.
The speed and power displayed by Nie Qingyun were simply beyond their ability to resist.
They had already experienced this firsthand with Liu Chengyuan.
Nie Qingyun cornered Han Zheng against the wall and stopped applying pressure.
The sharpest point of the triangular dagger pressed a slight indentation into the skin on Han Zheng's neck.
The skin will be cut if you move it even slightly.
Nie Qingyun's eyes were cold as he carefully considered the few words the other party had just uttered.
This is not the kind of answer a normal person would give in this situation.
Most people would be taken aback and surprised when faced with such a sudden and illogical question.
Instead of directly answering "I have never killed anyone".
Conversely, since he gave this answer, it means that he subconsciously has seen or guessed that other people have engaged in this behavior.
Han Zheng's eyes widened slightly as he realized that there was a flaw in his statement.
But by then it was too late to make amends.
The three-edged dagger in the opponent's hand had already pierced his skin.
The slight stinging sensation felt like a silent interrogation.
Han Zheng broke out in a cold sweat, his mind seemingly caught in some kind of struggle.
"Aren't you going to confess honestly?" Seeing this, Nie Qingyun continued to press him:
"The Chaos Essence isn't something you can just get by killing a few zombies."
"So, how did you manage to make this thing?"
He stared silently into Han Zheng's eyes. In Nie Qingyun's view, the long-haired boy's behavior was contradictory.
Judging from the way he spoke, he clearly knew something inside.
Just as Nie Qingyun was preparing to take more radical measures, a boy behind her finally spoke up due to the pressure.
"We haven't killed anyone..."
"That thing was given to us by Liu Chengyuan..."
"What are the conditions?" Nie Qingyun turned to look at the person who had spoken.
In the apocalypse, anything that can enhance one's strength is extremely valuable, especially things that can directly improve attributes.
"The condition is that we collect the [Primal Crystals] and bring back more survivors." Seeing that his companion had spoken, Han Zheng sighed, as if giving up resistance:
"And he kept these things a secret, promising to provide us with even more powerful enhancement items in the future if we could keep it a secret."
"So, what about the survivors you brought back?"
Han Zheng, of course, knew what Nie Qingyun was referring to in his question. He avoided the other's gaze, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly spoke:
"Liu Chengyuan is in charge of the 'relocation' of the survivors; we are only responsible for collecting relevant information..."
"How many people are still in the tennis court now?" After a pause, Nie Qingyun changed her questioning style:
“I’m referring to the ones you usually see, not the total number in the literal sense.” “Less than 40…” Han Zheng replied, head bowed.
"In other words, nearly half of them have gradually disappeared from your sight..." Nie Qingyun suddenly turned to look at the others:
"And it was at this moment that a man named Liu Chengyuan provided you with [Essence of Chaos], which can increase your attributes."
"If you think about it for a moment, the whole thing seems really weird, doesn't it? You really don't know anything?"
At this point, his tone revealed barely concealed anger.
Now, Nie Qingyun has basically confirmed his guess.
To obtain the [Essence of Chaos], you need to kill evolved zombies.
Zombies need to eat people to evolve.
So, it's easy to guess where the [Essence of Chaos] that Liu Chengyuan gave them came from.
Even if these people don't have something like a "post-apocalyptic survival guide" that can accurately retrieve information about various items, it shouldn't be difficult for them to figure out the connection with just a little thought.
In other words, when something like this happens, no one here can remain uninvolved.
No one had spoken for a long time. Nie Qingyun looked at the pairs of evasive eyes.
At that moment, he suddenly understood many things.
These people are not completely ignorant; they are simply unwilling to speculate.
Perhaps simply surviving has already exhausted all their energy.
They are running away, refusing to think about anything, and completely enslaving themselves to 'life'.
They are not the only ones like this in this world.
From the very beginning of civilization and the light of day, war, discrimination, slaughter, and barbaric aggression have been intertwined with the greatness of humankind.