Chapter 18: A Simple and Brutal Approach
Upstairs, Xu Zhi knocked on Shen Jinwen’s door. They had previously agreed on a simple code for knocking when visiting each other—four knocks, three quick ones followed by a slow one. It wasn’t anything particularly complex.
Soon, Shen Jinwen opened the door. When she saw the large grey dog following Xu Zhi, she instinctively took a step back, then realized that this might be similar to that snake. “Is this your new pet?”
“Yeah.” Xu Zhi nodded and, after Shen Jinwen stepped aside, she led the dog inside.
Once Xu Zhi sat on the sofa, Shen Jinwen, as usual, poured her a glass of mineral water in a clean cup.
Water supply had been cut off, so Shen Jinwen had to go out every morning to find supplies. Fortunately, most of the people had already left the city, and the supplies couldn’t be taken with them, so the area wasn’t lacking in provisions. For example, there were at least three small shops in the neighborhood.
However, unlike last time, Xu Zhi took a sip of water after accepting the glass, even though she wasn’t particularly thirsty.
Seeing Xu Zhi drink the water, Shen Jinwen’s expression softened slightly. She sat down opposite Xu Zhi and asked, “Did you come to me for something?”
Xu Zhi put down the cup and nodded. “Yes, there’s something very troublesome.”
“You must have heard that broadcast. What do you think?” Xu Zhi asked her opinion.
“It’s a trap,” Shen Jinwen said with certainty.
It seemed like she had realized something. She looked at Xu Zhi and whispered, “You came to me for this?”
Seeing that Shen Jinwen understood, Xu Zhi didn’t hesitate and directly said, “I plan to kill them, and I need your help. I won’t just send you into danger, though. In exchange, I’ll tell you the information you want to know, and I’ll have my pets help you hunt three cores you need.”
“I’m sure you know that keeping them around isn’t good for anyone. This isn’t just about me; if you want to survive in this city, you’ll have to face them sooner or later. Now, by working together, at least you’ll have a powerful ally.”
Shen Jinwen understood this reasoning. However, she was aware of the gap in strength between her and those crazy people. Honestly, although she was an ability-user, her abilities weren’t strong. They didn’t even give her the combat power to surpass an ordinary human. She really couldn’t think of what help she could provide to Xu Zhi.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked directly.
“Bait.”
Xu Zhi didn’t hide anything from her.
“I need you to lure those crazies away from the high school.”
“You know, those guys are low IQ, and someone must be directing them. If you lure some of them away, I’ll go take care of the smarter one inside.”
“My dog will assist you. Its combat power is decent, and it runs fast.”
It was a simple and brutal plan. Xu Zhi had initially thought of something more complicated, but with Yi’s level-up, she felt things could be simplified.
“Then, how will I know if you were successful?” Shen Jinwen asked.
Xu Zhi shook her head. “We don’t have any way to contact each other after we separate, and I’m not sure if the other crazies will change after the smart one is gone.”
“But I can always know where my dog is. Once the smart one is dealt with, you’ve seen my snake, it will come find you and help you kill the remaining crazies.”
“So, I can only wait and ensure I don’t die before your assistance arrives,” Shen Jinwen summarized.
“Exactly,” Xu Zhi nodded.
She knew this was a rather “harsh” deal because Shen Jinwen was essentially putting her life at risk. Xu Zhi didn’t mind if she bargained; she could offer a few more cores if needed.
But she hadn’t expected Shen Jinwen to agree without hesitation.
“When do we start? How do I lure them? What if I get intercepted on the way?” Shen Jinwen asked several questions.
“My two pets will accompany you. They can ensure you won’t be intercepted. Just make a scene in front of the school to attract those crazies. My dog’s bark is pretty loud.”
“If only one or two of them come out, either kill them or injure them to make them run off and alert the others. In any case, you need to wait until enough of them come out, and then you’ll just have to escape with the dog.”
“If everything is okay, we’ll head out in two hours. Before then, I can tell you the information you want to know.”
“Alright,” Shen Jinwen nodded.
“Before we start, can I ask why you agreed so decisively? Even though they’re a threat nearby, you’re on your own and could easily leave and find a safer place. There’s no need to risk your life like this,” Xu Zhi leaned slightly forward, looking at Shen Jinwen curiously.
Shen Jinwen lowered her gaze and hesitated for a moment before answering, “I just don’t want to leave here.”
She didn’t elaborate further, but Xu Zhi knew that was enough.
It seemed that this place was special to Shen Jinwen, and perhaps that was why she hadn’t left Cloud City either?
“Alright, what do you want to know?”
“Information about my attributes, the uses of cores, and abilities.”
Shen Jinwen wasn’t polite and asked three key questions in one go.
Xu Zhi blinked and then made a request: “Close your eyes. You can open them when I say it’s okay.”
Shen Jinwen, though slightly puzzled, had established a basic trust with Xu Zhi by now. Closing her eyes wasn’t a big deal.
Once Shen Jinwen closed her eyes, Xu Zhi used her [Eye of Secrets] to confirm that the flame near Shen Jinwen’s heart was indeed light blue.
“All done.”
When Shen Jinwen opened her eyes, Xu Zhi confidently explained everything about [Winter]. After she finished, she saw a look of realization on Shen Jinwen’s face.
“So, that’s what the attribute is?”
Xu Zhi looked at her. “What did you think it was?”
Shen Jinwen said, “Wind, fire, water, wood, thunder?”
“That’s so basic! Uh, I mean, traditional!” Xu Zhi teased.
Shen Jinwen wasn’t offended and just smiled.
“Anyway, that’s your attribute. As for the use of cores, the only thing I know for sure is that you eat them.”
“However, eating cores is quite dangerous. As for how dangerous it is…”
“I’ve already told you the key information. Consider this an advance payment. The rest will come after we finish working together.”
Xu Zhi left some suspense. She felt she had already been generous by providing so much information in advance. The rest would depend on Shen Jinwen’s attitude during their cooperation before she decided how much more to reveal.
She wasn’t worried that Shen Jinwen would try to take advantage of her, as killing her would be an easy task if needed.
Her dog would accompany Shen Jinwen, both as protection and assistance, but also as surveillance and a threat.
