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Survivorship Bias - Chapter 21

Published at 5th of June 2024 06:51:49 AM


Chapter 21

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Chapter 21: To kill a person, kill their heart.


Why has everything turned into An Wujiu’s belongings? 

In this case, wouldn’t it be impossible to kill An Wujiu?

Yang Ming couldn’t accept this fact and even suspected that An Wujiu was cheating. But when he questioned the system, the holy voice informed him that none of this was in violation of the rules.

Despite that, he was still furious and grabbed An Wujiu by the collar, demanding, “What the hell are you up to?”

An Wujiu calmly removed his hand and spoke in a nonchalant tone, not pretending to be a villain anymore.

“Nothing surprising.”

“He was already my ally; is that what you’re thinking now?”

When there was no change in status, An Wujiu’s facial expression was noticeably less varied, almost appearing aloof. Except for those innocent eyes, which would subconsciously convey a sense of “he’s kind” to the people.

But right now, the tranquility and serenity in those eyes seemed like a joke, piercing Yang Ming’s heart.

“Exactly! It’s because of that note!” Yang Ming exclaimed angrily.

“No, it has nothing to do with that note.” An Wujiu took a piece of bread and casually glanced over at the section where Wu You had stored his supplies, confirming that everything was gone.

He turned to leave the storage room but then tilted his head and said to Yang Ming, “You never really trusted anyone in the first place.”

The note Yang Ming saw was just a prop for sowing discord, a diversion.

At the entrance of the duel room at the time, what An Wujiu had truly handed to Liu Chengwei was another note.

[Have you not noticed that Yang Ming’s red line leads to Ueno? He doesn’t trust you at all. Sacrificing you and others in duels, you’re already his pawn. When you die, the remaining supplies will be divided up completely.
I can help you get revenge and eliminate these two who betrayed you. The conditions are simple: you stay alive, and I only need 1/4 of a water bottle. If you die, the supplies will be transferred to my name. At least I will forever be Yang Ming’s enemy.
They will soon launch duels against you again. Just wait.

—An Wujiu]

At that time, he was confident that even if Liu Chengwei saw the note, he would be able to ignore it. But Ueno launching duels against him repeatedly would drive anyone to the brink, consumed by hatred, step by step.

A person as impulsive, reckless, competitive, and intolerant as him, like a wild dog whose food has been taken away, would surely seek revenge. 

Without even needing An Wujiu’s instructions, Liu Chengwei had taken the initiative to raid Ueno’s supplies. So, when Wu You revealed this to An Wujiu, he knew that the plan had succeeded.

Liu Chengwei hated them so much that the supplies after his death would undoubtedly become a lingering issue for him. In his mind, if he didn’t transfer them to An Wujiu, the supplies would either disappear without labels or, more likely, be taken by Yang Ming and Ueno.

There’s nothing easier to manipulate than hatred.

Thinking of this, An Wujiu couldn’t help but shudder at the cunning of his own plan, even though it had been devised under abnormal circumstances.

He had used a note, only half-written, to sow discord between Liu Chengwei and Yang Ming with the words “Ueno has teamed up,” making Yang Ming suspect Ueno endlessly. This guided him to adopt a strategy of self-destructive actions while also brainwashing Ueno, causing him to panic about his fate as a pawn and take the first step toward mental breakdown.

But even though Ueno was afraid, he didn’t dare to resist Yang Ming’s decisions arbitrarily. So, he started a duel with Liu Chengwei.

As long as the duels continued, Liu Chengwei would fall completely into An Wujiu’s trap and accept his revenge plan.

A closed-loop plan that allowed him to gain resources without shedding blood and eliminate a formidable enemy.

On the afternoon of the third day, Yang Ming fulfilled his promise and distributed the agreed-upon half of the supplies to others. He had to do this to ensure stability, as it was a lifesaver for those whose supplies were running out. However, An Wujiu, who was not originally included, and Ueno Taisei were not among the recipients.

The reason was simple: Ueno had betrayed him.

An Wujiu no longer needed Yang Ming’s charity, but Ueno did.

This undoubtedly dealt another heavy blow to Ueno, who was already on the brink of collapse.

Liu Chengwei’s death in this dark bunker felt like dropping a small pebble, causing some ripples but quickly fading away.

His body lay in a corner of the duel threshold quietly, with no one paying it any attention.

The survivors here had long become accustomed and numb to such things.

Only An Wujiu couldn’t let it go.

Initially, when he found himself inexplicably inside the Holy Altar, he just wanted to survive and return to see his mother. Faced with Yang Ming’s accusations, he expressed doubt, believing that he wasn’t that kind of person.

But now, it was indeed he who had designed it personally, indirectly causing the death of a living being.

By killing and manipulating, he had manipulated the minds of others’ and his own.

“Why are you sitting here alone, as if praying?”

An Wujiu turned around and saw Zhong Yirou walking toward him with a smile. She sat down beside him and straightened out the wrinkles on her cheongsam.

“You must be feeling terrible after waking up today.”

An Wujiu nodded but remained silent. His face was pale, his features soft, and he was sitting peacefully in a place resembling a cathedral hall, like a painting. He should have been a figure of tranquility within the artwork, not a demon of bloodshed in the arena.

Zhong Yirou spoke cheerfully about something dreadful.

“Do you know what the first time I killed someone in the Holy Altar was like?”

An Wujiu turned his head to look at her. Her face was calm, but her eyelashes trembled.

“It was a game of confrontation, survivors against the Guardians of the Holy Altar. You can think of them as NPCs in the game. We were initialized in a massive maze, and only the first five to make it out could survive.”

“The Guardians could appear in any corner of the maze. They had weapons, wore robes, and covered their faces. If they caught you, you might die, and if you died, you couldn’t get out.”

Zhong Yirou’s voice was soft. “I managed to escape from the Guardians’ clutches twice. At that time, my leg was badly injured, so I was terrified and moved forward cautiously. Later, I found a bloodstained chainsaw at a corner of the maze.”

She lowered her eyes. “For self-preservation, I used the chainsaw to kill the third Guardian I encountered.”

In response to this confession, An Wujiu didn’t show much emotion. He just pursed his lips and spoke softly, “And then? Did you… become the first?”

Zhong Yirou nodded with a smile. “You guessed it right. I later learned that none of the first five who made it out had clean hands.”

It was a game where one had to learn to accept killing.

Zhong Yirou smiled and continued, “But after I killed the Guardian who tried to kill me, I suddenly became curious. Were they humans or just data?”

“So, I removed his mask.” Zhong Yirou tilted her head back and let out a deep breath. “I recognized that person.”

“He was one of my allies who betrayed me in the first round of the game.”

The NPCs in the game were not simulated data or models; they were once human survivors trying to stay alive.

“He lost the game back then and was eliminated, but he didn’t die during the game. That’s when I realized that they would enter other games and become Guardians within those games.”

An Wujiu knew he should offer some words of comfort at this point, but he didn’t know what to say.

Zhong Yirou’s recovery was far quicker than his thoughts. Before he could speak, she patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

“I’m telling you all this to let you know that you shouldn’t burden yourself too much.”

She leaned back on the sofa, “I understand that you’ve lost your memory, and this is your first round. It’s normal to feel guilt, just like I did initially. It’s a natural reaction that anyone would have. But it won’t be your last.”

“Who doesn’t want to be a good person?” She smiled, looking up at the sacred mural on the ceiling, where the loving angels smiled back at her.

“But good people often have short lives.”

Zhong Yirou looked at An Wujiu, her gentle gaze carrying a hint of determination.

“Punishing the villains, in a way, is also a form of justice. Because you never know how many innocent lives they might take if they make it to the next round.”

She came suddenly and left just as quietly. After offering warmth to the bewildered An Wujiu, she disappeared, leaving him alone in the living room on the couch.

He stared at the clock on the wall and lost himself in thought, then turned his gaze to the image of Jesus on the wall.

After a long while, An Wujiu got up and returned to his room.

The sleeping gas had completely calmed his heart, and he fell into a dream.

On the morning of the fourth day, An Wujiu woke up to the sound of music playing at nine o’clock. He got up, suppressing the dizziness from the side effects, and pushed open the door.

He heard Ueno’s voice.

Last night, Ueno Taisei lost a health bar.

And Liu Chengwei’s body, that was in the duel room…

Returned to his resting room.

Lying on the bed, covered in blood.





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