Chapter 122.1: Love Welfare Institute (1/2)

On Tuesday, the baptismal day after singing the songs, Bai Liu and Bai Liu (6) stood in the forest behind the church and planned Wednesday’s escape.

Bai Liu (6) touched the coin that Bai Liu gave him. Bai Liu crouched down and taught him how to use some of the functions of the coin. Then he suddenly said, “Oh yes, do you remember the little girl I asked you to protect, Liu Jiayi?”

“Her?” Bai Liu (6) frowned. “I think she is very strange. She seems very used to this strange welfare home and soon figured out a lot of rules. I don’t think she needs my protection at all.”

“Is that so?” Bai Liu thought about it. “She has only 50 points of health. I have two guesses about it.”

Bai Liu (6) looked at him. “What guess?”

“First, it is possible that the girl is poisoned. The information I have so far can verify this. However, there is a very strange point. This speculation doesn’t explain why Liu Huai is bound to her, nor why Liu Huai’s health was reduced to 50.”

Bai Liu continued while checking the coin panel he gave to Bai Liu (6). “Later, I thought about it and the situation of her being forcibly weakened is familiar to me. I have encountered it twice before but it is generally because some of the player’s attributes exceed the balance range of the game. The system will forcibly weaken the player in order to regulate and control all aspects of the game.”

Bai Liu (6) soon understood what Bai Liu meant. “Do you mean that Liu Jiayi’s attributes are so strong that the system must weaken her health?”

“It isn’t just weakening. It also bound Liu Huai to her to restrict her clearance.” Bai Liu spoke while calling out the system panel for Bai Liu (6). “The first time I played a game, I was forcibly weakened by the system at the end of the game but it was because I showed some actions that could destroy the balance of the game. This was beyond the conventional game line.”

“Meanwhile, Liu Jiayi was weakened and restricted the moment she entered the game. It isn’t like a newcomer playing the game for the first time.”

Bai Liu (6) hadn’t played the game but he always followed Bai Liu’s thoughts very quickly. “You mean, Liu Jiayi is probably an old player?”

Bai Liu touched his chin. “I do have such a guess. The place that will be weakened will be based on the strong attributes. For example, in my second game, a player’s luck value was strong enough to affect the game so his luck was decreased. This Liu Jiayi is likely to have a personal skill related to health, such as restoring health.”

Bai Liu (6) frowned. “Didn’t you say that few people have this skill?”

“Yes, so it further narrows down my suspicions.” Bai Liu was thoughtful. “Based on what I know so far, I think Liu Jiayi might be a player called Little Witch. However, I heard that this player doesn’t just have a healing skill, she also has a strong attack skill.”

Bai Liu (6) commented, “She sounds like a tricky player.”

“Even so, I want her soul.” Bai Liu looked down at Bai Liu (6). “I need a player of her type.”

“The trouble is that she already knows I can manipulate players using their souls. She won’t easily agree to a deal with me. I can only start from other places. The system used Liu Huai to restrict her and she is hiding her identity from Liu Huai. This proves that Liu Huai is very important to her.”

Bai Liu touched his fingers while thinking. “We can start by using Liu Huai to test her and see what she really wants.”

“I made a plan by integrating all types of information and from the perspective of maximizing profit.” Bai Liu nodded at the coin touching Bai Liu (6)’s chest. “You will escape with Mu Ke and Liu Jiayi but I don’t think she will let you succeed. Things will probably go wrong in the middle of your escape.”

“Still, it doesn’t matter. I have a fault tolerant plan. I will implement a surprise attack at the private hospital to delay you being taken to the hospital. This means you will have one more chance to run outside.”

“Then the plan will progress in one of two directions.” Bai Liu opened his eyes to look at Bai Liu (6). “The first is that I die in tomorrow’s attack.”

“If this is the case, you don’t have to worry about Liu Jiayi and run out directly. Just take Mu Ke with you. We will give up on gaining Liu Jiayi’s soul and will carry out the plan on the most important premise of clearing the game. You can steal a car from the hospital and use the Passenger’s Blessing item to run out with Mu Ke. This will allow you to avoid most monsters.”

Bai Liu (6) was quiet for a few seconds. Then he asked in a very puzzled manner. “In order to save me, you will be alienated into a monster for the rest of your life and stay in what you call a game instance. Why would you do this for me?”

“It is because I hope you can also do this for me, Bai Liu (6).” Bai Liu spoke softly. He leaned forward and stared into Bai Liu (6)’s perplexed eyes. “If I don’t die in this raid, I hope you will become a monster for me after death—in other words, the plan will go in a different direction.”

“I will take full control of Liu Huai. Meanwhile, I need you to go find Liu Jiayi and reduce her wariness of me. Make her believe that you and your investor, i.e. me, really want to save her. This way, I will more easily win her trust and her soul.” Bai Liu looked down at Bai Liu (6), his voice becoming lighter and lighter like a white silk cloth covering his face. “Do you know what to do?”

Bai Liu (6) stared straight at Bai Liu.

Bai Liu told him, “Let her kill you and then have Mu Ke throw your body where it can be alienated and turn into a monster to help me.”

Bai Liu (6)’s breathing paused for a few seconds before he sarcastically said, “Dear Mr Investor, you might be whimsical but not everyone is like you and will selflessly sacrifice for others. I won’t do something so stupid for you.”

Bai Liu smiled and touched Bai Liu (6)’s face. Bai Liu (6) coldly turned his head away but Bai Liu didn’t care much. “I know you very well Bai Liu (6), perhaps better than you know yourself. You really won’t do such a stupid thing for others.”

Bai Liu’s eyes stared at the coin on Bai Liu (6)’s chest. His hands rested on Bai Liu (6)’s thin shoulders as he slowly pressed his forehead against the coin. Bai Liu closed his eyes against Bai Liu (6)’s heart, his tone pious and serious. “However, you will do such a thing for yourself.”

Just as I’m willing to die for you, you will be willing to die for me once you know that I am you.

“The coin is very important. You can explore it well.” Bai Liu smiled. “Pay attention to the players’ names and other little things when receiving the system notifications. Then you will get a surprise. For example, my identity. It is something you’ve always wanted to know.”

Bai Liu (6)’s brow slowly furrowed as he held the coin.

***

Bai Liu (6) looked casually at Bai Liu with ‘blood’ staining the corner of his mouth. “Now it is completely in accordance with your plan and expectations. Liu Jiayi might think you are a scheming bad man but she believes that you really want to save her. You gave up protecting yourself for Mu Ke, me and even Miao Feichi in order to let Liu Jiayi feel that you have some special pity for the group of children. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.”

“You are a complete liar.” Bai Liu (6) commented without any emotion. “Her first understanding of you was completely correct.”

Bai Liu shrugged and accepted Bai Liu (6)’s assessment of him without any concern. “How is it? Are you okay? Can you follow us later?”

Bai Liu (6) coughed. He lowered his head to wipe at the corners of his mouth and he frowned slightly. “We can’t leave this tunnel during the day. Even at night, the areas where we can move are limited.”

“This tunnel will be closed after these deformed children monsters return to their nests and it won’t open until after 9 p.m. You had better leave here quickly. I also don’t recommend you take me with you.”

Bai Liu (6) slowly looked up. Death had spread in his pupils and he had an expression of indifferent calm. “Just now was the greatest value I could show. My internal organs have started to liquefy due to the intense consumption of this alienated body. By nighttime, I might become a real corpse or rot into a pool of mud used to grow these mushrooms.”

There were visible corpse spots on his face and hands as he spoke. They were spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye. Bai Liu (6) was rotting at an abnormal speed.

Little Mu Ke heard Bai Liu (6) saying this and he couldn’t help crying again. Mu Ke’s eyes also reddened as he looked away from the wretched Bai Liu (6) in distress.