Chapter 19: Notable Figure Jiang Xianwu

Ling Hansu was stumped.

"First of all, in a scenario where failure means death and you don't deserve to be saved, then you are essentially choosing to die and dragging others down with you. I'm not wrong, am I?" Zhou Baiyu spoke with a calm and even tone.

"Hmm... no, you're not wrong." Ling Hansu nodded.

She wanted to survive, and perhaps many people at the brink of life and death would desperately grasp at any lifeline without consideration for anything else.

But the fact was, from Zhou Baiyu's perspective, he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire without reason.

"Good, secondly, you occupied the phone resources that should have been available to those truly intent on suicide. We're very busy every day, especially recently, with many suicides. So maybe you survived, and I survived, but that person who truly wished to hear comforting words in their final moments might not have."

Although this possibility existed, Zhou Baiyu was essentially accusing someone of a crime under assumption.

This was, in fact, not something to be encouraged.

Zhou Baiyu, however, didn't care about these things; he needed an obedient teammate. His sixth sense, an innate trait, gave him the impression that this girl was somewhat foolish.

Stupidity wasn't to be feared, but what was frightening was someone who was foolish, presumptuous, and disobedient.

This called for a bit of PUA, a warning shot.

"Do you even realize how reprehensible your actions are? As a pioneer, you hold more power than others, but what have you done with it?"

"For others, with great power comes great responsibility. And you? With great power comes great destruction?"

Zhou Baiyu's ruthless criticism caused Ling Hansu to break down and shed tears:

"I'm... I'm sorry!"

The script was completely different from what Ling Hansu had imagined; the once incredibly gentle Zhou Baiyu, who gave her a strong sense of vitality, seemed to have disappeared.

Of course, Zhou Baiyu knew he couldn't continue to berate her or he might break her completely.

He had sensed Ling Hansu's character from their first phone call seven days ago—her apology was definitely sincere.

This girl truly had dragged herself into a mess, but at her core, she was definitely not a bad person.

He softened his tone considerably:

"But I understand the determination of someone who wants to survive. Your desire to live is not wrong."

"Moreover, our cooperation is inevitable. I hope you understand that I'm willing to overlook your past misdeeds, but... you must listen to me and cooperate with me."

"I will, I definitely will!"

That's what she said, but life isn't made infallible with promises alone.

Zhou Baiyu was well aware that this girl might indeed cause some issues in their combined efforts.

But Zhou Baiyu had calculated carefully.

A Sky Eye who had ascended to the second order... Her intelligence might truly be lacking, but her luck was off the charts.

Calling a suicide prevention hotline and encountering a pioneer, and precisely one who could ensure her survival—this luck... made Zhou Baiyu question whether this woman possessed some sort of personal traits akin to "Sixth Sense Player" or "Orator."

Additionally, the enhancements brought by being a Sky Eye alone made many risks acceptable.

Ultimately, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. And as long as her attitude remained positive, there was room for growth.

Of course, to further PUA Ling Hansu and mold her into a qualified tool, Zhou Baiyu had much more to do.

"Let's meet up; I need to discuss some details with you in person."

"Okay, I'm in Linxiang. My address is..."

Ling Hansu promptly gave her address.

Zhou Baiyu didn't delay either and quickly left the rental.

...

...

Information is the most crucial thing; in the future world, the terror of powerful monsters comprises only a small part. The most terrifying thing is the unknown.

In order to contend with the unknown, humanity began to continuously unite. Constantly exchanging and integrating, to make the unknown as known as possible.

When Zhou Baiyu and Ling Hansu were not at the transfer station, news had already started to emerge within.

Fat but Not Oily: "I fucking... spent 68 points of pioneer value to watch a story about an M man and an S woman... In short, I was hoodwinked by the middleman, but it was indeed outrageous, a newbie cleared Version 2.21 of Hanging Corpse Hospital! However, I could only see a small part, are there any brothers who saw the other parts? Tell me, what did Jiang Xianwu do in the middle?"

This message was quickly drowned out by a slew of passing messages.

But there are always those who love to dig through threads.

And a newbie clearing Version 2.21 was definitely bombshell news.

"Newbie?"

"2.21? Post-apocalyptic 2.21? Are you kidding me?"

"If this is true, I can only think of one possibility... this newbie saved someone."

This comment from the ID Mutator Not of House quickly made everyone think of a recent incident:

"Do you guys remember the Snow Demon?"

"She had asked for help before..."

"The Snow Demon from Future Gate? That Sky Eye?"

"Yeah, speaking of Future Gate, they sure are generous, ditching a second-tier Sky Eye just like that..."

"Any big shots from Future Gate here? Care to share? Is the Snow Demon still alive?"

"Any onlookers willing to spend money to ask the middleman this question? Ask if the Snow Demon is still alive?"

The Pioneer Voice forum was particularly lively, and gradually, all topics were overtaken by "Snow Demon," "Jiang Xianwu," "Succubus damn hot," and the like.

Unlike Ling Hansu, who watched the complete seven-day experience, most onlookers could only see fragments.

So through everyone's piecing together, Zhou Baiyu, or should we say Jiang Xianwu, had taken on a thousand faces to a thousand people.

Some female onlookers found Jiang Xianwu very handsome.

But there were also men who appreciated Zhou Baiyu,

In any case, more and more onlookers were constantly speculating about Zhou Baiyu's flamboyant maneuvers over the seven days.

But due to regulations, they couldn't release various details for free, so they could only express their own attitudes and feelings.

"Jiang Xianwu is fucking awesome..."

"Holy shit, this dude is bold, utterly fearless in love and war!"

"Scum of the earth, the lowest of the low."

"Hmm, brave and clever, and made a great contribution to humanity... I once experienced a Succubus in Version 1.33, got so scared I lost all fight when hearing about Succubus ever since! Now I'm good! Jiang Xianwu, my hero!"

"Hey, Brother Xianwu, are you there? Can you leave a contact...?"

Without the process, there were only conclusions to the evaluations about Jiang Xianwu. Some despised him frantically, others praised him to the skies, two extremes that kept adding to Jiang Xianwu's persona.

But one thing was beyond doubt, a newcomer, the Pioneer's trial, still a pitiful Mutator, to be able to clear 2.21 was definitely not to be underestimated.

This person must have extraordinary qualities.

And the topics brought up by Jiang Xianwu weren't just about him.

Some of the more level-headed had realized... this was super big news.

There might have been cases in history where forced suicides were rescued and both survived.

But that was a very, very long time ago.

Pioneers, in fact, had existed for a long time.

Although various signs had only been erected for recruitment in the past month, that was just the beginning.

Version 2.21, seven days, and all mixed up with a Succubus. How much information had Jiang Xianwu gathered?