Chapter 363: Deranged

“He’s not right in the head.” When Zhang Wenda heard Hu Maomao say this, his heart skipped a beat.

He slowly turned around and looked at Hu Maomao in disbelief, thinking, ‘Are you sure? He seems perfectly normal to me.’

After a moment’s hesitation, Hu Maomao said haltingly, “He’s just pretending. He puts on a very good act. The reason he’s so wary of me is because he’s afraid I’ll see that there’s something wrong with him.”

“The guy imagines he has a friend who’s right beside him. His friend says he’s in a lot of pain, and he’s been collecting painkillers for him.”

“A friend?” Zhang Wenda quickly scanned the area next to Garbage Bag using his own methods, but he found nothing there.

No red, no memory. The space around him was completely empty. There was no friend at all.

“Don’t bother trying. The way he thinks is different from other people. He’s not a normal person.”

Hearing Hu Maomao’s decisive answer, when Zhang Wenda looked again at Garbage Bag crouching in the bushes searching for mushrooms, it felt completely different.

“His logic and language systems are fine. As long as we don’t provoke him, some of the information in his head could still be useful to us,” Hu Maomao added.

“I can’t believe this. Where did this guy come from? Did he escape from a mental asylum?” At that moment, Zhang Wenda was starting to regret hiring him as a guide.

Seeing the man take out another mushroom key, Zhang Wenda quickly refused it. “Maybe next time. When I want to go, I’ll eat it. Let’s focus on dealing with this world’s problems first.”

Garbage Bag seemed a little disappointed, but he didn’t insist. “What do you want to ask?”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Okay, at least he can communicate.’

“I heard there’s a faction here? Formed from the remnants of the Big Circle? Where’s their gathering point? Can you take us there?”

“Why are you looking for them?” Garbage Bag took half a step back. “They’re not good people.”

“I know that, of course. Relax. I just want to see what the situation over there is like, and I need to pay for some intel.” Ever since learning about the man’s condition, Zhang Wenda’s words carried a hint of caution.

Whether someone was malicious or kind, as long as they were sane, you could communicate with or fight them. But if they were a lunatic, he had no idea how to handle the situation.

Garbage Bag didn’t seem to notice the change in Zhang Wenda’s attitude. He just thought for a moment in silence, then led the others toward another waterway. “I can take you, but if a fight breaks out, I’m not helping. The payment remains the same.”

“Of course, of course.”

Under Garbage Bag’s lead, the three of them began to move through the dim, filthy swamp. It had to be said that, his questionable sanity and flawed perception aside, the guy was indeed a very competent guide.

He knew which herbs to mix to avoid leeches and mosquito bites, and he knew which areas had dangerous creatures, detouring around them in advance. They walked for several hours without encountering much danger.

And Zhang Wenda had the Hippocampus meticulously record all of it. The task of mapping the swamp had already begun.

Glancing at the somewhat listless Wang Shaojie and at Hu Maomao, who had been floating for hours, Zhang Wenda asked their guide up ahead, “How much longer?”

“About two hours left. This swamp is huge. Are you in a hurry? It would be much faster if we went through the zoo.”

Zhang Wenda immediately shook his head. “It’s fine, I’m not in a hurry. If it takes two hours, it takes two hours. Let’s rest for a bit first.”

Garbage Bag had intended to lead them to some low-hanging trees in the swamp to rest, but Zhang Wenda had a better option: his own Inner World.

Once inside the bright, dry Inner World, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Wenda took off his soaking wet clothes and forcefully wrung the water out.

‘We’re about to run into that Big Circle organization. It’s best to get our people in top condition.’

‘This is what’s so great about the Inner World. No matter how harsh the environment, we can rest and regroup anytime.’

The others were clearly used to it, but Garbage Bag was visibly shocked—you could feel it even with the garbage bag covering his head.

“Wh-what is this place? Is this area an overlapping fourth world? Why is she…”

Zhang Wenda and Hu Maomao exchanged a look of tacit understanding, but neither said a word.

Zhang Wenda really didn’t want to explain what a “03’s Inner World” was to someone who wasn’t right in the head.

Just then, Yellow ran out of the forest. He and the Little Black Cats behind him were carrying pre-prepared food and fresh water.

Seeing that everyone else had started eating, Yellow walked up to Garbage Bag with a large piece of flatbread, held it up to him, and asked curiously, “Have you ever seen a zoo? What kinds of animals are in a zoo?”

Zhang Wenda was shocked to hear this. He couldn’t understand why his Yellow would suddenly ask such a thing. ‘Don’t let him provoke this guy and cause trouble.’

Fortunately, Garbage Bag’s reaction was better than expected. He just looked down, sized Yellow up for a moment, and said, “That place is too dangerous. You can’t go there.”

“But…” Yellow started to say more, but he suddenly felt a strong wave of displeasure from Zhang Wenda.

Seeing the stern look from Zhang Wenda, Yellow looked aggrieved. “But I want to go to the zoo… I’ve never been in my whole life.”

Just as Zhang Wenda was about to command Blue to appear and pull Yellow away, Hu Maomao walked over and whispered a few comforting words. Yellow instantly forgot his question and ran back into the forest to continue kicking the Golden Ball with the Little Black Cats.

Watching Garbage Bag stick the flatbread inside his bag and start chewing on it loudly, without getting provoked by Yellow’s interruption, Zhang Wenda felt a little relieved.

Hu Maomao walked over to the shirtless Zhang Wenda and said in his mind, “Don’t be so hard on him. He’s still just a child.”

“He’s not a child. He’s just a part of me,” Zhang Wenda said, his head down as he gnawed on his food.

Hu Maomao stood on her tiptoes and reached out to pat Zhang Wenda on the head. “But you’re just a child too, aren’t you?”

Zhang Wenda looked at her, speechless. “Auntie, you’re getting on in years. Can you please stop trying to act cute?”

“Just eat your food,” Hu Maomao said, giving Zhang Wenda a dissatisfied shove before sitting down to replenish her own energy.

Since the topic had come up, Zhang Wenda decided to voice a concern that had been bothering him.

“Actually, I’ve never figured out a specific use for Yellow’s ability.”