Chapter 177: Three Heads Are Better Than One

He Xu suddenly fell silent.

“What’s a movie?”

Li Ye interrupted them.

‘This world is different from the past. Killing people doesn’t erase all traces; it just makes it easier to expose yourself. Rather than physically getting rid of them, it’s better to guide them, to make them act according to my own plans. History is full of stories about lowly people accomplishing great things, like the men who saved Meng Changjun by crowing like roosters and sneaking like dogs. With the right approach, even minor players can sometimes play a decisive role.’

“Li Ye, a movie is a form of art that uses images to tell a story. It’s drawn from life, but it’s larger than life,” Hou Ran said with a laugh. “After dinner, I’ll help you find a few movies online. They can help you better understand the Federation and what kind of person your master is. That way, you won’t have any illusions about him.”

“Exactly. Bad guys always use the same old tricks. Since movies have already laid them out, we can totally avoid those risks,” He Xu said. “We can dismantle the Pot God’s conspiracy *and* all make it out alive. We just have to make sure we don’t play it out like they do in the movies…”

“Maybe we can secretly investigate the Flat Pan Group,” Chi Wenjie said. “Then, we can expose what the Pot God has done online and use the power of the public to bring them to justice…”

“Do you have any idea how powerful the Flat Pan Group is? You could post something one second and have an assassin at your door the next,” He Xu snorted. “Chi Wenjie, a lot of disasters are caused by arrogant ideas just like that one.

“We’re just a few ordinary college students. What makes you think we can go up against the massive Flat Pan Group? Stop being so naive, will you?”

“But there have to be corporations that can stand up to the Flat Pan Group, right?” Chi Wenjie retorted defiantly. “Shiyao, Nanye, the Qin Group—none of them are any smaller than Flat Pan! Xue Yang can’t control everything.

“Besides, I refuse to believe no one in the Federation’s top ranks has noticed Xue Yang’s conspiracy. It’s not like they’re idiots…”

“…My master taught me to read when I was a kid. Xue Yang only came to prominence five years ago. Maybe I was mistaken,” Li Ye said, glancing at them. “I’ve looked online. There are no front-facing photos of the Pot God. His build is just somewhat similar; it doesn’t mean he’s my master.”

“That’s right, we overlooked the timeline. Li Ye was sent to the Ruins eighteen years ago, but the Flat Pan Group only appeared five years ago. The dates don’t line up!” Chi Wenjie exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

“Doesn’t that just prove the point even more!” Hou Ran said. “This is a conspiracy that was set in motion eighteen years ago. The Flat Pan Group might just be a single pawn in the game…”

The group suddenly fell silent.

“What is it?” Li Ye asked.

“There are only a few corporations bigger than the Flat Pan Group. The Nanye Group, which researches protective suits; the Shiyao Group, which develops nutrient fluids; War God Qin Tian’s Qin Group; the Star Map Group, which deals in Star Beads; Celestial Essence Energy, which produces Energy Bars… and all that’s left is the Federation and the military.”

He Xu glanced at Li Ye. “If even the Flat Pan Group is just a pawn, then the power behind Li Ye must be at the very top—not something a few small-timers like us can mess with. If we get involved, we won’t be risking our futures. We’ll be risking our lives.”

“Xu, what do we do then? Just abandon Li Ye?” Liu Rongrong asked urgently.

“Honestly, the best thing might be to forget about any conspiracies, change his name and lie low, and just live as a normal person. Li Ye has so many high-grade Star Beads. He could slowly exchange them for Star Coins and live comfortably for the rest of his life,” He Xu said.

“But in the movies, the people who go into hiding always get found in the end!” Chi Wenjie argued. “That plan won’t work. I’m against it…”

He Xu shot Chi Wenjie a glare. “Li Ye, what do you think?”

“I don’t know what to do right now,” Li Ye said, poking at a pork trotter in front of him with his chopsticks. “Part of me wants to find my master, but part of me doesn’t.

“I know so little about this world. Maybe I should watch some of those movies you were talking about and get a better idea of what the Federation is really like?”

“That’s a good idea,” He Xu nodded. “Stay here with Rongrong for the next few days and use the internet to learn about this world. We’ll wait and see. If there really is a mastermind, they’ll definitely come looking for Li Ye.”

“Xu is right. Let’s wait and see what our opponent does next,” Hou Ran said. “First, we need to at least figure out who our enemy is.”

“That’s right, Li Ye. Just relax and stay here,” Liu Rongrong said. “We’ll come keep you company whenever we’re not in class. If anything happens, we’ll figure it out together. Just promise you won’t do anything rash. Since you don’t know how things work yet, it’d be easy for you to get into trouble.”

“Okay,” Li Ye nodded.

“One more thing. Everyone be careful. Don’t let a word about Li Ye get out,” He Xu instructed the group.

“Alright, alright, we’re all still starving! Let’s eat!” Liu Rongrong said with a smile, beckoning to everyone. She raised her glass. “To surviving a great disaster, and to meeting Li Ye! Let’s toast!”

Everyone raised their glasses.

Only Li Ye didn’t move.

“Li Ye, ‘toasting’ means we all clink glasses and drink together,” Liu Rongrong explained. “You have to learn to be a part of our group.”

“I’m not hungry. I don’t feel like eating,” Li Ye said, shaking his head. “Every time my master gave me an injection, I wouldn’t need to eat for a long time afterward.

“At first, it was just a few days. Then it was a month, then two months, then five months, and then a whole year. It’s been over eight months since my last injection, and I’m still not hungry…”

Li Ye was reciting the development timeline for the Shiyao Group’s nutrient fluids, which he had just looked up online. The intervals between the first four generations of the fluid matched the periods he just described.

He was skilled at using any and all available resources.

“Holy shit, don’t tell me your master was injecting you with nutrient fluid?” Hou Ran blurted out.

“The first-gen nutrient fluid lets someone survive in the Ruins for seven days. Second-gen is a month, third-gen is two months, and the unreleased fourth-gen is five months…” Chi Wenjie said. “If that’s not nutrient fluid, what is?”

Liu Rongrong stood up again and brought over a box. “Li Ye, is this what your master injected you with?” she asked.

“It’s this kind of bottle, but without the words on it,” Li Ye confirmed with a nod.

“So, the Shiyao Group is also one of the masterminds?” Hou Ran stammered. “Is Li Ye… a test subject?”

“Those sons of bitches, what a fucking scam,” Chi Wenjie said, suddenly furious. “The top news says the Shiyao Group just perfected the fourth-gen nutrient fluid. Turns out, the stuff they were injecting into Li Ye already lasted for a year! Maybe even longer—a year and a half, or even two. They’ve developed a much better nutrient fluid but are only releasing the fourth-gen version. The Shiyao Group is just milking the technology, slowly squeezing every last Star Coin out of us.”

“Alright, so it’s confirmed the masterminds include both the Flat Pan Group and the Shiyao Group,” He Xu said, putting down his chopsticks as well. “We’re talking about two behemoths here. Everyone needs to be more careful about what they say and do from now on.”

“Li Ye saved our lives. No one is to betray him,” Liu Rongrong warned.

“Rongrong, you don’t have to tell us. Traitors deserve a horrible death,” Chi Wenjie said. “Besides, Li Ye is wrapped up in too many secrets. If anyone starts investigating, people like us will probably be silenced. Dead men tell no tales, after all. Even if you got money for selling Li Ye out, you wouldn’t live long enough to spend it.”

He Xu’s hand trembled almost imperceptibly.

Heh!

‘So this guy really was planning to sell me out!’

Li Ye noticed He Xu’s subtle movement and chuckled to himself. He scanned the group and said, “If someone really tries to harm me, I’ll kill them. Just like I killed Qiu Feipeng. I can’t allow myself to be exposed to danger.”

“Li Ye, relax. No one is going to kill you,” He Xu said with an awkward laugh. “We’re only telling you all this to protect you.”

“Okay.” Li Ye nodded, then stood up and put down his chopsticks. “I’m going to get online. You guys go ahead and eat.”

“Here, let me help you find some movies,” Chi Wenjie said, getting up with a grin. “Then you’ll see just how complicated the human world can be.”

“Alright,” Li Ye agreed.

…

Li Ye closed the door and started watching a movie while browsing the web.

Outside, the others continued to discuss him as they ate.

They lowered their voices, but every word of their conversation still reached Li Ye’s ears clearly.

“We should hold off on getting Li Ye an ID for now,” He Xu said. “Getting him official identification right now would draw too much attention. Someone is bound to notice and report it up the chain.”

“Right,” Chi Wenjie agreed. “We also need to keep an eye on the Shadow Guild. Now that Qiu Feipeng is dead, they’ll definitely investigate everyone who entered the Ruins today.”

“We don’t need to worry about the Shadow Guild. Even if they find his body, it’s not a problem. We’re just a few college students; we don’t have the power to kill Qiu Feipeng,” Hou Ran said. “Besides, Li Ye killed him with a single punch. They’ll probably only investigate experts at the seventh rank or higher.”

“It’s better to be cautious,” He Xu said. “After all, we entered and exited the Ruins twice that day, which is pretty unusual behavior.

“The checkpoint has surveillance cameras. If anyone bothers to check, they’ll find that on our second trip out, we registered as a group of six, but only five of us actually left. Then, we came back with six people.

“That’s our biggest vulnerability. We have to find a way to wipe today’s surveillance footage from the checkpoint…”

“Xu, you’re being a little too cautious,” Chi Wenjie said, shaking his head. “It’s common for seventh-rank experts exploring the Ruins to be gone for ten days, even half a month. By the time anyone finds Qiu Feipeng’s body, the surveillance footage will probably have been overwritten.

“If we hire someone to wipe the footage, it’ll just make us look more suspicious. The more you do, the more mistakes you can make. I think doing nothing right now is actually for the best.”

“Wenjie has a point,” He Xu conceded with a nod. “Alright, we’ll do nothing and wait. But we still need to keep an eye on what the Shadow Guild is doing…”

‘Three heads are better than one, as they say. Their discussion might be naive, but they’ve managed to minimize the risks. Chi Wenjie is right—doing nothing is indeed their best option right now.

‘They might be doing nothing, but I can’t afford to. Because I know the conspiracy is fake.

‘And if I want to get stronger quickly, I have to make this fake conspiracy real…’