LWGP - Chapter 187

Chapter 187: Liu Wuren

Wang Jiu habitually browsed her social circles. Of course, she had no interest in whether others lived or died, but she still knew a few things.

"I heard the military presence in Sichuan is very strong. In terms of talent, it ranks in the top three among all provinces. Three of the top thirty territories in the Ninth District, ranked by development, are located there. For it to fall… Ah, has the Undead Race migrated?"

Seeing that Wang Jiu had figured it out, her superior, Minister Qin, no longer concealed the truth. "Yes. Originally, the Undead Race's invasion was a scattered affair. Although this meant danger everywhere and no peace, it also dispersed their forces, which actually lessened the pressure on humanity. In fact, two days ago, we noticed a decrease in the frequency of undead attacks. We should have been celebrating, but we were also warned that the Undead Race was gathering to rampage through territories one by one. Sure enough, in the early hours of yesterday morning, the three border cities of Bazhong, Guangyuan, and Dazhou in Sichuan were completely razed. The casualties were countless. Now, everyone is fleeing to Chengdu, but according to current monitoring, a massive horde of the Undead Race is ferociously encroaching on Sichuan's domain. Three cities fell yesterday, and another three will fall tomorrow."

Wang Jiu pinched a cherry tomato between her fingers but didn't eat it. She paused, then said, "They won't."

Minister Qin grew serious. "What do you mean?"

Wang Jiu said, "Their gathered forces are even larger now. After devouring three cities, their individual strength has fattened up considerably. You think they'll maintain their previous work efficiency? Doubling it would be more like it."

Only after saying this did she eat the cherry tomato.

Minister Qin: "…"

He had long known this woman was cold-hearted, but he hadn't realized she was so good at running people down.

"That is why we need to request the cooperation of a powerful expert like you, Lord of Gobi."

Wang Jiu: "If you had asked for help, I would have refused you."

A glint flashed in Minister Qin's eyes, and he smiled. "That's why it's a cooperation. This is the draft of our proposed contract. If you agree, Liu Wuren, the lord of the great Bashu Territory in Sichuan, will sign a pact with you using an agreement that has binding in-game effects. This way, in addition to the rewards for kills in battle, you can also receive rewards for war participation, placing you on equal footing with the Bashu Territory and all other participants."

This was the proper attitude for seeking cooperation.

The Bashu Territory was an official government branch, ranked 13th in the Ninth District for development. But for Liu Wuren to have Minister Qin act as a messenger, they had to be a formidable figure.

In truth, the threat posed by the Undead Race had spurred a trend of major consolidation in the Ninth District. More than half of the top 30 territories in the development rankings were large territories with powerful backers. The Gobi Territory had even been pushed down to 19th place.

However, it was the only private territory without any official or factional backing.

The other party's intentions were sincere, and Wang Jiu's attitude was clear. She agreed directly and told him to go back and inform Liu Wuren.

"Excellent. Er, I also hope Lord Wang will accept his friend request?"

"Hm? Fine."

"By the way, Lord of Gobi, are you and Xie Lu friends? You see, he's been with you for so long…"

The moment Minister Qin said this, never mind Wang Shu and the others craning their necks, Xie Lu's expression turned awkward first.

So long?

It hadn't even been a month!

Wang Jiu's gaze was gentle as she glanced at Xie Lu and chuckled softly. "Please rest assured, government. If he wishes to leave in the future, I will let him go back pure and clean. I won't lay a finger on him."

What a "pure and clean."

Minister Qin: "…"

This girl was far too honest with her words. Next time, they should send the silver-tongued diplomats. This was too exhausting. How was he supposed to respond to that? Xie Lu looked like he was about to eat him alive.

So, he could only go with the flow and say earnestly, "Actually, it's fine if you do lay a finger on him."

The country needed talent. As long as they could retain talent, it was fine to let other talents make a little sacrifice.

Then he gave Xie Lu an encouraging look, tore a long-distance town portal scroll, and fled as if his life depended on it.

Xie Lu's face flushed red. He turned back only to meet Wang Jiu's teasing gaze. He couldn't help but explain seriously, "He was talking nonsense. Don't mind him. I didn't know he…"

Before he could finish, Wang Jiu looked him up and down and said faintly, "So your department offers this kind of service."

"No…"

"I, however, feel your superior's choice of words was imprecise."

"Hm?"

"The term 'lay a finger on' isn't typically used between men and women. Unless you're into some kinky stuff."

"…"

It was a while after Wang Jiu had left that Wang Shu asked the people next to him what she meant. In truth, Xie Lu hadn't understood either, but seeing Qiao Xuejing's odd expression, they slowly began to catch on.

Their gazes all drifted to the hands of the person beside them.

Qiao Xuejing raised her hand and flicked Wang Shu on the forehead, chiding, "What are you thinking about!"

Wang Shu clutched his head and ran off.

But he remembered that his master's hands were exceptionally beautiful.

Slender and long.

He wondered if his master had ever laid a finger on anyone.

As Wang Shu thought about it, his mind started to wander.

As Wang Jiu walked onto the bridge, a private message from Liu Wuren arrived.

There were no words, just a pact that radiated a purple-gold aura.

She probably wasn't the first to sign it, but she wouldn't be the last. Wang Jiu finished reading the details, clicked confirm, and the pact was formed.

Only then did Liu Wuren send a line of text—Thank you for accepting. Round-trip tickets have been sent to your mailbox. Accommodations have been arranged. Awaiting your arrival.

A person capable of great things. As for why the other party didn't send a voice message, Wang Jiu didn't care.

Since they were going to Sichuan, there was no need for everyone to go. If a fight broke out, Wang Jiu could just pull her team over then.

For now, she would only take someone to scout things out.

This was the legendary all-inclusive, paid-leave, cross-province vacation—and to a great place like Sichuan, no less.

Wang Shu: "That has to be me."

Liao Luo: "Hah, you?"

Wang Shu: "Let's draw lots if you've got the guts."

No one agreed to drawing lots, because a certain fatty was a natural-born cheater.

Xie Lu: "Let's PK."

Fang Cun: "I think I'm more experienced and can help with liaison work."

Qi Shuanghan: "The Lord needs a diplomat."

Zhao Si: "I think she needs a crooked merchant."

Qiao Xuejing: "I think the captain needs someone to dig pits, set traps, and bury people for her."

The group argued endlessly, finally settling on a round-robin tournament.

Drawing lots, PK, and a debate competition.

In the end, one person emerged victorious.

Wang Shu. He won.

Everyone fell silent—they never imagined that Qi Shuanghan, after defeating everyone else, would lose to Wang Shu.

The under-the-table dealings were too obvious. Get them!

Lin Guiwan was the only one who didn't participate. She had to take care of the child and couldn't leave, so she had been watching the spectacle. Smiling, she asked Wang Jiu, who was sipping tea beside her, "You knew Wang Shu bribed Qi Shuanghan, yet you still let them carry on like this?"

Wang Jiu rested her cheek on one hand. Her features were delicate, but her tone was wicked. "I don't like socializing, but I never said I don't enjoy watching a good show."

Lin Guiwan: "…"

So what she'd heard was true. There had been many a lover's quarrel among the fish swimming around Wang Jiu, likely because of this indifferent nature of hers.

Two days later, on a desolate highway in Mianyang, Sichuan, a car was driving along. Wang Shu, who was at the wheel, told Wang Jiu about matters within Sichuan. Among the territories invited by the Bashu Territory were many large territories renowned in their respective provinces and cities, their prestige comparable to Wang Jiu's in Luoyang and Henan.

"Of course, they're still a bit lacking. Here in Henan, aside from the official territories, even Guangqu was taken down by them. We're provincial-level, you know."

Wang Shu was a very vain person, and he had this air of proud glory down pat. Because of this, he mostly mentioned other provincial-level territories, aiming to brief Wang Jiu on the powerful figures she would be meeting.

Lao Wang didn't like to bother with these things, as her insight and intellect were enough to make the most accurate judgments upon meeting these people. But Wang Shu felt that if he could provide timely intelligence reports, it would still be a good thing.

"Within Sichuan, the strongest is definitely the great Bashu Territory, but there's also a large private territory called Snow Sea Forest Stream. It's quite interesting, actually. Did you know, Master?"

Wang Jiu turned her head to look out the window. She neither stroked the fat, black Coal Ball on her lap nor looked at Wang Shu, but she said, "You know, people who leave you hanging mid-sentence tend to end up getting hanged themselves, right?"

She did nothing, yet the atmosphere in the car seemed to turn several degrees colder. Bai Bai, sleeping like a log on her lap, shivered and woke with a start. Wang Shu's pig-like hands on the steering wheel also trembled, and he immediately blurted out, "It's actually a film crew! A huge investment, they were specifically filming on location in Sichuan and Yunnan. It's a story about humans and demons, a super-huge IP with several top-tier celebrities. But then this whole thing happened. Later, they changed their spawn point and chose Sichuan. There must be an expert among them who thought Sichuan was rich in resources, no worse than Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, and they could avoid competing with others."

Wang Jiu: "There must be a celebrity you like in there, for you to be so talkative."

???

You're the one who told me not to leave you hanging, and now you're the one blaming me for talking too much!

Master, you're so hard to please!

The star-chaser Wang Shu chuckled sheepishly. "That's one reason, yes. But mainly, it's because these celebrities are all surprisingly powerful. I suspect their celebrity profession might have a significant impact on their class talents, which is why they have so many followers."

Wang Jiu seemed somewhat interested in this topic. She raised her head slightly and said indifferently, "In the early stages, the greatest source of combat power is none other than the younger generation. And this generation is independent and rarely follows their hearts. To control them, you either entice them with benefits or become their faith."

Wang Shu thought about it and agreed. "That's right. If those celebrities put out a call, wouldn't countless people join up, ready to bleed and die for them? There were plenty of die-hard fans before the apocalypse. Now that you mention it, it's no wonder most of these celebrities are doing so well."

In those apocalypse novels, some celebrities would become useless the moment the world ended, falling to the bottom of society and becoming playthings for others, especially the female stars.

But this game's tutorial period and the choice of spawn location gave them too much agency, allowing them to build a foundation.

"No charm lasts forever."

Wang Shu: "Of course. Anyway, I fall in love with every idol I see, hahaha."

But Wang Jiu shot him a smiling glance. "I was saying that loyalty and greedy possessiveness are two different things."

Loyalty doesn't mean one won't covet and possess.

Wang Shu froze, understanding her meaning.

If those celebrities relied solely on the adoration of their fans, they would, in all likelihood, face a backlash in the future.

But by comparison, his own master would probably never be betrayed, because she didn't care about anyone's loyalty.

With this thought, Wang Shu changed the subject and brought up the large territories in other provinces.

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