Chapter 765: Shang Shuming
"You're smart. I won't hurt you," Xu Huo said. "The other roads aren't safe. No one can leave. Since we're stuck here with nothing to do, we might as well chat to pass the time."
The group of girls cried tears of joy. The one holding his handkerchief said, "My name is Peng Ya, and this is Tian Ningning. We both grew up in the Shang family Welfare Home."
The girl with the bloody head managed a weak smile at Xu Huo.
"This welfare home is the very place where Mr. Shang Shuming once lived."
That descendant of the Shang family who rebuilt the Sun Museum was named Shang Shuming.
"Wasn't Shang Shuming adopted by an elder and taken abroad?" Xu Huo asked. Teacher Pan's records had no information about Shang Shuming living in a welfare home.
"He didn't go right away," Peng Ya said. "After Mr. Shang's mother committed suicide, his mental state wasn't good. He couldn't suddenly change his living environment, so he stayed in the welfare home for over a year of treatment before leaving."
According to the game's background and Shang Shuming's investigation records, he was born sometime between fifty and forty-five years ago. The Museum City, which served as the experimental base, was first shut down forty-three years ago. Because quite a few children were born during those years, and Shang Shuming's mother committed suicide right after being rescued, it was difficult to determine Shang Shuming's exact birth date.
But the records stated he was already four years old when rescued, stayed in the welfare home for over a year, and left Mao City around age six. He returned in his early thirties and committed suicide a few years later. He died over a decade ago, when Peng Ya was just a few years old.
"Did someone else tell you about Shang Shuming receiving treatment at the welfare home?"
Peng Ya nodded. "The old director told us. He often mentioned Mr. Shang. Because of Mr. Shang, we were able to receive a good education. When we grew up, we could even go directly to work at some public welfare organizations. All the children who left the welfare home are very grateful to him."
"Is there a photo?" Xu Huo paused and asked.
Peng Ya found it strange but still took out her phone and scrolled through the welfare home's photos for him. "This is a group photo from the welfare home back then. Mr. Shang is standing in front of the old director."
"Which one was his psychotherapist?"
"This one." Peng Ya pointed to a middle-aged man with a simple, honest face on the edge.
Xu Huo felt a moment of disappointment. The instant he saw this person, he knew this wasn't the one he was looking for.
"Only him?"
Peng Ya glanced at him cautiously. "Big brother, do you have some connection to Mr. Shang? If you want to know more about him, I can take you to see the old director."
Xu Huo suppressed his emotions and returned the phone to her.
This old director was also mentioned in Teacher Pan's records. She was still alive and well, not sick or senile, just slightly hard of hearing. She now lived in a nursing home funded by the Shang family name.
He had planned to visit her on this trip to Mao City anyway.
The car ahead finally started moving. Xu Huo said to the driver, "Go directly to the Shang family Welfare Home."
As the bus drove on, Peng Ya, prompted by her companions, lowered her voice and asked, "Big brother, could you let Tian Ningning and the others get off first? Several of them are injured. If you're going to the welfare home, I can be your guide. I know everything—the room Mr. Shang lived in, the toys he played with."
"Choose the place yourselves," Xu Huo said indifferently.
After reading Teacher Pan's records, he had a gut feeling that this Shang Shuming was just like those children who had received treatment at the Seventeenth Hospital.
An ordinary person's growth had limits. The high-IQ, antisocial child who had been treated alongside him could at most poison his entire family to death in one go. But Shang Shuming had managed to carry out this kind of torture and murder for years, leaving no trace. Aside from his strong psychological resilience, the key factor was ability—he had most likely already become a player.
Zone 009 hadn't been gamified that early. So who had trained him into a cold-blooded criminal and then turned him into a player?
Thinking of the doctor who had appeared in his dreams but whose face and name he didn't know, Xu Huo's eyes darkened. The doctor who provided Shang Shuming with psychological treatment might not be the person in the photo.
A checkpoint appeared ahead. The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, jumped out, and scrambled toward the armed personnel ahead, begging for help. "There are cannibal players on the bus..."
Before he could finish, a gunshot ended him.
A player in a black leather jacket checked his phone. "It matches. There are five more on the bus."
"That's my big brother!" a curly-haired girl on the bus shouted in surprise.
A dozen players and over twenty armed personnel quickly surrounded the bus, their gun barrels aimed at the vehicle. The player who had killed the driver shouted, "Get off and you won't die. You have half a minute. If you don't come down, we'll open fire!"
These people were clearly serious. They didn't even bother negotiating about releasing hostages. The bald man and his group, emboldened by desperation, said, "Grab someone and take them down. I don't believe they'd dare to..."
A bullet shattered the glass and hit him square in the temple.
With him down, the remaining three, all bluster and no backbone, immediately raised their hands in surrender. Several players pulled them off the bus and handcuffed them. The girls on the bus scrambled to get off, and the curly-haired girl hugged the black-leather-jacket player, laughing and crying.
"There are two more on the bus. One dead, one alive," an armed personnel member reported after checking.
"He's a good man!" Peng Ya quickly explained. "If he hadn't saved us, we don't know what would have happened!"
"Yeah, big brother," the curly-haired girl also said. "The dead one was the bad guy. He wanted to mess with Junjun. If Ningning hadn't stabbed him desperately, and Xiaoya hadn't successfully called for help, they would have killed all of us!"
The black-leather-jacket player wiped her tears. "Don't run off like that again."
After speaking, he walked up to Xu Huo. "Ye Yingdong. Thanks for saving my sister and the other girls."
As he spoke, the captured burly man was dragged behind the car and executed on the spot.
"Surname Xu." Xu Huo wasn't in the mood for conversation. "Mao City isn't locked down, is it? Can I leave?"
Ye Yingdong nodded, waved to signal the people in the distance to open the checkpoint, and handed Xu Huo a business card. "The Ye family has some reputation in Mao City. I know Mr. Xu is a man of integrity, but if there's anything the Ye family can help with, please don't hesitate to ask."
Xu Huo took the card and heard him add, "There are quite a few outer zone players in Zone 009 right now. For safety's sake, Mr. Xu, don't go to remote places."
He then gave Xu Huo a more detailed city map, which marked the ranges of some random instances.
Xu Huo accepted his goodwill. He borrowed a car on the way and was about to leave when Peng Ya voluntarily opened the door. "I promised to take you to the welfare home."
Xu Huo smiled. As he drove, he glanced in the rearview mirror. The burly man and his group were pinned down and executed on the spot.
Players carrying firearms and killing people in the street... The original government had almost completely lost its control over citizens. Zone 009 was now ruled by players.