Chapter Fourteen: Seeing Through

In this era, women like her possessed a sense of superiority deeply embedded in their very bones. At its core, this feeling stemmed from a harsh reality—there were far more eligible, unmarried men than women. To avoid falling into a worse fate, someone like me, lacking in status and achievement, could do nothing but remain single.

—Wang Luo

August 15, 1993, 11:21 PM
8652 Misas Avenue, Old Duerte Inn, 8.652 kilometers southwest of the rendezvous point

---

Tang Xiaoxiao was anxious as she pushed open the door.

Though she had presented herself as a dependent in front of Zhu Cunjia, before arriving in this world, she had relied on her education, ability, discernment, and charm to secure a million-yuan salary by the age of twenty-five. She was a success by her own hand.

She had come here because of what Wang Luo had done; it made her open to getting closer to him. Wang Luo appeared naïve and childish, but his actions betrayed a shrewdness and even a ruthless edge—she had known men like this before, and felt no aversion. Compared to partnering with someone like Zhu Cunjia, whose experience and depth were written all over him, working with someone like Wang Luo often brought greater returns.

Yet, partnership required his recognition. Zhu Cunjia was likely a male chauvinist, so presenting herself as a vulnerable woman was the best approach. But before Wang Luo, she found it difficult to decide what persona to display.

Her long hair was let down behind her, brows carefully shaped, eyeliner drawn, and her lipstick and makeup were bold—she judged Wang Luo lacked experience with women, and such makeup would be more alluring to him.

She wore a pale yellow suit, modest yet perfectly accentuating her figure—striking a balance between showcasing her appeal for approval and not appearing too easy, lest she be looked down upon.

The initial interaction after entering would be critical; not just words, but eye contact and body language mattered. She had rehearsed countless times in her mind that afternoon.

Ideally, she would conquer him beneath her skirt. If not, she would at least express goodwill, laying the groundwork for possible collaboration.

At the threshold, she hesitated. She felt sorrow for her own obvious motives, and a touch of contempt for her inability to act decisively. Amidst tangled emotions, she steeled herself and pushed open Wang Luo’s door.

Inside, the sight that greeted her was shocking.

Wang Luo stood atop the table, brandishing a long rod, muttering under his breath:

“Divine Gun, shoot him!”

My goodness! To have mustered courage, torn between hesitation and resolve, only to find the target was just a child—such a scene could inflict a ton of damage on a woman with little romantic experience, who had finally made up her mind.

And that master of ruining the mood, that harbinger of loneliness, responded in kind, acting just like a child. He quickly hid the rod behind him, his face flushing bright red.

She wanted to slam the door and leave, to spit in his face. But in the end, the instincts of a human resources manager prevailed.

She maintained her poise. “Good evening,” she said, sitting on the bed.

Seeing she didn’t burst out laughing at him, his embarrassment gradually faded; he set aside the clothes rod and sat on the table. “Good evening.”

He smiled, somewhat awkward yet friendly, and waved at her. For a moment, she found herself at a loss for words.

“What do you plan to do next?” She skipped the flirtatious lines she had prepared—now ill-suited for the situation—and got straight to the point.

“As planned... save people.”

“Save people? You mean...”

“As a whole... the people of this city.”

She paused, weighing the truth of his words. “So, what will you do next?”

---

As soon as she voiced the question, she regretted it. It would have been appropriate if she were doing this for Zhu Cunjia’s sake; if for herself, it was a mistake. Her original emotions had been shattered since entering, yet she understood what such conversations could lead to—and did not wish for that outcome.

Even if disappointed, some truths could only be discerned on the bed, in an embrace, in the fusion of bodies and the mingling of fluids. Especially with someone like him—by her estimation, he was inexperienced—such men, driven by emotion and desire, were unaccustomed to lying to women.

As she struggled internally, he spoke.

“First, observe. Find each piece of the overall scene. Then look for the contradictions in the event.”

He gestured to an open book on the table.

“Contradictions exist everywhere. Take a biochemical crisis scenario—why would this company want to turn people into zombies? Where is the contradiction? Where is the conflict?”

“I haven’t seen that movie, nor played the game. From what I know, the company almost never acted proactively.”

“What they did was research, more research, and still more research. You could call it curiosity about the unknown, or just stubbornness. Their primary task was to continue their research. They didn’t care about the destruction it caused—but that doesn’t mean destruction was their goal.”

“This is the foundation. The unconsciousness of evil—in my view, most people’s minds can’t withstand pure evil. When they do wrong, they see it as normal, not as ‘I am doing evil’—and that’s how it can become so great.”

“So, the problem is simple. Use this instinct against them—make them realize that the people living in this city are ‘humans’ and not just captive test subjects.”

“This company has contributed much to the city; the citizens have benefitted greatly and thank and trust them. And it is this gratitude and trust that is the key to the company’s failure to see the citizens as people. So, the first step is to erase that trust, destroy that gratitude. What I said on TV was for this purpose.”

Tang Xiaoxiao pondered his words, finding them difficult to understand. Still, his actions displayed his strength, so perhaps his words had value. “Will that work?”

“I’m fairly confident. If the people here are still ‘human,’ then the odds of things unfolding as I expect are about eighty percent. Of course, there’s always a chance of failure—anything can go wrong.”

His face and eyes didn’t suggest otherwise; he seemed to be telling the truth. Her estimation of Wang Luo dropped a little. While she was evaluating and analyzing him, Wang Luo stood up, turned off the light, and sat by the window.

Tang Xiaoxiao’s heart began to thump.

“They are people—warm, soft, capable of crying when hurt, laughing when held. If they can be saved, I want to save them... ha...”

Tang Xiaoxiao rose, walked to the window, and sat beside Wang Luo.

The pale glow of the streetlights cast its light upon them. A gentle breeze drifted by, lifting a few strands of hair.

At some point, Tang Xiaoxiao’s hand closed over Wang Luo’s. Then she got what she wanted—but not in the way she had anticipated.

Wang Luo was trembling.

In that instant, she could feel everything about him—his kindness, weakness, desire, fear.

Innate goodness, habitual weakness, desires tainted by fear and cowardice.

In a flash, her judgment was made: this man was not up to the task.

He might have theories, plans, and the ability to get things done. But beneath it all was not burning ambition, not the greed or aggression essential for success, but fear, hesitation, kindness, and weakness.

His desires—unlike Zhu Cunjia, who, upon seeing she wanted a protector, would simply pull her into bed—were the desires of someone who wanted closeness but didn’t dare express it, the desires of a loser, a failure, a weakling.

Having arrived at this conclusion, Wang Luo’s previous actions now made sense.

Why did he lie about the plan? Why not mention the gold from the start?

If he had explained, perhaps no one would have objected.

There was only one reason: he was afraid.

Afraid of accidents, of others taking the lead, of being looked down upon.

What did he plan to do next? Of course he couldn’t say—because he himself didn’t know.

---

So that was all he amounted to! In the end, just a petty, clever hypocrite.

Maybe even a coward... She thought of his childish display when she entered.

Before coming, she had prepared for both physical intimacy and information gathering; she had hoped for a romantic connection, a tacit understanding between kindred spirits, a resonance of body and soul.

Yet, all her expectations were dashed upon arrival, leaving her filled with intense aversion and disgust.

The scant desire she’d had to get close to him or win him over vanished completely. Sensing Wang Luo’s hidden desire for her, Tang Xiaoxiao’s feeling of contempt only grew.

And when she realized he was possibly gripped by fear, and that his achievements might be nothing more than luck or coincidence, contempt was all that remained in her heart.

The plans for the bank and TV station had been well-crafted, but that was it. Precisely because they were well executed and the outcome settled, he was no longer needed.

To have a good idea and see others take the credit, to make a solid plan and watch someone else reap the rewards—she had seen this happen too often in the company.

She recalled Zhu Cunjia’s fighting form at the bank, and Wang Luo’s timidity there.

She thought of Zhu Cunjia’s surprised look and brazen appraisal of her that morning, his unruffled ease on the way to the city center, contrasted with Wang Luo’s boastfulness in the morning and his cowardice at night.

Everything analyzed, everything clear—the result was inevitable.

Ah, such an answer suited such a man. Still, there was no need to provoke him.

“You’re a good person. But I hope next time, when you want to do something, you’ll tell all of us.”

Her tone remained gentle, but coldness and distance crept into her voice.

Her hand had already withdrawn, and as she spoke, Wang Luo’s trembling stopped as well.

To reproach him, to mention his mistakes—this could offset the wrong signals she had given upon entering.

“Even if your intentions are good, it’s still wrong to deceive others.” Beyond her coldness, there was disappointment in her voice. “I hope you can trust us. Only by uniting can we get out of this predicament.”

With the wrong signals dispelled, she adopted a different attitude, attempting to bridge the gap.

Wang Luo’s lips curled into a smile.

“It’s late. I’ll be going now.”

“Mm, all right.”

Her intentions seemed to have been conveyed; Wang Luo’s voice was calm and composed.

So, having obtained more than she expected, she left in high spirits.

She had made her choice and was content. So she gave little thought to any oddities in the whole affair.

Why was that? Was it because she was never used to doing such things? Because the target had failed to provide enough reason? Because she felt shame for ever wanting to get close to this man?

Whatever the case, when it comes time to decide, people always believe what they wish to believe. And in this exchange, Tang Xiaoxiao’s instincts, habits, judgment, preferences—all came together as one.

She did not notice, as she turned to leave, the pair of narrowed eyes watching her back, within them a glint of unwavering and ruthless determination.