Chapter 700: Many Family Members

Uncle Wan’s words truly motivated the aunts, and they all headed out the door, their scents radiating a strong sense of determination.

“Wan Ge…” Once everyone else had left, Gu Yu ge slowly stepped forward. “You mentioned before that you used to form teams—teams like this one…?”

Siwei jie furrowed her brow and asked, “Wan Ge, what exactly did you do in the past?”

“You two aren't fools; you should be able to figure it out,” Wan Bobo said with a laugh. “I used to be the ‘head of the household’ for families, and my ‘family members’ were spread all over the world.”

“You were in multi-level marketing,” Siwei jie said gravely. “Are you trying to brainwash us?”

“No, no, no.” Wan Bobo shook his head vigorously at Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie. “You're thinking too highly of me. Do you know about Jiang Taigong?”

“Jiang Taigong?”

“To brainwash someone, there have to be certain prerequisites.” Wan Bobo held up two fingers. “First, they need to have a ‘pain point.’ Second, they can't be too smart. You two might have a ‘pain point,’ but you're way too smart for me to brainwash. So, what people call ‘brainwashing’ is really just about willing participants. We in multi-level marketing aren't that magical.”

Gu Yu ge narrowed his eyes. “Since you know we won't fall for it, why are you explaining your scheme to us right in front of those people? What are you really up to?”

“You've noticed it too—the ‘Qingxiangzhe’ not only have superpowers but can also retain their memories,” Wan Bobo said. “So, escaping this place boils down to the ‘Qingxiangzhe.’ Once we gather enough of them, forget about those tens of thousands of ‘Yu’—we might even be able to take on the ones in charge here. Right now, the priority is to recruit people. We need a lot of them.”

“How could it be that easy…?” Siwei jie said. “Do you really think there aren't many smart people here?”

“That's where you're wrong.” Wan Bobo shook his head. “This is exactly my area of expertise, and I can tell you with full confidence that smart people are always in the minority in this world. I can also tell you that among my former ‘family members,’ a high percentage had undergraduate degrees. Would you call them fools or smart?”

Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie exchanged glances, both at a loss for words.

“Just as I said… there aren't many truly ‘smart people’ in the world, but there are plenty who think they're clever.” Wan Bobo stepped forward and patted Gu Yu ge on the shoulder. “Out there, people's ‘pain points’ are ‘making money’ and ‘getting ahead.’ If you hit those points, even smart people can turn into fools. Here, their ‘pain points’ are ‘escaping’ and ‘surviving’—it's essentially the same thing.”

Sometimes adults say things that are hard to understand, but for some reason, I could grasp what Wan Bobo was saying today.

He explained that as long as we kept bringing people in from outside to join the family, we'd not only get food but also those little stones.

Seeing that Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie didn't respond, Wan Bobo added, “The reason I'm being completely open with you is that I need your help.”

“But this doesn't sound reliable,” Gu Yu ge said. “This place doesn't even have laws, and you're trying to establish your own ‘order’?”

“So what?” Wan Bobo asked.

“Will they even believe you?”

Wan Bobo shook his head. “Xiao Gu, I'm not asking them to lose anything—I'm just trying to bring in more strong people.”

Then he pointed at me. “Besides, we have this kid here. Not only am I not making them lose out, but I'll actually give them some real help. As for me… to them, I'm not some scammer in this dead city—I'm the light of this dead city. Got it?”

Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie looked serious, deep in thought.

“If you don't believe me, feel free to leave, but I've said it before—you're smart people, so you should know the fastest way to gather everyone.”

Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie agreed to help Wan Bobo, but their scents were different.

Gu Yu ge's scent suggested he had a lot on his mind; he wasn't truly committed and was still hesitant even as he agreed.

Siwei jie's scent was filled with more worry.

From that day on, the atmosphere here really changed.

I never imagined this city had so many people.

When the aunts came back that evening, each one brought seven or eight new family members.

These people had heard that not only was food being distributed here, but they could also gain superpowers, so they came in with scents of skepticism. The supermarket was suddenly packed.

I sat in the corner with Gu Yu ge and Siwei jie, looking at the bustling crowd, not knowing what to do.

“Gu Yu… I think Wan Ge is right,” Siwei jie said, a bit disheartened. “Smart people really are in the minority in this world.”

“Yes,” Gu Yu ge nodded. “Usually, everyone who gets tricked thinks they haven't.”

Wan Bobo first calmed everyone down, then repeated what he'd said earlier that day to the whole group, but he adjusted the rules a bit—clearly, even he hadn't expected so many people to show up.

He told them that those joining the family now would be called “founding members,” so they'd get free entry and keep earning food and “Yu” ongoing.

Starting tomorrow, anyone else joining would have to pay ten “Yu” as an entry fee.

Once they paid the ten “Yu,” they'd all be family, and from then on, everyone would have to look out for each other.

Wan Bobo had all the newcomers line up and come to me one by one to let me smell them. But after I sniffed those dozens of people, I just shook my head silently.

Not a single one had that Qingxiang scent. In fact, in the whole supermarket right now, aside from me, no one seemed to have it.

Wan Bobo made them wait off to the side, then pulled me into another room. Siwei jie followed, worried.

“Damn it… not a single one?” Wan Bobo whispered to me.

I nodded.

“You little brat, you're not lying to me, are you…?” His eyes turned fierce again.

I hid behind Siwei jie, and she spoke up for me: “Why would Hero lie to you? It doesn't benefit him at all.”

Thankfully, Siwei jie was there—she always knew how to change Wan Bobo's scent with just a word.

But this time, the situation seemed even more serious. His angry scent had barely faded before it surged back.

“Then I'm screwed, aren't I?” Wan Bobo said. “Everything I just said is pointless now? There's not a single ‘Qingxiangzhe’ in here except for this kid! How am I supposed to convince them when no one gets any food?!”

He kept getting closer, and Siwei jie stepped in front of me, gently pushing him away.

“Wan Ge, you said this was your area of expertise, so you should be the one to figure out a solution.”