121. Who Can Distinguish Between Human and Ghost (Please Subscribe)

Ten minutes later, the five of them were back on the street.

Niu was like a soul that had left its body, slumped almost lifelessly against Bai Haonan’s back. The scene he had witnessed in that moment would likely haunt him with psychological trauma for the rest of his life.

Li Lin, meanwhile, was being held on either side by Chen Meijuan and the other woman, effectively dragged along. The young university student, who was actually taller than both of them, was so terrified she was calling for her mother: "You, you, what are you doing? Oh mom, what is going on..."

Bai Haonan, losing patience, grabbed a T-shirt that Niu had been clutching uselessly and shoved it into the girl’s mouth.

The stench of the shirt, which had been held by Niu, was unimaginable. Li Lin might have even been knocked out by the smell. The two women acted like accomplices, increasing their grip to drag her along. Li Lin tried to resist, but her legs had turned to jelly from the sudden shift in environment. The tall girl from the Northeast couldn't muster an ounce of strength and was eventually just hooded with the shirt.

This time, when they encountered other pyramid scheme members, Bai Haonan was righteous: "Trying to run! Dammit!"

He put on the fierce demeanor of an enforcement squad, not bothering to ask anyone anything.

He didn't head into the 24-hour fast-food restaurant. It was a common hub for the pyramid schemers to gather, hold brainwashing sessions, or receive new recruits, hidden within a seemingly normal commercial supermarket building where newcomers would hardly feel suspicious. Through the glass, one could see a group of young women sitting at tables without even a glass of water. Bai Haonan told Chen Meijuan to go call them out: "Go to the underground garage. I’ll wait for you there to have a meeting. Make sure the other teams don’t see you."

A few minutes later, the bewildered female pyramid schemers descended to find Bai Haonan’s dark green, full-sized SUV with its doors open. Niu was already secured in the passenger seat, and the girl who had led them to Gao Xiaoting was at a loss, only knowing how to pin Li Lin down by the rear wheel.

The garage was mostly empty. Bai Haonan had intentionally parked in a corner. Now, he pointed at the car door: "I’m here to save my brother. I’m not going to debate with you about what this pyramid scheme is. In a word, whoever is willing to leave with me, get in the car now and get out of here. I can provide you with work, even a new identity, and help you forget everything from before. If you don’t want to go, stay in this hellish place. Please yourselves. I’ll count to three..."

Being brainwashed by a pyramid scheme isn't something you can explain in a few words. Only those who have been through it understand how the repetitive, daily incantations can alter a person’s perception. Bai Haonan never intended to persuade anyone. Even the most eloquent and persuasive person, if they argued with these brainwashed individuals, might end up being convinced by the other side’s logical, well-structured, and cleverly worded arguments.

Because they spent every day sitting together, practicing how to correct others' prejudices against their "business," they had already fully bought into it themselves.

Only by removing them from that environment could they hope to slowly return to a normal state of mind.

Not everyone was as resistant to indoctrination as Bai Haonan.

He watched the women with their complex, shifting expressions, coldly raising three fingers on his left hand: "Three... two..." He curled one finger for each count.

To his surprise, the first one to step forward was Chen Meijuan!

She didn't say a word, just walked over, pulled the slumped Li Lin up, and shoved her into the back seat. Bai Haonan was genuinely trying to save people; he folded down half of the rear seat and gestured that there was room in the trunk: "This is a seven-seater. I can take five more people, but honestly, all of you can come if you want. Look at this clueless college student—she’s about to become just like you. Do you still want to become normal people again? Treat the past as a dream—whether it was a dream of wealth, a nightmare, or a wet dream, it doesn't matter. You can be human again. Go home if you want; if you don't want to go home, I can provide legitimate work, find an honest man, and get married!"

*Pfft!* Why do honest men always get the short end of the stick? Regardless, Niu, sitting in the passenger seat, had silent tears of agony streaming down his face.

Just as Bai Haonan was about to give up and retract his last finger in disappointment, Xiao Wan walked out, climbed into the back of the car without a word, and then three others followed after a moment of silent hesitation.

It was only a handful of people. The rest seemed to have lost the ability to think; despite the clear chance to escape right in front of them, they remained deluded, perhaps still believing that pie would fall from the sky.

Bai Haonan shook his head helplessly. Without further hesitation, he closed the door and climbed into the driver's seat. For a split second, as he looked back, he saw the girl who had introduced the "job change" already pulling out her phone to make a call.

Besides calling other schemers or the police, what else could she be doing?

Bai Haonan locked the doors and started the engine without a second thought. Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw those women standing like zombies in the empty, desolate corner of the garage. Two of them looked as if they couldn't support their own weight and slumped to the ground.

Life might not be what one desires, but it is certainly what one chooses.

The 4.6-liter Land Cruiser might not be as eye-catching as a Hummer, but its power and performance were not inferior. Bai Haonan didn't even bother to pay for parking; he pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet, tossed it out the window at the toll booth, and smashed through the barrier. The roar of the engine echoed in the garage as he bounced out onto the road, just as figures started shouting and running toward him.

To be honest, there was a fleeting moment when Bai Haonan wanted to drive straight into them, to turn this into a bigger scene, to force everyone to pay attention, to let the world know about this place where humanity had basically gone extinct.

But how ironic is it that someone like him, who lived a life of chaos, would be the one to expose it?

How absurd!

Bai Haonan felt no anger, no impulsive urge. He just drove past them with a mocking expression. Everyone probably knew that if they dared to stand in front of the car, it wouldn't slow down.

The schemers hadn't quite reached the level of the Boxers, who believed they were immune to blades and bullets.

The city wasn't large. After driving through areas he had often traversed on foot, he skillfully steered out of the city and onto an unobstructed high-grade highway. There was basically no one left who could change the fact that they had escaped.

In truth, they didn't really care much about preventing escapes—as long as you left quietly. But if you tried to incite or take others with you, you would certainly be attacked by the whole mob.

It was as if everyone was burying their heads in the sand, hoping to drag more people down into their own plight, unable to bear seeing anyone else escape the sea of misery.

As Bai Haonan waited for his phone to boot up, he turned on the overhead light and looked into the cabin through the rearview mirror.

The six girls, though technically overloaded by one, still had plenty of space in the spacious SUV. Except for the terrified Li Lin, the other five had blank expressions, as if their escape was more about Bai Haonan than about leaving the pyramid scheme. This was especially evident on Xiao Wan’s face; she was trying to catch Bai Haonan’s eyes in the mirror, a look of pure devotion.

Hmm, it was actually a bit like the look in Ada’s eyes when he first picked him up.

Bai Haonan missed Ada for a moment, and his expression softened. He reached out and turned on the stereo, playing some music. In the pyramid zone, besides state-run news, all entertainment was banned; even singing was restricted to motivational songs. So, hearing long-forgotten, sentimental pop music, Bai Haonan finally managed a small smile: "Alright, do you know how much this car is worth? One point two million. According to your five-level, three-promotion system, how much does a General Manager get, or a Manager..."

Before he could finish his lame joke, Xiao Wan spoke up quietly: "A General Manager gets 540,000, a Manager gets 198,000."

Another girl added, "Each level gradually distributes at least 7,420 yuan."

This wasn't talent; it was the result of the various commission models they memorized daily, the constant brainwashing to lure newcomers with promises of wealth.

Bai Haonan, whose calculation skills were far inferior to his memory, was dumbfounded: "Fine. How about you two become cashiers, and Chen Meijuan works the front desk? Monthly salary of about two or three thousand, maybe it'll go up later. I’m not sure. Are you willing to live that kind of life?"

Chen Meijuan was staring out at the pitch-black wilderness. Bai Haonan remembered that when he arrived, this area was mostly low-lying wetlands and tropical rainforest. Then, her voice came out, ghostly and hollow: "I'll live it with you, even if there's no money."

It sounded like a romantic sentiment, but the atmosphere was eerily unsettling.

Bai Haonan laughed out loud: "Dammit, do you know that back in normal society, this could land you in jail!"

Unexpectedly, a girl in the back row said in a distant voice, "As long as you don't get two marriage certificates, and the parties involved don't sue, it doesn't constitute bigamy. No one will come to arrest you."

*Damn,* Bai Haonan remembered that this girl was a law student who spent her free time studying the "Feasibility Report on Non-Governmental Capital Operations" and its relation to the law.

He felt no sweet, floating sensation at this moment. Instead, he leaned over toward the passenger side, looking at the mess: "Niu, don't be like this. I told you long ago, there’s no such thing as 'true love' here. You still think that woman really..."

Niu said, short and clear: "Get lost!"

Bai Haonan laughed even harder: "Don't be like that. Let me ask you a key question: did you actually do it with her or not?"

The question made Niu close his eyes tightly and turn away in even greater agony.

The women in the back, however, were completely unaffected by Bai Haonan’s cynical behavior, their expressions unchanged.

The driver, feeling like he was performing a solo act, had to pick up his phone in a huff: "Yeah, it’s me. No problem, no issues at all. Really. I’ve saved the people. Also, I have something to tell you—I brought a few extra people out with me..."

Yu Jiali, on the other end, seemed to have telepathic insight just from the tone of his voice: "Women?"

Bai Haonan felt a rare moment of embarrassment: "Uh, yeah..."

Yu Jiali’s voice was devoid of emotion: "What arrangements are needed? Food, clothing, housing? How many people?"

Bai Haonan noticed Li Lin in the rearview mirror, still gagged and pinned tightly between Chen Meijuan and Xiao Wan: "Ah, should be five. Plus one unlucky soul. I’ll ask for her parents' number and see if they can come pick her up themselves."

Yu Jiali was about to hang up after a simple acknowledgement, but Bai Haonan finally asked about work: "How’s the fitness center?"

The voice on the other end finally sounded a bit indignant: "You still have the nerve to ask about the fitness center?! You’ll see when you get back!" She hung up directly.

Bai Haonan felt the joy of the escape evaporate. He threw his phone down, speechless, and scratched his beard. The car was silent, save for the melodious music, until Li Lin finally started to mumble. Bai Haonan, feeling apologetic, signaled Chen Meijuan to remove the gag: "No other meaning, just call your parents. Tell them to bring their household registration and ID cards to the provincial capital to pick you up." He looked at the other ladies through the mirror: "Anyone else want to go home or need to contact their parents?"

The five pyramid scheme girls, their family ties long since severed by their "training," didn't even blink.

Only Li Lin spoke up timidly: "What happened?"

Really, it would have been better if this girl hadn't spoken at all. Her question turned the scene into a comedy; even the suffering Niu opened his eyes for a second, then squeezed them shut again.

Bai Haonan’s gloom vanished, and he began to tease her: "What happened? You’re asking what happened? It’s a pyramid scheme! Don't you know this is a pyramid scheme? Oh, you were on your second day, and they already told you it was a pyramid scheme, but they said 'true' pyramid schemes aren't understood by the world—that it’s a noble, self-sacrificing cause. Damn, you actually believed that garbage?"

Li Lin’s concern was: "Then what do I do? What about Zhang Yan? She told me I could make money. Why didn't you bring her too?"

Bai Haonan felt that talking to this idiot was more tiring than persuading a pyramid schemer: "She tricked you into coming here—what obligation do I have to save her? Sigh, forget it, forget it. I’m not arguing with you. Did they take your phone? Mine is here. Call your parents yourself, tell them to fly to Guicheng and pick you up immediately. If your classmate wants to escape, let her parents come find her. I’m exhausted!"

The girl exposed her need for a brain upgrade once again: "I can't! I secretly took money from home to buy the plane ticket, and I even wore my work clothes..."

Bai Haonan wanted to drive the SUV into a utility pole: "Damn it, compared to being scammed by a pyramid scheme, how big of a deal is that? Do you know what you would have become if you stayed there?"

Li Lin, the tallest of the six women, cautiously turned her head to scan the five women surrounding her, then pouted: "So what... why are you so fierce!"

Bai Haonan could only use poison to fight poison: "What did you see when that last door opened?"

Li Lin let out a shriek and raised her hands to cover her face, but the girls on either side pinned her down, refusing to let her move!

Their execution was just that good!

Bai Haonan continued to scare her like a three-year-old: "Do you still want to stay there?"

Li Lin shook her head vigorously, but still wouldn't call her parents.

Bai Haonan was truly too lazy to say anything more. People have their own fates. Besides, it didn't hurt to have them around for a while. He asked the others: "That silly girl reminded me—it’s almost the Spring Festival. If you need to contact your family or want to go home, you can. I’ll pay your travel expenses."

Brother Haonan was truly generous, but the back seat remained silent.

I don't know how long passed. Almost everyone was sitting there with their eyes open in silence, except for the silly Li Lin, who had fallen asleep on Chen Meijuan’s shoulder. The bright, glittering lights of the provincial capital finally appeared ahead.

Compared to the ghost-town-like pyramid zone that night, the past felt like a lifetime ago.