“What?” Taylor answers instinctively, a little annoyed.

“What's that tone? Is that disrespect I hear?” A familiar voice says over the phone.

Taylor's eyes widen as he recognizes the voice. He looks at his phone and exclaims in his mind. Fuck, it's Hanz. He thinks with some regret. “I mean, yes, Hanz? Were you looking for me?” He says, trying to sound cute.

Hanz laughs. “Your voice sounds so pretty. Yes, I was looking for you. Are you busy now?” He asks, a hint of happiness in his voice.

“I'm on Greed Aura clean up duty; assigned by the cultivation association.” Taylor says, hoping it was enough to avoid whatever Hanz had in mind.

“Oh? That’s great! Gather a few for me. I need them alive. I think I’ve figured out the deal with those guys.” Hanz says with some excitement.

“Really?” Taylor says with a raised eyebrow. “Care to share? I’m also curious.” He asks with some expectation.

“I’ll let you know after some tests, but I think the Greed Aura is forcing people to break mental barriers in the human mind, and by doing so, it rewards them with power. If you ask a normal person to kill someone, of course they would say ‘no.’ Why get blood on their hands? But it’s as if the Greed Aura communicates the reward for these deeds to these people, and their animal instincts are acting accordingly. For some people, the answer is ‘no’ no matter what, and for others, if power is involved, they instinctively know to say ‘yes’. But the Greed Aura doesn’t go away if you say ‘no’, so I’m curious if there are other ways to evolve through the Greed Aura; something… more appealing.” Hanz explains, amusement in his voice. If there was a way for the person who said ‘no’ to murder to get to the same power level as the person who said ‘yes’ to the murder, Hanz would laugh as hard as he could. As he saw it, that would be one of the greatest jokes the world had ever told.

“I think it’s very similar to cultivation. But cultivation is a very controlled and well thought-out process. The Greed Aura works in a more natural manner, and all the power it offers is already there, waiting to be gifted. It doesn’t require the gathering of cultivation energy. I feel like the world planned this event, and is offering this power free of charge to those who can take it. As for the manner they receive it… I think the world is messing with us. But I could be wrong. Anyways, send as many infected as you can my way. I’ll also start looking for infected who have retained their minds.” Hanz says before hanging up.

Taylor’s eyes widen. Just messing with us? How? He thinks before shaking his head and ignoring it. If the world wants to make jokes, that’s not my business. As long as it leaves me alone, we’re cool. He thinks before continuing to hunt.