Chapter 52: Carnivore (24) Sera

Granny Su’s narration came to an end.

At this point, Qi Si finally understood that the prerequisite stating one could escape the attacks of Ghosts as long as they knew the truth was itself a play on words.

The so-called truth, or the core rule, was that the villagers were subject to many restrictions and could not take the flesh and blood of players who had not violated the rules and had refused to give meat.

Even the Cooking Ghost that appeared on the first night, hacking at players sleeping in their beds, was exploiting a loophole in the rules: players wouldn’t speak up to refuse while fast asleep.

The rules were fair; the Ghosts of Su Clan Village could not be killed by forces from outside the village, and correspondingly, the damage they could inflict on players coming from outside was also limited.

Based on this underlying logic, as long as there was enough God Meat to tide over the hunger, this instance might not be impossible to clear smoothly with everyone surviving.

The players didn’t know this, which was why, under the inducement of the instance’s plot and clues, out of fear and habitual thinking, they either made promises to Ghosts or secretly harmed others.

Without having promised the Ghosts anything, refusing to give meat wouldn’t actually lead to trouble, but before having definitive information, no one dared to gamble on that probability.

Furthermore, in the eyes of many players, including Qi Si himself, trading someone else’s meat for vital information was a highly profitable deal.

Fear of the unknown, selfish genes etched into evolutionary history, game theory, and the chain of suspicion… the Eerie Game undoubtedly had a precise grasp on human nature.

Qi Si curled his lips imperceptibly.

It had always been him inducing and deceiving others, yet this time he had nearly been misled by the Eerie Game; how could this not be a valuable experience?

Unexpected things are what make life interesting, aren’t they?

He asked with interest, “What exactly is the process for the Ritual of the Wax Sacrifice? Do we foreign tourists have a chance to participate?”

Granny Su shook her head. “Once you’ve gained the recognition of the Great God, you’ll naturally know. Right now, you aren’t qualified yet. Even if it costs me my life, I wouldn’t dare tell you!”

Her tone left no room for doubt; it seemed there was truly no room for negotiation.

Qi Si stroked his chin and asked, “How can one gain the God’s recognition?”

Granny Su grinned. “Sacrifice enough flesh and blood to Him, and He will open His eyes… Still too few people have died…”

Her eyes lingered maliciously on the players, licking over every inch of their flesh, as if she couldn’t wait to turn them into sacrifices for the Evil God.

Zhu Ling felt uncomfortable under her gaze, feeling an inexplicable prickling on her back. She looked at Qi Si and said with a smile, “Chang Xu, the Wax Sacrifice probably corresponds to the part of the world-view needed for a te clearance. Let’s just be careful and follow the ne clearance route from now on.

“This is a new instance, and the various mechanisms aren’t clear yet. We don’t know if there are hidden dangers. Even Fu Jue wouldn’t dare hope for a te clearance on his first try.”

“Is that so? Then let’s forget it. The plan for an ne clearance is indeed simple: just don’t violate the rules, eat a portion of God Meat every night, and go to the ancestral hall the next day to worship and atone for our sins.”

Qi Si smiled nonchalantly and gave Zhao Feng a look.

Zhao Feng tossed A-Xi back into Granny Su’s arms. Clutching A-Xi, Granny Su scrambled off the table and scurried into the main house, slamming the door shut, clearly still shaken by the players’ actions.

Zhang Licai spat at her retreating figure and shared his thoughts: “People on the Forum say that the Main God visits different instances. Could that Black-robed Daoist be the Main God? Come to think of it, maybe that Merchant who was causing trouble before was also the Main God in cosplay?”

“Who knows? Maybe beings like Gods are just that bored.”

Qi Si pointed at the Yin Lina-brand God Meat in the center of the courtyard. Zhao Feng, being quick-witted, walked over and moved the large mass of God Meat onto the dining table.

Zhang Licai raised the plain blade left behind by Yang Yundong and cut the God Meat into five portions, distributing them to each player.

To the villagers, God Meat was likely something disgusting and terrifying, like rotting corpses or curses; they couldn’t help but avoid it even if they just saw or smelled it.

Although the players also knew the source of the God Meat, they didn’t share those feelings at all. They even found its scent sweet and its texture excellent, perhaps because they hadn’t mutated to the same extent as the villagers yet.

Qi Si suddenly realized that even if the Evil God was weak and powerless, He actually had ways to avoid the fate of being eaten. Yet He chose to indulge and permit it, only to bring down divine punishment afterward.

He seemed completely unconcerned about the loss of His own flesh; perhaps the God Meat was just bait, and the villagers were the fish taking the hook.

What He truly wanted was likely not what Granny Su and the villagers thought—to supplement Himself with the players’ flesh… Qi Si picked up his portion of God Meat, left the table, and returned to the wing room.

On the title page of the Travel Brochure on the wooden table, a new five-character poem had been written—

【One shall not occupy a house alone; do not enter the ancestral hall by yourself.】

【Do not mourn the newly dead ghost; why weep when sins are expunged?】

…”Yilin, next we must work together to kill Chang Xu.”

In the wing room next to Qi Si’s, Zhu Ling looked into Zhou Yilin’s eyes and spoke seriously.

Yang Yundong had died as she hoped, and the alliance between Qi Si and Zhao Feng had already become the greatest threat in this instance.

At the dining table, Qi Si had spoken lightly of the ne clearance plan, but Zhu Ling didn’t believe it would be that simple.

Judging by the time, it was only the middle of the instance. As far as she knew, many mechanisms determining the difficulty of an instance wouldn’t surface until the later stages.

There were still two days left in the instance; God knew what kind of dangers would crop up by then.

She was a veteran player in her third instance; facing the ultimate malice of the Eerie Game, simply following the rules and waiting for death would certainly not be enough for her to survive until the end.

She had to go for a te clearance, which meant sacrificing other players to gain the God’s recognition and participate in the Ritual of the Wax Sacrifice… To be even safer, it would be best to kill everyone to trigger the Guaranteed death toll mechanism.

Zhu Ling judged others by herself; she felt that if she could think of this, someone with “Chang Xu’s” intelligence definitely would have too.

“Chang Xu” was a reckless madman, a venomous snake lurking in the grass ready to strike a fatal blow. He had first allied with Zhao Feng to kill Yang Yundong; there was no telling who he would kill next… Just thinking of that young man in the white shirt filled Zhu Ling with lingering fear. Previously, her focus had mostly been on Yang Yundong, and she had nearly overlooked other opponents, which would have been a catastrophic mistake… Now, she had to strike first!

“Yilin, listen to me. Chang Xu is very likely a Slaughter-path player who wants to kill us all…”

Halfway through her sentence, the remaining words were swallowed in her throat. Zhu Ling found that it was as if she were being choked; she couldn’t utter a single word.

She struggled in vain. Her first thought was that she had triggered a death point, but then she saw playfulness and mockery in the eyes of the girl before her.

Zhou Yilin laughed with a mix of joy and pity, a laugh that was chilling and cruel. “Sister Zhu, what a coincidence. I am exactly the’Slaughter-path player’ you were talking about.”

Before Zhu Ling could react, a black butterfly-shaped pattern split open on the girl’s palm, and a blood-colored thread shot out like lightning, whipping toward her right hand.

Her pinky finger was entangled by the thread. In an instant, Zhu Ling’s consciousness became blurred, and her limbs were no longer under her control, just like a Puppet on strings.

Before her, Zhou Yilin was smiling—the satisfied smile of someone who had just watched a farce.

“Sister Zhu, have you heard of the Gunman’s Game? Only fools expose their strength, while the wise are often good at feigning weakness… Oh, and an eye for an eye, blood for blood. I send you greetings on behalf of ‘Sera’.”

“You…” Zhu Ling’s eyes widened as her experience from the previous instance suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Back then, she had allied with a young boy and tricked him into revealing his identity as a “member of Sera.” After some internal struggle, she had ultimately chosen to push him out to be executed.

It was a team instance, yet the players had suspected each other because of the so-called “guaranteed death toll” mechanism. That execution of the Sera member had perfectly allowed them to set aside their grudges and unite under her call… “I know, you love being a good person most of all. So please, be a good person to the very end and sacrifice yourself for us.”

Zhou Yilin suddenly leaned close to Zhu Ling, grabbed her hair, and pressed her lips to her ear in a seemingly intimate way. “Don’t worry, Sister Zhu. I’ll design a magnificent ending for you.”

Zhu Ling’s lips trembled as she wanted to apologize, to explain her helplessness, and to beg for forgiveness.

But she discovered in despair that she couldn’t make a single sound.

She couldn’t even control her own thoughts, expressions, or movements. She could only be led by the girl, making all sorts of strange gestures as she stepped out of the wing room… Qi Si stood by the window, witnessing Zhu Ling stretching her limbs in the center of the courtyard, performing a weird and magnificent dance.

It looked like a sacrificial dance choreographed by an ancient tribe inspired by snakes, but upon closer inspection, it was merely replicating the steps A-Xi had danced on the second morning. Human song and dance began with imitation, and now it was simply repeating that process.

The woman’s black silhouette flowed under the twilight like the incantations containing ghostly whispers and divine sobs when Cangjie created characters, or the freehand ink strokes under a calligrapher’s control. At a certain moment, she leaped down, disappearing into the broken edge of the well.

Zhou Yilin’s face flashed by like a ghost, flashing a bloodthirsty smile at Qi Si. Her originally plain face was momentarily breathtakingly beautiful.

“Chang Xu, shall we go see this so-called Evil God together?” she invited, extending her hand. Qi Si smiled and readily accepted.

【One shall not occupy a house alone; do not enter the ancestral hall by yourself.】

One couldn’t stay in a room alone tonight, nor could one go to the ancestral hall by themselves.

After Zhu Ling’s death, four players remained, just enough for two people per room.

【Do not mourn the newly dead ghost; why weep when sins are expunged?】

Despite having their sins expunged in the ancestral hall, they continued to weep incessantly, which precisely showed that the matter was not yet over.

Holding the Ritual of the Wax Sacrifice and unraveling the world-view related to the Evil God was imperative.

Holding the Pocket Watch of Fate, Qi Si and Zhou Yilin stood on either side of the dry well, looking down into it.

In the darkness, crimson eyes quietly opened and closed. A gale rose from the ground, carrying the whispers of Ghosts like an ancient ballad.

【The preliminary sacrifice is complete; the Wax Sacrifice is tomorrow.】

【main quest updated.】

【main quest: Complete the Wax Sacrifice and have an audience with the Evil God.】

Under the night sky, Zhou Yilin looked up at Qi Si and smiled. “Chang Xu, the Wax Sacrifice tomorrow will surely require another person. Let’s sacrifice Zhang Licai together. What do you think?”