Chapter 326 – April 28

April 24: the Game Forum’s uproar kept boiling, yet fresh scoops kept splintering the spotlight, so the fire was no longer aimed squarely at Jiuzhou.

Even the anti-Jiuzhou crowd split: some said only its leadership was rotten, its past merit in uniting players undeniable; others claimed the guild’s creed had been a scam from day one, a colossal 22-year conspiracy.

Neither camp could persuade the other, so the debate escalated from reasoned argument to personal attacks, digging up each other’s post histories and opening new threads to shame them.

In the end, the Jiuzhou Guild—once the target of universal arrows—slipped out of the crossfire altogether.

Most players now focused on the Unnamed Guild and on “Si Qi” himself.

【Unnamed Guild is nuts—barely two weeks old and already in the top-100 guild list. Lin Crow plus Si Qi, both unfathomably strong; feels like they were founded just to ram a blade up Jiuzhou’s rear.】

【I just trawled the records—Rose Manor, Carnivore, Grand Performance, Red Maple Boarding School—all cleared by him. Looking at that, yeah, he might really be a Slaughter-path player…】

【Slaughter-path or not, Jiuzhou can’t lure him into a joint run just to wipe him out; that’s dishonest and against the rules. If they want him dead, post a public notice first.】

【Si Qi is sooo hot… escaped everyone’s dragnet solo and even killed the ex-top-ranker Chang Xu—total fan here! Anyone know when he usually streams? I’ll camp!】

【Wake up, upstairs—he doesn’t stream, doesn’t even post clips. If you ever catch him live, I’ll stream myself eating crap.】

…April 25: through the Soul Contract, Qi Si reached out to Lin Chen in his mind and relayed everything Fu Jue had told him about the Final Dungeon.

Lin Chen quickly grasped what the intel meant and, with no small talk, gravely asked what they should do next.

Qi Si said: “At 2 p.m. on May 5 we both enter the Ruins of the Sunset and queue for the Final Dungeon. Till then, no more contact—don’t expose ourselves in real life.”

“I’ve set my Sunset nickname; future clear records will show the tag ‘Si Qi.’ So before the Final Dungeon we don’t team up—don’t let them connect ‘Lin Chen’ with ‘Lin Crow.’”

“As for the 【Undead Shepherd】 card—give it to someone you trust, or keep it for later. Bottom line: the game is almost over.”

Lin Chen gave an “Mm,” then switched topics: “Brother Qi, I saw the Forum posts—they’re calling you a Slaughter-path player…”

Qi Si asked: “How do they define ‘Slaughter-path’?”

Lin Chen thought a moment. “Turning the blade on humans, not on Ghosts.”

Qi Si laughed: “By that yardstick plenty of Jiuzhou members qualify—they’ve slaughtered plenty from other guilds.”

“So the whole Forum is denouncing them now.”

“Anyone denouncing us?”

“No.” Lin Chen paused. “Actually lots of people idolise you and me—say they’re our fans…”

Qi Si sighed. “See? They likely know every dirty thing I’ve done, yet still use me to bash Jiuzhou. Most folk are equally rotten; they just pick the slightly less rotten apple out of two. Labeling is boring, isn’t it?”

Lin Chen shook his head. “But… killing is still wrong.”

“True, but the fault isn’t ours—we’ve never had a choice. Blame the Eerie Game: it shoved us into this dilemma and forced us into sin.”

He paused, then asked in a probing tone: “Is it wrong to fight with everything you’ve got just to stay alive?”

Lin Chen said: “It’s not wrong.”

“Do you believe Jiuzhou’s claim that clearing the Final Dungeon will resurrect everyone?”

“I believe it.”

Qi Si smiled. “So there’s only ever been one road for all of us: survive by any means, and be a despicable saviour.”

“Brother Qi, I get it—thanks.”

After coaxing Lin Chen, Qi Si actually sat down and pondered what to do after clearing the Final Dungeon.

Every existing clue said the Final Dungeon was a con: the ending fixed, fate locked; the so-called Babel was never humanity’s salvation, just a ladder to the rule-setters’ dinner table.

Much like a video he’d once seen: a wooden pole stuck upright in the dirt, ants scrambling up, shoving each other, the unlucky ones tumbling back down.

At last the fastest, strongest ant reached the top—only to find a ring of hungry Anteaters waiting. Before it could react, a long tongue flicked and swallowed it whole.

Right now the players were those ants: some oblivious to the peril, others already glimpsing the future.

The rules were the ambushing Anteater, lounging overhead, patiently waiting for players to walk into its jaws.

Yet Qi Si still intended to climb—never mind Fu Jue’s threat: “Whoever becomes a god, I’ll kill.”

Better to die in heart-stopping clarity than to lose life in a daze; how else could you kill the Anteater if you never saw its true face?

As for after slaying it… Qi Si was willing to become the new Anteater—snatch a few for fun when in a good mood, wipe everyone out when not. …April 26, Eagle County, Nevada, beneath the Ruidan Deep Casino HQ, underground interrogation room.

Dong Xiwen, wrists chained, dangled from a ceiling ring, near tears as he told the casino chief: “S-say, if I said I’m here by pure accident, would you buy it? I honestly thought that ship was just the Nulves Family hauling red wine… I had no idea it was a gambling boat, or that you guys lack a licence…”

“Now you know,” the chief said.

Dong Xiwen squirmed nonstop: “I swear I won’t rat you out to The Federation, okay? I’m a wanted man too—when it comes to messing with them we’re on the same side; we can each leave the other a lifeline…”

“We won’t risk leaks.” The chief’s silver-white mask reflected cold light, his tone brooking no dissent. “As an elite of the Balance Church you infiltrated our ship and knocked out twenty-six staff. By the rules, you must die—and die painfully.”

“Hold up! I want political asylum—the Balance Church persecuted me, I’m blowing the whistle! And your staff weren’t knocked out by me, it was my little brother—” Dong Xiwen rattled off nonsense while scrambling for a way out.

Should he dive into the Eerie Game and shout on the Ruins of the Sunset: “I’ve been detained by Ruidan Deep Casino—whoever has connections, get me out and all my points are yours”? He’d probably be written off as a lunatic…

Or maybe chain instances together and see if I can trigger some special event—like the Sphinx’s wish—and wish Ruidan Shen out of existence. The odds of dying in an instance feel way higher than staying alive… In the Hall of Thought a scarlet leaf hovered like a drop of blood, drawing Dong Xiwen’s gaze.

The leaf had appeared in his mind right after he signed the Contract with Qi Si. At first it was gold, but lately it had turned red for no reason, looking eerie and ominous.

He could apparently contact Qi Si through it.

But however capable Qi Si might be, he was still confined to the game; would he have any way to deal with a real-world atrocity like this?

Even if he did, it would probably cost a huge price—would he be willing to help?

Dong Xiwen swallowed. “Brother, listen: even tied up, I can still get a message out. If you kill me, The Federation will receive an anonymous tip the very next second…”

“Releasing a terrorist of the Balance Church carries a heavier sentence than running an unlicensed gambling ship.” The handler picked up a knife from the tray and gestured at Dong Xiwen’s belly; the phone in his trouser pocket rang at the perfect moment.

He set the knife down and answered, rattling off something unintelligible.

After hanging up, he turned to Dong Xiwen. “Lucky you—no immediate execution.

“On the afternoon of April 30 our casino will host a Survivors’ Game. Every ‘soon-to-die’ captive we’ve caught will take part; only the winner lives.”

“Pity most of them were already killed—we can’t scrape together a full game, so you’ll fill the seat. Care to join?”

“Brother, say yes.” In his mind the instigator, Dong Ziwen, spoke calmly.

Dong Xiwen thought: Do I dare refuse? A reprieved death beats an instant one… He nodded frantically. “I’m in—thank you!”

…At midnight on April 27, Ning Xu, injuries still unhealed, showed up on the outskirts of Qijia Village.

The Investigator accompanying her was a careworn middle-aged man with a cigarette clamped in his teeth—the same detective who had checked Lin Chen’s dorm water meter, Fei Zhenqi.

“Ning girl, picking this hour—pretty confident you’ll wrap things up fast.” Fei Zhenqi exhaled smoke and grinned.

Ning Xu smiled faintly. “After tailing Fu Jue so long, I want to see what I’m worth. Pick the hour when the eerie peaks—success means it’s over once and for all; failure… we just pull out at once.”

“Gutsy!” Fei Zhenqi raised a thumb. “Let’s hope luck’s on our side; if we pull it off, it’s merit points galore.”

“Yeah. May fortune favor us both.”

…At 2 p.m. on April 28, Qi Si finished washing up early, wore his usual white shirt, and lay on the bed.

The jumbled dreams lasted only an instant; when he opened his eyes again he sat in the high-backed chair of the Game Space, facing the familiar dilapidated temple.

The players afflicted with insomnia syndrome had cleared the newbie instance and entered the formal pool; the Scarlet Mall was useful once more.

Qi Si skimmed a tiny cut of their points, bought cheap junk like flashlights and folding knives on the game-mall daily page, then listed them at sky-high prices in the mall that used scarlet points as currency.

The next instance had been arranged by Li before she was purged from the Eerie Game; she said there would be a chance to seize divine power—opportunity and risk went hand in hand, and who knew what other pitfalls lurked inside.

After the Colosseum instance Qi Si could feel death dogging his steps, yet he could not bring himself to lie low or rein in his ambition.

According to fatalism, the cup that overflows must spill; the dragon that soars too high regrets it in the end—someone like him was doomed to die on the road.

Still, such an ending seemed acceptable; at least he had harvested plenty of fun before death.

Qi Si did not rush into the instance; instead he called up every item and skill he owned and reviewed them one by one.

【Rose Heart】, 【Pocket Watch of Fate】, 【Ghost Drivers Recorder】, 【Soul Contract】, 【Sea-God Scepter】, 【Cursed Pendulum】, 【Director’s Special Pass】, 【Paper-cutter of the Self-harmer】, 【Ink Soul Scroll】, 【Netherworld Guide】, 【Straw Tiger】… Still on the rookie rank, yet already hoarding such a trove of items, covering every angle. If this list went public, everyone would gasp in awe—and covet them.

Some he had never used; others had already lost most of their utility. Qi Si raised his hand and brushed across the icons in the air, suddenly realizing how many instances he had already walked through.

The journey so far had indeed been colorful, bringing him endless amusement; though the illness of soul-weightlessness still lingered, it no longer mattered.

Qi Si walked to the full-length mirror and saw his reflection.

In reality he wore a white shirt and black trousers; in the mirror he was in a garish red suit, a thread of scarlet swirling in each pupil—no different from the look of his soul when it left the body during an attack.

For an instant even his own face and features felt unfamiliar.

“Who are you?” Qi Si asked.

“I am you.” The mirror man replied.

Actually the mirror man said nothing; the voice was Qi Si’s own. The virtual image exists because of the real one, mimicking every move.

Just as Contract had told him in Rose Manor: the illness of soul-weightlessness stems from spirit and flesh rejecting each other.

A god dwelling in a human shell, a real person under eerie control—like a reflection acquiring substance.

The soul drifts toward madness while the flesh clings to reason; keep that up long enough and only dissociation remains.

Qi Si curled his lips in amusement, stepped forward, and walked into the mirror.

In the darkness silvery-white text appeared.

【Dear number-one rookie, while you were away tens of thousands heard your name and sang your praises.】

【Your believers long to see your visage, receive your teachings, await your grace with heads raised…】

“What exactly do you want to say?” Qi Si asked.

Eerie Game: 【Would you like to enable live-stream during the next instance? Over a thousand people are waiting to watch…】

“What do I get out of it?”

【You will gain points, fame, heat, and followers…】

“And then?”

【You will gain more believers, be placed upon the god-seat, become a true deity.】

Qi Si laughed. “Watching a stream makes them believers? Sounds awfully cheap and stupid.”

【But that is how most humans are. Humans are stupid—don’t you agree?】

The system’s tone shifted, sounding more and more like Qi Si’s usual voice.

A voice laughed: “Since you want me to start it, let’s start it then.”

Qi Si touched his face and realized he himself had opened his mouth—he had spoken without knowing.

Why was he speaking without awareness? Who was he? Who would he become? Who would become him?

Endless darkness refracted countless shadows like mirrors; Qi Si saw innumerable selves circling him, like the corpses he had left behind in the corridors of Dialectical Game.

He said to one of them: “I’m so tired.”

The man half-smiled, half-sighed: “You can no longer turn back.”

【Randomly generating instance】

【instance loading… loading complete】