Chapter 384: The Holy City (10) Son of God

Players gathered outside Room 12, each with their own thoughts, much like how a disaster controlled by an Evil God quietly departs, leaving people emerging from the shadows to witness the corpse of a deity, suspecting it to be a larger trap.

A player of Fu Jue’s caliber meeting trouble on the very first night seemed like an absurd joke. Yet, upon closer analysis of the dungeon’s mechanics, it didn’t seem entirely impossible for such a result to occur.

Asakura Yuko adjusted her glasses, a terrible guess forming in her heart: the war outside the Final Dungeon had probably already begun, and the Strange Game clearly supported the early retrieval of identity cards. It was Fu Jue now, but who would be next… would it be her?

Most representatives of the Bureau of Strangeness Investigation knew what was going on. They were the ones who found the record 【Heretics Meeting Privately Conspiring Blasphemy】, and they were the ones who activated the skill 【Can Report Rooms Occupied by Two or More People, Judging Occupants as Heretics】.

The only thing they hadn’t expected was for Fu Jue to die so easily. According to their original plan, they merely intended to test Fu Jue’s countermeasures and exhaust his life-saving items.

Thomson stepped forward first and pushed open the door. A smell of blood rushed out, and the sight of glaring red made people dizzy.

The representatives filed in, urgently searching for Fu Jue’s body and the 【Fallen Savior】 card that was supposed to materialize. But upon seeing the scene inside the room, they exchanged glances.

The large bed in the center of the room was empty. The stone pillow was perfectly in its original spot, the bedding neatly folded, without even a single strand of hair left behind, as if no one had ever lain there.

But lying in the pool of blood on the floor at the foot of the bed was a dark figure, pierced through the heart and pinned to the ground by an inverted cross diagonally thrust into its chest—it was the black man, Blaren!

The players cautiously gathered around, staring down at the corpse. The deceased’s eyes were wide open, his expression ferocious, as if he had seen something utterly terrifying before losing his life just before he could scream.

Fujiwara Shinya observed for a while but couldn’t make sense of it. Ignoring the potential danger, he reached out and searched the corpse’s surface, skillfully checking every pocket, yet finding nothing.

A representative couldn’t hold back and asked, “Where is Fu Jue? Did any of you see Fu Jue’s body?”

The players turned to search the surroundings, scanning every corner with their heads down, then looked at each other in confusion. There was only Blaren in Room 12; there was no trace of a second person!

“Could Fu Jue not have been in the room? Where would he be? I clearly saw him enter the room last night…”

“Given Fu Jue’s strength and style, he probably went out to explore during the night. Could he still be outside the temple?”

The players discussed amongst themselves. The representatives also calmed down, realizing that Fu Jue might still be alive.

Such an intelligent being couldn’t have failed to notice their scheme. Since he adopted the posture of walking into a trap, he must have planned a countermeasure long ago.

Fran of Crystal County smiled chillingly, “In my opinion, Fu Jue is highly suspicious. He was in the same room as Blaren. Blaren ran into trouble—would Fu Jue not know? Refusing to return now and wandering outside, he might be fleeing in fear of the crime.”

This statement made no attempt to hide his hostility toward Fu Jue, leading Giles to reaffirm his conclusion that “Fran is just a muscle-brained idiot.”

He sighed helplessly, “I know the situation—one person dead and one missing from the same room—is highly suspicious, but I don’t think we need to jump to conclusions. I didn’t run into Fu Jue when I went out exploring last night.

“Fu Jue’s actions over the years are plain for all to see. I don’t believe he would harm a companion. Perhaps we can search a little more patiently…”

As if to confirm his words, the tall woman suddenly raised her head and stared fixedly at the ceiling, her tone becoming strange: “Everyone, I think I know where Fu Jue’s body is.”

Hearing this, the players looked up in the direction she was looking.

A crack had appeared in the center of the ceiling at some unknown time, and a pale marble statue of a god was embedded in the crack, revealing a skull-like face. Sharp fangs held a pair of blood-stained, rimless glasses, unmistakably belonging to Fu Jue.

Fu Jue was indeed dead, suffering the most miserable fate of being consumed by the statue of a god, silently and without a trace of his remains.

Even the representatives who wished nothing more than to eliminate him felt a chilling sense of shared sorrow—how could small beings witnessing the demise of a colossal entity not feel a profound silence in the face of such magnitude?

They should have been jubilant, they should have been radiant, but at this moment, no one could smile. Instead, they unanimously averted their gaze, afraid to look at those blood-soaked glasses, as if they were a terrifying prophecy or proof of a grave sin.

After two seconds of silence, someone silently asked through their team ring, “What about the identity card? Did you see the 【Fallen Savior】 identity card?”

The answer was no. The identity card had silently vanished with Fu Jue’s death, as naturally and logically as a tropical forest submerged by a damp downpour.

Then the players remembered: since the appearance of the Fragmented Revelation Stele, there had been no case confirming that an identity card would separate from the body after the holder died, rather than being directly reclaimed by the Strange Game.

Now the case had appeared. They had killed Fu Jue, and the identity card had died along with him. The Bureau of Strangeness Investigation had lost the 【Fallen Savior】 card, and they were the culprits.

The high-ranking officials would not listen to their explanations or acknowledge that their actions had been tacitly approved by certain bigwigs. Those people only recognized the final result: due to a flawed decision, the Bureau of Strangeness Investigation had lost the seat corresponding to the 【Fallen Savior】 card.

They would be penalized. The representatives’ faces turned grim, like children who had done wrong, praying that everything that happened was just a nightmare.

They stood in silence, frozen fear spreading through the room, like simple-minded ancient tribes who had accidentally killed a divine shaman, standing around the corpse, lost and waiting for the judgment of the gods.

“The Final Dungeon is still a long way off. I don’t think the Strange Game would be so impatient to retrieve the identity cards. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have bothered issuing them in the first place.”

The tall woman was the first to break the silence: “I can understand everyone’s desire for the 【Fallen Savior】 card. It’s only human nature to hide it and bind it secretly after obtaining an identity card.

“But I still hope to get concrete news, at least so others know that the 【Fallen Savior】 card is still under the control of the Bureau of Strangeness Investigation.”

All players wearing team rings could hear the woman’s voice, and for a moment, they felt like they had grasped a lifeline.

The outcome “the identity card was taken by a player” was undoubtedly much better than the news that “the identity card was retrieved” or “Fu Jue only faked his death.” They were also inclined to believe the former.

Furthermore, they were all seasoned veterans and had a general understanding of each other’s character. For a time, suspicion replaced unease among the representatives.

Father Ricci walked into the room at the right moment, his expression compassionate and mournful: “Last night, a heretic killed a believer of the Lord. That poor child, may the Lord bless him.

“I hope that through discussion, you can find that cruel heretic and ensure he receives the punishment he deserves.”

The players had no objections. They returned in twos and threes to the hall with the long table, leaving Blaren’s body lying in the pool of blood, his wide, dead eyes staring up at the ceiling.

After everyone was seated again, Father Ricci spread his arms and announced, “Before the voting begins, one of you must become the Son of God to preside over this judgment. Which of you is willing to be the Son of God?”

After Fu Jue’s death, the representatives were no longer so keen on the position of the Son of God, as no one knew if there was a trap behind it.

After a long silence, William raised his hand with a wry smile: “If no one is willing, then I will do it.”

A smile appeared on Father Ricci’s face, and a black cross pendant materialized in his hand. Holding the cord with both hands, he solemnly and reverently placed the pendant around William’s neck.

The black cross hung on William’s chest, which was covered by a gray vest, looking awkward and even slightly comical.

Father Ricci’s gaze held earnest expectation, seeming cryptic: “I am pleased you have the courage to take responsibility. You now have half an hour for discussion. Please determine the heretic before the time runs out.”

Having finished speaking, he pulled out an hourglass from his robes and placed it upside down in the center of the long table.

As the fine sand slowly leaked through the narrow hole, Father Ricci disappeared, leaving the distracted players behind.

They didn’t have many ideas about the faction mission of finding the heretic. Not only were Fu Jue and Blaren killed by the representatives using the effect of the 【Record】, but even if they were genuinely killed by a heretic, the clues from the corpse were insufficient to pinpoint a specific person; they could only guess wildly.

Giles spoke first: “Let’s summarize the clues for the main mission. Last night, I triggered another ending…”

He briefly recounted the content of Ending Two, including his own speculation—for instance, that the original Holy Lord had been usurped by an Evil God, and the newly arrived Evil God was the source of all strangeness in the dungeon… As he spoke, the players’ gazes toward Keith, sitting on the main seat, grew more vigilant, gradually tinged with scrutiny.

The Divine-level NPC was undoubtedly the mastermind behind Ending Two and was an unsolvable presence. Given that they could not use weapon items or attack others, there must be a way to clear the dungeon without shedding blood.

Thomson pondered for a moment and said, “I suspect that besides unlocking them through the Tinder, these two endings might have other ways to be achieved. If we use certain means to prevent these endings from ever happening, could that also count as completing the main mission?”

Yes, the narration for the main mission said: 【The crisis of death is imminent. Only by uncovering the truth before the ending arrives can there be a glimmer of hope.】

Therefore, as long as the crisis can be stopped beforehand, the logic behind the mission will no longer hold, and the problem will naturally be solved.

Fujiwara Shinya laughed, “Take Ending One as an example. We could completely inform the priests in advance that the believers might overthrow their rule, prompting them to kill those heretics sooner.”

The last grain of sand fell in the hourglass, and Father Ricci appeared before the players with a smile. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next instruction.

Father Ricci looked at William and said calmly, “Child, can you tell me who the heretic is?”

His flawless smiling face looked incredibly eerie in the light and shadow, like a lifelike statue carved to resemble a human but utterly devoid of life, enough to provoke onlookers to think of ghosts and monsters.

William showed no fear, returning a smile and asking, “Father, I am not yet certain. Can I choose not to select anyone right now?”

He volunteered for the position of Son of God merely to fulfill the duties of a leader, but he never intended to sentence an innocent person to death.

He thought, perhaps he could negotiate another way through words?

Father Ricci looked at him with pity and said, “Child, you are the Son of God whom the Lord watches over. Follow your inner thoughts. You only need to tell me who you most want to judge?”

This was practically telling them to choose randomly… Silence enveloped the entire temple hall. All the players stared motionlessly at William, waiting for him to make the final judgment.

Father Ricci’s words took on a threatening tone: “Your time is running out. If you do not make a choice, I will have no option but to assume that you are the heretic.”

The temperature in the temple dropped at a rate perceptible to the human body. The murals of the gods on the dome simultaneously opened their eyes, watching the players below with coldness.

Thomson abruptly spoke, “Excuse me, Father Ricci, we haven’t had time to vote yet. Please allow us to proceed with the vote according to the rules established yesterday.”

Father Ricci smiled and nodded, saying, “Given that this is your first time participating in a judgment, I can grant you five more minutes. However, do not let this happen again.”

Thomson immediately pointed at the short-haired girl and stated decisively, “I vote for her.”

The moment his words fell, the short-haired girl’s face slightly changed, and she spoke harshly, “Are you crazy? I am not a heretic!”

As she spoke, she pulled out a page of historical text from her robes, preparing to display it: “If you don’t believe me, I can show you my identity card.”

Previously, she was worried about becoming a target for heretics and dared not expose her identity openly, but now, she had no choice.

Unfortunately, in the next second, her movement froze in place, as if she had been iced over by a sudden cold snap, maintaining the posture and unable to move even half an inch.

【No player is allowed to display their identity card to others】

The system prompt echoed through the great hall, audible to every player.

Unable to show her identity card, she couldn’t convincingly prove her innocence, even if she was indeed a believer. If one is determined to condemn someone, why bother with evidence?

Most people understood Thomson’s reason for targeting the short-haired girl: she had obtained the record 【God Said, Do Not Cease Gathering】, and her skill was 【Convene a new judgment outside specific sessions】.

Given the current situation, the more times a blind judgment was convened, the more likely an innocent person would be killed. To reduce unnecessary potential casualties, she had to die.

The vote proceeded in an orderly manner. Four people abstained, five raised their hands to point at the short-haired girl, and the short-haired girl pointed at Thomson.

But in the last second, Thomson suddenly and forcefully shifted his direction, pointing at Keith, who was seated calmly on the main throne.

Keith saw a flash of pale gray silver light in Thomson’s eyes.