Chapter 137: Celebration

On the evening of March 30th, the entire lobby of the Tianxiang Tower restaurant was booked. Almost all Investigators and Jiuzhou members within the Jiangcheng area gathered here for a celebration banquet commemorating the “Phase achievements in cracking down on forces like the Xila Guild.”

As a secret agency, the true nature of the Bureau of Investigation of Anomalies naturally could not be revealed, so almost all Investigators held hidden identities outside of their main duties.

From police detectives to neighborhood committee directors, and even tabloid reporters, market vendors, and homeless people… The servers watched groups of men and women, young and old, dressed in various outfits, stream into the lobby, passing under the banner of the “Fraternity Charity Foundation for Building a Better Future for Humanity.” They simply thought the foundation was wealthy and accepted everyone regardless of background.

No one paid much attention to this banquet, simply because there were countless charity foundations in the Federation: those for orphans, those providing student loans, those supporting medical care… they covered every aspect of life.

Chang Xu, wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up to conceal half his face, sat quietly in a corner of the lobby, munching on an apple.

Earlier that morning, he had proactively gone to the records room to report the situation regarding the Sea of Hopelessness instance.

After being questioned by the recorder, his memories of the instance became clearer, and he couldn’t help but start reviewing everything that had happened within it.

First, on a factual level, he couldn’t defeat the Puppeteer, and he was stabbed to death by Qi Si, who was controlled by the Puppeteer using the Trident of the Sea God.

The only good news was that Qi Si seemed to have broken free from the Puppeteer’s control, and the Trident of the Sea God had not fallen into the hands of the Xila Guild.

For many years, Chang Xu had been accustomed to solving problems with force, thereby avoiding consideration of those unsolvable paradoxes.

This was the first time he had suffered a setback in terms of force, shattering his expectation of safety. He had no choice but to seriously review the details behind the incident.

But he soon realized that this matter was absolutely unsolvable for him.

Unless he possessed foresight and knew who the three puppets were beforehand to eliminate them, once Qi Si and Liu Yuhan were controlled, he would be forced to trade the Trident of the Sea God for their lives.

But he wasn’t a god; how could he know the whole situation from the start?

The Puppeteer’s plan in the later stages of the instance was a complete open conspiracy. Even though he knew it was a trap, he had to walk into it.

As for abandoning Qi Si and Liu Yuhan and waking up directly from the Sea of Hopelessness dream… that might have been the only solution, but he absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.

Unable to find a practical solution, Chang Xu began contemplating philosophical issues.

‘The total quota for survival is fixed; one person surviving means another person’s death. Everyone who survives is a murderer, but because of the diffusion of responsibility, the guilt cannot be pinned on any single individual… Among us official players, who is innocent?’

Qi Si’s words echoed in his ears, like the ghostly whispers swirling into a vortex in the abyss, tempting him to sink deeper and deeper.

It was as if when sin and negative emotions reached a certain weight, they would transform into a deep, lightless black hole, generating a powerful attraction that swallowed all lighter objects… He couldn’t help but wonder if merely being alive also constituted a sin? Was saving others just a self-congratulatory crime?

“Little Chang, sitting here all by yourself, looking like a dark lump, it’s quite scary, you know?” Mu Dongxu appeared silently behind Chang Xu like a ghost, slapping a large hand heavily onto his shoulder.

Chang Xu wasn’t startled; his five senses were keener than ordinary people’s, allowing him to hear Mu Dongxu’s footsteps in advance. He stood up and said, “My apologies.”

“I didn’t mean you were scary. What were you spaced out thinking about just now? It’s normal to be mentally shaken after almost dying in the Sea of Hopelessness instance, it’s no big deal.”

Mu Dongxu held an unlit cigarette in his mouth, sucking on it like a lollipop. “Don’t put too much psychological pressure on yourself. If there’s something you can’t figure out, say it, and we’ll think about it together.”

Chang Xu knew Mu Dongxu was trying to comfort him with jokes, but he still asked seriously, “Director Mu, given that the total probability of survival is fixed, my survival means someone else must die.

“I might even need to actively kill innocent people to eliminate threats… Given this premise, how should I make a choice?”

Mu Dongxu clapped his hands. “Who was talking nonsense like that to you? Instead of wasting time overthinking, you should memorize more instance guides and train your puzzle-solving skills.”

Chang Xu didn’t give him a chance to gloss over it, staring at him with deep eyes. “So, Director Mu, can you tell me what the answer to this question is?”

“There is no answer. Just follow your heart and do whatever you want,” Mu Dongxu said. “We are humans, not gods. Where does all that selflessness, fairness, and justice come from? Our Jiangcheng Sub-Bureau isn’t Headquarters; we don’t fuss over all that rubbish.

“People have varying degrees of closeness. First, ensure your own survival, then save your relatives, friends, and anyone you want to save. If there’s no one you want to save, it’s not wrong not to save them. As long as you don’t harbor malicious intent to harm others and have a clear conscience, can they really morally blackmail you?”

“Is that so?” Chang Xu rubbed the back of his neck, sinking into thought.

Mu Dongxu thought he didn’t believe it, so he patted his shoulder and added, “Little Chang, don’t let anyone lead you astray. Next time someone asks you a question like that, just slap the person who asked it twice and see if they start raving.”

The words were easy to understand. Chang Xu nodded and said, “I understand.”

The celebration banquet had begun. The PPT on the big screen started playing images of star players who had sacrificed themselves in the Anomalous Game over generations: Lin Jue in a white suit, Xiao Fengchao with long, non-mainstream hair, and Chu Yining in a wheelchair… Considering the crowd and potential onlookers, the PPT only showed pictures, without accompanying text.

The young faces in the pictures were full of smiles, their eyes brimming with hope. No one looking at them would guess that they had all become ghosts.

The old man in the police uniform turned to the person next to him and said, “Back in the day, that kid Lin Jue used to call me disorganized and undisciplined, saying I’d fall into a pit eventually. Who knew, in the blink of an eye, he’s been dead for twenty-two years… Chu Yining and Old Mu were already planning their wedding, and then came the Twilight of the Gods. She just happened to be near Lin Jue that day…”

Mu Dongxu roared, “Old Liao! Enough!”

A middle-aged detective next to them quickly stepped between the two, smiling at the old man. “Master, you’ve been quitting smoking lately, and your mouth is running wild. If Director Mu gets serious, I can’t stop him. May fortune favor you…”

“Fei Zhenqi, what good are you?”

“Hey, didn’t I just bring you cigarettes…”

Chang Xu had excellent hearing and could clearly hear everyone’s voices in the hall. Some sighed, some lamented, and some joked to lighten the mood, but none of it stirred the slightest ripple in his heart.

—He didn’t recognize anyone in the pictures.

“Hey, Little Chang, why are you sitting alone in that corner? Come over here, there’s more good food here!” A short, slightly plump middle-aged woman holding a platter of roast duck called out to Chang Xu from afar.

The corresponding information surfaced in Chang Xu’s mind: Luo Haihua, a warm and passionate person. Before entering the Anomalous Game, she was a high school Chinese teacher. Later, she joined the Jiuzhou Guild and would volunteer at the Bureau of Investigation of Anomalies on weekends.

Standing next to Luo Haihua was her husband, Luo Jianhua, a high school physics teacher. He seemed stern and reserved, but was simply not good at expressing himself. After becoming an Investigator, he primarily focused on theoretical research.

Chang Xu walked over to the couple, sat down at their table, and thanked them.

He wrapped a piece of roast duck in a wrapper, took a bite, and found the meat crispy, juicy, and very flavorful.

He suddenly remembered the day Ning Xu brought him to the Bureau of Investigation of Anomalies. He was starving and couldn’t help but glance at a roast duck shop by the roadside.

Ning Xu bought a roast duck and handed it to him, watching him devour it with a smile, and saying humorously, “Eat slowly, don’t choke. Although our Jiangcheng Sub-Bureau is poor, we have plenty of food.”

Since then, Chang Xu had resolved to live well and ensure everyone in the Jiangcheng Sub-Bureau lived well, away from the precarious days of the past.

Living like this, even if sometimes a little confused, was truly wonderful.

“Chang Xu, come over here for a picture!” Ning Xu stood on the stage, calling out with a smile.

Old Liao, holding a cigarette in his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke and pretended to be serious. “Go away! You’re so young, why take pictures? It’s bad luck. If you take one, you might end up on the honor roll before the year is out.”

Mu Dongxu raised his foot as if to kick him. “You old dog, you only speak ill!”

Chang Xu walked over and stood next to Ning Xu.

“Three, two, one—Cheese!”

The photographer was in position and pressed the shutter.

“Click!”