Chapter 205: The So-Called Savior

Evening of April 5th, in an Isolation Room on the fifth underground floor of the Eerie Investigation Bureau’s Jiangcheng Branch.

Chang Xu sat cross-legged in the darkness, solving a Rubik’s Cube from muscle memory, then scrambling it, then solving it again… Because at the end of the Red Maple Boarding School instance, he chose to expose the truth, the Memorial Hall for Indigenous Victims was burned down, and the federal government’s atrocities against the Indigenous people of Maple Leaf County were revealed… Shuomeng cleverly distanced himself, and Qi Si wasn’t a public official, so the corresponding blame naturally fell on Chang Xu.

The charge of “anti-federation” could be leveled at any moment. The Investigation Bureau headquarters was about to send people to investigate, so the Jiangcheng Branch had no choice but to confine Chang Xu to an Isolation Room. It was both house arrest and protection, preventing him from being “suicided” through the federation’s shady dealings.

People gradually came and went outside the door. The lights in the corridor lit up, and light seeped into the Isolation Room from a small window, dispelling some of the darkness.

Chang Xu put down the Rubik’s Cube and picked up a picture book left on the table by who-knows-who, beginning to flip through it.

The story was simple: there were two monster eggs in a nest, one of which was picked up by a passerby. The monster that hatched grew up in the human world, was ostracized for being different, but also received kindness from many people.

He craved the warmth of the human world but also felt lonely. Then, a monster that grew up in the forest appeared and asked if he wanted to return to the forest together… Chang Xu inexplicably began to wonder if he, too, was such a monster, destined not to stay long in the human world.

Otherwise, why were the judgments he made based on his intuition always wrong in everyone’s eyes?

Why, even though he didn’t know where he went wrong, was he not only punished and judged, but also brought trouble to those who cared about him?

The picture book turned to the last page. The monster returned to the forest but was swallowed whole by a larger monster because it was tainted with too much human scent and could never go back… “A very dark story.” The door to the Isolation Room opened, and a man in a suit with rimless glasses walked in, smiling slightly. “You might have forgotten who I am. Let me reintroduce myself. I am Fu Jue. We have met before.”

…Early on April 6th, Qi Si still went out.

The main road in the village was covered in white mist all day long, with withered wheat fields and crooked black shadows vaguely visible in the fog, making it hard to distinguish from a distance whether they were scarecrows or human corpses.

The skin of the dead was permeated by the damp mist, fermenting into the smell of ragged cloth, clinging to the floating water droplets and spreading throughout the village with the drifting mist.

Qi Si gave Xu Yao an order to deal with the corpses, and belatedly thought of many potential troubles that might follow.

Although Qijia Village was located in a remote corner and had always been consciously ignored by the Security Bureau due to its fierce customs, it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn’t unluckily encounter major events like a census.

In addition, migrant workers returning home, or regional disappearances, could all attract the attention of relevant departments… Qi Si already controlled two Ghosts, so he wasn’t afraid of the official authorities risking heavy casualties to deal with him, but the trouble behind the incidents was enough to give him a headache.

Unless… he caused some trouble for the forces that might bring him trouble in advance.

‘I happen to know a few madmen from the Balance Church; they’d be interested in this sort of thing.’

Bob’s words echoed in his mind. Qi Si knew that he had a deep connection with the Balance Church, and with the immense capital of “ferrying Ghosts,” he might be able to achieve a moderate cooperation with them.

After accumulating some more self-preservation methods, perhaps he could try to contact them.

Qi Si calculated aimlessly, his feet already at the village entrance, stopping before a wall covered with various collection notices and phone numbers scrawled in red pen.

He stuffed the glass tube he was holding into a hole in the wall, then dragged his unsteady steps towards the village clinic… During this time, the game forum was far from peaceful.

Large numbers of argumentative posts were refreshing in real-time on the homepage, occupying half of the hot topics. And all the post titles mentioned one person, or rather, a glittering name—

Fu Jue.

The incident began when Fu Jue entered a instance called “Mountain God Sacrifice.” There were eleven players in total, and besides Fu Jue, a female player named “Meng Jianshuang” was also a well-known figure on the rankings.

Meng Jianshuang was a high-ranking member of the Fengyu Guild, a small guild that had recently been cooperating with Jiuzhou Guild, so their relationship was quite good.

The instance ran on two parallel storylines. Meng Jianshuang was trapped alone inside a mountain god statue in a cave, while the other ten players were in the village below, tasked with the main quest of 【Participating in the Mountain God Sacrifice】.

Terrifying Ghosts in the mountain village gradually revived as time passed. Players could only gain strength to contend with the Ghosts by collecting incense and offerings for the Mountain God.

But gradually, players discovered that the more times the Mountain God was offered to, the stronger the mountain god statue trapping Meng Jianshuang became. Lime and earth gradually seeped into Meng Jianshuang’s flesh, and by the third day, Meng Jianshuang’s limbs had already grown into the mountain god statue.

At that time, Fu Jue entered the cave alone, trying to get Meng Jianshuang out, but to no avail.

The remaining talismans and seal script in the cave told the players that to unseal the mountain god statue, half a player’s blood was needed. The risk of drawing blood was unknown; nothing might happen, or it could lead to death, a life for a life.

At the same time, everyone understood that unsealing it could save Meng Jianshuang, but it would also cause a hundred Ghosts to roam the mountain village, putting all players in an uncontrollable predicament.

Fu Jue streamed every new instance he entered, so over ten thousand players witnessed the situation at the time.

Fu Jue stood before the statue, calmly explaining the pros and cons of the situation to Meng Jianshuang inside the statue, and finally asked her, “Do you want to live?”

Meng Jianshuang asked, “If I say I want to live, will you take all those risks to save me?”

Fu Jue said, “I will try.”

After a long silence, Meng Jianshuang smiled, “To save just me and put all of you in danger would make me seem selfish… You are the player with the most hope of clearing the final instance; there’s no need to gamble your life for me. Don’t you often say that temporary death is nothing?”

Fu Jue asked, “So what is your choice?”

“You go, don’t worry about me,” Meng Jianshuang said.

Fu Jue said, “Okay.”

He turned to leave, and after two steps, the woman’s plea, forcefully suppressing her sorrow, suddenly came from behind him: “Chief, you will definitely clear the final instance in our stead and revive all the dead, won’t you?”

Fu Jue paused, then said, “Yes.”

He never looked back.

Afterward, the players prepared offerings as planned, and on the seventh day, held a grand sacrifice, expelling the evil spirits from the village.

And at the end of the sacrifice, Meng Jianshuang completely merged with the statue, signifying her death.

Sacrificing the few for the many is an age-old choice, but the long-suppressed undercurrent used this as an opportunity to stir up waves.

The fuse was a post:

#After watching Fu Jue’s latest livestream, I’m suddenly very disappointed in him#

【1st Floor (OP): I don’t know how long this post will survive. If I get banned, it proves this forum has become a one-man show for the Jiuzhou Guild—I hope it’s just my conspiracy theory.

I joined the game in April last year. Like many newcomers at the time, I developed a fondness for Fu Jue amidst the overwhelming propaganda on the forum, and often followed his livestreams and recordings.

“God Fu,” “Chief,” “the player most likely to clear the final instance”… Anyone who saw these titles would be intimidated. I, too, once foolishly shouted slogans of human unity, fanatically idolizing Fu Jue and the Jiuzhou Guild he represented, like a fan chasing a celebrity.

But now I feel like I’ve been fooled. Does Fu Jue really deserve to be seen as a “savior”? Yes, he is indeed the number one player on the overall strength rankings, but he is ultimately a person with selfish desires, not an impartial god. Does he truly care about the lives of others?

Undeniably, Fu Jue has saved many people and has always insisted on livestreaming and sharing information, being more upright than many. But with all due respect, I think he has been putting on a show all along, wearing a mask of kindness and justice, portraying himself as an impeccable saint, tricking us into believing in him like a deity, to be used for his own purposes.

Fu Jue abandoning Meng Jianshuang was actually within my expectations. He is nothing but a hypocritical schemer, never having the awareness of self-sacrifice. Now he can no longer keep up the pretense, revealing his true nature and showing us that he is merely a selfish, disingenuous, and hypocritical scoundrel.

@Fu Jue, I hope the high and mighty Chief can condescend to glance at public opinion. I’m very curious how you’ll explain yourself this time, and how you’ll resolve this.】

The post’s narrative was rational and neutral yet full of genuine emotion, and it even tagged Fu Jue himself, conveying a strong attitude, quickly attracting a group of supporters.

【I always felt that Fu Jue gave me a strange vibe, and today, after hearing what the OP said, I finally understand what was strange about it. Everyone has their own selfish motives, but Fu Jue acts so selflessly. I don’t believe he doesn’t have ulterior motives!】

【The OP said everything I wanted to say! He who wants to wear the crown must bear its weight. Fu Jue has held the title of savior for so many years, yet he couldn’t even save one Meng Jianshuang. I’ve finally seen him for who he is.】

【Poor Meng Jianshuang. Who doesn’t want to live? She probably knew Fu Jue was livestreaming, so for the guild’s reputation, she was morally coerced into giving up on survival. Honestly, the Jiuzhou Guild isn’t good either; they constantly claim to try their best to save people and even made a promise of “reviving everyone after clearing the final instance.” Who knows if it’s true or false?】

Of course, those who defended Fu Jue were still numerous and vocal.

【What a great little essay. Just tell me, OP, how many people have you helped since you started playing the game? God Fu tries his best in every instance to let more people live. In the last instance, he even cut off half his body to save people. So, good people deserve to have guns pointed at them, huh?】

【I can’t even stand by and watch. Do you really understand the situation at the time? If you were Fu Jue, what would you do? Are you saying that to save one Meng Jianshuang, you’d let ten people who could have cleared the instance smoothly die together?】

【I laugh. God Fu is already the “Chief” certified by the game. If he ignored all of you, he would have achieved his wish and left the game long ago. What benefits has he gained from being seen as your “savior”? You’re just using that title to morally blackmail him, making him constantly save people and constantly get hurt!】

Both sides argued, each sticking to their guns. One post wasn’t enough, and more argumentative posts sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Among them were many mischief-makers who loved to watch the chaos, flitting between posts and fishing in troubled waters:

【Why hasn’t Fu Jue responded yet? If he doesn’t clarify soon, I’m going to defect. When the time comes, I’ll be the first to surrender!】

【You’re all so brave, stepping forward with your real names. Aren’t you afraid of being assassinated? It would be fun if we met in a instance.】

【I bet a dime that the OP’s account will be gone tomorrow~】

And as public opinion fermented, the fire naturally spread to the Jiuzhou Guild.

A small number of players began to criticize the hypocrisy of the Jiuzhou Guild’s tenets, accusing them of acting as global police and morally coercing others.

One player wrote indignantly:

【We are all equally caught in this eerie catastrophe. What right do you have to establish exemplary rules and codes of conduct?】

【We all want to live. What’s wrong with the law of the jungle when survival isn’t guaranteed? Why do you demand our sacrifice? If you can’t even sacrifice yourself to feed a hawk, what right do you have to judge us?】

【This malicious moral blackmail has lasted for over twenty years, and countless comrades have suffered from it. The perpetrator stands in the light, their face unclear, but their name is known to all—】

【Jiuzhou.】

Perhaps from the very beginning, this storm targeting Fu Jue was aimed at the Jiuzhou Guild.

The weak cries suppressed in the shadows by grand ideals, the hidden desires bound by conventional morality, finally converged into a powerful torrent after accumulating day by day, breaking through the blockade and coming to the forefront.

While waiting for his number to be called in the hospital waiting room, Qi Si read through the entire spectacle involving Fu Jue and the Jiuzhou Guild with great relish.

“Indeed, a spark of starlight shining in a dark ditch is always praised, but a speck of dirt on a white curtain only causes disgust.”

“Even devils can rampage in the human world after crawling out of hell, but saviors who fall from grace can only be nailed to a cross—should I say it truly lives up to ‘good people don’t live long’?”

Qi Si thought gleefully, in a genuinely good mood, and casually took out a chili powder flavored mint and handed it to a little girl in red sitting beside him.

The little girl held her severed head in both hands, opened her mouth to take the mint, and burst into tears a second later.

Blood streamed down from the corners of her eyes. Crying, she extended a hand that had suddenly grown sharp nails and clawed at Qi Si.

Qi Si shook his right hand, revealing the Cursed Pendulum wrapped around his wrist, intertwined with a special bracelet, and swung the pendulum bob towards the girl’s face.

The girl immediately quieted down, her figure flickered and faded, then solidified at the end of the corridor five seconds later, her eyes full of apprehension.

Ever since bringing the Cursed Pendulum into reality, Qi Si found that he could see Ghosts in his normal state again, without needing rituals or waiting for his soul to become weightless and trigger an episode.

Perhaps “seeing Ghosts” was inherently a form of “curse”; who knew?

However, for Qi Si, reuniting with his “old friends” was quite pleasant. At least he wouldn’t have to fear boredom anymore.

The call number sounded at the opportune moment: “Number 16, Qi Si, please proceed to consultation room 4.”

Qi Si stood up and pulled down his sleeve to cover the thin chain on his wrist.

The blood-red pendulum bob hung from his cuff, swaying faintly, looking like some kind of oddly styled bracelet.

Qi Si smiled at the girl at the end of the corridor, then turned and walked into consultation room 4.

The little girl, who had been a ghost for many years, stared blankly at the young man’s retreating figure, seeing grotesque tentacles rolling in the surrounding black mist, and crimson eyes opening and closing one by one.

The young man walked forward, pulling the gray mist and ghostly shadows around him.

The mist was sometimes thick, sometimes thin, as if breathing.