Chapter 251: A Locked Future

In a secluded reception room at the Eerie Investigation Bureau, Jiangcheng Branch.

The silver-white alloy walls were spotless, and the perfectly sealed room had no windows, only a retractable iron door embedded in the wall, with barely visible seams.

All noise and prying eyes were shut out. A low tea table was quietly placed in the center, forming the most prominent furnishing in the room.

On the tea table sat a strange white female statue, its surface embedded with eye-shaped protrusions, its edges showing festering damage, from which fresh blood gushed down.

The torrent of blood, just as it was about to touch the tabletop, dispersed into insubstantial red mist, which curled upwards like smoke, condensed into red liquid above the statue’s head, and flowed down again like rain.

The cyclical blood-red loop enveloped the entire tea table in a bloody mist, like a hazy wonderland, yet the color of the mist inexplicably led one’s thoughts to the eerie.

【Name: (data deleted) Statue】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Senses the existence of (data deleted). The closer to (data deleted), the more bloody tears flow.】

【Remarks: The supreme mother body that created (data deleted), leaving only a remnant after all its blood is drained.】

This statue was undoubtedly a creation from the Eerie Game. The prompt text on its surface was intermittent and heavily fragmented, but everyone could easily understand its meaning upon seeing it.

Given its current state of gushing bloody tears, that existence whose name cannot be directly spoken was within this city.

“The various data and information have been collected, and it can basically be confirmed that the ‘door’ will open in Jiangcheng. For the next period, I will remain in Jiangcheng, and people from headquarters will also be gradually transferred here.”

The speaker sat by the tea table, eyes downcast at the top of the statue, yet he seemed to be spacing out, his pupils dilated like those of a deceased person.

He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in a neat suit, wearing rimless glasses, with his hair meticulously combed. He was none other than Fu Jue, who had appeared in the Ruins of the Sunset not long ago.

Fu Jue looked up at the person sitting behind the tea table: “Guild Leader Yu, Tingfeng has been deeply rooted in Jiangcheng for many years, with countless hidden forces in the gray areas. I need to know the extent of assistance you can provide in this cooperation.”

The person sitting opposite Fu Jue, referred to as “Guild Leader Yu,” wore a casual gray hoodie. His face was standardly proper, with every feature unremarkable, to the point that he left no lasting impression.

To be precise, his entire presence was extremely low. If Fu Jue’s gaze hadn’t fallen on him, no one would have noticed his existence in the room.

At this moment, he placed the folding fan in his hand on the table and chuckled: “Guild Leader is too much. I’m just a Vice. Who doesn’t know that our Tingfeng has over a dozen Vice Guild Leaders, all chosen to be mascots?

“Deeply rooted is also too much. Just doing some side businesses to make money when bored, personal behavior, has nothing to do with the guild.”

“But as for your Jiuzhou—” “Guild Leader Yu” squinted at the statue on the table, “it seems you not only have the technology to manufacture Team Ring, but have also overcome the technical issues of guiding eeriness?”

Fu Jue reached out and grasped the statue. With a blink of an eye, his hand was empty, clearly having returned to the Game Space to throw the item back.

The scent of blood was instantly cleansed, as if it had never existed; the surface of the tea table was also spotless, without even the indentations that a heavy ornament might have left.

“We have long known the corresponding methods, but have always lacked key materials. Just recently, we obtained sufficient materials, and many problems naturally resolved themselves.”

Fu Jue’s voice was calm, as if stating a well-known fact: “We do not intend to implement this technology on a large scale. The barrier between eeriness and reality is already precarious, and we cannot be certain at what critical point it will collapse.

“Jiuzhou’s foundation is not as solid as you imagine. In recent years, with the passing of the elders and the prevalence of individualism among the newcomers, decline and demise are only a matter of time. The connection between Tingfeng and Jiuzhou is no secret among the elders; it cannot be severed, and reunification is the general trend.

“You and I went to the Ruins of the Sunset together just now, and you should have noticed that new authorities have been brought under ‘The Tower.’ The birth of new gods and the revival of old gods cannot keep pace with the world’s rule reset. We don’t have much time left; gathering all the ‘Cards’ is imperative.”

“Guild Leader Yu” pondered for a moment, then sighed: “Fu Jue, you should know my doubts. Not many people, but not few either, can understand what’s happening on the forums.

“You deliberately stirred up public opinion, making them force you to leave Jiuzhou, even at the cost of tarnishing your reputation. Many insiders believe your ambitions are vast and your intentions malicious.

“I don’t know your plans, nor can I ascertain your goals, let alone what you will ultimately need us to do for you.”

These words were undeniably heavy, but Fu Jue seemed not to have heard the questioning and blame within them, his expression remaining indifferent.

“My goals and concerns are similar to yours. Tingfeng does not want to get deeply mired, and Jiuzhou likewise cannot burn its bridges. Neither of us can stake everything as we did twenty-two years ago.”

Fu Jue suddenly pinched the black ring on his right little finger, turning it halfway with a ‘click’.

The projection of a blood-colored Identity Card was cast onto the table. The red-robed High Priest depicted on the card fluttered its eyes, and from certain angles, even presented the image of Qi.

“The Chips Qi wagered were more than I imagined, and ‘he’ might even be about to ascend the chessboard as a divine chess piece. I initially thought ‘he’ was merely a pawn chosen by Qi as an agent, like my past self, but a series of subsequent events proved my judgment wrong.

“If my latter conjecture is true, that ‘he’ is a non-human entity actively deployed by Qi, or even Qi’s own manifestation in the human world, then the probability of winning this game will be further compressed.

“Mad confidence is the opposite of rationality and economy; inefficient consumption is not advisable. All I can do is place myself in the gamble and leave ample arrangements for the next game.”

“The principle of Tian Ji’s Horse Racing, I understand.” “Guild Leader Yu” picked up his folding fan and tapped his leg idly, “But do you think—will there really be a chance for a next game?

“According to our Guild Leader’s deductions, the world’s future is about to be locked. At the beginning of the Eerie Game’s arrival, the unrest in various parts of the Federation subsided abnormally within a few short years. Now, global order is tending towards a nearly solidified stability, with no possibility of dynastic changes or overthrowing the existing class in the future.

“Then came the Twilight of the Gods twenty-two years ago, where the world’s original eeriness transformed into instances, and invading eeriness took root in reality, gradually achieving a balance between game and reality. Event after event was like a pre-written program, repeating a daily cycle, making it difficult to break through the plot set by the rules.

“Most people are content to muddle along. As long as they can survive, they will adapt to the various irrationalities in life, and through generations of habit, they will come to view this as an ancient inevitability.

“The further we go, the more remote the opportunity to break the deadlock will become.”

“I know,” Fu Jue said.

He removed the ring from his little finger, and the image projected onto the tea table flickered twice before fading into oblivion.

He gazed at a point in the void and said faintly: “In the testing ground built by the gods, participants close to the referee will more easily win the game. I have no reason to create a lose-lose situation.

” ‘He’ was placed on the chessboard by me personally. My ultimate goal and Qi’s are consistent. Regardless of the outcome of this game, as long as there is a winner, the world will not fall into eternal damnation.

“I gamble with Him because I believe humanity must decide its own fate, not hope for the mercy of gods. At least, not hope for beings born as gods and lacking humanity.”

“What about Chang Xu? The gamble of the gods involves more than one god. You, who actively introduced new factors into the game, how do you plan to deal with this child, or rather—this monster?”

“You don’t need to worry about him. He’s not a monster; at most, he’s just a monster’s shell. I will seal the monster within its shell, keep it under my watchful eye, and stop it before it hatches.”

The subtext was clear, and a long silence spread through the room.

After a long while, “Guild Leader Yu” shook his head: “To be honest, the impression you give now is vastly different from what our Guild Leader described. If not for knowing those secrets, no one would imagine you are the same person.”

These words were abrupt and seemed intended to change the subject, to jest and banter.

Fu Jue’s expression, however, showed a hint of imperceptible emotion: “When you entered the game, he had already been in The Tower for four years.

“Tingfeng’s official statement before was that he had lost all reason, transforming into an existence similar to an eeriness or an item, becoming an instinctive animal that could only ceaselessly calculate the past and future.”

“I’m not as busy as you; I still have time to go to The Tower every few days to check on him.”

“Guild Leader Yu” smiled, his tone laced with sarcasm: “He hasn’t completely devolved into a calculating machine that only provides deduction results; he’s sobered up a few times during this period.

“You know, he was a chatterbox who couldn’t stop talking when he was alive. In The Tower, no one listens to his bluster, so he gets terribly stifled and always has to ramble a few words whenever he wakes up and meets me.”

Fu Jue remained silent, once again putting the black ring on his right little finger and slowly pushing it to the base of his finger.

“Guild Leader Yu” continued on his own: “He said that in the earliest days, there were no livestreams, no stages, no such rampant entertainment-to-death carnivals, but the Ruins of the Sunset was not stagnant; on the contrary, it was more vibrant than it is now. At least eighty percent of players were willing to enter new instances to understand what the suddenly arrived Eerie Game was all about.

“Back then, you didn’t possess such immense power. You were just a university student with a broad knowledge base, good at puzzle games, but people still couldn’t help but turn their gaze to you. You believed firmly in idealism and practiced it personally. They were infected by your ideals, taking you as a role model and hope. It’s a pity I entered the game quite late and didn’t get to see such a magnificent sight, like plants turning towards light.”

“Guild Leader Yu” chuckled teasingly: “The current you is powerful, inspiring awe and distance, as if you naturally belong in this position, serving as everyone’s leader, and even a dictator when necessary. But with all due respect, I sometimes feel you are as lifeless as a tomb, and I don’t understand why those people still flock to you.

“They see you as a’savior,’ whether it’s due to propaganda, herd mentality, or simply because you’re the top-ranked player. If even you can’t clear the Final Dungeon, they certainly have no hope of success.

“It’s like a flood smashing Noah’s Ark, leaving behind a pile of broken planks. People struggling at the edge of drowning, even knowing there’s no ‘Ark’ and death is the destined outcome, can only cling to the planks and prolong their dying breaths.”

Upon hearing the words “Ark,” Fu Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You are right,” he said.

A black and white Identity Card condensed in his hand. Unlike the previous projection, this one, though still a phantom, gave the illusion of being a tangible object.

Fu Jue gazed at the white-robed figure nailed to a cross on the card, his voice still devoid of inflection: “From the moment we entered the Eerie Game, we were destined to be the dead. Either becoming a source of sin or a bridge for eerie invasions, like bacteria or poison to the world.

“The future of the so-called savior has been anchored. Continuing forward will only lead to falling off the cliff of failure. The ‘Ark’ has capsized; the path I initially chose has been proven wrong. The true answer does not lie in salvation.

“Four million people are an absolute minority compared to ten billion global inhabitants. Rather than living consciously, it’s better to sacrifice ignorantly.

“This is the answer I’m offering in this round of the game.”

Black smoke surged within the Identity Card, staining the pristine fabric, obscuring its original color. The sacred sufferer momentarily resembled a devil being executed.

Fu Jue closed his fingers, and the Identity Card dissipated into the void, vanishing.

He looked up and said, word by word: “In the last game, I died during the Twilight of the Gods, leaving an unfinished game. This time, I hope I can die a meaningful death.”

“Guild Leader Yu” put down his folding fan, a hint of solemnity added to his smile: “If you have made your decision, then I can only accompany you to the death.

“The maximum Chips Tingfeng Guild can stake is me. Until the game ends, I will be Tingfeng’s Vice Guild Leader, and only Vice Guild Leader.”

“That’s enough,” Fu Jue said. “Next, my people will bring ‘him’ into the game, which requires your cooperation. At the same time, you need to ensure that the ‘door’s’ tendrils are confined within Jiangcheng.”

“No problem,” “Guild Leader Yu” responded. “Didn’t you come to me six years ago for this very moment? If your people hadn’t unnecessarily alerted the enemy, I believe I could have handled things even better.”

Fu Jue did not reply. The lenses reflected a cold white light, obscuring the sparkle in his eyes, as if a machine had entered standby mode.

In the silence, “Guild Leader Yu” suddenly asked: “Do you need me to intervene and guide the public opinion on the forums?

“You’ve successfully withdrawn from Jiuzhou, and the aftermath of those criticisms will somewhat damage the glorious image you’ve built.”

“No need,” Fu Jue tilted his head. “Excessive suppression is bound to provoke a rebellious mentality. The masses, while chasing after gods, are also keen to pull them off their altars. In my opinion, appropriate criticism is instead more conducive to true believers maintaining their fanaticism and unity.”

“I understand,” “Guild Leader Yu” said, smiling strangely.

He picked up his folding fan again and snapped it open with a ‘pa’.

“Then… may God Fu march forward without hindrance.”