Chapter 308: Colosseum (16) “How Will You Choose?”

Last night, Chang Xu had a dream. In his dream, he met the deity who had bet on him—the Lord of Time and Space, “Li”.

Fragments of past memories flashed through the pure black space, the black, white, and gray images reminiscent of old photographs from the last century.

Chang Xu sat cross-legged in the center of the surging tide of fragments, just as he had been on the verge of death after emerging from the Hopeless Sea instance.

Golden eyes opened and closed in the silence, and a distant, vast voice spoke: “You have learned to hate, and you have desires. This is good. But your hatred is not intense enough, and your desires are not clear enough. I cannot invest more in you.

“So I came here to meet you and ask you—after winning this game, what do you want?”

Chang Xu looked up, meeting the god’s eyes directly, and said seriously, “I want to close the Eerie Game and resurrect the innocent people who died.”

“A good desire, it can be an option to attract gamblers to bet.” The god’s voice was devoid of emotion, an eternal indifference. “I also want to know what you are willing to sacrifice for your desire.”

Chang Xu remained silent.

A scene was pulled from the chaotic fragments, scattering into pieces that fell from above, intertwining with other fragments to weave the same image.

It was at the very end of the Red Maple Boarding School instance, amidst the ashes left by the forest fire, when Qi Si casually asked: “Suppose a madman wants to compete with you in killing. Within a limited time, whoever kills more people wins.

“If you win, nothing will happen; if you lose, he will destroy the world. How will you choose?”

—“How will you choose?”

Chang Xu lowered his eyelids, concealing the light in his eyes.

The deity who controlled time and fate calmly declared: “The player behind the pawn who is your enemy has already left the gambling table. In this next game, kill him at all costs, and your wish will eventually come true.”

…“Kill him! Kill him!”

Outside the high tower, the animals in the audience shouted, their fervent emotions igniting the atmosphere of the entire venue, comparable to the most popular world-class events in reality.

On the stone platform, Chang Xu put away all his weapons and wrestled with the Ratman bare-handed.

The Eerie Game does not directly enhance a player’s combat power and physique; improvements to these elements all rely on items. It can be said that players without items are no match for Ghosts.

But surprisingly, Chang Xu and the Ratman fought to a stalemate, and as time passed, Chang Xu gradually gained the upper hand, beginning to exploit the latter’s weaknesses and counterattack.

In a few rounds, the Ratman was actually beaten back.

The cheers from the audience grew more enthusiastic, though it was unclear which side they were rooting for, or perhaps they were happy to see either side win.

Blood, violence, death… the three combined perfectly, most stimulating the primal senses.

The Ratman swung its snake-hair to bite Chang Xu’s neck, but Chang Xu twisted to dodge, then seized a snake’s neck and twisted the massive rat-like head back.

Chang Xu stood firm in the blind spot of the snake attack, smashing his fists into the Ratman’s head one after another. Blood-soaked bone fragments splattered, and yellowish-white brain matter streamed down its face and body like a waterfall.

Yet, the Ratman was quite resilient; even with its head battered, it still wobbled to its feet, relentlessly biting at Chang Xu’s afterimage.

“How is this Ratman more tenacious than a zombie? Does its head have to be cut off for it to die?” Lena Ann scratched his head, offering the thought.

Lin Ye, whose life Chang Xu had saved earlier, was grateful and quickly shouted advice: “Chang Xu! Hit its neck! Knock its whole head off!”

Green scoffed, crossing his arms: “Idiot! Haven’t you noticed Chang Xu has been avoiding those snakes the whole time? If he dared to reach for the Ratman’s neck, he’d be bitten by a snake the next second!”

Nian Fu quietly observed Chang Xu’s every move, having no intention of joining the discussion, her smile gradually fading.

Chang Xu’s individual strength was much greater than she had imagined; he would likely be difficult to deal with. Could Qi Si really survive an hour under this person’s pursuit?

With Qi Si’s physique, lasting five minutes would be good enough, right?

Thinking of this, Nian Fu felt inexplicably annoyed. She subconsciously touched the pendant on her neck, forcing herself not to look away, but still couldn’t help but murmur to herself.

Did “that person” ask her to invest in Qi Si because of another plan, or did they misjudge him?

【Congratulations to Qi Si for clearing the third stage, receiving a “500 points” reward.】

The cold system broadcast sounded, and the points ranking on the stone slab changed. Qi Si’s team’s total points increased by five hundred, surpassing Chang Xu’s team to become second to last.

What’s going on? Did Qi Si clear it early? Did the stalling fail? Nian Fu frowned at the stone slab, her heart sinking inch by inch.

The players also looked at each other, finding it difficult to assess the situation.

One failed attempt to stall might be excusable, but two couldn’t be a coincidence, could they? Did Qi Si have another plan?

But there were still three and a half hours left until the end of today’s Colosseum Game, and Chang Xu’s combat power was so considerable. How could Qi Si survive for such a long time?

A bloody beam of light flew out of the tower, materializing Qi Si’s figure in red suit pants in front of Nian Fu, with a black cross embedded in the air above his head like a scar.

Chang Xu heard the system broadcast and saw his target out of the corner of his eye. He immediately turned to rush over but was coincidentally blocked by the Ratman.

Before the battle began, The Goat, fearing he might use Life Severer in an emergency, forced him to take out his weapon and throw it aside.

Now, he was five meters away from Life Severer, and entangled with the Ratman, it would not be easy to retrieve it quickly.

Nian Fu breathed a slight sigh of relief at the sight, but then heard the young man in front of her softly say, “Follow me.” Then she felt a rush of wind by her ear.

That wasn’t natural wind, but wind generated by running.

After uttering those three words, Qi Si ran purposefully towards the iron gate below the audience seats that he remembered, and the giant tiger standing in Nian Fu’s position on the chessboard followed him in a frantic dash.

【Name: Straw Tiger (Consumable)】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Summons a tiger that obeys the item holder, lasting until killed.】

【Remark: A certain evil god, in extreme boredom, became obsessed with handicrafts, fashioning countless bizarre animals from paper and straw and releasing them into various worlds. Although they are discarded works, they still contain considerable divine power.】

This was a smokescreen Qi Si had set up earlier, ostensibly to mislead other players into misjudging the animal their team was playing, but in reality, he intended to use it to control Nian Fu.

Nian Fu, after using an invisibility item, had been lying prone on the Straw Tiger. Before she could react, she was carried along, following closely behind Qi Si.

Upon realizing what was happening, she cursed: “Damn it! Qi Si, what are you doing…”

Her subsequent words were swallowed back into her throat. Just now, Chang Xu had punched down the Ratman, rolled on the ground, grabbed the long handle of Life Severer, and teleported behind her in one second.

A flash of black light, and the next teleportation was about to occur.

Qi Si was already standing in front of the closed iron gate, pulling out a wire from his wristband.

“Three seconds,” he said.

Nian Fu surprisingly understood the young man’s meaning. She snatched a long whip from thin air and lashed it at Chang Xu, striking his half-faded figure.

The teleportation was interrupted. Qi Si clicked open the lock on the iron gate, ducked, and slipped inside.

However, the next second, a chilling sensation suddenly spread from behind him.

Chang Xu activated another teleportation in milliseconds, appearing behind him like a ghostly shadow.

The sharp blade of the black scythe struck his back, plunging into his spine like cutting tofu, piercing through his chest.

The blade tip twisted downwards, plunging into his heart, shredding the chambers and blood vessels. As it was pulled out, it flung a string of blood beads, mixed with torn flesh.

Icy blood gushed out in torrents from the gaping wound, forming a crimson ribbon in the air before immediately raining down.

A fatal blow no one had expected!

Qi Si fell forward onto the ground, stirring up settled dust. A pool of blood quickly accumulated beneath him, absorbing and dissolving the dust.

The setting sun cast a bloody twilight, and the chained temple cast a shadow.

A mere corpse was an insignificant embellishment in the scene, like a casual stroke of a brush.

Chang Xu looked up and saw the scarlet King chess piece still hanging high above. The Dark Judge’s effect would not be settled until the instance ended.

He held Life Severer horizontally, squatted down, and extended a finger to Qi Si’s nose to check for breath, but found none.

Even a Ghost that was hard to kill should be dead after being cleaved through the chest.

Qi Si, this time, was not as lucky as before; he had indeed become a ghost under Life Severer’s blade.

This villain, who had committed countless evils and harmed countless people, finally paid for those he had killed.

He just hadn’t expected that someone who always had everything calculated would die so sloppily… Chang Xu was not sentimental, so he felt no sadness or regret.

He looked at Nian Fu, who was sitting idly to the side, and said faintly, “You’re on your own.”

Nian Fu had come out of her cloaked state the moment she drew her iron whip. Now, she sat pale-faced on the tiger’s back, completely unprepared for Qi Si to be so easily dispatched with one strike.

She jumped off the tiger, squatted beside Qi Si’s corpse, feeling disoriented as if in a dream, yet desperately wanting to curse: “He acted so formidable, how could he die so quickly?”

Chang Xu had no intention of eradicating the roots. He put away Life Severer and turned back towards the chessboard.

The culprit was dead. Although Nian Fu had been an accomplice, it was unclear whether she had actually killed anyone, and he had no right to take someone’s life without evidence.

In the audience, the animals roared in confusion, discussing the sudden turn of events; the players on the stone platform stood still like statues, casting long, narrow shadows in the setting sun.

It wasn’t until Chang Xu stood back on the chessboard that they snapped out of it, their first reaction being disbelief.

Qi Si had died so carelessly… This person, who existed as the main quest target, was actually casually killed by Chang Xu on the second day of the instance… It was too simple; everything made their previous apprehension and meticulous planning seem like a joke.

“No, I feel like something isn’t quite right…” Lena Ann frowned, speaking hesitantly.

Nian Fu, who was squatting, questioning reality, suddenly saw the corpse on the ground quickly raise a hand and make a gesture: “Go!”

Qi Si, with his chest pierced, rose from the ground. His organs spilled from the wound, and he casually stuffed them back in.

He was covered in blood, his already red suit stained and mottled, and the bloodstains on his face obscured his original features.

He looked like a demon crawling out of hell, one hand piecing together his wound, the other propping himself on the ground for leverage, flipping onto the tiger’s back.

On the other side, Lin Ye finally realized the problem and clapped his hands: “The main quest hasn’t been completed! Qi Si is still alive!”

The players looked in Nian Fu’s direction, only to see Qi Si, covered in blood, sitting on the tiger’s back, with only a pool of blood remaining on the ground.

“No wonder that woman wasn’t flustered; turns out she knew all along!”

Lin Ye gritted his teeth, clearly treating Nian Fu as an accomplice.

But what exactly was going on? How could someone survive being pierced through the chest?

And how did Qi Si fake his death right under Chang Xu’s nose, deceiving everyone?

Nian Fu couldn’t understand, feeling as if she was enveloped in layers of mist, unable to see through Qi Si’s true nature.

She then saw the young man on the tiger’s back extend his hand to her: “Nian Fu, get on!”

The wound was indeed there, and it was extremely severe, blood flowing like a waterfall, coating the entire tiger in a bloody shroud.

The crimson giant tiger, with its eerie Green eyes, proudly nodded, its colors so vibrant it seemed to have stepped out of a mural.

Qi Si, covered in blood, his expression made horrifying by the blood beads, still found the humor to quip: “Oh, by the way, I hope you have a habit of carrying bandages.”

Nian Fu grabbed the bloody hand extended to her, using the leverage to climb onto the tiger’s back.

She felt an excessively cold body temperature and detected no heartbeat or breathing, thus realizing that Qi Si, who was speaking and moving, was indeed a corpse.

Yet, he seemed to be alive.

“Chang Xu! Hurry! They’re getting away!” Lin Ye couldn’t help but urge.

He knew he had offended Qi Si and was afraid of retaliation, wishing the latter would die immediately.

Chang Xu’s pupils contracted slightly. Without time to speak, he leaped and ran towards the location of the two people and one tiger.

Having activated Life Severer’s effect three times in a short period, he had exhausted all his stamina and could no longer teleport.

But his own speed was not slow, enough to quickly close the distance in a short time.

“Hold tight,” Qi Si uttered two words.

The tiger transformed into a gust of wind, crashing into the dark space behind the iron gate, careening down the corridor.

Qi Si casually slammed the iron gate shut, perfectly blocking Chang Xu, who was flying closer.

“I brought bandages. I used them to dress a wound last night; you probably saw it too.” A roll of pristine white bandages appeared in Nian Fu’s hand.

Even though the situation had shifted several times in a short period, causing her emotions to fluctuate wildly, she quickly calmed down.

Idle thoughts were useless; given the circumstances, figuring out a countermeasure was the proper course of action.

“Help me bandage it.” Qi Si pieced together the fragments of his heart and stuffed them back into his chest. “If I lose a little less blood, I might live a bit longer.”

The iron gate behind them opened, and Chang Xu relentlessly pursued them down the straight, unbranched corridor. The two on the tiger’s back could see the black-clad figure appearing and disappearing as they looked back.

Nian Fu held her breath, vigorously swinging her iron whip at Chang Xu, but he deftly dodged it. Fortunately, this significantly slowed down his pursuit.

Qi Si watched for a moment, then his lips curled slightly: “I bet he doesn’t have a ranged attack.”

“Hmm? How can you tell?”

“He hasn’t used his Fate Poker yet, so he’s probably had his skills sealed like me. That Dark Judge is truly impartial.”

Qi Si wiped his face, clearing away the messy bloodstains, but his grim expression remained.

Nian Fu also smiled: “Is that so? That’s great then.”

She wrapped the bandages around Qi Si’s gaping back and chest, taking the opportunity to ask, “By the way, how did you manage to survive such severe injuries? Can you tell me?”

The corridor was dimly lit, with a torch every ten meters, its orange-yellow flame flickering.

The rarely visited area was filled with silence; voices and various subtle sounds were as clear as an oracle.

In the flickering torchlight, Qi Si grinned, his eyes shining brightly: “Of course, it’s because—I’ve been dead all along.”