Chapter 309: Colosseum (Seventeen) “He is a God”

Flickering firelight, dancing shadows.

The corridor, carved with epic stories, stretched endlessly. The illuminating torches blurred the sense of distance, making one feel in a trance that this path had no end.

The tiger, carrying Qi Si and Nian Fu, ran along the long corridor without slowing, its steps stirring up a sharp wind.

The scene before them gradually changed, their vision broadening. Ancient Greek-style marble architecture spanned the end of the corridor, and the narrow passage led the players into a magnificent underground structure.

The colossal excavated space formed a typical European courtyard, as large as a plaza in front of a cathedral. In the center stood a pure white stone statue holding a book, shrouded in a layer of gray by the dim light.

The courtyard was surrounded by arcades supported by columns. Behind the alternating light and shadow were tightly closed rooms, oppressive and claustrophobic, like tombs storing Coffins.

“I’ve been to this place; it’s really too similar…” Nian Fu looked around, her expression dazed.

The damp, musty smell lingered in the air. Dust stirred by the wind flew only a few inches before falling wetly to the ground, as if confined by some force.

Hissing noises came from underground, rising and falling, as if some abnormal creature was about to burst forth.

“Is the layout here modeled after the orphanage where you grew up?” Qi Si gazed at the dark green moss on the marble wall, asking with a casual guess.

He had also been here, or rather—to that extremely similar orphanage, but he had been taken away after being confined for a few days.

“Yes.” Nian Fu nodded, recalling, “The layout and specifications are exactly the same. For a moment, I really thought I was back in that orphanage.

“I still remember, the central courtyard was where the children fought, and those rooms next to it, like concentration camps, were mostly packed with people and locked up at night.”

There was a great connection between the Eerie Game and reality, but the Colosseum with its ancient Greek background and the orphanage located in Jiangcheng seemed completely unrelated.

Perhaps the Eerie Game instance was lazy and just copied a random scene from reality, or perhaps that strange orphanage was itself the “Colosseum” that the Eerie Game had brought into reality… “Tell me about that orphanage; it might help with the instance clearance.” Qi Si said softly.

The wound, which almost split him in half, caused dizzying pain, but The Undying mechanism kept him conscious. He could even hear his internal organs shaking and bumping in his chest.

Fortunately, Ghosts’ senses were dull, so he wasn’t driven mad by the pain and could still formulate and strictly execute plans.

He manipulated the Straw Tiger to advance at full speed, entering the vast and desolate courtyard, while leaning forward to press his chest against the tiger’s fur, hoping to slow the blood loss.

The Undying icon showed a value of 52%, which, after being bandaged, was decreasing at a rate of 0.05% per minute.

When this value drops to zero, the already deceased, who should have gone to hell, will fall into eternal slumber, with no room for recovery.

Even if he sustains no further injuries, he only has fourteen hours of life left.

He was merely clinging to life, awaiting a slow death.

“How much longer can you last in this state? The ‘undying’ effect has its limits, right?” Nian Fu frowned, staring at the blood-soaked bandage on Qi Si’s chest.

She needed to re-evaluate her teammate’s strength and value before making further decisions, whether to continue cooperating, or… to sacrifice a pawn to save the rook.

She believed “that person” would understand; they were mere acquaintances, there was no need to go down a dark path together.

“Perhaps. It depends on when Chang Xu accumulates three thousand points and remembers to find the Sphinx.” Qi Si seemed not to notice Nian Fu’s probing, smiling weakly, “It’s probably not happening today; let’s wait until tomorrow.”

The two looked back, and Chang Xu’s figure had already disappeared, clearly shaken off by their full-speed escape.

He was, after all, human; his physical condition would decline. After a morning of tiring travel, two battles, and a long chase, his speed naturally couldn’t compare to the beginning.

But with his level of persistence, he was surely still in hot pursuit.

The corridor had no forks, and with bloodstains as a guide, the two fugitives would be caught if they relaxed even slightly.

Qi Si had a rough judgment of the situation.

He knew that Nian Fu might still have a chance to survive, but he would definitely be stabbed another dozen times by Chang Xu with that scythe until he bled to death… “Two more hours.” He glanced at the remaining time for the Colosseum Game in the upper left corner of his vision.

The constantly changing countdown not only indicated the duration of the crisis but also determined how much longer he had to flee today.

But blind escape yielded too little. Entrusting one’s fate to others and being exhausted from running was an unwise choice lacking initiative.

Perhaps there was another path, extremely risky, but with truly considerable rewards… The tiger maintained its extremely fast original speed, delving deeper into the courtyard. The “rustling” sound from underground became increasingly distinct as the players entered, conveying a subtle sense of familiarity.

Nian Fu thought of something, her face turning ugly: “Those Ratmen were dragged out from here, but we haven’t seen a single one along the way. Where do you think they are now?”

The dome of the underground structure was adorned with bloody frescoes: a mangled human figure, disemboweled and bleeding profusely, with birds and beasts swarming to feast on its spilled organs.

Nian Fu’s words and the noises mingled, like a horror story told in a snow cave, bringing a premonition of death.

Qi Si tilted his head and listened for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly.

He raised a finger and then pressed it down, pointing to the ground beneath the tiger: “Isn’t the answer obvious? Of course… it’s underground.”

As soon as his voice fell, the ground of the building vibrated violently. Dozens of stone slabs were lifted from below, and tentacles made of blood-colored pythons drilled out of the holes.

They crashed madly in all directions, more and more damage appearing in every corner of the building. Marble slabs shattered into irregular pieces, and the columns collapsed along with the roof, crashing down with a clatter.

“They’re here.” Qi Si sighed, “If nothing goes wrong, they are the ‘omega wolf’ of this world. They form the bottom layer of the social structure, oppressed and persecuted by their high-ranking kin, buried deep underground for years, never seeing the light of day.

“Pain and despair ignite anger, and anger, accumulated day after day, condenses into desire. What a powerful force, needing only a spark to explode with a ‘bang.'”

The tightly closed doors were forced open, and red and black intertwined monsters filed out. More snake heads and rat heads drilled out from under the ruins, their crimson eyes scanning back and forth.

Hundreds of Ratmen crawled from underground to the surface, each covered in dense, hideous wounds, indicating the immense suffering they had endured.

This was undoubtedly a force that could be utilized, or rather… a resource.

In animal chess, the “Rat” can eat the “Elephant.”

“Go!” Nian Fu whipped her whip into a blur, driving away the monsters trying to approach. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll die before they explode!”

With the tiger’s speed, it wouldn’t be difficult to break out of the Ratmen’s encirclement.

Once out of the encirclement, Chang Xu, who was chasing them, would be blocked by the Ratmen, either forced to turn back or to engage in a bitter battle.

Nian Fu calculated haphazardly, staring intently at the rat swarm, paying attention to all movements, but she felt the tiger’s pace beneath her slow down.

She frowned slightly, about to ask, when the tiger stopped on its own accord and sat down.

What’s going on? Has the item’s effect duration run out? Why now of all times?

Nian Fu guessed wildly, and the next second she saw Qi Si calmly sit up, making to jump off the tiger’s back.

She immediately understood that the tiger’s stop was at Qi Si’s instruction.

This person, instead of going to so many other places, plunged straight into the underground where the Ratmen were held, probably with other plans.

“Qi Si, what are you trying to do? You’re not thinking of turning them into stone using last night’s method, are you? Wasting time here, are you afraid Chang Xu won’t catch up?” Nian Fu questioned rapidly, trying to make Qi Si abandon his crazy idea.

The chaotic, surging red snakes and massive rat bodies blocked the view behind him, making Chang Xu’s figure invisible for a moment, so his position couldn’t be determined.

But it was conceivable that once all the Ratmen were turned into stone statues, Chang Xu would easily catch up to the two who had been delayed here.

“You guessed wrong.” Qi Si suddenly let out a faint chuckle, his crimson eyes looking at Nian Fu. “Soon I will truly die once, and after that, you’ll have two choices:

“Hide my corpse and tell everyone that I’ve taken refuge in an absolutely safe place, and will no longer be killed by any of them.

“If my plan succeeds, the advantage in this game will entirely shift to our side, not only meaning te clearance and an Identity Card, but perhaps, as the background narration promised, making you a true god.

“Of course, you can also take my corpse out, hand me over to Chang Xu, and tell those people that all your previous actions were merely due to my deception and coercion, and now you’ve turned over a new leaf and abandoned the darkness for the light.

“I believe they’ll be willing to accept you; at most, they’ll push you out first when they encounter a death point. Considering this is a faction game, and you control all the team’s resources, you might not let them manipulate you at will.”

Blood beads dotted the young man’s face, splattering and flowing irregularly, making all his expressions appear grotesque and terrifying.

Nian Fu gripped the tiger’s fur tightly, looking up directly into Qi Si’s eyes, trying to read more information: “What’s your plan? We are teammates, our interests and positions are consistent; there’s no need to create information asymmetry and generate internal friction out of thin air.

“You’re an intelligence-type player, and I happen to be more on the combat side. Many of your ideas need my strength to execute. Tell me the plan, and I can adjust my strategy at any time according to the situation.”

“There’s no need, knowing this much is enough.” Qi Si’s smile didn’t diminish. “If an unexpected situation truly arises, it means I made a wrong move or was extremely unlucky. Dying like this is also a good outcome, isn’t it?”

Nian Fu knew that Qi Si was unwilling to disclose the details of his plan.

This guy is inherently suspicious, trusting no one. Everyone in his eyes is just a pawn to be manipulated at will, with no need for intimacy… very much like “that person.” Perhaps it’s precisely because of this that “that person” chose her to make contact and invest… “If you don’t tell me the full plan, how do I know if the subsequent developments won’t be detrimental to me?” Nian Fu sneered, “All things considered, it would be better for me to cut my losses in time and hand your corpse over to Chang Xu.”

“You don’t need to rush to tell me your choice. I have no desires; all your choices affect only your own gains and outcomes. What do they have to do with me?”

Qi Si, covered in heavy blood, landed steadily on the ground, carrying a rich bloody aura, and walked step by step into the monster’s tribe.

The Ratmen who had just climbed out of the ground were immersed in their violent nature, yet they were still stunned by the human’s courage, instinctively retreating, only to be pushed back, making their retreat look more like a charge forward.

A vague, inexplicable desire spread among the group; they parted to the sides, allowing the strangely behaving human to approach them, then formed a tide to surround the intruder.

Qi Si suddenly raised a hand into the void, and a pristine white scepter, stained with traces of blood, materialized in his grasp.

The remnants of divine power cast a sacred aura over him, yet the pervasive blood color rendered the scene eerie.

Liu Yuhan, lying in the high tower, was released from her confinement, struggling to get up from the ground, clutching the wound on her abdomen, standing with difficulty, and slowly moving up the stairs, leaving a trail of blood.

Qi Si raised his hand to unwrap the bandage on his chest; the blood-soaked cloth drifted to the ground, and a large amount of fresh blood dripped from the wound onto the floor, accumulating into a pool that slowly grew like the base of a divine statue.

The Ratmen finally understood what it was.

It was the divine blood they longed for, the key to breaking the curse, their ultimate desire… Surging desires accumulated in their hearts, their gaze no longer able to move, drawn together to one point.

They rushed forward, extending their claws, about to get what they wished for, but at a certain critical point, they could no longer advance an inch.

Desire, heavy and turbid, solidified into a hard shell under unrestrained indulgence, sealing all beings carrying that desire into cold stone statues.

The Ratmen closest to the inner circle, who could see the blood, stopped moving, forming a barrier around Qi Si.

The outer Ratmen were blocked by the stone statues of their companions, not knowing what was happening inside, and squeaked restlessly and discontentedly.

Qi Si had anticipated this, yet he smiled as he touched the foreheads of the stone statues with his blood-stained fingers.

Zhang Mo was devoured by Ratmen, Lin Ye and Chang Xu were injured by Ratmen during their fight, and those Ratmen did not petrify while harming the players, which was enough to explain the problem.

The curse on the Ratmen was related to desire; once their desire grew to a certain extent, they would turn into stone statues.

And the so-called divine blood could lift the curse on them; they only needed to touch the divine blood, and they would no longer be restricted by desire.

Qi Si smeared the blood from his body onto the surface of the Ratmen-turned-stone statues, as if an artist were adding the finishing touch to a masterpiece, much like a god imbuing creations with souls at the dawn of creation.

The lifeless objects under his palm instantly regained pulsation; the touched Ratmen were reborn.

The scene from the divine oracle descended into reality; they knew that Qi Si had saved them with his blood, and they knew that the young man holding the scepter, surrounded by them, was their god.

How great, how selfless! Even though he was bleeding profusely and on the verge of death, he still brought them salvation!

The curse was lifted, desires were satisfied. The Ratmen dared not hope for too much, only prostrated themselves devoutly at Qi Si’s feet, fully expressing their gratitude and adoration for their god.

The outer Ratmen were no longer obscured by their inner counterparts, allowing them to see the fresh, desire-stimulating blood.

They, too, solidified into immobile stone statues within a few seconds, standing like a stone forest, forming a barrier to block latecomers.

Qi Si sat cross-legged on the spot and said to the closest Ratman, “Use my blood to save your companions.”

Upon receiving the command, the Ratmen scrambled to scoop up the overflowing blood on the ground and smear it onto the newly formed stone statues.

All the blood-stained stone statues instantly regained life, actively joining the ranks of distributing blood.

Viewed from above, the underground courtyard was roughly a flower blooming in layers, with an ocean of grotesque monsters forming the petals, and a tiger and a human encircled in the center as the pistil.

Circle after circle of Ratmen repeated the process of petrification, then contact with fresh blood, and curse Release, one by one prostrating themselves towards the center of the courtyard.

They had never truly seen a god, only received vague oracles from that supreme being in their dreams.

But they were willing to dedicate their faith to the human who saved them.

Qi Si felt his blood draining away; the value next to the The Undying icon visibly decreased, perhaps reaching zero in a few minutes.

On the other side, the Crimson High Priest card surged with bloody mist, intensely vibrating and absorbing faith from the monsters, outlining a crimson human figure on the cross.

The blood-colored vines deep within the Hall of Thought grew rapidly, becoming lush and verdant in just a few seconds, countless vibrant Soul Leaves swaying, each corresponding to a monster’s soul.

The lives of humans or Ghosts were irreversibly fading, while the divine status of a god solidified further in death.

That was not a god pursued by humans out of delirium, but the light followed by desperate monsters in the darkness.

Qi Si lay back, gazing remotely at the disemboweled human figure in the dome fresco.

He suddenly realized that gods cannot have desires.

Almost all religious stories contain legends of divine sacrifice and redemption; if they had desires, how could they be willing to be devoured by ants?

Since gods have no desires, then would an existence without desires be a god?

Qi Si wanted to gamble one more time.

In this game, he would stake his life.