Chapter 314: Colosseum (22) “How to kill Qi Si?”

In the Colosseum instance where Chang Xu and others were, The Goat announced new rules.

Outside of the Colosseum Game, although players from different teams still couldn’t attack each other, there were no longer any restrictions between players within the same team.

His intentions were clear: he wanted to force players to kill each other to obtain enough food by killing their teammates.

“Your deserved food has been placed in your respective rooms. I hope you enjoy your meal!” The Goat said, repeating the same farewell as on the first day, and then walked out of the Colosseum with the animals that converged like a tide.

The players stood on the high platform, not rushing back to their rooms, but discussing animatedly.

“What does that Goat mean?” Lin Ye was the first to speak. “Seeing that today’s headcount isn’t low enough, so it wants us to kill our teammates?”

“No, killing teammates isn’t the goal.” Chu Xun shook his head. “Everyone should still remember the rule ‘teammates are not allowed to lend points to each other.’ Only after any one person in the team dies will the team’s total points be consolidated to the surviving person.

“Fulfilling a wish requires three thousand points. Among our six teams, excluding Qi Si and Nian Fu’s team at the bottom, and Dong Xiwen and Lena Ann’s team who just spent points to buy food, the total points of the other teams have all reached over three thousand.”

He paused deliberately, and the other players, having digested the information in his words, suddenly understood something.

Earlier, Chu Xun had proposed to auction off surplus food, having calculated that Dong Xiwen’s team, ranked second in points, would consume points to bid for the food.

Regardless of whether Dong Xiwen was coerced into helping Qi Si initially, it was better to weaken him first to prevent future troubles.

This way, Qi Si’s faction would be completely suppressed below the three-thousand point threshold required to fulfill a wish, falling entirely into a passive state where their lives and deaths were decided by others.

This was an overt scheme; as long as Dong Xiwen’s team ranked second in total points, they couldn’t avoid falling into the trap.

Chu Xun smiled and continued: “The Goat wants us to consolidate points by killing each other to fulfill wishes. But most of our wishes are outside the Eerie Game, in reality, so what does that have to do with it?

“The only wish located within the instance is probably ‘kill Qi Si.’ I might guess that because Qi Si lifted the ratmen’s curse, it fears Qi Si might incite the ratmen against it, which is why it hopes Qi Si truly dies.”

Lena Ann stroked his chin and sighed, “So, can I interpret this as: on the matter of killing Qi Si, The Goat, as an NPC, is on the same side as us? If that’s the case, then Qi Si is truly miserable.”

No one responded to his compassion.

Although he had previously openly stated that he was not aligned with Qi Si, the players were still more inclined to regard him as an accomplice of Qi Si, similar to Dong Xiwen.

Firstly, it’s always right to be cautious; secondly, in a zero-sum game, someone must bear the negative outcome for others’ interests to be guaranteed.

Grin pondered, “How do we kill Qi Si? He’s a Ghost who can’t die even when stabbed through; he won’t be judged dead even if he bleeds dry, and he might even have a chance to revive.”

“Uh… I think the Sphinx’s wish-fulfillment mechanism might have a much higher priority than imagined.” Lena Ann reminded quietly, yet still no one paid attention to him.

Liu Yuhan had been squatting nearby, using a bandage to dress Chang Xu’s wound, but now she suddenly put down the bandage and walked towards the group of players.

She opened her notebook to a page and showed it to all the players: “This is my skill 【Strange Tale Notebook】, which can deduce the answers to puzzles within the instance. Not long ago, it told me: 【To kill Qi Si, one must only make a wish to the Sphinx】.”

The black writing on the yellowed page was clear, and the path to victory was now distinct.

It was largely consistent with the players’ previous deductions: use the Sphinx’s wish-fulfillment mechanism, exchanging three thousand points for Qi Si’s true death.

Lin Ye looked at Chang Xu, who was sitting on the ground not far away: “Among us, only Chang Xu probably has the desire to ‘kill Qi Si,’ right? Can’t we just lend him some points?”

He looked at Chu Xun, then at Grin: “Both of your points are over three thousand, one has six hundred and one extra, the other three hundred. Anyway, having so many points is useless, just lend them to Chang Xu.”

“Not enough.” Chu Xun shook his head with a bitter smile. “Chang Xu currently only has fifteen hundred points; even with an additional nine hundred and one, it’s not enough for three thousand.”

Grin also sneered at Lin Ye: “I remember you borrowed points from Chang Xu, didn’t you? Now you can return them to him, right?”

Players all had selfish motives; after realizing the function of points, peacefully lending points had become a fantasy.

Whether to fulfill a wish or to maintain a higher ranking, each team had to ensure they had as many points as possible.

Nian Fu stood by, listening idly to the players’ self-interested discussions.

Qi Si could not be judged as dead, so the resources he carried would naturally not be consolidated to her.

She now only had one hundred points, one portion of food, and three game coins; even if she used all her game coins, she couldn’t gather three thousand points.

Or rather, the mechanism of this instance itself was unfair.

On the first day, those who participated in the game as ‘veteran players’ had to spend points to bid for ‘new players’ as teammates. No matter how many initial points they had, they would become scarce after the auction, less than or equal to one thousand.

And ‘new players’ always had one thousand points.

Three game coins could only provide fifteen hundred points; through conventional means, no one could gather three thousand points.

Nian Fu understood that raising the butcher’s knife against a companion was inevitable, and the animals were happy to see it happen.

The only breaking point—or ‘variable’—was Qi Si, who had briefly left the arena and carried the ratmen’s faith.

See if he could introduce factors outside the rules to break this unfair set of rules.

Therefore, after the other players had conflicts, Nian Fu watched the show with peace of mind, even letting out a sigh of relief—

“That person” was right, the Balance of victory was tilting towards her side.

It seemed Qi Si had indeed left many contingencies, and the players’ current penny-pinching might also be within his expectations.

“Let’s not be too hasty in making decisions today.” Chu Xun slightly raised his hand, drawing all players’ attention to him. “The more anxious we are, the easier it is to make mistakes.

“Among us, except for Chang Xu and Lin Ye, no one is injured, and their wounds are not fatal in the short term. We haven’t reached the point where we must make a choice to leave the instance quickly.”

“What do you mean?” Lin Ye spat on the ground near Chu Xun’s feet. “The wound isn’t on you, so you don’t know the pain, right?”

He raised his wrist, which had been bitten by a snake during his earlier contest with the ratmen.

Around the two deep, bone-visible blood holes, there was a ring of purplish-black putrefaction, and gray-white marble-textured patterns spread outwards from the wound, clearly a sign of petrification.

Perhaps because Lin Ye’s emotions were too agitated, just as he spoke, the calcification spread further, completely covering his entire forearm, looking from a distance as if it had been cast in plaster after an injury.

“Chu Xun and the others don’t need to rush; they have enough food and points and can leave at any time, but what about the rest?” Lin Ye turned around and pointed at the players around him. “Who among you can guarantee that lacking one portion of food won’t cause problems? Maybe everyone who doesn’t have enough food will starve to death tonight!”

The players exchanged glances, remaining silent.

This was a dead end. Helping Chang Xu gather three thousand points to fulfill the desire to kill Qi Si would allow them to clear the instance before things became irreversible, but this meant that all others would be unable to make a wish to the Sphinx—the benefit was too low.

Moreover, Liu Yuhan and Chang Xu had aligned interests, so the information they provided might not be true. Who knew if they would turn hostile after receiving the points collected by the players?

After all, once points were lent out, they truly couldn’t be retrieved.

Fan Zhanwei suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Ye’s injured hand, squeezing it hard, making a “crack” sound.

Lin Ye stared at him, puzzled: “Dead face, are you sick?”

Fan Zhanwei averted his gaze and made a serious judgment: “I understand. Petrified limbs lose sensation. The damage received from the ratmen is different from ordinary damage, appearing more in the form of ‘pollution’ and ‘curse’.

“ratmen are cursed, and other creatures injured by them will also ‘contract the curse,’ accelerating the speed of petrification. Countering such a curse is also simple: one only needs to suppress their desires.”

He pointed vaguely at the heavily injured Chang Xu: “Chang Xu’s injuries are far more severe than Lin Ye’s, yet he hasn’t shown obvious signs of petrification, probably because his desires are fewer compared to Lin Ye’s.”

Lin Ye successfully had his attention diverted and frowned, “So, from now on, I just need to think less about my desires? It’s that simple?”

He thought of something and touched his cold, stiff forearm: “By the way, is there any way to lift this curse? Qi Si’s blood can lift curses, so can any of you just give me some blood?”

“That’s what I thought too.” Fan Zhanwei nodded, his tone unusually gentle. “Let’s go back to our rooms first. I’ll try to see if my blood can lift the curse.”

Dong Xiwen, as a “Qi Si accomplice,” had no right to speak and maintained a knowing silence throughout.

Hearing Fan Zhanwei and Lin Ye’s conversation at this moment, he inexplicably found Fan Zhanwei’s deceptive manner somewhat familiar; he seemed to have been deceived by someone in a similar way before… Well, intelligence-type players were basically all cunning old foxes, so he’d just mourn for Lin Ye.

As dusk fell, the pure white temple suspended above the Colosseum was swallowed by the night, its shadows merging with the broader darkness.

Chu Xun said faintly, “It’s getting late, so I’ll be brief. It’s known that even if all our game coins are converted into points, they cannot meet the total demand. Once we fall into the trap of the Colosseum Game’s rules, the total profit will inevitably be negative.

“Negative returns cannot stimulate player enthusiasm, and The Goat should also realize this. Therefore, I speculate that by tomorrow, a new batch of game coins will be provided to us, and the rules will change to some extent.

“So, my suggestion is always to stand by and wait until tomorrow to make a decision based on the specific rules and circumstances. What do you all think?”

The players all agreed, reaching a consensus on the general direction.

Everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed; saying more would only waste time. Everyone gradually dispersed, returning to their respective rooms.

The last stone door closed heavily, and the Colosseum’s high platform finally fell into dead silence. The last ray of light was swallowed by the horizon, and night completely enveloped the earth.

The second day of the Colosseum Game officially ended… “They won’t believe Liu Yuhan and Chang Xu.”

In a dark space, Qi Si sat loosely, looking down at his pale fingers.

“They won’t believe the deductions of Liu Yuhan’s 【Strange Tale Notebook】, and will be inclined to think it’s exaggerating the Sphinx’s role to trick them into giving up their points.

“They also won’t believe that Chang Xu will fulfill his promise to kill me once he gets the points. Not everyone can understand why someone would not waver in the face of immense temptation, when they could gain more, yet use a precious opportunity to kill someone who has already left the arena.

“A simple-minded fool emerges among a group of selfish idealists, and this fool even thinks he can remain outside the game, merely getting that small, insignificant piece of cake he wants—what a humorous absurd comedy.”

Qi Si found it amusing and genuinely laughed. His laughter couldn’t travel far, quickly swallowed by the darkness, its lingering echoes swirling around him.

Qi sat opposite Qi Si, moving a black chess piece two squares diagonally forward: “It seems you are not entirely without confidence in winning this game.”

“You said, ‘Gods are the carriers of desires,’ and I carry their desires. Once I die, they will leave this instance, and all preparations will turn to dust—they won’t want me to die.”

Qi Si held the white knight piece, not rushing to move: “The Sphinx’s promise brings them infinitely close to their desires; they won’t bear to give up this opportunity. Similarly, they also don’t believe Chang Xu and Liu Yuhan will give up this opportunity.

“This is a game that requires trust. As long as one person cannot trust Chang Xu, the others will continue to observe. Chang Xu and Liu Yuhan can only kill me with their own strength.”

Qi’s expression was a half-smile: “So, you’ve arranged everything.”

Qi Si ignored Him and continued on his own: “The Goat and the animals who are spectators want me to die. They won’t want the ratmen, who have long been at the bottom as ‘omega wolves,’ to have a god. They will inevitably do everything in their power to nip the trouble in the bud before a greater upheaval occurs.

“The rule-makers have the potential to seize the greatest benefits. Chang Xu will receive their favoritism, and I am destined to truly die.”

“So—are you waiting for death?”

“Yes.” Qi Si smiled brightly. “I just hope The Goat cheats a bit more blatantly, and Chang Xu acts a bit faster. After all, what I’m betting on has never been ‘not dying,’ but ‘resurrection.'”