Chapter 433: All Gods (Part 5) — Shuomeng

The moment the system interface disappeared, the dark, lightless snow mountain welcomed daylight. A faint golden light ascended from the distant ice surface, spreading out into a vast, brilliant morning glow. Reflected by the ice, it was dazzlingly bright to players who hadn’t seen natural light for many days.

Jiang Junjue immediately felt cold. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and continuously rubbed his hands, trying to generate heat through friction. Then, he saw Shuomeng pounce on him, tugging at his coat and speaking in a muffled, childish voice, “Uncle~ I’m so cold~ Can I have your clothes~”

“Get lost!” Jiang Junjue raised his foot, pretending to kick him. “The final dungeon is over, how can the debuff still be active? What are you pretending for?”

Yes, the “return to childhood” effect had already disappeared. Shuomeng merely recalled the past three days as a mentally immature child, constantly clinging to Jiang Junjue and smearing snot and tears all over him. Now that his memory and cognitive abilities had returned, he immediately felt like being a bit of a scoundrel.

Seeing that Jiang Junjue had seen through him, he jumped to the side, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender: “Old Jiang, I was wrong…”

The next second, he truly felt the cold, exclaiming, “Holy crap!” He grabbed the hem of his long trench coat and wrapped it around himself again and again: “The Eerie Game wouldn’t really just dump us here and leave us, would it? With all due respect, such an act is outrageous and detestable.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Jiang Junjue’s teeth chattered, his voice a little slurred. “Based on my experience clearing hundreds of dungeons, this is now the wilderness survival segment. If we can’t find a heat source immediately, I’m afraid we’ll freeze to death here…”

“Are we going to die on the same day, month, and year?” Shuomeng’s expression looked as if he was about to cry. “Do you think if I shout ‘God Fu’ loudly now, Jiuzhou will come to save us?”

The two shivered like quails, chatting idly. The Eerie Game seemed to have kept its word, automatically shutting down after the final dungeon. At least for now, no one could summon their item bar.

Players, no matter how formidable in the game, were still ordinary people with two arms and two legs in reality. This was especially true for theoretical players, who might even be weaker than average due to long-term mental exertion for the game and neglecting physical training.

Shuomeng raised his hand, wiping the ice shards that had formed on his face, and for a moment thought of death. Without items, and without equipment for snow mountain survival, they had been dropped by the Eerie Game into this deadly place that showcased the cruel terror of nature. Heaven and earth were a vast expanse of white; there were no sheltering caves or warm fires to be seen. Given enough time, death was inevitable.

So, was he afraid? It was impossible for humans to be completely fearless of death, an imagery symbolizing end and decay. Genes could not be passed on, thoughts would be severed, and souls would return to the unknown. As creatures driven by self-preservation, the fear of death was ingrained in their instincts.

But sometimes, after long periods of rushing between life and death, witnessing the demise of their peers, the threshold was raised infinitely. Emotions felt like white paper submerged in water, a vast emptiness filling their chests, making various emotions that should have been vivid become dull, including the fear of death.

Even before entering the final dungeon, Shuomeng had considered that he might die. This was fate, a very normal thing. Even if he resisted, he couldn’t change it, so why not accept it calmly? So many people in the world were dying, why couldn’t it be him?

Just as Shuomeng was about to lie down and give up, Jiang Junjue pulled him up from the ground, squinting into the distance: “Let’s split up. Maybe we’ll run into other players. The person who cleared the final dungeon must have become an existence akin to a god. Saving us would be a trivial matter for them. Whoever it is, as long as they can get us out of here, that’s all that matters.”

Shuomeng straightened up, blinking twice: “What if it wasn’t one of our people who cleared it, but Bai Ya or Si Qi? Are you sure they’d save us? It’d be good enough if they didn’t kill us…”

“We’re going to die anyway, so we might as well try.” Jiang Junjue’s hands trembled as he fumbled for a cigarette, not lighting it, just holding it between his lips. “Maybe they need hostages?”

Two small dots appeared on the ice ahead, likely two people walking towards them. As the distance closed, it became clear that both were wearing red. Around them were many smaller dots, which turned out to be herds of yaks and sheep.

After the game ended, Baima and Zaxi, who were dungeon NPCs, disappeared. However, the yaks and goats they were herding remained, as did some mountaineering supplies and warm clothing. These were all collected by the two players.

Jin Yusheng, wearing a red Tang suit, walked step by step with Si Qi, who was in a red suit. Si Qi casually grabbed two thick fur coats from a yak’s back and tossed them to Shuomeng, who handed one to Jiang Junjue. The two hastily put on the coats; although the cold was still biting, it was no longer lethal.

When Shuomeng first saw Si Qi, he actually had some misgivings. From the “Red Maple Leaf Boarding School” dungeon, it was clear that this person didn’t play by the rules. After sharing information with Jiuzhou, he also knew that this person was a slaughter-type player who had harmed countless people. It was possible for Si Qi to save someone, but unlikely for Si Qi to save them.

But seeing how things were developing, Si Qi probably still held a bit of their old acquaintance from clearing the “Red Maple Leaf Boarding School” dungeon together, right?

Thinking this, he glanced at Jin Yusheng beside Si Qi, then casually shifted his gaze, repeatedly thanking Si Qi and showering him with all the good words he had accumulated over the years.

Si Qi swept his gaze over the two with a half-smile, unsure whether he was pleased or not, and simply pointed in a direction: “Let’s go, down the mountain.”

The four rode on yaks. With animals familiar with the mountain terrain as mounts, descending became easier. Along the way, Jin Yusheng roughly recounted what had happened since he entered the dungeon. The combined information allowed them to piece together the full picture of the final dungeon.

All ID card holders and their small card holders did indeed enter the snow mountain, but the Eerie Game forcibly divided these people into three teams. One team was naturally Fang Zhou and others, and Zhou Ke, who was now Si Qi, residing in the past timeline. Another team was Qi Si, Lin Wuya, and Fu Jue. Jin Yusheng, unfortunately, was grouped with Bai Ya and Charlie Woodward, residing in the dream-like snow mountain, which is why he initially missed Qi Si’s team until night fell when they finally met.

Bai Ya made some unknown promises and formed a collaboration with Charlie. All the accumulated sins of the Scarlet Theater became chips for Bai Ya to collect, directly allowing Bai Ya to meet the conditions for activating the God-Ascension Altar. Jin Yusheng, seeing the unfavorable situation, immediately fled to avoid becoming one of the sacrifices.

Upon hearing this, Si Qi curled his lips: “Who do you think will become the final Ancestral God, Fu Jue or Bai Ya?”

Shuomeng thus knew that the person who cleared the final dungeon was not Si Qi. While breathing a sigh of relief, he speculated seriously: “I think, since we are still alive, the one controlling the situation must be a relatively rational and calm person. Considering the reputation and overall strength since the Eerie Game’s arrival, it makes no sense for God Fu not to win.”

“Is that so?” Si Qi smiled strangely, but said no more, continuing to guide the yak down the mountain.