Elusive in a Certain Sense

"Tree?"

After a slight pause, Ink-Stained Crystal raised her head and looked up at the Tian Kong again.

To be honest, she had always had some suspicions about that black phantom that stretched across the Tian Kong.

However, the unexpected answer she received from Bai Zhi still left her quite stunned.

Perhaps due to preconceived notions, after hearing Bai Zhi's words, when she looked up at the Tian Kong again, she discovered that the phantom in the Tian Kong was indeed an enormous... tree?

Why would you think that?

"Because of the branches and vines that bind those Dominator."

Bai Zhi gave a calm reply.

"Also, when you were looking directly at that black phantom in the Tian Kong, did your Sanity Value decrease?"

"... No."

She paused for a moment for some reason, seemingly glancing at her own Attribute Panel, Young Girl nodded.

"Then that settles it?"

Bai Zhi calmly gave his answer.

"If that Black Shadow is really some kind of terrifying Anomaly, or the Mastermind behind the world becoming what it is now, wouldn't you lose your Sanity when you look up and stare at it?"

At this point, Bai Zhi shrugged slightly.

"Plus the vines and branches inexplicably binding each Dominator, I have every reason to be certain that it is actually a tree... an enormous tree. Don't ask me what kind of tree it is, because I don't know myself."

"... Then what about those Blood-colored Fishhook hanging from the Tian Kong?"

After thinking for a moment, Ink-Stained Crystal asked another question.

"As for those Fish Hook, how would you make them...?"

"Do you really think I'm Blue Cat Naughty 3000 Questions?"

Bai Zhi interrupted the other person, somewhat speechless.

"No... why have you suddenly become so talkative? Don't you know the saying 'the more you know, the faster you die'? I won't utter any speculations without solid evidence to support them."

"So, in your mind, you still have related inferences."

Looking at the figure standing before her, the Young Girl's eyes flickered slightly.

"When will you be willing to tell me that conclusion?"

"It's very simple."

Bai Zhi turned around and glanced at the pale-faced Young Girl behind him, his face full of disgust.

"I'll tell you the deduction after the chickens have finished pecking at the rice, the dogs have finished licking the noodles, and the fire has burned through the lock."

Ink-Stained Crystal: "..."

Miaomiao Kindergarten.

"Monster Rampage... it happened just last night, all in one night?"

After Bai Zhi finished recounting what had happened the previous night, the Fuzi was quite taken aback.

"That's impossible. In the past, large-scale wars like this usually took six or Seven Days to occur. How could it happen in such a short time... Could it be that you did something?"

"Please, this city is so big. We only found out the location of the other areas after we got your map. We don't have time to do that kind of thing."

Rolling his eyes, Bai Zhi looked slightly annoyed.

"As I said before, the experiment is over, so the process naturally needs to be accelerated."

"But it was all because of my mischief that things happened before..."

He was clearly somewhat restless, and the Fuzi seemed to be desperately trying to recall something.

"Are you sure? Don't take your role too seriously. Even if you are the Strongest Player ever created in this world, you can't even escape this world itself, so how can you talk about dealing with the entity that turned this world into what it is now?"

Looking at the Fuzi's face, Bai Zhi shook his head with a hint of pity.

"After eliminating all other impossible options, the remaining option, no matter how unbelievable it may seem, is absolutely the correct answer... In fact, that's the case. The previous 100 years were merely the time necessary for the experiment's progress. Your role in that was negligible. Even if you hadn't done that, things would have definitely turned out that way. Although this may sound harsh to you, in reality, all the efforts you made were utterly insignificant."

"... Impossible."

After a long silence, the Fuzi spoke in a hoarse voice.

"You can't deny my efforts over such a long period of time with just a few words. In other cities where Dominator had emerged, before Dominator had appeared in this city, they all disappeared within three months."

"But those cities all have so-called Protective Barrier, right?"

Bai Zhi snapped his fingers.

"You're outside, they're inside. How do you know that only three months have passed inside, and not more than 100 years like you are now? You've said before that Time Flow Rate differently inside and Outside the World, haven't you?"

"... You really are a Demon."

This time, after Bai Zhi finished speaking, the Fuzi remained silent for an even longer period of time before finally speaking softly.

"You can reveal such a despairing truth without any mercy; you really are Demon, aren't you?"

"Really? But I don't think you have a bad mental fortitude."

Facing the complex gaze cast upon him by the Fuzi, Bai Zhi shrugged slightly.

"It's not quite true despair, after all, your sister got out, right? Although, in a sense, your world is truly and utterly beyond saving..."

"I guess so, after all, there's only hope if you're alive."

The skeletal body fell heavily backward, and the Fuzi sighed.

"If you ever run into A’Ling in the future, please pass on a message to her for me: we..."

"No, I've already promised someone I'd find his sister, and I still haven't. I don't want to take on that kind of troublesome work again."

Bai Zhi raised his hand, interrupting the other person.

"You should do this kind of thing yourself."

"... Do you really think I can escape from here?"

The Fuzi looked at him with his empty, dark eyes.

"It's all up to human effort."

He tapped the table with his finger, and Bai Zhi's expression was concise and to the point.

"Based on my current plan, the chances of success are quite high, so you can rest assured."

What is the success rate?

Instead of asking what the so-called plan was, the Fuzi asked this question.

1%.

Bai Zhi held up one finger in front of him.

"..."

"Alright, I have one more question for you now, and the answer to that question is very important."

Turning his head to look at the Blood-colored Fishhook not far away, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"When exactly did these Blood-colored Fishhook hanging from the Tian Kong appear?"