Complex Team Relationships

"Able."

Cheng Shi's answer was resolute; he even laughed at the astonished Poison.

"As long as the information you provide is valuable enough, I can provide any special service."

"... You really have changed." Poison looked Cheng Shi up and down with interest and laughed, "But little Priest, that's not how business is done. You have to tell the customers the types of services first so they can decide whether or not to pay 'money' to purchase the service."

Cheng Shi let out an exaggerated "Oh~", and then said in a serious tone:

"That's how it should be."

The services offered by our store include:

To perceive fear, to feel pain, to satisfy the thirst for knowledge, and... to indulge in pleasure.

The prices for the services increase sequentially, depending on which service the customer wants.

Poison's eyes lit up when she heard the word "pleasure." Unable to suppress her curiosity, she unconsciously licked her lips and looked intently at Cheng Shi, asking in a husky yet alluring voice:

Why are all the things you're offering here Filth and Decay?

"For guests who are 'Filth and Decay,' we naturally provide 'Filth and Decay' services. That's called customized demand, isn't it?"

"Yes, in that case..."

Poison's face suddenly turned red. It was unclear whether it was Cheng Shi's treatment that restored her color or the intense pleasure she was imagining. In any case, she looked at Cheng Shi with a flushed face and, without hesitation, chose the most "expensive" service.

"I choose pleasure, but I have one condition."

Cheng Shi smiled and nodded, as polite as a real salesperson. "The customer is God, you say."

"I want to experience it first and then pay."

"Can."

Cheng Shi seemed to have already guessed the request for Poison, but he did not refuse; instead, he readily agreed.

And the moment he finished speaking, he stepped forward and knelt down in front of Poison, his left arm wrapping around Poison waist from behind, his right hand slowly stroking up Poison neck, cupping her perfectly curved chin. With an absolute air of dominance, he approached her slowly, his gaze filled with deep affection and shyness, and then...

"Boom--"

The floor was blown apart.

[Death] Amusement Ring Recharge -1.

Of course, this unexpected Thunder Punishment didn't hit the Poison in Cheng Shi's arms at all, because the moment he touched it, the other party had already sensed the danger and immediately dodged and retreated, avoiding this fatal blow.

Looking at the charred hole in front of him, Poison's smile and flushed face froze.

She had considered using various methods in Cheng Shi, but she never expected that the other party would actually use a killing move!

The power of this Thunderbolt was comparable to that of Discarded Divine Artifact. The opponent actually released it right in front of me. If I hadn't been so agile, even a slight touch would have been far more severe than any injury I had just suffered!

"Are you serious?" Poison's pupils contracted.

"Oh, so the guest has recovered. It seems my treatment was very effective."

"..." Hearing Cheng Shi's Yin-Yang words, Poison's face froze. She silently took out a new down jacket, put it on, and then turned around and said, "This isn't about treatment, it's about you taking action! Little Priest, you wouldn't happen to be in cahoots with Mr. Horn, would you?"

Cheng Shi sneered, stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "This guest shouldn't talk nonsense. This is a legitimate establishment. We don't provide any 'male prostitutes' for your self-entertainment. Besides, didn't you order this 'enjoyment service' yourself?"

Poison Qi laughed, pointing at the large hole in the floor and saying:

"I'd like to ask, where exactly is the pleasure?"

Cheng Shi pointed at her with a mocking smile, then pointed at himself, and said:

"I'm happy when you Clown, isn't that indulging in pleasure?"

Your expressions were spot-on, you acted well, I give you a thumbs up.

Of course, there are no tips.

"..." Poison opened its mouth stiffly, its expression as ugly as if it had swallowed a fly.

She felt as if she saw the figure of an acquaintance behind Cheng Shi, but she couldn't tell whether the acquaintance's surname was Zhen or Chen for the time being.

Just as the Poison fell silent, Cheng Shi chuckled and glanced down through the gaping hole created by the Thunderbolt, then shouted:

"The show's over, aren't you coming up?"

Not long after the words were spoken, two heads slowly emerged from the hole, looking upwards. One was rather rugged, and the other was more refined. And who were the owners of these two heads but Da Yi and Jiang Chi, who had just evacuated from the square!

Upon seeing the two appear, Cheng Shi thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

From the very beginning, he had been intentionally stomping heavily on the wooden floor, but unusually, there was no response from downstairs in this seemingly lively room.

Poison and he had fled here to seek refuge, and they went straight to the attic, having no time to deal with the residents of the house.

The wind and snow were heavy outside the window, and a stove was burning in the attic. The family was obviously at home, but if they were at home, why hadn't they responded?

Cheng Shi initially thought the family was afraid of the noise upstairs and therefore chose to remain silent. However, when Poison chose to play a role-playing game with him instead of rushing to recover or continue to escape further away, he realized that the other party didn't seem to be that afraid of Gongyang Jiao.

At least in this Trials, she was confident that she wouldn't be hunted down and killed by the Screaming Count and the Chameleon.

So what gives her confidence?

It definitely couldn't be me, since my arrival in this Trials was an accident.

It wouldn't be Da Yi either, because Da Yi's astonishment and surprise at the information from the Poison couldn't be faked.

After thinking it over, he realized that among his five teammates, only one person remained: the Pointer Knight, Jiang Chi, who had suddenly joined the battle for some inexplicable reason, wanting to get information from the Poison!

He... is probably a friend of Poison?

He should at least be her helper. After all, it's strange that he joined the battle midway. Even if he gave a reason, it was too weak. There were two Assassin present who were clearly coveting the Gift of Scars. Even if he wanted it too, why should he get a share from the combined efforts of two Assassin?

Unless he and the Poison had been working together all along!

So he's not like a bystander, but more like a helper watching from the sidelines!

Since they're helpers, have they already arrived?

Could the lack of response downstairs be because he has taken control of this NPC?

Therefore, Cheng Shi's Thunder Punishment was not only aimed at Poison, but also at killing two birds with one stone.

He glanced downstairs again and thought to himself, "As expected," when he saw the two appear. But then he saw Jiang Chi's gossipy gaze and Da Yi's amused look.

"..."

Alright, alright, so you're eavesdropping, huh!

Cheng Shi's eyelids twitched violently. Sure enough, watching the drama unfold was always everyone's source of amusement.

No wonder people came but didn't come up. What's wrong, bro? You two really want to watch a show of pleasure?

Sensing Cheng Shi's mocking gaze, Da Yi awkwardly scratched his head and smiled.

"Damn it, Brother Cheng, I just found out that the guy surnamed Jiang is in cahoots with the Poison. He's the one who found me and brought me here."

But... would you believe me if I said I just arrived and didn't hear anything?"

Cheng Shi rolled her eyes, not giving him any face. "I don't believe it."

But his mockery was ineffective, because Da Yi's "roughness" meant he had a skin as thick as Hu Wei's.

The burly man laughed heartily, leaped up to the attic, and showered Cheng Shi with endless praise:

"Damn it, that's why cultured people are so smart! You're right, Brother Cheng, if you don't believe me!"

"..."

Cheng Shi almost laughed out of anger.

Very well! I never thought my status as the Clown would be threatened!

Jiang Chi also jumped up. A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed his face. He smiled and nodded in greeting to the Poison, then looked at Cheng Shi with a hint of admiration, saying:

"As expected of the legendary figure, a Priest actually has such powerful offensive capabilities."

Cheng Shi sneered inwardly, but denied it on the surface:

"No, it was just Thunderbolt item I found by chance. It was a one-time use item, and I've already used it all up."

"..."

Jiang Chi's eyes turned strange. He thought to himself: Brother, I thought you were a master, but you think I'm a fool?

Who would believe what you're saying?

Thinking about it, Jiang Chi looked at Da Yi, only to see that although Da Yi was facing Cheng Shi, he was obviously looking at him and the Poison out of the corner of his eye.

This Assassin from "War" clearly didn't trust either of them.

That's it!

This is the essence of high-level gameplay. Players who are fighting tooth and nail one second can instantly become allies, and teammates who are inseparable one moment might stab you in the back the next.

Everyone wants to cooperate, but it's hard to find a truly sincere partner. They're just sticky adhesives driven by self-interest; the greater the benefit, the stronger the bond.

This is also why Poison wanted to team up with Cheng Shi after seeing him, because she knew that Cheng Shi was not that kind of person.

But Cheng Shi didn't think so.

At this moment, his gaze swept over the three people in turn, and seeing that they were also sizing each other up, he sighed silently in his heart.

It seems these are the three teammates for this Trials. The other two probably won't choose to cooperate. Not only that, the four of us might also have to endure ambushes and pursuit from the enemy.

However, the cooperation with these three is only temporary, since they share the same goal and their character is not very trustworthy.

Sure enough, the situation becomes extremely complicated when it comes to their Trials.

So, how can I form alliances and maneuver strategically to safely leave this Trials...?