Carnivore (20): Truce

Granny Su's story came to an end.

At last, Qi Si understood that the prerequisite's claim that "knowing the truth is enough to escape the monsters' attacks" was itself a play on words.

The so-called truth—or the core rule—was that the villagers couldn't kill people and take their flesh with their own hands. As long as that rule held, having enough God Meat to get through the hunger meant that the other mechanics could cause only limited, nonfatal harm.

The players didn't know this. Led by the dungeon's sequence of events and clues, they acted out of fear and habit, either making promises to the monsters or secretly harming one another.

If you hadn't promised the monsters anything, refusing to give them meat wouldn't actually cause trouble. But without solid information, no one dared to gamble on that.

What's more, in the eyes of many players, Qi Si included, trading another person's flesh for crucial information was an extremely profitable deal.

Fear of the unknown, selfish genes etched into the history of evolution, game theory, and chains of suspicion... The Eerie Game knew exactly how to manipulate people.

Thinking of this, Qi Si felt strangely relieved.

He was usually the one who deceived and led others astray. This time, the Eerie Game had nearly fooled him instead. How could that not be an interesting experience?

Besides, the dungeon's backstory involved two gods. Even they had deigned to step into the fray themselves, and yet they were still no match for him. They deserved to be laughed at from beginning to end even more than he did.

Qi Si's lips curved almost imperceptibly. Without a sound, he headed toward the shadows in the corner of the courtyard.

Zhao Feng had missed his chance to make a good impression earlier. Now he dropped A-Xi and hurried after Qi Si, offering his opinion. "Looks like the Evil God's corpse is in West Village... People on the forum say the Main God travels between dungeons, acting as a link between them. That Black-Robed Taoist was probably the Main God's avatar."

Then he saw the young man in front of him stop and turn around, giving him an approving smile. "Good. Leave me your address and phone number. After we get out of the dungeon, I'll ask the guild leader about bringing you into the guild."

Zhao Feng froze for a moment. Things were going so smoothly that it felt like a dream that would burst at the slightest touch.

He had always thought highly of himself, yet these past few days he'd followed "Chang Xu's" every order, nodding and bowing as he trailed behind him like an errand boy. Wasn't that all for the chance to join Sariel?

And now, his wish had finally come true...

"Thank you, Brother Chang!" Zhao Feng thanked him repeatedly, not daring to let even a hint of smugness show. He knew that the closer you got to success, the more careful you had to be, or you risked losing everything at the last moment.

Qi Si seemed to enjoy his deference. A trace of pity entered his smile. "Why thank me? I just thought you had a lot going for you and wanted to recommend you to the guild. If the guild leader takes a liking to you someday, I might even have to rely on you to put in a good word for me."

Rely on me? I'd be doing you a favor if I didn't trip you up...

Remembering everything that had happened, Zhao Feng sneered inwardly, while making his expression even more sincere.

He watched Qi Si act as if he hadn't noticed a thing. To show how close they were, Qi Si even rested both hands on Zhao Feng's neck and straightened his collar. Zhao Feng found it all the more ironic and silently resolved to get even once he made it big.

But in the next second, he felt a knife-sharp pain burst across the back of his neck. Warm liquid sprayed out, then ran down his spine.

He saw the black-haired young man calmly put away the bloodied blade, smiling with crinkled eyes. "Sorry, you're no longer useful. Besides, I've realized I have a bit of a low tolerance for messy people..."

He opened his mouth to curse, but could only make a rasping, wheezing sound.

Memories from decades of life churned through his mind: the cons, the arson, the murders. He had imagined countless ways he might die, but never that he would meet such a shabby end at the hands of a pretty boy who couldn't hurt a fly, killed by a tiny blade...

His strength drained away at a frightening pace. Zhao Feng crumpled to the ground, glaring at his killer with eyes that refused to close, trying to burn the man's face into his mind.

"Remember, the person who killed you is called Chang Xu. If you want revenge, don't go after the wrong person... Though if you died in the game, you probably won't get the chance to become a vengeful ghost, will you? Guess I can only wish you better luck in your next life."

Qi Si calmly pinned the blame on Chang Xu, who was also a victim. He was sure that even in the underworld, that police officer could hold his own and teach Zhao Feng a thing or two.

He watched Zhao Feng's eyes, nearly blazing with fury, and waited quietly for him to breathe his last. Then he bent down and searched his pocket, finding a cross-shaped item.

When he saw the note in the item description—[This item is bound and cannot be transferred]—Qi Si lost interest. He tossed the cross back onto Zhao Feng and dragged the body away to find somewhere to hide it.

The Ancestral Hall grew colder and colder. A sinister, oppressive atmosphere seeped through the air like strands of silk. Even Zhu Ling shivered after searching the place.

"Sister Zhu, I'm scared. Let's go..." Zhou Yilin clung to Zhu Ling's arm and pleaded softly.

As if she had just thought of something, she looked at the skeleton and Pu Saber on the ground. "Should we take Brother Yang with us?"

Zhu Ling's eye twitched. She shook her head. "Forget it. Let Brother Yang rest in peace. With his saber here to keep the place under control, the monsters won't dare do anything to his body..."

She wasn't entirely sure about the rest of what she'd said, and her voice faded. But then she remembered that she hadn't stolen anything from the dead, and her confidence returned.

Although she'd been forced into this zero-sum game and had even indirectly caused Yang Yundong's death, she wasn't a bad person. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone... Once she got back to the real world, she'd remember to burn a few sticks of incense for Yang Yundong.

Zhou Yilin seemed completely unaware of Zhu Ling's inner turmoil. She nodded enthusiastically, as if she trusted every word. "Mm-hmm, Sister Zhu, let's hurry back!"

This girl was so timid. She probably wouldn't last long in the Eerie Game. Zhu Ling sighed inwardly, keeping her expression perfectly composed.

She patted Zhang Licai on the shoulder. He was still slumped on the ground, questioning everything he knew. "Let's go," she said, then linked arms with Zhou Yilin and hurried out of the Ancestral Hall toward Granny Su's home.

Alone in the Ancestral Hall, Zhang Licai sat there in a daze. Another fifteen minutes passed before he finally snapped out of it and looked around.

Seeing no one, he quickly picked up the Pu Saber lying beside Yang Yundong's remains.

[Name: Rusted Pu Saber]

[Type: Item]

[Effect: Repels monsters]

[Note: This is a saber that has killed many people, yet its previous owner used it to protect others. Even as he lay dying, he never turned its edge against his own kind. "That's why he died." A certain Evil God regretted this, but wasn't sorry.]

Zhang Licai skimmed the refreshed prompt and instinctively rubbed his smooth, bald head. "Brother Yang, rest in peace. I'll get your belongings out of the dungeon for you."

He slung the Pu Saber across his back, stood up, and left the Ancestral Hall, retracing his steps.

The slightest rustle of wind through the grass startled Zhang Licai half to death. He kept looking around nervously, and a short stretch of road took him a full half hour to cover.

By the time he finally returned to Granny Su's courtyard, Qi Si had already showered and changed into clean clothes. He emerged from the woodshed with his hair still wet.

Watching Qi Si comb his hair with his fingers, Zhang Licai couldn't help thinking: The world really is going downhill. Since when did a grown man care more about his appearance than a young girl?

Then he noticed that something seemed to be missing from the courtyard.

"Where's Zhao Feng?" Zhang Licai asked.

"He probably went back to his room." Qi Si tucked a few strands of fringe behind his ear and replied uncertainly. "He said he wanted to rest for a while, so I went to shower by myself."

Zhang Licai didn't suspect anything and went straight to push open the door.

As soon as it opened, a thick stench of blood hit him, an alarming warning.

Zhang Licai didn't register it. He strode into the room, then froze when he saw what was inside.

A bloodstained wooden tub sat in the middle of the floor. Someone's limbs were twisted into positions no living person could manage, their body curled up inside the tub. Only their head was left outside, eyes wide as they stared fixedly at the doorway.

It was Zhao Feng!

Zhang Licai let out a scream and dropped onto his rear.

Hearing him, Qi Si walked over. He seemed horrified by Zhao Feng's gruesome death, and the mask of calm he'd worn for so long finally cracked.

With a grim expression, he stepped forward, wrapped a corner of the bedsheet around his hand, and deftly arranged the corpse.

When the cut on the corpse's neck came into view, he drew in a sharp breath at just the right moment. "It wasn't a monster. It was a person... Zhao Feng was murdered..."

The commotion had also drawn Zhu Ling and Zhou Yilin over. They came together, supporting each other.

Zhu Ling glanced at the tub from a distance, then looked at Qi Si with a stern expression. "Did you kill Zhao Feng?"

Qi Si let out a cold laugh. "You're so eager to pin this on me... I don't know which one of you killed him, but don't you think it's ridiculous to make up a story like that?"

The grief in his eyes was utterly genuine, and his words were clenched with fury. Zhu Ling wavered slightly, doubting her judgment for an instant.

But she quickly realized the danger and hurriedly signaled to Zhou Yilin beside her. Raising her voice, she said, "Yilin and I have been together the whole time. How could we have had a chance to kill anyone?"

But Zhou Yilin seemed not to see the signal. She trembled from head to toe, lowered her gaze to a spot on the ground, pressed her lips together, and said nothing.

As the tension hung in the air, Granny Su called out from beside the dining table at the worst possible moment. "The meal's ready! Come and eat!"

After witnessing a murder scene, no one but Qi Si had any appetite. But the players still sat down in silence and ate in silence.

They forced down a few bites, then pinched their noses and stuffed the God Meat into their mouths. The four remaining players left the table one after another.

Back in his room, Qi Si crouched in a corner and expressionlessly spat out the God Meat he had just held in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Zhang Licai stood dazed outside his own room.

He and Zhao Feng had at least been roommates for two days. Although his sense of right and wrong made him condemn Zhao Feng for killing Yang Yundong, he hadn't planned to fall out with him.

On the way back, he'd even been rehearsing how best to deal with Zhao Feng.

He hadn't expected Zhao Feng to die just like that, for no apparent reason.

Zhang Licai felt no satisfaction at the thought that Zhao Feng had gotten what he deserved. Instead, his back kept turning cold, as if a sword of Damocles hung over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

As he stood there lost in thought, he heard Qi Si's voice behind him. "You can't stay in that room anymore. Come to mine."

Zhang Licai's first reaction was not to believe that Qi Si was the killer. After all, anyone with eyes could tell that Zhao Feng had obeyed Qi Si's every word.

What would Qi Si have gained by killing him?

He didn't think about it any further and immediately nodded.

He didn't want to spend another moment in a room where someone had died.

Qi Si led the way and stopped outside his room, letting Zhang Licai enter. Then he stepped over the threshold himself and bolted the door.

At the sound of the lock, Zhang Licai's heart jumped. He hurriedly turned around, only to find Qi Si leaning casually against the door with an indifferent expression. He spoke in an easy tone. "I killed Zhao Feng."

"Huh?"

The killer had just confessed out of nowhere. What was going on?

By common sense, wasn't he supposed to kill Zhang Licai to silence him next?

Zhang Licai's mind went blank. His legs gave way and he collapsed beside the bed. "You... I... I don't know anything!"

Qi Si had never planned to hide what anyone could see for themselves. His earlier clumsy act had only been to throw Zhu Ling off, at Zhou Yilin's request.

Seeing Zhang Licai look as though he were about to pass out, he offered a reassuring smile. "What are you thinking? If I really wanted to kill you, you'd already be a corpse."

Zhang Licai swallowed, his legs still trembling. "What... What do you want from me?"

Qi Si patted him on the shoulder and sighed. "You don't need to be so afraid. You and I don't actually have any direct conflict of interest. I just want to sit down and talk with you about the facts and the stakes."

"Zhu Ling wanted Yang Yundong dead and ordered Zhou Yilin to alter his clues. Zhou Yilin has a personal grudge against Zhu Ling, so she's been playing along while looking for a chance to turn on her. I'm a self-interested person. To get the greatest benefit, I can kill everyone without hesitation."

"When conflict breaks out, no one can sit safely outside the whirlpool. And you should have seen that Zhou Yilin and I have joined forces to deal with Zhu Ling. With things as they are, I'm curious which side you'll choose."

Zhang Licai's chubby face went as pale as a waterlogged steamed bun, and not just because Qi Si's words were so alarming.

He wasn't completely unaware of the undercurrents beneath the peaceful surface. He'd simply always been used to playing dumb and acting like a peacemaker, waiting until the winner was clear before siding with them.

Now he had no choice but to take sides. He could no longer sit on the sidelines...

Qi Si and Zhou Yilin certainly had the advantage, but what if they didn't? Why couldn't he keep playing dumb and clear the dungeon without knowing anything?

Qi Si saw Zhang Licai hesitate. Smiling, he drew a blade from his wristband and pressed it into Zhang Licai's right palm. "Of course, you could also try to kill me. That would even the balance between Zhou Yilin and Zhu Ling's factions, and you'd become the final deciding factor."

He took hold of Zhang Licai's right hand and pressed it against his own neck, coaxing him patiently. "All you have to do is slide the blade downward. Blood will spill, and you'll go from being a pawn controlled by others to the king who decides the match. Whichever side you choose will win."

Zhang Licai's breathing grew ragged. His right hand trembled, and the blade drew a thin line of blood across the young man's fair neck.

Scarlet beads seeped into his shirt, spreading into a pale pink haze and adding a touch of the uncanny.

The black-haired young man suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled. "It's a shame I've already got a few clues about this dungeon's mystery. If I die halfway through, I'll..."

He stopped speaking. Zhang Licai pressed him. "You'll what?"

"Nothing much." Qi Si curled his lips into a malicious smile. "If I really am going to die, I'll destroy the key clues before I do."

"Then no one will be able to clear the dungeon by the standard route."