Carnivore (20): Truce

Granny Su's account came to an end.

At this point, Qi Si finally understood that the prerequisite stating "as long as one knows the truth, one can escape the ghosts' attacks" was, in itself, a play on words.

The so-called truth, or rather the core rule, was that the villagers could not personally kill people to harvest meat. Under this rule, as long as there was sufficient God Meat to survive the hunger, the damage caused by other mechanisms was limited and non-lethal.

The players did not know this, which was why, induced by the series of plot points and clues in the instance, they acted out of fear and habitual thinking—either making promises to the ghosts or secretly harming others.

If one had not made a promise to the ghosts, not giving them meat would not actually lead to disaster, but without definitive information, no one dared to gamble on those odds.

Furthermore, in the eyes of many players, including Qi Si himself, trading the meat of others for vital information was a business with a guaranteed profit.

Fear of the unknown, selfish genes carved into evolutionary history, game theory, and chains of suspicion... the Eerie Game undoubtedly had a firm grasp on human nature.

Thinking of this, Qi Si felt a sense of relief.

He was usually the one inducing and deceiving others, yet this time he had almost been misled by the Eerie Game; how was this not an interesting experience?

Moreover, the background of the instance involved two gods; for them to condescend to participate personally was nothing more than this, and compared to him, they were even more worthy of being laughed at from beginning to end.

Qi Si curled the corners of his lips imperceptibly and walked silently toward the shadows at the corner of the courtyard.

Zhao Feng, who hadn't found an opportunity to show off earlier, dropped A-Xi, whom he had been holding, and hurried to catch up, offering his opinion: "It seems the Evil God's corpse is in West Village... That group on the forum says the Main God wanders between various instances, acting as a link connecting them. That Black-Robed Taoist is likely an avatar of the Main God."

Then he saw the young man walking in front stop in his tracks, turn back, and offer him an approving smile: "Not bad. Leave your address and phone number; after we leave the instance, I will petition the Guild Leader and consider recruiting you into the guild."

Zhao Feng was stunned for a moment, as things had developed so smoothly that it felt like a dream that would shatter at a single touch.

He had always held himself in high regard, yet for the past few days, he had been obedient to "Chang Xu," nodding and bowing as a lackey—wasn't it all just to be able to join Sariel?

And now, this wish had finally been fulfilled...

"Thank you, Brother Chang!" Zhao Feng thanked him repeatedly, not daring to show the slightest sign of getting carried away, for he knew that the closer one was to success, the more cautious one had to be to prevent failure at the last moment.

Qi Si seemed to enjoy his deference, the smile on his face taking on a hint of pity: "Why must you thank me? I simply saw that your qualities in all aspects were good and wanted to recommend talent to the guild. If you gain the Guild Leader's appreciation in the future, I might even need you to pull some strings for me."

Pull strings? It would be a miracle if I didn't trip you up...

Zhao Feng recalled the past events and couldn't help but sneer in his heart, though the deference on his face became even more sincere.

He watched as Qi Si, seemingly unaware, even placed his hands on the sides of his neck to straighten his collar as a gesture of intimacy; he found it all the more ironic, while secretly resolving to retaliate once he made it big.

However, the next second, he felt a sharp, knife-like pain explode at the back of his neck, and warm liquid sprayed out, trickling down his spine.

He saw the black-haired youth leisurely put away the blood-stained blade in his hand, smiling with his eyes curved into crescents: "Sorry, you're already useless. And I discovered that my tolerance for sloppy people is a bit low..."

He opened his mouth wide, wanting to curse, but could only emit a "ho-ho" sound like a wheezing bellows.

Memories of the past few decades ruminated in his mind—there were swindles, there were murders and arsons. He had imagined countless ways to die, but he had never thought he would die so carelessly at the hands of a weak-looking pretty boy, dying by a small blade...

His strength drained away rapidly, and Zhao Feng collapsed to the ground, able only to glare at the murderer before him with eyes wide in disbelief, wanting to etch the latter's appearance into his mind.

"Remember, the person who killed you is named Chang Xu. If you want revenge, don't find the wrong person... Though, dying in the game, you probably won't have the chance to become a vengeful spirit, right? It seems I can only wish you good luck in your next life."

Qi Si felt perfectly justified in pinning the blame on the real Chang Xu, who was also a victim. He believed that even if he reached the underworld, that young police officer would likely be quite capable and could teach Zhao Feng a lesson.

He watched Zhao Feng's gaze, which was almost spitting fire, and waited quietly for him to breathe his last, then bent down to rummage through his pockets for the cross-shaped item.

Upon seeing the note in the item description stating [This item is bound and cannot be transferred], Qi Si lost interest and tossed the cross back onto Zhao Feng's body, then dragged the corpse away to scout for a hiding spot.

The temperature in the Ancestral Hall grew lower and lower, and the eerie, terrifying atmosphere permeated the air like threads of silk. Even Zhu Ling shivered after scouting the area.

"Sister Zhu, I'm so scared, let's go quickly..." Zhou Yilin seized the opportunity to hug Zhu Ling's arm, pleading in a low voice.

As if thinking of something, she looked at the skeleton and the Rusted Pu Saber on the ground: "Should we take Brother Yang with us?"

Zhu Ling's eyelid twitched, and she shook her head: "Forget it, let Brother Yang rest in peace. With his saber guarding this place, those ghosts won't dare to do anything to his remains..."

She wasn't very confident in the follow-up words herself, and her voice trailed off. However, thinking that she hadn't greedily taken the deceased's belongings, she felt righteous again.

Although she had been forced into this zero-sum game and had even indirectly caused Yang Yundong's death, she wasn't a bad person at heart, and she hadn't intended to harm anyone... Once she returned to reality, she would remember to burn a few sticks of incense for Yang Yundong.

Zhou Yilin didn't seem to notice Zhu Ling's internal struggle at all, nodding repeatedly as if convinced: "Mm-hmm, Sister Zhu, let's go back quickly!"

This girl was so timid; she probably wouldn't last long in the Eerie Game. Zhu Ling sighed inwardly, though her face showed no signs of it.

She patted the shoulder of Zhang Licai, who was still slumped on the ground questioning his life, said "Let's go," and then took Zhou Yilin's arm, walking quickly out of the Ancestral Hall toward Granny Su's house.

Inside the Ancestral Hall, Zhang Licai sat alone in a daze. Another quarter of an hour passed before he woke as if from a dream, looking left and right.

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

[Name: Rusted Pu Saber]

[Type: Item]

[Effect: Deter ghosts]

[Note: This is a saber that has killed many people, yet its previous owner used it for protection. Even at the moment of his death, he did not turn the blade toward his own kind. "So he died." A certain Evil God felt regretful but not apologetic about this.]

Zhang Licai scanned the refreshed prompt at a glance and subconsciously rubbed his smooth, bald head: "Brother Yang, rest in peace. I will help you bring your belongings out of the instance."

He slung the saber over his back, stood up, stepped out of the Ancestral Hall, and walked back along the path he had come.

There was plenty of rustling in the wind along the way, and Zhang Licai scared himself half to death, looking over his shoulder constantly; the short distance took him a full half-hour to walk.

By the time he finally returned to Granny Su's residence, Qi Si had already finished bathing, changed into clean clothes, and was walking out of the woodshed with wet hair.

Zhang Licai watched Qi Si combing his hair and couldn't help but grumble to himself: The world is going to the dogs, morals are decaying—how is this grown man more fastidious than a young girl?

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

"Where is Zhao Feng?" Zhang Licai asked.

"He probably went back to his room," Qi Si said, tucking a few strands of bangs behind his ear with an uncertain expression. "He told me he wanted to go back and rest for a while, so I went to wash up by myself."

Zhang Licai didn't suspect a thing and went straight to push open the door to their room.

As soon as the door opened, a thick, pungent scent of blood rushed out to meet him, delivering an unsettling warning.

Zhang Licai didn't react in time and walked brazenly into the room, but after seeing the situation inside, his entire body stiffened in place.

There, in the center of the floor, sat a blood-stained wooden bucket. A person whose limbs were twisted to a degree impossible for a living human was curled up inside, with only a head—eyes wide and staring—protruding from the top, fixed firmly on the doorway.

It was Zhao Feng!

Zhang Licai let out a loud cry and collapsed onto the floor.

Hearing the noise, Qi Si walked over. Seeming equally horrified by Zhao Feng's miserable state, the mask of composure he had maintained for so long finally showed cracks.

He stepped forward with a grim face, wrapped a corner of the bedsheet around his hand, and then skillfully examined the remains.

As the cut on the corpse's neck was revealed, he drew a sharp, timely breath: "It wasn't a ghost, it was a person... Zhao Feng was murdered..."

Zhu Ling and Zhou Yilin were also startled by the commotion and walked over, supporting each other.

Zhu Ling glanced at the bucket from a distance, then looked at Qi Si with a dark expression: "Did you kill Zhao Feng?"

Qi Si let out a cold laugh: "To be so impatient to splash dirty water on me... I don't know which of you killed him, but don't you find it ridiculous to tell such a lie?"

The grief in his eyes was incredibly genuine, and his words were spoken through gritted teeth. Zhu Ling wavered slightly, doubting her own judgment for a split second.

But she quickly realized the danger and hurriedly signaled to Zhou Yilin, saying sharply: "Yilin and I have been together the whole time, how could we have had the chance to kill anyone?"

Zhou Yilin, however, seemed not to see the hint; she was trembling uncontrollably, staring down at a spot on the floor, lips pressed shut without saying a word.

As the atmosphere stagnated, Granny Su stood by the dining table and shouted at an inappropriate time: "Dinner is ready, come and eat!"

Having just witnessed a crime scene, no one had the appetite to eat except for Qi Si. But the players still sat at the table in silence and ate in silence.

After shoving a few mouthfuls down and pinching their noses to force the God Meat into their mouths, the four remaining survivors left the table one by one.

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

On the other side, Zhang Licai stood at his own doorway, dazed.

He had been roommates with Zhao Feng for two days, after all. Although he held a condemnatory attitude toward Zhao Feng killing Yang Yundong based on his own moral code, he hadn't intended to burn bridges.

Just on the way here, he had been simulating the best attitude to adopt when dealing with Zhao Feng.

He hadn't expected Zhao Feng to just die, dying in such an inexplicable way.

Zhang Licai felt no sense of "justice served." On the contrary, he felt a chill running down his back, as if a Sword of Damocles were hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

While he was lost in thought, he heard Qi Si's voice behind him: "You can't stay in this room anymore, come to mine."

Zhang Licai's first reaction was that it couldn't be Qi Si who was the killer; after all, anyone with eyes could see that Zhao Feng followed Qi Si's lead.

What benefit would Qi Si gain from killing Zhao Feng?

He didn't think too much more and immediately nodded in agreement.

He didn't want to stay in a room where someone had died for even a second longer.

Qi Si led the way, stopped in front of his door, and let Zhang Licai in before crossing the threshold himself and bolting the door.

Hearing the sound of the lock, Zhang Licai's heart skipped a beat. He turned around in a panic, only to see Qi Si leaning nonchalantly against the door panel, speaking in a leisurely tone: "I killed Zhao Feng."

"Ah?"

The murderer had just exposed himself—what was this game?

Following common sense, now that it had reached this point, was he going to be silenced next?

Zhang Licai's mind went blank, his legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed by the bed: "You... I... I don't know anything!"

Qi Si had never intended to hide a fact that was obvious to anyone with eyes; the clumsy performance earlier had merely been to satisfy Zhou Yilin's request to set a trap specifically for Zhu Ling.

Looking at Zhang Licai, who was on the verge of fainting, he smiled reassuringly: "What are you thinking? If I really wanted to kill you, you'd already be a corpse."

Zhang Licai swallowed hard, his legs still shaking: "Do... do you have any instructions?"

Qi Si patted him on the shoulder and sighed: "No need to be so afraid. Actually, you and I have no direct conflict of interest. I just wanted to sit down and talk to you, to lay out the facts and the stakes."

"Zhu Ling wanted to harm Yang Yundong and ordered Zhou Yilin to tamper with his clues; Zhou Yilin and Zhu Ling have a private feud and are looking for a way to strike back while pretending to cooperate. I am a pragmatist; to gain the greatest advantage, I can kill anyone without hesitation."

"Once a dispute breaks out, no one can sit outside the whirlpool. And as you should have seen, I have reached a cooperation with Zhou Yilin, and we intend to join forces to deal with Zhu Ling. I am curious, in such a situation, which side you will choose to join."

Zhang Licai's chubby face was as pale as a bloated steamed bun, and not just because of Qi Si's shocking words.

He wasn't entirely unaware of the undercurrents beneath the facade of peace; he was simply accustomed to playing dumb, acting as a "good guy" who smoothed things over, waiting to follow the winner once the outcome was clear.

But now, he was forced to pick a side, no longer able to remain a bystander...

The advantage of Qi Si and Zhou Yilin was certainly obvious, but what if? Why couldn't he just continue to play dumb and clear the game in ignorance?

Qi Si saw the hesitation in Zhang Licai and smiled as he pulled a blade from his wristband, pressing it into the latter's right palm. "Of course, you could also try to kill me. That way, the forces of Zhou Yilin and Zhu Ling would be balanced, and you would become the final weight that tips the scales."

He grabbed Zhang Licai's right hand and placed it against his own neck, coaxing him gently. "Just a single downward slide, a spray of blood, and you will transform from a pawn at the mercy of others into the king who decides the outcome. Whoever you choose will be the winner."

Zhang Licai's breathing grew ragged, his right hand trembling slightly as the blade carved a thin line of blood across the young man's fair neck.

Crimson beads of blood seeped into the shirt, blooming like pale pink clouds and adding a touch of sinister allure.

The black-haired youth suddenly lowered his eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "It's just a pity that I already have a lead on the mystery of this instance. If I were to die halfway through, I would..."

He cut himself off, and Zhang Licai pressed, "What would happen?"

"Nothing much, really." Qi Si curled his lips into a smile brimming with malice. "If I were truly going to die, I would make sure to destroy the key clues before I go."

"At that point, no one will be able to clear this via the standard route."