Chapter 109
That hits the nail on the head. For example, if there are two followers, one a veteran player and the other a new player, the veteran player might find teammates, but he would also be exposed, which would be even more dangerous.
The fierce man hesitated for a moment, still wanting to take action forcefully, but at this moment, all the veteran players looked over and expressed their attitude with their eyes.
Damn, none of these people are exposed.
Pan Zi wasn't stupid, nor did he intend to start an internal conflict. After a rough analysis, he roughly understood:
Of the four roles, the Judge poses the greatest threat, and since no teammate is afraid of revealing their identity, one's actions are most advantageous to them.
But just now he deliberately tested them, then observed intently, and none of the veteran players hesitated. Who exactly is the Judge?
"You guys really enjoy riddles?"
"Forget it. Forcing it will only prove that you're the Judge, since only this identity is safe from being exposed," Moon Bow continued.
"Tsk, if you think I'm that stupid, then go ahead and guess." The man scoffed, but still put the prop away.
The atmosphere became awkward again. Because no one knew the hints from the other players, no one dared to raise their hand to identify themselves and call for teammates, for they would become prey regardless of whether they were genuine or not.
She's quite a smart woman, most likely an Undercover. Does this mean she's not smart enough, or is she deliberately revealing something to find another 'Undercover'?
Yuki watched coldly. The girl's initiative to confront Pan Zi had already revealed certain characteristics. Judging from her silence after joining the game, she must have known the risks, but had no choice but to do so.
The instance has just begun, and the players are already divided. At this point, there's no need to play the good guy or engage in psychological warfare; just wait quietly.
Players are tied to the storyline, so as the game progresses, the player with the weakest intelligence and combat skills will be exposed first and then eliminated.
Clang, clang, clang.
As the last few chimes ceased, the town indeed changed. First, the residents slowly gathered in the square, then the church doors slowly opened, and some figures walked out.
It looked somewhat like a Christian ceremony. Several people in magnificent plate armor led the way, carrying halberds. They walked slowly, pausing briefly at each step, exuding an aura of authority.
Then came a group of clergymen dressed in gray, purple, and white robes, holding strange statues in their hands.
The statues, cast in gold, depict human figures with bull heads, fish bodies with horse faces, or even resemble large clumps of maggots, their twisted and bizarre forms creating a jarring contrast with the ornately dressed and solemn-faced clergy.
"It's them. Even though the clothes are different, it's definitely them."
Yuki overheard Hua Yin muttering to herself, guessing that the newcomer was being chased by these clergymen, but he had no time to care.
What to do?
[Judge's Tip 4: The evil god sees you as a thorn in his side; do not harbor any illusions.]
This is clearly some kind of religious ceremony. Those statues are definitely not postmodern art. If they lock me in later, I'm doomed.
But he can't run away, because the other players aren't stupid either; they're all watching each other.
The Judge knew immediately that he was opposing the evil god, and running away at this point would definitely expose his identity.
He grew increasingly anxious, but he still watched the spectacle with the curiosity of the crowd, noticing that the square was growing larger and larger.
The fact that people in the town will gather in the square at noon has already become apparent.
The townspeople, young and old, emerged from every alleyway, numbering in the thousands, their numbers like trickling streams slowly converging into a river.
Some people walked with pious expressions, muttering incantations as they went; some looked devout, but their eyes were wandering; some looked doubtful, but were only doing it because of tradition; and some simply looked displeased, feeling that it was a waste of their playtime.
Just like watching the Spring Festival Gala, some people enjoy it, some only watch it to accompany their elders, and others are strictly forbidden by their parents to just scroll through their phones on the side.
'No wonder there's a third clue: not everyone in the town is a believer, but with so many people, how am I supposed to tell them apart?'
Yuki had some experience with weakening others' foundations in the Demon Hospital, but the current situation is completely different.
He has to kill, he has to eliminate them; this can't be done with Comfort Pills. When faced with these people's attacks, how can he have time to discern who is sincere and who is a accomplice?
We can find a solution gradually. The key is that it will be midnight in five minutes, and more and more people are gathering in the square. Once the religious ceremony begins, we will most likely be discovered.
The Living Corpse, demons, evil gods—each one is more difficult to deal with than the last.
Yuki gritted his teeth slightly, but his legs remained rooted to the ground, not moving an inch.
He was waiting, waiting for the 'Undercover' to succumb to the pressure; at least literally, they were also enemies of the town.
Time ticked by, and his heartbeat grew stronger. Yuki stood at the edge of the plaza when suddenly, he felt his arm being gripped.
In a moment of extreme tension, the man nearly drew his knife, but when he turned around, he saw a hunched-over old man with a kind face.
With a smile that radiated goodwill towards everything in the world, he asked with a chuckle, "What are you still standing here for? Come with me to the front; the closer you are to the statue, the more blessings you will receive."
That thing will protect you? Besides, wouldn't I be courting death if I went up there?
Yuki's mind raced, and he noticed that the old man's smile vanished instantly, and his gaze began to wander elsewhere.
He was a little puzzled, but answered decisively, "I just arrived in town and wanted to take a look around first. That doesn't violate any rules, does it?"
"God teaches us to love everyone equally, so of course that doesn't violate the rules." The old man glanced at the other players; after all, their strange attire made them quite conspicuous.
"You are tourists, that is, outsiders, so you don't have to abide by the town's rules. But after accepting God, you can stay. Many of our compatriots have lived here for a long time this way."
The old man had a kind face and a gentle voice, which made him very likable.
"Then how do we become compatriots?" Yuki narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Almost every player was surrounded by townspeople, just like him.
"Going to church and being baptized is the first step. As for the second step, once you are certain that you have surrendered your heart and soul to God, the saint will tell you."
This is such a classic tactic! Surrendering your body and mind to God—does that include your wealth too? Essentially, it's no different from a pyramid scheme.
Yuki finally understood why the hint described it as an 'evil god,' and he noted down this important information, while also breathing a sigh of relief.
Players are tourists and don't need to stay in the square. Moreover, as the number of people increases, the square becomes more and more chaotic, and some people will definitely not be able to resist.
Sure enough, when he bowed to see the old man off and looked up again, he found that some people were gone.
The girl in motorcycle gear, along with the three newcomers, all blended into the crowd and left the square, leaving the remaining five veteran players exchanging glances, each seeing the other's doubts.
Those who leave may be 'Undercover' or 'Judge', or even 'ordinary people' who are disgusted by cults, but those who stay are definitely 'believers'.
'I don't need to do anything; the problem will solve itself.'
Yuki gave a cold smile. He couldn't beat anyone in terms of composure and patience. Who said he had to do the problem himself? Wouldn't it be better to wait for others to solve it first?
Nobody was stupid. Almost simultaneously, all the players retreated in unison, quickly leaving the plaza, except for Yuki, who moved a little slower.
This is a psychological tactic; he also wanted to see the ritual.
Clergymen dressed in colorful robes walked onto the stone platform next to the church, and thousands of people sat on the ground, gathered on the east side of the square. Whether they believed or not, a sound similar to that of a Buddhist chanting ceremony could be heard.
Yuki couldn't understand what they were saying, or rather, the language was something even the Reincarnation Game couldn't translate.
Buzzing.
The murmurs of thousands of people blended together, like countless flies buzzing around, and strangely enough, they brought a sense of peace.
As a tall, thin, and plain-looking middle-aged man dressed in white stepped onto the stone platform, his murmurs suddenly increased by an order of magnitude.
How devout they were!
Yuki sighed, then activated his Demon Eye. He only caught a glimpse of it briefly, and his eyes twitched involuntarily. He quickly closed his eyes, quickened his pace, and fled from the plaza as if running away, never daring to look back.
Under the warm sunlight, how eerie and insane it all seems.
Chapter Four: Those the Bystander Is Blind, While Bystanders See Clearly (5K)
South of the town, rooftop.
Yuki ran all the way to the edge of town, climbed onto a rooftop, and gasped for breath before he could catch his breath.
The constant buzzing of chanting filled the air, making the square feel like a giant noise source, but it wasn't as unsettling as the lamentations from the Demon Hospital.
"But that's because you didn't see the Transcendental Grade scene."
Without the Demon Eye, he would have been completely fooled by the chanting, but the moment he activated his bloodline skill, the world Yuki saw changed.
Thousands of people did indeed sit on the ground, chanting unknown scriptures and praying for divine protection, and then...
Then the gods really did come.
One by one, fat, dark, pus-oozing maggots appeared on the heads of all the townspeople. Some were thick, some were thin. Whether you believed it or not, they opened their blood-red mouths and bit down from above, enveloping the entire person inside.
It looked a bit like a bloodsucking worm clinging to a person's skin, its plump body trembling as it devoured the creature, making him feel a little sorry for the player who drew the 'Cultist' character.
It's fine if you can't see the Transcendental Grade phenomena, but if you could, who would dare have that thing in their mouth? I certainly couldn't stand it.
Yuki grimaced. He had initially treated it as a simple mission, but now he felt a deep disgust for the town. It was utterly repulsive, even more repulsive than the demons in the hospital.
"Then we can't use the Demon Eye casually; we need to find another way."
Disgusting as it was, the matter still needed to be resolved. He only activated his Demon Eye for a moment before noticing the maggots trembling as if in resonance, showing a tendency to 'look' at him. He quickly deactivated it and ran away.
Can't look directly at gods? That thing at full power must be pretty absurd.
The prompt asks why the game allows the killing freak to survive; isn't it simply a way out provided by the game? As for how to achieve that, that's up to the player.
Yuki sat cross-legged, not daring to look at the 'spectacular view' on the other side of the square. He frowned and thought for a long time before coming up with a rough idea.
"The first step is to find a friend, someone who can Undercover. His information should be similar to mine, and he should be able to help."
Having gotten used to working in a team, even without her seniors or others, Yuki didn't think about solving the problem on her own, and she had already found a clue.
"Moon Bow, one of the three newcomers. All four of them could be 'Undercover,' though there's a small chance they're extremely cunning and treacherous, acting contrary to their supposed 'cult' beliefs."
"Very few players can pull off this, because going against the grain requires a necessary option: overwhelming the strength of the other players."
Yuki stroked his chin. If he drew the 'Cultist' card, he would definitely do the same thing: use himself as bait to lure out the other players, and then one-on-one, he could easily defeat anyone below the required experience level in all three dungeons.
With ideas and clues in hand, now it's just a matter of how to execute them. Yuki didn't get bogged down in details; after all, the game doesn't allow players to slack off easily.
"The second step is that our identity must never be revealed, otherwise we will be attacked by the masses."
Yuki glanced at his watch; about an hour had passed. He then got up and saw the crowd dispersing from the square.
Like bursting bubbles, thousands of people retreated into more than a dozen alleyways. Everyone seemed to be familiar with this ritual; after reciting the scriptures, they went home and did whatever they needed to do.
Yuki waited a while longer before slowly climbing down the stairs, intending to test the three newcomers. But as soon as his feet touched the ground, he froze, quickly turning around.
The kind-looking old man in a shirt was standing not far behind him. He was taken aback and smiled gently.
"Sir, what a coincidence, we meet again."
What a load of rubbish! This town is so big, how could you possibly pinpoint my location?
Although joining the Reincarnation Game was full of coincidences, he never believed in luck, and his fingers twitched slightly behind his back.
This is definitely a fanatic. Should we take action against him? No, it's more likely a test, a test that every player must face. I'm not the only one being proselytized in the plaza.
Yuki suppressed his murderous intent and nodded with a smile, "Indeed, it's fate. It must be the gods guiding us."
"That's wonderful! It seems you've already felt divine grace." The old man interlaced his fingers, somewhat impatiently saying, "How about I take you to the church now? The ceremony has just ended; perhaps we'll even see a saint. That would be a tremendous honor."
"Uh, let's not go now."
"Why?"
The old man was stunned. It only took him an instant to go from a kind face to a terrifying one. Even Yuki couldn't help but complain that people could change their expressions so quickly.
Fortunately, sophistry couldn't stump him.
"God is supreme, right? We should have reverence for Him, right?"
"Certainly."
"But some people do not serve wholeheartedly; they do so merely out of a herd mentality."
"Those people will understand someday," the old man said dismissively, knowing full well that not everyone in the town was devout.
"So I can't be that kind of person. I want to understand God, revere God, and then love God. If I can't be wholeheartedly devoted, that would be an insult to Him. Sir, do you think I'm right?"
The old man blinked, his reasoning irrefutable. This wasn't some office worker trying to meet a KPI of recruiting people; as a fanatical believer, he naturally had to be perfect.
"Then I'll go to church with you. The priests will surely explain things clearly." He was very stubborn and showed no intention of letting Yuuki off the Yuki.
I'm afraid you're trying to reason with me in a physical sense. That reasoning is necessary, but not now.
Yuki remained calm and slowly shook his head. "Are there many priests?"
"Not much."
"That's it. If every new believer needs to preach the truth themselves, then who will serve God?"
"Well, that's true. So what do you suggest we do?"
So-called talk therapy is about subtly taking control of the situation.