Chapter 114
The house was dark inside, with no lights on. Occasionally, patrolling townspeople carrying torches would pass by the window, their light illuminating the interior.
The old man stood by the window, staring blankly out the window, but from the inside, it appeared that only half of his body was visible, as if he were wearing an outer garment on a mannequin.
This is just a human skin, while the living room is filled with skinless human torsos, which are like flower pots, haphazardly stuck with limbs.
A Clown stood nearby, admiring the human flowerpot made up of a family of six, holding an exaggeratedly large pair of scissors in his hand.
Click.
A woman's finger fell to the ground. The Clown rested his chin on his hand, admiring it for a few seconds before nodding in satisfaction.
"Hmm, I've got the balance right. It's definitely more liberating in the dungeon. It's a pity I can't let them call out, and I can't prune living things." He circled the plant twice, as if learning gardening, then twirled the scissors between his fingers, so lightly they seemed weightless. Staring at the 'Bonsai,' he called out without turning his head:
"Instead of just appreciating art, I'd rather step out and be praised. I enjoy the feeling of being complimented."
"Who the hell wants to praise you perverts?"
An angry voice came from the ceiling. Pan Zi, wearing a floral shirt, jumped into the living room, stepped onto the soft carpet, and leaped directly to the window.
That's insane! If you're going to kill someone, just kill them. Why go through all this trouble? The carpet is soaked in blood.
He recalled the rumors and frowned, saying, "You perverts, bringing your dungeon habits back to reality? Aren't you afraid of the game's punishment?"
Getting caught doing something so disgusting will result in a level of punishment that most players can't handle; they'll be intentionally wiped out completely.
"I'm used to that kind of punishment, and as long as I don't get caught, the game won't be exposed, so there's no such thing as being wiped out." The Clown didn't turn around and continued pruning the 'Bonsai'. "You're from 'Day,' right? Is your companion the Phantom Thief or Black Sword?"
How did you know?
"Haha, I've worked with some of you before. That kind of pragmatic approach is something most players can't fake, or rather, they're already ready to fight to the death."
"I want to kill you too, you pervert." Pan Zi, having been guessed, didn't hold back his disgust.
"But you still choose to cooperate, regardless of good or evil, and do your best to exploit other people's value. Isn't that the principle of your 'Day'?" The Clown picked up a piece of women's underwear to wipe his hands, then took a deep breath before putting it down, feeling refreshed.
He didn't go to the sofa, but sat directly on the Bonsai, a big smile on his face, and asked in a strange tone, "So you're here to cooperate? Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
What if I say no?
"No?" The Clown was still laughing, raising his index finger and flicking it lightly in front of him.
Bite.
Like striking a string on a musical instrument, a faint beam of blood-red light shot out, and then, as if activating some kind of laser wall, the living room was filled with thin red lines.
Densely packed, enveloping every inch of space, then in a flash, the red lines vanished, as if hidden in the darkness.
Pan Zi's eyes twitched. He moved his arm but didn't touch anything. The spiderweb-like red lines he had just seen seemed like an illusion.
Extremely dangerous, damn it, that organization is full of lunatics and psychopaths!
If he hadn't known that the two sides also collaborated in real life, he would never have dared to come, and he also gave his teammates a thorough dressing down.
Why should I have to deal with this lunatic?
Despite his complaints, he knew that if he didn't resolve the matter, it would be difficult to extricate himself, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"We've drawn the 'ordinary person' option, and we can freely choose between good and evil as instructed. So let's cooperate. I brought an item for signing a contract, which can only be used once, and it's perfect for you."
He took out a fountain pen; only a few drops of ink remained, enough to write about two lines.
The Clown ignored him, carefully cleaning his blood-red nails, and casually asked, "You're really unhappy with me, so why force yourself? You might as well find someone else."
"You're a pervert, but they might be even more perverted than you," the man replied without hesitation, then, seeing the Clown's comical smile, he raised his hands as if in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you the truth. We both have guarantors, so even if you're crazy and a freak, you're at least somewhat reliable."
Yes, in the Reincarnation Game, there is no such thing as good or evil; what matters is reliability. At least the two sides cooperate in reality. If they really want to turn against each other, they should think twice. They are much more reliable than a pushover or a saint.
The coldest kind of interest.
The Clown nodded slightly, enjoying the feeling of being both hated and needed. Seeing Pan Zi take out the contract item after letting out a long sigh of relief, he reached out and stopped him.
"Don't use this kind of thing. I hate feeling restricted, and I don't want to play word games with you."
Pan Zi immediately narrowed his eyes. How could he trust this madman without using a contract item?
"Don't look at me like that, okay? Let's sign a contract that requires me to tell the truth, alright?"
"Okay." The man didn't want to test the madman's patience, so he nodded gently.
Both parties quickly wrote down their names, and the content was very simple: it was limited to matters related to this instance mission, and both parties had to tell the truth.
Before Pan Zi could even ask a question, the Clown spoke up.
"That's right, I am a 'religious follower,' and do you know why I create human Bonsai?"
Pan Zi turned his head to look at the large, bloody mass of abstract art, his lips moved, but he ultimately shook his head blankly.
"Being a believer is perfect for me. You can probably guess that the more fanatical a believer is, the better, and there's one crucial point to remember."
"Every so often, players must find a way to please the gods, and this—"
He suddenly stood up, his face, covered in paint, filled with piety, and bowed with his hand on his chest towards the direction of the church:
"This is the highest honor I offer to God."
Chapter Nine: How to Use Undercover (6K)
Yuki stood by the window, pulling back the curtains a crack to peek outside.
Mugetsu in the sky, and no streetlights in the town at night, but the roads were not dark. Groups of townspeople could be seen patrolling back and forth, carrying various weapons and torches.
The story has begun. The hospitable residents of Yadu Town are searching tirelessly for outsiders, leaving behind a trail of orderly footsteps.
So that's what 'passion wanes' means.
[Tip 3: As night falls and the excitement subsides, please refrain from wandering around the town.]
During the day, no matter where the player goes, they cannot escape the enthusiastic gaze of the residents, as if they have precise location tracking. But things change at night.
They stayed in the room for a full two hours. In the middle of the time, someone knocked on the door. Yuki was all ready to fight, but to his surprise, the person knocked for several minutes without answering and then turned and left.
Phew, is this a chance to catch my breath in the game?
The difficulty level is still within normal limits. Without this respite, Yadu Town would be even more terrifying than Crimson Moon City, almost impossible to escape the enemy's sight, and even an iron man would be worn down to death.
After drawing the curtains, Yuki thought for a moment and made a summary of the next stage.
First, the townspeople's fighting ability is not bad, but fewer than ten people pose no threat to him. They probably have fighting ability ranging from 'excellent' to 'Limit human,' which is a whole level below his own.
But this is meaningless; Yuki's enemies have never been ordinary townspeople.
'Those people in the church are definitely the elite soldiers and the boss; as for the mastermind, it must be the evil god, since the maggots seen by the Demon Eye are the true form.'
The townspeople's condition was somewhat similar to his Demon Possession; they were ordinary people, but their terrifying physical abilities were more like divine possession.
Secondly, some players have already taken action and are Killing Spree.
He noticed the townspeople's movements; they were basically searching house to house. And because of his presence, Rick and the others were not exposed, which proved that murders had been discovered in other houses.
'Strange, there are nine players in total. We've identified two Undercover (Moon Bow and Rick), one ordinary person (Hua Yin), and besides myself as the Judge, there are three cultists and two ordinary people.'
According to Pinto, ordinary people can join a faction according to their own wishes, so it is also possible that it is an 'ordinary person' who is hunting.
You're even braver than me? Aren't you afraid of becoming the target of public criticism?
Yuki tilted his head slightly and glanced at Pinto, who was sleeping not far away. The most important thing now was to figure out the 'cultists' hints, or at least know what they wanted to do.
"It's relatively safe here, enough for us to stay until morning." Yuki returned to the living room, where Moon Bow and Rick leaned back on the sofa to rest, but couldn't fall asleep at all.
Yuki gave them a strange feeling, both dangerous and mysterious. Underneath his gas mask, they had no idea what he was thinking.
"We can only stay until morning. Tip three said not to wander around town at night," the girl reminded them, then, noticing they were being looked at, quickly added, "Anyway, I'm not going out, absolutely not."
You little punks, when did I ever ask you to be cannon fodder for scouting?
Yuki could see right through her thinking. He put pressure on her, but he wasn't prepared to sacrifice anyone else. Nobody's a fool.
"Relax, at least I don't have any hostility towards you right now." Yuki shrugged slightly, then pointed to the girl's head. "By the way, aren't you stuffy wearing a helmet the whole time?"
"I'm sorry, I don't want to reveal my identity." The girl exuded a chilling indifference.
"It seems you're quite famous in the real world, and you're afraid people will find out what you look like."
"You can guess whatever you want, but this is my bottom line."
Rick looked back and forth, genuinely worried for his companion. It was fine to be a little cowardly now, but if they angered this guy, things would get really troublesome.
But Yuki, his senior had been extremely wary of him, and he had observed that this girl was a complete novice, her power system not yet fully developed.
In addition, there has been a psychological change, but the temper of reality still remains.
That's true. If you're a bit lucky, even beginner dungeons won't drastically change your personality. After all, the Bloodthirsty Red Moon is a low-probability event.
'Let's not dwell on Rick's mistakes, he's a newbie. Moon Bow can be sidelined; he can get a B or C rank and come back later. If I hadn't shown up, those three would definitely have split up and run away, and the girl would have the best chance of survival.'
Yuki's gaze made one feel somewhat guilty, as if he couldn't hide any secrets.
He slightly lifted his gas mask and immediately felt curious gazes, but instead pulled out a can of cola.
Clatter
Bubbles rose and Yuki took a comfortable sip and crossed his legs.
"Rick, you have too much of Justice and care too much about your teammates. It's easy for you to get yourself into trouble."
Are you teaching me how to do things? Well, you certainly have the right to.
"Well, I'm a cop, after all, and isn't it wrong to do this?" Rick leaned forward, not at all averse to it, which clearly eased the tension.
"Very good, but it's not appropriate for the current situation, especially since this instance is not conducive to organizing player teams."
"There's no way around it. Protecting the weak and uniting with comrades is my life motto, and I can't change it overnight." Rick scratched his head and said with a slightly serious expression, "Besides, since joining the game, I've been thinking about one thing: what are players fighting so hard to live for? If they even lose their principles as human beings, wouldn't they be wiped out by the Reincarnation Game?"
That's quite impressive; it's amazing that they could think of something like that.
Yuki was also somewhat surprised. He had thought about the same thing, but that was a 'reminder' from his senior and Hayasaka Ai, and it happened after the Bloodthirsty Red Moon.
An idealist? That's given me a new perspective.
This guy is such an idiot. Was he trying to build rapport by rambling on and on? Didn't he even subtly plant a trap in his words?
The girl also glanced sideways. She had been silently observing Yuki's movements and noticed that the man was very relaxed and composed, so she relaxed a little as well.
Being targeted by two veteran players, Rick immediately felt guilty and quickly waved his hands, saying, "Uh, I didn't mean to teach you how to do things, it was just my own idea."
"Don't be nervous. Every player has their own goals and principles when they enter the game. Survival instinct is just the most basic level, but most newbies don't really understand it." Yuki didn't mean to reprimand the other person.
He was the same. Bloodthirsty Red Moon was such a hell, but Yuki maintained his principles and didn't sell out his senior and Hayasaka Ai.
"This is both a good thing and a bad thing. I'd like to see if you can stick to it."
"I'll try my best," Rick said confidently, leaving Yuki somewhat speechless.
I'm not praising you. Idealists aren't uncommon in Reincarnation Game, but most of the survivors are selfish. That Tyrant is only half one.
However, this straightforward personality is quite endearing. Yuki doesn't consider himself a masochist; who likes a scheming old fox?
After some conversation, the two seemed less distant than before, and at least they had a deeper understanding of each other.
"Whatever you two are after, you have to survive this dungeon first." Yuki slammed the empty Coke can on the table, his tone resolute. "And if you want to survive, you'll have to rely on me. Any other objections?"
Neither the girl nor Rick spoke; this statement, though seemingly self-aggrandizing, was actually undeniable.
Once an undercover Undercover is exposed, they are no longer Undercover. In Yadu Town, apart from the two remaining 'ordinary people' and the 'Judge,' almost everyone is an enemy, and surrendering is impossible.
"If I'm not mistaken, you two probably want to survive the remaining forty hours by remaining invisible, but the Reincarnation Game won't let you survive that long, Moon Bow, you should know that."
The girl nodded slightly. The Reincarnation Game cannot tolerate players slacking off; even surviving requires effort.
[Undercover Tip 5: The Church will do everything in its power to find and kill you. Please be careful.]
This hint was crucial; she had been racking her brains for ages without any clue.
"Since we can't hide it anymore, let's fight to the death. I won't let you slack off. If we're going to make a move, we're going to seek a return."
"So you really wanted to use us," the girl blurted out.
"It's a mutual exploitation. You need to live, and I need to repay you. It's that simple."
"So you really Judge?"
"That's not important. You've been observing for so long, you should have your answer by now. My stance is against the church, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I don't need to emphasize that, do I?"
This rational explanation suited the girl's taste, and she nodded again. Whether Yuki was Judge or not, he was an enemy of Yadu Town, and that was enough.