Everyone's mouths fell open in horror.
Many of them had secretly been guessing who the little ghost was that had yet to reveal themselves.
Some guessed Xia Qu, others guessed Lin Zhi. Some even suspected the seemingly easygoing Chen Li.
But no one had expected Lin Jie, who had proposed the guaranteed victory strategy and said he would lead all the humans to victory, to be the little ghost!
Yu Ze's voice trembled. "Rookie King, you're joking, right?"
Zhao Tian also looked incredulous. "Why? You were the one who proposed Humanity's Complete Victory Plan! How could you be the little ghost?"
Xia Qu and Chen Li wore identical expressions, frozen in place, unsure how to react.
Only Lin Zhi kept her head lowered, lost in thought.
Her brother was the little ghost. Lin Zhi had known that from the start.
But Lin Zhi did not understand why her brother had proposed "Humanity's Complete Victory Plan" when he was the little ghost.
She did not understand why her brother had readily accepted being the first to cast in a talisman when it clearly was not a good thing.
Even less did she understand why he had cast in a multicolored talisman now, when the plan called for him to cast in a blue one.
What she understood least was why her brother had voluntarily exposed himself when, as the little ghost, he should have kept himself well hidden.
Lin Zhi's mind raced. Her brother was Lin Jie, a top student at Tsinghua and Peking Universities, an unparalleled phantom thief. He would never do anything that defied reason.
Unless everything was part of his plan.
If she connected all her brother's actions...
Suddenly, she looked up in realization and rushed toward the fire.
She leaped, traced an arc through the air, then landed steadily in front of the fire.
Then she picked up a multicolored talisman and decisively tossed it into the flames.
The fire once again flashed with dazzling colors.
Once she had done all this, she spread her arms and stood in everyone's way, using her body to separate them from the fire.
She moved so fast that the entire process took less than a second.
When the others registered what Lin Zhi had done, they were shocked once again.
"What are you doing?"
"You were supposed to cast in a red talisman!"
Two unexpected things had happened within a few short seconds.
Lin Jie had suddenly declared himself the little ghost, and Lin Zhi had suddenly blocked the fire.
The Lin siblings had both turned against them.
Everyone's brains nearly crashed.
Lin Jie nodded at Lin Zhi approvingly.
"That's my little sister."
Then he spoke, revealing his true plan to everyone.
"Everyone, my earlier Humanity's Certain Victory Plan has already brought all your prize money to the same amount."
"Now, I propose my true plan-"
"The All-Member Coexistence Plan!"
"The previous plan only gave the humans a complete victory, while the little ghost would die a horrible death."
"But this plan is truly perfect. Everyone will survive!"
"If every one of you chooses to cast in a multicolored talisman now, I'll split all ten million yuan of my prize money equally among you after the game ends!"
"Everyone, no one will die!"
Everyone finally understood what Lin Jie was saying.
Yu Ze murmured, "I see. So this is your real plan."
Lin Jie's All-Member Coexistence Plan would make the little ghost the final winner while preserving the lives of all the humans.
Through the first six rounds of the summoning ritual, Lin Jie had given everyone an equal four million yuan in prize money.
If they compromised with Lin Jie now and cast in multicolored talismans, each person would gain another million, bringing everyone to an equal five million yuan in prize money.
Although that prize money would ultimately be forfeited, there was a special rule: the human with the highest prize money would become an accomplice and be exempt from the death penalty.
Lin Jie would win as the little ghost, while all the other humans, whose prize money was identical, would naturally all have the "highest" amount. They could all become accomplices and escape death.
So Lin Jie's current plan was the strategy that would truly save everyone.
Just as he had said, no one would die.
"Please cast in your talismans in the order we agreed on earlier."
"Of course, you can also choose to cast in red or blue talismans. But please think carefully about the consequences."
Everyone had calmed down by now and nodded.
Lin Jie then gave Lin Zhi a meaningful look.
With a serious expression, Lin Zhi shifted half a step aside, clearing the path to the fire.
"Come cast your votes in the agreed order."
Xia Qu was next.
Xia Qu stepped forward silently and stood before the fire, hesitating.
She had only just recovered from the shocking revelation that Lin Jie was the little ghost.
Only now could she calm down and consider her situation.
The plan had been disrupted. Lin Jie and Lin Zhi, who had agreed to cast in red and blue talismans, had now both cast in multicolored ones.
So what kind of talisman should Xia Qu cast in?
To be honest, even though Lin Jie had suddenly betrayed the plan, Xia Qu did not think it mattered much.
Because the goal of his plan had always been to save everyone.
Initially, Humanity's Complete Victory Plan would have allowed all the humans to win. But it would have left the little ghost to die a horrible death.
The current Coexistence Plan would let the little ghost win while exempting all the humans from the death penalty.
Moreover, Lin Jie had already earned everyone's trust. He clearly could have won alone, yet he had still gone to great lengths to arrange the voting, keeping everyone's prize money precisely equal without leaving a single person behind.
Perhaps everyone's thinking had been wrong from the beginning.
The humans and the little ghost were not irreconcilably opposed factions. They could work together.
She looked up toward Lin Jie.
Having just announced the Coexistence Plan, Lin Jie looked every bit a savior against the backdrop of multicolored flames.
For a fleeting moment, she suddenly felt she had seen this before.
She hesitated no longer, picking up a multicolored talisman and tossing it in.
"I'm joining the Coexistence Plan."
Dazzling, colorful flames burst forth as Xia Qu turned and walked away with firm steps.
Lin Jie nodded quietly. "A wise choice."
The next player, Chen Li, stepped forward.
"You little punk, I'm not joining your plan!" Chen Li said angrily.
To be honest, Chen Li had no interest in saving everyone.
He was even furious at Lin Jie's deception.
He wanted nothing to do with Lin Jie's Coexistence Plan.
Coexistence Plan? That sure sounds nice!
All it really means is you, Lin Jie, demanding that all the humans surrender to you, the little ghost!
Under the previous plan, not only would the humans survive, but every one of them would also receive double their lifespan and six million yuan in prize money!
Now, there was less than two million yuan in prize money left, with no lifespan reward.
Why should I?
He decisively picked up a red talisman.
But just as he was about to toss it into the fire, he hesitated.
Was doing this really right?
Chen Li closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly pulled his hand back in fear.
It was not that his conscience had awakened.
Rather, he had finally realized what made Lin Jie terrifying.
[You're perfectly welcome to keep casting in red and blue talismans. But please think carefully about the consequences.]
At that moment, Chen Li finally understood what Lin Jie had meant.
If he cast in a red or blue talisman now, then the person who died might-
Be Chen Li himself.