Chapter 156.1 The Horror Club
Li Nan and Ciao Hua were using an extremely rare acceleration item. No matter what Wen Shi used, he couldn’t catch up to their speed. In his desperation, he activated a full-body transformation and sealed his own aura with Grand Sealing Art. He huddled together with a pile of dark stones.
He had played the role of a stone in a previous instance, so he was familiar with this.
In just two or three breaths, the “City Lord” appeared. With hazy eyes, he scanned every inch of the courtyard. When he passed by a particularly shiny “stone,” the sinister “City Lord” paused for a moment.
The night breeze rustled through, causing the fur to sway gently.
…Normal stones in the courtyard don’t have fur.
The City Lord stared at this scene for a moment, then turned back and re-entered the inner courtyard. He sighed, spitting out blood while wearing a helpless smile.
Spitting blood was a backlash from the rules, punishing him for discovering Wen Shi but not finishing the job. However, this backlash was within manageable limits, especially since Wen Shi had concealed his aura, leaving the possibility of being overlooked.
The City Lord’s footsteps gradually faded, and the stone with fur began to move again. It slowly shifted towards the gate until it was picked up when crossing the threshold.
Xiao Hua rubbed the head of the furry cat. “Are you scared?”
Wen Shi returned Li Nan’s item and gave him a light smack on the arm with his tail, expressing his displeasure. “Remember to give me a heads up next time.”
After these two stirred up trouble and disappeared, Wen Shi immediately understood their intentions. The shadow was originally portrayed as ruthless, but Jian Qingrong’s shadow didn’t seem to fit that description.
So, Li Nan was testing this in his own way.
If it was genuinely just a copy of the original’s dark side, the shadow wouldn’t have let Wen Shi off so easily.
Xiao Hua spoke with a meaningful tone, “It’s not the dark side. What do you think he really is?”
In their hearts, all three of them already had an answer.
Jian Qingrong had the eye of the Lord of Terror, so it was safe to assume that the shadow also had a part of the Lord of Terror.
Li Nan: “Boss Mei doesn’t value monetary transactions, and Golden City holds no value in her eyes. That exorbitant chip should be an organ of the Lord of Terror.”
In other words, the shadow had put itself up as collateral.
“…Boss Mei also mentioned that the bets are a way for the Lord of Terror to leave a backdoor for himself. If, in the game between the Lord of Terror and the game itself, you bet on the game’s victory and it indeed wins, the bets become yours, and even the shadow, turned into a chip, is yours. The Lord of Terror then has a chance to return.”
Wen Shi nodded. “The Lord of Terror is clearly in a passive position in this game. This is the only way to break free.”
Xiao Hua’s smile gradually turned eerie. “The Lord of Terror gave you a slice of himself, and perhaps, inside the shadow, there’s still a trace of his soul. He’s forever losing to you. Isn’t that romantic enough?”
“Let’s set aside the rest for now,” Li Nan always focused on the main point. “The quest has provided enough hints on whom to bet on. The fact that the Lord of Terror left a way out suggests he knows he’ll lose. So, he used the Money Scale to leave a part of himself as a chip. The game knows he’s playing this move, but there’s no way for the game to control the Money Scale.”
After a brief silence, Wen Shi murmured, “It seems like we can place our bets now.”
……
Temple of Doom.
The live streaming room was in a chaotic state, but the viewing experience of those who had placed bets with the Grim Reaper wasn’t affected.
He had a naturally aloof demeanor, wearing a perpetually somber expression that made him seem more ominous at all times.
Wen Shi’s shadow had once come to the Temple of Doom under the advice of the turtlekin. At this moment, the teenager was forced to sit under a statue, reading scriptures, because the Grim Reaper claimed he had too much hostility and needed purification. The teenager really wanted to jab a steel pipe through the Grim Reaper’s windpipe, but his abilities fell short.
A girl sat beside him, reciting scriptures as well, sighing. “Why are we always being controlled?”
The teenager cursed the turtlekin under his breath.
It was evident that the turtlekin had developed an excessive admiration for Wen Shi and intentionally brought him to the Temple of Doom to draw the attention of the Grim Reaper, which would, in turn, take note of the shadow and naturally notify the original.
Outside, there was a water curtain, showing the events unfolding in Golden City. The Grim Reaper muttered to himself, “So, the Lord of Terror was behind this plan all along. No wonder he dared to engage in a game of wits with the Supreme Will when he was weakened to the point of having to go into slumber.”
The Grim Reaper had a scheme in mind.
The Lord of Terror possessed the power of purification, which made them their natural enemy and their most coveted prey.
Since the true spirits had no interest in devouring the Lord of Terror, and it was undeniable that the Lord of Terror was bound to lose this time, why not seize the opportunity to claim a portion of the spoils?
“Since you haven’t killed us, as a friendly reminder,” the teenager smirked, “don’t take the wrong path.”
The Grim Reaper looked towards the temple.
The teenager pointed upwards.
The Grim Reaper said coldly, “The Supreme Will wouldn’t monitor a true spirit’s territory for no reason.”
Once he was sure the game wasn’t listening, the teenager continued, “To hunt down the Lord of Terror, you need a massive alliance of monsters, even with the participation of true spirits. Only by working together does everyone have a chance.”
The Temple of Doom nodded. “That’s correct.”
The teenager raised a finger, “So in this game, the Supreme Will you mentioned only has one opportunity to go all out.”
Boss Mei had mentioned that the outcome of the bet would be known soon, and before they left Golden City, this major battle was very likely to begin.
A dark current seemed to be flowing in the teenager’s eyes. “But what if they mistakenly target the wrong one?” He stood up, gazing at the statue ahead. “I’ve always been curious, how do you typically distinguish between the clone and the original?”
The Grim Reaper was left speechless by this silly question. “Of course, it’s a matter of being immensely powerful…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his expression subtly changed.
The teenager’s tone remained steady, “Clones won’t inherit the emotions of the original. Have you seen Song Yan inheriting the Mirror God’s feelings towards Wen Shi’s foster father?”
But the Lord of Terror’s split eye, brain, and other organs that belonged to the original were excessively emotionally attached to Wen Shi.
The teenager possessed Wen Shi’s memories, allowing him to view things with a more insightful perspective. During the time at the ancient castle, that eye appeared in the sky because Wen Shi took on the quest of deleting a file. Back then, its observation was purely out of curiosity.
“Emotions are the blind spot of the game. It never considers this factor.”
The game analyzed everything from the perspective of self-interest, much like the president of Wangcai Bank.
From its point of view, it had initially selected a player to eliminate the clone, but the clone unexpectedly formed too many bonds with the player. The Lord of Terror seized this opportunity to give the eye and power, then split off a slice to control Golden City. He secretly facilitated the deal between Wen Shi and Boss Mei, which ultimately allowed the slice to be used as chips. This way, even if he lost the big battle, the slice would end up in Wen Shi’s hands. He wouldn’t die.
However, the reality was that the Lord of Terror left all its power with the clone, wiped its own memories, and took its soul into instances to become a mini-boss.
Malice in the world would never truly disappear, as long as there was a continuous supply of negative emotions, the Lord of Terror becoming powerful again was only a matter of time.
“The game has its conditions for this gamble. If the Lord of Terror loses, it’s game over for him. If he wins the game, there will undoubtedly be a price to pay,” the teenager said. “Once this livestream spreads, there will surely be many true spirits rushing out to join the siege against the Lord of Terror. Imagine, in the end, killing a clone is quite amusing.”
The Grim Reaper didn’t find it amusing at all. He squinted his eyes. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose all of this?”
The teenager shook his head. “Other true spirits falling, the game severely weakened, it’s beneficial for you and harmless.”
Lowering his eyes, he fell silent for a moment. The teenager sighed softly, “First move guarantees victory.”
The real first move always belonged to the Lord of Terror, not the game.
The Grim Reaper couldn’t help but look at the water curtain again, where the three individuals had started a lengthy discussion, analyzing how the Lord of Terror was undoubtedly going to lose. This scene was becoming increasingly irritating no matter how one looked at it.
What the shadow could analyze, the original could as well. Clearly, this discussion was pure nonsense.
“Or else, why do you think they suddenly stopped there and kept babbling nonstop?” The teenager sneered. “Three big brains have joined forces to confuse the game.”
Between the lines, it was all about saying that “You had already won.” But the Lord of Terror, knowing he was outmatched, had prepared an escape route. “We all wanted to bet on your victory.” In reality, he dared to guarantee that Wen Shi, that sneaky one, would eventually bet on the Lord of Terror’s victory.
***
I don’t understand a thing except that Xiao Hua is our canon ship captain…..
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