Chapter 390: Old Zhang, Do You Dare to Gamble? |
As it turned out, when confronting immense horror, no backup plan was more effective than simply getting the hell out.
The instant Cheng Shi laid eyes on Gou Feng, the terror suddenly didn't feel so overwhelming anymore.
He scanned his surroundings and noticed that Squinty Eyes' body seemed different from how he'd left it. The discovery sent a wave of relief coursing through his taut nerves.
'That Zhang Steady truly isn't dead!'
'I knew it — a Chosen One of Death had to have some tricks up his sleeve. Otherwise, he'd disgrace that great one's title.'
But why were Scorpio and Gao Ya both missing?
The little assassin had almost certainly chased after him. And the Soloist?
Scared off?
No — that couldn't be. She shouldn't have the guts to run.
"The Gravekeeper resurrected using the Soloist's body. He's already gone looking for you."
"?"
'Squinty Zhang used Gao Ya as a host body to come back?'
'Doesn't that mean he's now...'
'Tch. Does this count as "beggars can't be choosers"?'
The terror that had gripped Cheng Shi evaporated entirely upon hearing this news. He looked at Squinty Eyes' corpse and shook his head with an amused laugh.
'Oh well — dead is dead, I suppose. And with two helpers on the way, this gamble might not be lost after all.'
Cheng Shi thought for a moment, said "Thank you" to Gou Feng, and vanished once more.
When he reappeared in the cell where Turadin had died, the previously empty room now held two additional figures.
The Another Day Assassin, Scorpio — and the cuckoo-nesting Gao Ya–edition Zhang Jizu.
Zhang Jizu showed no surprise at Cheng Shi's sudden arrival. He was already crouched beside Turadin, conducting an "autopsy" with practiced ease — a sight that reminded Cheng Shi of something he'd once said: "The cemetery's livelier at night."
"..."
'Bro, your nerve is something else.'
Scorpio's face was sheet-white as he rushed over. "Brother Cheng, are you okay?"
He'd clearly been scared witless too.
'As long as I'm not the only one who was terrified, it doesn't count as embarrassing.'
Traces of lingering fright still clung to Cheng Shi's face. He broke into a smile, wiped his face clear, and clapped Scorpio on the shoulder with genuine satisfaction. "I wasn't wrong about you. Kid's got a future."
Then he walked straight over to Zhang Jizu and grumbled:
"Squinty Zhang, next time you resurrect, can you do it faster? You scared me half to death — I was this close to going to explain to that great one that your death had nothing to do with me!"
Zhang Jizu's narrow eyes crinkled with amusement. "You didn't look 'worried' — more like 'terrified.' Before we climbed in, we heard someone screaming profanity. That was you, wasn't it?"
He had to admit — Gao Ya's face looked better with squinted eyes than with wide ones. But knowing Zhang Jizu's soul was operating it from the inside made the whole thing profoundly weird.
"How'd you think of using the Soloist's body for resurrection? Did you kill her?"
"I didn't kill her. I merely suppressed her consciousness temporarily — a form of parasitism.
I have many resurrection methods. Unfortunately, our curious Folly teammate was the first to trigger the one most disadvantageous to her. I was short on time, so I had no choice but to inconvenience her.
Also, stop changing the subject. We were talking about the screaming."
"..."
'I have many resurrection methods...'
'Listen to that — does that sound like normal human vocabulary?'
'So the reason low-tier players die so easily is because you've hoarded all the resurrection techniques?'
'You know, Zhang Steady, you don't exactly seem like a good person either.'
Cheng Shi pursed his lips and selectively went deaf: "What? Bad signal. Say again?"
"..." Zhang Jizu side-eyed him but didn't stop. Instead, he continued tearing down the facade: "I said someone got scared off by an unborn baby."
"How come your soul's in the Soloist's body and your words already smell like Folly..." Cheng Shi muttered under his breath, then dramatically cupped his ear and put on a dead-signal act. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"
Seeing his shameless, unbothered attitude, Zhang Jizu shook his head with a laugh and steered back on track.
"It's not dead yet."
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. His expression snapped to serious. "I know — I noticed too!"
"Oh? Suddenly the signal's crystal clear?"
Zhang Jizu turned to Cheng Shi with a teasing smirk. Cheng Shi's face locked up.
"Joking aside.
It truly isn't dead yet. But it's close.
I can feel its condition deteriorating. It's struggling unconsciously, trying to latch onto anything that could help it be born. But it's futile. I've tried — Aph Ros's belly is no longer ordinary flesh. The scalpel can't cut through it.
What we're dealing with now isn't delivering a normal child. It's delivering an extraordinary monstrosity!
I can roughly guess — it probably is the life the trial spoke of, the one that should not have been born. As for why this life came about through our hands...
Maybe you should ask yourself that, Cheng Shi."
Cheng Shi gave an awkward laugh, unsure how to respond. But soon he sighed and asked with all seriousness:
"So, in your opinion, this child...
should we save it, or not?"
The question was posed as if seeking advice. But the moment Cheng Shi asked, Zhang Jizu already knew the answer.
He wanted to save it. After all, they'd worked this hard for days specifically to win the trial.
Honestly, at Zhang Jizu's tier, plenty of people clung to obsessions of every variety. But someone who worked this tirelessly just to beat a single trial...
That was rare.
After all, points were arguably the easiest resource to accumulate in this Faith Game. Play casually and they'd pile up. There was no need to take things this seriously.
He studied Cheng Shi's eyes, reflected for a moment, then spoke deliberately:
"Know how I died? My vitality got drained completely.
Whatever's inside Aph Ros's belly is dangerous. It's no longer the fake Holy Infant we planned to manufacture. It's become a terrifying monstrosity.
As for what kind of monstrosity, whether it belongs to Corruption or still worships Birth — none of that is clear yet.
All I can infer from my own death is that Aph Ros, as the mother, simply couldn't provide the energy required for its birth. That's why it ended up like this — trying to 'break out' on its own."
Zhang Jizu pointed at the grotesquely misshapen belly of the corpse, his expression grave.
"But it absorbed too little vitality. Not enough to shatter the flesh prison that nurtured it!
Cheng Shi, if you want to save it, you'll need to supply massive amounts of vitality. That kind of vitality isn't easy to come by — unless you have..."
"Prosperity divinity?" Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Unless you have Prosperity divinity.
And don't look at me like that — I do have some Prosperity divinity sealed inside me."
Zhang Jizu smiled and extracted a wisp of emerald light from within himself.
"I once considered drawing closer to that deity, so I collected some. But judging by how fast I just died, the divinity I carry probably won't be enough to sate the monster in that belly.
It's already transcended the category of ordinary life. I can't be certain what kind of havoc this life form will cause once it's born.
But — if you want to save it, or rather, deliver it — it's not impossible.
If you can produce Prosperity divinity comparable to what I've sealed away, the two combined might let me attempt it.
But it's only an attempt. I make no guarantees."
Listening to Squinty Eyes' sincere, heartfelt counsel, Cheng Shi broke into a happy smile.
He could see Zhang Jizu's dilemma. At this tier, risking enormous danger for a few points — and on top of that, sacrificing a large quantity of Prosperity divinity to deliver an unclassifiable child — was objectively foolish.
To put it bluntly: pure idiocy.
So he didn't blame Zhang Jizu for the diplomatic wording. The message was crystal clear — he was advising Cheng Shi to give up.
But he was also genuinely a stand-up brother. He was at least willing to contribute half his Prosperity divinity for Cheng Shi's stubbornness. What he didn't know was that Cheng Shi's "Vitality" authority might be able to save this child directly, with no divinity sacrifice necessary.
So for Cheng Shi, the method of rescue wasn't the problem. The problem was whether there would be risk afterward.
If there wasn't, then delivering the child and clearing the trial — he couldn't call it a massive win, but at least he'd break even.
But if the situation spiraled after the delivery and put him and Old Zhang in danger again, that would truly be losing the wife and the army.
Cheng Shi could accept taking a small loss himself. What he couldn't accept was dragging a generous brother along for the ride.
He frowned in contemplation, weighed the scales several times over, and finally devised a comparatively safe plan.
"I might have a way to save this child. But the situation we're facing is too complex. I need help. Old Zhang — do you dare to gamble with me?"
Zhang Jizu's eyes shot wide open, then narrowed to slits. He asked in disbelief:
"You're confident? You have a safer method than just pumping in Prosperity divinity?"
The matter of the Vitality authority wasn't something he couldn't tell Old Zhang, but now wasn't the right moment. So Cheng Shi rephrased. Seeing Squinty Eyes stunned by his response, he shook his head, then nodded.
"I have a method. But no guarantees.
I can supply the vitality this child is missing. But I can't be certain that delivering it won't trigger an even greater danger — a danger possibly worse than the instant death you just experienced.
So—
Old Zhang... do you dare to gamble?"
...