Chapter 515: Follow — or Not? |
"GYAAAH—
"You know that bitch!?"
Gongyang Jiao was furious. He'd assumed this was a warrior's duel — only to discover mid-fight that this man actually knew Poison.
Cheng Shi snorted. 'The intimidation factor was well established. No need to keep playing with Mr. Ram.'
He raised an eyebrow and grinned: "Indeed, I do know your mother."
Without waiting for Gongyang Jiao to react — BOOM — he dispatched him the same way he'd dispatched Jiang Chi.
Of course, Gongyang Jiao had one advantage over Jiang Chi: he could parasitize through fear. So Cheng Shi knew the Screaming Earl wasn't truly dead — he'd seized the moment to slip into the ring. But no matter. This time, Cheng Shi wouldn't have a brain twitch and resurrect his employee.
What he needed was an employee who was dead... beyond dead.
Watching another thunderbolt claim another teammate, the remaining three wore grave expressions.
She wanted a powerful partner — but not one this powerful.
Less than half an hour in, Cheng Shi had whittled six players down to four. That might make sense in a fish pond match, but in a peak-tier game? Something was deeply wrong.
Everyone looked at Cheng Shi strangely. Cheng Shi couldn't care less. He'd already seen through every angle — knew exactly what each person wanted. Seeing his three remaining teammates standing frozen in the blizzard like statues, he smiled and called out to Da Yi:
"Relax. The mission hit a snag. I'm handling it."
Then he turned to Poison with a smirk: "You scared too?"
Poison blinked, then licked the corner of her lip. Her smile turned loaded: "Scared you won't be hard enough."
Cheng Shi scoffed, ignored her, and limped back toward the bone gate — exposed muscle and skeletal frame showing through his shredded flesh. He called out to the Chameleon as he went:
"One chance. Everything you want is inside.
"Of course, this is a gamble — because what I'm saying might not be true.
"Whether to believe it is your choice."
With that, Cheng Shi stepped through the gate without another word. The moment he crossed the threshold, he hastily pulled out a vial of Prosperity of Yesteryear, gulped it down, and accelerated his healing.
This time, he wasn't merely recruiting employees. He needed to confirm something: whether Aph Ros had been affected!
Logically, an Envoy outside the trial shouldn't have been touched by the reset. But for prudence's sake, Cheng Shi wanted to verify with his own eyes — because re-performing the Yu Xi act was exhausting. Delivering the same lines again was not only mentally draining but excruciatingly awkward. The kind of awkward that curled your toes.
Beyond confirming Aph Ros's status, he also had a few small, easily executed plans.
Whether those plans would go smoothly depended on whether the three outside would cooperate properly.
When Cheng Shi vanished through the gate oozing [Death] and [Corruption] aura, the other three stared at each other in silence.
The quiet settled quickly — and was broken just as fast.
But the one who spoke wasn't the Chameleon whom Cheng Shi had called out. It was... Poison.
Her eyes darted. She slipped to one side of the gate, studying the door built from Jiang Chi's bones, sensing the [Corruption] aura drifting within. She practically itched to follow.
But she was cautious. Rather than diving in, she turned to Da Yi:
"Da Yi — seems you know the little priest. What mission are you two on?"
"..."
Da Yi's face was iron. He said nothing.
He was genuinely shaken. He was even wondering whether the "mission" Cheng Shi mentioned was the same one handed down by that lord. After all, this Fate-Weaver-who-fought-like-a-warrior had been brought in by Old Hu. If Cheng Shi knew...
'Could he be Hu Wei's subordinate?'
'That didn't feel right. The attitude, the presence — it sounded less like Old Hu's underling and more like Old Hu's boss!'
'Add that terrifying power and cryptic tone... could he be—'
Da Yi's mind was in chaos. For a split second, he too wanted to follow through the gate for answers. So when Poison's question reached him, he shot her a heavy look — clearly wondering what connection this "Cheng Shi," who was tied to his own mission, had with the [Corruption] Chosen.
Seeing Da Yi refuse to answer, Poison turned toward the seemingly empty space and called out with a hum:
"Hey — who are you here... to help?
"Mr. Ram?
"Since when are you two an item?
"The little priest says you want an audience with a god. Was that Mr. Ram's condition?
"And you believed it? Believed a Screaming Earl whose hobby is eating people?
"Fascinating. Desire flows silent in every heart, yet people insist on branding it with labels that can't see the light. Making it shameful to speak of.
"Everyone wants to meet a god. You could partner openly with normal people. Why choose... a fanatic?
"Wait, is that why you follow [Silence]? If so, let me counsel you — why not worship my lord instead?
"Forget it. Brick walls are boring. Where is the little priest taking you?
"An audience with a god?
"Which of those sixteen thrones sits behind this door?
"He can just visit them whenever he pleases now? A bit too fantastical, isn't it... though...
"Hey, could you say something? If you don't want to go, can I take your spot?"
While Poison kept talking, the Chameleon had at some point already left his original position and appeared right before the gate.
The soundless movement startled Poison. Wariness flickered in her eyes, though her mouth continued to tease:
"I sense the surging of desire. Looks like you want in. Mind if I follow you?"
The Chameleon didn't trust Poison. He neither responded nor approached her. He simply stood rigid before the door, expression shifting multiple times — clearly torn in violent internal conflict.
Poison watched him with keen interest. Even knowing she was seeing only the Chameleon's false body, she tried to read something from those silent eyes.
She was curious: facing desire, could a [Silence] follower resist the temptation?
This scene before the gate was the perfect [Corruption] observation post.
If other [Corruption] followers were here, watching a teammate struggle against inner desire, they'd have started deploying subtle techniques already. After all, [Corruption]'s will was to embrace desire.
But Poison was different. She was never the cause of desire — only its catalyst. She neither guided, nor seduced, nor enabled. Like a quiet passerby, she would only cheer and applaud the moment you chose to embrace your desire.
So this scene was deliciously interesting: a silent [Corruption] follower, observing whether a [Silence] follower was willing to approach [Corruption]...
The Chameleon agonized for a long time. He didn't understand how Cheng Shi had seen through his relationship with Gongyang Jiao. He understood even less how the man had peered directly into his heart and known he craved an audience with a god!
But he seemed to have found an explanation for all these mysteries:
'Who said the other person had to be a player?'
'What player at this tier could casually annihilate two peers?'
'If this being that Poison called "little priest" wasn't a player at all — then everything suddenly made sense.'
'After all, he'd encountered such things before. Abilities like peering into hearts? For Them, perhaps that wasn't difficult at all.'
So after prolonged hesitation, the Chameleon finally steeled his resolve. He glanced at the nearby Poison, then back at the motionless Da Yi. Heart hardening, in full view of both, he walked through the gate with measured steps and vanished into the darkness beyond.
Seeing the Chameleon unable to resist his own desire, Poison smiled brightly.
But the smile didn't last. Because the same choice now confronted her.
Follow — or not?
A question practically dripping with [Corruption]'s will.