Chapter 27: Hatred and Worship |
That "discount Jigsaw" was not Gu Tao's child—
It was no surprise that Ming Po could figure this out.
His initial psychological profiling had practically anchored the guy's personality.
Judging by his age and temperament, he was likely quite young, emotionally unstable, and possessed a toxic mix of an inferiority complex and arrogance. The chances of someone like that harboring such clear, enduring hatred for a complete stranger were actually quite low.
If he had truly wanted to kill Ming Po, he would have made his move a long time ago.
It was precisely because this guy harbored such complex thoughts that Ming Po guessed he might be his own child.
But upon reaching this stage, Ming Po immediately changed his mind—
The guy's attitude toward Gu Tao's two wives was wrong.
Regardless of whose child he was, who his mother was, or whether his mother had abused him... he shouldn't possess this kind of attitude toward her. It wasn't "hostility" or "indifference," but rather placing both wives on equal footing—this was obviously the perspective of an outsider.
Someone this sensitive, plagued by an inferiority complex, and mentally unstable would never do such a thing—unless he was an illegitimate child.
Ming Po's previous question had been designed specifically to eliminate that possibility.
"I see."
Ming Po chuckled, slowly drawing the bow.
He pulled the compound bow to full draw once more and shot through the red balloon descending on the right.
But this time, an accident occurred—
Ming Po naturally hit the red balloon with pinpoint accuracy, and it popped just as expected.
The problem was that upon bursting, it erupted into a ball of fire, drawing a muffled scream from Zhang Hui.
It was like throwing a lit cotton ball directly into someone's face. Although it would bounce off immediately without causing severe burns, the searing pain was unmistakable, and there was a small chance of it igniting hair. Furthermore, as animals, humans possess an instinctual fear of fire... Thus, Zhang Hui struggled violently, desperately trying to dodge the balloon falling toward her.
But her thrashing only ended up batting the balloon further away—
"Quiet down. Don't move."
A clear look of displeasure crossed Ming Po's face, though his tone remained gentle: "I can't aim when you act like this, darling."
"Mmph! Mmmph! Mmm!"
Zhang Hui glared at him, her eyes wide as she tried to communicate something to "Gu Tao."
Unfortunately, her efforts were entirely in vain. No sound escaped her lips, and she could not break free from her seat.
Faced with the flames that threatened to set her hair ablaze, Zhang Hui was clearly terrified.
She resisted frantically, shaking her head in an attempt to bounce the balloon off and send it further away.
"I told you to be quiet. Do you not understand?"
Ming Po sighed, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice.
The melodious sound of a piano flowed through the air.
It was wedding music, but absent of any orchestral accompaniment; it was a slow, pure piano arrangement.
Just listening to the melody, Ming Po could almost hallucinate the standard, polished broadcasting voice of a wedding emcee: "Respected guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you all for arriving on time..."
In the next moment, Ming Po nocked an arrow and drew his bow.
—Thwack!
With a dull thud, the loosed arrow pierced directly through Zhang Hui's left eye.
She looked as if she had been struck by lightning—her head jerked backward from the sheer force, only to bounce back because her torso was securely bound to the chair. Her body contorted in a violent, singular spasm before going completely limp and silent.
The arrow had penetrated her eye with lethal precision, its tip even faintly protruding from the back of her skull.
This was not the common rubber or polymer arrowhead used at shooting ranges, but a high-carbon steel broadhead meant for hunting. A compound bow equipped with hunting broadheads could easily take down an adult wild boar; its lethality against the human body was on par with a small-caliber bullet.
"Why couldn't you listen to reason?"
Ming Po shook his head. "One less arrow means one less balloon to shoot. I wonder if that will affect the final result."
He looked calmly at Cai Jingyi and softly instructed, "Don't make me waste another arrow, alright?"
Cai Jingyi had seemed on the verge of throwing a fit earlier—after all, the hot oil splashing into her eyes had been incredibly painful. But now, she was deathly pale and completely subdued.
Or rather... she resembled a wooden dummy, terrified to move a single muscle.
Satisfied with her quiet obedience, Ming Po resumed questioning the "Host."
"Now then, the second question."
Ming Po asked casually, "You know my daughter, don't you?"
"...How did you know?"
"You only need to answer: correct, or incorrect."
"...Correct."
"Oh, excellent."
Ming Po wasn't the least bit surprised by this answer.
—What kind of person would hate Gu Tao, yet refrain from killing him outright; and simultaneously harbor malice toward both of his wives, demanding that Gu Tao "choose one"?
The answer was crystal clear.
Gu Tao's ex-wife, Cai Jingyi, had abandoned her daughter; evidently, the girl's life with her stepmother hadn't been easy either.
After all, judging from the etched text on the very first door and the Host's introduction of their identities, the two had divorced amicably without any major conflicts—the phrase "I don't like you anymore" was nothing but an empty lie.
When a relationship genuinely breaks down and one party is disappointed to the point of despair, a breakup is never that peaceful, let alone a divorce. It was merely a way to maintain mutual dignity.
He and Cai Jingyi were childhood playmates and first loves; they were roughly the same age. Zhang Hui, on the other hand, was a full twelve years older than him.
The excuse of "I met someone I like" clearly didn't hold water in this situation.
It was far more likely that he had resorted to becoming a kept man to resolve his crushing debt. It might have been a proactive choice, or he might have been forced into it—perhaps he shouldered the debt himself and took his daughter away; or perhaps Cai Jingyi had fled.
For a former shooting athlete who later worked as a PE teacher and a swimming coach... his entrepreneurial venture was most likely opening a gym.
Ming Po personally enjoyed extreme sports, so he happened to know a thing or two about the industry.
Generally speaking, the three-year survival rate for a gym was less than thirty percent, and in lower-tier cities, the statistic was even more abysmal.
The dream of "opening a gym" shared the same entrepreneurial mindset as "opening a cafe." Without a unique operational strategy, industry connections, and sufficient cash flow and foot traffic, it was practically a guaranteed loss.
This also explained how he ended up as a kept man.
It was no wonder, then, that his daughter harbored hostility toward both of her mothers simultaneously.
But by that same logic—if his daughter had designed this game, her focus would definitely be on these two "mothers," rather than obsessing over Gu Tao.
Combine that with the guy's obvious wariness of Gu Tao...
He held a fanatical faith in Gu Tao's physical prowess, bordering on a level that even Ming Po himself couldn't quite fathom.
It was obvious that he had set up the previous games entirely for the sake of the third round. But the hatred and hostility present in those earlier trials could have easily claimed "Gu Tao's" life.
Just how much faith did he have that Gu Tao wouldn't die in his traps to meticulously arrange so many deadly mechanisms, all just to conquer and defeat him?
Rather than calling it hatred, wariness, or fear...
...It was more accurate to call it worship.
"You've known me for a long time. Or rather... you're my student, aren't you?"
Ming Po asked his next question.