Chapter 448: The Gods |
Fragrant City, city center.
The statue of the first consul stood majestically in the center of the square. Looking up from below, its right hand, holding a banner aloft, seemed to touch the sky. Its interior had been hollowed out during its initial construction and fitted with a spiral staircase. At the very top was a small room, less than five square meters, with two windows that corresponded perfectly to the statue's eyes. Standing before them, one could overlook the entire Fragrant City, even glimpse the winding coastline at the city's edge.
White Crow pushed open a window, letting the biting wind from five hundred meters above ground pour into the room. Her long, white hair and trench coat were whipped into the air, fluttering with a strange *swish*.
Beneath a mask covered in golden vine-like markings, her brown eyes slowly filled with a detached, silvery-white light. Her gaze fell, calm and indifferent. The city unfolded below her like a map, the forms of humans, birds, beasts, and fish all distinctly visible. In the instant her eyes fell upon them, billions of years of memories were cataloged, becoming part of a vast ocean of information.
Federation officials had long since retreated under the Balance Church's relentless assault. The ravaged city quickly found a new order under religious propaganda and militarized control. After the initial panic, the populace rediscovered a precious numbness, resuming their lives of simply waiting for death. After all, no matter who was in charge, life couldn't get any worse.
However, if they knew of the horrific state of the cities outside the Balance Church's jurisdiction, they would surely thank the gods for the stability they now enjoyed. Though supplies were scarce due to the Federation's blockade, at least they were alive, free from the ravages and torment of the weird. In any case, for most people, being alive was a good thing, wasn't it?
"I need more pain, sorrow, fear, and despair. This place could have been a stage for a grand performance, yet you've made it utterly dull with your order and rules. I'm starting to regret this collaboration." Beside White Crow, a man in a pale mask and black tailcoat spread his hands in dissatisfaction. His limbs moved with a stiff, uncontrolled motion, like a clumsy, comical puppet on a stage.
He was none other than Charlie Woodward, holder of the Despair Screenwriter identity card and a key NPC from the "Grand Performance" instance. By exploiting loopholes in the rules, he had created an instance designed to endlessly torment players, accumulating enough sin over the past few decades to qualify for the Final Instance despite being an NPC.
Charlie stared at the back of White Crow's head and let out a strange, dry laugh. "Heh heh... I don't care who becomes a god. I only care how many people will watch my new play. But it seems you not only lack an audience, flowers, and applause, but even your stage is utterly uninspired."
Hearing this, Charlie tilted his head slightly, his expression hidden by the mask. A note of suspicion entered his voice. "You can just tell me what you need me to do for you, and what you plan to promise me in return. You should know, this isn't the first time I've made a deal with a god."
White Crow calmly met the empty black sockets of his mask, her voice serene. "Bring 'Zhou Ke' back. The Scarlet High Priest should not fall into the hands of the Silent Dictator."
...
May 17th, 9:00 AM. The outskirts of Jiang City.
Guns, ammunition, and a host of other supplies were being transported to the area by a fleet of private cars from various sources, moving like ants carrying food. At the same time, a series of coordinates appeared on Si Qi's phone, one after another. The Soul Contract issued its commands, and the three members of the Listening Wind Guild split up, quickly moving all the goods from the designated coordinates into their workshop.
Si Qi had never used a firearm. In his twenty-two years, he hadn't been one for solving problems with brute force. Even on the rare occasions when he needed to use violence to silence someone, he preferred cold steel—weapons that let his fingertips feel the warmth of fresh blood.
Fortunately, the memories of a god and his followers contained a wealth of theoretical knowledge about firearms. The post he had published on the game forums a week ago had generated a huge response. His unique three-line divine name had spread far and wide among players and even ordinary people. Many, hedging their bets and willing to worship any god that might exist, had remained outwardly neutral while silently chanting his name in their hearts.
More and more souls fell under his control. Deep within the cathedral of his mind, the scarlet vines thrived, and their dense foliage of soul-leaves provided knowledge and power, strengthening Si Qi's physical body strand by strand, preparing him for the grueling battle to come.
"Yu Jinsheng, I recall you built an underground tunnel between the lower district of Jiang City and the suburbs, correct?" Si Qi picked up a Glock 17, weighed it in his hand, and tucked it into his waistband. He turned his head to look at Yu Jinsheng. "The last thing I need is for those hyenas from the Weird Investigation Bureau to be on my tail the moment I set foot in Jiang City."
Just as I thought, Yu Jinsheng mused.
Ever since he learned the Weird Investigation Bureau was after Qi Si, he had been trying to figure out a way to mediate the situation and find a win-win solution. In the end, he had called on some of his connections in the gray areas, spent a fortune to dig a tunnel from a remote part of the lower district to the outskirts, and planned to secretly spirit Qi Si away once the Bureau had him cornered.
He had never told anyone about the tunnel. Si Qi must have learned of its existence by accessing his memories while controlling his soul.
He had initially mistaken Si Qi's harsh demeanor for ignorance of the secret measures he'd taken. Now he saw there was no "misunderstanding." This was simply who Si Qi was: if you weren't absolutely loyal to him, you were better off dead from the start.
"That tunnel was originally meant for getting out of the city. I never thought it would one day be used to get in." Yu Jinsheng glanced up at Si Qi's ambiguous, almost-smiling expression and gave a bitter smile of his own. "Old Qi, I can take you, but the tunnel was built in a hurry. It's not wide enough for a car, I'm afraid. We'll have to abandon our vehicle and go on foot."
Jiang Junjue, who had been listening nearby, raised his hand at the opportune moment. "Since it's a secret tunnel, it wouldn't be right for us to go in with such a large party, would it? Little Brother Si Qi, our president is enough of a hostage on his own. He'll take responsibility for his own actions. Say Dream and I won't trouble you any further..."
Si Qi smiled faintly. "It's no trouble. You're all coming."
Say Dream's face soured. "The problem is, Old Jiang and I are completely useless except for wasting air and slowing you down. To Kyushu and Fu Jue, our president might be the main course, but I'm just a side dish at best. If they decide to wipe us all out with one shot, they won't hesitate..."
Si Qi's smile didn't waver. "If I'm doomed to die, I like to have company."
"Fuck!"
Enduring the resentful stares of the three Listening Wind Guild members, Si Qi raised his index finger and tapped his chin. "You've just reminded me of something. If Lin Jue dares to lure me into the city, he must have a way to deal with me and my supernatural minions. Suddenly, the Soul Contract doesn't seem so reliable."
The three stared at the red-eyed, black-haired young man as if facing a formidable enemy. They watched as his long, slender fingers sifted through the supplies Bob had delivered, finally settling on several vials of a translucent liquid.
He paused for a moment, watching the fear grow in their eyes, then suddenly broke into a smile. "I'm kidding. Let's get moving."
Yu Jinsheng held his breath. Only after a long moment did he quietly exhale, his back drenched in a cold sweat.
He understood Si Qi's concern. He suspected Fu Jue had obtained some means of suppressing the supernatural, which would mean the three of them, bound by the Soul Contract, might no longer be under his control once they entered the city. The gray areas had plenty of ways to force compliance. Though Si Qi hadn't used such methods before, given his moral compass, injecting his three hostages with something would be a trivial matter.
He had clearly asked Bob to prepare the necessary materials and had even considered using them. So why did he stop at the last moment? Yu Jinsheng knew Qi Si. He refused to believe it was an attack of conscience.
And indeed, it wasn't an attack of conscience. Si Qi had simply decided it was unnecessary.
Judging by Lin Jue's attitude, the Weird Investigation Bureau couldn't care less whether the hostages lived or died. Yu Jinsheng and the others would serve as nothing more than cannon fodder.
Once they entered Jiang City, the four of them would be grasshoppers on the same rope. Sowing discord beforehand would be unwise; after all, besides obedience, torture was another way to get an antidote.
Weighing the risks and rewards, it was better to wait and see how the Listening Wind Guild would react.
Besides, Si Qi was genuinely curious. What leverage, what trump card, did Lin Jue have that gave him the confidence to lay this trap and invite him into the city? By ten-thirty, they had finished organizing their gear. With everything they needed packed and on their backs, the group followed Yu Jinsheng toward the entrance of the secret tunnel.
The tunnel Yu Jinsheng had prepared looked like a newly built air-raid shelter from the outside. A low iron structure covered a pitch-black opening, and a steel ladder descended along the rock wall deep into the earth. Turning on the lights revealed a hidden world within: a bedroom, a study, and a storage area were all fully furnished. The washroom even had a toilet. It was, for all intents and purposes, a well-equipped doomsday bunker.
Yu Jinsheng walked straight into the washroom and pressed the flush button three times. After three gushes of water, the toilet automatically rose, revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness below.
"Pretty well hidden, huh? Who would ever think to look for a passage under a toilet?" Yu Jinsheng said, not without a hint of pride, as he stepped onto the damp stairs. "I just didn't expect a pipe to burst. It's leaked quite a bit of water."
Si Qi, a known germaphobe: "..."
Once inside the tunnel, they only needed to walk straight to reach the other end. According to Yu Jinsheng, the passage was only a kilometer long, so they would still have to walk for some time above ground to reach the Near River District after emerging.
Yu Jinsheng switched on the lights as they walked. Many of the fixtures, soaked in the cold, damp environment, were faulty. The pale light they cast failed to dispel the darkness, instead creating an eerie, chilling atmosphere.
At some point, Jiang Junjue had lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. Silvery smoke swirled in the air with his sighs, blurring the light into a hazy, chaotic mess.
He smacked his lips and said, "President, are you sure you're the only one who knows about this place? You didn't happen to mention it to Fu Jue one night when you were drunk, did you?"
"I rarely drink, and certainly not when I'm having dinner with Fu Jue," Yu Jinsheng replied without breaking stride. "Old Jiang, if you have something to say, just spit it out."
"My eyelid won't stop twitching. I've got a bad feeling about this. If Fu Jue knows about this tunnel, he'll definitely have a bomb waiting at the exit to blow us to kingdom come..." Jiang Junjue gave a bitter smile. "I have a wife and kids. Dying in this godforsaken tunnel... it's just not fair."
"Now that you mention it, I don't like this either. The air is stagnant down here. A bomb would be like shooting fish in a barrel." Say Dream sighed, then turned to Si Qi. "Little Brother Si Qi, my girlfriend's waiting for me at home... I only swiped your lighter once, how can you bear to watch me perish so tragically...?"
Si Qi walked on in silence, his pace slow and steady. He sank his consciousness deep into his mind, reaching out to feel the presence of his rose monsters, and for a brief moment, gained a partial view of Jiang City's lower district.
Just as he had expected, agents from the Weird Investigation Bureau had surrounded the Near River District, clearly anticipating his destination. The remaining rose monsters were mechanically attacking any living thing that approached. Investigators fell from time to time, but their positions were quickly filled by others who continued to press forward.
In the memories granted to him by the rules, Qi Si had never paid any attention to the rose monsters after agreeing to plant them for Qi in the real world. As a result, their actions were aimless, driven purely by their supernatural instincts.
But now, Si Qi could take control of them at any moment and launch an organized assault against the Bureau. The scales of victory would tip once more.
But... all the cards had been laid on the table too openly, as if every condition of a test question had been highlighted in red, guiding him toward the expected answer.
Lin Jue had been completely transparent, inviting him into this trap. Whether it was an empty fort strategy or an inescapable net, he wouldn't know until he was at the city gates.
This was a gamble, and once again, Si Qi was betting his life.
Seeing that Si Qi had no intention of responding, Yu Jinsheng turned back to Jiang Junjue and Say Dream. "Old Jiang, you've got some nerve. As far as your wife is concerned, you died in the line of duty long ago. She's already got your pension and a memorial grave. And you, Say Dream—Xiaoxin died in an instance a year ago. If you die now, it'll just be 'following her into the afterlife.' ... You two are qualified for the Final Instance, for crying out loud. Don't embarrass the Listening Wind Guild."
Jiang Junjue stared hauntingly at Yu Jinsheng's face, took another drag from his cigarette, and fell silent.
Say Dream muttered under his breath, "I haven't even finished the perfume Xiaoxin made for me... It'd be a waste to die so soon..."
"Better than letting you waste it all day..."
Listening to their endless chatter, Si Qi silently located their soul-leaves among the crimson foliage in the cathedral of his mind and issued a command for silence.
The world went quiet. All that remained was the sound of breathing and the *tap-tap-tap* of their shoes on the concrete floor.
Gradually, fainter sounds became audible. Si Qi could hear the rumble of wheels on asphalt, the low mumble of human voices, the echo of tiny roots weaving through crevices in the earth...
The subterranean darkness and the human world were separated by only a few meters, and in between lay a kingdom ruled by plants and insects. At the end of his vision lay a tightly sealed iron door. The ground beneath his feet began to slope gently upward, heralding the convergence of the two worlds.
He walked on and on, until, in a sudden instant, alarm bells screamed in his mind.
*BOOM!*
An earth-shattering explosion erupted. His ears rang, then went deaf, pulling the entire world into a realm of sudden silence.
The gray iron door was split apart by crimson flames. A brilliant golden blast devoured the edges of the metal and concrete. Searing heat washed over them as a silvery-white tail of light unfurled, spreading an endless daylight.
Silence. Silence. A long, lingering silence...
*Drip...*
Something cold landed on his arm.
Si Qi raised a finger to the spot, gently wiped it away, and held it up to his eyes.
A single drop of scarlet liquid rested on his pale fingertip. Within its amber-like depths, nearly invisible flecks of gold swirled—a sight both divine and demonic.
It was his blood. The blood of a demigod.