Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Xiao Xingxi's reckless actions left both Dangdang and Pan Ruoqi dumbstruck.

They had never seen someone act so desperately and recklessly.

In Pan Ruoqi's view, Yuan Sining would be the person to act this way. Why did Xiao Xingxi go mad before Yuan Sining became desperate?

Fortunately, Dangdang's marksmanship was poor. Her shot missed Xiao Xingxi's head, hitting her chest instead. The injury was rapidly healed by the nano-protective armor. Otherwise, Dangdang would have gone mad too. Nevertheless, this made her hesitant to shoot again, leaving her no choice but to flee with Pan Ruoqi. Thanks to Xiao Xingxi's inaccurate shooting, they managed to dodge and hop their way out without getting hit.

As they were running, they unexpectedly ran into Xie Yinxue, Liu Buhua, and Bu Jiuzhao, who were also fleeing.

Both parties came face-to-face, pausing in mutual surprise.

Liu Buhua was slightly puzzled. Why did Dangdang and Pan Ruoqi look even more frantic than they did?

As he pondered, Pan Ruoqi waved at them, shouting, "Run! Xiao Xingxi has gone mad and is killing everyone!"

They were indeed running for their lives?

Barely had Pan Ruoqi finished speaking when a photon bullet whizzed past her. She rolled away in time, but the shot landed near Xie Yinxue's feet.

He stopped, lifting his eyes to meet Xiao Xingxi's.

Xiao Xingxi, upon seeing Xie Yinxue, gradually slowed her pace, finally stopping a few meters away from him. Dangdang and Pan Ruoqi took the chance to distance themselves further.

Xie Yinxue, observing the specks of blood on her, calmly inquired, "Did you kill someone?"

"Yes, and not just one." Xiao Xingxi nodded, her voice soft and frail. "I was on the brink of death before entering 'Lock Eternal Life.' It gave me a few more months to live. I shouldn't have been greedy for more... But who would willingly give up?"

Xie Aqi's unwillingness led him to shatter the vaccine maker, and her own reluctance caused her irredeemable mistake.

Since there was no turning back, she chose to move forward.

Xiao Xingxi believed others must feel the same.

She smiled, raising her gun and stepping closer to Xie Yinxue, telling him, "If you were in my shoes, you'd feel and act the same way."

Bu Jiuzhao frowned, reaching to pull Xie Yinxue away, but the young man stubbornly stood his ground. Liu Buhua tried to intervene, positioning himself between the two, only to be halted by Xie Yinxue's gesture.

"No," he told Xiao Xingxi, "I might long for release, but I can't take it."

"As for you, you brought this upon yourself. Are you trying to justify your actions now?"

Xie Yinxue, with a gun pointed at him by Xiao Xingxi, neither dodged nor tried to placate her. Instead, he bluntly told her she got what she deserved.

Observing the situation, Dangdang and Pan Ruoqi couldn't help but wonder: Had Xie Yinxue lost his mind too?

After hearing this, Xiao Xingxi chuckled, her expression bewildered as she admitted, “Yes... I was wrong. You're right, I've been hoisted by my own petard. This is my just deserts.”

Was she unaware of her transgressions?

However, within "Lock Eternal Life", many argued that taking certain actions to survive wasn't wrong. Desiring to live, she heeded those words. As for their veracity, who really cared?

She was young and beautiful, with a promising future visible ahead. How could she willingly face death?

At times, she wished someone would sternly reprimand her, asserting that when one loses their humanity for survival, can they still be called human? Even if alive, are they truly living? She hoped such words might awaken her.

Sadly, none came forth.

Those who might have voiced such reproaches had already perished in the early stages of "Lock Eternal Life".

Xiao Xingxi often pondered: If she was truly in the wrong, why was she the one still standing?

“Aqi, Mengni, I’m sorry…”

Mumbling these words, Xiao Xingxi suddenly lunged towards Xie Yinxue.

Xie Yinxue staggered from the force, but the photon bullet, which was intended for his nape, found its mark between Xiao Xingxi's eyes instead. She never intended to harm Xie Yinxue. She approached him knowing that Chen Ningmo, trailing behind him, would seize an opportunity to kill him.

Xiao Xingxi was well aware of her temperament. She didn’t have the courage to face retribution from Mengni and Cui Haocheng. Nor did she possess the resolve to end her life like Xie Aqi.

Perhaps it was best if someone else took her life.

Anyone would suffice.

When all are transformed into vengeful spirits, settling scores from their lives, if reincarnation truly exists, she hoped that after atoning for this life's sins, she might live a bit longer in the next.

Live till wrinkles mar her face, becoming old and unattractive. Maybe then, she’d accept her end gracefully, without making further mistakes.

And so, Xiao Xingxi met her end.

An unintended casualty of Chen Ningmo's actions.

Chen Ningmo had anticipated several outcomes when he fired: hitting Xie Yinxue, Xie Yinxue dodging, and even someone shielding Xie Yinxue from the bullet. Yet he never imagined someone would use their head to block the shot.

Xiaoxingxi might have resigned herself to death, but she was determined to drag him down to hell with her.

Those who witnessed the scene couldn't immediately decide whose death, hers or Xie Ahqi's, was more heart-wrenching.

Yuan Sinning, ever so calculating, seized the moment of Chen Ningmo's shock. He lunged, attempting to snatch the submachine gun and lightsaber from his grip. After Chen Ningmo's ruthless act against Xiaoxingxi, Yuan feared he might rampage and slaughter them all. How could they let him remain armed?

The problem was, she couldn't best Chen Ningmo.

Having survived through a hail of bullets, evasive maneuvers had become second nature to Chen Ningmo. Sensing an ambush from behind, he instinctively grappled his attacker, slamming her to the ground and pressing an elbow to her throat.

"Huff, huff..."

Yuan Sinning felt the life being choked out of her, her cheeks reddening from the lack of air. Chen Ningmo showed no sign of letting go, perhaps thinking that after one killing, a few more wouldn't matter.

Chen Ningmo asked her, "Did you want to kill me?"

Gasping and unable to speak, Yuan Sinning shook her head in denial.

"No... You did want to kill me. But I won't kill you, not now. I'll wait until midnight to behead you. Then I can clear the game."

Chen Ningmo took a deep breath. It seemed he was speaking to Yuan Sinning, or perhaps trying to deceive himself. Having killed Xiaoxingxi, how could he possibly clear the game?

He paid no further attention to Xie Yinxue and her group.

He didn't want to fire another shot, only to be thwarted again.

He had been keeping a close eye on Xie Yinxue, sensing that she was no ordinary foe. Why not eliminate such a formidable opponent now, rather than face her later in the game?

Had he known the outcome, he might have chosen to ally with the less capable Zheng Shu and Yuan Sinning. There was always the chance Xie Yinxue could perish in another level, never crossing his path.

Alas, before any of that, Chen Ningmo was defeated by his own arrogance.

He fell victim to overconfidence, believing he could eliminate Xie Yinxue. He forgot the old wisdom: when full, things overflow; when the moon is full, it begins to wane; when one is too proud, they falter; when one is too conceited, they are foolish.

Yet, even if Chen Ningmo had known this, would he have ever admitted it?

With rage and resentment, he glared at everyone, his icy, predatory gaze making him appear ghostly. He dragged Yuan Sinning away, gripping her like a python ensnaring its prey.

Yuan Sinning, her throat clenched, scraped her fingers desperately against the ground but to no avail. She stared intensely at Bu Jiuzhao, disbelief filling her eyes. The Ferryman NPC was within her sight, yet she couldn't utter a word to plead for rescue and clearance.

To bargain with a tiger for its skin, what benefit can there be?

Regret now would be fruitless.

After they departed, Xie Yinxue turned, his hands behind his back. He addressed Dangdang and Pan Ruoxi, who had been observing from the shadows: "Do you also seek my head?"

To be fair, the desire is certainly there, but whether it's attainable is another matter entirely.

Dangdang shook his head, admitting, "We can't defeat you."

Pan Ruoxi's thoughts drifted to Yuan Sinning's longing gaze on Bu Jiuzhao before she was dragged away. She too turned to look at him.

In Pan Ruoxi's eyes, this was a reserved and solitary man. He rarely spoke to anyone except for Xie Yinxue. He had average looks and standing next to the ethereal beauty of Xie Yinxue, he seemed utterly overshadowed. Aside from Xie Yinxue, no one would spare him a second glance.

So why was Yuan Sinning so fixated on him?

Unless Yuan Sinning believed that he alone could save her.

Thus, Pan Ruoxi exhaled deeply and said, "Muxue, you're the Ferryman NPC, right? I wish to make a deal with you."

She belonged to the "New Recruits" and was not allowed to wield a gun, unlike Dangdang.

While Dangdang could wait until midnight to find other participants, she would be a sitting duck once she became prey. She dared not wait for that moment. Luckily, Yuan Sinning's gaze had already revealed to her who the Ferryman NPC was. So be it.

It was Bu Jiuzhao's duty to oblige. When participants made requests, he could not refuse. So he simply replied, "Very well."

Pan Ruoxi asked, "What must I do?"

Bu Jiuzhao instructed, "Extend your hand."

She did as told.

Then she saw him produce a piece of white bread, placing it in her palm.

Pan Ruoxi looked puzzled, "...What's this?"

The man calmly stated, "Eat it, and you'll clear the game."

In this particular game level, they couldn't consume anything other than water. Trying to swallow food would cause their throats to feel as if they were being painfully stretched – the only form of pain they could experience in this realm.

Yet now, as Pan Ruoxi ate the bread, she felt no pain. Instead, she felt a gradual fullness in her stomach.

Holding her stomach, she inquired, "Is that all?"

The man, being of few words, succinctly replied, "Yes."

Pan Ruoxi, puzzled, asked, "Aren't you going to ask for something in return?"

The man uttered a cryptic comment, "Your hands are very clean."

Pan Ruoxi didn't understand, but she chose not to dwell on it.

She sat on a nearby stone, as if to rest a bit, and turned to Dangdang, "What do you think, Dangdang?"

Dangdang wasn't planning on seeking the Ferryman just yet and replied, "I'll see."

"Then good luck. I won't accompany you any further," Pan Ruoxi handed her light sword to her, "Take my sword; use it."

Dangdang responded, "Thank you. I'll be on my way then."

Pan Ruoxi waved her hand in farewell.

Xie Yinxue, Liu Buhua, and Bu Jiuzhao didn't linger and departed.

The three of them pressed forward, enveloped in a radiant red glow that persisted even on the seventh day at midnight. The color intensified, so overpowering it seemed as though everywhere they looked was engulfed in an unrelenting blaze, a sight quite unsettling.

"Will it ever get dark?" Liu Buhua wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow, "Just looking at it feels hot."

In reality, the weather wasn't hot. The temperature was moderate, even a bit cool.

"It seems so," Xie Yinxue noticed his action and kindly offered, "Are you tired? Why not rest here for a while? I'll wake you if someone approaches."

Liu Buhua wasn't really tired, but concerned about Xie Yinxue's stamina, he agreed, "Alright."

He then reclined on a rusty bench nearby, closing his eyes for a rest.

Bu Jiuzhao and Xie Yinxue took seats on another bench.

Just as Xie Yinxue was about to rest her head, Bu Jiuzhao suddenly spoke, asking, "Did you orchestrate all of this?"

When Xie Yinxue confronted Xiao Xingxi, his positioning was deliberate.

From that spot, should anyone attempt to harm him, aside from Xie Yinxue dodging, the person who could rescue him most swiftly was Xiao Xingxi, standing face-to-face with him.

Bu Jiuzhao didn't believe Xie Yinxue could've missed the bullet from Chen Ningmo.

However, if he genuinely didn't notice it and Xiao Xingxi didn't save him, the bullet would break his neck.

Would Xie Yinxue, a man so protective of his life, really place himself in peril?

Yet, if every move was within his calculations, when did he start plotting? Within his orchestrated chessboard, which pawn represented her?

The young man, upon hearing this, chuckled lightly, “Do you really think I possess such vast capabilities?”

Bu Jiuzhao remained silent.

The young man then asked him, “Bu Jiuzhao, can you discern someone's character just from their aura? What kind of ability is that?”

Bu Jiuzhao replied, “It's innate.”

The young man opened his eyes, gazing upwards at him, “Exactly, I too can innately discern if someone is good or evil.”

Xie Yinxue possesses the Yin-Yang eyes, capable of distinguishing between spirits and humans. But how could he determine a person's morality?

Knowing that the young man was evading the truth and changing the topic, Bu Jiuzhao smirked, “Do you see me as good or evil?”

The young man answered, “You're a fool.”

Bu Jiuzhao: “?”

Liu Buhua, who was "sleeping", chuckled: “Haha.”

Liu Buhua, previously inconspicuous, now seemed glaringly annoying to Bu Jiuzhao. Unable to vent his frustration at Xie Yinxue, he directed it at Liu Buhua, “What's so funny? Is this how you treat your savior?”

Liu Buhua, with an innocent expression, responded, “I remembered something amusing. What's wrong with a little laugh?”

In a frosty tone, Bu Jiuzhao retorted, “What amusing memory? Share it, so I can have a laugh too.”

With righteous indignation, Liu Buhua declared, “My joy is derived from the indescribable. It's not for sharing.”

Bu Jiuzhao: "..."

Yet he had a way to deal with Liu Buhua. Bu Jiuzhao smirked, a hint of irony in his smile, "So, should I engage in unspeakable interactions with your godfather? That would certainly amuse me."

Liu Buhua: "?"

Xie Yinxue: "..."

Xie Yinxue, exasperated: "Who said he's a fool? He's clearly just being vulgar!"

He hurriedly closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, fearing Bu Jiuzhao might spout more obscenities.

Moments later, the man reached out to support him, letting him lean and rest on his lap.

Xie Yinxue's raven-black hair was tousled as she relaxed, leaning on his leg. She figured that since midnight had passed and they were now in the realm of the "hungry ghosts" in the game, it was unlikely they'd run into other participants. She felt too lazy to move. However, with this, it'd be challenging for Dangdang and the surviving participants to find Bu Jiuzhao and negotiate.

By the end of the seventh day, at 24:00, how many would survive this game?

Xie Yinxue couldn't guess.

Until the game ended, they never met anyone else.

When Xie Yinxue opened his eyes and looked around, Bu Jiuzhao was nowhere to be seen, but Liu Buhua was there. So were Dangdang, Pan Ruoxi, Mu Yuji, and Zheng Shu. All other participants had disappeared.

Pan Ruoxi looked at Mu Yuji and Zheng Shu in astonishment: "You two are still alive?"

"Of course," Zheng Shu replied with a lazy stretch and a smirk, "A scourge lives a thousand years."

Mu Yuji chose to be vague: "I had my ways."

Without further details, Pan Ruoxi couldn't press on. On the side, Dangdang spoke up before Pan Ruoxi could ask, briefly explaining, "Feng Jinshan and Zhuo Changdong fought each other and both were injured. I seized the opportunity."

Regardless of whose head Dangdang took, Feng Jinshan or Zhuo Changdong, the other would fail the game due to unmet conditions.

Whether her story had inconsistencies didn't matter. Her presence here meant she hadn't broken any game rules.

"Hey, speaking of which, we've cleared the game, right?" Liu Buhua inquired, "But where are we? This doesn't seem like the real world."

They were now in a place resembling an amusement park, with a haunted house behind them. He and Xie Yinxue had just been lying on the benches outside its entrance.

As everyone looked up at the haunted house, they saw a red neon sign above its door, bearing three characters: [Hungry Ghost Realm].

Beside the haunted house tent stood a man dressed in amusement park staff attire, holding a brush and writing on the tent's fabric.

Sensing someone's gaze, the man turned, revealing a face identical to the guide NPC, Kult, from the game. With a familiar voice, he smiled, "Excuse me, our new staff is coming in for their shift."

Hearing this, Zheng Shu, Pan Ruoxi, and the others immediately stepped aside.

A group of staff dressed in plump, chibi-style 'Kusotsubo' costumes then walked past them and entered the haunted house, where the lighting inside glowed a fiery red, named "Hungry Ghost Realm."

At one point, three female staff members, playfully jostling, accidentally dropped their headpieces. As they bent down to pick them up, Mu Yuji and Dangdang stared in shock, recognizing the faces as Xie Ahqi, Xiao Xingxi, and Mengni.

Another staff member, whose face remained hidden but voice was unmistakably familiar, murmured, "At least I'm working off my debts and can leave soon." It was the voice of Ye Zhou, the unlucky participant who died early in the game.

A staff member with the voice of Feng Jinshan grumbled, "Damn it, I had to work while alive, and now I have to work even in death. It's so annoying!"

Pan Ruoxi, Zheng Shu, and the others couldn't take their eyes off the staff, but the workers seemed oblivious to their presence, as if they couldn't see them at all.

Xie Yinxue observed all this with surprise in his eyes.

Turning his gaze back to the writing man, the latter waved his brush, causing the scene before them to swirl into ripples, pulling them back into the real world.

The last thing Xie Yinxue saw was the calligraphic verse written on the haunted house tent —

[All hungry ghosts arise from the seeds of greed, envy, and jealousy.

With various intentions, they commit various deeds and live in various realms, enduring ceaseless hunger and thirst, tormenting themselves.]

Author's Note:

① Taken from "Zhou Yi·Feng," the original quote is: "The sun shines at noon, the moon waxes and wanes." The version in the text has been modified by later generations.

② From the "Sutra of the Right Mindfulness of the Law·Hungry Ghost Chapter."

NPC: Perfect, a family of three out for a walk. Utterly content.jpg

Mr. Xie: ?

Liu Da'er: ?