Chapter 160 The Unfulfilled Condition

Chapter 160: The Impossible Condition

Though Tu Niu repeatedly stressed that Su Bai wasn't their sole objective, the gravity with which they approached this particular task involving Su Bai felt disproportionately significant.

"If I were to take Owner Bai's life right here, would tomorrow's settlement still proceed smoothly?" Tu Niu reiterated his question, his gun trained on Su Bai, while his gaze remained fixed on Mr. Jin, the prophet, who was still visibly shaken after delivering his unsettling prediction.

"That question is too broad. The connection between the two isn't particularly strong. Even if I exerted all my predictive power, I'd likely only glean vague directions, which probably wouldn't be of much help to you, Mr. Tu," Mr. Jin panted, wiping the sweat that had been continuously beading on his forehead since his last prophecy. The after-effects of the prophet's ability seemed intense; attempting a second prediction so soon would likely prove quite challenging.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Jin," Tu Niu stated, dismissing the prophet's condition and issuing his command directly.

Hearing Tu Niu's tone, Mr. Jin sighed, closed his eyes, and once again began muttering the question Tu Niu desired to be predicted, his body twitching as before. This time, however, everyone could sense that Mr. Jin's convulsive murmuring lasted considerably longer than before.

Just as Tu Niu was growing impatient, he watched in astonishment as Mr. Jin, after a violent series of convulsions, began foaming at the mouth!

Under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, Mr. Jin managed to open his eyes only to collapse backward, barely supporting himself with his hands. He shook his head frantically, exhausted, and cried out—

"I can't see! I can't see anything! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I truly can't see anything!"

"What's going on?" Tu Niu, likely witnessing such behavior from a prophet for the first time, was taken aback not only by the foaming at the mouth but also by the complete absence of any prophecy regarding good or ill fortune.

"I can't see the answer to this question!" The prophet shook his head desperately, clearly as perplexed as everyone else about why this was happening. He struggled to open his bloodshot eyes and cast a terrified glance at Su Bai, who remained calmly seated in his wheelchair. "Or rather, this painful feeling is as if the question itself shouldn't exist, and there shouldn't be an answer!"

While many were left bewildered, Su Bai, who had also been observing the prophet's performance, understood perfectly well why Tu Niu's question had no answer and why Mr. Jin claimed the question shouldn't exist.

After all, the premise of Tu Niu's question was "taking Owner Bai's life right here," and the condition of Su Bai's "death" was, at least at this moment in this abandoned warehouse, utterly impossible to fulfill.

Since even the prerequisite condition couldn't be met, how could such a question hold any meaning?

Tu Niu's expression turned contemplative. He knew the prophet's breakdown couldn't be faked, and he wasn't the kind of fool who only believed in good news. Even so, Tu Niu still couldn't fathom what made this grocery store Owner Bai so special.

Tu Niu had kidnapped no fewer than a dozen people from Fog City, and the number of his subordinates who had ended up in prison due to failed kidnapping attempts had long since exceeded double digits. That was why Qiu Lei's teammates knew that even if they hid in prison, they couldn't escape Tu Niu's grasp. At its peak, Tu Niu's group had so many members that they could fill the entire abandoned warehouse just by bedding down on the floor.

Among so many members, many players were unlike Tu Niu and his thugs, who had done no good deeds even in the real world—they were just ordinary players. But feeling out of place and unable to adapt to life in Fog City, these players naturally gravitated toward a player group they could attach themselves to. Moreover, Tu Niu's group didn't demand arduous work; all they had to do was follow him in committing acts of robbery, kidnapping, and extortion.

For players whose physical strength had been enhanced by the red moon's influence and who possessed some special abilities, the tasks Tu Niu assigned them were hardly difficult. Even if they encountered those terrifying patrol officers who didn't seem made of flesh and blood during their crimes, and even if they were ultimately captured and sent to prison for being outmatched, they believed their companions outside were still working hard to help everyone leave Fog City.

Besides, life in prison—aside from having their already meager assets confiscated—was far more comfortable than the nightmare games where they constantly had to struggle to survive!

In short, Tu Niu had many subordinates and plenty of potential targets. So, even when Meng Wei's initial threat failed, Tu Niu didn't take Su Bai seriously as a target.

Especially after the prophet Mr. Jin joined Tu Niu's group. With Mr. Jin predicting the good or ill fortune of each of their plans, Tu Niu and his crew's success rate increased significantly, saving them a lot of trouble. The only thing Tu Niu regretted was that these ordinary "people" living in Fog City were a bunch of very fake, strange individuals. They didn't recall the past or deeply ponder the oddities of life in Fog City. Coupled with the Fog City people's philosophy of "living in the moment," very few people seriously saved money, which meant that the wealth Tu Niu and his group accumulated through robbery and extortion hadn't even reached a hundred thousand [currency units].

The first notice of settlement appeared right around this time, reaching Tu Niu's ears. Plus, that young man named Meng Wei had been whispering to Tu Niu about "Owner Bai's" wealth, about Owner Bai's inconvenient legs, and about how one more use of force would make "Owner Bai" stop resisting, so Tu Niu really believed what Meng Wei said.

But when Tu Niu and his group, as usual, prepared their plan to threaten and intimidate "Owner Bai," the prophet Mr. Jin stopped them, delivering a prophecy of "misfortune."

At first, Tu Niu was indeed skeptical of the "good or ill fortune" Mr. Jin spoke of, but when he once acted against the prophet's advice, he ended up watching more of his subordinates being taken away by patrol officers on the streets or meeting with bizarre accidents.

So, after repeated discussions with Mr. Jin, Tu Niu finally decided on a plan to use the new clerk at the grocery store to threaten Su Bai. Although Meng Wei kept insisting that "Owner Bai" wouldn't care about the assistant's life, Mr. Jin's conclusion was "fortune," which meant their plan could proceed smoothly to the next step.

But now...

What exactly went wrong with the plan?

What happened?

Could it be that this Owner Bai had some hidden aspect that even Tu Niu hadn't seen through?

"Boss, let me take this guy to the bank right now!" A nearby player seemed to have had enough. "Forget about the prophecy. Since this Xiao Bai dared to come here alone, it means he really wants this girl to live. Why are we overthinking things?"

"Don't underestimate prophecies. I need to think about this some more," Tu Niu replied with a grim expression, returning to his seat. He kept his eyes on Su Bai as he took another teapot from one of his subordinates.

Unseen by anyone, a figure from the Evil Ghost Puzzle had already appeared behind Su Bai.

Qing Lan.