Deceitful Game

Chapter 281, Escape from the Sheepfold, is complete!

哢。

哢。

哢

The lights in all the train carriages came back on, one after another, like spotlights on a dance.

In the increasingly bright light, Mingpo slowly opened her eyes.

He remained standing.

He looked down and checked his body; he was unharmed.

Every bone and joint in the body was in place, and there was no damage to the skin.

Mingpo relaxed and rubbed her eyes. Her eyeballs felt a little swollen and hot.

Perhaps it's because the power called "Eye of the Wraith" can be transferred through killing, or perhaps it's simply because the two incomplete individuals have merged into a complete whole.

Mingpo could feel that the power of the two Eyes of the Demon had merged within his body.

I don't know if it's good or bad.

A strange thirst welled up inside him… but Mingpo tried swallowing and realized it wasn't real thirst. What was he suddenly longing for?

Blood? Love? Fear? Or... something else entirely?

But Mingpo suppressed his doubts.

Currently, he has neither the time nor the opportunity to test the "Eye of the Wraith" again.

Not far away, Ai Shiping, covered in blood, looked terrifying like a demon, his gaze complex as he stared at him. Chen Bingwen, meanwhile, had collapsed unconscious against the wall, his neck lolling to the side.

The three people who followed the darkness into this room all killed their past selves with their own hands.

With the paradox resolved, the paradox engine was also repaired. The temperature inside the carriage began to rise, the lights became warm and bright, and the previously swaying vehicle gradually stabilized.

"How is it?"

Ai Shiping's voice rang out softly: "You won?"

"I didn't hit him."

Mingpo casually said, "Mom and Dad are just joking."

He skipped over the previous fight between the two, otherwise, fighting each other to the point of near death in the illusion and then suddenly stopping would make him seem stupid. But if he didn't fight at all from the beginning, he would seem very wise.

"Do you even know what it means to exchange information in the Tsukuyomi space? There are some secrets that can't be told to you mortals."

As Mingpo finished speaking, he saw Ai Shiping pause for a moment.

In just a moment, Ai Shiping's eyes seemed to redden.

"you……"

His voice trembled slightly: "You remember everything?"

"...It should be soon."

Mingbo was silent for a moment, then honestly shook his head: "But I haven't remembered 'all' yet. Some things have already started to...start to leak out."

"That's a good thing, that's a good thing..."

Ai Shiping repeated the words over and over, suddenly becoming incredibly excited.

He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the carriage. His agitated and neurotic demeanor, coupled with the blood on his face, made him look incredibly terrifying.

Mingpo ignored him and simply took out her small mirror to take a look.

Several cracks have already appeared on the mirror.

The crack appeared from the upper right corner, like a tree branch.

The character 【喜】 can no longer be used.

...So it was you who died.

Mingpo thought to herself.

Without the Four Phase Mirror, Mingpo wouldn't even know which one of her own had died.

But at that moment, the train gradually slowed down and came to a stop.

With a hissing sound of steam, a door suddenly appeared out of thin air on the wall of the train, which had no doors.

Then, the door slowly opened.

"...Has the train arrived at the station?"

Ai Shiping stopped moving left and right and murmured softly.

While he hesitated, Mingpo had already walked over, hoisted Chen Bingwen onto his shoulder, and quickly walked off the train.

Chen Bingwen had already fainted. If Mingpo hadn't brought him out, he wasn't sure if this would be considered alive or dead... Just in case, Mingpo carried him out anyway.

Meanwhile, three other people came down from a distance.

Liao Tinglan waved happily to Mingpo, and they also looked very excited.

Stepping off the train, you enter a spacious, dark red hall.

A black cat wearing a collar sat quietly outside Mingpo's carriage.

Apart from the collar, it still wore the terrifying three-ring necklace around its head that resembled planetary rings.

The other three also walked quickly toward them.

"Congratulations... or rather, very unfortunate."

The muzzle hanging around the black cat's neck whispered, "The qualifiers are over."

Compared to his initial frenzy, he was much quieter now. Even somewhat...kind?

"This endless train... there's no end in sight, it's all nothingness. Only by risking your own existence and defeating powerful enemies can you possibly go further. But once you reach a certain point, you'll return to the starting point... Time is such a mysterious thing."

The host, "Mo Bei Si Ran," slowly spoke: "I hope you will remember today's experience."

"Each of you... has come a long way."

"...Is there anything we need to do?"

Chu Yunge asked hesitantly.

As a resident of Central, she was clearly not very tolerant of such mild kindness.

You should at least want something from me, otherwise I'll feel uneasy if you don't want anything from me.

"Live on."

The host's "mouth" sighed, no longer feigning madness, and his voice instantly aged considerably: "I just want you to survive. Good children... go back and get some rest. Think carefully about how to respond to the company's 'invitation,' and don't disobey the company. The company... is more powerful than you imagine."

The host's "hand" floated over and patted Chu Yunge's head.

"in addition……"

He looked at Mingpo: "You stay here for a bit, everyone else go back."

Before anyone else could respond, pitch-black ink spread up from beneath their feet, dragging them directly into the ground.

In an instant, only one person and one cat remained in the station.

"do you remember me?"

The host asked somewhat hesitantly.

"...I might remember later."

Mingpo answered uncertainly.

"Let's talk about it later."

The host said gently, "You can call me Grandpa Mo. Remember to call me when you regain your memories..."

"Be careful, Mingpo. The world has changed so much."

After the black cat finished speaking, it sighed, and its body turned into a blob of ink and sank down.

Immediately afterwards, a strong sense of dizziness accompanied by a feeling of tranquility washed over him, and Mingpo was also dragged down by the warm ink. He slowly closed his eyes.

In that half-asleep, half-awake state, he sensed a series of messages:

[Escape from the sheepfold, level complete!]

[Host: Mo Beisi Ran (Heng-Baiyin)]

Number of people who passed the checkpoint: 6

[Multiplayer game, no faction restrictions, no random players]

[Difficulty: 12 hour]

[No extra rules, no hidden quests triggered, no special world-building puzzles]

[Acquired the identity of the Deceiver, current privileges are...]

An error has occurred.

[Confirmed, current access is granted to Zhou Zhiqing Lead]

[Reward: Chips of Time - Pseudo-Gold of the Sun (1 pieces)]

[Under evaluation...]

[Based on the current highest level of privilege, the title is: Dorian Gray]

【Dorian Gray (Heng-Qingqian)】

[Effects of Wearing: Greatly enhances mental strength; by consuming one or more Zhou Zhiqing Lead chips, you can create a "portrait" of yourself. When at least one "portrait" exists, you will not be fatigued due to lack of sleep or faint from excessive blood loss; any injury that could leave a permanent scar will automatically heal within ten minutes after leaving combat.]

[Effect: When you are in the same world as at least one portrait, for the next 1/5/10 minutes (depending on the token size used to create the portrait), any damage, curses, diseases, or aging effects you suffer will be absorbed by this portrait; however, if this portrait is physically destroyed during or before the duration, you will die instantly.]

The maximum damage a portrait can withstand depends on the size of the chips used, approximately equal to one, five, or ten times your own maximum damage capacity. When you in the portrait die due to excessive damage, your title's passive effect will be temporarily disabled for one day.

This title can be palatial: attached to private areas such as attics and basements.

If this title were to be palatial, the palatial theme would be changed to "Dorian Gray's Attic".

[Title Acquisition Condition: Have another "self" die in your place]

[Title Branch Advancement Conditions: Survive by betraying three different people without anyone noticing / In a life-or-death situation, sacrifice your most precious possession for a chance to survive / Successfully portray two completely opposite personalities in a game, with at least two people in the game genuinely believing that one of the aspects you show is your true personality]

"Heaven and hell both reside within each of us."