Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 7

Inside the treehouse.

The first to make a video call to Zhou Qian was Dong Xiang.

As soon as the call connected, Dong Xiang’s face turned livid as he demanded, “What the hell do you mean?! Do you want to get rid of me most? I’ve never seen someone as despicable as you!”

In response to Dong Xiang’s rage, Zhou Qian calmly replied, “First, mind your words. You’re seeking my help, not the other way around. Second, I don’t necessarily want to kill you. I’m a rational person, and my principle is to maximize benefits—”

“If you return those two [Dalong, it’s medicine time.] to me and add some gold and items, I might consider giving you extra points.”

……

Just 10 minutes later.

Zhou Qian had negotiated a deal with everyone.

Previously, his Dalong pills were divided between the Dong Qi duo. Now, they were back in his possession. Not only that, but he had also amassed 2,500 gold and numerous valuable items.

While checking his inventory, Zhou Qian received another call request. He looked up and saw it was from Gao Shan.

Zhou Qian squinted thoughtfully before answering, “What?”

Honest and straightforward Gao Shan looked pretty angry. “Are you collecting money and items from everyone? Everyone’s bribing you! But who are you going to help?!”

Looking at Gao Shan, Zhou Qian’s eyes twinkled, and he suddenly asked, “How much do you love your Rongrong?”

Gao Shan looked somewhat panicked, then glared at Zhou Qian warily. “What are you trying to do?! What you said before… it wasn’t true, was it?”

“Which statement are you referring to?”

Zhou Qian feigned innocence, then smiled at him. “Oh, are you talking about what I said to you alone before entering the treehouse—’You’re very much my type. I want to fuck you’?”

On the other side of the screen.

Both Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang exclaimed, “Holy shit.”

A gay guy among us?

“You misunderstood, Shan Ge.” Zhou Qian sincerely waved his hand. “I can tell you love your girlfriend. I said that to provoke you, hoping you’d hit me.”

“Sure enough, you did punch me, which helped me deceive Dong Xiang and Qi Liuxing, making them think I had a way to drive a wedge between you and Rongrong. It was all strategy. Don’t take it personally.”

Gao Shan: “…”

“I’ll sincerely apologize to you and Rongrong for the offense.”

“…”

“I know you’re straight.”

“No shit!”

“Although I might not be that straight—”

“……”

“But rest assured, you’re not my type.”

“………………”

“But I am curious—”

Suddenly, Zhou Qian’s tone changed, and malice appeared in his eyes. “If I had to choose between you and Yun Xiangrong to die… who would you want it to be?”

Zhou Qian had suffered great losses, even being sold out by his own father.

It was hard for him to believe that there were good people in this world.

The words “Human nature is evil” had been deeply ingrained in him.

By posing a life-or-death question to the young couple, Zhou Qian could easily imagine Gao Shan begging him in tears—

Showing immense pain, but the words would be ruthless.

Humans were selfish.

He would definitely choose to let his girlfriend die.

But Gao Shan’s response was unexpected.

Almost without hesitation, he told Zhou Qian, “I’m willing to die for Rongrong.”

Zhou Qian was taken aback. “What did you say?”

Gao Shan replied, “I said I’m willing to die for Rongrong. Please give Rongrong more points. You can give me zero, I don’t mind. Zhou Qian, I don’t know you, but I think you… you’re really a bad person.”

Zhou Qian nearly laughed.

This straightforward man couldn’t even insult properly. In his extreme anger, he could only come up with the words “you’re bad”.

But looking at Gao Shan’s expression, for some reason, Zhou Qian suddenly felt he couldn’t laugh.

“I can’t imagine why someone like you exists. Are you enjoying this feeling… of playing with other people’s lives? Forget it, do as you please… If my death pleases you, then do it. As long as you spare Rongrong.”

“So you’d just give up your life like that? Should I call you stupid?”

Zhou Qian looked at him with a frown, noticing another incoming call notification. Glancing at the caller’s identity, Zhou Qian’s amusement resurfaced.

“Look, it’s your Rongrong, contacting me alone. Do you want to know… if I throw the same question to her, what choice will she make?”

“To be honest… I don’t know,” Gao Shan said hoarsely. “And I don’t want to know. Rongrong is smarter than me. In fact, I hope she will choose to let me die. Anyway, I just want her to live.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian looked at him thoughtfully, his eyes turning into a mocking smirk, as if finding Gao Shan amusing.

“People like you will never understand.”

Gao Shan’s expression suddenly turned stern, his tone threatening like never before. “But you have to stick to your word! Kill me, fine. But you can’t harm Rongrong. Otherwise, even as a ghost, I will never let you go!”

He said this last line through gritted teeth.

His tone was so convincing that it seemed if Zhou Qian broke his promise, Gao Shan’s spirit would defy all obstacles and return from hell, just to tear Zhou Qian apart and avenge his Rongrong.

After a while, Zhou Qian laughed.

Staring at Gao Shan before him, he sighed as if reminiscing about a distant past. Then he muttered to himself, “Interesting. In my lifetime, I never thought I’d meet someone like you. In 22 years, I’ve only ever met one other eccentric like you.”

When Zhou Qian said this, his expression was entirely different than usual, as if he had become another person.

Who was he talking about?

Was his participation in the game related to that person?

Did he want to save that person?

Perhaps his heart isn’t as wicked as he portrays?

But Gao Shan didn’t have time to ponder. Zhou Qian quickly ended the video call.

Zhou Qian then started a conversation with Yun Xiangrong.

With a defiant attitude, Zhou Qian posed the same question to her.

Compared to Gao Shan’s straightforward answer, Yun Xiangrong’s was clearly more logical.

She looked at Zhou Qian and laughed. “Are you doing this for fun? Trying to make us betray each other while you enjoy playing with our emotions?”

Zhou Qian remained silent. Yun Xiangrong continued, “I’m willing to give you gold coins and items in exchange for your points, just as a precaution. After all, you seem like a psycho. If I anger you, you might act irrationally.

“But rationally speaking, I’m a healer, and Shan Ge is a tank. You need us in the later stages. So, I’m most likely sure you won’t kill either of us.”

“Then who do you think I want to die?” asked Zhou Qian.

Yun Xiangrong replied, “Of course, it’s Dong Xiang. He’s severely injured, and I don’t want to waste my mana healing him. Besides, his theft ability might not be useful in upcoming tasks. It would be wiser to keep a damage dealer like Qi Liuxing.”

Zhou Qian didn’t say much and quickly hung up the call.

In reality, he wasn’t just toying with them. He genuinely wanted to gauge their character, nature, and intelligence. He certainly got the answers he was looking for.

A minute later, Zhou Qian received a call from Qi Liuxing.

Upon answering, he heard an angry Qi Liuxing, who still had the voice of a teenager, demand, “Who are you going to help, Dong Xiang or me?”

Zhou Qian replied with a smirk, “Give me another thousand gold coins, and I’ll give you a higher score than Dong Xiang.”

Qi Liuxing retorted with a hint of amusement, “Dong Xiang still has one chance to call. I bet you’ll say the same to him.”

“You both are trying to bribe me with gold and items to eliminate the other,” Zhou Qian replied leisurely. “From what I see, both of you are willing to betray your teammates. Hey, I should choose the one with relatively better morals. What if, after leaving this treehouse, you try to betray me?”

Qi Liuxing quickly argued, “I just gave you 500 gold coins out of pity. Doesn’t that speak for my character? I truly just want to protect myself. I don’t want to take advantage of you!”

Pretending to just remember, Zhou Qian nodded slowly. “Right. There was that. I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian continued, “But that alone seems insufficient. Keep convincing me. For example… how much do you know about Dong Xiang?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Liuxing took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his rage towards Zhou Qian, replying, “Had it been someone else, I would never betray them in such a situation. But Dong Xiang is different—”

“In the last instance, I saw with my own eyes how Dong Xiang poisoned many teammates just to monopolize a rare item. He didn’t really save me; I was just lucky enough not to be poisoned. He pretended to save me to fish for information, to see if I knew he was the real culprit.”

“I acted as if I knew nothing and even thanked him for saving my life, just to avoid raising his suspicions. So, what I’m doing now isn’t betrayal. I’m avenging our teammates!”

“I see.” There was a pause before Zhou Qian smirked as he looked at the LCD screen. “You’ve convinced me. Let’s send Dong Xiang straight to hell then. However…”

“What do you mean, ‘however’?” Qi Liuxing frowned.

Zhou Qian grinned. “You’ll need to transfer 1,000 gold coins to me. I’ve initiated a trade request. Kindly approve it.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian earnestly added, “Once we clear the level, any remaining coins will be settled accordingly. I’m not trying to scam you. I just believe it’s best if I decide how we allocate the money and what items to buy.”

“After all, I don’t want to waste time arguing with you.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Time ticked away.

With only 3 minutes remaining in this phase, Zhou Qian finally got a call from Dong Xiang.

It was evident from Dong Xiang’s voice that he was distressed.

Through the LCD screen, Zhou Qian could see that Dong Xiang was sweating profusely due to extreme fear. The loss of fluids and salts made his whole body tremble.

“Zhou… Zhou Qian, Qian Ge, Lord Zhou, you’re not planning to kill me, right?”

With difficulty, Dong Xiang swallowed. “I have a super rare item called the [Tick Tock Clock]. Despite its name, it can resurrect someone! I’ll give it to you if you spare me. Please give me the points. Oh, and I’ll give you all the gold I have. There’s no need to kill me!”

The [Tick Tock Clock]? The item he obtained by killing many teammates?

But it seemed that such a powerful item had strict conditions for use, like it could only be used to save others but not oneself. Otherwise, Dong Xiang wouldn’t be so terrified now.

Zhou Qian nodded. “Alright, hand over the [Tick Tock Clock].”

“You… I can’t trust someone like you easily!”

Through the screen, Dong Xiang’s eyes had turned a dead gray.

“Zhou Qian, open the trade window. Let’s set our terms transparently. You give me the points, I give you the [Tick Tock Clock]. Cash on delivery! I’ll only trust you with the system’s oversight!”

Zhou Qian seemed to understand, nodding in acknowledgment, but his gaze soon turned ice cold. “Suddenly, I neither want your money nor the [Tick Tock Clock]. I just want you dead.”

“You—!!! I’ll kill you!!!”

Dong Xiang roared, his voice echoing through Zhou Qian’s treehouse. Through the LCD screen, Zhou Qian could see Dong Xiang’s eyes, bulging and bloodshot, filled with rage.

Seemingly at his limit, Dong Xiang suddenly stood up, hurling his fist at Zhou Qian, or rather, the LCD screen. As he shattered it, Zhou Qian’s face fragmented into countless shards.

However, from those fragments, Zhou Qian’s pale face and intent-filled eyes stared back. The last thing Dong Xiang heard was his raspy, eerily calm voice that seemed to come from the depths of hell.

“Go to hell, Dong Xiang!”

……

At exactly 10 PM, the players, under the guidance of the goddesses, gathered by the lake with other believers.

After the ethereal bell tolled ten times, one priestess held Dong Xiang by his wrists and another by his ankles. They lifted him into the air above the lake and suspended him there.

Dong Xiang had already fainted, seemingly unaware of what was about to happen.

Not long ago, after the treehouse scoring game ended, the goddess announced the results.

“The lowest score is Dong Xiang, with only 0 points.”

After announcing the results, the two goddesses reached out their hands towards Dong Xiang with smiles, as if inviting him to play a game. “Let’s go, you’ve deceived the Great God. We will execute you in front of him!”

“Fuck off!” Dong Xiang suddenly pulled out a whip. “Let’s die together!”

The two goddesses sighed softly, looking at him with pity.

“How can a mere mortal think of killing a god?”

“Yes, sister, he’s both pitiable and foolish!”

Seeing that the goddesses were about to make a move, Dong Xiang suddenly knelt down. “Sister Goddess, I was wrong, I was wrong. I… I am ready to die. But before I die, can I say one last word to my friend?”

Dong Xiang kept kowtowing on the ground, blood and sweat dripping from his forehead, soon leaving a stain where they mixed on the ground.

Everyone initially thought he had gone mad.

Does he have a plan now?

Zhou Qian glanced at Dong Xiang and soon saw the two goddesses agreeing to his request.

Then, Dong Xiang took out an item from his bag.

It was easy to guess that it was the [Tick Tock Clock].

Is he trying to use this item to save his life?

Holding such a precious item and kneeling on the ground, Dong Xiang shuffled over to Qi Liuxing, tugging on his pants leg. “Brother, I can only rely on you now. This item can be used to revive teammates. Make it tick, and it can replace my heart. Please save me, okay? In the last instance, I saved you!”

Qi Liuxing pressed his lips together, then subconsciously looked up at Zhou Qian nearby.

Except for the person involved, only Zhou Qian knew the full story behind this.

Zhou Qian smiled, pondering the situation.

Zhou Qian smiled and met his gaze thoughtfully.

The young Qi Liuxing’s acting skills were clearly lacking. He could pretend, but difficult expressions were too much for him.

Qi Liuxing took a deep breath and emotionlessly said to Dong Xiang, “Alright. I promise.”

His expression was clearly just perfunctory.

Sure enough, Dong Xiang immediately noticed.

For a moment, Dong Xiang seemed to collapse, as his last glimmer of hope was shattered.

A liquid puddle appeared beneath him; a result of incontinence due to extreme fear.

The elegant goddesses could no longer bear it and quickly used their powers to knock Dong Xiang out.

One of the goddesses used her power to take Dong Xiang away. “This filthy body will defile our paradise. I’ll take him to change his clothes. Sister, you take the remaining believers to the ceremony.”

The other goddess nodded in agreement, leading the remaining four players towards the lake.

All 24 believers were arranged in three rows.

Zhou Qian stood at the end, in a corner position.

Ahead of him were two rows of heads, then the two goddesses holding Dong Xiang above the lake.

Further away was the god Epoh, with his eyes closed.

After what felt like ages, the winds in the palace ceased.

The tree shadows stopped swaying, and the features of God Epoh became clear.

After another chime, he opened his eyes.

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Kinky Thoughts:

That’s debatable on if Zhou Qian will be doing the fucking.

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