Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 174
The sound of “beep, beep, beep” from the countdown continued, becoming faster and sharper.
[Friendly Reminder: The effect of “Rubber Good at Imitation” will expire in 30 seconds.]
[You only have 30 seconds left.]
[The system has launched Version 7.0 of the Deluxe Burial Package service. It’s only 998! Yes, only 998! Isn’t it tempting?]
……
At one corner of the board, six people weren’t frightened by the system’s morbid humor. Instead, they steadily continued their planned actions…
In the farthest corner, Liu Shui quickly removed his orange wristband, preparing to switch it for a blue one.
The other five people in the two rows beneath him were also quickly removing their rubber wristbands, ready to put on real orange ones.
But at that moment, an unexpected turn occurred—
Priest took out an item from his pack.
Zhou Qian’s pupils shrank sharply. Behind him, the sound of a blade rang out as Bai Zhou drew his Breaking Dawn and pointed it at Priest from afar.
At the same instant, every member of the Peach Blossom Legion around Priest raised their guns toward Bai Zhou.
In the next breath, Hidden Blade drew his scimitar. His three disciples moved at the same time.
They stood on three squares of the board, each facing a Peach Blossom Legion member. All three aimed their guns at those in front of them, forcing those three to redirect their guns away from Bai Zhou and toward Hidden Blade’s disciples.
The six of them were locked in a standoff.
Given the nature of the bullets, if anyone fired, all six would die together.
Meanwhile, not far away, Qi Liuxing suddenly drew his sword and aimed it at Priest’s back.
A cold gun barrel pressed against his forehead the next second—courtesy of Ke Yuxiao standing to his left.
The scene was on the brink of erupting, tension mounting dangerously.
Any reckless movement could spark an all-out chaotic slaughter that would claim many lives!
Yet at that critical moment, something unexpected happened—everyone suddenly froze, unable to move.
All were stunned, unable to even utter a sound.
The ones most terrified, naturally, were the six trapped in the corner of the board.
Because they couldn’t move, their wristband swap was left incomplete.
Realizing this, they knelt on the ground, tears streaming silently.
The same thought haunted all of them: They were doomed! They were dead! It was over! And the ones who killed them were Priest and Zhou Qian!
Before death, they memorized their enemies’ names. Would there even be a chance of resurrection afterward?
Thankfully, when the 30 seconds ran out, nothing happened. No one died from a rules violation.
They exhaled in relief, sweat dripping from their foreheads onto the board squares.
Now, the only person able to move or speak was Priest.
He seemed like a god holding the reins of everything. At this moment, all system rules failed. Even the system itself was gone. Everyone’s life or death hinged solely on Priest’s decision.
As Zhou Qian stared at him, he couldn’t help but think: Is there really such an OP item?
Zhou Qian had asked Bai Zhou before about the strongest items in this system.
According to Bai Zhou, there was no item that could completely break the game’s balance, especially not in the higher stages.
The last time Zhou Qian had seen something similar was when Situ Qing’s younger brother, Mu Sheng, used it in “Last Wish”—he entered the game himself and helped thousands of S-level soldiers revive.
But back then, there was still a rule allowing god-tier players to insert NPCs into the game.
God-tier players could help within the rules. So Mu Sheng’s item hadn’t truly broken the balance.
Now it was different.
In the high-stage games, there was no such NPC insertion mechanic. An item freezing everyone, including the murderers, shouldn’t even exist.
Just what was going on with this Priest?
Fortunately, things weren’t as bad as Zhou Qian had feared—
Before Priest, a door appeared out of thin air.
It was merely a self-preservation item. It offered no stat boosts or rewards but allowed players to leave the dungeon safely.
[Item Name: Anywhere Door]
[Effect: When activated, the dungeon pauses briefly. You may use this door to escape. No matter the danger, it guarantees your safe exit!]
[Note: Despite the name, it does not teleport you anywhere. It takes you to the nearest transfer zone. After resting there, you may exit to reality or, if you belong to a legion, return to its territory.]
Even after opening the door, Priest didn’t step through right away. He raised his head and met Zhou Qian’s gaze.
His eyes remained compassionate, as if he didn’t care about Zhou Qian’s harsh words or about losing.
Zhou Qian’s stare dripped with mockery. He was convinced Priest was acting.
How could he really be indifferent? This was just him saving face.
From beginning to end, he’d behaved like a detached bystander, almost as if he wanted to excuse his loss by claiming he hadn’t intervened—because his useless subordinates, like Ke Yuxiao, couldn’t even count the number of wristbands properly.
But thinking of Bai Zhou’s hints back at the church, Zhou Qian realized it wasn’t so simple.
Priest wasn’t just calculating. He had the same twisted humor as this game system. He watched everything Zhou Qian did as a spectator, just like the murderers beyond the cage watched the players now.
Even knowing this, Zhou Qian felt no urge to unravel the man’s mystery.
He simply continued to gaze mockingly at Priest.
Priest then finally spoke. “Zhou Qian, I was just a spectator all along. Entering as a player was only to meet you. This match thrilled me. You truly… exceeded my expectations.”
“I’ll leave you with this. You know full well, without those people helping you, you’d never have won.
“Your temperament is vile. I once believed you’d never make genuine friends in this game. People like you trade benefits for benefits, and only such people would stay near you.
“But now… your luck is obscene—enviable, even.
“Understand this: They follow you not because you are good, but because they are.”
“You were born rich yet disdain your family. Do you know that while you complain about stale caviar, there are countless people who can’t afford a meal?
“You’ve had people who truly care about you, yet you insist the world is malicious and spread your bitterness without restraint.
“You hate this world so much, but it still gave you love and family. So tell me, how do you see it now?
“Zhou Qian, someone like you don’t deserve this world’s gifts.”
Then, four words rang in Zhou Qian’s mind: Don’t listen to him.
He still saw Priest and the door before him, but he also saw a classroom, the one where he’d celebrated Bai Zhou’s birthday.
He instantly realized this was Bai Zhou’s mental domain.
Bai Zhou had heard Priest too. Zhou guessed he was forcefully connecting to him via mental power.
It wasn’t easy.
With their stats, forming a mental domain link without contact was impossible unless aided by the little dragon.
Even close together, without a scale as a medium, it was barely doable unless the god-tier player’s focus was at its peak, especially when Priest was using the Anywhere Door.
In the mental domain, the young Bai Zhou stepped down from the podium, concern written across his face. He walked up, gripped Zhou Qian’s hand tightly, and spoke with grave seriousness. “He has no idea what you’ve been through. Don’t listen to him.”
“Yeah, I won’t. I don’t care what they say,” Zhou Qian replied.
Bai Zhou suddenly asked, “Then are you afraid I might misunderstand you?”
Zhou Qian stared at him, lips curling slyly. “Misunderstand what? Didn’t you like me just as I am since we were kids? Besides—
“If you dare misunderstand me, I’ll tie you up.”
Bai Zhou firmly shook his head. “I’ve always said you’re not like that.”
“Why?” Zhou Qian asked.
Bai Zhou pointed at the classroom around them. The meaning was obvious.
Zhou Qian chuckled. “Tch. Buying my Zhou Ge for life with just a few cakes? What a bargain.”
Bai Zhou laughed softly too. Then, more seriously, he repeated, “You always act like you don’t care, Zhou Qian, but I know you do. Because you care, you—
“Anyway, don’t believe a single word from Priest.”
Zhou Qian nodded, smirking at the boyish Bai Zhou. “Tch. My earnest little boyfriend. Think I’ll listen to you?”
“Of course you will.”
Despite his youthful look, Bai Zhou’s stance was commanding, unlike the calm steadiness Zhou Qian knew now.
Amused, Zhou Qian teased. “Grow up before bossing me around. You’re too small now.”
“Zhou Qian—”
Sensing something, the young Bai Zhou frowned, his gaze darkening in disapproval.
Zhou Qian wanted to tease him further but snapped back to reality. He saw Priest step through the Anywhere Door.
The moment it closed, the frozen dungeon resumed.
The six in the corner were still dazed.
“Swap your wristbands, now!” Zhou Qian barked.
They jolted awake and fumbled to switch bands, finally saving their lives.
Afterward, they collapsed on the ground, panting hard, needing time to recover from their near-death terror.
Zhou Qian pressed on, directing the board until, half an hour later, they won.
The system declared victory and told them to wait for the next ruleset.
While waiting, the Peach Blossom side and Zhou Qian’s split the cage evenly.
Peach Blossom stayed silent, but Zhou Qian’s side erupted in cheers. They were now fully devoted to his Invincible Legion.
He Xiaowei shouted the loudest. “See?! Didn’t I tell you? Our Qian’er is unstoppable! Peach Blossom? Priest? All nothing!”
Yet Zhou Qian merely stood at the corner, observing the murderers outside.
The murderers pressed closer, smiling eerily like they were about to feast.
The contrast sobered Zhou Qian’s face.
Bai Zhou joined him, instantly sensing Zhou Qian’s focus wasn’t on the murderers but on pondering Priest.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Bai Zhou asked, “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Zhou Qian replied. “Just thinking that you were right.”
He meant Bai Zhou’s kiss and its implication in the church.
“Hidden Blade saw Priest at the start of ‘Banquet of the Red God’, but Priest let him roam free to help me.
“He never needed to enter this dungeon and could’ve left long ago with that door.
“But he came anyway and left only now… like he’s been watching a circus act.”
“He’s telling me no matter how well I overturned the board, to him, it was always a predictable show.
“He caught Hidden Blade then freed him; ignored Ke Yuxiao’s obvious incompetence with wristbands; stayed hands-off in solving anything…
“He’s saying he’s been holding back since freeing Hidden Blade, leaving now because he believes I’ll die in the next stage.”
“Just trust me, and that candy,” Bai Zhou said.
“Yeah.” Zhou Qian’s eyes glinted sharply as he leaned closer. His voice was low, edged with threat. “If you dare lie to me, I’ll hunt you down even as a god of this game. No matter where you run, I’ll catch you and then…
“Zhou Ge, I will lock us away forever. That candy bought you for life. You’re not escaping.”
Moments later, as the murderers pressed closer, the system chimed:
[System evaluation complete: Player count is within capacity.]
[Special Edition: King’s Game is about to begin]
[Murderers count: 55. If players fall below this, you will be massacred.]
[Current surviving players: 81, exceeding the murderers count. The game continues…]
Many people’s faces undoubtedly changed upon hearing this, especially those led by Xu Yang. If they had stuck to the plan, they would have been slaughtered.
Xu Yang could help but glanced bitterly at Zhou Qian. Damn it, he was right!
This system existed to watch regret burn in people’s eyes.
The system went on:
[King’s Game rules: Each King selects two people for a one-on-one kill mission—one must be a murderer, the other a player.]
[Whether the player dies depends on the clues you’ve gathered.]
[Victory in the Chinese Checkers match went to Yellow. You may now send a representative to speak directly to the murderers and try to win a death exemption token. You have one minute to choose.]
[King’s Game begins in 20 minutes.]
[Enjoy your game!]
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