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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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 6

Inside the treehouse, through a video call, Zhou Qian saw with his own eyes Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan filling out their voting papers.

Both of them had written “Yes” on their papers.

Upon personally witnessing them place the scorecard into the sealed black box, Zhou Qian hung up the group chat with great satisfaction.

The treehouse returned to its quiet state.

Then Zhou Qian took out a blank scorecard and wrote five names on it, along with five scores.

Surprisingly, it turned out:

[Gao Shan: 0 points], [Yun Xiangrong: 10 points];

[Dong Xiang: 30 points], [Qi Liuxing: 30 points];

Lastly, [Zhou Qian: 30 points].

Next, Zhou Qian tapped on the touchscreen, lighting up Qi Liuxing’s avatar. But instead of initiating a private chat with Qi Liuxing, he continued to select Dong Xiang, initiating another three-person group chat.

Zhou Qian’s call request wasn’t immediately answered. It’s possible that the Dong Qi duo were privately chatting. He waited for 5 minutes before the video call was connected.

Upon realizing they were in group chat mode, just like the young couple, both Dong Xiang and Qi Liuxing looked very surprised. They had assumed Zhou Qian would chat with them separately, trying to sow discord and make them betray each other. Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian initiated a group chat.

The screen magnified their astonished expressions. Zhou Qian maintained a standard fake smile, waving at them and holding up his paper.

“…Did you understand what I said earlier? I’m giving each of you 30 points. The two of you are tied for first, and the last one will be Gao Shan with 0 points. I will get him eliminated.”

In front of their mobile screens, Zhu Qiang and Yu Xian kept exclaiming “Holy fuck” in disbelief.

“What does this mean? I don’t get it. Didn’t Qian Ge just about secure his victory after video chatting with the couple? What’s this performance for? Is he testing his teammates?”

“I don’t know. I don’t get it. But wait. The Goddess said once the scorecard enters the black box, the box will be sealed. This is the main reason the couple believes Qian Ge.”

“Right, Qian Ge already dropped the scorecard! His black box should have been sealed! How will he deceive Dong and Qi? He doesn’t know magic!”

Inside the game, Zhou Qian had no idea someone could see him or that his progress would influence someone else’s chance of winning 1 million yuan. He simply negotiated with the two through the screen, using his scorecard.

Dong Xiang, who was beaten badly by Li Dafu, undeniably hated Zhou Qian. His first response to Zhou Qian was, “Fuck off!”

“Fuck you, Zhou Qian! I don’t care about your tricks. I don’t care who you give high or low scores to! Xiao Qi, let’s not bother with these tactics. Just vote no!

“I’ll remind that couple later! Tell them never to trust Zhou Qian! My facial injuries are the best proof! We definitely won’t lose.”

Zhou Qian calmly responded, “Really? Don’t you want my special intel?”

Just as Dong Xiang was about to speak, Qi Liuxing, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. “Why did you… target Gao Shan? This is very strange…”

Zhou Qian simply said, “I don’t know about you two. But I’m from the Spring Hill Mental Asylum. So is Yun Xiangrong. To be blunt, she and I greenlit* Gao Shan.”

*(绿) It’s a slang term that basically means to cuckold someone.

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Dong Xiang looked stunned and then sneered maliciously.

Zhou Qian continued, “You saw it earlier, right? Before entering the treehouse, I spoke a few words to Gao Shan, which visibly upset him, and he wanted to hit me. I simply told him the truth.”

On the mobile screen, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang were baffled.

Yu Xian: “No way, did Qian Ge really say something like that to Gao Shan?”

Zhu Qiang: “Probably not… No, definitely not! Their group chat seemed harmonious earlier!”

“So, Qian Ge is just bluffing Dong Xiang and Qi Liuxing.”

“Yep. But I really wonder what Zhou Qian said to make Gao Shan want to hit him, yet not turn them into enemies…”

Inside the game.

After some more dramatic discourse among the three, Zhou Qian said, “That’s the situation. Gao Shan knows that Yun Xiangrong greenlit him. And since Yun Xiangrong saw him wanting to hit me, she would guess what I told him. From her perspective, Gao Shan might betray her as well… But I’m the kind of person who dislikes trouble.”

“I’m giving each of you a score of 20. If your ranks are the same, then the type of votes will matter, leading you to betray each other. But instead of talking to the two of you one by one, I might as well just send Gao Shan away.”

At this point, looking at Dong Xiang, a submissive expression appeared on Zhou Qian’s face. “Dong Ge, I know we had some unpleasantness today. But to be fair, if you hadn’t stolen my invitation first, none of the subsequent events would’ve happened, right?”

“Li Da Fu was killed by me. You saw it clearly. That was my side mission. Now that the task is completed, of course I have obtained special intelligence. Think about it, you were the main contributor in killing Li Dafu. Are you really willing to miss out on this special piece of intelligence?”

Zhou Qian smiled helplessly and sincerely said, “Dong Ge, you’re Rank E and even have a Rank D Sword God to help you. I’m just Rank F, and I don’t have any skills. If you wanted to kill me, wouldn’t there be a thousand ways? Why let me die in this petty game?”

The Dong Qi duo were silent for a long time.

The first to relent was Qi Liuxing.

“It’s feasible. Neither of us will lose; plus, we can get additional intelligence. Moreover… you haven’t blackmailed us for coins or props. However—”

Looking at Zhou Qian, Qi Liuxing said, “Open the system trading window, and we’ll trade under system supervision. I want to ensure that you’ll put that scoring paper of yours into…”

Before Qi Liuxing could finish, Zhou Qian had already placed the thin scoring paper into the black box.

Seeing this, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang were shocked.

Yu Xian: “Am I seeing things? Can Qian Ge really do magic?”

Zhu Qiang: “I have a vague feeling, as if I’m starting to understand something…”

Inside the game, Zhou Qian opened the system control panel and said to the two, “I’ve put the scoring paper in the black box in front of you. This is my sincerity. Now it’s your turn to cast a positive vote for me. As long as you both give me positive votes, I can provide you with special information about this instance.”

But Dong Xiang didn’t immediately agree.

He laughed, his eyes shifting from surprise to malice.

“Okay, Zhou Qian. I can give you a positive vote. However, just intelligence isn’t enough!”

“You started with 300 coins, right? Give 150 to me and Qi Liuxing each. Also, give us all the props you’ve acquired! We can proceed through the trading window!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian looked anxious, displeased, and hesitant. He then said with a frown, “I don’t have 300 coins anymore, only 295. I can give them to you. But the props…”

Seeing Zhou Qian showing weakness, Dong Xiang finally vented some frustration with a delighted expression.

But the look he gave Zhou Qian remained malicious. “Killing Li Dafu wasn’t an easy task for you. You must have gotten valuable props! Hand them over! Or no deal!”

“Zhou Qian, you’re asking us now! Act like someone who’s begging! Look sincere! You said earlier that you’re in control of this game, quite capable, huh? Now, kneel. Hahaha…”

After that, Zhou Qian desperately pleaded through the screen, emphasizing his struggles as a new Rank F player, and it was hard for him to get props.

But as Dong Xiang pointed out, the passive one now was Zhou Qian.

He was like a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.

In the end, Zhou Qian, with no other choice, lost 295 coins and all of his [Dalang, it’s medicine time.].

He was left penniless, without any props or skills.

Watching him, Dong Xiang laughed triumphantly.

How could a player like Zhou Qian, without skills, coins, or props, survive in the upcoming plot?

The trading line could directly grab items from a player’s bag and teleport them to another player.

Soon, the Dong Qi duo got the item information on their system panels.

Of course, when seeing the name of the medicine, both couldn’t help but grimace.

But in the end, the two happily divided the three pills.

Qi Liuxing gave two of the pills to Dong Xiang. “The name of this medicine is a bit odd, but it’s useful. It can limit the NPC’s actions. My attack power is high, yours isn’t. You take two, I’ll keep one.”

“You keep all the coins!” Dong Xiang feigned generosity, giving all the coins to Qi Liuxing.

The two profited immensely, while Zhou Qian was left with nothing. His only gain was two more affirmative votes.

However, after a while, Zhou Qian received a notification on his system panel. Raising his wrist, he opened the message to see that Qi Liuxing had transferred 500 gold coins to him, along with a note: [I don’t like taking advantage of others. All I want is to ensure I’m not eliminated. I’m returning the money to you. The extra is for the items we bought from you.]

Upon seeing the message, Zhou Qian didn’t say much. Through a video call, he watched as Qi Liuxing and Dong Xiang each placed an affirmative vote into the ballot box. He took a deep breath and thanked both of them before ending the call.

As soon as the video call ended, Zhou Qian’s obsequiousness and feigned smile vanished. Instead, his face appeared colder, with eyes that shone subtly.

Nothing happened for a long time. It was only after 10 minutes that the voice of the Goddess echoed in everyone’s ears, “There are only 10 minutes left to score. Li Dafu, please hurry up.”

Hurry up and score? What? Li Dafu, who is actually Zhou Qian, hasn’t scored yet?

This was the question in everyone’s mind, except Zhou Qian’s.

With a playful glint in his eyes, Zhou Qian tapped the screen, lighting up the portraits of Qi Liuxing, Dong Xiang, Yun Xiaorong, and Gao Shan. He then made a call. Four shocked faces appeared on the screen, all eyes on Zhou Qian as he showed three pieces of scoring paper to the camera.

On the first sheet, two young couples and Zhou Qian each had 30 points, Qi Liuxing 10 points, and Dong Xiang 0.

On the second, Qi Liuxing, Dong Xiang, and Zhou Qian each had 30 points, Yun Xiaorong 10, and Gao Shan 0.

These were the scores everyone had just seen Zhou Qian put into the ballot box.

The last sheet was blank.

Holding it up, Zhou Qian grinned at the camera. “Let me introduce myself. I’m good at card games and have a fast hand, so I’m a master of deception. When you thought I put the score sheet into the box, I actually didn’t. You can think of it as a bit of magic.”

Seeing their stunned expressions, Zhou Qian’s smile grew wider. “The Goddess never specified the order for placing the score and vote sheets. This gives me a chance to regain control.”

“All four of you gave me affirmative votes, but I haven’t scored yet. Even if I don’t score, you’ve already accepted whatever result I give. Thank you for trusting me!”

With a mischievous smile, Zhou Qian continued, “So now… how should I distribute these 100 points? Let’s go back to the beginning. Bribe me, with game gold or valuable items. I’m open to offers. The game has only 10 minutes left. Please hurry.”

With that, Zhou Qian ended the video.

Watching from their mobile screens, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang were stunned for a good ten seconds.

“Fuck, Qian Ge is brilliant.”

“He’s more than that! If it were me, I’d have panicked when everyone decided to give negative votes. Apart from waiting for the end, what else could I do?” the other replied.

“Qian Ge not only remained calm but also quickly thought of a solution to make everyone betray one another. He’s something else!”

“Yeah, who would have thought that his real goal wasn’t just to survive but also to extort gold coins and items!”

Being able to quickly assess the personalities and relationships of four teammates, finding the gaps to exploit; crafting a lie about possessing special information, using it to create a prisoner’s dilemma; and finally leveraging his items, gold coins, and supposed information to make one group betray another for scores and survive.

From the Yu Zhu duo, this was already a very high-end strategy. In the face of extreme adversity, Zhou Qian’s wit, courage, observational skills, and willingness to act humbly made all the difference.

Such advanced gameplay was just used by Zhou Qian as a very deceptive feint…

This was almost unbelievable.

Trade everything for one life? Zhou Qian would not be willing.

A Rank F player, without skills, lacking gold, and missing props…

Then he would find a way to earn everything he lacks.

Stuck in the most unfavorable passive situation?

He would take control over everyone from the highest point.

Yu Xian: “His strategies are so deep. When he went to talk privately with Gao Shan and provoked him, he had already planned out every step… I just wonder what he said at that time.”

Zhu Qiang: “Shh, look, someone is calling him!”

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The author has something to say:

The origin of this game is based on a classic economic game theory model called [Pirate Game]. Pirates divide 100 coins, and if the proposal made by one of them is not satisfactory to the other pirates, he will be thrown into the sea to feed sharks. For details, you can search it on Baidu.

However, I’ve made significant changes here, introducing settings like tree houses, dealing with tied votes, and the consequence of receiving a negative vote leading to death, etc. So essentially, it’s entirely different now.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Further elaborating on the Pirate Game, you can go the Wikipedia or read below.

It’s a mathematical game:

There are five rational pirates (in strict order of seniority A, B, C, D and E) who found 100 gold coins. They must decide how to distribute them.

The pirate world’s rules of distribution say that the most senior pirate first proposes a plan of distribution. The pirates, including the proposer, then vote on whether to accept this distribution. If the majority accepts the plan, the coins are disbursed and the game ends. In case of a tie vote, the proposer has the casting vote. If the majority rejects the plan, the proposer is thrown overboard from the pirate ship and dies, and the next most senior pirate makes a new proposal to begin the system again. The process repeats until a plan is accepted or if there is one pirate left.

Pirates base their decisions on four factors. First of all, each pirate wants to survive. Second, given survival, each pirate wants to maximize the number of gold coins he receives. Third, each pirate would prefer to throw another overboard, if all other results would otherwise be equal. And finally, the pirates do not trust each other, and will neither make nor honor any promises between pirates apart from a proposed distribution plan that gives a whole number of gold coins to each pirate.

The results:

To increase the chance of their plan being accepted, one might expect that Pirate A will have to offer the other pirates most of the gold. However, this is far from the theoretical result. When each of the pirates votes, they will not just be thinking about the current proposal, but also other outcomes down the line. In addition, the order of seniority is known in advance so each of them can accurately predict how the others might vote in any scenario. This becomes apparent if we work backwards.

The final possible scenario would have all the pirates except D and E thrown overboard. Since D is senior to E, they have the casting vote; so, D would propose to keep 100 for themself and 0 for E.

If there are three left (C, D and E), C knows that D will offer E 0 in the next round; therefore, C has to offer E one coin in this round to win E’s vote. Therefore, when only three are left the allocation is C:99, D:0, E:1.

If B, C, D and E remain, B can offer 1 to D; because B has the casting vote, only D’s vote is required. Thus, B proposes B:99, C:0, D:1, E:0.

(In the previous round, one might consider proposing B:99, C:0, D:0, E:1, as E knows it won’t be possible to get more coins, if any, if E throws B overboard. But, as each pirate is eager to throw the others overboard, E would prefer to kill B, to get the same amount of gold from C.)

With this knowledge, A can count on C and E’s support for the following allocation, which is the final solution:

A: 98 coins

B: 0 coins

C: 1 coin

D: 0 coins

E: 1 coin

(Note: A:98, B:0, C:0, D:1, E:1 or other variants are not good enough, as D would rather throw A overboard to get the same amount of gold from B.)

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 5

From the information acquired through the side mission, Zhou Qian had just gained the power of life and death, as if standing at the top of the food chain.

However, in the next moment, the rules further announced by the goddess immediately put him in an infinitely passive situation.

As long as Qi Liuxing and Dong Xiang stuck together till the end and had three tied votes, Zhou Qian would be directly eliminated and executed as a false believer.

Despite knowing his situation was dire, Zhou Qian didn’t respond to Dong Xiang’s words.

He just quietly looked up at the five treehouses, waiting for the goddess to continue reading the rules.

“Li Dafu, please enter Treehouse No. 1. Everyone else can freely enter from No. 2 through No. 5.”

“In each treehouse, there are papers, pens, and a sealed black box.”

“The paper in Treehouse No. 1 is specially designed for scoring. The first vertical column is for names, and the second is for scores, which need to be filled in neatly.”

“The paper in Treehouses No. 2 through No. 5 is for voting. You can write ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to indicate whether you agree with Li Dafu’s scoring results.”

“Considering you might change your minds, we’ve prepared plenty of scoring and voting papers. But once you throw the paper into the black box, it will be considered a valid score or vote. The box will then automatically lock, and no more papers can be thrown in.”

“Li Dafu needs to ask questions to determine who is real and who is fake.”

“He needs to show his scoring results to the other players, so of course, he needs to use video calls!”

“The rest of the believers can also discuss among themselves whether or not to trust that Li Dafu is the true believer.”

“For this reason, we’ve placed video phones in each treehouse. The video supports group chat discussions! However, each person can only make three calls, while receiving calls is unlimited.”

“Please enter the treehouses now! Complete the first round of scoring and voting within 30 minutes!”

“We sincerely hope that the first round will also be the only round. We hope you can quickly identify the fake believer!”

After the goddess finished reading the rules, Dong Xiang immediately picked up where he left off with a treacherous tone.

“I know what these treehouses mean! It means letting us bribe Zhou Qian separately! Whoever gives him coins or props, he will give high scores! Everyone, don’t be fooled!”

At this point, Dong Xiang especially looked at Qi Liuxing, seemingly confirming his stance. “How hard have we worked for these coins and props? Why should Zhou Qian benefit from them?”

“So, as I said earlier, we must vote ‘no’! After three tied votes, he’s dead. Actually—”

Dong Xiang then looked at the young couple. “Why don’t we save some time? Why play three rounds? Just reject Zhou Qian in the first round!”

“When you go into the treehouse, don’t believe anything Zhou Qian says, and don’t look at his scores! Just vote ‘no’ and that’s it!”

A breeze rustled the leaves, casting fluctuating shadows on the ground, making everyone’s face look unpredictable.

After threatening Zhou Qian, Dong Xiang’s eyes were malevolent, and his smile was cold.

However, when faced with Zhou Qian’s indifferent gaze, his hand trembled involuntarily.

Why was Zhou Qian so calm?

He shouldn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve!

Then he saw Zhou Qian smile.

With his hands leisurely tucked into his pockets, Zhou Qian casually said, “We’ll see.”

Dong Xiang swallowed hard. “You’re just being stubborn till death!”

Zhou Qian ignored him and glanced at the couple, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, then looked at Qi Liuxing, who was supporting Dong Xiang.

Qi Liuxing looked young and naive.

Perhaps for this reason, to avoid being underestimated and to appear more mature and intimidating, he always stood tall like a sharp sword.

Turning his attention back to Dong Xiang, Zhou Qian said, “Do you really think you can easily get me out like this? You’re being too naive.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?” Dong Xiang responded sharply, but his heart skipped a beat.

Casually glancing at the other players, Zhou Qian asked, “Have any of you heard of the Prisoner’s Dilemma?”

Waiting patiently for the four players to exchange glances, Zhou Qian held up his invitation and said, “You all heard the six questions earlier, right? Why could I answer the last two? Because I completed the side mission.”

“Among the five of us, I’m the only one who came with a side mission. I’ve completed this side mission. And what I gained from it isn’t just the answers to these two questions. I’ve also obtained special intelligence about how to crack [Apple Paradise].”

“Although this instance is only level one, its difficulty is considerable due to its hidden achievements. You all managed to find this place for the rare rewards. So, there’s no need to emphasize the importance of the intel I have, right?”

Much of the information about this instance was personally told to him by Dong Xiang.

Back then, Dong Xiang tried to get close to the newcomer to gain his trust, but now he deeply regretted it.

Zhou Qian continued, “Thus, I can surely leverage this special intelligence to strike a deal with you, in exchange for your affirmative votes.”

“Dong Xiang is right about one thing: I know all of you are false believers. So, the video call isn’t for me to ask you questions to discern the truth. It’s for you to bribe me with gold and items.”

“Essentially, the private video chat feature in this game is the prisoner’s dilemma. You formed pairs? That just makes it easier for me.”

By this point, Zhou Qian’s smile was almost provocative.

Facing everyone’s gaze, he calmly asked the goddesses, “What if I give everyone 20 points and the five of us split the score equally? That way, no one is last. Who would be eliminated then?”

The two goddesses exchanged a smile, replying to Zhou Qian, “In that case, it depends on the type of votes you get. If it’s still a 2:2 tie after three rounds, you’re out. But if three agree with you and one disagrees, then the one who disagrees seems to be the problem. They will be eliminated as a false believer.”

Sure enough.

Zhou Qian looked pleased as he glanced over the other four. “Now, you four are like prisoners being interrogated. And I am the interrogator. I’ve always had control in this game.”

“You’ve formed couple and brothers teams? However, you can’t be sure you won’t be betrayed by your so-called ‘teammate’. If I give everyone 20 points, and later, when you vote against me, perhaps in order to gain intelligence for the instance, your ‘teammate’ will vote for me. Then, the only one eliminated would be the single person who didn’t vote for me.”

Zhou Qian laughed.

The faces of the other four players turned pale.

The first to react was Yun Xiangrong, clutching her boyfriend Gao Shan’s arm tightly. “We’ll never betray each other. We’ve been in love for four years and won’t be influenced by you!”

“Right!” Gao Shan nodded firmly and said solemnly to Zhou Qian, “Don’t think a few words can sow discord between us. I would never betray Rongrong in my life!”

“Oh, I hope so.”

Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted from the young couple to Dong Xiang.

Dong Xiang, shaking slightly, grabbed Qi Liuxing’s shoulders. “You… you won’t betray, right? Xiao Qi, I saved your life once. We owe each other our lives!”

“Of course I won’t. I just don’t know—”

Qi Liuxing was interrupted by Dong Xiang, “Xiao Qi, you know, Zhou Qian nearly got me killed! I can’t share the sky with him! How could I vote for him? Let’s all vote against him! This way, we won’t lose any gold or items!”

“It’s Zhou Qian’s plot; we can’t fall for it. We should all vote no! Zhou Qian will definitely be the eliminated one!”

While the players were arguing, the two goddesses stood by with innocent smiles on their faces, as if oblivious to the players’ conversations.

As time slowly ticked away, they had to remind, “Alright, the timer has started. Please enter the treehouse quickly!”

Zhou Qian put his hands in his pockets and smiled. With downcast eyes and not saying a word, he walked to the treehouse. As he moved, under the urging of the goddesses, the others followed. Yet, they walked slowly, continually reminding each other to stand firm and not be brainwashed by Zhou Qian.

Although Zhou Qian was the first to move, he too walked slowly, observing the other four. He noticed Gao Shan, a typical straight man*, letting his girlfriend climb the tree and rope ladder on her own without helping.

*Buzzword use to refer to heterosexuality but is now often used derogatorily to refer to a “macho” man in certain online communities.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Qian suddenly let go of the rope ladder in front of him and unexpectedly walked swiftly to Gao Shan.

Gao Shan looked at him warily. “What do you want?”

His question caught the attention of the other three people.

Zhou Qian seemed oblivious to their stares, wearing a provocative smile. He leaned into Gao Shan’s ear and whispered something.

Immediately, Gao Shan looked deeply insulted. Pushing Zhou Qian away, he clenched his fists, ready to strike.

Zhou Qian quickly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and ran off, swiftly climbing a rope ladder to his treehouse.

This scene left the other three rather puzzled.

Watching on a screen, Zhu Qiang and Yu Xian were both slightly taken aback.

“Did you catch what Zhou Qian said?”

“No, but he’s really good under pressure. If it were me, I’d probably just give up.”

“Yeah, the fact that he could think so quickly, strategizing a tie in votes to find an escape route for himself, is really impressive.”

“But it’s still tough. How could he be so sure that someone from those two groups would betray the other? Dong Xiang just said that he had once saved Qi Liuxing’s life!”

“In games like these, aren’t personal interests always the top priority?”

Upon hearing Yu Xian’s comment, Zhu Qiang couldn’t help but frown.

If they were in a similar situation, would Yu Xian betray him easily?

“Qiang Ge, why so quiet?”

“Nothing, let’s keep watching.”

……

Inside the treehouse.

Vines tightly sealed the windows, ensuring players couldn’t communicate with others through them.

Entering, Zhou Qian shut the door and found it completely soundproof.

It became clear that shouting across to other players wasn’t an option.

His attention shifted inside the treehouse. There was an LCD screen displaying a green call button, a red end-call button, and five player avatars.

Zhou Qian selected the avatars of Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan but hesitated before pressing the green button. He first sat down, focusing on a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.

The paper was light, and there were multiple sheets, allowing for changes of mind. Only when placed in the sealed black box would the vote count.

Zhou Qian swiftly jotted down names and their corresponding scores:

[Gao Shan: 30 points], [Yun Xiangrong: 30 points];

[Dong Xiang: 0 points], [Qi Liuxing: 10 points];

Finally, [Zhou Qian: 30 points].

He then quickly pressed the green call button.

Moments later, a three-person group chat started.

Both faces appeared, each occupying half of the screen. Gao Shan looked wary, while Yun Xiangrong seemed calm.

Zhou Qian began. “Relax, brother. I didn’t contact you separately. I’m reaching out to both of you simultaneously, so I’m not trying to play any ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ with you. Testing couples’ trust or causing breakups isn’t my style.”

Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong: “……”

Zhou Qian continued. “Can you both see me?”

They nodded.

Zhou Qian showed the score paper in front of the camera, then approached the sealed black box.

“You see me placing my score paper in front of the black box?”

On the LCD screen, both Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong’s expressions undoubtedly looked surprised as they both nodded.

“That’s good. Watch closely as I put it in. You know the game’s rules. Once inside, I can’t take it back.”

With bewildered expressions, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong watched intently as Zhou Qian truly placed the piece of paper into the uniquely airtight black box.

Then, they saw Zhou Qian return to his chair, looking up into the camera with a smile. “With this, you both should be reassured, right?”

Gao Shan couldn’t resist asking, “What’s your game here? Aren’t you afraid we might turn against you?”

Zhou Qian replied, “I’ve made both of you joint top scorers. Why would you turn against me?”

Gao Shan was momentarily taken aback. With a pleasant demeanor, Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “I understand Dong Xiang’s worries, and yours as well. Your main concern might be that I’m scoring you based on the benefits I can receive from you, such as high amounts of in-game gold or rare items. But I understand the game rules. I’m not foolish. This is the genius of the game designers—”

“If I incessantly demand gold or items from you and irritate you to the point where you all vote against me, wouldn’t I be doomed?”

Zhou Qian answered confidently, “It’s a trap set by the game designers, and I won’t fall for it! You both saw my scores for you. As long as you both vote in my favor, and I convince Qi Liuxing… then I’m secure.”

At that moment, Yun Xiangrong voiced her concerns. “How can you be so sure that Qi Liuxing will betray Dong Xiang? Earlier, they mentioned their close bond. Also, it seems you were the one who injured Dong Xiang. Deciding between keeping you or Dong Xiang is important for us. What if you turn out to be someone dangerous who will harm us later on?”

Among the couple, Gao Shan seemed somewhat naive and often led around, but Zhou Qian noticed that Yun Xiangrong had a sharp mind and wasn’t as easily fooled as her boyfriend.

However, there seemed to be a key point they had missed. So, Zhou Qian continued the conversation earnestly.

“I know Dong Xiang. If there’s anyone truly vicious, it’s him, not me.”

Zhou Qian went on to describe Dong Xiang’s deeds in reality, then looked at Yun Xiangrong. “He even dismembered his own wife out of sheer paranoia. As a woman, you should be even more empathetic to such an act. In short—in the real world, if Dong Xiang can act this way, he’ll only be worse in the game. Qi Liuxing, having teamed up with him several times, must have seen his misdeeds. So, although Dong Xiang once saved him, Qi Liuxing might not trust him entirely. I’m confident I can persuade him to part ways with Dong Xiang. If you don’t believe me, you can have a private chat with Qi Liuxing and ask about Dong Xiang’s true character.”

“Besides giving you both the highest scores, I promise to share with you special information about the instance dungeon. Same goes for Qi Liuxing. I haven’t harmed him.”

All of Yun Xiangrong’s doubts were dispelled by Zhou Qian. She couldn’t find any flaws in his words.

After a while, seeing their expressions, Zhou Qian chuckled.

“I’m relieved then. Thank you.” He smiled at Gao Shan. “My scores are already in the black box. As you know, once scores enter the box, there’s no turning back. My sincerity has been shown. Now… I’d appreciate a favorable vote from each of you. Please agree with my scoring. After this game ends, I’ll definitely share the special information from the side mission with you. This deal is quite beneficial for you.”

No matter if Zhou Qian could persuade Qi Liuxing to betray Dong Xiang, the young couple was guaranteed the highest scores, and they would not cast a “negative” vote. They were definitely safe. Furthermore, not only were they not extorted by Zhou Qian, they would also receive extra information about the side quest. Indeed, the deal seemed too good to pass up.

For Zhou Qian’s part, he just wanted everyone to agree with his scoring.

Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan thought for a long time and couldn’t find any issues. Neither could Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang watching on the screen.

The only thing the Yu and Zhu duo knew, which the couple didn’t, was that Zhou Qian hadn’t actually obtained any special information about how to crack the instance. It was just a bargaining chip he had fabricated for himself.

Apart from this, they couldn’t find any flaws in Zhou Qian’s logic.

In front of everyone, Zhou Qian brought up the prisoner’s dilemma, and by tempting them with the “special information”, he planted a seed of doubt in everyone’s heart, laying the groundwork for sowing dissension.

Indeed, he couldn’t persuade the couple to betray each other, so he didn’t attempt to sow discord between them.

His main adversary was Dong Xiang, so his next move could only be to persuade Qi Liuxing to betray Dong Xiang.

Yu Xian: “I think Qian Ge is playing this perfectly. What he’s doing is absolutely right! After all, he won’t be eliminated! As long as he doesn’t fleece players for gold coins and doesn’t anger them, he can persuade them not to cast a negative vote against him!”

“It’s wonderful! The side mission really did come in handy! The points from those few questions really helped him out a lot!”

Zhu Qiang: “He certainly seems flawless. But I have this nagging feeling that something’s not right.”

Yu Xian: “What do you mean? I think everything is fine! Wouldn’t a normal person play this way given Zhou Qian’s character?”

Zhu Qiang: “I can’t quite put my finger on it… but there’s a detail that doesn’t sit right with me… something truly feels off!

“Is it possible… that Qian Ge is pulling some sort of deception…”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 4

Epoh, when reversed, spelled Hope.

Will this god before me bring hope or despair?

The deep, azure lake before him, like a chasm between the Chu and Han territories, kept the deity isolated and beyond the reach of his devotees.

Zhou Qian wondered if there was any danger lurking beneath those waters. He didn’t take any rash actions, choosing instead to continue listening to the followers, hoping to gather some clues about the plot.

Yet, other than a barrage of swear words, he didn’t gather much.

The gates of Apple Paradise closed at 8 PM. Players had to find a way into the park before then, marking their first mission in this instance.

It seemed the rest of the story would likely unfold after 8.

Thinking this, Zhou Qian felt no urgency to explore further. He found a corner to settle in and then took out the treasure chest from his bag.

The bag had the ability to shrink items, had an infinite capacity, and was incredibly light, akin to a virtual space.

This was automatically provided by the game system. As soon as players logged in, they would have this bag.

The treasure chest Zhou Qian now took out was the one he obtained after defeating Li Dafu and clearing the side mission.

Upon opening the chest, he found a small iron box within.

[Player obtains item: Mysterious Medicine Maker with Built-in Ingredients]

[Function: As per item name]

[Grade: F]

Zhou Qian: “……”

Why was it another grade F reward? What happened to the promise of better rewards for greater challenges?

Wait a minute. Maybe it’s not that simple.

If he combined the two Grade F items… What would that result in?

Only a few seconds passed before Zhou Qian had an epiphany.

He quickly took out the previously acquired [Grass] and placed it into the newly acquired iron box.

After a few seconds, Zhou Qian thought of three key reasons.

First, the function of the [Grass] was marked with a question mark, indicating its purpose needed further exploration, possibly with the help of another item.

Second, the reward from defeating Li Dafu and the tutorial level seemed intertwined. Perhaps their respective rewards were as well.

Lastly, herbs could serve as raw materials.

Zhou Qian was correct in his assumption.

After placing the grass into the iron box, there was a brief grinding noise. Moments later, the sound ceased. When he opened the box, the grass was gone, replaced by three tiny black pills.

[Player obtains item: Dalang¹, it’s medicine time.]

[Function: Aim at a target and say, “Dalang, it’s medicine time”. The target will compulsorily approach to take and ingest the pill, becoming immobilized for 3 minutes.]

[Grade: C]

[Note: Effective against both NPCs and players; using it three times on the same target will summon a Rank A NPC, Wu Song, who will perceive the player as Pan Jinlian and launch an attack¹. Players are advised to use with caution.]

¹Clarity: This is referencing characters in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. In the story, Pan Jinlian (portrayed as a femme fatale) is married to Wu Dalang, who is the elder brother of Wu Song. Due to his ugly appearance, Pan Jinlian cheats on him with Ximen Qing, a handsome womanizer in town. Wu Dalang eventually finds out but Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing murder him by adding poison to his food (thus the reference to it’s medicine time). Eventually, Wu Song finds out about their deeds and kills Pan Jinlian. || It’s quite apt and humorous once you know the background.

Zhou Qian: “……”

Before he could remark about the strange name of this item or contemplate the game designer’s peculiar sense of humor, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Zhou Qian! I’ll get my revenge!”

It seemed Dong Xiang had found a way in after all.

Turning around, Zhou Qian saw Dong Xiang with a menacing and fierce expression on his face.

With someone by his side supporting him, Dong Xiang appeared incredibly confident.

That individual was very young—probably 18 at most. Standing tall at about 185 cm, he had a lean build. He stood straight, almost like a sword, next to Dong Xiang.

He gave a brief glance at Zhou Qian, and then his attention shifted to the surroundings. When his eyes fell on the Great God Epoh, he frowned, seemingly curious about the god’s origin.

Using his watch to scan the young man, Zhou Qian gleaned some information.

[Player Name: Qi Liuxing]

[Player Rank: D]

[Specialty: Swordsmanship, close combat, high attack power]

[Gambler System’s Evaluation: Sword god, kill in ten steps, leaves no trace]

What’s the Gambler System? Zhou Qian wasn’t sure yet.

But one thing was clear: the odds were stacked against him.

Qi Liuxing was Rank D. Disregarding all other abilities, just his HP alone were almost seven times his own. And it seemed he was on good terms with Dong Xiang? Had they collaborated in other instances before?

Many thoughts crossed his mind, but Zhou Qian showed no expression on his face.

He calmly shifted his gaze and looked again at the God Epoh on the other side of the lake.

While Zhou Qian was very calm, in front of the screen, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang were both sweating profusely.

“In my opinion, Zhou Qian should have just gone all out and killed Dong Xiang just now. Now that guy has reinforcements! Qi Liuxing is a sword god! He sounds very powerful!”

“You can’t really say that. Li Dafu is an NPC in the game. Killing him is like killing a monster. But Dong Xiang is a player. If Zhou Qian did something to him, he would be a real murderer.”

“Yeah, I know that’s the reason. I’m just worried, okay?”

“Look, two more players have arrived! That’s five now! All the players are here!”

The two new players arrived holding hands, both appearing to be around 20 years old.

They were both very pleasing to the eye; clearly a young couple with both looks and talent.

[Player Name: Gao Shan]

[Player Rank: E]

[Specialty: Tank-type skills, high HP, strong defense]

[Player Name: Yun Xiangrong]

[Player Rank: E]

[Specialty: Healing magic, helps teammates recover HP]

“Gao Shan sounds like a plain name, but the girl’s is nice! Yun Xiangrong? Like ‘the clouds want to be her, and the flowers want to decorate her face*’.”

*This is a poem written by poet Li Bai and refers to the first line. Regarding how it relates to Yun Xiangrong’s name, Yun Xiang (云想) means the clouds think/want (which is part of the first line in the poem). Rong (容) refers to the latter half of the line (adorn/decorate). 

“You’re focusing on the wrong thing. Their skills are interesting. One is a tank, and the other is a healer! These two are super important in a team!”

“Yeah, this couple seems pretty powerful.”

“No, that’s actually the problem! If they team up, they need another damage dealer, like Qi Liuxing. But this sword god is obviously with Dong Xiang!”

“Ah… So our Qian Ge is useless now? He doesn’t have any skills yet, so he provides no contribution in team battles! And he has a grudge against Dong Xiang!”

“Danger! Qian Ge is really in danger! I’m afraid the other four will team up and he’ll be left out!”

……

8 PM.

With a loud bang, the palace doors closed.

Immediately, two graceful girls in white gowns walked over.

According to the system prompt, these two goddess-like girls were as high as Rank B, with an HP of 8,000, and incredibly high attack power. They were on a completely different level than the players here, capable of easily crushing them like ants.

There was basically no possibility for players to confront them head-on.

Whatever they said, players would have to obey.

The two goddesses each had their duties. One raised her hand, counting like she was selecting soldiers, while the other walked past each devotee, her palm passing over the top of their heads.

The counting goddess spoke first. “We sent out 24 invitations, but 25 people came!”

The other goddess said, “There are five people here whose thoughts I can’t read. I can’t see if they have a connection with the Great God Epoh.”

These five people the goddess referred to were obviously the five players who replaced the devotees.

Zhou Qian heard this but showed no emotion.

“Why are there as many as five with issues?”

“How would I know? The ceremony is about to begin. We can’t delay. We need to quickly get one person out! I’ll go prepare the ceremony. You handle this!”

After the two goddesses discussed briefly, one left while the other looked at the five players.

“Among you, only four can participate in the ceremony! Who is pretending to be a devotee? Discuss and find them!”

The healer named Yun Xiangrong bravely asked first, “What will happen to the imposter?”

The goddess answered, “No one can deceive a god. The imposter will be executed, of course. Discuss it quickly and find them. I’ll be back after helping my sister.”

As the goddess was about to leave, Dong Xiang glared viciously at Zhou Qian and quickly said, “Goddess! I want to report, that person is not Li Da—”

“Shut up!”

Zhou Qian’s voice became terrifyingly cold as he looked at Dong Xiang with icy eyes.

Dong Xiang felt he was already wicked enough, but under Zhou Qian’s gaze, he froze in place, trembling.

Who on earth is this guy?

For fuck’s sake, he doesn’t look old. Why does he have such terrifying eyes?

The goddess, who was about to leave, stopped and curiously looked at Dong Xiang. “What were you going to say?”

Zhou Qian stepped forward to the goddess; the coldness in his eyes was replaced by a gentle smile. “It’s okay, Goddess. We’ll discuss it.”

Looks were indeed a powerful weapon.

Under Zhou Qian’s smiling gaze, the goddess shyly smiled and walked away, lifting the hem of her dress.

As soon as the goddess left, Zhou Qian’s expression immediately turned cold.

Facing everyone, he said, “24 invitations were sent out, but 25 people came. Among us, who has the ability or tool to duplicate an invitation? No matter what, five of us are false believers.”

“You all heard what those two goddesses said. They actually know that all of us are problematic, but a major ceremony is about to begin, and they need 24 believers to participate. To avoid causing trouble, they are turning a blind eye, allowing four of us to participate.”

“Think about it. If we report each other as false believers and expose this, what will happen?”

Yun Xiangrong, whose face had already turned pale, was the first to respond, “Actually, those two are neglecting their duties. If we make a big fuss about this, they can’t handle the aftermath. We would all be punished for deceiving the gods—we’d all die.”

“Exactly. So—” Zhou Qian said coldly, looking at Dong Xiang, “Don’t think about reporting me unless you want to die with me.”

“You son of a—” Dong Xiang started to curse but seemed afraid of attracting the goddesses’ attention, so he shut his mouth.

Yun Xiangrong asked, “So, how do we choose?”

Zhou Qian replied, “Let’s not choose yet. Let’s leave this problem to the two goddesses. Ensuring that 24 believers attend the ceremony is their task. They’ll figure something out.”

Soon, the two goddesses returned.

“Have you identified the imposter?” one of them asked.

Zhou Qian stepped forward to answer, still smiling warmly. “No, we can’t. You goddesses can’t identify them either, so what can we do?”

Zhou Qian’s words were pleasing.

The two goddesses exchanged glances, both giggling shyly.

After a moment, they spoke in quick succession.

“If you can’t decide amongst yourselves for fear of offending others, let’s change the method of selection.”

“Come! Please follow us!”

The goddesses led the players down a path into a dense forest. The deeper they went, the denser the forest became, to the point where it was pitch dark.

After walking for a few hundred meters, the players arrived in a clearing.

Zhou Qian looked up to see several treehouses.

The treehouses weren’t very high, perched at different heights on sturdy tree trunks, accessible by hanging ladders.

Zhou Qian counted five treehouses, corresponding to the five players. Presumably, the goddesses would ask each player to enter a different treehouse for some task.

Could this be the prisoner’s dilemma*?

*Game theory thought experiment that involves two rational agents, each of whom can cooperate for mutual benefit or betray their partner (“defect”) for individual reward.

As Zhou Qian pondered, he heard the goddesses speak.

“Let’s pose some test questions.”

“Players can hear the questions together but must whisper the answers in our ears one by one.”

“No whispering to each other! Those who break the rules will be considered [false believers] and will be eliminated!”

“The one with the best answers will have the most decision-making power.”

These questions… might be quite difficult, right?

That was the common thought among several players present.

They either used props to copy the invitation letters from the believers they met outside, or used props to steal them… In short, they were all false believers.

So, if they were asked about the beliefs and Epoh, how would they possibly know the answer?

Soon, the goddesses posed their questions.

“Please listen to the questions carefully.”

“1. What is this palace called?”

“2. Who is the master of the palace?”

“3. What is your status here?”

“4. Why did you come here?”

Upon hearing these questions, almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The answers were simple: [Apple Paradise], [Epoh], [believer], [received an invitation].

But the following questions weren’t so easy.

The goddesses continued, “5. What has the master of the palace ever done for you?”

“6. Why do you hold a grudge against the master of the palace?”

Zhou Qian smirked—he knew the answers to these two questions, as he had encountered a side quest in the tutorial level and had specifically asked a boy about it after receiving the invitation. But the other four players probably didn’t know.

Zhou Qian still didn’t know what the “decision-making power” that the player who knew all the answers would get.

After these questions, the goddess smiled and spoke to the players.

“Let’s discuss the rules in order. You come up one by one to answer the questions. After one question is finished, we move on to the next one. That way, it won’t be chaotic!”

“Yes, we definitely don’t want chaos!”

And so, the five players walked up to the goddess one by one and answered their respective questions.

After the first four questions were completed, it was time for the fifth.

At that moment, Zhou Qian glanced at the other players. They exchanged glances, shook their heads, and then froze, clearly not knowing the answer.

In the end, only Zhou Qian approached the goddess.

Before answering the goddess’s question, Zhou Qian glanced unintentionally at Dong Xiang and met his gaze. Dong Xiang’s eyes looked extremely sinister, as if he was brewing a particularly vicious plan.

Zhou Qian pretended not to see it and calmly answered the goddess’s last two questions.

“My name is Li Dafu. God Epoh gave me money and a boy.”

“The boy died, and I prayed to the Great God to bring him back to life, but he couldn’t. So, I harbor resentment against the Great God.”

By this point, all the players had answered, and the goddess announced the results.

As expected, Yun Xiangrong, Gao Shan, Qi Liuxing, and Dong Xiang all answered only four questions.

Only Zhou Qian answered all six.

The two goddesses smiled at Zhou Qian and spoke in turn.

“Your name is Li Dafu, right? Congratulations, you are the winner of the question game. We believe you have the highest possibility of being a true believer, and we will give you the decision-making power!”

“Among the other believers, you get to decide who’s real and who’s fake!”

“Now, we’ll give you 100 points. Please use these points to grade everyone, including yourself. Whoever has the lowest score will be considered a fake believer and will be eliminated!”

Watching this, Yu Xian, in front of his phone screen, exclaimed, “Fuck, so awesome. Qian Ge is sure to win!”

Zhu Qiang said, “It seems like it. Not only can he win… It’s like our exams. The other four are students taking the exam, and Qian Ge is the examiner. And students can bribe the examiner!”

Yu Xian: “Right, isn’t Qian Ge just short of everything? As a Rank F player, he doesn’t have any items, and only a few gold coins! He can take this opportunity to extort! He’ll give the highest score to whoever gives him the most gold coins and items! This is classic cool text*!”

*Genre in web novels, which generally have a protagonist that often has a strong, dominant role with their conflicts resolved smoothly and satisfyingly, allowing readers to experience a sense of triumph and accomplishment. These elements include such things as the main character gaining unexpected power ups, exacting satisfying revenge, or achieving significant success, which gives the reader a cool (refreshing) [shuang] (爽) feeling.

However, while the pair thought it was a cool text, they never expected what came next—

The goddess further announced the rules.

“However… we just selected the most probable true believer through a small test. But he might not really be the true believer, nor might everyone trust him!”

“So, after Li Dafu has scored everyone, the other four can vote on his grading.”

“If more than half of them are dissatisfied with his grading, then Li Dafu’s scores are invalid.”

“Li Dafu, it seems you haven’t earned the trust of the other believers. In this case, you will be considered a fake believer and will be eliminated!”

After hearing the rules, the Yu and Zhu duo exclaimed simultaneously, “Crap!”

The goddess continued, “Well, there might be a tie in the votes among the four. What happens in case of a tie? Sister, what do you think?”

The other replied, “A tie is a waste of our time. After one tie, Li Dafu’s grading is nullified, and he needs to re-grade. The other four will then vote again.”

“But if there’s a tie three times in a row, then, unfortunately, it seems Li Dafu is still a fake believer. You will be eliminated.”

The two goddesses paused, seemingly waiting for the players to digest the rules.

At this moment, Dong Xiang’s sinister voice rang out among the players.

With a ferocious look at Zhou Qian, he sneered, “Zhou Qian, no matter how you grade, Qi Liuxing and I will definitely disagree. Among the four of us, we will cast two negative votes. So, whether or not the couple Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong agree with your grading, you’re doomed!”

“Because! Even if the young couple both agree with you, Qi Liuxing and I will definitely disagree, leading to a tie!”

“So after three rounds of ties, your grading will be nullified, and you will definitely be eliminated!”

“You’re finished, Zhou Qian. There’s no way you can turn things around!”

“I’ll send you off as the first blood in this instance!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 3

Inside the game.

The setting sun painted the entire sky a vivid shade of red. Not far away, the magnificent palace had just lit up with lights. Its semi-transparent walls gleamed golden from the lights, making it look like a heavenly palace amidst the desolate mountains, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, symbolizing happiness and peace.

Zhou Qian heard Dong Xiang ask him, “How did you get an invitation?”

“I triggered a side quest during the tutorial,” Zhou Qian replied, sounding rather naive. “Oh? You don’t have an invitation? What about the other players?”

Dong Xiang gave Zhou Qian a few extra glances, his eyes seemingly saying, “Taking pity on the simple-minded.”

“Among us few players, only you have an invitation,” he said.

Zhou Qian looked genuinely surprised. “Why? I don’t get it. I felt sorry for the boy and comforted him a bit, and unexpectedly got a bonus. From this perspective, side quests should be easy to trigger—I shouldn’t be the only one.”

Dong Xiang patiently explained, “Firstly, there might be multiple ‘Apple Paradise’ running simultaneously. Simply put, the NPCs in the game are all fake, just data. Just like when we play online games, different teams can run the same dungeon simultaneously without interfering with one another.”

“Indeed, many might have triggered the side quest in the tutorial level. But there’s only one ‘Li Dafu’ in each instance, and the invitation can only be stolen by the boy once. So, now you understand, right?”

Zhou Qian nodded, half understanding. “Oh, so when the system matches players, it avoids pairing those who have obtained the invitation from the boy in the same ‘Apple Paradise’.”

“Exactly,” Dong Xiang adjusted his shirt casually. “You triggered this side quest, which is why you were allowed into this instance directly. We weren’t as lucky as you.”

Zhou Qian: ?

Dong Xiang continued, “Before entering, you saw the prompt, right? The hidden achievement rate for this dungeon is only 10%.”

Zhou Qian nodded again.

Dong Xiang added, “So this is a rare hidden dungeon. Not everyone has the chance to enter. Our game’s dungeons adopt a customized invitation mode. Whether the system allows a player who didn’t get the [Invitation Letter] in the tutorial level to enter depends on luck.”

“Just like me. I ran three level one dungeons, leveled up to Rank E, and finally waited for the system to allow me access to ‘Apple Paradise’. I heard that there’s a very rare item inside.”

Zhou Qian looked worried. “You said I’m lucky, but I don’t feel that way. This dungeon must be challenging, but I’m only Rank F…”

“It’s okay. In this game, we need to help each other out.” Dong Xiang patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll cover you. Let’s go! I’ll accompany you into Apple Paradise! You just walk in normally, and I’ll take the opportunity to observe the gatekeeper, see if I can find any loopholes, and see where the other three players are.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qian forced a smile. “Ah…”

After the conversation, the two walked through a small forest, heading towards the majestic palace.

On the way, they occasionally came across a few scattered devotees.

Each time, Zhou Qian would check their data through his system panel.

His face grew more worried. “These devotee NPCs are all at least Rank E, and there are a few Rank D… They’re tough. What if we have to fight them later on? Am I doomed?”

In front of the screen, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang both sighed heavily, like worried mothers.

“If these NPCs are such high levels, stealing invitations from them will be tough! Be careful of Dong Xiang beside you! If he doesn’t steal from you, who else would he target?”

“Stop focusing on NPCs! Pay attention to the people around you!”

Inside the game, Zhou Qian suddenly froze.

A pink foggy mist appeared before him, bubbly and ethereal.

The mist gave an overwhelmingly pleasant sensation, causing Zhou Qian to involuntarily wear a blissful, silly smile.

Three seconds later, the mist disappeared, and Zhou Qian snapped out of it. Simultaneously, a system notification arrived: [Player Zhou Qian, has lost the item—Li Dafu’s Invitation.]

Zhou Qian immediately looked for Dong Xiang, only to find him about ten meters away.

“Dong Xiang! Did you steal my invitation?” Zhou Qian shouted, his tone full of accusation and anger.

Probably due to being only 1.70 meters tall, Dong Xiang displayed nimble agility.

He waved and said to Zhou Qian without looking back, “Newbie, here’s a lesson for you. This is called ‘all is fair in war’.”

In front of the screen, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang both held their foreheads.

“Ah, I knew it.”

“The news report wasn’t wrong. He really is a clueless second-generation rich kid.”

But Zhou Qian’s expression suddenly changed on the screen.

The innocence, foolishness, and disbelief in his eyes vanished, replaced by a deep and icy gaze. The landlord’s foolish son seemed to have encountered some drastic change, shifting into a dark mode.

Zhou Qian quickly ran towards the edge of the woods, shouting, “Li Dafu, it’s the guy in the plaid shirt! Catch him!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a very sturdy, fat man charged out from the edge of the woods.

Dong Xiang had just exited the woods and was unexpectedly tackled to the ground by the fat man.

Before he could utter a word, Dong Xiang’s throat was tightly squeezed by the fat man.

“You stole my invitation. You’re asking for death!!!”

Watching from a distance, Zhou Qian picked up a stone and calmly approached the two.

He successfully set them against each other, and now he was looking for an opportunity to benefit when both were weakened, just like the fisherman who profits while the clam and the snipe quarrel*.

*Idiom referring to while the main parties are engaged in their dispute, a cunning third party can seize the opportunity to gain an advantage or profit. It derives from a fable, which you can read in my Kinky Thoughts.

Ten minutes earlier, after recognizing Li Dafu, Zhou Qian started thinking about how to complete the side quest.

Back then, Li Dafu had been lingering near the palace gate, seemingly realizing he couldn’t get in, so he hid at the edge of the woods.

Zhou Qian saw through him—Li Dafu was probably lying in wait.

The devotees visiting Apple Paradise to meet the deity Yipo would have to pass through these woods.

Li Dafu’s invitation had been stolen by the little boy. To enter the park, he would have to steal another.

So he hid at the edge of the woods, watching from the shadows for an easy target, ready to ambush and snatch their invitation.

Zhou Qian kept his composure, hiding in the shadows, thinking of a plan.

Soon, he saw Dong Xiang and discovered that, like Li Dafu, he too was at Rank E and, surprisingly, was skilled in theft.

Dong Xiang didn’t recognize Zhou Qian. But Zhou Qian recognized him.

Dong Xiang also resided in the Spring Hill Mental Asylum, specifically in Ward 2.

In Spring Hill Mental Asylum, harmless patients were housed in Ward 1, a relaxed environment almost like a sanatorium, which was where Zhou Qian stayed.

But Ward 2 was different. It held threatening or even criminal patients.

Dong Xiang was in Ward 2. He had killed someone.

He assumed his wife was cheating on him and, thus, murdered her. Despite his seemingly frail appearance, he dismembered her into dozens of pieces and disposed of them in various places.

Yet, he was given a suspended sentence because he was deemed mentally ill.

The detective investigating the deaths of Zhou Qian’s parents, Chen Yangzhou, also happened to know about Dong Xiang’s case. During a visit, he once said to Zhou Qian, “Dong Xiang is definitely not mentally ill. He deliberately killed his wife. But I don’t know how he fooled the doctors. Although you’re not in the same ward, you should still be careful.”

While Dong Xiang was scum in real life, Li Dafu was scum in the game.

Facing these two, Zhou Qian couldn’t overcome either with his current level. So, he decided to pit them against each other.

So, ten minutes ago, Zhou Qian approached Li Dafu. “Did you lose your invitation?”

Li Dafu’s eyes widened. “How did you know? Did you steal it?!”

Li Dafu’s temper was volatile, just as the system’s hint had indicated.

Seeing Li Dafu clenched his fist and was about to punch him, Zhou Qian, who had been prepared, quickly lay down, avoiding the blow which landed beside his ear, leaving a substantial dent.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 95%]

Before the next punch landed, Zhou Qian quickly said, “It wasn’t me! But I know who stole it. Hide here and don’t show your face. When that person passes by, I’ll tell you.”

……

Returning to the present.

Li Dafu, being an excellent boxer, quickly deformed Dong Xiang’s face with a few punches.

During their confrontation, Dong Xiang was clearly at a disadvantage.

After all, his skill was agility-based, specialized in theft or assassination. In close combat, he had no edge.

Li Dafu pinned Dong Xiang to the ground, pummeling his face.

In less than 5 minutes, Dong Xiang’s HP had dropped to 30%.

When Li Dafu raised his fist high with his right hand, ready to smash it down onto Dong Xiang, Dong Xiang finally relied on his agile movements and quickly used a prop.

It was evident that the prop was very valuable because Dong Xiang showed a very pained expression.

Immediately afterwards, a streak of light shadow flashed in the void, and Li Dafu’s figure halted instantly before falling sideways.

Zhou Qian looked at Li Dafu and saw a needle sticking out between his brows.

That needle only immobilized him; it was uncertain if it could truly kill him.

Regardless, Zhou Qian’s goal had been achieved.

Li Dafu lay motionless on the ground, while Dong Xiang had lost nearly half his HP.

Indifferently watching everything, Zhou Qian walked slowly to Li Dafu’s side.

Taking advantage of his inability to move, Zhou Qian picked up a rock and ruthlessly smashed it onto his head.

Amid the blood, Li Dafu looked at Zhou Qian in disbelief. Zhou Qian responded with an elegantly curved smile.

His voice was soft and gentle but as cold as a deathly wraith. “I didn’t really want to dirty my hands. But I promised that bullied little boy that I would avenge him. So, you…”

His voice suddenly turned horrifyingly deep. Zhou Qian said, word by word, “Can go to hell!”

Moments later, Li Dafu was completely immobilized.

Zhou Qian received a notification: [Player Zhou Qian completed a side quest and received a treasure chest].

Zhou Qian put the chest into his bag without opening it. He then accessed the system’s marketplace and spent 5 gold coins to buy a towel from the system store.

Standing in the red sunset next to a lush green forest, Zhou Qian expressionlessly wiped the bloodstains from his fingers with the white towel. He then approached Dong Xiang, who was still recovering on the ground.

Seeing Zhou Qian approach, Dong Xiang’s pupils dilated in fear, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhou Qian squatted down and, as if not wanting to dirty his hands, placed his hand on Dong Xiang’s neck through the towel and began to strangle him without emotion. “I don’t feel like searching you. Die or hand over the invitation. Choose one.”  

Left with no choice, Dong Xiang mustered his remaining strength and handed over [Li Dafu’s invitation].

Holding the invitation between his index and middle fingers, Zhou Qian stood up, looking down at Dong Xiang, and said softly, “All is fair in war. I’ve learned. Thanks for the lesson.”

Dong Xiang: “……”

He couldn’t hold back and coughed up blood, gasping for breath.

He had been angered by Zhou Qian to the point that he was literally coughing up blood.

Yawning, Zhou Qian then turned around and walked towards the magnificent palace without looking back.

Behind him, Dong Xiang, in anger, coughed up another mouthful of blood.

In front of the phone screen.

Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang: “………”

“Holy—”

“Got it wrong. Who is this ‘Xiao Qianqian’? I’m calling him Qian Ge* first!”

*Brother (哥). When used with a name, it’s a friendly way of addressing someone you’re familiar with or close to, or out of respect (in this case, it’s the latter).

“Kneeling for Qian Ge… Let’s see what he does next!”

“Qian Ge, the rich second generation. He only has 300 gold coins, but he spent 5 to buy a towel. Aren’t those utility props tempting? Look at the other items in the market…”

“Is he a germaphobe?”

“Or maybe he’s just used to being extravagant. This kind of young master probably never worries about money.”

“Hey, it’s hard going from extravagance to frugality.”

“I hope he learns to save…”

……

What would the palace of a god that was located deep in the mountains look like?

From the exterior, the palace looked resplendent and magnificent. Did the god inside live an unmatched, luxurious life of wine and roses?

At the entrance of the palace stood two guards. After handing them the invitation, Zhou Qian entered as “Li Dafu”.

Entering “Apple Paradise”, he was filled with curiosity. But what he saw inside was unexpected—it still looked like a forest.

Large trees filled the hall, but their roots weren’t planted in the ground and were intertwined above it.

In the center of the palace stood a gigantic tree, as thick as five people hugging it and about ten stories tall.

Since it’s called Apple Paradise, these are probably apple trees, right?

But why isn’t there a single apple in sight?

With these questions in mind, Zhou Qian continued to walk forward, observing the structure of the palace’s interior.

In front of that massive tree, there was a lake, with water so blue it seemed bottomless.

At this moment, many believers were standing in front of the lake, observing. Anger and resentment were evident on many of their faces. Some were even openly cursing, with no hint of solemnity in their demeanor.

Why?

They were believers, after all. Shouldn’t this place be their temple in their eyes?

The palace inside was vast. From a distance, Zhou Qian vaguely noticed something on the trunk of the tree in the center of the hall, but he couldn’t quite make it out.

As he walked down the main path to the edge of the lake, getting closer, he saw it clearly.

—There was a person there.

That person was naked. It was unclear whether he was tied to the tree by the vines and leaves or if he had grown out from the tree, as if he were part of it.

His bare body was mostly covered by the tree’s foliage, with one leg casually resting on the ground, glowing softly in the light from inside the palace.

The shadows of the leaves swayed with the wind, creating a play of light and darkness on his distinct face.

With every shift of the shadows, his features seemed to change, as if he had countless faces, leaving one to wonder which was his true face.

In front of him stood a stone tablet bearing his name: “Epoh.”

It seemed he was the great god Yipo.

Yipo is the phonetic transliteration of “Epoh”, with the “h” at the end being silent*.

*Clarity: In Chinese, his name is [Yipo] (羿泊). Pronunciation-wise, it sounds similar to Epoh (which the author has specifically written in English).

By the lake, someone suddenly cursed. “You useless god. You should die!” As he said this, he spat in the direction of the Great God Epoh.

Once he began, several other believers around him also started cursing.

It seemed they truly had no respect for the god they worshiped.

Across the lake, high up on that tree trunk, Epoh’s eyes remained tightly closed. He appeared sorrowful yet peaceful, as if he were asleep, seemingly oblivious to the blasphemous words of the believers.

Zhou Qian looked at him closely, then shifted his gaze back to his name.

Epoh?

These four letters seemed to carry some deeper meaning.

---

The author has something to say:

This game’s trading system has two types. One is similar to online games where players can trade amongst themselves, with sellers competing against each other, like in “JX Online 3” or “World of Warcraft“.

The other is more like a standalone game’s system, following the “system store” model.

In the early stages, the level classification for players S-F followed the most common model: Healers, Tanks, Melee Assassins, Ranged Mages—roles typical in battle, or legions (similar to player guilds or factions). These are commonly found in games like “JX Online 3”, “Honor of Kings“, or “Onmyoji“. However, for the sake of writing convenience, this novel has been greatly simplified. The specific skill setups, descriptions, and functionalities are original and self-designed.

It’s fine to make references to game-related jokes. Please avoid excessively referencing other novels. Much appreciated.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

The Sandpiper (Snipe) and the Clam

One day, taking advantage of the sunny weather, a clam opened up its hard shell to bask in the sun on the banks of the river. A sandpiper saw it and quickly put its beak into the clam shell to peck at the meat inside. The calm hurriedly closed its hard shell and sealed the sandpiper’s mouth shut. The sandpiper couldn’t peck at the meat, and its mouth was sealed shut, so it threatened the clam and said, “If you don’t loosen your clamp on me, you will eventually die of thirst.” The clam responded without showing weakness, “Your mouth has been clamped by me. If you can’t pull it free, you’ll starve to death!” In this way, the clam and sandpiper fought each other on the beach, and neither would relent. Over time, they became exhausted. A fisherman happened to pass by, and when he saw that they were tightly entangled and neither could move, he easily caught them and took them both home.”

This story was told during the Warring States Period, when the Qin Empire was strongest. On one occasion, the Empire of Zhao declared war on the State of Yan. At the time, the king’s younger brother, Su Dai, was entrusted to go to the Empire of Zhao to persuade the King of Zhao not to send troops. When he arrived, the King of Zhao demanded what he was doing here, to which he told the fable.

After finishing, Su Dai said to the King of Zhao, “If the Empire of Zhao and the State of Yan go to war, the two sides will inevitably be at a standstill for a long time, eventually becoming exhausted. In this way, the mighty Qin Empire will be like the fisherman, who just needs to sit back and reap the benefits. Your Majesty, please consider it carefully before making a decision.” The King of Zhao felt that what Su Dai said was reasonable and dispelled the idea of attacking the State of Yan.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 2

Zhou Qian had a 70% clearance rate in “Apple Paradise”, so when Yu Xian bet 30,000 yuan, the probability of winning 1 million yuan was as high as 70%.

His principal of 30,000 yuan was actually a windfall.

This was equivalent to him not investing anything, so he wouldn’t lose in any way.

It was a simple calculation. After realizing it, Yu Xian was so excited that his hands started to tremble.

However, Zhu Qiang, who was by his side, became apprehensive. “It’s just 30,000 yuan, but now it’s 1 million yuan! When does such good fortune come? Who developed this game? Where did the players come from? Will they really die in the game?”

Yu Xian had an idea. “Baidu! Yes, let’s search for ‘Zhou Qian’ on Baidu and see if such a person really exists in reality!”

By comparing names and photos, they indeed found information about Zhou Qian.

There were many online reports about him.

Zhou Qian’s father, Zhou Chongshan, started out as a businessman. He owned many factories, had a lot of equipment, and owned a lot of land. However, this meant his assets weren’t very liquid.

Given this, Zhou Chongshan’s gambling addiction became a serious issue.

As a result, he eventually got into trouble because of gambling, lost all his money, the company’s funds dried up, and it ultimately went bankrupt.

But that wasn’t the most tragic part.

The most tragic event was when Zhou Chongshan decided to commit suicide with his wife and son by turning on the gas.

All three were rushed to the hospital.

In the end, both Zhou Chongshan and his wife died, and only Zhou Qian survived.

After being out of life-threatening danger and receiving treatment for some time, Zhou Qian was admitted to Spring Hill Mental Asylum.

Some say that after learning about the deaths of his parents, he couldn’t bear the psychological burden and went mad.

Others claim his brain was damaged due to inhaling too much gas.

After reading the news, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang looked at each other in shock.

Yu Xian exclaimed, “Damn, so the player I bet on is a psycho?”

Zhu Qiang frowned. “Lao* Yu, something’s not right. Think about it, the initial tutorial was so easy? Most players could pass it, and we would easily get 30,000 yuan. We naturally felt that there was no cost to continue…”

*Old (老) When used in front of a name, it signifies closeness.

“But I think this feels like bait. Let’s not continue. Together, we have 60,000 yuan now, enough for half a year’s rent. Let’s start looking for jobs tomorrow…”

Little did Zhu Qiang know, just as he finished his sentence, his phone vibrated. The system sent him a message.

[The player you’re following, Lu Mengmeng, has chosen to enter the new instance “Ghost Eyes”. The game difficulty is level one, with a clearance rate of 70%… If Lu Mengmeng successfully clears it, you will receive a reward of one million yuan.]

Just moments ago, Zhu Qiang was advising Yu Xian sensibly.

But now, with the opportunity to gain one million yuan right before his eyes, and personally experiencing this temptation, Zhu Qiang realized he couldn’t resist.

Swallowing hard, Zhu Qiang quickly searched for “Lu Mengmeng” on Baidu.

A moment later, his expression changed.

“I found a news article about him. He’s a college student. One day he suddenly attacked his roommate with a knife. He was proven to be mentally unstable and is now… also in Spring Hill Mental Asylum.”

……

Early the next morning.

Spring Hill Mental Asylum. Zone 1.

Room 302, Bed 57.

Zhou Qian woke up from the bed. Recalling everything from the previous night, it felt like he had a dream.

He yawned and sat up, seeing a girl with braided hair standing beside his bed.

Soon, the girl turned her head, and her face still had the same braided hairstyle.

With a deadpan face, Zhou Qian commented, “Such a clichéd way to scare someone.”

Hearing this, the person removed the braided wig, revealing a handsome and indifferent face. He was wearing a white coat; it turned out to be a male doctor.

Contrasting his childish act of wearing a wig to scare was his stern, rigid expression.

This was Zhou Qian’s primary doctor, Li Xuehai.

“Heart rate shows no change.”

Glancing at the indicators on the nearby equipment, Li Xuehai shook his head, picked up his pen, and solemnly jotted down in the notebook. “The patient, Zhou Qian, still shows no fear reaction.”

Zhou Qian laughed. “It’s just that your scare tactics are outdated, not that I don’t feel fear.”

“Alright.” Li Xuehai put the pen back in his breast pocket, looked at Zhou Qian, and suddenly said, “The patient in the room across from you passed away yesterday.”

Zhou Qian looked surprised. “The patient across the room? The little girl?”

Li Xuehai stared into his eyes for a moment and nodded. “Yes, that little girl, who was admitted around the same time as you. You’ve lived together for eight months. You often helped her with building blocks in the recreation room. She liked you very much and always clung to you, calling you ‘brother’.”

Zhou Qian asked nonchalantly, “So?”

With a grave face, Li Xuehai asked, “So hearing this news, you don’t feel sad? Not even a little bit?”

Zhou Qian shrugged, his tone sounding slightly aggrieved. “So, Dr. Li, is there hope for me?”

Li Xuehai: “Stop pretending. I know that right now you can’t even perceive feelings of grievance.”

After his act was brutally exposed, Zhou Qian calmly replied, “Oh.”

After his illness, Zhou Qian could no longer feel happiness, sadness, sympathy, or fear.

He felt like he was an ascended immortal, devoid of emotions, but sudden bursts of rage would quickly bring him back to reality.

He wasn’t emotionless; his brain just locked away all emotions. When they broke free, the accumulated emotions would explode, driving him into madness.

In Zhou Qian’s eyes, he wasn’t an immortal but a monster.

The last time he had an episode, he not only slashed himself but also wrecked Dr. Li Xuehai’s office.

While being restrained and sedated, he even managed to start a fire, ruining Li Xuehai’s suit.

“I’ll pay for it, Dr. Li,” he said afterward.

Li Xuehai replied, “Okay, 3,000 yuan.”

“?” Zhou Qian was surprised. “So cheap? Are there even suits that cost 3,000 yuan?”

Li Xuehai: “……”

After a while, Li Xuehai bluntly reminded, “Your family is bankrupt. The hospital bill for this quarter is 25,000 yuan. Can you pay on time?”

Zhou Qian: “……”

Seeing Zhou Qian’s expression, Li Xuehai couldn’t help but shake his head.

After a pause, he said, “Zhou Qian, I’ll do my best to help you. I’ll accompany you for some emotional stimulation experiments. You need to cooperate.”

Zhou Qian smiled again. “Alright. I trust you. Look, I haven’t been restrained for a while. I think I’m getting better.”

Facing the seemingly well-behaved Zhou Qian, Li Xuehai frowned again and asked, “Have you seen the dragon recently?”

Dragon…

Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted from the doctor’s cold face to the window.

Spring Hill Asylum was built on a hillside.

Through the window, he could see the light of dawn gradually covering the dark base of the mountain.

At that moment, Zhou Qian’s expression became mysterious. “No. Not anymore.”

“Good. The hallucinations have decreased. That’s it for today’s round. Go wash up and eat. I’m leaving.” As Li Xuehai turned to leave, he noticed something and asked, “Where did you get the watch on your wrist?”

Zhou Qian looked down at the special watch that allowed him to enter the game, reminding him that everything that happened last night wasn’t just a dream.

“A friend visited me yesterday. He gave it to me.”

Hearing this, Li Xuehai scrutinized Zhou Qian for a moment but didn’t comment further and left.

……

The ward was temporarily empty.

Zhou Qian picked up the watch, trying to access the game panel, recalling how he joined the game.

Regarding the tragedy of his family, the consensus among police, reporters, and bystanders was the same—after going bankrupt, his father, in despair, wanted to drag his wife and son with him to death, so he drugged them with sleeping pills and then turned on the gas.

But Zhou Qian knew that wasn’t the truth.

He knew of his father’s cruelty since childhood.

He believed that night, his father only wanted to kill him and his mother.

He didn’t know the details of what happened that night.

But he faintly remembered that a dragon had saved him.

He once thought that seeing the dragon was just a hallucination due to gas poisoning.

Until he saw it again in Spring Hill Mental Asylum.

Last night, under the guidance of the dragon, Zhou Qian found a watch.

[Player Zhou Qian, the gods have heard your inner voice—you’ve lost the most important thing in your life, harbored resentment towards those you shouldn’t, and now you feel life is unbearably dull. Everything you do seems meaningless.]

[Your life is filled with “nothingness”. Now, the gods have chosen you, inviting you to partake in a game.]

[By joining the game, you will have the opportunity to step into the realm of gods, rediscover the three thousand worlds*, and perhaps even obtain what you most desire.]

*Reference to the Buddhist concept “Three thousand realms in a single moment of life”, which refers to the (infinite) possibilities in each instant of our lives.

[The pursuit of immortality is not just a saying; where there’s a will, the living can die, and the dead can live*.]

*From Tang Xianzu’s “The Peony Pavilion”. See Kinky Thoughts for more details.

[You have ten minutes to decide whether to participate.]

Had the dragon that once saved him tried to convey something through this game?

The person he missed… could they really come back?

His life couldn’t get any worse.

Perhaps this mysterious game might bring the surprise he yearned for.

Guided by subtle intuition, Zhou Qian unhesitatingly chose to enter the game.

Before entering the tutorial stage, he found himself in the ward where he lived alone.

After leaving the game and returning to reality, he was still in the ward.

After a night’s sleep, the doctor made the routine rounds as usual, and Zhou Qian responded with his usual aloof attitude.

Every day in the mental ward seemed the same, as if nothing would ever change.

He knew he was trapped in an unbreakable prison.

Perhaps in that game, he could find the freedom he so craved.

…..

Two days later.

At night, the Spring Hill Mental Asylum was silent.

Zhou Qian closed the door to his room and re-entered the game using his watch.

[Loading Instance for Player Zhou Qian: “Apple Paradise”]

[Player count: 5—The 5 players will appear at random locations near Apple Paradise. Your first mission is: Find a way into the park.]

[The trading post is now open; players can buy and sell items here. Player Zhou Qian’s starting gold is 300.]

After reading the panel’s prompts, Zhou Qian found himself in a deep mountain.

Midway up the mountain, by the woods.

The sunset shone through the gaps in the leaves, and the babbling stream was dyed with the red-orange glow of the setting sun.

Several people were passing through the woods towards a grand building that looked like a palace—it must be Apple Paradise.

Despite having [Li Dafu’s Invitation] Zhou Qian didn’t rush to enter the park but instead hid in the woods by the roadside.

Leaning against a tree, he checked his stats on the system panel.

He saw two bars at the top left corner: a red one representing health and a blue one for mana, which depleted with each skill use.

But Zhou Qian hadn’t acquired any skills yet, so the blue bar was just for show.

Now, he was at the lowest rank, F, with a mere 300 points for both bars.

After checking his stats, Zhou Qian began observing from behind the tree.

It wasn’t long before he spotted the man he was looking for—a stout man with a fierce face.

This man must be Li Dafu.

With each step he took, the ground seemed to tremble under his weight.

Zhou Qian knew he was Li Dafu because the previous night, after opening the treasure chest in the game, he had seen a huge wedding photo in Li Dafu’s villa.

Now, lifting his watch towards the stout man outside the woods, Zhou Qian tried to access his data through the system.

[Name: Li Dafu]

[Rank: E]

[Specialty: Boxing; former national boxing champion]

[Note: He has a violent temper. Players, please avoid direct confrontation to prevent injury or even death.]

Indeed, this man is Li Dafu.

As a Rank E NPC, his red and blue bars were three times that of Zhou Qian’s.

Furthermore, he was a national boxing champion, while Zhou Qian had no skills at all.

The “Blessing of the Little Boy” buff that Zhou Qian possessed could only shield him from damage once when his health was almost gone, which made it practically useless.

Facing Li Dafu head-on would be equivalent to courting death.

Watching as Li Dafu slowly passed before him, Zhou Qian’s eyes grew more solemn.

If he wanted to successfully complete this side quest, it seemed he would have to think of a strategy.

……

10 minutes later.

Outside the game, inside the presidential suite of a five-star luxury hotel, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang, with dark circles under their eyes, sat up abruptly. They immediately grabbed their phones from the bedside table and found that Zhou Qian had been in the game for a while.

The reason they could afford such a place was that two days ago, Lu Mengmeng, despite having only 1% HP left, barely cleared the “Ghost’s Eye” level, allowing Zhu Qiang to receive a million yuan. With Lu Mengmeng not entering a new dungeon for the time being, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang took the opportunity to splurge with the money.

After partying all night, it was only the constant vibrating of their phones that reminded them that it was Zhou Qian’s turn to play.

Skipping meals, both of them glued their eyes to their phones and noticed that Zhou Qian had teamed up with another player.

He was a male player in his 30s, dressed in a plaid shirt. At first glance, he looked scholarly and refined, but there was an indescribable cunning air about him.

Yu Xian noticed an icon flashing above the player’s head.

He clicked on it and was able to view the player’s information.

[Player Name: Dong Xiang]

[Player Rank: E]

[Specialty: Stealth skills, such as assassination and theft]

They heard Dong Xiang ask Zhou Qian, “I just went to the entrance of the park. Only those invited can enter. We don’t have an invite, so we need to figure something out soon. The park closes at 8 tonight.”

Yu Xian felt anxious.

Over the past few days, he had looked up news about Zhou Qian.

The way he was described in the reports could be summarized with phrases like: “The rich second generation who wouldn’t eat minced meat”, “naively innocent”, “God spent all his intelligence on his looks”, “He’s just a pretty face but is actually dumb and crazy”…

“I’m so worried about Xiao* Qianqian.”

*Little (小) When used in front of a name, it generally signifies closeness. In this context, it’s like an affectionate way he’s referring to Zhou Qian.

“Me too. The other players might try to steal Zhou Qian’s invite.”

“If he reveals that he has an invitation, he’s doomed. The player in front of him is an E ranked player who excels at both theft and assassination…”

“Please, Xiao Qianqian, just don’t say anything!”

The two anxiously stared at the phone.

On the screen was Zhou Qian’s smiling face.

He had a beautiful, radiant look, extremely photogenic, with deep, shiny eyes. Given his rich second-generation background, he looked like a delicate flower of wealth.

But at that moment, his demeanor and smile were just too naive.

The elegant, proud, delicate flower suddenly became the foolish son of a landlord—

He carelessly took out [Li Dafu’s Invitation] and said to Dong Xiang, “An invite? I have one. So, I can go straight in! I’m so happy!”

Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang exclaimed, “Fuck!!!”

---

The author has something to say:

“The living can die, and the dead can live” – from Tang Xianzu’s “The Peony Pavilion.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

The quote “The living can die, and the dead can live” is from Tang Xianzu’s “The Peony Pavilion“.

This play touches on themes of love, death, and resurrection. The play tells the story of a young woman named Du Liniang who falls in love with a scholar named Liu Mengmei in a dream. After waking, she is unable to forget him and, consumed by her unfulfilled love, she becomes ill and eventually dies. Later, her spirit encounters Liu Mengmei, and through a series of events, she is brought back to life, and the two are united in love.

The phrase reflects the cyclical nature of life and death presented in the story and suggests that the boundaries between life and death can be porous, especially when influenced by profound emotions like love. It speaks to the transformative power of love and the idea that even in death, love endures and can defy the natural order.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 1

[Player Zhou Qian, you’ve been bound to the game and is player A7577.]

[Welcome to the tutorial stage.]

[Please wait for the instance to load…]

[Loading completed.]

With these prompt lines, Zhou Qian pushed open the door in front of him and walked into a pink room.

The ceiling, floor, bed, wardrobe—all were pink.

Sitting on the bed was a little girl with pink hair and pink clothes. The bed and the floor around her were filled with dolls.

Each doll looked different; some had round faces and noses, big heads, and small bodies; some were cloth-made, and the style was more towards the cute side; some were like rubber Barbie dolls, slender and thin, looking somewhat sexy.

The styles were so different that most likely they came from different manufacturers, but like the little girl on the bed, they all had the same long pink hair and were all wearing pink princess dresses.

The moment Zhou Qian stepped in, the entrance door closed automatically. He raised his hand and tried to turn the door lock but could no longer open the door.

At the same moment, the little girl on the bed looked up at Zhou Qian with a pair of cold eyes and said in a childlike voice, “Help me find the doll I hate the most!”

[Player mission has been triggered: Find the most hated doll.]

[Task time limit: 90 seconds.]

[Select the correct doll and say, “Let’s kill it together” to pass the level; the player has only three chances; if all three selections are wrong, it will be considered as a failure, and the player will be devoured by the resentful doll.]

A semi-transparent panel popped out from the watch on Zhou Qian’s left wrist. These sentences suddenly appeared on the panel, blinked for a few seconds, and then disappeared automatically.

At the same time, Zhou Qian heard a rustling sound. He looked up and saw all those dolls standing up. They all cracked a smile in unison and then slowly walked towards him.

Not long after, all the dolls, along with the little girl, and even the pink color of the entire room deepened a bit. Everything was changing towards the color of blood at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if the whole room was a huge mouth of a demon opening. If Zhou Qian didn’t pass the level in 90 seconds, this mouth would close, tearing Zhou Qian to shreds and swallowing his flesh.

At first glance, these dolls stood very chaotically, but they roughly stood in three rows. Zhou Qian easily counted that each row had 10 dolls, so it wasn’t difficult to calculate that there were a total of 30 dolls in the room.

He had three chances to select the correct one from the 30 dolls; purely based on luck, his chance of clearing was 10%.

But Zhou Qian was clearly not a man who believed in luck.

He had been hanging around casinos with his father since he was young. Winning cards was never about luck, but observation, psychological quality, and hand speed.

Therefore, Zhou Qian didn’t immediately take action but thought about the limited information he had.

These dolls were all different, but all cute and beautiful. There were none that had a distinctively hateful characteristic, so why would there be a doll that the little girl hated the most?

Wait, she used the word “most”, which meant she hated all these dolls, but there was one that she hated the most.

The little girl dressed up these dolls like herself, so it stood to reason that she should like pink and them as well.

But since she hated them…

Zhou Qian tried to speak to the little girl. “Do you hate pink?”

“Of course I hate it!” The little girl stared at Zhou Qian angrily. “I hate pink, I hate dolls! Help me find the one I hate the most as soon as possible!”

Hate pink, hate dolls.

But she was wearing a pink skirt again, surrounded by a bunch of dolls who were also wearing pink skirts.

These clues could only point to one thing—she was forced to dress up like this, and these dolls were bought for her by others.

While thinking, Zhou Qian quickly glanced at all the dolls again.

These dolls didn’t seem to be produced by the same manufacturer, which he noticed from the beginning.

At this moment, Zhou Qian focused on their eyes. The eyes of the dolls had different colors: blue, green, black, brown, and the like. As for this little girl…

Looking back at the little girl, Zhou Qian found that her eyes were black.

The dolls’ hair, eyes, and costumes should have been different, but after they were bought back from different stores, they were replaced with uniform pink hair and dresses.

What about the little girl?

How could a little girl with black eyes and a Chinese face have pink hair?

It should be the same as the dolls; she was dressed like this.

Zhou Qian probably guessed the truth of the matter.

But he still needed to confirm it again.

[Friendly reminder: You have 70 seconds left to clear the level.]

Zhou Qian didn’t even look at the prompt that popped up on the panel but walked directly towards the little girl.

As the room approached blood red, all the dolls showed darker and harsher smiles, as if waiting for the countdown to end so they could enjoy Zhou Qian’s flesh to the fullest.

The little girl also smiled. She opened her mouth, and bright red blood flowed from between her teeth. The pink room, which was beautiful and warm just a moment ago, immediately became bloody and terrifying.

Zhou Qian walked up to the little girl, who was bleeding from the corner of her mouth, without hesitation.

Reaching out, he grabbed the little girl’s hair and pulled it hard.

The pink wig was immediately uncovered and fell to the ground.

It was clearly a boy under the wig, but he was dressed up as a girl, looking like a Barbie doll.

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, pulled his sleeves and lifted them up. “Sorry, I just want to make sure if there are any injuries on your body.”

After that, Zhou Qian clearly saw that his arms were full of bruises.

This boy was dressed up as a girl, and he had such injuries on his body. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what he suffered.

[Friendly reminder: You have 60 seconds left to clear the level.]

Accompanied by such prompt words on the panel, the little boy’s mouth opened wider, and more and more blood flowed out of it, even onto Zhou Qian.

The dolls were also close at hand. They almost formed three circles, enveloping Zhou Qian inside.

Three of the dolls walked faster and had already bitten Zhou Qian’s trouser legs.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Zhou Qian heard the sound of them swallowing saliva, as if they couldn’t wait to enjoy a good meal.

[Alert: Player has touched the resentment doll. Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 99%.]

When touched by the resentment doll, the player Zhou Qian’s HP drops to 99%.]

[Once HP drops to 0, the player will die.]

On the panel, the red health bar representing life value had only slightly decreased, posing no threat at all.

Therefore, in this simple game, the only thing to worry about was the time limit.

Zhou Qian glanced at the panel and turned his eyes back to the little boy. He asked, “You hate pink, you hate dolls, so what do you hate the most? The person who bullies you?”

The little boy shook his head.

At that moment, a dagger suddenly appeared in his chest, incessantly stabbing inward. More and more blood gushed from his chest and mouth as if it were inexhaustible.

But the little boy was smiling, as if he were about to be set free.

The increasingly blood-red room reflected in Zhou Qian’s eyes, turning them the same bloody hue.

With his bloodshot eyes, Zhou Qian looked at the little boy and asked almost emotionlessly, “I see, you hate yourself the most, don’t you?”

“Yes.” The boy’s face was adorned with a detached smile. Yet as he continued to vomit blood, this smile became eerily strange. “I poisoned myself, and after taking it, I vomited a lot of blood. I was in so much pain. I wanted to die quicker, so I stabbed myself.”

“I feel so cold and lonely after death… Come and keep me company…”

[Friendly reminder: You have 50 seconds left to clear the level.]

After this reminder, more and more dolls started to surround Zhou Qian.

One couldn’t help itself and bit into Zhou Qian’s flesh through his trouser leg.

[Player Zhou Qian’s HP has dropped to 95%.]

Zhou Qian kicked the doll away without any pain or itch, showing no anxious expression.

He asked a few things just now because he wanted to confirm one thing—whether this little boy hates himself the most. Now he had received a positive answer.

The little boy should have been dressed up as a little girl by an adult man with a dark hobby and was forced to be with the dolls all day long.

He was forced and humiliated, but he forgot to hate the person who humiliated him, but instead resented himself.

So he killed himself.

The person he hated most was himself, so much so that in the space where resentment formed after his death, he was still repeating suicidal behaviors.

In this way, it was self-evident what the answer to clear this level was.

[Friendly reminder: You have 40 seconds left to clear the level.]

Taking a casual look at the prompt that jumped out of the panel, Zhou Qian thought to himself—he had enough time to examine a doll every second, there should be plenty of time for everything.

Zhou Qian began to quickly check one doll after another.

[You have 30 seconds left to clear the level.]

[You have 20 seconds left to clear the level.]

[You have 15 seconds left to clear the level.]

[Player Zhou Qian, please clear the level as soon as possible! Otherwise, you will die!]

With time so tight, Zhou Qian had no chance to make mistakes.

But he didn’t panic.

After checking 15 dolls and still not finding the target, all he could do was sigh about his bad luck.

[You have 10 seconds left to clear the level.]

[You have 9 seconds left to clear the level.]

……

When the prompt [You have 5 seconds left to clear the level.] popped up, Zhou Qian didn’t even blink, but the man sitting in front of the screen became panicked.

Seeing everything through the screen, he couldn’t help but yell, “You’ve wasted too much time at the beginning! No need to observe so much, nor ask questions! Just brutally tear open each doll to check!”

The person who was shouting was Yu Xian.

He was currently sitting in a rented room, staring intently at his phone screen without lifting his head.

Whether this player named Zhou Qian could complete the level was related to whether Yu Xian could win a bonus, so he was particularly nervous.

Yu Xian and his roommate Zhu Qiang both lost their jobs a month ago. They were both at the end of their ropes. If they couldn’t find work next week, they planned to leave this big city and return to their hometown to find another way to make a living.

But tonight, they both received an advertisement on their phones at the same time.

[Do you want to get rich overnight?]

[A group of players is trying to complete a game. Bet on the selected player, and if he succeeds, you will win 30,000 yuan.]

Neither of them had money in their bank accounts, so they weren’t afraid of getting scammed or getting their phones infected with viruses.

So they both clicked in.

When it was time to select a player to bet on, many avatars appeared in front of Yu Xian. He chose with the mindset of watching a movie and randomly selected a good-looking player, who happened to be Zhou Qian.

But as the game progressed, Yu Xian couldn’t help but doubt his choice—Do good-looking people really have bad brains?

In fact, Yu Xian didn’t really think that a pie would fall from the sky.

But just 30 seconds ago, his roommate Zhu Qiang received a text message—his bank account had received 30,000 yuan.

The player Zhu Qiang chose was called Lu Mengmeng, a young man in his early twenties who looked quite cute.

Lu Mengmeng completed the level 30 seconds ago. The system sent him a treasure chest. After receiving the prize from the chest, he left the game.

At the same moment, Zhu Qiang received the bank transfer notification.

“Holy shit!” “Holy shit!!” “Holy shit!!!”

After carefully reading the deposit text message three times, both of them simultaneously exclaimed in surprise and then focused their attention on Zhou Qian, who hadn’t completed the level.

Seeing Zhou Qian procrastinating, Yu Xian roared, and Zhu Qiang couldn’t help saying, “Lu Mengmeng’s method of passing the level just now was right! He didn’t ask anything; he just tore open all the dolls to check!”

Yu Xian: “Damn it, I’m really anxious! You got your 30,000, while I’m still hanging here! If Zhou Qian doesn’t pass, you’ll have to cover the rent next month!”

“Ah, finally!” Yu Xian let out a sigh of relief. “Zhou Qian finally passed the level! He finally found the doll!”

Zhu Qiang: “So all those stories and plots are useless. They’re all just coverups, wasting the player’s time! Alright, it looks like Zhou Qian is about to leave the game. Eh… eh? Why isn’t he leaving?! What’s he doing?!”

“Fuck, that little boy is about to turn into bones, and he dares to touch it?! What if he gets attacked?! Even though his health bar is quite high, there’s still a risk, right?!”

At this moment, in the game.

Zhou Qian had no idea that someone was watching him play and even placed a bet on him.

He just calmly found the key to complete the level.

The little boy hated dolls. Because to him, the existence of the dolls was actually a reminder that he, like them, was just a toy to be touched and played with.

Hidden among all the dolls was a boy doll, forced to wear a pink wig and a pink dress, resembling the little boy.

Since the little boy hated himself the most, he certainly hated it the most.

With a swift motion, Zhou Qian picked up the doll, turned to the little boy, and said, “Let’s kill it together.”

Immediately, the countdown on the system panel stopped.

[Player has found the most hated doll and successfully passed the tutorial level. An ending animation will play next. After the animation ends, the player can log out of the game.]

Sounds of faint crying echoed around, seemingly coming from all the dolls.

The bed, cupboard, ceiling, and floor, all of which had turned blood-red, slowly darkened until they merged with the black night. The little boy collapsed to the floor, his flesh peeling off, turning into a skeleton.

Zhou Qian didn’t retreat. Instead, he approached the boy, squatted down beside him, held his hand without fear, and said softly, almost bewitchingly, “None of this is your fault. You shouldn’t hate yourself, let alone kill yourself. The person you should kill is the scum who did this to you.”

Suddenly, a look of hatred appeared in the boy’s eyes. “You’re right, I should kill him! Kill Li Dafu!”

[Player Zhou Qian has triggered a side quest for the associated level: Kill Li Dafu.]

Glancing at the new prompt on the panel, Zhou Qian asked the boy, “Who is Li Dafu?”

“My uncle!” The little boy clenched his fists.

“I see. Your uncle tormented you. Blood must be repaid with blood. I will take revenge for you,” Zhou Qian said with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

His gaze at the boy seemed filled with pity at first, but a closer look revealed a trace of bloodlust. It was as if he was not only seeking revenge for the boy, but also looking for an opportunity to kill freely.

“Now, can you tell me where Li Dafu is?”

“He will be attending a meeting at Apple Paradise. I stole his invitation. Now I’m giving it to you! With the invitation I give you, you can blend into the park. If you run into him, kill him for me!”

[Player Zhou Qian has obtained the item: Li Dafu’s Invitation.]

[Li Dafu, you are the most devout believer in the “God Epoh”. Unfortunately, God has let you down. To make up for it, God has granted you this precious invitation, allowing you to meet him in Apple Paradise.

At that time, you can do as you wish with Him. “No matter how outrageous your actions are, God will not refuse you.”]

So, Li Dafu is a follower of a god called Epoh.

But what could have caused God to disappoint him?

Gods are usually high above us. What could have possibly happened for a god to allow his followers to do as they wish with him?

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and quickly asked the boy before he disappeared, “Since you were able to steal such an invitation, do you know any secrets about Li Dafu? What’s the deal with this God Epoh that he worships?”

“The great God can fulfill people’s wishes. Li Dafu wanted money, and God gave it to him; he wanted…”

The boy said resentfully, “He wanted me, and God gave him that too! Bound by God’s power, I couldn’t escape from Li Dafu, so I had no choice but to kill myself! Now… Now Li Dafu has made another wish to God, saying he wants to resurrect me. But God said his power has weakened, and he cannot fulfill Li Dafu’s wish. He felt sorry and sent this invitation…”

Hmm, so… this god isn’t a traditionally benevolent god.

What is his purpose in doing all this?

Zhou Qian pondered briefly, his gaze falling on the last sentence of the invitation—[Only guests with an invitation are eligible to enter the park. Please keep it safe.]

Now that he had cleared this mini-instance, Apple Paradise and God Epoh must be elements in another instance.

Normally, the first challenge for players entering that instance would probably be how to get into Apple Paradise.

But with this invitation, the problem was already solved for Zhou Qian.

Indeed, triggering hidden plotlines could be beneficial.

Everything he had done previously wasn’t a waste of time.

The earlier mini-instance was a beginner’s tutorial mode, with almost no risk of death, just allowing the player to familiarize themselves with the operation process.

Among the 30 dolls, 29 were female, and only one was male. Thus, “gender” became the only distinctive trait that made this doll different from others. Therefore, the answer to the puzzle had to be it.

There was no need to explore any storyline; the player could quickly find the answer by examining each doll.

But after all, the system designed this tragic story, so there must be a purpose behind it.

At this point, Zhou Qian found out that his guess was right.

By the time Zhou Qian put away the invitation, the little boy had completely turned into a pile of bones.

All kinds of furniture, and even the whole room, had disappeared.

Zhou Qian arrived in the middle of the night, with the unlit villa behind him and the villa’s backyard in front of him.

The backyard was very desolate. A skeleton quietly lay on the ground, and the 30 brand-new and exquisite dolls next to it formed a sharp contrast.

After the little boy committed suicide, he was buried in the backyard. These dolls became his burial objects. However, he still hated them after death. Therefore, the player accidentally dug up the bones and dolls in the backyard and entered his space of resentment.

At this moment, both the villa and the backyard were slowly fading away in the night, implying that the end of the animation was about to be played.

A red light rose from the skeleton and fell on Zhou Qian.

[Player Zhou Qian has obtained a one-time defensive buff—”The Blessing of the Little Boy”.]

[When your HP drops to 5%, this buff can help you withstand 100% of the next damage.]

Yu Xian: “Ah, does this mean that this buff can only prevent damage once?! What a poor bargain. I mean, if you encounter a situation where you’re getting beaten up by a boss and only have 5% left, what’s the use of preventing damage once? If the boss uses his toe, the 5% HP will be gone…”

Zhu Qiang: “Indeed, it’s not that useful, but it’s better than nothing. Hey, hey, there’s a treasure chest coming; let’s see what he got?”

After the red light on Zhou Qian disappeared, a shiny golden treasure chest appeared in front of him.

[Player successfully passed the tutorial mode and got a treasure chest. After opening, you can get a random item.]

Following this prompt, Zhou Qian walked up to open the chest and opened it. Inside was a green mass.

[Player gets item: Grass]

[Function Description: A plant?]

[Grade: F]

In the game, Zhou Qian: “Fuck.”

In front of the screen, Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang said at the same time: “Fuck.”

In this game, the level of items was ranked from high to low in the order of A to F, and special level items belonged to the S series.

Undoubtedly, a grade of F was the lowest level of items.

Lu Mengmeng just passed the game and got a Grade C defense bracelet.

It was true, comparing to others could really piss one off.

After collecting the reward item, Zhou Qian’s system panel received a new prompt.

[Player Zhou Qian can enter the associated instance: “Apple Paradise”.]

[Instance Difficulty: Level 1; Clearance Rate: 70%]

[Hidden Achievement Completion Rate: 10%]

[Number of Players: 5]

[Player Zhou Qian is about to log out of the game. You must enter a level one instance within three days.]

[Tip: You have the side mission of “Killing Li Dafu”, who is Rank E. You have just cleared the tutorial mode, haven’t obtained any skills, and all your attributes are at the lowest Rank F.]

[Due to the considerable disparity in power between the two sides, you can choose to tackle other level one instances first. After gaining levels and skill upgrades, you can then enter “Apple Paradise”…]

[Of course, the greater the difference in power, the higher the rewards for completing the task. Players should make a careful choice based on their needs.]

[This game adopts a customized instance recommendation mode.]

[The tutorial mode can also reveal a player’s characteristics and potential. In addition to “Apple Paradise”, the system has provided an additional 5 regular level one instances based on your traits for you to choose from.]

[Please choose the instance you want to enter and the time of entry. You have three days to think about it.]

Zhou Qian didn’t need to think about it at all; he made his choice on the spot—Instance: “Apple Paradise”; Time of Entry: Three days later.

His operation made Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang exclaim in surprise.

—With the useless buff, useless grass, and without obtaining any skills, Zhou Qian was going to take these two things and directly challenge the Rank E Li Dafu?

Yu Xian had no time to grieve for Zhou Qian when he received several lines of prompts himself.

[The player you bet on, Zhou Qian, successfully cleared the level. 30,000 yuan will be credited to your account. Player Zhou Qian will enter the level one instance “Apple Paradise” in three days. You can choose to continue betting on him, or, of course, you can take the 30,000 yuan and leave this game altogether.]

[To participate in the bet, you need to pay 30,000 yuan. If Zhou Qian fails to clear the game, you will lose these thirty thousand yuan; if Zhou Qian successfully clears the game, you will receive a reward of 1,000,000 yuan.]

[Gambler Yu Xian, you have ten minutes to make a decision.]

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Kinky Thoughts:

I always wanted to do an infinite/unlimited flow novel, so I picked this one up from a recommendation.

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