Infinite spooky game

The fire flickered and the shadows of objects were hazy.

The corridors carved with epic stories stretch endlessly, and the illuminated torches blur the sense of distance, making people feel as if this road has no end.

The tiger ran along the corridor carrying Qi Si and Nian Fu, never slowing down, and its steps created a sharp wind.

The scene in front of you gradually changes, the view becomes wider, an ancient Greek-style marble building lies at the end of the corridor, and the narrow passage leads the player into a magnificent underground building.

The huge hollowed-out space formed a typical European courtyard, which was as large as the square in front of a church. In the center stood a white stone statue holding a book, covered in a layer of gray by the dim light.

The courtyard is surrounded by corridors supported by columns. Behind the alternating light and dark shelters are houses with tightly closed doors and windows, which are as closed and depressing as a tomb where coffins are stored.

"I've been to this place before, it's really similar..." Nian Fu looked around, stunned.

A damp and musty smell lingered in the air, and the dust blown up by the wind flew a few inches before falling wetly to the ground, as if imprisoned by some force.

A hissing sound came from underground, one after another, as if some abnormal creature was about to break out of the ground.

"Is the layout here based on the orphanage where you grew up?" Qi Si asked casually, looking at the dark green moss on the marble wall.

"Yes." Nian Fu nodded, recalling, "The layout and specifications are exactly the same. For a moment just now, I really thought I was back in that orphanage again.

"I still remember that the courtyard in the middle was where the children fought, and the concentration camp-like rooms next to it were filled with people most of the time and locked up at night."

There is a great connection between the weird game and reality, but the Colosseum with an ancient Greek background and the orphanage located in Jiangcheng are completely unrelated.

I don’t know if the copy of the weird game was lazy and just grabbed a scene from reality, or if the weird orphanage was originally a “Colosseum” that the weird game extradited to reality…

"Tell me about the orphanage, maybe it will help me clear the dungeon." Qi Si said softly.

The wound that almost split him in half sent a dizzying pain, but the mechanism of the Undead kept him awake. He could even hear the sound of his internal organs shaking and bumping in his chest.

Fortunately, the ghost's senses are relatively dull, so he will not let the pain destroy his sanity. He can still make plans and strictly implement them.

He steered the straw tiger forward at full speed and stepped into the spacious and lonely courtyard, while leaning forward with his chest pressed against the tiger's fur to slow down the loss of blood.

A value of [52%] is displayed next to the [Undead] icon, and after being bandaged, it decreases at a rate of [0.05%] per minute.

When this value drops to zero, the dead people who should have gone to hell long ago will sleep forever, and there will be no room for recovery.

Even if he didn't get hurt again, he only had fourteen hours left to live.

Now it is just struggling to survive and waiting for slow death.

"How long can you last in this state? The effect of 'immortality' has its limits, right?" Nian Fu stared at the blood-soaked bandage on Qis's chest and asked with a frown.

She needs to re-evaluate the strength and value of her teammates before making further decisions, whether to continue cooperation or... sacrifice pawns to save the rook.

"Maybe. It depends on when Chang Xu can accumulate 3,000 points and remember to look for Sphinx." Qi Si seemed not to hear Nian Fu's tentative meaning, and smiled weakly, "It should be hopeless today, let's wait until tomorrow."

When they looked back, Chang Xu had disappeared. It was obvious that he had been thrown away by the full-speed escape.

After all, he was a human being, and his physical condition would decline. After a morning of exhausting running, two battles, and a long chase, his speed was naturally not comparable to the initial one.

But given his persistence, he must still be pursuing it now.

There were no forks in the corridor, and there were bloodstains as a guide. If the two fleeing men were even slightly careless, they would be caught up by him.

Qi Si had a general assessment of the situation.

He knew that Nian Fu might still have a chance to survive, but Chang Xu would definitely stab him a dozen more times with the sickle until he died from excessive blood loss...

"Two more hours." He glanced at the remaining time of the beast fighting game in the upper left corner of his vision.

The ever-changing countdown not only means the duration of the crisis, but also determines how long he will have to escape today.

But the benefits of blindly escaping are too low. Leaving your fate to be decided by others and running around for a living is an unwise choice that lacks initiative.

Maybe there is another way, with great risks but also considerable benefits...

The tiger maintained its original speed and went deeper into the courtyard. The rustling sound underground became more and more distinct as the player entered, conveying a vague sense of familiarity.

Nian Fu thought of something and looked grim: "Those ratmen were dragged out from here. We have walked all the way without seeing a single one. Where do you think they would be now?"

The dome of the underground building was painted with a bloody mural, showing a bloody figure with his stomach ripped open and bleeding profusely. Birds and beasts swarmed over to share his organs.

Nianfu's words mixed with the noise, like a horror story told in a cave in the snowy mountains, bringing a warning of death.

Qi Si tilted his head and listened for a while, then smiled calmly.

He raised his finger and pressed it down, pointing to the ground beneath the tiger. "Isn't the answer obvious? Of course it's... underground."

As soon as the words fell, the ground of the building shook violently. Looking around, dozens of stone slabs were lifted up from the bottom, and tentacles made of blood-colored pythons drilled out of the holes.

They crashed wildly in all directions. More and more damage appeared in every corner of the building. The marble slabs broke into irregular stones. The columns and the roof collapsed together, crashing down with a crackling sound.

"Here they come." Qi Si sighed, "If nothing unexpected happens, they will be the 'tail wolves' of this world. They form the bottom of the social structure, oppressed and persecuted by their peers who are high above them, and buried deep underground all year round without seeing the sun.

"Pain and despair inspire anger, and anger accumulates day by day and condenses into desire. What a powerful force! It only takes a spark to explode with a bang."

The tightly closed door was pushed open, and red and black monsters came out one after another. More snake heads and rat heads emerged from under the ruins, looking around with their scarlet eyes.

Hundreds and thousands of ratmen crawled out from underground, each of them had a body covered with dense, hideous wounds. One could imagine how much pain they had endured.

This is undoubtedly a force that can be utilized, or... a resource.

In the game of chess, the "rat" can eat the "elephant".

“Hurry up!” Nian Fu swung the whip to drive away the monsters that tried to get close. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll die before they explode!”

With the speed of a tiger, it is not difficult to break out of the encirclement of these ratmen.

As long as they break out of the encirclement, Chang Xu who is chasing behind them will be blocked by the rat people, and will either be forced to turn back or get into a tough battle.

Nian Fu was thinking in a mess, staring at the rats and paying attention to the movements of all parties, but he felt that the pace of the tiger under him had slowed down.

She frowned slightly and was about to ask, but the tiger stopped and sat down on the spot.

What's going on? The item's effect has expired? Why at this moment?
Nian Fu made a random guess, and the next second she saw Qi Si sitting up calmly, as if he was about to jump off the tiger.

She immediately understood that the tiger stopped at Qi Si's instruction.

There are so many places for this guy to go, but he chose to go into the underground where the rat people were imprisoned. I'm afraid he has other plans.

"Qisi, what are you doing? You are not going to use the method you used last night to turn them into stone? Are you wasting time here because you are afraid that Chang Xu can't catch up?" Nian Fu asked very quickly, trying to make Qisi give up his crazy idea.

The chaotic surging red snakes and the huge rat bodies blocked the view behind them, and for a moment, Chang Xu's figure could not be seen, and his position could not be determined. But it can be imagined that once all the rat people were transformed into stone statues, Chang Xu would easily catch up with the two people who delayed time here.

"You guessed wrong." Qi Si suddenly smiled very lightly, and looked at Nian Fu with scarlet eyes, "I will really die once in a while, and after that you will have two choices:

"Hide my body and tell everyone that I am in a place where I can be absolutely safe and will not be killed by any of them.

"If my plan succeeds, the advantage of this game will be completely tilted towards you and me, which will not only mean TE clearance and identity cards, but also perhaps as the background narration promised, it will make you a true god.

“Of course, you can also take my body out, hand me over to Chang Xu, and tell those people that all your previous actions were just due to my deception and coercion, and now you have turned over a new leaf.

"I believe they will be willing to accept you. At most, they will prioritize pushing you out when they encounter a death point. Considering that this is a faction game and you control all the resources of the team, you may not let them do whatever they want."

Drops of blood dotted the young man's face, splattering irregularly, making all his expressions look hideous and terrifying.

Nian Fu tightly grasped the tiger's fur, looked up and stared into Qi Si's eyes, trying to read more information: "What is your plan? We are teammates, with the same interests and positions. There is no need to create information asymmetry and cause internal friction out of thin air.

"You are an intellectual player, and I happen to be more of a force player. Many of your ideas will require my strength to execute. Tell me your plan, and I can adjust the strategy at any time according to the situation."

"No need, you just need to know this." Qi Si's smile did not fade. "If something unexpected really happens, it means that I was just one step behind or extremely unlucky. It would be a good ending to die like this, right?"

Nian Fu knew that Qi Si didn't trust her, so he was unwilling to tell her the details of the plan.

This guy is suspicious by nature and doesn't trust anyone. In his eyes, everyone is just a chess piece that can be manipulated at will, and there is no need to confide in anyone...

She is very similar to "that person". Perhaps it is because of this that "that person" chose her to contact and invest...

"If you don't tell me the whole plan, how can I know whether the subsequent development will be disadvantageous to me?" Nian Fu sneered, "On the whole, it is better for me to stop the loss in time and hand over your body to Chang Xu."

"You don't have to rush to tell me your choice. I have no desires. All your choices affect your own benefits and outcomes. What does that have to do with me?"

Qis, covered in heavy blood, landed steadily on the ground, and with full blood and energy, he walked step by step into the group of monsters.

The rats who had just crawled out of the ground were immersed in their violent nature, but were still stunned by the courage of this human. They subconsciously retreated, but were pushed back, making the retreat movement more like rushing forward.

A vague desire that came from nowhere was transmitted among the group. They moved aside to allow the strangely behaving humans to approach them, and then turned into a tide to surround the aliens who had strayed in.

Qis suddenly raised his hand into the air, and a white scepter stained with traces of blood appeared in his hand.

The remnants of divine power cast a sacred aura over his entire person, but the blood-red color made the scene seem eerie.

Liu Yuhan, who was lying in the high tower, was released from confinement. She struggled to get up from the ground, stood up with difficulty while covering the wound on her abdomen, and walked slowly along the stairs, dragging a trail of blood.

Qis raised his hand and removed the bandage on his chest. The blood-soaked cloth fell lightly to the ground. A large amount of blood dripped from the wound to the ground, and a pool of blood slowly grew like the base of a statue.

The rats finally understood what it was.

That is the divine blood they have been dreaming of, the key to lifting the curse, and what they have been seeking...

The surging desire accumulated in their hearts, and their gazes could no longer move, being drawn to one place.

They rushed forward, stretched out their claws, and were about to get what they wanted, but after reaching a certain point, they could no longer move forward at all.

Desire is heavy and turbid, and under unbridled indulgence it solidifies into a hard shell, sealing all the beings that carry desire into a cold stone statue.

The ratmen closest to the inner circle, where blood could be seen, stopped moving and surrounded Qis like a barrier.

The ratmen in the outer circle were blocked by the stone statues of their companions. They had no idea what was happening inside and squeaked in annoyance and dissatisfaction.

Qi Si had expected this, but he smiled and touched the forehead of the statue with his bloody fingers.

Zhang Mo was eaten by ratmen, Lin Ye and Chang Xu were injured by ratmen during the fight, and the fact that those ratmen did not turn into stone while causing damage to the players was enough to explain the problem.

The curse on the ratmen is related to desire. When the desire grows to a certain extent, they will turn into stone statues.

The so-called divine blood can lift the curse on them. As long as they touch the divine blood, they will no longer be restricted by desires.

Qis smeared his blood on the surface of the stone statue transformed from the rat man, just like an artist adding the finishing touch to his work, just like the gods endowing the creation with soul at the beginning of creation.

The dead object under his palm suddenly began to pulsate again, and the rat-man that was touched came back to life.

The images that appeared in the oracle came into the world. They knew that it was Qis who saved them with his blood, and that the young man holding the scepter who was surrounded by them was their god.

How great, how selfless! Even though he was bleeding and on the verge of death, he still wanted to redeem them!

The curse was lifted, and their desires were satisfied. The rats did not dare to expect too much. They just prostrated themselves devoutly at Qis's feet, fully expressing their gratitude and love for the gods.

The ratmen in the outer circle are no longer blocked from vision by their counterparts in the inner circle, and can see fresh blood, blood that stimulates their desires.

They also solidified into motionless stone statues in a few seconds, standing tall like a stone forest, forming a barrier to block later comers.

Qisi sat cross-legged on the spot and said to the ratman closest to him: "Use my blood to save your companions."

The rats received the order and scooped up the blood that had spilled on the ground and smeared it on the newly formed stone statues.

All the blood-stained stone statues regained their lives and actively joined the team distributing blood.

Looking down from above, the underground courtyard looks like a flower in full bloom, with a sea of ​​bizarre monsters forming the petals and tigers and humans surrounded in the center.

Circles of ratmen repeated the process of being petrified and then coming into contact with blood to remove the curse, crawling one after another towards the center of the courtyard.

They have never truly seen God, but only received specious oracles from the Supreme Being in their dreams.

But they are willing to give their faith to the human being who saved them.

Qis felt his blood draining away. The value next to the [Undead] icon dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye. Perhaps it would return to zero in a few minutes.

The [Scarlet Priest] card on the other side was surging with blood-colored mist, trembling violently as it absorbed the faith from the monsters, outlining a scarlet human figure on the cross.

The blood-red vines deep in the Palace of Thought grew rapidly, becoming lush and leafy in just a few seconds. Countless soul leaves swayed vigorously, and each one corresponded to the soul of a monster.

The life of a human or a ghost is passing away inexorably, while the personality of God is further solidified in death.

That is not the god that humans chase after in delirium, but the light that desperate monsters follow in the darkness.

Qisi lay back, looking at the disemboweled figure in the dome mural from afar.

He suddenly realized that gods cannot have desires.

Almost all religious stories contain legends of gods’ sacrifice and redemption. If one had desires, how could one be willing to be eaten by ants?
Since gods have no desires, can a being without desires be a god?

Qi Si wanted to take another gamble.

In this game, he will bet his life. (End of this chapter)