Infinite spooky game

Chapter 439 Gods (XI) Collecting Corpses

Siqi didn't actually intend to die. Although a spectacular death could indeed provide him with some surprises, it was ultimately a one-time event. The thought that dying prematurely would mean missing out on many of the great shows before and after the apocalypse, and losing the right to continue inflicting disaster and death on the world, immediately dispelled all thoughts of self-destruction.

Considering that his death would clear many obstacles for the Bureau of Mystery Investigation, the Church of Heaven, and even various other forces, giving those who are afraid of death a greater chance to prolong their lives and allowing ambitious forces to compete for godhood with less loss, Siqi felt nauseous for a moment. All things considered, it was better to live a little longer and cause more trouble for the world.

The things he said to Lin Jue on the phone were obviously not to be taken seriously. Only a fool would reveal his plans to the enemy. However, given his unpredictable behavior, Lin Jue probably wouldn't be able to figure out which of his words were true and which were false in a short time. So the effectiveness of the conversation was not much different from that of nonsense.

Si Qi hung up the phone, and Yu Jinsheng, who had listened to the whole thing, spoke up at the right moment: "Old Qi, as a friend, I actually don't recommend that you go back to Jiangcheng. Since things have come to this, I have no choice but to be honest with you. Because the [Doomsday Prophet] once made a prophecy that 'the door will open in Jiangcheng,' the Bureau of Mysterious Investigations has made meticulous arrangements for you in that area."

"They previously thought you would become the vessel for the evil god's invasion of reality, and in order to respond immediately, they asked me to keep you under control in Jiangcheng. You know that, and during that time I kept subtly hinting to you that there would be danger outside of Jiangcheng."

“Now that I’m in your hands, knowing you as I do, I know that when you’re cornered and on the verge of death, you’ll definitely kill me to take your place. It’s shameful, but I have to admit, I’ve always been a coward who’s afraid of death. So you can trust me that, no matter what happened before, our interests are now completely aligned.”

For the past six years, "Jin Yusheng," as Qi Si's friend, has always played the role of a naive and carefree person. But how could he be so good at navigating the gray areas and always managing to clean up after Qi Si at the right time? It's just that Qi Si used to turn a blind eye to his behavior.

Now that Siqi has torn away the last fig leaf between the two sides, Jin Yusheng has become "Yu Jinsheng". As the temporary guild leader of Tingfeng Guild, a powerful figure deeply involved in the vortex, even though he has been controlled by Siqi, he still maintains a calm and composed attitude, analyzes the situation with reason and evidence, and puts forward seemingly plausible suggestions.

Siqi sat behind the counter, calmly resting his chin on his hand, watching Yu Jinsheng with a half-smile.

He didn't speak, and Yu Jinsheng, having finished what he wanted to say, also fell silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.

After a long pause, Yu Jinsheng smiled bitterly: "Alright, let me tell you the truth again. Lin Jue will not let you return to Jiangcheng safely. There are too many opportunities to tamper with such a long journey. If a part is missing from the car, or a crack appears in the road, you could die on the road without any explanation and have no one to complain to."

Siqi listened attentively, nodded seriously, and picked up the phone again to dial a number. After the other end answered, he said, "Lin Jue, I would like to add one more thing. I hope that the vehicles and supplies we need along the way will be provided by the Tingfeng Guild."

Yu Jinsheng: "...Good idea."

The Bureau of Mystery Investigations might not care about the lives of the hostages, but the members of the Listening Wind Guild would never abandon their interim guild leader.

Originally, Si Qi had only contacted Lin Jue, and the Bureau of Ghost Investigation could still suppress the news and secretly take action against Si Qi and Yu Jinsheng's group. Now, however, they had no choice but to notify the Listening Wind Guild. In this way, even if the Bureau of Ghost Investigation wanted to do something, the Listening Wind Guild would create considerable resistance.

Yu Jinsheng now understood Si Qi's determination to return to Jiangcheng. Based on his understanding of Si Qi and even Qi Si, this man had never been too attached to his desires and often acted on his whims, being quite lazy. Now, he suddenly showed such a clear purpose, which was definitely not as simple as missing home or seeking death.

He opened his mouth, then asked hesitantly, "Old Qi, for the sake of our long-standing friendship, give me a straight answer: why do you insist on going back to Jiangcheng?"

Yu Jinsheng spoke sincerely, as if he were an old friend of many years who wanted nothing more than to know the answer to this question.

For once, Siqi's smile vanished, and he stared intently at his face, as if assessing the extent of their relationship.

After a long pause, he sighed and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Yu Jinsheng held his breath, pricked up his ears, and his expression became serious.

Then the young man curled his lips and uttered the same old line with a smile: "Then guess."

……

Si Qi had reasons for having to return to Jiangcheng.

The moment he caught a glimpse of Baima's mirror, he felt as if he were in a dream. For a fleeting second, he forgot who he was and stared blankly at the figures of different ages and faces.

A child not yet six years old sat expressionlessly in a dimly lit corner, casually crushing ants one by one. A figure in a red suit and trousers watched listlessly, seemingly both used to his behavior and quite helpless.

The twelve-year-old boy practiced by killing a large dog, and then used his experience in slaughtering giant living creatures to deal with another child. The ghostly figure sat on the roof, looking down with a calm expression that said, "I knew it would happen."

A sixteen-year-old boy emerged from the fire and rested in a tidy room. A red-clad ghost swooped down and hovered outside the floor-to-ceiling window, its crimson gaze fixed on him, calm as a god. A twenty-two-year-old youth, however, was alone. In his cramped studio, he bent down and used two fingers to pull a black metal card from a pool of blood, examining it with interest.

Having entered the final instance as "Zhou Ke," Siqi was no stranger to the figure that always accompanied him; it was clearly the same attire he wore as the [Fool's Deceiver]. Of course, after exchanging fates, this outfit belonged to Qi Si.

If the content presented in the illusion is true, then Qi Si, who was transported to the past timeline, is obviously still alive and has been following him relentlessly as an unseen ghost, acting as a bored spectator.

But... why did Qi Si never appear again after he turned twenty-two? Did he completely disappear, or did someone devise a plan to replace him at some point in time?

The underlying reasons made it impossible for Siqi not to pay special attention.

He parted ways with Qis at a crossroads of fate, and then made a deal with him in the final instance. Although he temporarily replaced Qis and gained the qualification to compete for the godhood, who is the real him is a question worth pondering.

Sci's view has never changed since "Dialectical Games": he looks like himself, thinks he is himself, his thoughts and memories are himself, and his behavioral choices are also himself, so he is the real him and naturally possesses the legitimacy of his existence.

But this game is no longer just a contest between him and Qi Si; it also involves multiple forces such as the Ancestral God, Fu Jue, and Bai Ya. He cannot guarantee that if a third party intervenes, they will not, for the sake of disrupting or stabilizing the situation, promote Qi Si, whom he has already excluded, as the rightful heir.

No matter what the name or definition is, neither he nor Qi Si ever cared about such things. They only needed to uphold their survival instincts and selfish genes as biological beings, and do everything they could to ensure that they were the ones who survived.

But undeniably, some things, once they happen, are not only troublesome, but also disgusting.

So, just to be on the safe side, Siqi felt it was necessary to return to Jiangcheng to find Qisi's body, which might still be there. Whether he would keep a close watch on it, take over the body, or even destroy it, it would be better than leaving behind a potential source of unforeseen changes.

……

Midnight on May 9th, Qijia Village, Jincheng.

Xu Yao materialized on the ceiling of her second-floor bedroom, staring blankly into the void before her. Memories flooded back, and it took her a full half hour to piece together what had happened over the past few days.

On May 4th, she and Qi Si prepared to enter the final instance. When she opened her eyes again, she was teleported to a desolate plain, with Lu Li, who was also under Qi Si's control, standing next to her.

They waited for the bus together, boarded the bus together, arrived in Shangri-La Town together, stayed at a hotel together, and hiked up the mountain. They chatted happily along the way. Even after she got separated from Qi Si, she didn't feel too much fear. After all, she had been a ghost for a long time and had been playing the role of someone who instilled fear in others for a long time.

But in his final memory, countless sticky, slippery tentacles suddenly emerged from behind Lu Li, their purulent yellow eyes widening like the compound eyes of an insect. The moment they touched him, his brain seemed to be filled with transparent, voluminous objects, and a cacophony of babbling murmurs filled his ears…

Since the Eastern Ghost had never seen a deity of the same element, it's reasonable that Xu Yao was terrified by Lu Li.

At this moment, she looked down from the ceiling and saw the young man in the white shirt lying in the center of the large bed with his eyes closed, his limbs stiff and lifeless, a lifeless corpse.

But how could that be? How could someone as capable as Qi Si just die like that?
Xu Yao floated to the ground, stretched out her index finger and poked the young man's face. The skin lacked elasticity and sunken in, consistent with the characteristics of a corpse.

"Hey, Qi Si, wake up!" she shouted into the young man's ear.

no respond.

The conversation felt like it happened yesterday. The young man had jokingly said to her, "If I die, you can stay outside and help me collect my body, so I won't end up like my cousin, lying dead in the wilderness."

To this, she replied irritably: 'As a vengeful ghost, my method for collecting your corpse might be to eat you.'

The young man replied nonchalantly, "Do as you please, if you can really eat it."

Xu Yao pondered the will Qi Si had made before his death, staring at the corpse in front of her that was beyond dead.

(End of this chapter)