Infinite spooky game

Deep inside a safe house converted from an air-raid shelter in Kazan, White Bear County, Meng Wenfei sat at her desk, watching the messages scrolling rapidly across the computer screen.

The only guild factions in the bizarre game are Kyushu, Tingfeng, Xila, and others, with the addition of Tianping, which has a significant impact on reality, and the unnamed faction that has been stirring up trouble recently.

Most small guilds either attach themselves to large guilds, or are even established as vassals directly at the behest of large guilds; or they merely exist as loose, unnoticed groups that appear and disappear without a trace.

The Wind and Rain Guild belongs to the former. Meng Wenfei was prepared to follow the Kyushu Guild from the very beginning of the guild's establishment. This was not only because she had long admired Lin Jue and Fu Jue, but also because she knew that the interests of humans were destined to be incompatible with those of ghosts and monsters. Uniting together to fight against the eerie game was the only responsible choice for the future of the race.

Over the past year, she first led the Fengyu Guild to publicly announce its cooperation with the Jiuzhou Guild, and then maintained good relations with players from all walks of life to preserve its reputation. In the end, she managed to find a relatively stable path for the Fengyu Guild amidst the changes. Although some members sacrificed their lives, the impact was almost negligible compared to other guilds of the same level.

A week ago, Siqi posted on the Weird Games Forum, using the Weird things he controlled as leverage to attack Fu Jue.

Meng Wenfei vaguely remembered that she had met the young man once at the guild representative conference. At that time, Lin Wuya was just beginning to stand out and attracted most of the attention. The young man humbly followed Lin Wuya and attributed all his achievements to Lin Wuya's appreciation.

But now that I think about it, is it really that simple? Why is it that Lin Wuya has disappeared, and Si Qi is now representing the Unnamed Guild to challenge Kyushu? Is it really possible for someone who controls so much power to be subservient to others?
Looking back at the events with these questions in mind, the answer is obvious: Lin Wuya was merely a puppet pushed onto the stage, while Si Qi was the true mastermind. But what use is knowing this now?
Observing the trend of public opinion on the forum, Meng Wenfei saw one condemnation after another against Fu Jue and knew that this former savior had been pushed into a situation where the whole world was against him. She could not find a way to break the deadlock.

Unexpectedly, in just one day, Fu Jue used the same tactics against him, abandoning all the reputation he had accumulated over the past thirty-six years to acknowledge the identity of the puppeteer, thus defiling the name that had long been buried in the grave and sealed in a monument.

"Lin Jue." Meng Wenfei moved her lips and murmured silently.

She first heard this name on the day she first entered the eerie game twenty-three years ago.

She was only fourteen years old at the time. Her parents had sent her to study abroad in a county outside the county. When she was unfamiliar with the place, she got involved in a bombing plot planned by the Tianping Church and witnessed her own body being shattered by the bomb.

She thought death awaited her, and even her consciousness seemed to snap for a moment, as if she were already doomed. But then a silvery-white light suddenly appeared in the darkness, and a voice told her that she had become a player of the "weird game" and was given a second chance at life.

She entered the instance still shaken, and when she came to her senses, she overheard two players chatting quietly. One of them laughed and said, "Hey, have you heard that rumor? The Ark Guild is going to make a move. At the beginning of next year, Lin Jue will lead the team to fight against the Supreme Rules in Sunset Ruins. Maybe they can end this bizarre game in one fell swoop..."

What does death feel like? It's like being lifted out of the human race and thrown into a desolate silence, where one is lost in the vastness of the world, unaware of one's own existence.

Even though he escaped death, he was still in a daze, as if he had just been pushed from nothingness into the realm of ghosts and monsters, surrounded by demons and monsters.

The appearance of the terms "Ark Guild" and "Lin Jue" truly pulled Meng Wenfei out of her helpless state of mind, and she suddenly realized the existence of a group of like-minded people, and that she was not alone in this world.

After narrowly escaping death from the dungeon, Meng Wenfei immediately went to the game forum to search for information about the Ark Guild and Lin Jue. She learned that in this large-scale supernatural phenomenon where no one knew the details, there was a group of people who had been insisting on maintaining order and peace and were united in searching for a solution to end the game.

They seemed close to success. As the guild leader, Lin Jue shared the Ark Guild's research progress and action plan in public more than once, smiling and promising victory to everyone, calling on players to follow him and one day deliver a fatal blow to the eerie game.

Everyone was chanting the same slogan, their thoughts converging into a single tide. Newcomers to this collective illusion unconsciously followed the crowd, believing it to be their own independent choice. It was only natural that Meng Wenfei, after learning of Lin Jue's deeds, would feel admiration for him, just like all those waiting for a savior.

The top player on the overall strength ranking, the first person to enter and the most adaptable to the bizarre game, Chairman Lin, who even the gods are willing to talk to on equal terms... all these dazzling halos are attached to him, making him seem like the protagonist of the era, and his final victory is only natural.

Therefore, when Meng Wenfei learned in early February 2014, six months later, that Lin Jue had died in the Twilight of the Gods in Sunset Ruins, her first reaction was disbelief, followed by panic.

—The operation that had the best chance of ending the bizarre game failed, and the top players were all killed. What should ordinary people do?
There were many people as bewildered as she was, and it wasn't until six months later, when Fu Jue rose to prominence rapidly, that the wavering hearts of the people gradually calmed down.

Despite having absolutely no physical resemblance, Meng Wenfei felt from the beginning that the two were very similar, not only in their names, but also in their positions, public opinion, and career trajectories...

Fu Jue perfectly replaced Lin Jue, taking over the tasks that Lin Jue had been doing but hadn't finished. It was so seamless that many later players didn't even know of "Lin Jue's" existence, thinking that it was Fu Jue who had been standing on that altar from beginning to end.

Humanity needed such a person, and so "Lin Jue" and "Fu Jue" appeared one after the other, just in time.

The players' whispers quickly turned into: "Hey, have you heard that rumor? Several major guilds might be teaming up, led by the legendary Fu Jue, to tackle the final dungeon..."

Meng Wenfei later met Fu Jue a few times due to guild-related matters. While admiring his strength, she couldn't help but feel resentful of his cold attitude. She often had a strange thought: If Lin Jue were in that position, he would probably be more approachable.
—Although she had never met Lin Jue, just as people tend to romanticize the path they did not choose, she believed that Lin Jue was a gentle person full of goodwill towards the world.

At this moment, the carnival in the forest is coming to an end. The fairies and monsters are waking up from the chaotic drumbeats. In their final drunkenness, they tear off their gorgeous masks and tear each other apart until they are covered in blood and their bones are exposed.

Lin Jue, Fu Jue, and the Puppet Master—these three seemingly unrelated identities are intertwined, like a piece of white paper stained with dirt that can never be cleansed. The pure white statue of "Lin Jue" crumbles in an instant, and all his actions are covered by the name of conspiracy.

Meng Wenfei sensed a sense of "ending," an ultimate gamble where both sides recklessly wagered everything, with the tide pushing everyone toward the final outcome, leaving ordinary people with no choice but to wait and watch.

She couldn't see through anything, couldn't understand anything at all. After thinking for a long time, she finally picked up her phone and dialed a number: "Hello, Yunyang, it's me. Do you know what's going on with Fu Jue?"

Li Yunyang knew nothing.

She was a professional soldier who had just entered the Weird Game six months ago. She was transferred to the Weird Investigation Bureau through internal military channels. Her interactions with Fu Jue were basically limited to the categories of superiors and subordinates, and seniors and juniors.

Only once, before entering the dungeon, Fu Jue told her: "Respond to all changes with constancy, and then do your best to survive, that's all."

But that time, Fu Jue intentionally used her to restrain the high-ranking officials in the Bureau of Investigation who were not under his control. His words, though said to be out of concern, were more like an instruction to her to complete the mission.

The Puppet Master uses a conspiracy to purge opponents within the Bureau of Deception... This title would definitely cause a huge uproar on a gaming forum, right?
Li Yunyang hung up the phone, quickly sealed the last opening in his protective suit, and ordered through the built-in walkie-talkie: "All members of Team 3-518, check your equipment and head to Jinjiang Residential Area." The investigators silently followed behind Li Yunyang and boarded the military truck. No matter how the leadership of the Bureau of Mysterious Investigations changed, eliminating the supernatural and protecting the people remained their sacred duty.

But everyone, including Li Yunyang, inevitably ruminated on the events of the past few days.

Before Fu Jue acknowledged his identity as a puppeteer, most of them were supporters of Lin Jue or Fu Jue, who, with a simple sense of justice to punish evil and promote good and a beautiful vision of saving humanity, threw themselves into one action after another, willing to sacrifice themselves for a bizarre end.

But now, the person who once stood in the spotlight proclaiming lofty ideals and principles, instilling in them the so-called belief in salvation, is actually the president of the Sila Guild, a symbol of evil and slaughter, the legendary "Puppet Master" who is devoid of humanity and insanely evil, and the one they have always regarded as their mortal enemy... How much of the past is true and how much is false?
Even if Lin Jue had his reasons, using the identity of a "puppet master" to wipe out all the slaughter-style players was in line with the principle of pragmatism; even if facing the wavering hearts of the people, only an iron-fisted dictatorship and awe-inspiring malice could stabilize the situation and minimize internal friction... most people still could not accept this level of ruthlessness.

As Siche said, rational people like Lin Jue are a minority in the world, otherwise why would the trolley problem have been debated for so many years without a standard answer?
It is too cold-blooded to sacrifice a controllable number of people to ensure the survival of more people. Those who make such a decision have already expelled themselves from the ranks of humanity and will ultimately be rejected and feared as inhuman monsters.

Lin Jue had no way out and could not turn back. Fortunately, he had always been an arrogant person. His past plans never needed the understanding of others. He only needed to insist on strictly implementing each step.

Now, he has finally gained real control of the helm of the great ship called "humanity," and can mobilize a large number of resources to execute his plan.

……

Five levels underground, in a containment chamber encased in a new alloy and cement, an electronic screen on the iron door displays corresponding information:

[Mysterious Name: Sea God]

[Type: Deity]

[Danger Level: S]

[Note: The sea god, who has returned to the world through the soul and body of a human, is the most loyal follower and extension of the ancestral god's will. His human soul has been completely corrupted by the gods, and apart from some residual memories, he is no different from a true god. The corruption is being controlled by puppet threads, the effects of which are unknown.]

Lin Jue carried the rusted bronze sword to the door. After scanning his face, the screen flashed the words "[Identification Passed]", and the iron door opened automatically. He stepped straight into the room.

Unlike the previous containment room that housed the sea god's corpse, which was filled with a salty smell and phantoms of marine life, the room before them was dark and cold. A young man in a trench coat and gold-rimmed glasses sat in the center, quietly flipping through a book.

Apart from the semi-transparent spider silk extending from the four corners of the room to bind the young man's limbs, everything here was no different from an ordinary prison cell in the federal prison.

Lu Li was escorted back to Jiangcheng via a military truck along another route after Lin Jue and the Tingfeng Guild members landed. He was surprisingly cooperative throughout the journey, whether because he was under the control of the puppet threads or because he simply didn't have much will to resist.

Seeing Lin Jue enter, he put down the book in his hand, his tone and expression as usual: "President, what are your plans next?"

He was undoubtedly speaking to the puppeteer as a member of the Xila Guild, his smile carrying a seductive undertone: "Eighty percent of humanity in the world is in your hands. If you are willing to give up a few unrealistic ideas, the position of Ancestral God will be within your grasp; and once you become Ancestral God, all problems will be solved."

"Otherwise, they know they have been deceived by the mask you created for many years, and their old worship has turned into hatred and loathing. In order to prove that they are not fools who are led by the nose by lies, they will wish they could turn into hyenas and tear you to pieces."

"After you win the game against the rules, what awaits you will not be flowers and applause, but judgment and imprisonment. In a world without the bizarre games, you are just a weak and powerless mortal, with no place for you in the world, and even death is an easy redemption."

Lin Jue did not directly respond to his suggestion. His silvery-white eyes stared at him through his glasses as he stated in a tone that explained the confusion he had encountered in the research: "You were not so contaminated before entering the final copy."

Lu Li smiled, casually turning the pages of the book, making a "rustling" sound, as if creating a trendy background music for the stage.

After a long silence, he slowly began to speak, as if telling a story that had nothing to do with him: "In the mountaineering preparation area at the foot of the snow mountain, there is an NPC named 'Bai Ma' who has a mirror that can see fate. I couldn't see myself in it, but I saw you."

“I saw you complete every step of your plan, offering enough sacrifices to the rules in a short time, exchanging enough sins, crushing all gods, the bizarre, the mysterious, and the grotesque, creating a new world where the bizarre game no longer exists. And in that new world, there is no place for me.”

"It's a contradictory thought. On the one hand, I'm glad you achieved the final victory and saved humanity as you promised; on the other hand, I regret that such a bright future has nothing to do with me, and my bones are just a stepping stone for you to reach the end. At the same time, I can't help but have a delusion: since the situation has been pushed to this point, what difference does it make who achieves the ending?"

Yes, both Lin Jue and Fu Jue promised to resurrect everyone after winning the final victory, but only "people" could be resurrected.

The ideal new world is a world without gods, where all those who have been too deeply involved with the supernatural and the divine will be buried, including Lu Li, who came into contact with the gods at Fu Jue's behest.

"I'm sorry," Lin Jue said.

“It’s truly rare to hear you say those words to me.” Lu Li’s smile remained unchanged as his gaze fell on the bronze sword in Lin Jue’s hand. “However, I now understand what you want to do. Although the hope is slim, seeing that your mind is made up, I suppose I cannot stop you. If that is your choice, I am willing to accept this outcome.”

Lin Jue remained silent, lowered his eyes slightly, and plunged the bronze sword in his hand vertically into the ground.

The soft sound of shattering glass was instantly swallowed up by the surging tide. Countless cracks covered the invisible barrier between the two, each crack radiating a sacred and dazzling golden light, like an ancient, primordial rift in the sky.

A piercing scream, powerful enough to tear the soul apart, roamed the void, bursting through eardrums and filling the air with memories and thoughts. Golden-red blood droplets floated in the sky, swirling with scalding divine power and authority, and billowing golden smoke.

The impartial being high above opened its chaotic and merciless eyes, knowing that the God-Slaying Sword, dormant for billions of years, would slay the first god, thus beginning a grand sacrificial ceremony with humans as the chief priests.

The one who will fall will be named "Sea God". (End of Chapter)