Necromancers are frantically stationing troops in the apocalypse.

Chapter 1102, The Poison Bait of Faith
As dusk fell, the lights in the hall remained bright.

Philippa and the others were still discussing heatedly whether the parchment that suddenly appeared in the game was a hidden plot or they had missed some clues.
Wu Heng and Lilith looked at each other in silence, their brows furrowed.

The two were just talking about the global virus and gods, and the ghost on the chessboard suddenly said this, making people feel like he was talking to himself.

"It... can hear us talking?" There was a hint of disbelief in Lilith's voice.

When this strange object was in the hands of the dwarf hero, it never showed anything special. But when it came to Wu Heng, there was always something different about it.

"I'm afraid so. I've long felt that this thing is not simple." Wu Heng said in a deep voice.

"What's next?"

Wu Heng strode towards the ghost host who was about to dissipate, stared at him and said, "Are you talking to me? What 'sincerity' do you need? Just say it directly!"

The ghost didn't respond and simply vanished like smoke.

The others all had some doubts in their eyes, and Wu Heng repeated his guess with Lilith.

Philippa slammed the table. "I told you it was intentional! I felt something was wrong when they called us 'burdens'!"

If this ghost really has independent consciousness, or if the strange object itself has some kind of "thinking", then everything makes sense.

Viola whispered, "So what exactly does the 'sincerity' it requires refer to?"

Lilith analyzed and said, "It must be what it needs!"

Shannara looked troubled. "But what could a rare item possibly cost? We're not as resource-rich here as we were back on Treasure Island... Even if we wanted to take something out, there's nowhere to buy it."

If you were in another world, you could ask around or spend money to buy some things.

With the financial resources of Treasure Island, it can buy all kinds of strange and unusual things.

But in the current environment, even if you know what the rare items are needed, there is nowhere to get them, unless you just need some ordinary and common items.

But how could a strange object possibly need an ordinary item!

The maid brought tea and snacks, and the heroes sat around to discuss the matter, and there was silence for a while.

Suddenly, Wu Heng's eyes gleamed, "I'm not entirely sure what the strange objects need, but I know exactly what the ghosts need..."

The others looked over.

Wu Heng continued, "Ghosts are not interested in external things. They often need to improve themselves, and the only way they can do that is to devour other ghosts."

Everyone suddenly realized.

"Do you still have a ghost?" Lilith asked.

"Uh..., no more." Wu Heng shook his head and continued, "But I know where I can find some. I'm going out tomorrow and we can play games together tonight to see if it works."

"That's fine! Don't have too much hope. It's not certain whether it will be the same as we think." Lilith said calmly.

This will also help you avoid feeling disappointed if the final result is not what you expected.

Wu Heng smiled, "Just a try, it won't hurt us much."

The few of them chatted until late at night.

They then returned to their rooms to rest.

……

Wu Heng was in his bedroom.

I was still thinking about this strange chessboard.

The dwarf hero handed this rare item over to the association, and the association gave it to him as a first-level merit reward.

After the dwarf leader returned, he must have found a way to verify this strange object, and only handed it over after discovering that there was indeed a problem.

It’s a pity that I can’t go back right now, otherwise I could ask the dwarf leader.

Is this thing alive?

But even if it is alive, it can be seen that it is restricted by the rules of strange objects and can only convey information through the opportunity of the game. Having rules is also a good thing.

Give it a try, it's no big deal.

Dong dong dong~!

Just as I was thinking, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Viola walked in.

Her long brown hair was slightly loose, and she was wearing a plain long skirt. She looked a little embarrassed under the light.

"Sir..." Vio lowered his head and hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke softly, "I have discussed this with Lady Shannella... She asked me to accompany you tonight."

Her expression at this moment was more like that of a shy little woman.

And it was not the fierce cult witch that I had seen before.

In the island master's mansion, she was the only one who had not taken a step closer to Wu Heng.

Shannara also said that she was improving too quickly and was interested in and willing to try new things from all races.

They are afraid that there may be problems with their sexual orientation and believe that if they have more people around them and fill their time, they will not try other orientations.

Wu Heng's gaze lingered on her for a moment, and he smiled slightly, beckoning, "Come on."

Viola walked slowly towards him, and Wu Heng gently lifted the hem of her skirt. She raised her hands obediently and let the long skirt fall to the ground.

The light outlined her slim figure. Wu Heng stroked her smooth skin with his fingertips, admiring her for a moment, then patted her waist and motioned her to hold onto the edge of the bed.

Viola leaned over to support herself, and Wu Heng held her waist tightly from behind.

……

The next day, Wu Heng rode his motorcycle and sped all the way.

The roar of motorcycles broke the silence of the ruined city.

After passing through several deserted streets and alleys, the roar of zombies was heard in the distance. The black swarm of zombies was attracted by the sound of the engine and rushed in like a tide.

Wu Heng supported the motorcycle with one foot, and countless water droplets in the air condensed in an instant, and as he pointed his finger forward, they suddenly shot out!

Swish swish~!

The water droplets penetrated the zombies like heavy rain. The zombies in the front row fell down in groups, but those in the back continued to move forward without fear.

Smoke and dust filled the air, covering the long street.

In the tide of corpses, one could also see some tall, deformed individuals attempting to advance, but they were still torn into pieces by the sharp threads formed by the water flow.

After several waves of washing, the whole street suddenly became silent, leaving only the strong stench of corpses and the muffled sound of collapsed buildings.

[Battlefield of the Dead] was released, and a grayish-white halo spread out. Corpses all over the street crawled up and turned into white skeletons, waiting for orders.

“Clean up the streets and keep them clear.”

The skeleton immediately moved silently, and Wu Heng walked into a large supermarket on the side.

The smell of decay filled the air inside, the shelves were collapsed, and the floor was a mess.

Wu Heng slowly stepped onto the second floor, and a twisted, faceless ghost screamed out from the shadows and pounced on him!

"I'm looking for you." Wu Heng chuckled and snapped his fingers.

The [Bone Cage] was pulled up with a loud bang, trapping the ghost inside.

No matter how much he screamed and rammed, he couldn't break free from the cage.

Wu Heng took out the Demon Soul Pot from his space ring, opened the mouth of the pot, and used the power of the undead to pull the ghost in.

He waved his hand to disperse the bone cage and strode out of the supermarket.

Then, he called the base and asked them to come and clean up the supplies. He then got on his motorcycle and led the skeleton army away.

……

Back at the base at the foot of the volcano, the rest of the people were practicing.

Wu Heng also continued to practice his "Creation Sutra", trying his best to make up for the time wasted during the day.

It was not until dusk that he returned to his residence.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room. The long wooden table was moved to the middle and board games were prepared.

Lilith asked, "How is it? Did you get the ghost you mentioned?"

Wu Heng casually took out the Demon Soul Pot and said, "Here it is! I wonder if it's the same as we thought."

"Let's give it a try! There's nothing to lose anyway." Lilith said.

Wu Heng nodded.

Philippa handed the apple with the core left to the parrot on her shoulder and said, "Let's do it, the four of us! Maybe it's the hidden plot from before!"

Lilith shook her head. "In some plots, character level is very important. If it's truly related to a deity, the plot might be quite difficult. Don't let your attributes not meet the requirements and quit halfway through, as the loss will be huge."

"Let the hero go up?" Wu Heng said.

Lilith nodded. "Anyway, if you just watch from nearby, you can see where the plot is going. Viola, Eluria, and Sylvain, the four of us will play the game together. You don't have to join in. If something unexpected happens in the plot, you can revive us."

This is because we are afraid that something unexpected will happen inside.

If the person playing the game dies at that time, Wu Heng can also use the [Resurrection Technique] to save the person.

“Alright!” Wu Heng continued, “Then how should we give him the ghost in the Demon Soul Pot?” “We’ll put it on the table and see if it can absorb it on its own,” Lilith said, her tone also somewhat uncertain.

After things were settled, several people began to sit around the wooden table.

Viola took out the chessboard.

[Gygax's Game Board (Strange Item)]

[Effect: Force 2 to 5 people to participate in the game.]

【Side effect: Bear the consequences of the game.】

In the game, there are 2 to 5 people, and four is actually no problem.

"Let's start!" Lilith said.

Viola threw the dice directly, and the dice spun with a clattering sound.

A translucent ghost host floated out and said expressionlessly, "Please confirm the number of players."

Viola glanced at the four people, and the ghost immediately responded: "Four!"

Lilith said, "According to your request yesterday, I have prepared a sincere gift for you. Do you like it?"

As he spoke, Wu Heng opened the Demonic Soul Pot, and a ferocious ghost flew out with a roar.

Just as he was about to attack the rest of the people present, he was pinned to the fifth chair the next second and became a character in the game.

The soul host looked at the four people and one soul and said, "Welcome to the chessboard of fate: the poison bait of faith. The game begins, and the dice of fate begin to roll."

As soon as the words fell, the dice on the table began to roll.

After two or three seconds, the dice stopped and the number stopped at three.

On the chessboard, five little figures similar to the four people and one soul walked straight forward three squares.

Ahead lay a dense, dark jungle, the air thick as syrup. The trees were twisted and grotesque, their branches and leaves a sickly purple-black. The ground was covered in a slippery fungal mat, making a muffled sound as the adventurers' boots stepped on it.

[Suddenly, the roar of the low-intelligence undead awakened the entire forest, and the dark branches grabbed at it like strange arms!]

Robey laughed and said, "Look, the taunting of ghosts has begun."

[Adventurers, you are under attack by a rotten tree demon.]

【Strength 31, immunity to damage.】

On the chessboard, miniature statues of several people engaged in battle with the strange trees that appeared.

"This time it's even weirder, it's colliding with the tree trunk!" said Philippa.

"From the introduction, I can tell that this dense forest is abnormal and weird!" Minnie also said.

"It's really possible that it's related to the God of Plague."

While they were talking, the battle on the chessboard had ended.

Pfft~!

The ghost, struggling ferociously but trapped on the chair by the rules of the game, suddenly shattered and turned into wisps of smoke, merging into the body of the soul host.

The people chatting outside suddenly became quiet.

He stared at the scene with wide eyes.

This ghost suddenly shattered.

In other words, the ghost did not meet the strength requirements and was directly killed by the rules of the game.

After being killed, it seemed that his soul was absorbed by the host in front of him.

"It's okay that we didn't reach the required attributes yesterday!" Annette asked.

Philippa rubbed her chin, looking as if she were reasoning, and said, "Yesterday, when we played, the ending was different. It always said that the wood elf and the burden had survived by chance, which meant that we were fine. Now this one was killed directly."

"Whether it lives or dies is just a matter of a word from it," said Robert.

[Luckily, the four of you escaped the Dryad's domain, but one of your companions has been lost forever. It has become nourishment in the forest.]

[Your intelligence is -2.]

[You picked up the Dryad Vine, Charm +2.]

【Attribute bonus is only available in the game.】

After a short rest, the team, encouraged by the vampire captain, set out on their journey again, and the dice of fate began to roll...

"Holy crap! Teammates die, and their intelligence is reduced?"

"That's unscientific! Lilith can fly, and Viola can turn into smoke. How can this little tree demon trap them?"

"In the game, this is!"

The dice rolled and stopped at three.

The four little men on the chessboard moved forward three spaces.

[As you walk through the corrupted forest, you encounter several villagers in strange clothing filling in a pit.]

When you approached to ask for directions, the villagers panicked and scattered.

"Run away when you see us? Our characters are not normal people?" The wood elf sister 'Sylvain' suddenly raised her head.

Viola said: "This narrative method is quite strange. Maybe they were doing something bad and we caught them red-handed."

Minnie, who was standing in the back, said, "Your team just had a ghost as a teammate. It makes sense that the character isn't an ordinary person!"

Sylvain nodded, "Yeah! That makes sense."

【Perception 30, found clues.】

[Adventurers blessed by the gods, all of you have noticed the difference under your feet.]

You dug up the newly filled soil and rescued a dying boy.

[Constitution 23, immune to disease damage.]

【All members passed.】

[This was an extremely slovenly boy. He didn't say thank you and just turned and ran away.]

【Constitution -3, disease resistance increased.】

You ignored the uneducated wild child and set out on your journey again. The dice began to roll again...

The dice rolls a one.

The puppet moves forward one square.

You see a village.

A crooked sign at the village entrance reads 'Green Breath Village,' a name that symbolizes vitality, but is set against a backdrop of dead silence.

The air is thick with the smell of herbs and burning.

The village was eerily quiet, with pairs of eyes peering over from the cracks in the windows, corners of the walls, and shadows.

Suddenly, villagers emerge with pitchforks and sticks, surrounding you. The few people who had just escaped are among them.

An old man came forward and asked in a hoarse voice if anything had happened when you arrived. He then pointed in the direction of the child he had just rescued.

【Charm 35, can see through verbal traps.】

[You flatly deny it and don't want to cause trouble, and there are indeed quite a few villagers.]

The old man nodded and led you into the village. He explained that there had been a lot of diseases in the village recently, so you should stay one night and then leave immediately.

You stayed overnight, and then set off again the next day. The dice of fate rolled again...

The dice turned again and it came up with six.

The puppet runs six squares at a time.

You are standing in a large, bustling, yet equally dilapidated city square.

A terrible plague is sweeping through the cities of various kingdoms. Corpses are piling up like mountains, and wailing is everywhere. The priests' prayers are futile, and herbal remedies are also ineffective.

Only believers in Amos, the god of plague, can cause the plague to miraculously subside, allowing the sick to breathe. This isn't a cure, but rather the plague meekly submitting to him and being absorbed.

[People's initial fear turned into disbelief and finally into fanatical worship.]

Adventurers, a powerful tide of faith is sweeping over you, forcing you, like the people around you, to kneel before the young man who absorbed the plague and brought 'salvation'.

[Intelligence 40 points, saving throw successful.]

You struggled to resist this mental pressure and didn't kneel, but you clearly felt a huge, terrifying, and distorted consciousness being anchored through the people's faith. Amos saw you.

He asked the believers to make way and let you go.

A distorted shadow, a mixture of sickness and prayer light, emerged from the sky. The young man's body began to change, no longer having a body, but more like an indescribable form.

[The believers below are fanatically shouting for the gods.]

You fled from here, and when the light of God could no longer reach you, you discovered that everyone was holding a yellowed parchment with a +4 immunity roll.

【game over. 】

(End of this chapter)