Chapter 43

After walking a few steps, Xie Xubai discovered that things were worse than he had expected.

Not far away, a large crowd had gathered, so dense that it was impossible to see any figures – almost all the servants of the Jiang family had been summoned and had formed a solid human wall at the intersection, making it impossible for anyone to get in.

Neither Master Jiang nor Fourth Master Jiang, whom Xie Xubai had previously approached, could have caused such a commotion.

Could it be that those players alerted the Jiang family head?

Xie Xubai's running feet came to a stop in front of the frantically surging crowd!

He was well aware of his frail physique. With so many alienated "people" blocking his way, even if he forced his way in, he would be turned into jerky, let alone whether he could get to the front row in time.

Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes, pinched his brow hard, and pursed his lips into a sharp straight line.

Suddenly he lifted his eyelids, his eyes deep and intense.

Since things have already escalated to this point, let's make it even bigger!

Just as Xie Xubai had predicted, the other group of players was running into considerable trouble, which was related to the branching storylines they encountered at the beginning of the game.

Let's go back to one day ago.

When Jiang Kaile revealed his true form as the Demon King and asked the players to make moves to compete for the position of family head, a semi-transparent virtual screen suddenly lit up in front of Yan Yue and the others.

[One of the main storylines has been found: Help Jiang Kaile (identity: heir to the Jiang family) seize the position of family head.]

[This is a crucial juncture in the trial; the player's final choice will directly impact the subsequent storyline.]

The prompt doesn't provide a specific option, but it implies that there are other branches to choose from.

In order to obtain more clues, Yan Yue and other players outwardly complied with Jiang Kaile's request.

After the boy left, they stayed in the lecture hall as instructed, and saw the old butler, charred black and withered like a skeleton, shakily crawl out of the wall.

After being burned by such a fierce fire for almost ten minutes, one can imagine how bad the old butler's condition must have been.

He coughed incessantly, supporting himself on the floor, spitting out coarse charcoal ash streaked with blood. His frail body trembled with each violent cough, like a candle flickering in the wind. Flesh and blood began to regrow on his charred body at an extremely slow pace.

This scene was truly bizarre. Yan Yue and the others were worried that if they rushed over rashly, they would be used as human blood vials by the old steward, so they cautiously watched from the sidelines.

But seeing the other person struggling in pain, they had to admit that compared to Jiang Kaile, who had immediately intimidated everyone upon his arrival, the old man in front of them seemed more like the vulnerable party being bullied.

At this point, the players present had a general idea of ​​the positions they could choose.

There is no strategy guide for the infinite game that can be followed from beginning to end; surviving to the last day is considered a success.

Therefore, players can choose to take the kill route to defeat the BOSS, or they can choose the redemption route to rescue the NPC.

Using life-saving items to survive until the end of time is one way, but after trying it, it doesn't work in the Trial of the Demon King.

The boss goes berserk at the end, destroying the entire dungeon in a tornado-like fashion, aiming to leave no survivors.

When there are no choices, or when choices are limited, players' actual behavior cannot fully represent their views on good and evil.

For example, when Hu Chang saw the old butler stagger to his feet, his face was full of pity. He then turned and repeatedly called Yan Yue's name in the team chat: "[Let's make a deal, have your assassins give it another hit, let's see how many times this NPC can be resurrected.]"

Yan Yue: ...Do you want to die again?

Hu Chang: Don't be like that, seriously. I know we had a misunderstanding earlier, but aren't we all trying to pass the trial?

Hu Chang: You can lend me your assassin once, and I'll return him to you after I retrieve Chan Sheng. It's a chance to save your life, so it's definitely not a bad deal for you. Think about it!

Yan Yue was furious at the sight, his eyebrows twitching incessantly.

He quickly looked at the assassin, fearing that the man might get agitated and start a fight with Hu Chang.

However, the latter remained calm, as if he didn't care at all that Hu Chang was asking for him like an object, nor did he care whether Yan Yue would casually transfer him away.

Yan Yue was taken aback. He clicked on his teammate's status bar and saw a huge "[Death Squad (Mastered)]" icon under the other person's name.

This icon wasn't available when you teamed up.

It's not hard to imagine that after entering the dungeon, the player used mind control items on themselves, voluntarily turning themselves into a tool called a "death squad".

Yan Yue felt a sense of tragic heroism, which strengthened his resolve to pass this trial.

He coldly warned in the team chat: Whatever you want to do, don't get in my way, or I'll eliminate you, this unstable factor, first!

Don't be fooled by Hu Chang's seemingly sarcastic remarks; if he had the chance to test whether monsters could be infinitely resurrected, he would definitely do it without hesitation.

Anyone who makes it onto the overall power rankings basically has a habit of recklessly flirting with death.

On the one hand, it can stimulate viewers to give rewards; on the other hand, extreme (suicidal) operations can often test out tricky and clever strategies.

The audience enjoyed the show and benefited greatly, while other players, even if they were annoyed, could do nothing about it.

But this is not the reason why Yan Yue was determined to distance himself from Hu Chang from the very beginning.

He had no doubt that the latter would trip him up in order to save his own life, or directly use his and other players' lives to test the depth of the dungeon.

Hu Chang looked at Yan Yue's reply, his gloomy eyes darted around, and he gave a silent, cold laugh.

The two sides have completely fallen out.

At Yan Yue's instruction, the assassin players stepped forward to help the old butler. After some words of concern, they obtained the first clue: "The young master's temperament has changed drastically recently. He's become increasingly irritable, as if he's become a completely different person."

Clue Two: "Cough cough, it's alright, I'm used to it. Which servant in the Jiang family compound doesn't struggle to survive like this?"

Clue 3: "The eldest young master has repeatedly disobeyed the head of the family's wishes, and his excessive behavior has made the head of the family very unhappy. That's why we hired you to teach the eldest young master to relearn etiquette."

As the old man spoke, he couldn't help but bend over and cough twice more. His cloudy, dim eyes looked at all the players, and he said in a seemingly sincere tone, "The young master just locked me and the others up. I don't know what he said to you, but you'd better not believe a word he said."

"You must know that the eldest young master is vicious by nature. When he was just a few years old, he burned down the entire Jiang family ancestral hall, including everyone who stayed inside! He's simply a monster, cough cough cough, a monster!"

After finishing his sentence, the old steward, clutching his rapidly heaving chest, said weakly, "The head of the family also wants to see you. Come with me."

The players exchanged glances.

At this point, two players were visibly moved, and the other players also looked solemn.

Only Yan Yue, perhaps due to his paranoia, felt that the old housekeeper was deliberately trying to make them feel hostile towards Jiang Kaile.

Led by the old butler, the group of players met the Jiang family head at the main residence. The latter's unusually aged appearance shocked them.

The study was dark and gloomy. The withered old patriarch sat in a wheelchair, his hand gripping his cane so tightly that it trembled. His eyes were covered with spiderweb-like red blood vessels, and he looked extremely agitated.

But his entire body seemed to be sealed by invisible nails, and no matter how intense his emotions were, he remained completely still.

Those pale, chapped lips opened and closed, and the way they spoke was like an emotionless teleprompter.

"I want you to teach Jiang Kaile the basic etiquette of a banquet and a ballroom dance before the social dance begins."

Then comes the focus of the players' attention.

The Jiang family head waved his hand, signaling the old steward to bring out a box of gold and a sandalwood box sealed with yellow talismans.

"The time limit is seven days. As payment, this box of gold can be given to you in its entirety."

Gold and silver are useless to players, but the items from the Ghost King dungeon are always top-quality.

Someone immediately examined the gold's additional properties and discovered that it had a blessing effect, bringing a boost to luck. Overjoyed, they exclaimed, "Great! We definitely will!"

You should know that luck-related items are extremely rare. Each one can be sold for tens of thousands of points on the black market, and there's a whole box of them here!

How could players not be unable to resist?

Before she could readily agree, Yan Yue quickly interrupted her, glancing at the sandalwood box that the Jiang family head was holding tightly in his palm, and cautiously asked, "Since the family head has taken everything out, does that mean our reward is also in the other box?"

In an instant, the already dim study became even darker.

The temperature plummeted, so cold that white mist could be exhaled from mouths, and even the players whose bodies had been enhanced couldn't help but shiver.

The Jiang family head's expression became even more ferocious, and his cane cracked with a sharp crack. He trembled all over, as if he could leap up and devour someone at any moment.

“That’s right.” The Jiang family head stared intently at Yan Yue, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. “This is also your reward.”

"If you can get Jiang Kaile to bow down and admit his mistakes to the Jiang family, and genuinely acknowledge me as his father, then I will teach you a secret technique that the Jiang family never reveals to outsiders!"

All the players stared wide-eyed at that moment.

As we all know, player skills can only be awakened, and once awakened, they cannot be changed. Each person has only one skill, and even if attributes are cleared and the player is reborn, it is still the same skill.

To acquire new skills is unprecedented and unheard of!

The rewards were simply too generous. Players were so overwhelmed with excitement that they even forgot the terror of the Ghost King dungeon, confidently assuring themselves that they could complete the quest.

Yan Yue was also breathing rapidly.

Seeing that the Jiang family head was staring at him like he was a thief, he decided to back down and took a step back, letting his assassins continue the communication.

That night, only Jiang Kaile's bedroom was calm and quiet.

The players were being chased by a horde of crazed monsters, and one unlucky guy even had half his body bitten off.

Fortunately, Yan Yue brought a lot of healing items, and managed to save the person in time.

This act of goodwill temporarily united the five players, excluding Hu Chang and Chan Sheng.

Having barely withstood the monster horde on the first night, they rested and recuperated under the warm orange-red glow of the rising sun, exchanging clues they had gathered during the day's investigation.

Yan Yue was unsure of the quality of his teammates, so he carefully considered his words, thinking about how to remind them to pay attention to the unusual behavior of the Jiang family head.

But then the female player with pigtails suddenly said, "I think there's definitely something wrong with the old butler. How can you get so many clues right at the start of a trial?"

“Agreed,” her companion in the trench coat said. “He told us that the eldest son of the Jiang family burned someone to death when he was a child, but he didn’t mention the cause and effect at all. It was too much of a leading question.”

"Moreover, such an important clue related to the Ghost King, in any of the dungeons we've experienced, wouldn't we have to fight tooth and nail to obtain it? Yet he couldn't wait to throw it out, as if he was afraid we would side with the Ghost King."

The remaining player weakly raised his hand and said, "Today I was gathering information and I overheard a servant of the Jiang family say, 'The young master shouldn't have become like this,' and the tone was very subtle."

"It shouldn't have turned out like this? Then what kind of young master are they expecting?" The girl with pigtails sat up abruptly. "It seems these Jiang family servants are not simple either. Tomorrow, we'll pick a few typical cases and interrogate them with props."

"What about the Ghost King? Putting aside whether he will eventually turn into a dragon, given the Ghost King's characteristics, his power will grow stronger day by day. If we let him grow unchecked, let alone the seventh day, we might not even be able to withstand him on the third day."

"It's not even the third day yet, right? Don't rush, calm down, let's wait until we've assessed the Ghost King's growth stats tomorrow before we talk about it."

"But……"

"Even if we end up facing a dragon, it's still better than being wiped out instantly like Hu Chang did when the death conditions were triggered, right?"

"OK."

The assassins seemed to be infected by their enthusiastic discussion and looked at Yan Yue with pleading eyes.

After receiving permission, he continued, "Patriarch Jiang is also acting strangely; he seems extremely reluctant to hand over the contents of the box to us."

“That’s right, their reluctance means that the key item inside is the one that can influence the course of the dungeon,” the man in the trench coat said. “We need to find a way to steal it.”

"Ahhh! I was so blinded by greed that I almost agreed to his request. Luckily, Chairman Yan was sharp-eyed and stopped us in time, otherwise we would have suffered a huge loss."

The man in the trench coat's lips twitched: "You almost agreed? I didn't even have time to stop you."

The girl with pigtails chuckled shyly, "That's a lucky charm, who could resist!"

"The new skill... shouldn't be cleared by the system. If I can get it, it's worth dying for."

The girl with pigtails reached out and ruffled the man's hair, who let her do as she pleased.

He gasped in pain when a handful of his hair was almost pulled out, and slapped the girl's hand away.

Seeing the girl with pigtails frequently winking at him, the man in the trench coat sighed, patted her head a few times, and looked at Yan Yue amidst her angry and embarrassed protests.

"President Yan, I heard that the strategy team gave special sponsorship to all players [6] before the trial began. Now that you are much stronger, you are the most likely person to steal that box."

Yan Yue looked back at him without changing his expression: "What do you want to say?"

If this young couple tries to use his superior strength as an excuse to morally blackmail him into stealing the box, then he has no choice but to part ways with them here.

The young couple really meant that, but there was a prerequisite.

"We'd risk our lives to buy it."

The man in the trench coat took out a thumb-sized doll with a ribbon tied to it; the ribbon was the same orange-yellow color as the girl's clothes. He held it tightly in his hand.

In contrast, the girl was more generous, holding up the doll with blue ribbons wrapped around it in front of Yan Yue so that he could judge the prop's special effects.

Yan Yue could not hide his astonishment after completing the examination.

This doll's effect is exactly the same as Chan Sheng's skill: unconditional substitution for death!

A single cicada-like creature can garner such enthusiastic support from players that they would immediately release two items with the same effect.

"One of the few top-tier substitute items in the entire game. Two lives, one for me and one for him. Making a deal with us isn't a bad deal, is it?" the girl said with a grin.

"You..." Yan Yue was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

New skills are certainly important, but compared to the two lives in the trial, who can tell which is more valuable?

"We only made the deal with you because it's in our favor," the girl said. "These two items are a bit of a waste for us. If he dies in my place, I'll be in unbearable pain. If I die in his place, he'll suffer a fate worse than death. So we might as well die together in the end."

"Moreover, you are [6]."

The girl solemnly raised her hand, palm facing outwards, fingers spread.

She pressed her thumb down and flipped it: "6".

He pressed down on his index finger and broke it: "This trial is over, so it's 7."

Then press your middle finger: "8".

Press and hold your ring finger: "9".

Finally, pinching her little finger, the girl paused, then turned to the man in the trench coat, her expression instantly softening: "To be honest, before entering the Infinite Game, he and I were preparing to meet each other's parents. We were also planning to open a breakfast shop; we had already negotiated the shop price with the landlord. I would steam the buns and he would stretch the noodles."

The man in the trench coat blushed under the woman's ambiguous gaze: "Hmm... her steamed buns are delicious."

"So I wanted my uncle and aunt to try it too. He said his cooking skills came from his father, who was a chef in the village. To welcome me, his father even plans to slaughter a pig—a genuine free-range pig!"

The girl with pigtails turned her head and looked at Yan Yue, who had suddenly fallen silent.

Her eyes shone brightly, reflecting the brilliant morning sun: "President Yan, how about it, do you want to make a deal with us?"

Then the players take turns keeping watch, take a four-hour nap, and then get up to continue collecting clues.

Just as Yan Yue was about to steal the props, he encountered Hu Chang again, who had disappeared overnight, and saw the sandalwood box that the Jiang family head refused to hand over in Hu Chang's hands.

In Yan Yue's original plan, he intended to wait for the Jiang family head to relax his guard before finding an opportunity to sneak into the study and replace the sandalwood box with a disguise prop.

This preparation work may take a little longer, after all, just mentioning giving away the sandalwood box almost got the Jiang family head to kill someone.

If the item is actually stolen, the Jiang family head will likely go berserk on the spot, triggering the conditions for total annihilation.

But he never expected that Hu Chang would act so quickly. He saw the sandalwood box that day and stole the item in just one night.

—You should know that everyone in the Jiang family will transform into monsters at night, and players are no less than wolves running into roasted lambs in their eyes!

Hu Chang had clearly concealed his true strength, but that wasn't Yan Yue's focus.

He pressed on urgently, "Did you use any replacement props?"

"Replacement items?" Hu Chang shrugged, his smiling face full of malice. "Unlike Chairman Yan, who has the full support of the strategy team, we're short of money and can't afford any replacement items."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yue gritted his teeth and frantically sent messages in the team channel to warn the other players who were exploring, only to find that the messages could not be sent at all!

He was startled and switched to his status bar, only to find that a "No Man's Land" status icon had appeared out of nowhere.

Not only does it show that I can't contact my teammates, it can even block the live stream camera!

Yan Yue looked at Hu Chang's expectant smile and felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been drawn into a huge conspiracy.

The live streaming function is linked to the system, and even top-tier props cannot completely interfere with the system. The props that Hu Chang uses can only be god-tier!

Standing at the very top of the villa, the two could see countless Jiang family servants surging into the East District like a tidal wave, their imposing manner resembling a massive army pressing in!

If Yan Yue remembered correctly, that was the area the young couple planned to explore before they left.

"What exactly are you plotting?" Yan Yue demanded sternly.

He didn't believe that Hu Chang alone could produce a god-level artifact; there must be other people behind him directing things.

“An attempt?” Hu Chang casually tossed the sandalwood box aside. “If you insist on an attempt, you can think of it as us trying to save ourselves.”

"What?"

Meeting Yan Yue's puzzled and angry gaze, Hu Chang asked, "President Yan, do you think you've changed a lot since you entered the game?"

Before Yan Yue could answer, he said with a smile, "I think I've changed a lot. Before I entered the game, I didn't even dare to kill fish, but now, I can kill anyone I don't like as easily as drinking water."

"It's been a year since the game started, which player dares to say they don't have several lives? Rebirth can only erase memories, not instincts and mental state. Even if we can eventually redeem Earth, the 300 million of us can never go back. Only the 7.7 billion people can truly return!"

Hu Chang's face gradually contorted, his hand gripping the sandalwood box tightening until it almost crushed it: "We are not the chosen saviors, but a group of unfortunate children destined to be abandoned!"

Yan Yue had considered similar questions before.

This same problem, like a landmine that could explode at any moment, lies buried in the minds of all players.

Let alone the explosive issue of killing, even a sudden change in a person's life can make them completely different from before.

Whether someone has blood on their hands or how many lives they have taken is something an ordinary person might not be able to tell at a glance. But what about the family members who lived with you day and night before the game started?

But they can only move forward by ignoring their fears and uncertainties about the future. This is why entertainment is so prevalent, and players live each day as it comes.

"Don't get agitated." Yan Yue looked at the sandalwood box, which had been cracked by Hu Chang, and held out his hands to soothe it.

Hu Chang twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Yan Yue, I didn't take you seriously at first, but this instance is strange. Maybe it can really help you pass the trial."

"Make your choice, Yan Yue."

"What choice?"

Hu Chang gripped the box with increasing force, and the wooden shell on the box shattered with a crack, sliding down the roof in a soft patter, making Yan Yue's breathing quicken.

Hu Chang said, enunciating each word clearly, "Is it choosing a new skill for your future, or clinging to that minuscule possibility and continuing to clear the game?"

Yan Yue's expression was cold and stern: "You want me to give up the trial?"

Just as Hu Chang was about to continue speaking, he suddenly felt the building beneath his feet shake violently. Not far away, a raging inferno suddenly erupted, the orange-red flames burning through half the sky like blooming red lotuses!

This is definitely not a situation that those players could create.

Hu Chang's gaze swept over for a moment.

In that fraction of a second, Yan Yue suddenly made his move, using an instant-cast attack item to sever the arm holding the sandalwood box!

Blood gushed out, and Hu Chang screamed in agony, his face turning deathly pale.

He reacted quickly, disregarding his severed hand, and rushed to snatch the falling wooden box!

Yan Yue is no pushover either. His individual stats may be slightly lower than Hu Chang's, but he has more points!

Various instant-cast items appeared one after another, used as if they were free, forcing Hu Chang to dodge in a panic, unable to advance even a step.

At that moment, the two people who were fighting over the sandalwood box simultaneously saw the large crowd approaching from not far away and were instantly stunned.

After a day and a half of exploration, the two have identified the entire Jiang family genealogy through various means.

They could see that the person at the very front of the crowd was... Jiang Shi'an?

Besides Jiang Shi'an, whose face was ashen, there was also a dignified and elegant woman beside him, who seemed to be Mrs. Jiang, who had just returned home from visiting relatives that morning.

No, no, no, it's not just these two people.

They then saw the gaunt Fourth Master Jiang, the expressionless Uncle Jiang, the Third Uncle Jiang sighing with his hand on his forehead, the pale-faced Eldest Uncle Jiang… and even a new generation of clan elders trembling and leaning on a cane.

It seems like all the elite monsters and mini-bosses from the entire Jiang family have been recruited!

The tutor surnamed Yu, whom they had met just yesterday, was walking at the very front of the group, his steps hurried, as if he were the leader.

Both of them had the same look of bewilderment on their faces.

What the heck? Did they stumble upon a coup attempt?!

Author's Note:

You all say my posts are short, but I'll write six thousand words. Just being able to update daily is a victory QwQ