Chapter 125 The Mechanical Era "What kind of deal did you make with the system again...?"
After Mo Rugui said this, the leader paused for a while before responding with a "good," making one wonder if he had been daydreaming.
However, the eyes hidden beneath the mask, which appeared to be silver but not gold, held no emotion.
"The rules of the game are very simple." The leader had a waiter bring over a transparent cardboard box, inside which were many slips of paper. The leader explained, "Each slip of paper has a task written on it. The winner draws a slip of paper and can choose to carry it out himself or have the loser do it. The loser cannot have any objections."
"Dare to play?"
People around gasped.
This kind of game can be fun if played among friends at a gathering, but the fun becomes unpredictable when the players are different.
The rules of the game were set by the leader, and the crumpled paper in the box was also prepared on the leader's orders. Who knows what might be written inside? What if you draw a mission that requires someone to commit suicide? Are you going to carry it out anyway?
Since the start of the carnival night, no one has ever dared to play one-on-one with the head of state.
This is a thankless task. The night of revelry is a great opportunity to take advantage of public funds. It's so much better to lose money by playing with others and having it all credited to the public. But when you play with the head of state, you have to pay it to yourself. It's such a bad deal.
A crowd of onlookers surrounded their table. Some looked at Mo Rugui with the impression that he was a real man, while others looked at him with the impression that he was an idiot.
Mo Rugui himself disagreed.
Then he carelessly lost the first game.
The leader smiled and said, "You flatter me."
Mo Rugui: "..."
“Before the punishment begins, you need to put this on.” The leader took out a bracelet. “Since it’s a punishment, lying is not allowed. This is a lie detector. If you lie, the lie detector light will turn on.”
While the leader was still leisurely fiddling with the bracelet, Mo Rugui snatched it from his hand and put it on himself.
“I never lie,” Mo Rugui said.
The leader's smile vanished. He stared at Mo Rugui for a few seconds before casually pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from the box, unfolding it, and reading aloud the words on it: "Tell me your first impression of your opponent, who is me."
These words stunned not only Mo Rugui, but also the onlookers.
That simple?
How is this different from a regular game?
But upon closer reflection, if the leader is willing to cover everyone's losses, then naturally they wouldn't make things too difficult for the guests. This game was probably just designed to increase the fun.
Mo Rugui pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does 'first impression' mean the first impression today? Or... the first impression at the first meeting?"
“It’s because this note isn’t written carefully enough.” The leader unfolded the note and casually tossed it on the table, leaned back in his chair, and slowly sipped his tea, watching Mo Rugui as if he were watching a show. “Then tell me about your first impression of me when we first met.”
“Beautiful,” Mo Rugui said.
The leader almost spat out his tea.
Another collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Saying a leader is "beautiful" in front of them is no different from publicly flirting with a girl. It's clearly a simple matter, yet this person has turned it into a dead end.
However, the light on the lie detector bracelet did not turn on.
Even so.
Although this is the truth.
But this person is incredibly audacious!
But the leader showed no intention of pursuing the matter, and the punishment was simply swept under the rug.
People who were not very familiar with their leader suddenly felt that their leader was not only generous and approachable, but also very tolerant.
In the next round, Mo Rugui will be the winner.
The note he drew read: "Share a secret that the other person doesn't know."
“Sharing secrets…” The leader looked into the distance. “I’ll have to think about that.”
He thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
Mo Rugui: "Let me speak."
"Oh?" the leader exclaimed in surprise. "Someone is actually vying to be punished? Well, I can't refuse to grant their wish. Go ahead and say it."
“I once had a very good friend. We had a misunderstanding, and he thought I hated him. After going crazy for a while, he disappeared from my world forever. I don’t know what he was thinking. Actually, I don’t hate him.”
The leader's fingers tightened and loosened around his teacup. His lips moved as if he wanted to smile, but he didn't. His tone turned cold as he spoke, "Why did you tell me about your relationship with your friend?"
“This is a secret of mine.” Mo Rugui met the leader’s gaze and continued, “In my hometown, everyone thinks I hate him and that I’m looking for him to get revenge. But actually, I’m just looking for him.”
"Alright." The leader didn't dwell on the issue any further. "Let's continue the game."
The winner of the next game is the leader, and the note reads:
"If you were given another chance, would you choose to get to know me?"
The leader closed the note and clenched it in his palm. He slowly raised his eyes to look at Mo Rugui. This time, Mo Rugui remained silent for a long time, pondering for a long time before giving a two-word reply.
"Won't."
Mo Rugui moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something.
"Heh." The leader suddenly laughed. He stood up and turned his back to Mo Rugui, saying, "I only play three rounds with people. The three rounds are over. If you want to play more, go to another game table."
After saying this, the leader turned and left. After taking a few steps, he stopped and left a message.
"I think your friend would probably rather you hate him."
"At least... hatred makes it impossible for people to clear their names."
Mo Rugui didn't play any other games. He found a secluded corner to sit in, and Eve, who had watched the whole thing, sat with him. Shi Yu was also there earlier, but after the game ended, she nodded to him and then disappeared.
When he first met Jiang Liuyue, he thought the boy was simple-minded and could survive in the apocalypse by using force. At that time, he thought he knew Jiang Liuyue very well. But the longer he knew him, the less he understood Jiang Liuyue.
He didn't understand why Jiang Liuyue was inexplicably angry, why she wouldn't listen to his explanation, or many of her actions... including today. He didn't know what Jiang Liuyue was thinking.
Compared to his bewilderment, Eve was even more perplexed.
"The game you guys are playing is so boring!"
Mo Rugui: "..."
Eve: "It's even more boring than Truth or Dare. At least Truth or Dare has a dare, but this is just truth. What's the difference between this and you asking and answering questions?"
Mo Rugui: "..."
Mo Rugui was speechless, because it seemed to be true.
Eve: "I'd rather go fight!"
Mo Rugui: "..."
Mo Rugui and Eve's live streams have the same style—
[I'm dying of laughter! Eve is such a straight-laced girl; she doesn't care at all about the undercurrents in their conversation, all she wants is to fight!]
Their conversation needs careful analysis; Eve, being a straightforward woman, naturally wouldn't notice. Longtime fans are celebrating!
[Didn't Eve like Mo Rugui? If these two are really together, Eve is so pitiful.]
【No way! You don't know my Eve well enough. Eve just wants to defeat God Mo, become God Mo, and surpass God Mo! Romantic love? That's irrelevant.】
[Hahahaha, this is hilarious!]
...
There was indeed a game table where people played a game of physical strength, but since it couldn't be played in the banquet hall, it was a game of mental power. Eve complained a few times to Mo Rugui and then went to play.
It was at this moment that Mo Rugui discovered Shi Yu was missing.
He had just finished playing a game with the leader, and Shi Yu had greeted him. He assumed Shi Yu had gone to play at another game table, but he couldn't find her anywhere in the banquet hall.
Eve, on the other hand, was having a great time playing at the wrestling game table.
One-on-one isn't exciting enough, so I played one-on-many. An Imperial Colonel, an A-rank warrior, was just a training match for her. No, it wasn't even a training match; she was just cannon fodder. Even though it was just a mental contest, it still hurt my body.
But the main problem is that we can't beat them.
You can say that if you can't beat someone in a one-on-one fight, you can say that you are not skilled enough. But if you can't beat someone in a group, that's really embarrassing.
Eve won several games and no one wanted to play with her anymore.
"Mo Rugui, let's play!"
Eve called out in the direction of Mo Rugui.
The crowd watched Eve's feat of taking down a child with a single blow and was filled with admiration for her. They all made way for her, leaving the corner where people had been sitting empty.
There was a lounge on the second floor of the banquet hall. Mo Rugui left the banquet hall and went up to the second floor.
There was no one in the corridor, and there was no sound when I stepped on the carpet. Only the faint sound of music from the banquet hall could be heard. Mo Rugui took out a cigarette and prepared to smoke it.
Actually, he had quit smoking a long time ago.
But today, at this moment, I suddenly have a strong urge to smoke.
He couldn't say whether he came here to find Shi Yu or just used this excuse to find a quiet place to be alone for a while.
Before he could even light his cigarette, he heard a faint noise at the end of the corridor. He put away his cigarette and walked forward.
At the end of the corridor was a safety passage, and two overlapping figures were visible at the dimly lit stairwell.
They are kissing.
Mo Rugui glanced at it and turned away in a hurry. He hadn't gone far when the door to a nearby lounge was suddenly opened, and a great force pulled him inside.
At that moment, Eve came up, humming a tune.
She looked around like Mo Rugui, making sure no one was there before leaving, and then heard a noise at the end of the corridor.
She frantically tried to persuade her in the live stream:
[Go get your baby's supplements! Go get them! You'll regret it!]
Eve went anyway, but quickly fled the scene.
She ran a few steps and then suddenly stopped and turned back.
She noticed that the door to one of the lounges was ajar.
The comments section was even more fervent:
[You absolutely must not go there! Don't go! You're still a baby!]
Eve couldn't see the comments in her live stream. At that moment, she was thinking that all the rooms in this corridor were closed except for this one, so she had to go in and find out what was going on.
She went inside.
Then he came out covering his eyes.
They ran even faster than before.
There was a moment of silence in her live stream, followed by intense heartache:
Curiosity killed the cat; I feel sorry for my Eve, who has to eat dog food for two meals in a row.
[Baby Eve, you're still a baby! I wonder if looking at this will give you a sty.]
[A warning sign should be posted here: "No gay sex!"]
...
At the end of the corridor.
Shi Yu had tried to push Shen Su away, but each time he resisted, he was suppressed by an even stronger force. He wanted to say that there was someone here, but there really was no one here, so he just went with Shen Su.
Shen Su only let go of him when he was kissed so hard he couldn't breathe.
"We were seen." Shi Yu wiped his lips and glanced at the other side of the corridor. There was no one there now, but he had just heard footsteps, two of them, from two people.
Shen Su let him go, but didn't let go of him. His arms still encircled him between his body and the wall. He looked down at him and said, "I thought your first question would be how I got here."
Shi Yu was probably used to Shen Su's behavior. He glanced at Shen Su and said, "You've never been an honest and upright person to begin with."
These words pleased Shen Su greatly. He tilted his head and said in a light voice, "That's true."
After a moment of eye contact, Chen Su released Shi Yu and said, "Then I'll be going now. I can't stay here for too long."
Shi Yu nodded: "Yes, I should go down to the banquet hall too. I've been up here for too long."
The two left to opposite sides of the corridor.
But Shen Su did not leave, nor did Shi Yu go to the banquet hall.
Shi Yu went to the side hall. The leader had just left the banquet hall. He thought the leader had returned, but the guard said that the leader had not returned yet, and that if he had arrived, he should sit and wait for a while.
Shi Yu sat down on the sofa and stared at Shen Su, who was hiding behind the display case.
Shi Yu: "..."
Shen Su: "..."
The two of them were practically laughing hysterically in their live stream.
[Hahahaha, isn't that surprising? Unexpected? Exciting?!]
I laughed so hard I squealed like a pig!
Although we left by different paths, we ultimately arrived at the same destination! Although our goals were different, we were all aiming for the same person!
[They're such a perfect couple, their teamwork is amazing!]
[Hahaha, is that a compliment or an insult?]
"My throat is a little sore, could you please make me a bowl of rock sugar pear soup?"
Shi Yu made an excuse to send the guards away, then walked to the display case. Shen Su stopped hiding, stood up, and the two spoke at the same time.
Shi Yu: "Didn't you leave?"
Chen Su: "Didn't you go to the banquet hall?"
Shi Yu: "..."
Shen Su: "..."
"This afternoon, I enhanced it to one hundred percent." Shen Su's playful expression disappeared. "I chose this place so as not to harm the innocent."
Shi Yu looked at Chen Su quietly for a few seconds, then said in a very soft voice, "You know, one day I suddenly realized that I can't die..."
Shen Su didn't seem surprised by this, and rationally analyzed: "'Not dying' is not a good thing in the dungeon. It means that your body is being slowly assimilated by the dungeon. The longer it goes on, the higher the degree of assimilation. And the higher the degree of assimilation, the harder it is to return to reality."
Shi Yu: "So in order to finish the dungeon quickly, you recklessly shorten the progress and strengthen yourself every day."
"Didn't you also risk your life to run out and meet the leader alone?" Shen Su's tone turned several degrees colder as he walked closer to Shi Yu. Shi Yu took a step back, and he took another step forward. "And today, you also made an appointment to meet him, didn't you?"
Chen Su looked down at him, pressing closer, "What deal did you make with him?"
"And what about you?" Shi Yu laughed instead of being angry.
"What kind of deal did you make with the system?"
The already quiet room became even more tranquil, as if you could hear the heartbeat beneath the fabric.
A few hours ago, in the island's basement.
The blue display screen kept flashing red lights.
[Enhancement failed.]
[This enhancement rate: 0%]
[Enhancement Progress: 99.99%]
[Enhancement failed.]
[This enhancement rate: 0%]
[Enhancement Progress: 99.99%]
...
A voice echoed in Shen Su's mind.
"The potion I gave you is the 0.01 percent; you can drink it now."
"With your enhancement at 100%, you are invincible in this dungeon."
"Tonight is the best time."
"...But everything comes at a price, don't forget the deal we made."
Before drinking the potion, Shen Su asked a question: "You're supposed to be unable to enter this instance, so why were you able to pass on a message to me?"
"The core of this instance is Jiang Liuyue."
But now, Jiang Liuyue's heart is unsettled.
...
He remained silent for a moment.
"How did you guess?" he asked.
Shi Yu stared blankly into the empty space ahead, seemingly lost in thought, but her words were logical and well-founded:
"You said you used the guest ticket from the previous instance to get in? How is it possible that you wanted this and the reward you got just happened to be this? There are so many coincidences. It means that someone gave you this on purpose, or that you exchanged it for something."
"Actually, I started to have doubts after entering the dungeon because many items became unusable. But at that time, I could explain it away by saying it was to increase the difficulty of the dungeon. It wasn't until I learned that the BOSS of this dungeon was the top-ranked player, Jiang Liuyue..." Shi Yu pondered for a few seconds, "I don't know what method Jiang Liuyue used, but he controlled the dungeon and even made its development go out of the system's control. How could the system allow such a thing to happen?"
"The system wants to regain control of the copy, but its main body cannot enter the copy, so it needs to rely on the power of others to complete the task."
“And coincidentally…” Shi Yu turned his head, his unfocused gaze slowly focusing on Shen Su’s face. He spoke slowly, “There was someone who happened to want to enter this instance, and you two hit it off immediately.”
"All I want to know now is, what price did you pay?"
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