Chapter 195
The cloaked man's first reaction was to recall the crown. Strands of dark energy gathered before his eyes, but he could not condense them into a solid shape.
How is that possible?
That is an aggregate of energy and rules, not a concrete physical object.
For example, the collar that Xie Xubai conjured with his spiritual power never belongs to just anyone who gets it.
They have a "master," so why didn't they heed the call?
unless……
He stared coldly at the body of the evil god, his brow twitching wildly.
—Unless some evil god [strips] control of the crown.
Even being sliced into pieces couldn't stop Him from secretly making some big moves.
They were wrong; they shouldn't have said that the evil god's body was brainless. This body is far more intelligent than they think.
The cloaked man had been able to accept the mistakes he made in his previous exchanges with Xie Xubai, but this time, he truly felt a stomachache.
Xie Xubai enveloped his fingers with his mental energy, picked up the thorny black crown, and calmly and methodically analyzed: "Given your personality of refusing to submit to anyone, the fact that you were willing to chant that incantation with the meaning of surrender means that this is a task assigned to you by the system, and you have no choice but to do it."
"Why would the system need to create a new king for a world that already has one? There are only three possibilities: first, the system wants me to be king; second, something happened to the Black King and there is an urgent need to find a replacement; and third, it is to fight against the original Black King."
"The Black King represents the game kingdom. Going against the Black King is going against the system, and the system has no reason to fight itself. The third possibility is ruled out."
"The system has already assigned you to deal with me. If a substitute is needed, there's no need to go to such lengths. The second possibility is ruled out."
"The only remaining possibility is the first one."
Xie Xubai hit the nail on the head: "Actually, if you think about it carefully, in this virtual chessboard world, what need is there for the 'Black King'? Perhaps there is no such thing as the 'Black King' at all. It is just an identity that the system has given me, a trap to bind me."
The cloaked man retorted, "You guessed right, keep guessing."
"Xie Xubai, no matter how earth-shattering your speculations are, in the end they are nothing but your conjecture. What, do you expect me to give our little Xubai a 'Creative and Imaginative Genius' certificate? Do you need me to stamp a few bright and cute little red flowers on the back of your hand?"
"Indeed, as long as you hold your tongue and don't budge, I have no way of proving whether my guess is correct."
Xie Xubai smiled, then abruptly changed the subject, his tone turning icy: "But if I'm determined to kill the shop owner, what should I do if I don't get Black King's approval?"
He bent his index finger like a white jade hook, hooking the black crown and placing it in front of him.
His calm and serene smile contrasted sharply with the thorns that snaked across his crown, and the imposing aura hidden beneath his slender frame was as sharp as a drawn blade.
"Or, let me become the Black King."
"After all, you and the system have gone to great lengths to make me the Black King, so how can I let you down?"
Xie Xubai tilted his head and smiled gently at the small tuft of black mist that was playing with his earlobe: "Just guess for now, will the black crown that was stripped away by the evil god trap me as you wish, or will it truly grant me the authority of the Black King?"
"..." the cloaked man said, "No, don't try to fool me. You even had to use your mental power to protect your hands before picking it up, so where did you get the courage to wear it on your head?"
Xie Xubai: "Why should I risk my own body?"
He reached out and hovered his hand above the chessboard, his swaying black crown following as it landed on top of one of the white pieces: "There aren't many pieces here, are there?"
The cloaked man's brow twitched violently.
The atmosphere froze for a moment, as if it were about to explode.
The cloaked man knew that Xie Xubai still dared not.
Otherwise, given Xie Xubai's consistent style, he would be willing to gamble his life if there was only a 30% chance of success. Why would he need to waste time talking to him here? He would have quietly used the crown on the split soul long ago.
However, Xie Xubai also knew that the cloaked man dared not gamble on that one percent chance.
In the game kingdom, the Black King is supreme. If he were to become the Black King without any pain, what would be the point of the cloaked man and the system being here? It would be better to just declare defeat and be more decisive.
Considering this possibility, Xie Xubai was really tempted, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, the force with which the black mist grabbed his earlobe brought him back to his senses.
Ping An, Xiao Yi, Xie Shaoxia, Dean Pei, Cen Haiyue, Mom, biological parents, the law enforcement officers... and Yan Shuo.
He is no longer alone; many people are waiting for him to come home. Even if he is determined to take a risk, it must be a risk he is confident of taking.
Xie Xubai warned himself that the evil god's body had no consciousness; it was just instinctively feeling that the black crown was dangerous to him, so he snatched it without thinking.
The body couldn't directly tell him the extent to which the black crown had been "purified," or what side effects it would have after wearing it.
Although Bai Zi is a separated spiritual entity, he is still connected with him. Who knows if the system will use this as a medium to control him?
So Xie Xubai was gambling, and the cloaked man was also betting, trying to appear calm and collected while carefully weighing the pros and cons.
They wait for the opponent to succumb to the pressure and reveal even the slightest flaw, then launch an attack.
This is a true psychological game.
Time passed by, second by second.
After receiving no response for a long time, the citizens of the Chessboard World Kingdom ran out of patience and criticized Xie Xubai's self-recommendation as a cheap attempt to attract attention. They ridiculed and sneered at him, and the tide turned against him.
Xie Xubai remained completely still throughout the entire process, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, but his fingertips were moving, hooking the black crown and slowly placing it onto the white piece.
The cloaked figure, seemingly indifferent, was actually intently focused on the body of the evil god.
Whether out of genuine relief or fascination with Xie Xubai's earlobe, Hei Wu kept enthusiastically poking and prodding that soft, white flesh...
The cloaked man was utterly exasperated: "Are you a three-year-old who can't let go of a toy once you've got your hands on it?! How long are you going to play like this?! Look at the person next to you, he's asking for it!!"
Little did they know that Xie Xubai was also silently and gently hinting through his mind: "Good boy, that's it, don't pay attention, don't stop."
Finally, just as the black crown was about to land on the white piece, the cloaked man suddenly shouted, "Enough!"
He closed his eyes briefly: "Even if you eat this piece, what then? Does exchanging one for one make you better?"
“That’s something I need to consider, it’s none of your business,” Xie Xubai suddenly said. “Survivors.”
Xie Xubai called out his name for the first time, his calm face seemingly concealing a surging tide.
He laid his cards on the table, his voice as cold as ice.
“I don’t care who you are, but when you chose to bring up the murderer who hurt my family to provoke me, you should have known that this person is doomed to die.”
*
When Slender Man announced that the Black King had agreed to Xie Xubai's request, the citizens of the kingdom were instantly stunned and couldn't believe it!
What makes this lowly and rude human so deserving of His Majesty's favor?
The shock was so great that no one commented, leaving a large blank space in the comment section, which then erupted into a frenzy a few seconds later.
Suspecting that Xie Xubai had secretly cheated, suspecting that Xie Xubai was related to the Black King... all sorts of discussions and speculations emerged!
In this noisy atmosphere, the shop owner, who wanted to escape, suddenly found himself unable to move. Forced by the "rules," he walked into the game passage in terror.
A new round of dodgeball has begun.
...
The murderer stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.
There were many people around him, forming a circle around him, their clear black and white eyes watching him silently.
They bore the faces of people he had killed. A sense of panic spread from the killer's heart. He wanted to say something threatening to bolster his courage, but found himself unable to open his mouth and utter a sound.
In the blink of an eye, these living people in front of you changed. Their soft and elastic skin loosened, turned pale, dull, and lifeless. Their bodies, covered with dark purple scars, were so cold that just looking at them made you feel cold.
The eyes that had been staring at him quickly dimmed, becoming dull and empty like those of a dead fish, yet still fixed on him.
The man standing directly in front of the murderer slowly raised his head.
With a thud.
A cold, silvery light flashed by, and dark blood gushed from the cut of the neck.
The headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud, its head hitting the ground and rolling to the killer's feet.
The killer could feel its teeth touching its own foot.
My hair stood on end.
But he still couldn't move.
Before I could recover from the shock, there was another loud thud as a blade cleaved through bone.
The woman's head next to the man fell to the ground instantly, bouncing twice like a ball before hitting his calf. Hot blood soaked into the fabric of his trousers, flowing down his skin and leg hair in a sticky, hot stream.
The murderer's scalp was practically tingling!
He looked up in a panic, and in his dim vision, a silvery light swung down like the scythe of death, and heads fell to the ground before they even had a chance to struggle.
The blade flashed closer and closer to him, like a merciless harvester.
One, two, three...
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
There were twelve people around, and it was coming over to kill him!
No one can remain unmoved when facing death. The murderer's heart leaped into his throat. Thump, thump, thump...! His heart was pounding, his hands and feet were cold and stiff, and cold sweat soaked his back. He could almost smell the thick, bloody scent of the blade and feel the stinging pain of the knife cutting into his skin.
It was finally his turn.
Backlit, you can't see the knife-wielder's face, only the sharp blade, held high menacingly in front of you.
The murderer closed his eyes in fear but felt no pain.
The chilling aura vanished.
He opened his eyes in a panic and saw that the corpses that had been lying on the ground had all gotten up.
They were holding a round, dead human head in their arms, and the face on the head was the murderer's own! It was pale, stiff, and lifeless!
The murderer was horrified to hear someone whispering beside him, their cold breath brushing against his skin.
"Your death is in seven days."
Someone slapped him on the back, and the tense murderer screamed like a startled mouse and turned around quickly.
His pupils contracted as he saw the blade that had vanished without a trace reappear above his head.
Xie Xubai, holding the knife, smiled slightly at him, then suddenly swung his arm. The mirror reflected a cold light, and the butcher's knife, accompanied by a gust of wind, swept through the air, forcefully chopping down towards his head—
Clang!
The murderer suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, drenched in sweat.
The sun was shining brightly outside the window, but the room was freezing cold, and icy sweat clung to my back.
The murderer's chest heaved as he frantically touched his head, only to find no wounds. He breathed a sigh of relief and then fiercely surveyed his surroundings.
That bastard dared to play tricks on him! He'll tear Xie Xubai to pieces!
Suddenly, a towel steaming hot was placed over his head.
"Why are you still lying in bed after you're awake? Hurry up and wash your face, get up and eat breakfast, then go to work. It wasn't easy to find you this job, so don't be late!"
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