One hundred and four days?
Why had only two weeks passed in the Real Universe, yet over a hundred days had elapsed in the real world?!
No one could give Cheng Shi an answer. Not even Big Cat — because the instant the Doctor's "Praise Yu Xi" fell, a crimson trial notification flooded Cheng Shi's vision.
【Special Trial (Curtain Call Performance: [Deceit]) has opened】
【Matching teammates (1/6)】
【Trial objective: Every performance has a finale (Ti limit: 5 days)】
"!!!"
Cheng Shi could never have imagined his timing would be this perfect — returning just in ti to collide with a special trial. And it was the Fun God's trial, no less!
But could it really be this coincidental?
From sending him out, to the traces of [Fate] he'd sensed in the Real Universe, to this suspiciously "perfectly tid" trial... the Fun God seed to be deliberately avoiding him!
Whether it was the question before departure or the "debrief" after witnessing so many accidents, the Fun God hadn't given him a single chance for an audience.
Of course, the timing of special trials was governed by the Convention's rules. Perhaps no god's will could change it. But don't forget — being unable to change the trial's timing didn't an being unable to change the player's timing.
The Fun God and [Ti] were bound allies. When Cheng Shi had passed through the spaceti barrier to return, who knew whether [Ti] had tampered with the process?
After all, They could reset entire worlds. Adjusting a few mortals' tilines would be child's play.
So was the Fun God genuinely unwilling to see him, or simply didn't need to?
What was He hiding? What was He avoiding?
Could it be that from the mont he'd set foot in the Real Universe, everything had been part of the God's design?
'Every performance has a finale...'
What a blatant hint. Was the end of the [Void] Era truly approaching?
A million thoughts flashed through Cheng Shi's mind in a single second. He hadn't even had ti to hang up the phone before consciousness was ripped from his body.
【Match successful (6/6). Entering trial】
...
It seed very bright outside.
Not much ambient noise — probably indoors. A breeze swept through the room. Dry, but not cold.
Felt like the north of the Land of Hope.
The instant awareness returned, Cheng Shi had already ford several conclusions. His eyelids trembled. He didn't rush to open them. He first confird no one was nearby, then shielded his eyes with his hand and cracked them open — afraid the brightness would blind him.
He had assud the room just had excellent natural light. But when his eyes opened, he discovered the dazzling glare wasn't all from the window — it was gold!
Gold filling his entire field of vision!
The entire room was opulently gilded. Round table, chairs, bed, door — everything in sight was cast in gold.
Only the walls were relatively normal, but the wainscoting, baseboards, and edge trimmings were still gold.
Cheng Shi was dumbstruck.
The last ti he'd seen this kind of nouveau riche décor was at the diocre Person Society.
'What — is this room's owner also a diocre person?'
'Wait. Don't tell
I'm the owner of this room.'
Cheng Shi examined himself with a peculiar expression, checked his reflection in the gleaming gold tabletop, then nodded with a completely serious face:
"Definitely a diocre person."
He laughed at himself, stood, and scanned the room before hearing movent outside.
His shadow had already scouted ahead. When he saw that the teammate erging from the adjacent room was An Mingyu — draped in black gauze — Cheng Shi's eyebrow twitched.
'This coincidental?'
'Surely the Fun God did this on purpose?'
'[Fate] and a finale... certainly fit together.'
Brow furrowed, Cheng Shi pushed his door open. An Mingyu, who had stepped out first, heard the sound and turned to "look." Sowhat surprised, she nodded in greeting:
"[Death] and a finale are indeed a fitting pair. Long ti no see, Zhang Chosen."
Cheng Shi returned the greeting with narrowed eyes and an unreadable expression:
"Long ti no see, An Chosen."
Correct — Cheng Shi hadn't entered as himself. He had assud the form of Mi Laozhang.
This wasn't a spur-of-the-mont decision. It was preditated.
The mont he saw this trial was bestowed by the Fun God with the word "finale" in its prompt, he had decisively chosen to enter under a different identity.
He had just returned from the Real Universe. His mind was a tangle of unresolved threads. He needed ti to think things through properly. He couldn't afford to beco the trial's focal point again.
The Fate Weaver identity was too famous. It would be nearly impossible to escape other players' attention in a [Deceit] trial. Even if they didn't approach out of curiosity about his reputation, they'd seek him out — the well-known [Deceit] follower — to analyze the trial's prompt.
Cheng Shi didn't want trouble. At least until he figured out what the Fun God was up to, he wanted peace. That was why he'd chosen the most "obscure" and safest role to play: Zhang Jizu.
Nobody would pay excessive attention to an unkillable [Death] Chosen. And behind [Death]'s veneer, he could also sidestep a great deal of hassle.
The strategy proved effective. Even the Blind One had been fooled.
After the exchange, An Mingyu showed no further interest in "Zhang Jizu." She continued surveying the massive residence. Monts later, she nodded with certainty:
"Kanrival.
The gold décor is blinding, but the architectural style doesn't lie.
This is sumrti Kanrival — the single month each year when you can wear light clothing.
A sha that such a beautiful season lasts only one month. Truly... all beautiful things are fleeting."
There was clearly a deeper aning in An Mingyu's words, but Cheng Shi didn't probe. He knew this [Fate] Chosen was still working to reconcile herself with her own destiny. He offered no comnt.
Before long, hearty laughter rang from a room up ahead. A gleaming gold door swung open, and before the person was visible, Cheng Shi heard a voice he knew all too well.
"When I saw the word 'finale,' I was worried. But the mont I heard your voice, I relaxed.
With you here, [Fate] will always guide us to the trial's path.
Long ti no see, Ming Yu."
The words had barely faded when a burly man strode out. Cheng Shi's expression stiffened — another familiar face.
Hu Wei!
'What's my Big Bro doing here?'
Indeed, the third teammate to appear was none other than Hu Wei. Still exuding that sa gallant, larger-than-life deanor, he greeted An Mingyu and then turned to Cheng Shi with a nod:
"Brother Zhang, hope you've been well! Ha — listen to . Even if everyone else were in trouble, you'd be the last one standing.
Good. With Brother Zhang here, I'm even more confident about this trial."
"..."
Cheng Shi responded with a narrow-eyed smile, but the mont he turned away, the corner of his mouth twitched.
He knew full well his "Big Bro" would never be trapped by a re trial. He just didn't know what earth-shattering stunt Hu Wei planned to pull this ti.
Whatever it was, Cheng Shi had no intention of getting involved.
He planned to run this trial solo — find a quiet spot, think in peace, peel back the layers, and see if he could divine the Fun God's recent will from this trial's design.
But that plan was killed the instant he tried to walk away.
"Don't rush off, Brother Zhang. I'm short a Priest.
Let
ID the rest first and see how many good hands our squad can muster.
Relax — this ti it's nothing outrageous. Won't jeopardize clearing the trial."
With that, Hu Wei knocked on the other room doors one by one.
Five in a row yielded no response. Only when the last door was knocked did they see a slender hand pull it open. Then a figure in work clothes stepped out.
Zhang Jizu.
That's right!
Another [Death] Chosen walked out of the room.
...
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