Foolish Game of the Chapter 364: A Wood Elf Isn't Omnipotent

Mo Shu chuckled lightly: "You want to protect him?"

"Nope."

"???" Scorpio stared at Cheng Shi, nearly choking on his cake.

Cheng Shi ignored the gaze boring into his back: "He just looked hungry, so I shared so food."

"Interesting. You're more interesting than those cold-blooded peak players."

"Fine. Out of respect for you, I won't kill him. But you've only got half a cake left. By my rules, half a cake can't protect a whole person—especially when you still have two more teammates in this trial..."

At those words, Cheng Shi's eyebrow shot up. So Gou Feng really wasn't dead!

He'd actually used the Uma Sinners' Umbilical Shackles to escape!

As long as this [Birth] follower was alive, the Artificial Holy Infant plan would be much simpler. He could only hope squinty-eyes brought him back safely.

Speaking of squinty-eyes...

"Zhang Jizu only ate half a cake too. Why didn't you go after him?"

"Him? He didn't even eat half. Ha—I can't kill him, so obviously I'm not going to waste the effort." Mo Shu smiled, showing no sha whatsoever.

"..."

'You two are unexpectedly pragmatic...'

Seeing Cheng Shi at a loss for words, Mo Shu smiled with rare delight:

"Cheng Shi, you really are interesting."

"Since it's such a hard choice, I'll make an exception and give you one more chance:"

"Before noon tomorrow, make your decision. Let one lucky soul eat the remaining half-cake. That way I'll spare one more."

"But rember—only one can survive."

"Oh, and—to keep you from clearing the trial tonight and teleporting out, I've taken that church worker with . After I kill the unlucky one tomorrow, I'll return him."

With that, Mo Shu vanished without even giving them ti to react.

Cheng Shi's face darkened. He dropped the other two and sprinted in the direction Turadin had left—but it wasn't long before he found the man was simply gone from the outer compound. Nothing remained but two shoes flung at opposite ends of the corridor—a public announcent that he'd been kidnapped.

He stared at the scene, expression cooling by the degree.

'Killing people—fine. But repeatedly obstructing my speedrun? Now that's annoying.'

The other two jogged over. Seeing the key to the Artificial Holy Infant plan had vanished, their expressions changed as well. Gao Ya frowned deeply. Watching church workers drawn by the commotion closing in, she said in a low voice:

"Turadin isn't the only one who can create buzz. We can do it ourselves. As long as we spread the word about a [Corruption] Holy Infant and make them believe in it, that's enough. It shouldn't be hard for us, should it?"

Cheng Shi nodded, then shook his head:

"Doing it isn't hard. The hard part is making the Theocracy of Growth and the local citizens believe it."

"This isn't reality. We can't be certain how a rumor will ripple outward once released. If they buy it—great. But if the rumor fails and the populace raises its guard, convincing them later that so evil being is about to be born becos much harder."

"That's not hard either. Just kill. You said it yourself—the Holy Infant's birth cos with ons. Kill enough people, and collective fear might genuinely birth a real one."

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow at this. 'Your mind goes dark fast, nostrils-girl.'

But he shook his head again:

"Brute force works in the Civilization Era. That doesn't an it works in the Life Era."

"Since you studied the Three Wu Tribes, you should know how fanatical this era's people are about faith. I'm afraid that before the real Holy Infant descends, the overstimulated Theocracy of Growth will summon so greater horror—and our trial will fail at the final hurdle."

"The reason I've been leading you around isn't because this trial has only one solution. It's about playing it safe."

"There are many ways to win. I simply chose the safest one within the rules."

"Can't do this, can't do that—what exactly do you want?" Gao Ya was growing frantic. After watching Scorpio eat "her" cake, she'd lost all composure. "You took my gloves and gave my cake to this Another Day Assassin! So now—shouldn't the last half-cake be mine?!"

Cheng Shi glanced at her with a scoff.

"Miss Soloist—you seem to have forgotten: if I hadn't stood in front of you two just now, you might already be dead."

"So tell —was your Puppet Grip the price for saving your life, or for filling your stomach?"

"..."

Being smart, Gao Ya knew Cheng Shi was right. He'd saved her once already. Even if it only bought half a day, ti often ant opportunity.

At this thought, she glanced at Scorpio, thinking: 'Lucky little assassin. Just called soone "bro" and gets protected for free.'

Seeing her expression shifting, Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and silently pulled out the transparent gloves.

At the sight, Gao Ya looked away, conflicted. Clearly, her survival still depended on Cheng Shi's help.

Cheng Shi pursed his lips with disdain: "You're a [Folly] follower, yet your hysteria is driving you away from your Benefactor."

"..."

When your life hung in the balance, who could guarantee perfect calm?

But Gao Ya didn't argue. Instead, she quietly sang herself a calming lody.

"We still have a chance. Besides, even if we fail to speedrun, can the Scavenger actually kill everyone he wants to?"

Gao Ya laughed coldly: "He may not be able to kill you. But he can definitely kill ."

"..." 'Smart people sure have a knack for self-awareness.'

Seeing Cheng Shi's odd expression, Gao Ya gritted her teeth and said firmly:

"Fine. I'll cooperate. The gloves are still yours. But you need to guarantee that before noon tomorrow, you'll give

the last half-cake."

Cheng Shi was sowhat surprised by her sudden change in attitude. After a mont's thought, he nodded:

"It'll be yours. Just not now."

"But you're right—we can't count solely on Turadin to build montum. Right now is perfect. We can start leaking hints, and these church workers crowding around are the best gaphones."

"I have another matter to handle. I'll step away briefly. You two quietly blend into the crowd and spread the word: Turadin discovered sothing alarming in a prophecy to and was heading to the library to verify it when unknown forces abducted him."

"Rember—that's it. Don't add anything extra."

"Letting a vague rumor fernt into their own worst fears is exactly the outco we want. Gilding the lily only hurts us."

Hearing this, the [Folly] follower narrowed her eyes.

'What underhanded tactics!'

Scorpio panicked when he heard Cheng Shi was leaving: "Bro—where are you going? Let

help!"

After a mont's hesitation, Gao Ya added quietly: "Strength in numbers."

'Heh. NOW you realize there's strength in numbers?'

'I still prefer the version of you who strutted off alone at the start with your nose in the air.'

"Split up for efficiency. We grouped up before because we didn't know where the 'hunter' was. Now that the 'hunter' has given us an opening, we should make the most of the ti."

"A Wood Elf isn't omnipotent. I can't be in two places at once. So don't drag your feet—everyone needs to pitch in."

"..."

"..."

Both Scorpio and Gao Ya were rendered speechless. At this point, exactly who the "Wood Elf" identity was ant to fool was anyone's guess.

"That's all. Get moving. I'll step out briefly and be right back."

With that, Cheng Shi took two steps back, reached out through the corridor's dim lamplight to touch his own shadow—snapped his fingers and vanished on the spot.

Both people watching his disappearance had their pupils contract, expressions wildly different.

"Do Druids have this kind of teleportation ability?"

At this pitifully naive question, Gao Ya couldn't help rolling her eyes.

She was furious—Cheng Shi had taken her goods but not held up his end, giving her cake to Scorpio instead. But she couldn't exactly reach into Scorpio's stomach and retrieve it. So she could only compromise and follow Cheng Shi's rhythm. After all, the one calling the shots was this Fate Weaver.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up, pulled her hood low, and plunged into the crowd to start spreading rumors.

Scorpio watched with sharpened eyes.

He wasn't stupid. Though the current situation seed favorable—the Scavenger's attention had shifted from hunting three to targeting two—he knew his survival didn't hinge on whether he'd eaten cake. It hinged on the Scavenger's whim.

The Scavenger might not be able to kill Cheng Shi or Zhang Jizu—but he could easily kill him.

So even having eaten the cake, Scorpio felt unsafe.

The safest plan remained: clear the trial as fast as possible and teleport out. Only after returning to the Rest Area would he truly be safe—truly removed from this lethal clash of titans.

So he began thinking.

No player above 2,000 points was a true yes-man. Even when grouped together for mutual benefit and shared objectives, everyone had their own problem-solving approach. When the group's path hit a wall, the individual's path beca crucial.

And so Scorpio started planning his own.

It was nearly midnight. When the day ended, his projection chance would reset—and with that, a [Ti] assassin could create far more possibilities for the current situation.

As for what those possibilities were... the little assassin was already forming a plan.

...