Everyone exchanged glances—you looked at , I looked at you—and then all eyes converged on Li Wufang. His face darkened as he heaved a long sigh:
"What a golden opportunity... This Warrior Qin... never mind, you and the Fate Chosen are clearly close—I'd better not assign anything awkward. As for the Scholar... you and the beauty clearly clash. So forget that too.
But Brother Cheng, don't you want to—"
"?" 'How did this get to ?'
Cheng Shi blinked, looking thoroughly apologetic: "Sorry, Investigator bro. I really wish I could help, but I have a condition—allergies. Specifically, I'm allergic to people who wear white robes, have princess-cut hair, and follow Oblivion. When I get too close, my consciousness goes haywire—I start wanting to destroy things. That would definitely drag the team down."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Dead silence. Li Wufang's brain practically short-circuited.
'Bro—could you be any more transparently fake? Just refuse if you want to. What's with the painfully specific allergen list?'
'You might as well hold up a sign saying "I'm making this up on the spot."'
Seeing Li Wufang frozen, Cheng Shi smiled and didn't forget to add: "So this trial—how many clues get preserved depends entirely on you, Investigator."
Li Wufang's eye twitched. He sighed and nodded, then checked his watch. Before heading out, he offered one last suggestion:
"Eight twenty-seven. Let's sync. We regroup here at noon—twelve o'clock—and share everything we've gathered. Agreed?"
Everyone nodded. The Investigator's expression finally eased slightly. He turned to the Blind One, mustering a strained smile:
"Chosen An—given that I've sacrificed for the team here, could I get a prophecy? Any predictions left for today?"
The Blind One chuckled softly and nodded. She casually produced a die and tossed it to the floor. The twelve-faced Fate die wobbled and rolled to a stop on... maximum!
Eyebrows rose across the room. Every gaze locked onto the Prophet. But the Blind One's brow creased tightly the mont the die showed its result.
Li Wufang's heart dropped. His face stiffened: "Bad news?"
The Blind One deliberated for several seconds, then pressed her lips together:
"Not terrible. But there's a complication.
As you all know, the more precise a prophecy, the lower the success rate. So for accuracy's sake, I generally use vague phrasing in trials. This ti, I prophesied the final day's situation.
You saw the perfect roll. What it ans, I trust I don't need to spell out. And what I saw in the vision was...
Five people seated around a table, brows furrowed, expressions grave."
The mont the words left her mouth, every face went dark.
Five!
This prophecy clearly pointed to the players' count. So before the trial ends, one would be eliminated?
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow. His aningful gaze swept across the other four.
The Blind One looked perfectly composed—she hadn't lied. The prophecy was real.
Qin Xin's brow was knotted tight, his expression awash with confusion. He was also quietly studying the Blind One, apparently perplexed by this sudden divination.
Wang Mou maintained his perpetually somber look. Li Wufang looked even more awkward—he'd definitely not expected his request to produce this result.
'How convenient. Five of us are standing right here. And the sixth? The Oblivion follower had already left.'
The prophecy's timing was exquisite. Its content was sufficiently "precise." But among the five present, who would willingly beco that vanished sixth?
Probably no one.
So in this very mont, among these five exchanging glances, an unspoken understanding had already ford—never to be voiced, yet clear as day:
That sixth person should ideally be the Oblivion follower who hadn't heard the prophecy.
Li Wufang's expression shifted through several shades. His gaze swept across each of them before settling into a grimace. With a bitter smile, he nodded his thanks to the Blind One and hurried out after Wu Cun.
Regardless of who vanished, at least until they found the trial's key—he needed to keep Wu Cun's destructive urges in check.
Watching him leave, Cheng Shi noted: this Investigator wasn't just soone who wanted to win. He was a man confident in his own strength—completely unafraid of being annihilated into that sixth spot by an Extinguisher.
Shortly after Li Wufang departed, Wang Mou spoke up with deadpan gravity:
"Li Wufang's gaze toward Wu Cun held no pleasure. He acknowledges her beauty but harbors no other feelings. They genuinely have no relationship.
However, before we t, they shared a room. We have no idea what they may have discussed. Leaving the initial assignnts intact risks introducing hazards from the experint's very start. Randomness is, after all, a critical variable in any experint.
I believe the Fate prophecy. But I must remind everyone—the vanished sixth... may not be Wu Cun."
"..."
Cheng Shi eyed this "Erudite Scholar" with a peculiar expression. 'At minimum, he didn't lie about his faith. He has to be a Truth follower. I just can't figure out what this Truth follower is hiding by lying at the outset.'
"So, Scholar—who will you travel with?"
This wasn't Cheng Shi asking—it was the Blind One. She turned to Wang Mou with a light smile.
No one in the room was stupid. They instantly understood the implications: she was endorsing the pair-up plan while subtly indicating she didn't want to travel with the Truth follower.
Wang Mou was pragmatic, not dense. He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze bouncing between Cheng Shi and Qin Xin before settling on Cheng Shi:
"I'll—"
"How about I pair with you, Scholar?"
Qin Xin suddenly cut in. Though his brow hadn't unfurrowed since the prophecy, he still managed a smile as he walked toward the lean scholar.
"A wise scholar deserves a brute bodyguard. We're a perfect match."
Wang Mou paused, glanced at Cheng Shi and the Blind One, then nodded quietly: "Fine. Efficiency first—let's move."
With that, he and Qin Xin stepped out. Suddenly the room held only two Fate followers, facing each other in silence.
Cheng Shi was mildly surprise—he'd wanted to pair with the Blind One too, but her approach was fascinating. She'd wanted the sa?
'She seems to have sothing to say to .'
Cheng Shi arched an eyebrow. For once playing the gentleman, he broke the silence with a smile:
"You—"
He got exactly one syllable out before An Mingyu, who'd been standing quietly, swayed without warning and—thud—collapsed onto the floor.
Her fall looked exactly like Qin Xin's earlier.
"???"
Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. He stared, slack-jawed, at yet another teammate crumpling before him. Question marks flooding his brain.
'Wait—AGAIN?!'
Reviews
All reviews (0)