Foolish Game of the Chapter 674: Ad Ric? That's My Father!

"???"

Ger Si was stunned too. Ad Ric's words hit him like a thunderbolt. He frantically shook his head:

"That's impossible! Ad Ric is the sa age as

— how could he have a son this old?

What's your father's na — I an before he changed it? I know he changed his na once!"

"Han Kesi! Before the na change, he was Han Kesi!"

"!!!"

Hearing that na, Ger Si went completely blank.

Well, well — the puzzle pieces finally fit!

But the tiline was wrong.

Seeing the stowaway's reaction, a spark lit simultaneously in both Cheng Shi's and Li Wufang's eyes. They exchanged a glance, arriving at the sa conclusion: the past discrepancy!

If nothing was amiss, this stowaway — who knew Ad Ric's father — had most likely been thrown from the past by Ti and dropped into the present.

Yet he'd distinctly said he'd fallen from the Abyssal Volcano. Could all the "discrepancies" be connected to the Abyssal Volcano?

Previously, the Volcano had linked the surface and the Underworld within the sa tifra. But could it be that in this trial, the Volcano linked the past and future of the sa location?

It wasn't impossible. If that hypothesis held, then Ad Ric's behavioral changes and Shi Lolin's anomaly might also trace back to the Abyssal Volcano.

Both players clearly recognized the issue. But the Investigator's curiosity was far keener than Cheng Shi's. He grinned, lifted Ger Si with one hand, and asked Ad Ric politely:

"Have you been to the Abyssal Volcano recently?"

"?" Ad Ric blinked, finding the question absurd. As a miner, aside from being locked up, he was at the Abyssal Volcano practically every day — though only at the outer magma crystal veins, not deep inside.

But of course he didn't dare say that. He answered obediently: "Sir, if 'recently' ans this past week, then no — because A Rad had

locked up. But if you an before that, I was working in the mine almost every day."

"A week ago? Did Shi Lolin co to see you a week ago?" Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow.

"Shi Lolin?" Ad Ric quickly ransacked his mory and nodded: "Yes, she did visit once. She wanted to bribe

into stealing Abyss Colorful Crystal for her. But I'm far too loyal to the Proxy Hand. How could I possibly—"

"Lie to

again and I'll split you in two." Cheng Shi smiled coldly.

"I'm telling the truth! I can't even access the Abyss Colorful Crystal — of course I couldn't agree to her..."

"..."

At this, sothing suddenly clicked in Cheng Shi's brain — a flash of "brilliance" that instantly connected all the threads and revealed the entire story.

"So after you refused her, she went to your coworker — the miner locked up with you?"

Ad Ric froze, then nodded awkwardly: "Yes."

"But he was just a regular miner too. How was he supposed to steal Crystal for Shi Lolin?

Still, your coworker was greedier than you. He accepted Shi Lolin's request and seized the chance to na his own price.

And his price, in Shi Lolin's eyes, was simply an acknowledgnt of desire — so she'd never refuse.

And while the two of them were celebrating their desires, you — Ad Ric, you loyal Proxy Hand miner — stole Shi Lolin's money. You took it to the Shanty Area to drink and indulge. You dragged Alo Manni to stroll around the Crystal Pool for an entire night. And then, right before dawn, you beat her up.

That... is the entire reason A Rad put you two in solitary, isn't it, Ad Ric?"

Cheng Shi's speech accelerated as he went, and by the end, his own words cracked him up.

Ad Ric, anwhile, nodded like a chicken pecking rice, confessing to all his "cris" without reservation — even squeezing in a couple of sycophantic complints.

"Sir, you're truly brilliant. You figured out everything."

"..."

Cheng Shi was done. His only thought now was to drag the Prisoner here to Falling Gate. He desperately wanted to know whether soone of the Prisoner's caliber would end up receiving redial education upon arrival, or whether he could enlighten the local residents and elevate their cognitive abilities to the next level.

But those were idle musings. What mattered was that the players had seemingly stumbled upon yet another "discrepancy" — and the evidence was crystal clear. Practically gift-wrapped.

This was simply unimaginable for a Ti trial. Cheng Shi and Li Wufang locked eyes again. Under the weight of their shared astonishnt, neither could find the right words.

After a long silence, Cheng Shi sighed: "This is Destiny. He's always so... miraculous."

Li Wufang burst out laughing, pressing his palms together and bowing skyward: "Praise be to Destiny! Truly — He's been watching over us all along."

On the surface, the words were innocuous. But hearing them, Cheng Shi's smile didn't falter — though his heart clenched.

Sothing was off. That feeling of wrongness was back.

He distinctly rembered that during their second group discussion at the inn, this Investigator had said outright that he didn't believe in fate. So why was he now loudly praising Destiny?

'Do you have flexible principles too, just like ?'

No — that wasn't it. Li Wufang had changed, but it seed more like he'd changed back.

Cheng Shi frowned, recalling the very first eting at the trial's outset. Right before leaving, Li Wufang had asked the Blind One for a divination about the trial. Back then, he'd genuinely seed to need Destiny's guidance.

So the Investigator should have been a believer all along. But then, why hadn't the Master of Deception flagged his claim of disbelief during their second eting?

Did he also have the ans to fool the Master of Deception?

Or had he just been joking around, and Cheng Shi was overthinking?

Sothing was wrong. Deeply wrong. When a trial presented too many anomalies, Cheng Shi's instincts scread at him. He began replaying every event of the day, dissecting each detail, hunting for any trace or thread that might wake him up to a trap he'd unknowingly walked into.

But no matter how he scrutinized things, beyond a few teammates whose words and actions didn't quite match... nothing stood out.

Words and actions not matching... why wouldn't they match...

The room fell silent in the wake of Cheng Shi's contemplation. His gaze swept casually over everyone present, then drifted to the watch on his wrist — and realized the next hour-mark was almost here.

He jolted, instinctively sending a scalpel toward the Investigator. Li Wufang blinked, then caught the blade between two fingers. Surprise flashed in his gaze, quickly replaced by a helpless sigh:

"Co on, boss — you're guarding against even ?"

The words detonated inside Cheng Shi's skull like a cluster of thunderbolts!

What... did he just say?!