Cheng Shi was exceedingly careful. He didn't know what rank Li Wufang held in that organization, nor how the other Cheng Shi addressed him, so he avoided every possible term of reference — expressing his aning as simply as possible.
And this sudden shift from defense to offense finally hooked the single most earth-shattering piece of information of the day from Li Wufang's mouth.
"Co on, boss — 'Destined Ones never doubt their own.' That's your rule! So why today are you—"
"!!??"
What?!
Destined Ones?
Li Wufang's organization was actually the Destined Ones from another tiline?!
Cheng Shi was thunderstruck. He nearly broke the fingers clasped behind his back just to keep his expression from cracking.
No wonder!
No wonder, when he'd credited everything to Destiny's guidance, this Order-following Investigator had loudly praised Destiny right to his face. The man was one of the Destined Ones!
So in another tiline, the Destined Ones had already grown to this extent!
Cheng Shi had no ti to process. His gaze shifted instantly, and he found a new excuse for his lapse:
"Don't bla
for doubting you. Regardless of what you say, for the sake of the Destined Ones, I can only maintain suspicion.
Because just now... He actually sent
an oracle."
"!!!" Li Wufang's pupils contracted sharply, his face draining of color: "What oracle?"
"'Be careful.'" Cheng Shi's expression was steely, eyes boring into the other man. In that mont, he was the investigator — and Li Wufang rely the suspect under scrutiny.
"He told
just two words: Be careful.
But consider — what kind of situation would compel Him to personally deliver those two words?
If it were an outsider, He wouldn't need to warn . So... you understand what I an.
What we're doing — you and I both know what's at stake. If Ti is interfering here, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
So — sorry, brother. Until everything returns to normal, you'd better stay here with this stowaway for a while.
He's likely one of the trial's answers. Entrusting him to your watch is already the greatest trust I can offer.
Don't betray that trust."
With that, Cheng Shi smiled, stepped back, and slid the scalpel into his sleeve — simultaneously tightening his grip on the Smog Bomb at his cuff.
He'd packed several probes into one move. He'd even called the man "brother." He had no idea if the term was correct, but even if it wasn't, under these tense circumstances he could argue he'd used a false address to test the other man.
Of course, sophistry didn't always work — which was why his escape chanism had to stay in hand at all tis.
But Li Wufang accepted it without hesitation. He wasn't the least bit surprised by "brother." It was Cheng Shi's arrangent that irked him.
"Co on, boss — just because the Blind One changed doesn't an you should suspect
too. I'm innocent! I wasn't even by your side today, so now I can't even prove myself."
Cheng Shi smiled:
"You don't need to prove yourself. Once I've sorted everything out, I'll personally confirm you're clean.
But... before I figure this out, I need to verify whether Jiang Chi is truly dead."
Li Wufang blinked: "But didn't you say—"
"The Blind One told . She and Qin Xin both seem different from this morning. I can't be sure about either of their states, so I probed her first.
The Blind One is clever. She probed
right back. And during that exchange, I heard about Jiang Chi.
She asked : why was I so intent on killing Jiang Chi?
That single question woke
up. It made
realize that Ti's 'discrepancies' had appeared among you — and that's exactly why I maneuvered the two of them into taking the first watch.
Because I needed ti to confirm that my brother — you — was clean."
Li Wufang's expression shifted several tis. In the end, he let out a helpless sigh.
The one wrong choice he'd made today was not staying at Cheng Shi's side. Now that the Blind One had turned "problematic," he had no way to prove his innocence.
Yes, he could recite shared history — but he knew better than anyone that Cheng Shi understood Ti's mysteries best. No one could guarantee that a "discrepant Li Wufang" wouldn't share an identical past.
This was the deadliest puzzle within a Ti trial — and the worst consequence of Ti breaking its own rules upon the players.
So Li Wufang fell silent. He accepted Cheng Shi's arrangent and chose to stay and guard the trial's answer. Whether the "answer" still mattered was beside the point — his compliance was, in itself, a demonstration of loyalty.
"The Blind One is far easier to test than Qin Xin. I'll swap Qin Xin out and find a chance to compare notes on 'Ti' with the Blind One.
If Qin Xin cos looking for you, you might as well test him too — see whether he's also beco soone else.
As for the Doctor...
Until we have the Divinity, don't bother with him. Changed or not, as long as he's willing to share the Abyss Colorful Crystal, he's harmless."
Cheng Shi placed himself in Li Wufang's shoes, analyzed every teammate in the trial, then waved to the Investigator with a smile — signaling him to relax and stay optimistic. And under Li Wufang's resigned sigh, Cheng Shi turned without looking back and strode out of the room that had left him spiritually suffocating.
The instant he stepped through the door, his eyes turned ice-cold. Because at that very mont, he truly received an oracle from his Benefactor.
Only it wasn't from Destiny — it was from the clown's Benefactor: Deceit.
And the oracle's content was...
"Be careful."
The Fun God had chosen the mont of Cheng Shi's greatest tension to bestow upon him the very lie he'd spoken.
"..."
Well, well, well!
The trial was growing more chaotic by the minute — but also more interesting.
Everything Cheng Shi had told Li Wufang was fabricated. Nothing remotely exciting had happened between him and the Blind One. In fact, in his current assessnt, the Blind One was probably the only person who hadn't changed from start to finish. Even Qin Xin... seed to have shifted.
So there was one thing Cheng Shi hadn't lied to Li Wufang about: right now, he truly wanted to find the Blind One and talk things over. In a trial where players themselves might be "discrepancies," he needed a trustworthy ally to watch his back.
And from the trial's very beginning, that position had always belonged to the Blind One.
Li Wufang trusted him, but Cheng Shi couldn't bring himself to trust a Destined One he'd never recruited into the Destined Ones!
So Cheng Shi drew a deep breath, gazing at the distant Abyssal Volcano's inverted magma cascade, keen light flickering in his steely eyes.
What had really happened in this trial? Where had Li Wufang co from? Was the Jiang Chi he'd encountered truly one of Ti's "discrepancies"? Had Qin Xin — the founding Torchbearer — been "replaced" like the Investigator?
And the Blind One — the only one showing no signs of change — had she truly remained unchanged?
Too many questions. So many they beggared imagination.
But no number of questions was unsolvable. And for a Fraud follower, the approach to problem-solving always began with launching a probing con.
So... would the next mark be the prophet who had once seen Destiny's face?
At the thought, Cheng Shi's cold gaze dropped, a self-deprecating smile crossing his lips as he strode toward the experint site.
Today, this clown of the Void would test whether a single con could tear through Ti's disguise — and strike at the very essence of Existence!
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