Interesting. This Investigator was definitely interesting.
After hearing Li Wufang's backstory, Cheng Shi was genuinely considering pulling him into the Destined Ones.
Though the current roster was all Chosen Ones, a closer look revealed no real pattern to the organization's growth. Cheng Shi hadn't been deliberately recruiting Chosen Ones — it was just that in every Chosen-tier ga, he kept running into crises that required conning a teammate into doing sothing. Hence the Destined Ones were born.
So in the end, there wasn't any real entry condition. If one existed, it was probably "serve as a clown's tool once."
And right now was Li Wufang's best opportunity...
Could Cheng Shi beat Li Wufang? The answer was certainly yes. As a Hero of Today, he feared no one in this trial except Qin Xin when the man unleashed War's full power.
But the problem was that Li Wufang was a hunter. He was fast. If Cheng Shi didn't end him in one shot and he escaped, the rest of the trial would beco unpredictable.
Moreover, influenced by their relationship on another tiline, Cheng Shi kept feeling there was no need to be this ruthless.
After all, this Investigator had been vetted by Cheng... Er-shi? Whatever-shi. Point was — vetted by another him.
So recruiting Li Wufang into the Destined Ones now had a perfectly logical rationale — because Cheng Shi genuinely needed his cooperation. Only, this "cooperation" was...
Cooperating by dying.
He hadn't forgotten his original goal: finish the trial as steadily as possible.
"To be honest, Investigator — you're a bit underpowered. Normally, you wouldn't qualify for the Destined Ones. But... I appreciate you. I can pull so strings."
"Destined Ones!?" Cheng Shi didn't even need a sales pitch. The na alone nearly shattered Li Wufang's hard-won caution and made him agree to anything. "That na... perfectly captures His guidance."
"You have excellent taste.
The coming path and going road — all are destined."
With that, Cheng Shi tossed a die at Li Wufang's feet. As always, it rolled to one. The Hero of Today smiled and raised his scalpel.
"I'll skip the pleasantries. The Destined Ones match every fantasy you've ever had about Destiny. But joining us isn't easy.
Beyond believing in Destiny, you must prove your courage — the courage of a desperate throw.
And that courage will be the testant of Destiny's favor upon you. Well — want to try?"
By the ti he finished, Cheng Shi had already entered combat readiness. If Li Wufang refused, a clash of Order and Destiny was inevitable.
Li Wufang saw it too. He was confident he wouldn't die at Cheng Shi's hands. But... that figure from his mories held too great an influence.
Yes — perhaps when an adult looks back on childish acts, they can easily spot every flaw in every youthful experience. But hindsight is only hindsight. You can never deny how important a certain event was to your childhood self.
Just as "luck's embrace" and "Destiny's guidance" had essentially raised Li Wufang. Even after the grown-up Li Wufang saw through the ruse, years of self-persuasion had already transford him into a devout Destiny believer.
Destiny may not have given him the chance — but that wasn't his fault. After all, Destiny was a... ahem.
So when Cheng Shi declared the na "Destined Ones" with unwavering conviction, this Investigator who'd spent his life spreading Destiny through Order could no longer contain his worship and love for Destiny.
"You... want
to die?"
"No — it's not that I want you to die. It's that you yourself want to use death's courage to verify whether Destiny favors you." Cheng Shi corrected the phrasing with a straight face. "I think you've already guessed my purpose. That's right — I'm also stabilizing the trial.
Fewer variables, higher odds of winning.
If you believe in Him, then before this trial ends, His protection will be enough to bring you back.
But if you don't believe... then please stop praising Him. Otherwise, what you're blaspheming is more than just one deity.
There — I've said what needs saying. Now the choice is yours."
"..."
The scales of Order swayed. Li Wufang was caught in agony once more. But before long, he recalled how different versions of Cheng Shi had reacted throughout the trial, and how different An Mingyus had treated Cheng Shi — and he seed to see Destiny's guidance converging. The convergence point was unmistakably what Cheng Shi called the Destined Ones.
Listen — Destined Ones. What a na. If that wasn't Destiny's guidance, what would be?
Once this clicked, the hesitation in Li Wufang's eyes slowly hardened into resolve. He looked at Cheng Shi, then at the scalpel in his hand. Then — to Cheng Shi's jaw-dropping astonishnt — he took the blade from him. Without leaving a single ssage or "last words," he simply drew it across his own throat.
The Investigator had proven his courage. He was dead. Death by his own hand.
Cheng Shi was shocked. Genuinely shocked this ti.
He'd long acknowledged peak players' propensity for insanity, but this still stunned him.
'Dude — I say sothing and you just believe it?!'
'I can tell — you've really never been beaten down by Void.'
'But you slit your own throat this decisively. That makes my position very awkward. Why do I suddenly feel guilty?'
Cheng Shi blinked. Seeing no trace of divine energy flowing through the corpse before him, he let out a heavy sigh.
'Damn. This guy was a true Destiny believer.'
'Your Order people really are chaotic as advertised.'
But the objective was achieved. One more uncontrollable variable removed from the trial. Next step: go back and handle the other one.
Cheng Shi hoisted Li Wufang's body onto his shoulder without fuss, picked up the bunch of Abyss Rainbow Orchids from the ground, and headed back up the mine with a smile on his lips.
When Qin Xin and the Blind One saw that Cheng Shi had left with a living Investigator and returned with a corpse, their questioning gazes might as well have said:
'Fate Weaver — can you not function without a body?'
'Are you really a Fate Weaver, or are you a Gravekeeper?'
Cheng Shi didn't bother explaining. He set Li Wufang's body aside, pulled Qin Xin over to stand in front of the Doctor, and called back to the Blind One with a grin:
"The hour mark's almost here. Chosen One — go find yourself an adventure sowhere. We won't be joining you.
The mont Mr. Allendor finishes the experint, this trial will march toward its conclusion without a single surprise. This ti it's not a flag. I said it. Guaranteed."
"..." The Blind One's eye twitched. She nodded, then quietly left the warehouse that "didn't belong" to her. And the instant she closed the door and faced the distance — the hour mark arrived.
She stood there for two seconds, then frowned, turned back, and pushed the door open.
Reviews
All reviews (0)