Foolish Game of the Chapter 778: You Wouldn't Happen to Be His Lapdog, Woul

The tentacles woven into the cage froze in unison — then emitted a skin-crawling laugh.

"Heh heh heh... Clever. Worthy of you.

Of course, Weijin is welco too. After all, he is . I am him.

We are both Truth's followers. There is fundantally no difference between us."

"The differences couldn't be bigger." Cheng Shi snorted, lips curling with distaste. "I see. So you already know.

I'm guessing this invitation didn't co from you — it ca from him, didn't it?

What's the matter — has Zangier sensed that his finger is on ?"

The instant Cheng Shi finished speaking, the doctor's face contorted. His entire body shuddered. He stared at Cheng Shi in disbelief:

"What... did you say? Who?

Zangier?!

He's... here?" In that mont, Wang Mou's perpetually composed, serious tone fractured.

"Heh heh heh... I enjoy dealing with clever people.

But I do not enjoy those cleverer than .

Still — he's taken an interest in you. So you've earned the privilege."

As 0221's voice grew clearer, the cage of tentacles gradually dispersed — re-weaving themselves into a staircase that stretched from the duo's feet up to the passage gaping in the building's mid-level.

Cheng Shi eyed the slick, squirming steps, his eyelid twitching violently.

'The "clever person" wouldn't happen to be , would it?'

'Let's not. Don't build

up to knock

down. This Clown has plenty of self-awareness. A dash of cunning, sure — quick thinking, maybe — but wisdom on par with Truth or Folly...'

'Sorry. I'm the class dunce. Not that sharp.'

Cheng Shi chuckled self-deprecatingly. He didn't take the first step. Instead, he tossed out another question: "So what about Wei Mu — do you like him?"

It was an exquisitely crafted probe. As Truth's arch-nesis, Folly's Chosen Wei Mu was widely regarded as the ceiling of player intelligence. If 0221 acknowledged that, it would cost him three notches of montum in the face of Cheng Shi's offhand question. But if he refused to acknowledge it, that ant he was confident in his own intellect — and also proved that Wei Mu was not an accomplice in this Truth ga, but rely soone who'd forced his way into the equation.

The question also sealed off the option of not answering, because deflection was, in many ways, tantamount to concession — and would cost montum all the sa.

Even the frowning doctor beside him recognized Cheng Shi had posed an exquisitely pointed question. But he also knew his original body would never take the bait or step into the pit. Even if 0221 genuinely considered himself inferior to Wei Mu, he would never admit it in front of Cheng Shi — not here, not now.

So what they heard was this:

"Heh heh heh... Interesting question.

Comparisons without controlled variables are false propositions to begin with. But I'm happy to answer outside an academic frawork.

I like how he scurries about hiding like a filthy rat — very clever of him. But I don't care for that lofty, nostril-gazing attitude of his.

People always have two sides. When you see soone being helpful, Fate Weaver, have you ever considered that beneath that help might lurk lethal intent?"

"..."

Cheng Shi had, of course, considered that — otherwise he wouldn't have parted ways with Wei Mu so decisively. But he hadn't figured out where the "lethal intent" lay.

He didn't dwell on it. He simply found 0221's answer amusing, so he went on the offensive with sarcasm:

"I've done so research on Folly. I understand He worships the principle of 'seeing is knowing.' So have you considered: when you think Wei Mu is looking down his nose at you... maybe it's actually you who's placed yourself beneath him?

You knew full well Wei Mu had designs on your experint, yet you still relied on him to funnel all these players inside so you could complete it. Doesn't that kind of 'burying your head in the sand' imply you'd already 'lost'?

A gracious, wholesale loss!

Hmm? Am I right?"

"Hah — noisy!"

The Truth follower seed rattled. He was nowhere near as composed as his Benefactor, Truth, had been when facing Deceit at the Assembly of Gods. Which proved he still had a ways to go before reaching true Truth.

But whether or not 0221 was near "Truth," Cheng Shi was getting very close to "truth."

Because the sky-blotting tentacles were lashing toward him again. If he just stood there much longer without reacting, he'd soon be eting "truth" in person.

And at that mont, Wang Mou acted first. The man who was "no different" from 0221 launched with zero wind-up. His nimble silhouette darted between countless tentacles, trails of white luminance — condensed from Truth's power — linking together around Cheng Shi in a brilliant web. Monts later, pure white blazed and blood sprayed through severed flesh.

A peak player was a peak player. Wang Mou rarely resorted to violence, but that didn't an he couldn't fight. At this level, brainpower alone wasn't always enough to convince teammates to believe in Truth.

Especially as an Assassination Doctor — the class among all assassin specializations most steeped in the art of traditional killing. He excelled at identifying an enemy's weak points and delivering the most precise, perfectly tid strike.

Tentacles fell in sliced segnts like rain. In monts, a wall of minced flesh rose half a man's height around Cheng Shi's feet.

Cheng Shi raised an impressed eyebrow at the doctor's handiwork — his first ti seeing Wang Mou in combat. He hadn't expected such clean work. But clean or not, no one could hold off an infinite tide of tentacles. Not everyone was Big Cat.

So before long, tentacles from every direction swallowed Cheng Shi and Wang Mou entirely.

Wang Mou's expression grew grave. His back against the wall, dagger flashing like a butterfly, he never stopped cutting. But Cheng Shi — from the attack's very beginning — hadn't resisted, hadn't supported, hadn't done anything. He just stood there, apparently waiting for the tentacles to reach him.

The charging tentacles obliged. They swept around Wang Mou and finally arrived at Cheng Shi. Each one sharpened to a needle-point or crack of a barbed whip, all poised to slam into him simultaneously — but the instant they were about to graze his skin, the entire space froze.

Of course, as an Another Day Thief, Cheng Shi hadn't used a single ability. He simply watched with a faint smile as the tentacles stopped of their own accord.

That was right — the freeze had nothing to do with Ti. It was 0221's tentacles that stopped themselves.

And Cheng Shi's smile deepened.

"What — you think I can't die yet? Still want to wring a few more drops of desire and emotion out of ?

Not gonna lie — you might be even greedier than I am."

With a contemptuous scoff, Cheng Shi stared at the tentacle-tip nearest his pupil. Then without warning, he snapped his head forward — lunging to impale himself on it.

Arrogant as the move was, it was functionally suicide.

Yet to everyone's shock — as he lurched forward, every tentacle in his path recoiled instantly, as if electrified, pulling back to avoid his charge and narrowly "saving" the Clown's life.

Confirmation received. Cheng Shi's face twisted into pure mockery as he threw his head back and laughed.

"I really did think you and Zangier would have a collaborative relationship. But now? Pfft—

I overestimated you.

You wouldn't happen to be his lapdog, would you, 0221?"

...