The situation was, for a mont, excruciatingly awkward.
Before long, a fourth set of footsteps echoed from farther down the main tunnel. All three Cheng Shis exchanged a glance, hearts lurching in unison, and swiveled to look — praying this nightmare wasn't about to repeat itself.
Fortunately...
"Phew —"
No fourth copy.
The newcor was Zhang Jizu.
The Death Chosen walked toward them with his lamp, then halted mid-stride. His perpetually half-closed eyes involuntarily widened by three full degrees.
This man — renowned for his composure — was brimming with shock. He even rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"One, two, three..."
Three. Indeed three.
But why three?
"You all..."
Zhang Jizu promptly retreated a step, scalpel in hand, brow furrowed.
"Cheng Shi? Zhen Yi? And the third one — who?"
You couldn't bla him for thinking that way. Visually, the three Cheng Shis were flawless aside from different clothes. All three radiated the unmistakable aura of a con artist, so the impersonator had to be top-tier.
And when it ca to a top-level illusionist who loved playing other people... no matter who you guessed, it was hard not to start with Zhen Yi.
Hence Zhang Jizu's cautious retreat. He wasn't guarding against anything else — he was guarding against the possibility that one of the three actually was Zhen Yi.
No sooner had he spoken than sounds ca from behind the third Cheng Shi. Splashing water erupted abruptly, followed by a surprised female voice.
"Cheng Shi?
Which Cheng Shi?
The Cheng Shi who summoned Go Lis and the Eternal Sun to eat Zangier?!"
The voice grew louder, the figure closer. Before long, a tall female Player wrapped in a mink-fur coat strode into view, dragging a massive blade behind her.
A wine-red high ponytail swung with every turn of her head. She swept an odd look across the assembled Cheng Shis, and her expression morphed into sothing spectacular. Seconds later, she burst out laughing.
Couldn't hold it in. Absolutely couldn't hold it in.
"What's going on here — is this cosplay? Shadow clones? A bard's summoning spell? A 'best Cheng Shi impersonation' contest? Or...
A match-three puzzle?
Pop — do they disappear?"
She even pantomid an explosion with her hands, her gaze bouncing eagerly between the three.
But when she saw that all three Cheng Shis reacted to her performance with exactly zero expression, her face stiffened. Brow arching, she scoffed self-deprecatingly.
"Heh — as expected of a hotshot riding high. Surna Cheng, don't tell
you've already forgotten ?"
The three Cheng Shis each wore a different look, but not one responded. They seed trapped in so inexplicable atmosphere of 'whoever speaks first can't possibly be the real one' — doing nothing but sizing each other up, hunting for a crack in the disguise.
By now, Zhang Jizu saw through the dynamic. He knew Cheng Shi was locked in a battle of wits. Regardless of which was genuine, at least two were fakes. So with a tight frown, he walked up, circled the trio, and greeted the female Player first.
"Zhang—"
"Jizu. I know you. Gravekeeper. Death Chosen.
Last published score was 2,717. Probably above 2,800 by now — impressive. Less than a thousand points behind that Behind-the-Scenes Puppeteer at the top of the Road to Ascension. I'm rooting for you."
She was extroverted. Perhaps too extroverted. She extended a hand to Zhang Jizu with a dazzlingly bright smile.
"Ai Si. Ai as in mugwort, Si as in yearning. Small fry. War Supervisor. Just cracked 2,400 on the ladder, so I'll spare myself the embarrassnt of reporting my exact score.
That number's a little awkward in a lobby full of big shots, but at least I'm a priest — and a priest who knows when to step up and when to step back. So even if I can't carry, I probably won't be dead weight either.
Surna Cheng can vouch for
on that.
Though which surna-Cheng should vouch for ... haha, that's not my problem."
"..."
Cheng Shi was numb. Being matched with acquaintances was a coincidence; being matched with himself was just bizarre.
Besides, this standoff couldn't go on forever. The trial was only three days. They couldn't burn it all in the sewer. So after a mont's thought, he decided to break the deadlock first.
But before he could speak, Zhang Jizu drew his scalpel again. He glanced at his watch and narrowed his eyes.
"Five minutes and seventeen seconds have passed since I t all of you. In that ti, even the most distant teammate should have appeared. But he hasn't. I haven't even heard a distant sound.
So before verifying anyone's identity, we should prepare for how to deal with a teammate who went solo right from the start. At least the three of you look sowhat chaotic but still 'harmless.'
So — what do you say, Cheng Shi, Cheng Shi, and... Cheng Shi?"
"HA HA!" Ai Si cracked up without a shred of composure. She planted her sword in the ground and doubled over laughing. "I know surna Cheng's been in the spotlight lately, but is he really this popular?
No worries though. I've had a 'thing' with surna Cheng before. I can help you guys figure out which one's the real... liar!"
"Who's had a thing with you?"
"Who's had a thing with you?"
"Who's had a thing with you?"
Three Cheng Shis in perfect unison.
The synchronized chorus of disgust froze Ai Si's grin on her face. She twitched, expression cycling through several colors before she sighed.
"Fine. Shouldn't have tried to bluff a bunch of liars. I can't tell them apart. Over to you, Chosen Zhang. I'll just focus on proving I'm useful so surna Cheng will keep carrying
to victory.
Three Cheng Shis — our odds look great this round.
I'll go look for the missing person. You guys... sort yourselves out."
And with that, Ai Si genuinely hefted her blade and set off down the tunnel to search.
Zhang Jizu watched her disappear, eyes narrowed. Impressive decisiveness from that Player.
Though it probably wasn't just about decisiveness. This sharp-witted War Supervisor had likely already sniffed out the other two's identities and simply didn't want to wade into a "rank" war this far above her pay grade.
A smart choice. A solid one, too.
After one final glance at the three Cheng Shis, Zhang Jizu headed after Ai Si — without so much as a backward look. The ssage was clear: your ss, your cleanup.
Steadiness saved Zhang the Steady from the headache. But the headache landed squarely on Cheng the Steady.
Once the two acquaintances had left, Cheng Shi finally snapped.
He swept a razor-sharp gaze across the other two versions of himself and scoffed.
"Tch —
There probably aren't many people in this ga capable of impersonating
this convincingly. So — care to guess whether I can guess who you are?
Zhen Yi?
And... Dragon King?"
At that, the third Cheng Shi — the one in the trench coat, standing in the left-side branch — let out an identical scoff.
"Bro, I don't know which of you is Zhen Yi and which is the Dragon King, but...
Zhen Yi, that dog — fine, she likes playing pretend. But Dragon King — you ignore my calls and secretly sneak in here behind my back?
Don't tell
you're trying to steal sothing from right under my nose."
The remark plunged the scene back into silence. Cheng Shi and the second Cheng Shi both wore grave, pensive expressions. Soon, the second Cheng Shi — the one in the jacket, standing in the right-side branch — let out his own scoff.
"Well, well. Silence really threw us a curveball right out of the gate.
I thought maybe you two actually were the Dragon King and Zhen Yi. But now...
That overly coordinated script of yours — what, teaming up already?
Interesting. Are you two really the Dragon King and Zhen Yi? Or could you be Zhen Xin and Long Jing?
Don't tell
this is a con job the liars custom-built just for .
Because if it is...
I'm absolutely terrified."
...
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