Wen Shi couldn't feel the audience's anger or the devil's frustration at all.
He is now in a state of complete amnesia and cannot share the joys and sorrows of others.
"Why hate?" he even asked the devil.
The devil couldn't change the past. Any attempt to devise a sinister plan would be instantly annihilated. So, it could only follow the original trajectory, adding insignificant details to lure its prey into agreeing to a deal at the most painful moment, and then reap its soul after leaving the flashback.
Two cuts were the limit, the demon could not inflict any more serious injuries, so he simply swept the tip of the knife across the skin, leaving streaks of blood.
It knows how to torture people. Children are mentally fragile and lack blood and energy, so it is worried about being killed, so it chooses the most direct method: cutting the skin with a knife.
It can ensure that people can feel pain, and skin injuries will not be fatal in the short term.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" The Scarecrow laughed. "Your kind parents are thinking about how to speak in public to gain more sympathy. They are the source of your pain..."
As he spoke, the sharp blade left another long scratch on his back.
It hurts so much.
But I didn't have the energy to shout anymore.
Wen Shi's face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He struggled briefly, but soon collapsed to the ground. Before the expected stinging pain hit again, Wen Shi's heart suddenly beat violently. Although it was dark under the bed, he could clearly see an eye.
It was an eye in a bottle, with a hint of vague majesty, staring at him.
As they stared at each other, that hint of dignity vanished. His large eyes seemed to flicker, a shuddering dark light emanating from beneath them, as if about to ignite a dark crimson, silently burning everything.
"You are..."
The fear of the unknown was replaced by doubt.
Wen Shi really wanted to ask it what it was angry about.
The soft little body lay motionless on the ground, which angered the devil again. This time, the sharp knife had just scratched the skin on the back of the neck by one centimeter, and the scarecrow suddenly had an illusion of being burned.
His hand shook, not only did the blade deflect, but his wrist also lost its strength, and with a snap, the knife fell to the ground.
Along with this sound, there was the sound of the bottle rolling slightly on the ground.
The wishing bottle under the bed moved twice, and the big eyeballs inside suddenly disappeared.
A black speck flew towards them, so fast it was impossible to make out anything. Before the scarecrow could react, its instinct forced it to cover its empty eyes. Something seemed to have entered the dark hole, and another wave of thought penetrated through the dense straw, seeping everywhere. When it regained consciousness, it had already uncontrollably picked up the blood-soaked child.
Damn, what possessed it!
In the battle for control of the body, the scarecrow desperately made some time to set a fire. Someone had set a fire in the past, and it had to follow the trajectory and set fire here.
So hot, so hot.
It was already uncomfortable to have two different consciousnesses fighting in the body, and it happened to be the fire that it hated the most.
The sheets and mattress burned quickly, and the desk, textbooks... these traces of the room's former occupant's life quickly turned to ashes in the flames. Wen Shi's pale pupils were illuminated by the flames, and he closed his eyes, no longer observing all this.
The scarecrow jumped out of the window holding the child.
On the street, the wild cats were too lazy to call, but the drunk was still shouting and cursing. Suddenly, the drunk rubbed his eyes and saw a man in a straw raincoat holding a bloody child across from him. The man was stumbling as he walked, even more unsteadily than himself.
The child was thrown next to the trash can. The drunk man hesitated for a moment, but when he thought about the fact that this place was famous for being chaotic, he sobered up a little and decided to go home.
Next to the trash can, the scarecrow bent down in pain, feeling like his head was about to explode.
What on earth is going on? What on earth is invading its consciousness?
The audience of the show were the ones who were really shocked. They mistook this kind of pain for sympathy, thinking that the devil had something wrong with him at the gate of hell, but his first move after coming out was to soften his heart, thinking it was sympathy for the child!
"Get out, get out..."
Get out of my body.
The unutterable cry was like Wen Shi's helplessness when he called out to his parents to run away. Finally, the scarecrow couldn't stand it anymore and suddenly ran to the other end of the street, trying to shake off the parasite that was invading his body.
[Mysterious Drone] Following the scarecrow's trajectory forward, Wen Shi temporarily escaped from the audience's field of vision.
The official website of "Crazy Love Season" was flooded with messages:
"Is there a bug?"
"You idiot! We're just waiting for the outcome of the clash between the guest and the devil. At worst, we'll just film the guest."
"What the hell! I'm so pissed off! I thought watching the guests bleed would calm me down, but who wants to pay to watch a demon suddenly lay down his butcher knife?! This is a crappy show, shut it down immediately."
…
The drunk left, the devil left, and even the wild cat jumped behind another wall.
The entire alley fell into deathly silence.
A large cloud floated over, blocking the moon in the sky, and the lonely and quiet alley lost its only remaining source of light.
Suddenly, the old, long-broken streetlight not far away began to crackle, as if it were leaking electricity. Then, with a snap, the streetlight suddenly came on. Under the flickering light, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
The puddles on the ground reflected an unkempt figure. The man had an unshaven beard and was wearing a white coat. He had a good figure and firm muscles, but he kept coughing like a consumptive. But overall, he was definitely a handsome uncle.
He didn't speak seriously. After he stood firm, he cursed a few times and muttered, "Finally, I collected all these useless keys."
After a pause, he said unhappily, "This is a crappy game! I've already cleared it. Didn't you say you can get a new life after clearing it?"
The man has a terminal illness. He entered the game a few years ago and was one of the earliest veteran players. After unremitting efforts, he finally completed the game.
Old players from more than ten years ago all knew that after completing the game, they could have a wish come true.
This point was written in the first article of "Virtual World Guide", but after several revisions, when it came to Wen Shi's batch, the latest version he saw had this point deleted.
A cold, mechanical voice answered his question: "Your new student is just across the street."
The handsome uncle was stunned for a moment, then noticed the child covered in blood next to the trash can and frowned: "What do you mean?"
"Your body is beyond saving, and I don't have the authority to create a new life form in the real world. However, there is another plan," the game replied. "That's you from this parallel world. I can help you enter his body and welcome a new life. I'll also make arrangements. The rewards for completing levels, including wealth and status... will all be distributed to you year by year."
The handsome uncle was silent for a moment, then subconsciously touched his pocket, forgetting that he had just come out and hadn't had time to buy cigarettes. After a moment, he sneered: "Damn, I thought I had picked up a great bargain, but it turns out there's no such thing as a free lunch."
It was a waste of his years of working so hard in the game. If he had known earlier, he should have made good use of his time to travel and enjoy the scenery.
The handsome uncle walked directly across the street and waved back.
Yugi knew this man's style too well and knew what this meant, telling him to get out.
He never interfered with other people's choices of games, but for some reason he spoke again: "You won't be able to hold on for many years. That child is destined to be a lonely star. He will lose his parents at a young age, and he will never have money. Everything goes against him and it will be difficult for him to have a good ending."
If fate had a fortune, it would definitely be a bad fortune.
The handsome uncle stopped and just when Yougi thought he was going to change his mind, he suddenly said, "Then help increase your luck."
Game: "Clearance wishes cannot be changed."
The handsome uncle paused for a moment, then said, "How about a bet? Are you wondering why I'd give up this path of life? Actually, there's a certain difference between being a human and being an animal. Let's bet on human nature, which you least favor and which you most enjoy toying with."
As the first player to complete the game, men are the only ones qualified to have an equal dialogue with the game.
This time, the game was silent. After a moment, the mechanical voice sounded again: "How do you bet?"
"In the future, let this child meet his parallel self and make a choice. You can do whatever you want with the process." The handsome uncle said slowly, "But there is one rule that I have to set."
The handsome uncle murmured a few more words, and finally said, "Let's start the gambling game in Fengguan Village. I've ruined that place, and if this kid is capable, he can clean up the mess."
The mechanical voice did not respond, but under the streetlight, a peace locket exuding a mysterious aura appeared.
This means that the game agrees to the bet.
The mechanical sound never sounded again, and the game seemed to have left.
"Damn, at least show me the way. Where is the clinic?" The cold wind blew past, and the man's deep image was shattered in a second. He scolded a few words, and his curses were even more unpleasant than those of the drunk man in front.
A piece of paper fluttered down, providing the location of the nearest operating clinic.
In the alley, the smell of garbage mixed together, and the air was filled with the stench of decay and filth. The child tried hard to keep his eyelids open. If he had to die, he hoped that the last thing he saw before he died would be the starry sky.
Unfortunately, there are only dark leaden clouds in the sky.
Excessive blood loss, dry lips when warm, and blurred vision.
...I'm so sleepy.
Just sleep for a while, a very short while. When he was about to close his eyes, a shadow came down and Wen Shi was picked up by a pair of big hands.
"Hold it." The visitor said in a low voice and stuffed the peace locket into the young palm.
Wen Shi subconsciously grabbed it and found it was a very cold object, which seemed to be jade.
"You..." His lips moved with difficulty, "What do you want?"
Don't ask who it is, don't ask why, just ask what the other person wants.
Wen Shi racked his brains, trying to figure out what else in himself was worth others' attention.
"I do one good deed every day." After doing a simple trick to stop the bleeding, the handsome uncle carried him towards the clinic. "As for what you want, you should also do one good deed every day in the future."
In the self-built house not far away, the couple who had been prepared entered the room at the agreed time. The house was empty and there was no burned body.
"Where are the people?" Guilt was dispelled by shock, and Wei Yue's beautiful face looked hideous in the firelight.
She was prepared to get hurt a little and act out a desperate rescue scene for her son.
The fire grew bigger and bigger. Pei Hongxin gritted his teeth and said, "Get out first."
The self-built house turned into a sea of fire, with billowing black smoke rising into the sky. However, at the same time, the dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed. At the end of the street, the moonlight infinitely stretched the figure of the man holding the child as he left, until he disappeared from the corner.
…
Some are saved, some suffer.
The demon is going crazy.
What he was most proud of was this straw body, which was less restricted and could be the first to squeeze out when the ghost gate opened.
The devil had no idea that the big eyeball also liked it. Any shell with flesh and blood, such as humans or general monsters with a physical body, could not carry the source of pollution, and it could not live in it without a physical body.
The appearance of the straw demon was like someone delivering a pillow to it just as it dozed off.
The eye's power had been weakened during the replay, but upon witnessing Wen Shi's abuse, it erupted in fury. Using its own strength, it freed itself from the wishing bottle and charged into the scarecrow's shell. Its speed was hundreds of times faster than that of a zombie, making it impossible for even the [Psychic Drone] to track it.
The Straw Demon wanted to go back to the trash can and induce the prey to make a deal while its consciousness was becoming more distracted, but the feeling of its body being invaded made it so that it could only rely on the cool breeze blowing on its face during the sprint to stay awake.
A voice sounded in my mind——
"Think about it, what will you face after you leave here?"
The straw demon subconsciously thought about this problem. The audience behind the ghost gate didn't care what happened at all. They only cared about whether the depressed mood of the past two days had been relieved.
Obviously, not only did he fail to satisfy the audience, but he made the situation worse.
Now that the gates of hell have been opened, the ghosts, unable to vent their anger, will definitely choose to vent their anger on others.
Thinking of this, the devil couldn't help but shudder.
It was just this little moment of fear that made the big eyeballs sink further into the holes deep in the eye sockets.
"Evil, devil." The scarecrow opened his mouth wide, and the cut on his face became bigger and bigger.
The one invading his consciousness was the real demon! With just one sentence, a crack appeared in his psychological defenses.
The moonlight seemed to avoid the scarecrow, leaving it to struggle painfully in the darkness. The big eyeballs had already gained the upper hand and could easily defeat it in one go.
But this eye kept creating scars on the scarecrow, not caring about receiving a scarred body later. It wanted to let the demon experience the pain of having its skin cut before its consciousness completely collapsed.
The audience's criticism was so loud that the authorities have suspended the filming of [Specter Drone].
Those strange cracks, just like the darkness, no one cared or paid attention to them.
After an unknown amount of time, the scarecrow finally stopped its twisted struggles. When it looked up again, one of its eyes sparkled. Like a baby learning to walk for the first time, the scarecrow raised its hands and took several steps, gradually adapting to its new form.
The Scarecrow rushed back to the trash can, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground.
It lowered its head and thought carefully.
The demons that could threaten Wen Shi were gone, and everything that happened today seemed to be something he had experienced as a child. He and the adult Wen Shi met at the factory, so at this point in time, Wen Shi should have been rescued.
The scarecrow walked to the shop window, moved his mouth, and the corners of his mouth formed a strange arc.
It's very ugly.
It will scare people.
Big Eyes decided not to smile in front of Wen Shi for the time being, so as not to scare him.
After easily breaking the lock, the Scarecrow walked to the shelf, picked up the cheapest straw hat and put it on his head to cover his strange eyes and mouth, then walked back to his self-built house.
Jian Qingrong has been studying demons and monsters for many years, and successfully making a bunch of ghosts into CDs and placing them in the archives is only his most insignificant achievement.
He wasn't too surprised when time went back.
The past cannot be changed, and all changes come at a price. He was stuck in the past, feeling as if something was trying to trick him into killing the couple.
He wouldn't make such a stupid mistake, but something was necessary.
Outside the burning self-built house, Wei Yue anxiously discussed with her husband what to do next, without noticing that there was a scarecrow standing behind the electric pole.
The faces of the young couple were deeply imprinted in the scarecrow's only eye, and from head to toe, every change in their expression was seen by the scarecrow.
He simply watched, memorizing the two men's faces, but hesitated to take any further action. Finally, an invisible force confirmed that the Scarecrow would not attack, and the time rewind ended.
…
In the unlicensed black clinic recommended by the game, a handsome uncle is negotiating with a barefoot doctor in the corridor.
On the small bed, the child, clutching the peace locket tightly, suddenly had a clear vision. Above his head was a medical shadowless lamp, the light wasn't very strong, but he felt it was extremely dazzling. His memories of reality gradually returned, and Wen Shi's breathing became very disordered.
He turned his head to avoid the overhead lighting, and when he saw the familiar figure in the corridor that he hadn't seen for a long time, his breathing became even tighter. However, before he could take a closer look, the system sounded:
"Congratulations on successfully avoiding the deal with the devil."
"The time travel is over."
"This retrospective will collect an additional audience fee of 290,000 ghost coins and a kilogram of incense ash. After successfully returning to the village, the player will receive a 1/1000th dividend."
Everything in front of me began to blur, from the operating light to the ceiling, all fading into a dark red. After a moment of dizziness, the clinic, the familiar figures in the corridor... everything vanished. I don't know how long it took before my vision regained focus, and all I saw was the vast fog from the mountains.
The dizziness did not subside, and Wen Shi stumbled on the narrow path. A hand reached out from the fog and pulled him up in time.
"A'sang." The fog confirmed that Wen Shi had returned to the mountain forest map of the copy.
He called out subconsciously and found that the person holding him was not A Sang, but a scarecrow's hand!
Wen Shi instinctively wanted to shake it off, but the hand held on even tighter.
After struggling for a few times, during which the Scarecrow showed no signs of ill will, Wen Shi stopped wasting energy resisting, remembering the Scarecrow's rule of relying on trades to kill people. After regaining his balance, he said politely but distantly, "Thank you."
The scarecrow wanted to answer, but it was an incomplete individual after all, and could not use this straw body to speak like a real demon.
An empty mouth is just a decoration.
Taking advantage of the scarecrow's daze, Wen Shi pulled his hand away.
"Dad." A Sang's voice came from a few meters away. Before Wen Shi could respond, his thigh was hugged.
He picked up A Sang and could vaguely see the worry in his expression through the mist.
"I'm fine." Wen Shi said.
After making sure he was safe, Ah Sang reminded him, "The fog is getting thicker, Dad, let's go quickly."
Wen Shi nodded and fumbled around on A Sang's body: "Where's the wishing bottle?"
When the scarecrow discovered that the other person was still thinking about him, his muscleless face showed an emotion that only humans could have, a stiff feeling of being moved.
A Sang shook his head and only said that he was sure that he caught it when he saw Wen.
Wen Shi's eyelids twitched, and he tried hard to recall things related to the wishing bottle, but his mind was a mess.
"It's over."
If Jian Qingrong is lost, won't he become a one-eyed dragon?
"No, don't worry." When it doesn't concern him, Ah Sang's words tend to get stuck. "Those eyes are weird."
When he said strange, he meant it was very unusual.
The light source of the prop [small lantern] was assimilated in the red fog and could not illuminate anything clearly. Wen Shi searched carefully on the ground nearby, exploring inch by inch with his palm, and finally touched the body of the scarecrow.
Many of the experiences in the flashback were blurred, but he still had a vague impression that the devil had been trying to persuade him to make a deal, saying that he would help him avenge his family.
Wen Shi seemed to have grasped the key point of the problem, and speculated that the devil's failure came from the fact that the family it mentioned and the people he thought of in his mind were completely two different groups.
"Information asymmetry is fatal." He shook his head.
Ignoring the scarecrow's obstruction, Wen Shi persisted in searching for a while, and when he was sure that he really hadn't found the wishing bottle, he sighed softly.
Now they can only hope that the eye will automatically find the road and walk independently, and come to find them and join them.
The scarecrow suddenly half-knelt in front of Wen Shi and gently rubbed his palm, as if helping him wipe off the dust.
What the hell?
Wen Shi looked over warily. Was he preparing to adopt a conciliatory offensive?
The next second the scarecrow went around to the front again, bending down and kneeling.
A Sang beside him understood: "It seems like it wants to carry its father on its back."
"?" Wen Shi really wanted to ask this straw demon if his brain was stuck in the door, but then he thought that a pile of straw stuck in the door wouldn't have much of an impact.
The side quest is to return to the village, and it has not been completed yet. Wen Shi does not dare to be careless, "I will not make any deal."
The scarecrow nodded. Although he couldn't see the movements clearly, he could hear the rustling sound of the straw being folded.
He felt dizzy and the distance was really long. He had to sleep in before arriving this morning. Now that he had a free 'mount', there was no reason not to use it.
Wen Shi finally jumped onto the scarecrow's back. Without breaking any rules, the devil could not throw himself off the mountain for no reason.
"A'sang..."
Ah Sang knew what Wen Shi was going to say, "Dad, I'll go by myself."
His physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people, and he is active by nature, so this mountain road is nothing to him.
The scarecrow's back was unexpectedly broad and it was quite comfortable to lie on it.
Wen Shi was bored and wanted to see what was in the gourd of the straw devil. He deliberately used a few straws from the crack to braid his hair. But the scarecrow was not angry at all. Instead, he pulled out a few more straws for him to play with.
"…" I'm a little scared if you cooperate like this.
Wen Shi touched his nose and temporarily stopped thinking about Scarecrow's gender change. Instead, he kept calling out to Yugi, trying to bargain with him in his mind.
"I don't need the reward, but can I have a copy of the retrospective video?"
The prompt said that the entire process would be filmed with a drone, and there should be a record of it in the game.
"I'll show it to Ji Yuanzhi first. He's been investigating me anyway, so having the video will save a lot of trouble. I promise it will only be played in the game, and I won't use it as evidence in real life without any effort."
The greatest value of suffering is when it is seen by others.
The notification tone didn't respond for a long time, so Wen Shi continued his monologue: "At the very least, could you please spread the word? Let more NPCs see it and spread the word of my kindness."
Unconsciously, the scarecrow walked through the foggiest section of the road.
There were frequent earthquakes tonight, with four or five earthquakes in less than half an hour, which shows what was happening at the Ghost Gate.
Wen Shi frowned tightly, the gates of hell were wide open, and it was hard to imagine what the scene in Fengguan Village was like at this moment.
As we approached the village on the final stretch, the fog thinned, but the humidity intensified, and the air was thick with the stench of corpse oil. From time to time, drops of a sticky liquid fell from the steep cliffs, sending chills through our bodies.
This wasn't just the chilling, ghostly aura he experienced everyday; it was a thick, sinister aura. Even though Wen Shi wasn't a psychic, he could sense that countless dormant corpses were resurrecting in the distant Fengguan Village, a sinister aura constantly expanding its territory, attempting to devour everything.
After successfully leaving the most difficult mountain path, Wen Shi immediately heard someone calling him.
"Pei Wenwei?" A surprised and doubtful voice came.
Wen Shi looked up and saw that all the people in front of him were familiar faces. The program crew and players were gathered not far from the village entrance. He glanced around from a distance and found that one person was missing. It was the male player who had injured his leg during the day.
The players' expressions were extremely varied when they saw Wen. He was lying comfortably on the scarecrow, and his face showed no sign of fatigue from the night walk. It was obvious that he had been carried back.
Tian Wanling couldn't help but mutter, "Look at this treatment... In the morning the host pulls the cart for him, and in the evening the scarecrow carries him back."
The only thing missing is someone to feed him.
Everyone draws a different lot, encounters a different guide, and has a different mission. Wenshi's mission is the longest and most difficult. After all, after losing your memory, you are completely passive. If you don't have a strong desire to do the opposite, this mission is basically a sure thing.
He got down from the scarecrow and joined the others, holding A'sang's hand.
The scarecrow felt very comfortable with the unique human body temperature remaining on his back, and followed Wen Shi without saying a word.
The guides of the other players had already left, so they were not particularly surprised to see the strange scarecrow following them all the way.
So many strange things happened in one day, this is just a trivial one.
The staff on the scene were like eggplants hit by frost. Under normal circumstances, they would inevitably gloat over the host's misfortune. However, when they saw that the host's terrifying resentment was almost forming a large-scale low pressure, he wisely chose to shut up.
There are always those who don't know what's best for them, like the deformed man. As he was about to return to his familiar village, he finally broke down, desperate to go home, and shouted, "I'm not participating anymore. I'm just a backup anyway, and I haven't officially signed an agreement with you."
His dream of marrying a beautiful widow and inheriting a fortune had long since vanished, and the deformed man now only wanted to survive. If he were being paired with other special guests, he could have tolerated it, but this was simply unbearable!
The ratings plummeted, and the host had an outlet. Everyone thought he would take out his anger on this deformed head, but he didn't.
The host raised his eyes coldly, his gaze fell on where Wen Shi and Scarecrow were standing, and said slowly: "Love requires spiritual connection. If you don't want it, then find someone who is willing."
The player's expression changed. Is the program team going to pair Pei Wenwei with this scarecrow?
Is that a bit too much?
Wen Shi was already used to this and stood there calmly waiting for the host to announce the new pairing results.
In the pungent and fishy cool breeze, only the straw on the scarecrow's body was trembling slightly. Every second of the past day was a torture for Big Eyes. He could only watch Wen Shi being paired with other guests and watching them being forced to play those deadly love games.
Finally, he got the chance to stand next to Wen Shi.
"Dear viewers, all the previous matches for Mr. Aaron have been eliminated, but a new candidate has appeared..."
Worried about pricking his delicate skin, the scarecrow hurriedly tidied the grass in his hand and then reached out to Wen Shi.
"It's me."
Each word was pronounced with great force.
The scarecrow's hand froze in mid-air.
Facing the camera, the host adjusted his tie, wiped off the exaggerated powder on his face, and walked over to Wen Shi. Amidst the surprised gazes of the crowd, he took her hand through the powdered handkerchief and said, "Don't look at me as a host, but before this, I was also a gold medal blind date king."
That's right, he, the ace host of "Crazy Love Season", decided to appear on stage in person!