Wen Shi could easily garner support with just a few words, drawing many to his cause. However, there were a few who worked silently without uttering a sound.
Song Yan was a prime example.
Wen Shi didn't hide anything from Song Yan. Upon learning that the game might make the kingdom its new core, Song Yan immediately worried about ownership.
"What if the game takes over the land in the future?"
"What if it makes you work for free?"
Wen Shi didn't worry about this. If the game could do whatever it wanted, it wouldn't be a game.
Besides, he couldn't guard the kingdom forever; he could adapt to changing circumstances.
"That's not where you should focus your efforts," Wen Shi had warned Song Yan. "Consciously focusing on control can backfire."
Even the Lord of Terror, according to Boss Mei, always appeared indifferent before officially betting with the game.
Song Yan nodded outwardly, but had other ideas.
He wasn't going to oppose the game; to succeed without being purged, he needed to become part of a shared interest group. He couldn't be on equal footing with the game, so he had to become part of their interests.
Therefore, Song Yan prepared a new plan and went to find Wen Shi that day.
Virtual world, club.
Yu Xingzhou occasionally relaxed in the underground billiards room.
Wen Shi and Yu Xingzhou first met there. Now, Wen Shi picked up his cue, and with the same clang, cleared the table in one shot.
Yu Xingzhou sat down to the side: "Playing with someone like you is pointless."
Wen Shi smiled and put down his cue.
Yu Xingzhou could do the same thing, but he would never let the beginning become the end. Wen Shi knew he didn't have that patience and preferred to clear the table efficiently.
The other party wouldn't invite him to play for no reason. Wen Shi sat down to the side, waiting for what was going on.
"I wonder what Song Yan has been up to lately."
Yu Xingzhou wasn't too concerned about other people's affairs, but he specifically mentioned it today because recently, Song Yan had been taking Yu Xinghe to practice.
"My brother said he often disappears in the dungeon, then comes back injured, repeating this cycle until yesterday before the dungeon ended, when he suddenly appeared very happy."
Wen Shi frowned: "Is that so?"
Buzz.
The communicator vibrated; the caller ID showed Song Yan.
"It really is what I said." Wen Shi answered: "Hello."
Song Yan on the other end said he was outside the hotel.
"I'm not in the room; if it's urgent, you can come to the club."
Wen Shi sent him his location, and about twenty minutes later, Song Yan arrived.
He walked hurriedly, only knocking once before opening the door, showing his urgency. He held a proposal in his other hand.
"I succeeded." Song Yan said abruptly, then added, "But I only succeeded less than one percent."
Wen Shi scrutinized him for a few seconds, rubbing his temples. "You didn't actually put your idea from the plastic surgery clinic into practice, did you?"
He hadn't said anything, yet Song Yan had guessed most of it. He admired Song Yan even more, but unfortunately, he wasn't in mirror mode and couldn't type a screen full of sixes.
Before speaking, he glanced at Yu Xingzhou.
Wen Shi: "Just say it directly."
Ji Yuanzhi is using the [Super Abacus] to establish a new kingdom financial system, and his cooperation with Erjie has never stopped.
Before the formal introduction, Song Yan directly handed over the proposal in his hand.
Wen Shi opened it and looked at it for a while, then slowly sat up straight. Yu Xingzhou also glanced at it when he put down his cue, his expression also a little strange.
Song Yan's proposal had a very clear theme: to create a very special instance in the kingdom, similar to the role of Frank's Hospital in the 3S instance. He would be the core of the instance, and he would also set the mechanism.
[Mirror Instance.
It consists of three levels: 1. Mirror Maze; 2. Mirror Examiner; 3. Mirror Life.
In the first level, each mirror hides a different monster. When players enter a dead end, they will immediately encounter a monster, and each monster will trigger a different side quest;
in the second level, the Mirror Examiner can make players question life, using the [Philosophical Mirror] to stimulate the darkest desires in their hearts;
in the third level, a false paradise is created in the mirror. If the time limit is exceeded, they will be stuck there forever.] Wen
Shi gave Song Yan a deep look. He was indeed a clone of the True Spirit; if he really succeeded, it would likely become the most terrifying instance in the kingdom years later.
"After the transformation upgrade, I can become multiple mirrors. As long as my true form isn't discovered, I can keep disguising myself."
He had invested almost all the rewards from the high-difficulty instances he'd previously completed into upgrading.
Song Yan continued explaining his plan.
At the plastic surgery hospital, he had been curious about creating ghosts, but the difficulty was too great. He simply couldn't do what the Mirror True Spirit did, using brain monsters and mirrors to mass-produce ghosts.
"A mirror is a vessel," Song Yan said. "I can't create ghosts, but I can invite monsters to live inside. This idea comes from the four people holding candles in the Mirror Room; the souls of deceased players are locked inside the mirrors." Wen Shi
: "Aren't you afraid of a backlash?"
If a ghost possessed and devoured one's mind, it would be a huge loss.
"No, anyone who wants to move in has to give up a wisp of their soul."
Wen Shi paused, then asked, "They're willing?"
"No, that's why I got beaten up several times." Song Yan said seriously, "I always wait until I finish the side quests before negotiating. Monsters can't just kill people randomly." "
..." Case solved. Yu Xinghe said Song Yan was often injured in dungeons; so that's how it happened.
"Hard work pays off. Just a few days ago, I finally caught a weak monster." Song Yan said, "I have to thank Tu Bianxi for that."
"Hmm?"
"Tu Bianxi died in the test dungeon, releasing a lot of monsters."
Wen Shi immediately knew what he was referring to. Tu Bianxi had a bracelet made of beads the size of fingernails, each representing a human head.
This bracelet could create a [ghost wall] effect and had even trapped him in the Great Factory. Now that Tu Bianxi was dead and the items were recycled, the souls in the bracelet couldn't be recycled again, so the ghosts inside were released.
"These souls, once separated from their host, become extremely weak and will inevitably dissipate in the long run." Song Yan smiled shyly, "So it was easy to reach an agreement."
There were band-aids in the billiard room, and Wen Shi handed him one. "And what happened to the wound on your forehead?"
There was an unhealed scar there. The virtual world couldn't release ghosts, and players wouldn't create such flesh wounds if they intentionally hurt others.
"He was scratched by a male ghost before the teleportation started; his abilities are rather unique," Song Yan sighed. "I tried to reason with him, telling him I'd give him a home and that I wouldn't exploit or abuse him like Tu Bianxi did."
"And then?"
Song Yan asked, sounding aggrieved. "That's what I did, but to complete the Mirror Maze plan, I need to give every monster a home."
"!!"
Yu Xingzhou looked at Wen Shi and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You taught me so well."
So beautifully done.
Wen Shi: "..."
What does this have to do with him? He'd never taught him any of this.
The Mirror Maze is currently only in its embryonic form; Song Yan can't accommodate many ghosts, and his own abilities need improvement.
But the basic framework is in place, and it can be used as a low-level dungeon for beginners.
Once Song Yan truly becomes the core of the Kingdom theme, it's equivalent to the heart of the Kingdom being in Wen Shi's hands. Even if Song Yan has unconditional personal worship for Wen Shi, the game wouldn't destroy the core dungeon.
Song Yan's voice was chilling: "One day, I will become powerful enough to imprison my true self here."
Imprisoned in the mirror maze, becoming a part of myself.
The air seemed to fall silent for a moment.
Yu Xingzhou broke the silence: "Such a good idea, why not try it out beforehand?"
This time, it was Song Yan's turn to be confused.
"Put it in the 'Terror Society' dungeon," Yu Xingzhou said calmly, "and run it as one of the chapters first. After all, the foundation needs to be laid well, so that any problems can be discovered in advance. There are a lot of test dungeons available right now."
Song Yan opened his mouth, but this wasn't something he could decide.
However, Song Yan quickly realized that the other party wasn't talking to him.
The leaders of the top ten guilds had the right to send emails to the game administrators and were also required to write annual guild reports.
Of course, other players didn't know this.
As Yu Xingzhou spoke, he was already sending messages, casually adding, "Too many players entering a dungeon of this level is definitely not good. It's most suitable for new players, like Wei Yue."
Wen Shi was taken aback.
Yu Xingzhou: "The medium you asked me to deliver last time has reached her. Judging by the timeline, she should be pulled into the game by now."
"...A couple united in heart, hoping the game that promotes truth, goodness, and beauty will allow her to go to the orphanage and bring her missing husband back," Yu Xingzhou said casually. "A couple taking the test together, that's truly a test of humanity." Wen Shi gasped. When
it comes to retaliation, you have to look to the big shots. The test didn't receive an immediate response. A week later, Song Yan suddenly told Wen Shi that he had received news that he could take the test. Before more details could be revealed, he was forcibly absorbed into the "Terrifying Society" instance. Wen Shi only had [coordinates] in the Kingdom and Frank Hospital, which he could freely enter and exit; he couldn't do that in other instances. "What a waste!" He also wanted to watch the live stream. "Just once." Wen Shi tried to communicate with the game. "...Creativity fee! It would be so much better to have a host host the instance's concept; you'd only have to talk to them later." The game wouldn't give someone a special privilege and ignored his request. Wen Shi's eyes darted around. "The city lords of Golden City are all from the sanatorium. As their superior, I'm unilaterally requesting an inspection." This suggestion wasn't unreasonable. Because the beauty serum was selling like hotcakes, Jian Qingrong was currently setting up a large branch factory in Golden City. The mechanical voice was quite indifferent: "You can't leave the city." "Mm-hmm." The game would grant Wen Shi some leniency within reasonable and compliant limits.
The final key for the wandering corpse hadn't been obtained yet, meaning Wen Shi was essentially working for the kingdom's construction for free. Capitalists are generally more lenient with high-value labor.
This teleportation process wasn't too unpleasant.
When Wen Shi opened his eyes, he was already in the virtual world, precisely placed in the city lord's residence.
The courtyard was arranged exactly the same as when he last visited. Wen Shi touched the pendant on his chest; Jian Qingrong should soon sense his presence and come looking for him.
Without waiting, he first took out a petal from his backpack. Last time he played the petal divination method, he had kept the last petal that had yielded the answer he wanted.
Holding the petal in his hands, Wen Shi lowered his head slightly: "Most beautiful and intelligent Boss Mei in the world, could you invite me to watch a grand show?"
He was half-sure that Boss Mei would come out to see him.
The matter of the experimental field shouldn't be hidden from her; the game's focus on other matters was also a good thing for Boss Mei.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafted on the wind. Wen Shi, who was in a prayerful posture, lifted his eyelids, and a dazzling red caught his eye.
Wen Shi opened his eyes wide, and Boss Mei was sitting on a crooked branch in the courtyard, smiling broadly: "Why don't you go find the True Spirit? Frank worships two great gods."
She seemed to know everything, including why Wen Shi had come to her.
Wen Shi chuckled awkwardly.
Unless he was crazy. Song Yan created the mirror instance to achieve the goal of overthrowing the superior, and asking the True Spirit to help him demonstrate it was too provocative.
Wen Shi looked over with expectant cat-like eyes: "I want to see what's going on in the test instance."
Song Yan had come to "The Horrible Events Society" before him, and Wei Yue might already be in the instance by now.
"Then you'll probably be a little disappointed." Boss Mei took out a miniature version of the money scales, fulfilling his wish: "Money paves the way."
Then she gently shook the plum blossom branch, and a water curtain appeared.
The image focused a few seconds later, and the figures of Wei Yue and Pei Hongxin appeared.
Pei Hongxin remained childlike, and unless he could completely escape the Horror Society, he would forever retain his character.
"The game actually made Wei Yue adopt him," Wen Shi murmured. "
This time it was my arrangement," Boss Mei said with a smile. "Don't forget who the editor-in-chief of the Horror Society is."
The big boss who roams around is You Fushang, but the editor-in-chief is Mei Naozi.
In the water curtain, the two were being chased by a demon in a mirror. Just as they were about to reach the maze's exit, Wei Yue was suddenly bewitched by the mirror and tripped.
"Help me!" she cried out in panic.
Seeing the monster about to catch up, Pei Hongxin, who had already run ahead, cut his palm, smeared the blood and flesh onto his clothes, and threw it behind him.
Weak demons are attracted to blood first, and Pei Hongxin seized the opportunity to use his remaining points to exchange for a concealing item, pulling Wei Yue out.
Wen Shi didn't show the disappointment Boss Mei had predicted; Pei Hongxin's feelings for Wei Yue were undeniable.
Wei Yue's health was poor, and she was unable to have children. When Pei Hongxin's father was seriously ill, she resorted to moral blackmail, kneeling on the ground and begging Pei Hongxin to leave him an heir. Pei Hongxin verbally agreed,
but after the funeral, he immediately took Wei Yue to adopt her. Although their feelings were genuine, Wen Shi had already foreseen the outcome based on Pei Hongxin's personality: "They won't be able to escape this dungeon."
They might not even reach the final level.
Emerging from the mirror maze, the second room resembled an interrogation room.
There were still many mirrors around; the second level was the mirror examiner.
Song Yan, transformed into a philosophical mirror, hovered in mid-air. Anyone staring at this mirror would unconsciously question their existence.
However, Song Yan didn't deliberately incite their dark desires. Instead, based on the test player data provided by the game, he offered a green channel: "If both parties agree, one person can leave directly."
Blood-red words continuously appeared on the mirror's surface.
"It is recommended that the woman leave; the man's passage is meaningless."
Wei Yue was startled. What did he mean by meaningless?
Although Pei Hongxin was equally terrified, he didn't show it. He wouldn't believe a single monster in the dungeon.
"A large part of your soul has been sold to the demon."
"The demon likes your adopted son."
After reviewing their information, Song Yan had no intention of letting these two leave alive.
He understood human nature well; after spending so much time in the orphanage, Pei Hongxin's psyche was already on the verge of collapse. He only needed to find a crack to exploit, completely shattering the other's spirit.
"The demon is forever loyal to its deal."
Cruel words in blood continued to appear.
"To prevent your adopted son from causing trouble, he will wait at the dungeon exit and take you back to the orphanage."
Regardless of who adopted you, according to the agreement, the demon would always return you.
Pei Hongxin had been tricked by the demon time and again, and now he finally understood why.
This wasn't a matter of belief anymore. He had been through a dungeon before and understood the power of rules. From any perspective, the demon who took your soul was obligated to keep its promise. His
once handsome and refined face began to contort. Pei Hongxin clenched his fists tightly, knowing he would be sent back to that dark and hopeless place.
The mirror admired his despairing expression from every angle, simultaneously exercising its dominance over the instance.
[Please choose the green channel within ten seconds; otherwise, your choice will be invalid.]
[10s, 9s…]
Pei Hongxin's expression was inscrutable, as if shrouded in gloom. "You go first."
He had a few things to say, and made Wei Yue bend down.
Over the years, under Pei Hongxin's deliberate indulgence, Wei Yue had completely depended on this man for survival. Faced with this calamity, she had utterly lost her backbone: "I… I'll go out and hire someone to come in and save you…"
"Okay." Pei Hongxin responded softly, his arm encircling her slender neck, his eyes closed, and he twisted her neck forcefully.
With a crisp "crack," Wei Yue's fingers trembled, her eyes widened, and her expression was forever frozen in disbelief.
Living with a bunch of ghost children, his incomplete soul corrupted by yin energy, Pei Hongxin had almost become half-human, half-ghost himself, now possessing strength greater than an adult. Facing the unsuspecting Wei Yue, he easily snapped her neck.
"Pfft—" A mouthful of blood spurted out.
Players killing each other comes at a price, and this should have been stopped the moment he made the move.
However, Song Yan made no attempt to stop him.
Neither did the game.
Pei Hongxin and Tu Bianxi were in different situations. When Tu Bianxi was taken to Frank Hospital, at least his soul was intact. Pei Hongxin's soul was mostly possessed by the demon; he was now only half a player.
In this situation, whether to stop it depends entirely on the will of the dungeon master.
At this moment, Pei Hongxin's health points were constantly dropping, and he had no way to heal.
His status as a half-player was also an advantage; when killing other players, he would at most be seriously injured, not die. However, Pei Hongxin clearly did not want to struggle anymore, dragging Wei Yue's corpse back to the mirror maze.
Song Yan's earlier revelation of the demon's sinister intentions was the real fatal blow to him.
Watching this scene, Boss Mei's eyebrows twitched, and he said it was boring.
He had originally thought there would be some different plot developments, but in the end, it was still about killing each other.
Wen Shi sneered: "Pei Hongxin treats Wei Yue as his personal possession, believing that Wei Yue will die by my hand sooner or later. Rather than that, I might as well die with him now."
This person has always been like this, loving in a cold and extreme way.
Boss Mei lightly snapped his fingers, and the elegant fragrance of plum blossoms drifted along the long path opened by the coins to another dimension.
Pei Hongxin, still in the dungeon, paused, followed the fragrance and looked up, and through a void, he could vaguely see Wen Shi.
He shuddered, and before he could even process what had happened, he exploded in a flash.
Pei Hongxin roared upwards, "Are you satisfied now?What have you gained this time?!" Wen Shi remained silent
.
"Back then, I was heavily in debt. If I hadn't done this, how could I have gained public sympathy, how could I have evaded the debt collectors?" Pei Hongxin sneered. "Growing up in that environment, how good would your fate have been?" "
...I went to a temple to offer incense before, and the master there examined you and said you were a cursed lone star. Your mother and I didn't take it seriously at the time, but later I realized that my bankruptcy was all your fault."
Wen Shi was unmoved. Pei Hongxin's bankruptcy stemmed from the impact of holographic online games; he wasn't powerful enough to cause an industry to decline, much less powerful enough to drive someone down the path of murder.
"How stupid." Boss Mei languidly pinched a flower bud with his fingernails. "The Lone Star's fate only harms himself, and he got it backwards."
Wen Shi hadn't paid any attention to it, but upon hearing this, he asked, "What's backwards?"
Boss Mei smiled and said, "Everything goes wrong, he meets only bad people, and he's the bad one."
Unfortunately, Pei Hongxin didn't hear their conversation at all. He attributed all the misfortune to Wen Shi and let out a maniacal laugh—
"That child died in the fire long ago. The one who survived is just a demon like me…"
The ground was crimson, and Pei Hongxin was still vomiting blood, as if he had vomited all the blood in his body.
The monsters in the mirror maze were devouring the blood of the living.
"Demon…" Pei Hongxin collapsed weakly against the mirror, completely lifeless.
Not far away, Wei Yue's beautiful eyes were already lifeless, her neck twisted to one side, as if she was staring at Pei Hongxin, radiating a silent question.
Until their deaths, neither of them knew that before the fire, the young child, thinking he had been attacked by vicious people, was still desperately trying to buy them time when he was drugged.
Wen Shi gazed silently at the water curtain for a long time, then sighed softly.
Some things were indeed different from what he had imagined. He never thought that thoroughly settling old scores would bring any sense of loss, even considering it pretentious. But now, he truly felt little joy.
Under the moonlight, Boss Mei shook off the petals on his body and suddenly asked, "Haven't you noticed anything different in this yard?"
Wen Shi snapped out of his reverie and subconsciously looked around, confirming that everything was the same as before.
"There are many more seeds in the ground." Boss Mei stretched out a plum blossom branch and casually swept it around, forcibly ripening the newly sprouted seeds, and various varieties of sunflowers bloomed in the yard.
Beneath their vibrant appearance, the flowers themselves exuded a faint fragrance, unique yet difficult to notice.
Only one person knew how to grow sunflowers.
As if sensing something, Wen Shi looked up. Jian Qingrong was standing there at some point. He looked at Boss Mei: "I don't like others forcing my flowers to ripen."
He had deliberately planted these seeds not long ago, intending to surprise Wen Shi in a while.
"However..."
Boss Mei smiled but remained silent for a moment before asking, "However, what?"
The night breeze stirred the sunflowers, making them sway gently, and the full moon shone brightly in the sky. The melancholy in Wen Shi's heart also vanished with the wind.
"However, it's just right for them to bloom tonight." Jian Qingrong seemed to be answering Boss Mei's question, but her gaze remained fixed on Wen Shi as she slowly said, "Flowers in full bloom, the moon perfectly round, just the right time."
This time, she was sure to meet the right person.