APP: Chapter 169

The person guarded by the hermit died and the room no longer adhered to the obligation to resist outsiders. The stone door opened directly to the people outside. The nauseating smell of blood was smelt.

The actors who were still alive in the instance immediately saw Xie Chi’s body on the ground in the center of the secret room. He had rare good looks. His hair was black and soft while his face was clear and pale. If the terrible bloody hole in his body was ignored, it would look like he had just fallen asleep. The red arrow stuck in his abdomen reminded everyone that he would never wake up again.

He had fallen in a pool of blood and the blood under him formed a shocking pattern, unknown and gloomy. Everything was announcing his death.

Jiang Shuo sent Gu Yu a look. Gu Yu understood. He bent down and tested Xie Chi’s breathing and pulse. Then he raised his head and shook it at Jiang Shuo. Xie Chi was really dead.

Jiang Shuo’s eyes became cruel and the corners of his lips rose slightly in a smile. This was the end for those who went against him. It was the same for both Shen Yi and Xie Chi. They made a fool of themselves.

They didn’t understand his great ideals. They only confined their vision to the present in a short-sighted and stupid manner. So what if they had the demigod genes? Whether it was one or two, both of them died under his hands regardless of the demigod genes.

Jiang Shuo sneered. He especially wanted to ask that old man if he regretted putting the treasure in Shen Yi. If Jiang Shuo was the one who had acquired the demigod genes, he might’ve realized that old thing’s unfinished ideals long ago.

He would do things thousands of times better than Lian Shi. He would make humanity free of illnesses as well as emotions. They would be rational and selfless. He would strip away the ugly genes of humanity and push civilization to a new level.

These people were just stepping stones on his path forward. He didn’t need people to understand. Once he did it, all those who misunderstood and slandered him would feel grateful to him.

Jiang Shuo gently touched his right leg as the ridicule in his ears flooded like a tide. It was accompanied by Lian Shi’s eyes that looked away in a guilty manner and his mother’s fearful and alienated attitude toward him.

She clearly preferred Shen Yi. In those years when he had been stuck in the mud, he had been desperate for someone to come and save him. Yet that old thing who was sitting on everything chose to stand by and watch him struggle in hell, calling for help.

Thus, when he grew up, he could only choose to become that person who would save countless people like him. No one could stop him.

Jiang Shuo’s mood went up and down and his eyes became colder and firmer.

Meanwhile, Gu Yu raised his eyebrow triumphantly and Zheng Luan sighed with relief and joy. Xie Chi was dead. He hadn’t stood on the wrong team and he didn’t have to fear Xie Chi’s hatred and revenge. The most powerful second-tier actor still had a large gap in front of the movie emperor.

Liang Zhen’s eyes filled with even more regret.

Glory had always belonged only to the living. The audience’s forgetfulness was huge. In only 30 years, the grandeur of the demigod had been forgotten in the long river of the movie emperors’ history. Naturally, the dead Xie Chi wouldn’t be remembered.

After all, he was only a second-tier genius who was ended by the movie emperor. He was rare yet disgraceful. He was a flash in the pan at most. He wouldn’t even be able to enter the Ten Temples.

Jiang Shuo’s stain could be cleaned up with time but everything that Xie Chi had done ended with his life. Many amazing things had all turned to dust.

The Blood Demon Sword was like a piece of scrap iron lying alone in the corner. Jiang Shuo walked over and grabbed it strongly despite the sword’s first resistance. He wiped away the blood that was still warm on the sword and threw it to Gu Yu.

“Put it away. Bring it back and then destroy it,” Jiang Shuo ordered coldly in the midst of the sound of the Blood Demon Sword’s struggle.

Gu Yu was a bit stunned before nodding. Last time, it was because he didn’t take it away that Xie Chi could obtain it. The Blood Demon Sword was too strong. It had to be destroyed to prevent it from being used and bringing unnecessary trouble to them. It was just that in the instance, other people’s items couldn’t be placed in his own backpack. Gu Yu could only barely hold it in his hand.

Liang Zhen secretly frowned. It was disgraceful to take the weapon after killing its owner but the right to decide had always belonged to the winner. They couldn’t say anything even if Jiang Shuo vented his anger on Xie Chi’s corpse. The top red item, the Blood Demon Sword changed hands twice but it was also helpless against fate.

She sighed, said goodbye to the people in the room and left first. Not getting involved was the only thing she could do. She didn’t want to do anything that went against her heart but she also didn’t want to offend Jiang Shuo.

Zheng Luan was still complimenting him. Jiang Shuo found it annoying and there was nothing in the room, so he told Gu Yu, “Go and deal with the other two.”

Gu Yu knew he was referring to Ye Xiaoxiao and Ren Ze and immediately responded. Then he saw Jiang Shuo’s furrowed brow and spoke warmly, “Go and do your own thing. I’ll deal with them.”

Jiang Shuo pressed a hand against his temple and nodded impatiently. “Do it quickly.”

The crow which represented the hermit wasn’t in the room. It wasn’t known where it had gone. He was relieved that Xie Chi was dead but it was clear that the plot hadn’t moved forward. Everything was still confusing and irritating. He always felt that there was something wrong.

Gu Yu walked out, eyes slightly turning as he made his own calculations in his heart.

They couldn’t catch Xie Chi alive to learn any useful information from him but it wasn’t difficult to catch Ren Ze and Ye Xiaoxiao alive. Xie Chi was good to the two of them. Based on the way they were acting previously, Ren Ze and Ye Xiaoxiao definitely knew a lot of key clues. He just had to question them and he would know everything.

JIang Shuo couldn’t be bothered doing such a thing but Gu Yu was happy to do so.

The actors dispersed with different hearts. Only Xie Chi was left in the room to indifferently watch Jiang Shuo leave.

***

[Fu*k, I was really scared to death. Xie Chi stood opposite Jiang Shuo the whole time but Jiang Shuo couldn’t see him. This is really… ah, I can’t find the adjective.]

[The movie emperor must be really proud now hahaha. Why do I feel so happy? Is it because I’ve been watching his stupidity the whole time?]

[Jiang Shuo accumulated his shocking move for 10 minutes only to whip a corpse hahaha. I’m looking forward to the scene where he knows the truth at the end of the movie.]

[No, there is no need to be so mean right? Do Xie Chi fans like fantasizing so much? Xie Chi is out of his body and is just temporarily safe. It isn’t that he has won and found a way to end this movie. Can I trouble you to figure out the difference between the two?]

[Yes, didn’t you see it? His app said he is no longer affiliated as an actor in his current state. Surely everyone knows what this means? If he can’t find a way to leave his current state before the instance ends, he will only meet a dead end, okay?]

[So the movie emperor didn’t lose. Xie Chi just found a way to save his life temporarily. Don’t be complacent. It looks really stupid. People who don’t know anything would think this is a green movie. Please come up with the quality that matches a red movie, thank you.]

[In addition, this is only the fourth day. Everything is possible. I will give you friendly advice. Don’t talk too much or it will hurt when your face is slapped. I will declare again, the movie emperor hasn’t lost yet. This is a fact.]

[Your family is truly polite and high-class. If he falls behind then you say that the other side just got lucky. ‘Xie Chi will meet a dead end.’ You are talking as if your family has found a way to live and leave the instance. Hehe, let’s see who is dead and who is nobler. Shameless.]

[He is more noble than your family’s Xie Chi. Otherwise, why is your family just a corpse? The Blood Demon Sword was even taken away. Revenge for Shen Yi? How funny.]

[Why didn’t I see you when the movie emperor was vomiting up blood due to a small second-tier? Trash, don’t show up now.]

[Don’t argue okay? Is it so hard to watch a movie well?]

***

Xie Chi heard the bell indicating the fourth night. Bleak moonlight shone into the room from outside the window. Unsurprisingly, the fourth night was the dangerous moon. More than half of the game time had passed. As time went by, the instance would become more and more dangerous.

The hermit’s body was almost transparent. He knew he was about to dissipate. He had seen everything that happened just now and his mood was indescribable as he watched Xie Chi. He sighed and solemnly said, “You have gone further than all of us. This step has never been reached by any player. Unfortunately, I can’t help you. Everything that follows is a blank for me. I can’t do anything. Even if I want to, I have no more time.”

“Make a long story short,” Xie Chi coldly urged. He had more important things to do.

He was so cold that he was almost inhuman. He didn’t seem to be affected by emotions when making judgments. The hermit admired it even more in his heart and sped up his words. “Did you find me based on the symbol I left behind?”

Xie Chi was startled. “What symbol?”

The hermit was also stunned. “I pecked ten numbers in the witch’s closet with my mouth and circled the ninth number to suggest the Hermit card.”

Xie Chi answered truthfully. “I didn’t know. I guessed it.”

The hermit felt consternation. He thought Xie Chi had seen the symbol he left. He hadn’t expected the truth to be like this. Xie Chi didn’t get an obvious clue yet still found him.

The hermit smiled bitterly. He once again realized that Xie Chi finding him had nothing to do with him. He smiled with relief and hidden guilt. “I take back all the doubts I had before. I think you can end this game. I will wait until that moment arrives.”

Xie Chi hummed in agreement and didn’t take it to heart. “Thank you.”

He deserved everything he earned and didn’t need to be grateful to others.

The hermit turned into firefly-like dots of light that instantly dispersed. Then the room returned to darkness. Xie Chi wasn’t afraid and walked straight back to his body.

Death to living again had solved his urgent need. In this state, no actor could see him as long as he was unwilling. It was because he was no longer affiliated with an actor or living people. Not only were the actors unable to see him but the app specifically stated that as long as he didn’t make any large movements, the witch, servants and crows couldn’t perceive his presence.

He was truly dead.

He no longer had an identity card. In the game, the actor represented by the Magician card died in the correct death order. His death progressed the witch’s game even further and according to the hermit’s words, the witch’s power would be strengthened.

In the order of death, it was now the High Priestess, Ye Xiaoxiao’s turn. Everything was proceeding step by step. He was really alive again. He was given a new lease on life as suggested by the Wheel of Fortune.

However, a new crisis was born with this new life because life was a cycle. After being reborn, people would inevitably fall into a near-death situation again. The Wheel of Fortune would once again spin from death to life, from life to death.

Life and death, death and life. Never resting and never stopping was perhaps the true meaning of life. For the next three nights, he would probably act alone. After three nights, if he couldn’t find a way to regain his identity as an actor then he would be left in this movie going forward.

Now there was a clear way to live in front of him.

Xie Chi stood up in the darkness. He leaned against the wall and tilted his head slightly, the light in his eyes flickering. The moment he recovered from death, something repeated a spell in his ear.

“The tarot reincarnation method, only the living dead are qualified to be reincarnated…”

“Only the living death…”

“Qualified to be reincarnated…”

At that time, Anubis had smiled at him in a friendly manner, eyes gentle and pious. However, Xie Chi couldn’t understand a word of what he chanted. On the contrary, it was the words spoken by an unknown creature in his ears that clearly went deep into his soul.

He suspected that it was the devil who said this to him. He suspected that the devil was bewitching him. Yet on the app, the words immediately appeared, confirming the accuracy of the unknown creature’s words. The meaning of the sentence was easy to understand.

The living dead—a person who lived first and voluntarily went to death. This was his present state. He was a living dead man. The phrase ‘only the living dead are qualified to reincarnate’ could be more appropriately reworded as: only the living dead need to reincarnate.

He wasn’t an actor right now. He needed to reincarnate and become a living person again to regain his identity as an actor. There was no doubt about this.

Meanwhile, the word reincarnation had been used from the beginning to the present for… the witch. So… the witch was also a living dead and needed to be reincarnated through the tarot reincarnation method to live again.

He and the witch were currently in the same state. She was just more advanced than him. In his current state, his strength might be low but he was immortal until the end of the game. Therefore, the witch was immortal. The meaning of this was that it was impossible for an actor to kill the witch during the game.

Still, none of this really mattered. The important thing was… the method of reincarnation. The tarot reincarnation method clearly recorded that sacrifices could seize the power of the witch in the game and become the next tarot witch or wizard.

The road to live was clearly laid out in front of him. In accordance with the death order, use the Devil, Death and Tower cards as well as his own strength to kill the sacrifices. Follow the path that the witch was walking, change his identity and work hard for a successful reincarnation.

Killing more people than the witch and contributing more sacrifices than the witch meant he would be favored by the tarot reincarnation method. In the end, he would steal the opportunity to reincarnate from the witch. He would become the next tarot wizard, live again and regain the identity of an actor.

It wasn’t too late. The witch had only killed two sacrifices, the Fool and the Magician. This left seven. It wasn’t easy for him to kill more than the witch but it definitely wasn’t difficult, much less impossible. In addition, he was no longer an actor. The app would no longer punish him for killing an actor. If he successfully seized the witch’s power and killed Jiang Shuo then his goal was close at hand.

This was a path that had been clearly identified as correct. The app’s language was impeccable and there were no signs of deceiving him at all. Everything was true. It seemed he could be free soon. He could get his brother, fulfill Shen Yi’s wish and leave here.

The phone screen lit up again. Xie Chi lowered his head and read it.

[Do you want to join the reincarnation? Counting down in 10, 9, 8…]

Xie Chi laughed suddenly as he watched the time slipping away. He suppressed his laugh and pressed ‘no’ with a blank face. Then he slipped his phone back into his pocket. Everything was beautiful except that Ye Xiaoxiao was next in the death order. If he chose to be reincarnated, he had to kill Ye Xiaoxiao and Ren Ze with his own hands.

Gu Yu’s words were vaguely heard in his ears. “The strange thing is that when Ren Ze saw me, his first reaction wasn’t to ask the sword to deal with me to buy time for him to escape. Instead, he put the crow on the sword and let the sword take the crow out the window. Then he greeted me and simply sent himself to death…”

He couldn’t do it. Xie Chi had never been a warm person. Whether he felt it or not was one thing. It was another thing if he didn’t repay favors. It wasn’t like he had no other way to go. The tarot reincarnation law clearly recorded that players could escape, destroy the witch or seize the power of the witch.

This was clearly at least three methods. It was just that the last method was close at hand and easily accessible, while the other roads had no clues and the future was uncertain.

“Xiao Chi, do what you want to do. We don’t have to use this method,” Xie Xinglan warmly comforted him.

“I just hope you are happy.”

Xie Chi smiled as he felt Xie Xinglan’s support. It was actually very simple. He could be selfish but he couldn’t be without a conscience. He could be indifferent but he couldn’t be heartless. Ye Xiaoxiao and Ren Ze could be killed by other actors but it couldn’t be him, Xie Chi.

He could only be happy if he had a clear conscience. In addition, he could definitely find another way.

—Because he was Xie Chi.

“Brother, let’s go.”

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Proofreader: Purichan