Chapter 16

The situation in the Qingming Hall was at a standstill.

West Feather already had an accurate answer about everyone's identities, so without waiting for Sun Xiuya to return, he immediately helped Luo Xi up and, pretending to be calm, said, “He’s badly hurt, I’ll take him to the room to rest for a while.”

[Wu Zhi deliberately deceives, he is with the White side.]

[Wu Zhi says West Feather is a Black side warrior, but West Feather is also with the White side.]

[Wu Zhi wrongly accuses Luo Xi of being the White General, but Luo Xi is most likely just cannon fodder for the Black side.]

The above were the wild guesses of the brash Tong Leshan. Since the game began, he had been passive for so long, and now that he had finally seized an opportunity, how could he let it go?

Hearing this, the guy sneered and said, “You want to escape? It’s not going to be that easy.”

West Feather, knowing that he had been implicated by Wu Zhi and his identity had been exposed by Tong Leshan, gradually loosened his grip on Luo Xi and lowered his head. “Forget it, you all go. I have something to discuss with him.”

Tang Yanyan, who had been nervously hiding in the corner, immediately grabbed the still panicked Fang Hao and rushed out of the tense Qingming Hall.

Luo Xi clicked his tongue. “I wasn’t planning to get involved, but seeing how much West Feather cares about me, I can’t just sit back and watch.”

“He’s the White General! Kill him and everything will be over!” Tong Leshan immediately shouted out his reasoning and then looked at Luo Xi with contempt, questioning him, “Or are you actually a White warrior, trying to protect this pretty boy?”

Luo Xi blinked and looked at West Feather, asking, “Is that true?”

West Feather hesitated to speak.

Tong Leshan, excited, clenched his fists. “It’s definitely true! The White General can’t hurt anyone, and no one can hurt him. West Feather fits this perfectly, and he’s always playing the good guy to win everyone over. That nonsense-spouting Wu Zhi is definitely his follower from the White side! Too bad, though, the poor acting was obvious to me from the start. Sorry, but the game ends today!”

Luo Xi finally understood. “So that’s how it is…”

Then he looked at West Feather, stepped back to maintain distance, and said, “Then I can’t help you. We can’t collaborate if our paths are different, after all, I also want to leave this world.”

West Feather: “…”

Luo Xi smirked. “But since you’re so good-looking, I’ll collect your body for you.”

West Feather loudly complained, “Just don’t dig me up from the grave, that’s good enough!”

“Stop babbling! If you dare help him, be ready to accompany him to the grave!” Tong Leshan said, his momentum growing. He suddenly raised his hand, and at once, the mysterious black snake appeared outside the window, its crimson eyes surveying the weak humans inside.Luo Xi sighed. “It feels great to ride on someone’s coattails and win, but if West Feather is the White General, your snake won’t be able to kill him, right? Or did you get your hands on a demon sword?”

This might be a trick. The Black Prince’s active skill had never been found, and how powerful the snake was, players could only guess. However, in the rules, the safety of General players was absolutely protected. Now that the Black General had an active skill as a trump card, it was unlikely that the Black Prince would be given any more privileges.

Moreover, Tong Leshan had already taken action against his classmates on the morning of the first day, showing his reckless personality. If the snake could really kill a general, this guy should have already stopped caring long ago.

West Feather carefully listened to their conversation.

“You don’t need a demon sword, there are other ways,” Tong Leshan sneered. “I’ll see if West Feather is the White General. If not him, then it must be Wu Zhi, that liar!”

“Completely incomprehensible, but it sounds impressive,” Luo Xi said, looking at him with an admiring expression and nodding. “Well, I won’t cause any trouble for you here, I wish you a good start.”

After saying this, he forcefully pried West Feather’s hand off and immediately covered his injured area, stumbling away.

Hey…

It was impossible not to be afraid when facing the snake alone. West Feather had a strong urge to call out to Luo Xi, but he also knew that protecting that actor was more important, so he first picked up the kitchen knife discarded by Fang Hao to prepare for self-defense.

In the meantime, Luo Xi, who was covered in fresh blood, disappeared like the wind.

West Feather frowned and looked around. The woman disguised as a Huasheng had left at some point, and now only he and Tong Leshan remained.

Tong Leshan first frowned at the gleaming kitchen knife, then quickly approached West Feather, sneering. “What are you picking up a weapon for? Can you harm me? If you can prove you’re not the White General, I’ll let you off.”

Within a few seconds, the giant snake had already broken through the window and slithered inside, circling West Feather like it was observing prey, its eyes locked on him.

Though defeating Tong Leshan wasn’t impossible, the guy was protected by a snake, and his wild behavior seemed justified.

West Feather’s fair face beaded with sweat, and he whispered, “This snake isn’t invincible.”

Tong Leshan couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Fine, then play with it!”

After speaking, he immediately took a few steps back and, it seemed, gave the giant snake an order. The snake immediately raised its body and lunged at West Feather!

West Feather vividly recalled the tragic state after He Yingqi’s death. Calmly, he retreated to avoid the attack, and as the snake missed, he quickly jumped onto a table, even scrambling onto the beam with incredible speed, running over Tong Leshan’s head.

This inhuman agility unsettled Tong Leshan, and he angrily clenched his fist, shouting, “Kill him! Kill him! A mere human can still run under the eyes of the guardian beast?!”

Encouraged by his command, the giant snake immediately coiled around the beam, snapping its mouth open and shut several times, aiming for West Feather.Luckily, West Feather showed amazing speed under the threat of death, dodging all of the attacks.

Tong Leshan raised his hand to shield himself from the falling dust and wood chips, a look of delight slowly emerging in his eyes.

In the midst of the chaos, Sun Xiuyan, who had just gone to get medicine, ran back and was stunned to see this scene at the door.

West Feather once again circled around the giant snake's fangs, using the table for cover!

Sun Xiuyan trembled and said, "Are you controlling the snake? What are you trying to do...?"

Tong Leshan froze for a moment, then coldly replied, "He’s definitely a White faction player! He’s most likely the White General!"

Sun Xiuyan’s expression fluctuated, and she seemed filled with fear when facing the snake. She slowly backed out of the door.

The giant snake, relentless, kept attacking. West Feather gritted his teeth, planning to hold on for a little longer because he strongly suspected the girl’s identity: as long as the Black General believed he was the White General, she would use her deadly active skill! At that point, the snake would be sacrificed. Though he would lose his life, he would have eliminated the greatest threat to the team!

Unfortunately, in this game, human effort was pitifully insignificant.

After several failed attacks, the giant snake grew furious and suddenly let out a harsh, piercing screech!

West Feather's eardrums were immediately pierced, and his legs went weak, causing him to fall to the floor in a heap.

In the next instant, the giant snake lunged at him, directly biting through his throat!

Blood sprayed everywhere, some even splattering onto Tong Leshan's face.

Tong Leshan, shocked and terrified, took a step back, furrowing his brow. He immediately turned and, with Sun Xiuyan, quickly slipped away.

Inside the bloodstained Qingming Hall, only the sounds of the giant snake tearing at the body remained, sending a chill down one's spine.

Outside the window, Tang Yanyan and Fang Hao, witnessing the brutal scene, exchanged a glance. Both had an expression of reluctance.

The conflict was laid bare, and half of the players in the corridor outside the bedroom were already gone.

Sun Xiuyan hurried ahead, suddenly stopping, turning around with a fierce expression. "You idiot! What the hell are you doing? Now West Feather's identity is unclear, and the chance to drive away the snake is wasted!"

Tong Leshan swallowed nervously and defended himself, "He’s really dead... Then, the White General must be that Wu Zhi guy. Wu Zhi hasn't hurt anyone, and no one has hurt him—"

"Shut up!" Sun Xiuyan glared at him angrily. "Why didn’t you wait for my orders? Where are the others?"Tong Leshan couldn’t come up with an answer.

As the two of them were in a standoff, Sun Xiuyan suddenly had a bad feeling and immediately motioned for Tong Leshan to go back: "Destroy West Feather’s body, his combat ability is too strong. It will be troublesome if he gets resurrected."

Tong Leshan asked, "Will destroying the body help?"

Sun Xiuyan tried to stay patient: "We’ll try."

Unfortunately, by the time they returned to Qingming Hall, it was already too late.

The food on the table was gone, and so was the body.

Apart from the deep and shallow bloodstains on the floor, there was nothing else of concern.

"It looks like the White General saved West Feather. This is good news; his abilities have finally balanced with mine," Sun Xiuyan calmed herself down, discarded the bandages and medicine, and held her rotting arm. "Let’s go, grab that Wu Zhi guy, and call Tang Yanyan to gather."

Tong Leshan asked, "Is Tang Yanyan on the Black faction?"

Sun Xiuyan sneered: "She and Zhu Ge were chased by the Warrior's Ghosts. I saw it with my own eyes. To save her own life, she pushed Zhu Ge to the Ghosts."

Outside the window, Fang Hao trembled, unable to believe what he was seeing as he looked at Tang Yanyan.

Inside, the two continued speaking urgently.

"That Huasheng is also Black faction..." Tong Leshan counted the numbers on his fingers, frowning. "Why do I feel like West Feather and Luo Xi set me up?"

Sun Xiuyan took a deep breath: "I don’t want to argue with you. From now on, don’t act on your own."

Tong Leshan, seeing her about to leave, nervously stopped her: "I can’t see the sun, I can’t help you."

"It’s raining so hard outside, where’s the sun?!" Sun Xiuyan frowned. "If they find the Demon Sword, I’m dead, and you won’t have a good end either."

Tong Leshan had no rebuttal.

Sun Xiuyan led the way, charging into the rain.

Fang Hao slowly collapsed against the wooden house, trembling, and said, "They’re looking for you... Why aren’t you going?"

Tang Yanyan looked at the pieces of West Feather’s broken body that had been moved out in front of them, then knelt on the wooden platform: "I... I’ve always suspected that Xiaoya wasn’t simple, but I didn’t want to be forced into killing someone..."Fang Hao: "Aren’t you the one who killed Zhu Ge?"

Tang Yanyan: "......"

At this moment, eerie cat meows and the hissing of snakes could be heard from the grass.

Though the General’s residence usually felt like a haunted house, the two of them were now even more frightened and confused than before.

Tang Yanyan swallowed: "Let’s leave here first and find a safe place to hide."

Fang Hao looked at the remains of West Feather, his heart heavy with regret.

Tang Yanyan grabbed him: "There’s no time to bury him! I suspect they’ll start fighting again soon!"

The courtyard had been washed by the red rain into a world soaked in blood. Wu Zhi hurriedly ran through the garden path. Hearing faint footsteps ahead, he immediately darted into the rockery to hide.

Although he couldn’t handle everything, he was far from being a heartless jerk, and didn’t want to only protect himself.

At this moment, he was heading towards Qingming Hall, mostly concerned about West Feather’s aftermath.

The ones approaching in the heavy rain were Tang Yanyan and Fang Hao. They were still panicked and hadn’t noticed Wu Zhi’s hiding place.

Tang Yanyan lowered her voice: "It seems that my teacher and I really aren’t on the same team..."

Fang Hao remained silent.

Tang Yanyan gripped her skirt: "Do you think I’m bad? That I caused Zhu Ge’s death..."

Fang Hao still didn’t know what to say.

Tang Yanyan raised her large eyes, her voice trembling as she asked: "But Teacher Fang, aren’t you guilt-free? You’ve always been the type to avoid trouble, but why did you have to get involved in that tea incident last night? Who poisoned Ren Bo?"

"It wasn’t me." Fang Hao immediately denied, then insisted, repeating: "It wasn’t me."

Tang Yanyan turned her head: "And just now, you weren’t exactly innocent either."

"It wasn’t me, that was—" Fang Hao quickly tried to explain, but stopped himself.

Tang Yanyan looked up, her youthful, innocent face filled with uncertainty: "Teacher, what’s your identity in the White faction?"Fang Hao didn’t answer.

Tang Yanyan hunched her shoulders: "I’m not trying to force you with this question. I know you’re essentially a kind person... So, I want to say, we’ve been protecting each other. Why don’t we take the chance to betray and join forces at night? Just one more day of muddling through, let’s see who has the better chance, and tomorrow we’ll hide with the stronger side!"

Fang Hao: "But, but betraying would disrupt the balance. There was no balance yesterday and the day before, which shows that besides the unequal numbers, another trigger condition for the balance event is betrayal."

Tang Yanyan said excitedly: "That’s still better than waiting to die! If we don’t have the ability and can’t do anything about others, sticking together is the only way out!"

Fang Hao remained silent, unwilling to be open with her.

Tang Yanyan didn’t say anything more, just lowered her head in disappointment and walked alone into the blood-red rain mist.

Wu Zhi, crouching in the gap of the rockery, clicked his tongue. With his experience and intelligence, he didn’t know how to comment on this situation, only feeling that the complex situation was becoming even more tangled.

On the barren mountain, the blood mist was hazy.

Luo Xi dug a deep pit with his bare hands and finally felt the coffin in the muddy water.

He rarely showed a joyful expression, and just as he was about to touch it, Huasheng’s voice suddenly sounded behind him: "What are you doing?"

Luo Xi turned around and saw Huasheng with dark, bruised eyes, looking like a vengeful ghost. He couldn’t help but smile more clearly: "I’m just cleaning the room for you, dear lady."

Huasheng’s expression became subtle.

"Stop acting. The Oscar’s all yours." Luo Xi clapped his hands: "Didn’t you tell Young Master Bai yesterday that you couldn’t deal with that snake? So after injuring Black General on the first night, you never had the chance, because Black Warrior used the snake’s attack on you?"

Huasheng’s lips curved into an unhappy arc.

Luo Xi comforted: "I know you hate him, so thanks for your help. We’ll definitely win this game, and you don’t need to stir up trouble here anymore."

Sure enough, once her identity was exposed, the lady stopped pretending. Huasheng’s entire body looked as if it had been pulled out of a blood lake. A shadow shot out from his body, and as his body collapsed, the shadow in the red water returned to its terrifying form. He muttered: "I don’t just hate him."

Luo Xi blinked innocently.

The lady’s eyes had no pupils, and of course, there was no sadness in them. Her voice was full of resentment: "The pain of being betrayed and not trusted by the one you love is far greater than any scheme."

Luo Xi still smiled, and mercilessly opened her coffin.

The lady floated backward, her voice shrill as she screamed: "I hope you all die here with me!"Luo Xi calmly watched as the ghostly figure dissipated, then looked towards the depths of the coffin.

At this moment, the entire General's Manor was filled with a serious and loud announcement.

【The Demon Sword item has been unlocked by the White Side, entering the Chaos Moment, where there is no distinction between night and day. Please decide the winner as soon as possible.】

Luo Xi picked up the item from the coffin, raised an eyebrow, and muttered to himself: "Finally, it's over. Little streamer, let's go kill them."

Just then, two more unexpected announcements came.

【In the Chaos Moment, players' daily skill usage is reset.】

【In the Chaos Moment, the Black Side has one player defecting.】

Luo Xi was rarely surprised. After quickly analyzing the situation, he couldn’t help but curse: "Damn it, are these useless idiots spies sent by the audience?"