Deceitful Game

Chapter 147 Sisyphus

Mingper knew this ancient Greek story.

King Sisyphus of Corinth was so arrogant that he deceived the gods, kidnapping Death in his mortal form to prevent death among mortals. However, after Zeus ordered Death to be freed, Sisyphus was punished and imprisoned in the Underworld. He then deceived Hades again, thus escaping safely back to Earth.

But this time, he was caught by the gods again and punished to endlessly push a giant boulder in the underworld until it reached the top of a mountain. However, this was a trap—a steep cliff on which the boulder would roll back down the other side once it reached the top. It was a punishment without end.

This is so similar to the game of deception.

A cunning person who deceived the gods usurped their authority and rewrote the fate that "mortals will eventually die." They tried to escape death, but ultimately failed.

and……

"Kill all the deceivers"—isn't that a Sisyphus-like, futile endeavor?

Even if he can kill one person, or a hundred people... even if he can kill a thousand or ten thousand people, he cannot stop these people from killing more people and creating more charlatans.

Even those who were killed could be resurrected in a new timeline after the world completely collapsed this time by altering history.

If you don't kill them all at once, they will only multiply.

Isn't the myth of Sisyphus also a metaphor for a deceptive game?

"We must imagine Sisyphus as the happy one."

Suddenly, those words slipped out.

Even Mingpo himself was stunned for a moment when he said those words.

He did know that Albert Camus had said those words. But even Mingpo himself wasn't quite sure what they meant. It was as if... someone had repeatedly said those words to Mingpo before.

Thinking about her missing memories, Mingpo suddenly felt a little... unhappy.

Why does he lack so many memories?

What kind of person was I in the past?

The more Mingpo thought about it, the more agitated she became.

Even under the "detective's" suppression, he gradually developed an impulse to kill.

He wanted to crush something, or tear someone apart.

And in a place that Mingpo himself didn't even notice... his azure pupils shimmered with an unsettling, dim yellow light.

"...Hmm."

Suddenly, Mingpo had an idea that might help her sort out her jumbled memories.

Once he made up his mind, the flickering light vanished silently.

He poured himself a glass of wine first.

Because the liquor was very strong, Mingpo only poured a tiny amount, about the size of a bottle cap. The peridot-colored liquid was quite appealing, and from above, one could smell faint aromas of lemon and mint, along with a rather pungent anise scent, and a strange smell that was hard to identify. He tried to lean closer to smell it, and the pungent odor made him feel a little dizzy.

Mingpo couldn't help but frown.

...It smells terrible and doesn't taste good at all.

This stuff tastes even worse than traditional Chinese medicine...

"I remember, something like absinthe needs to be paired with something to drink...?"

He thought for a moment, but couldn't remember.

Anyway, pair it with an iced cola.

So Mingpo went into Ai Shiping's room, grabbed a can of iced cola, and poured it into a wine glass.

The ratio of cola to alcohol should be at least five to one. This ratio should be enough to mask the strange taste.

We can also do an experiment to see if the wine will still work if we add ice or dilute it with water.

Otherwise, if he later gets his hands on strong liquor like vodka... Mingpu really wouldn't be able to drink it without diluting it with water.

Mingpo closed his eyes and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

After drinking it, Mingpo couldn't help but shudder.

The taste was very strange, like cola with a handful of fennel sprouts and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water (a traditional Chinese medicine for heatstroke). I don't know if it was the taste of the absinthe itself or the cola he added.

At that moment, a surge of madness rose from his abdomen and instantly crashed into his brain.

He abruptly opened his eyes, his azure pupils instantly turning a hazy yellow. The power of the "detective" couldn't hold him back for even a second. That cold, rational... even somewhat lethargic and depressed feeling instantly transformed into restlessness.

Like a bookworm in a bad mood, dragged into a bar by his friends. Covering his ears to listen to the deafening music, he could no longer maintain his aloof demeanor.

As the pungent, nauseating smell gradually subsided, he felt the burden in his mind gradually lessen.

"...This feeling is still the most comfortable."

Mingpo covered his forehead and sighed.

I feel refreshed and my mind is clear. It's like I've just taken a shower, and I can feel every pore of my body breathing.

A faint chill lingered on his forehead—the effects of the detective hadn't completely faded. It was like the lingering sensation in your throat after drinking a sip of iced mint water.

With the blessing of the [Silver Crown of the Madman], Mingpo was very confident that he could pass the advancement game.

However, before that...

Mingpo took out a piece of Time Red Copper.

He needs to confirm something.

Those hazy memories in my mind can only be suddenly recalled under special circumstances—such as when I encounter a corresponding event. Other memories are simply swallowed up and cannot be recalled no matter how hard I try.

It's like a forgotten elementary school classmate.

Some people can't remember the other person's name, and some can't remember what the other person looks like. But there are also some who don't even remember that the other person ever existed in the class.

For some reason, Mingpo subconsciously restrained herself from using the "time chip".

Now that he has realized this, even this "restraint" has become part of his "rebellion".

He truly didn't know when he died, so he couldn't go back to exactly before his death.

but……

He doesn't have to go back to that point in time entirely.

In Mingpo's memory, she died in 2023.

However, when Mingbo changed Ai Shiping's cause of death, the time in this world suddenly changed to 2026.

So, he only needs to try to go back to some point between 23 and 26 years ago.

If he had already died unjustly during that time, the bargaining chip would fail because he was already dead; conversely, if he was still alive, he could go back directly.

He doesn't need to change anything; he just needs to confirm that he "can go back"! As long as he returns immediately after landing, nothing in the past will change, and it won't affect his becoming a deceiver or causing Ai Shiping and Gao Fan to disappear inexplicably.

Given enough chips, Mingpo can use the dichotomy method to determine his correct time of death!

Then, go straight back to before you died!

That way, Mingpo will be able to figure out exactly what happened!

Mingpo was tired of being pushed around aimlessly anymore, and he didn't want to hear all sorts of riddle tellers coming to him with riddles. He'd had enough.

He always felt like he had become someone else's pawn.

At this moment, he must step out of the chessboard...

They even overturned the chessboard.

"Let's begin the test then."

Mingbo raised his chip and stared at it.

His pupils shone with a dazzling, dim yellow light.

He solemnly declared: "[Let me return to January 1, 2026, at noon]."

As Mingpo spoke, she crushed the chips in her hand.