Deceitful Game

Chapter 172 The Big Bad Wolf Knocking on the Door

Chapter 172 The Big Bad Wolf Knocking on the Door

Yes, Chizuko.

Mingper has already realized it.

The lonely soul wandering here is not a "father" — but a "daughter".

This is not hard to see.

Earlier, Mingpo mocked him for buying Steinway but not appreciating it, and also said that his wife was cheating on him, but the other party did not react at all.

But when Mingpo said "there's something under the piano keys," the other person suddenly became hostile towards her.

If the other party really cared about this piano that much, how could they let it become dilapidated?

This is not reality.

The mental imagery space that is more similar to these nightmares, or rather, the "nightmare" itself.

In other words, these changes occur because the other party subconsciously did this or deliberately designed it this way.

From this perspective, participating in the promotion game—in a sense, is equivalent to entering someone's dream space to treat their psychological illness.

For Professor Hannibal, nothing could be simpler.

Mingpo went back into the music room on the first floor.

That is, the place where each loop ends and begins.

He continued to chat calmly with the owner of this nightmare: "Of course, it's not because there's anything wrong with your playing. It's not because of your technique that I can tell it's you—and not your father."

In fact, from a purely technical standpoint, I initially thought it was your father who was there, which is why I mocked him like that, trying to make him reveal a weakness.

"You're a genius, Chizuko. They should be proud of you, of course."

As Mingpo finished speaking, the sound of the piano keys grew heavier. She struck the keys even harder, adding some new chords.

This is a kind of response.

It seemed like a rebuttal, yet also carried a hint of panic and confusion.

But since the music didn't stop playing, it means the conversation can continue.

Mingpo reached out and touched the tea set, saying softly, "The tea set is covered in dust—it's been a long time since the guest came."

"Your family has fallen on hard times, hasn't it? This Russian nesting doll is a gift for you, isn't it?"

"Did your father give it to you?"

Hearing the sudden discordant sounds, Mingpo realized: "Oh, your mother gave it to you."

"You like it a lot, don't you?"

There was no response; the music continued as usual.

Mingpo, however, remained completely calm.

He knew he was right, so he simply smiled slightly: "That's why you feel guilty."

Because you used your favorite thing that your mother gave you—you caused them to quarrel.

Boom boom boom!

Three discordant sounds were struck in succession, accompanied by anger.

The music stopped abruptly.

But Mingpo continued, talking to herself, "You hid her ring, didn't you?"

She thought her ring had been taken and sold.

So they had a fight.

"So the photo fell to the ground."

"You're very sad. You try to pick up the photos, but you accidentally cut your finger on a piece of broken glass."

"It didn't get better while I was practicing the piano, and the blood flowed into the gaps between the keys."

"Or is it because the piano keys hurt you?"

As Mingpo finished speaking, the entire room seemed to be haunted—

Suddenly, the piano in the room began to strike discordantly and erratically, producing distorted noises.

call-

Behind him, the tea set fell to the ground out of thin air, shattering into pieces. It was as if someone had thrown it into the air.

The lights went out again.

A bald, middle-aged man dressed as a doctor, wearing a mask, appeared at the door.

He held a chainsaw in his hand, and his pupils were bloodshot despite wearing black-rimmed glasses.

The next instant, the man appeared directly in front of Mingpo.

The chainsaw whizzed past Mingpo!

Mingpo deftly dodged three attacks in quick succession.

He pushed up his glasses and watched the middle-aged man slowly fall to the ground.

Unbeknownst to him, a dagger was inserted into his heart—the movement was so fast that he couldn't even see it clearly.

"Darling, there's no need to struggle anymore."

Mingpo spoke in a gentle and soothing voice, like a big bad wolf coaxing a little girl to open the door: "You can't kill me."

"Your ability must be related to fear. That's why you restrict the entry of those who deceive the world from the realm of power, and that's why you try to scare me before attacking me."

"But now—"

Mingpo slowly drew her dagger: "It's you who's afraid."

His words carried no malice, yet they sent chills down one's spine.

Her dim, yellowish eyes gazed back at the path she had come from: "You're not afraid of me, Chizuko. You're afraid of that door that can't be opened."

"How long have you been trapped here? Are you lonely?"

"Can you sleep? Do you have insomnia? Do you wake up in a fright from your dreams? Or is this your dream?"

"When you feel lonely, don't you want someone to talk to?"

As Mingpo spoke, he forcefully lifted the C key on the piano.

A photograph is hidden beneath the piano keys.

That was a torn-out photo of my mother.

She looked so gentle. But the photo was yellowed, cut into many pieces by piano keys, and even stained with blood.

"You don't like this piano, right? Because you feel that Father only started to change after we got it."

"He participated in the game of deception; he became the deceiver. He changed the past, making you celebrities and improving your lives."

"But you'd rather he sit in front of that old, but well-maintained Apollo piano and teach you to play, wouldn't you?"

no respond.

But Minper's psychological attacks did not stop.

Your mother is dead.

Mingpo's voice turned cold and indifferent: "Suicide or accident? It doesn't matter. But she never knew until her death that you had hidden the ring."

She won't see your apology, she's not coming back.

"Your father did not change any of this—therefore, he has lost the ability to deceive the world."

He noticed your sadness, realized he had neglected his family for far too long. But he didn't have enough leverage to stay in the material world. So he abandoned his identity as a deceiver and became a mortal.

"You are his bond."

Once you lose your identity as the deceiver, your lives will soon become unsustainable.

"And when his wife died, he was powerless to do anything about it."

"After that—he may have disappeared, or he may have died. He wanted to become a wronged person again and reclaim the power of the deceiver."

"But he failed."

"And you succeeded."

Mingpo's whispers were stained with blood: "You have become powerful enough to become a charlatan on par with Zhou Zhiqingqian. You have reversed the past and rewritten the annals of history. You have resurrected your parents, and they live happily together."

"The only price is that you are left there forever."

"Are you unwilling to accept this, Chizuko?"

"What are you afraid of? What are you really afraid of? Is it me? No, it isn't."

"What you're afraid of is this door. You want someone to open it from the outside, but you're also afraid that someone will open it."

Mingpo's voice paused for a moment.

In that instant, his lowered gaze was so gentle it was almost compassionate.

"Don't be afraid."

The big bad wolf murmured softly, "I'm just here to open the door for you."

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