Deceitful Game

Chapter 195 I Don't Want to Die

Chapter 195 I Don't Want to Die

Unsurprisingly, the phone went unanswered.

Mingpo then called Ming Jingxing.

It also failed to connect.

Although she "failed", Mingbo inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it's because—he himself didn't want to know the answer.

"—Looks like this playthrough isn't going to work."

Mingpo glanced up at the blood-red countdown on the wall and sighed silently, "Let's talk about it in the next life."

There was nothing he could do; his time was running out.

However, the consecutive appearances of Naya and Wangliang reminded Mingpo of an important matter: he really had to leave a last message.

After all, he only has one day left.

So Mingpo slowly tapped on her phone, leaving a brief will for her parents before her manifestation ended, vaguely describing that she had to die. She also told them not to resurrect her—it would most likely be useless.

Mingpo doesn't know how his "death" will come, but he hopes that those who care about him won't have to search for him everywhere, or go bankrupt or even face danger in order to revive him.

Although----

When they meet again, they might not recognize you.

Thinking of this, Mingpo recalled Ai Shiping and Gao Fan.

"—It seems I'll never hear that 'big brother' in this lifetime."

Mingpo laughed self-deprecatingly.

After a moment's thought, he wrote a suicide note to both Ai Shiping and Gao Fan. The content was roughly the same: "Don't come looking for me, don't bring me back to life. We'll meet again if fate allows."

To prevent the recipient from seeing the message and immediately calling while they are in a visible state, Mingpo chose to schedule the messages to be sent at set times. They would only see the farewell letter after he died.

"Let's not go back."

When writing the message, Mingpo had already made up his mind.

Since he might only have enough time left for one more game—it's best not to go back.

If she went back to Gao Fan's house, they might have to participate in the game together. Mingpo didn't know how she would die when time was up—would the game at least end? Or would she suddenly die?

It's one thing if I die, I can always be reborn—but if my death affects them, that's not good. Whether it's losing my mind or losing my teammates at a crucial moment—neither is good.

Ai Shiping once said that when he was in college, even though the dorms cut off the power at 10 PM, he didn't dare play games after 9 PM. He was worried about suddenly disconnecting during crucial team fights and causing trouble for his teammates.

He's a good person. He cares so much about the experience of strangers.

Mingpo wasn't as good as him—but he still cared about his two "brothers".

Although for me, this is just one lifetime.

But for Ai Shiping and Gao Fan, this was their real life. They might certainly suffer for their deaths—but at least, Mingpo didn't want her death to cause them unhappiness.

It's like an old dog nearing the end of its life.

When they sense that they are about to die, they will quietly leave home and die quietly in a corner where no one can see them, so as not to cause too much trouble for others.

Mingpo was even somewhat grateful to Nyarlathotep for telling her about it beforehand, which gave Mingpo the opportunity to say goodbye.

As he wrote his scheduled suicide note, word by word, Mingpo felt a terrifying loneliness wash over him like a tidal wave. For a moment, his raised fingers froze in mid-air before slowly resuming their tapping of the screen.

—This must be the effect of "Hell Transformation" on himself.

Mingpo sighed silently.

He really did become much more sentimental when he wore that title.

Or perhaps—this is the real him?

Is this fragile state what truly defines humanity?

On the contrary, it was Mingpo who was cold, rational to the point of indifference, who was wrong.

—That's hard to say.

"Boom!"

Mingpo suddenly heard thunder outside.

He raised his head and slowly walked to the window.

But then they discovered that a torrential downpour had started outside.

Raindrops pattered against the window, and Mingpo reached out a finger to gently touch the glass, as if she could feel the subtle vibrations.

They were like a million bullets, hurtling towards Mingpo, aiming to shatter him to pieces. But they were all intercepted by the transparent window.

Without this window, perhaps they could pierce through my skin, penetrate my blood vessels—and freeze my lungs.

As Mingpo thought this, she suddenly felt a prickling sensation on her skin, as if she were being pricked by needles.

His expression remained unchanged.

The downpour outside the window intensified.

The heavy dark clouds arrived later than the torrential rain. The bright afternoon sunlight was obscured at a visible speed.

The howling wind blew like the howling of wolves, and the water level began to rise rapidly.

This was a torrential rain that covered the entire city without any prior warning.

Mingpo watched as his neighbors hurriedly ran home, shielding their heads with their hands or bags, and lowered his gaze slightly. He composed himself, and the downpour subsided a little.

What would happen if Ai Shiping or Gao Fan were to die?

This thought suddenly popped into Mingpo's mind.

If it were Gao Fan, that coward, he would probably cry out, "I don't want to die," and then curl up in a ball.

However, if his death is truly imminent, he might actually muster the courage to go crazy one last time in his life.

That guy can be really ruthless when pushed to the limit.

When he brought Mingpo back, he didn't expect to survive.

As for Ai Shiping—

Mingbo paused.

That guy's words might actually put my mind at ease.

Mingpo studied psychology, so of course he could see that Ai Shiping had strong survivor syndrome.

It's said that he had actually seen clear signs along the way before the earthquake, and they had also learned about related knowledge in their science class not long ago. But Ai Shiping didn't take it seriously back then and went to school as usual.

Ultimately, his entire family perished as a result, except for Ai Shiping, who survived during his primary school years.

From that moment on, Ai Shiping was traumatized. He always felt that if he had immediately turned back and told his family the news, perhaps none of them would have died. Based on this logic, he always believed that he was responsible for his family's deaths, and that his "survival" was a sin.

He has a strong urge to self-destruct. But unlike Mingpo, who seeks thrills, Ai Shiping pursues "meaning."

One reason Mingpo didn't charge Ai Shiping rent was because he knew Ai Shiping donated most of his earnings from boosting, escorting, and farming to orphans in mountainous areas.

Despite not even owning a house herself, she still cares about others—Mingpo admits she could never do such a thing.

He would definitely help others only after taking care of himself. If he didn't have some extra money at home, he probably wouldn't have taken Ai Shiping in. Or at least he would have sent him to work so he could pay his rent.

This is also why Mingpo admires his friend.

It was under Ai Shiping's guidance that Mingpo had the idea of ​​helping others.

He also had an automatic payment system in his Alipay account for one-on-one assistance. I wonder if this will suddenly stop after Mingpo's death—I wonder if the child will resent him then. Resent this nameless "uncle" who suddenly and silently stopped his donations—

"I really don't want to die!"

Mingpo murmured in a somewhat confused tone.

This was the first time in his life that he had uttered those words.

Mingbo, who felt nothing while alive and even relished chasing danger and death—

Even after death, he was accustomed to gamble his fate meaninglessly, just to crave the thrill of life and death.

This may be the reason why he lacks a sense of "reality". Although Mingpo does not remember his past, the emptiness left in his subconscious makes him feel alienated from this world, constantly reminding him that he does not belong to this world.

Although he did not leave the world he was born into, he felt as lonely as a time traveler.

And now—

Knowing that she would die in a day, and after writing her will by hand, Mingpo felt for the first time that she "didn't want to die."

"I don't want to die."

Mingpo read it aloud a second time, his voice becoming much firmer.

To be precise, it wasn't fear of death, but rather the fear of separation.

Just thinking about how sad those who care about her would be after she died made Mingpo feel as if her heart had been gripped.

No----

He suddenly realized something.

Perhaps people fear death because they fear separation.

Separation from the people you love, separation from the things you love, separation from the world you love.

It's just that Mingpo didn't love anyone before, so he didn't care.

Even the most selfish person loves themselves. But Mingpo doesn't even love himself.

Now, in this game of deception, he has found something he truly wants to do and companions he can truly trust—only now does he finally "have something to say."

For a fleeting moment, a dark thought even crossed Mingpo's mind.

Should I take them with me before I die?

Perhaps it's easier to bear hatred than to grieve for oneself.

But Mingpo quickly shook his head, dispelling the crazy idea.

He raised his head, his deep gaze quietly fixed on the dark clouds.

No one can figure out what he's thinking.

"Dark clouds, dark clouds, don't bother me—"

Mingpo hummed a song softly, and her mood inexplicably improved.

His manifestation time finally ended, and the world before Mingbo's eyes turned back to black and white.

The torrential rain in the material world also quickly subsided, and the dark clouds rapidly dissipated.

It wasn't until the day before he died that Mingpo finally understood the meaning of life.