Deceitful Game

Chapter 20: Winner Takes All, Loser Turns to Dust

After Mingpo deleted all the records and restored everything in the room to its state before he came in, he stood up again.

The next moment, the world around them burst into crimson flames.

He ended his revision of the history of "one hour ago".

The world around him distorted and expanded, then returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

He was still standing on the side of the road where he had been before, but this time he didn't see Ai Shiping.

Similarly, he never saw that "otherworldly dump truck" again.

Since no one was killed, there was no crowd gathered. Mingpo silently put his hands in his pockets and walked home.

Who could have killed Ai Shiping?

Mingbo was thinking.

He revealed the name, and at least "Fox" and "Rabbit" knew of his existence.

Although the appearance and disappearance of that dump truck was too bizarre and didn't seem like something a newcomer would do... and when history was being erased, there was a golden trace that only he could see.

Is that fake gold from the sun? Or... is it a higher-grade "real gold"?

"I really hope... I can run into them again."

Mingpo murmured softly, squinting her eyes.

He wasn't in the mood to check on the neighbor's child's situation for the time being.

As for the friend Ai Shiping recommended to him, he didn't have time to chat with him.

He really doesn't have time. These things will probably have to wait until he has more resources to spare.

Mingbo had only taken a few steps forward when the world around him was ablaze with fire once more.

The colorful world was burned away by this fire, turning it back into a dark and quiet gray world.

His time of manifestation has ended.

But that's about enough.

What needed to be confirmed has been confirmed, and what needed to be changed has been changed...

As if by magic, Mingpo pulled out his last remaining chip.

A dark gold [Sun Pseudo-Gold].

He tossed it into the air and caught it again. He repeated this several times before finally grabbing it with a swift motion.

He went straight home.

The good mood I had when I got home has now completely vanished.

Mingpo walked into the bright living room and went back to his room to check. On the wall of his bedroom, there was still the familiar poster of Ouroboros, and there were still figurines in the cabinet.

But when he entered Ai Shiping's room again, he found that the guy was playing a game that he was completely unfamiliar with and had never seen before.

Mingpo stood behind him for a while, then suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder.

His hand passed through his shoulder.

"Holy crap, it looks like someone's coming from behind!"

Without even turning his head, the unfilial son shouted in the voice channel, "Hurry, hurry, get on the bridge! Get on the bridge!"

He watched as Ai Shiping set up his sniper rifle, like a child.

Although he couldn't understand it, he seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Also good.

Mingpo sighed silently and drifted back to the living room.

This living room was completely different from the gray and white of Ai Shiping's "living world," shining with a bright and warm light. But that sense of alienation made Mingpo feel an unprecedented loneliness.

Suddenly... I feel like having a drink.

Since we're not living people anymore, the alcohol allergy shouldn't exist anymore.

"I wonder if ghosts can drink alcohol."

Mingpo chuckled self-deprecatingly, and took out a bottle of wine with his title on it and a chilled wine glass from the wine cabinet.

He didn't prepare any ice, so he poured a small half-glass of wine directly from the bottle as an experiment.

He cautiously leaned closer to smell it, then took a small sip. He immediately felt a strong, spicy sensation mixed with the smell of smoke and wood.

"Cough, cough..."

Mingpo shuddered and coughed awkwardly, a rare sight for him.

At that moment, information surfaced in his mind—

[Title changed]

[Currently equipped: Werewolf (Slaughter - Red Copper)]

[The werewolf's effects have taken effect]

The next moment, a warm current surged from my abdomen to my limbs and bones.

The faint fatigue he felt after going out for a walk vanished in the blink of an eye. His heart pounded even harder, and his spirits noticeably improved. A restless feeling of boundless energy made him want to sway his body uncontrollably, as if he had drunk four or five cups of strong coffee that day.

—So this is how titles are used?

Mingpo quickly twisted the bottle cap back on.

Thank goodness, it's a twist cap, not a cork, otherwise Mingpe wouldn't know how to put it back in.

He sighed.

To be honest, he had originally planned to take a nap. He wanted to see if he could fall asleep. He also wanted to wait a few more days and see what would happen when the countdown was almost over.

But now, he feels somewhat restless.

Just by wearing this title, Mingpo felt a destructive urge brewing from the bottom of her heart.

His emotions gradually surged and became intense, effectively washing away his listlessness caused by loneliness. His teeth itched, as if they had become sharper. His nails seemed to harden, his fingers brimming with an overwhelming strength, as if he wanted to...crush something.

He wanted to run, to run freely. Mingpo felt he might be able to learn parkour, maybe he could take advantage of being unseen to run wildly on the rooftop, and incidentally test whether the ghost would fall to its death—

But reason tells Mingpo that his physical abilities haven't actually been enhanced. It might just be an illusion caused by an excessive amount of stamina.

Unfortunately, the other bottle of "gold" grade wine had broken and couldn't be poured out, so its specific effects were unknown. And Mingpo didn't know how to remove the title... It would be too boring to endure these seven days in this state of heightened excitement.

"There's no time like the present... let's do it now."

Mingbo was eager to try.

He snapped his right index finger at the knuckle, making a crisp cracking sound.

As he passed the broken mirror, he saw a faint yellow light ignite in the depths of his own eyes.

It was a very faint glow, like a bedside nightlight turned down to its lowest brightness. If you were far enough away, you probably wouldn't even be able to see the slight change in color in his pupils.

He was quite certain that his eyes weren't like this before he drank alcohol.

Is this... the power of a title, or rather, a "domain"?

Mingpo remembered that "Mo" had mentioned the names "Dominion of Virtue" and "Dominion of Balance".

—The Domain of Slaughter, that sounds good.

Those three promotion requirements... don't seem too difficult.

"I was wondering if we had committed too many killings..."

Mingpo murmured to herself as she walked toward the door: "But it seems we still haven't killed enough."

He truly understood just how far the deceitful could go with their "unbridled" behavior.

Just how powerful, dangerous, and distorted is the power of time's influence?

If everyone could change time, it would mean that nothing is real.

Memories that you thought would last forever can be easily erased by others, and you may not even know what you have lost; the lover you once cherished can be killed before you even fall in love with them, changing the course of your relationship.

Hope and love... are so fragile under the power of time.

However, Mingper came up with a crazy idea that might solve all these problems.

—For example, eliminate all the charlatans.

That's right...

Gather all the chips and kill all the deceivers!

This leaves only one person with the "one-vote approval" historical modification privilege.

In this way, the timeline is stabilized.

Or rather... there was only one path to begin with!

Mingpo suddenly realized something.

As the host stated, the changes made to the Deceiver by the Time Chips cannot take effect immediately. In other words, the Deceiver exists outside of the cycle of reincarnation, independent of the timeline. All changes affecting the Deceiver will only take effect in the next cycle.

Therefore, the changes made to history by those two people in the last game took effect simultaneously.

If that's the case, then why did Mo say that one must conceal one's face and identity?

After experiencing Ai Shiping's murder, Mingpo finally understood everything—

Before they become deceitful, they are still mortals.

If we could go back in time and kill him beforehand, perhaps he wouldn't have become a deceiver.

Or perhaps we could go back to the time before his death and bring him back to life... because he wouldn't have become a deceiver since he wasn't dead.

Regardless of whether this change takes effect in this playthrough or the next... as long as they cannot become deceivers, then those who exist as deceivers may simply disappear due to the paradox!

Bypassing the option of "defeating the opponent in the game," you can kill the opponent directly in reality.

Therefore, this is a game where revealing your identity is equivalent to being eliminated immediately.

He recalled "Mo's" initial, manic, and sarcastic words—

Our game has forgiving and merciful rules—you can leave the game if you survive in any match!

It's true that you can leave at any time, but those chips are simply not enough... It might not even be enough to modify the history you need, let alone fight against other people's modifications to history.

[You can insert this precious hour into your past, modifying what you did during that hour, thus achieving an incredible resurrection!]

It is indeed possible to be resurrected, but once resurrected, it means that one has altered their history as the Deceiver, and thus loses their Deceiver identity... and therefore can no longer return to the game.

With these leverage points accumulated over time, you can change your destiny at will!

It can indeed change one's destiny...

However, others can also change it back.

Although this game theoretically only requires participation once, and although history theoretically only needs to be modified once...

However, there are far too many people who hold this supreme power.

For example, a relative who was saved by someone altering history may become dead again because someone else altered history; a company that was saved by altering history may become even more miserable because someone else altered history.

"Mo" is right.

However, none of them are entirely correct.

It conceals a self-deprecating sarcasm and a condescending pity.

Because once you enter the game of deception, it means you've seen the reality of the world. From then on, you're no longer an ordinary person who can't see the flow of time, and your perception won't even change with the world. You've lost the opportunity to go with the flow.

This means that...

...If all the other deceivers are not killed, there will never be peace.

Everything they possess will be easily destroyed by other charlatans.

Mingpo walked to the gate and placed his last bet into the hole for "Promotion".

With a clang, black and red rose patterns spread across the door, like rust emerging from the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a sun emblem appeared in the center of the door, exactly the same as the emblem on the fake gold sun.

Mingbo opened the door and stepped inside.

This is not a game to make up for regrets.

This is a game where only one person can be the final winner.

It's also a game of "choosing a god".

The winner takes all.

...The losers turn to dust.