Deceitful Game

Chapter 40 I Will Carry Your Wishes

the reason is simple.

No matter how easy a game is, it can never be infinitely easy.

However, once someone accumulates enough leverage and begins to drastically alter the history books, they will easily be eliminated by the significantly changed past.

This is basically just waiting to die.

"...There's nothing we can do about it."

Gao Fan smiled helplessly, his face stained with blood and filled with exhaustion: "After all, we don't have a real captain."

"Isn't that the 'Iron-Blooded Leader'?"

"Of course not."

Gao Fan said, "It has to be at least a domain of power or virtue. If a team doesn't have a true core member, it simply can't expand. If the number of people gets too big, it will inevitably fall apart."

"Only by uniting people through 'violence' or 'virtue' can they be commanded and managed. Only then will people listen to them. Without a powerful sphere as leader, or obedience to a leader, there is almost no room for resistance once a real conflict occurs."

"And what about you?"

Mingpo countered, "Why are you with them?"

"...I misjudged him."

Gao Fan sighed: "Our 'leader,' he wasn't someone I brought back."

Yes, I can see that.

Mingpo thought to herself.

But he did not interrupt Gao Fan's narration; instead, he listened quietly.

"Xiao Ning, Wen Yu, and I came in from the same preliminary round. Our host was from 'The Realm of Virtue,' so she didn't assign us any overly difficult games..."

As Gao Fan spoke, his thoughts gradually drifted back to the past.

At that time, a total of twelve people landed.

They were stranded on a deserted island with no tools or supplies.

The deserted island is a small island of ten square kilometers with abundant marine resources but no fresh water. There are also some animals and unidentified fruit trees on the island.

The mission objective is to survive for seven days by any means necessary.

……ah?

Why is your game so simple?

Mingpo was stunned.

For him, this level of difficulty was no different from a picnic.

It wasn't just him... Anyone with even a little knowledge of wilderness survival could easily accomplish this.

Unless attacked by an animal like a bear, it's very difficult for anyone to die.

But it's clear that a deserted island of this size couldn't possibly have any wild beasts. Unless they were artificially introduced—because the food chain here simply isn't strong enough to provide the energy to support a herd of wild beasts.

The only challenge is probably getting others to listen to you.

"Things were actually fine the last two days."

Gao Fan murmured, "With everyone working together, we've set up temporary shelters. We've also installed a seawater filtration system... and we've stockpiled some food. The mission is almost complete."

"Then someone started causing trouble, right?"

Mingpo said leisurely.

Gao Fan nodded silently.

This is normal.

When people are on the brink of life and death, they are indeed more likely to unite under the pressure of survival... but once this pressure is relieved, it is easier for fierce disputes to erupt.

Thinking of this, a memory flashed before Mingpo's eyes—a scene of his companions arguing fiercely when he was climbing a snow-capped mountain.

"There is someone... who wants to control others through violence. He wants to be the leader... and his goal is clearly Wen Yu."

Gao Fan said softly.

Even from Mingpo's perspective, Wenyu was indeed a very beautiful girl. Unlike Lin Ya or Raccoon, who were popular online streamers, she clearly came from a very wealthy family.

It's not surprising that someone would notice you in that lawless wilderness.

"And at that time... another person immediately objected. He was very smart, and probably highly educated. He was the one who led us to build all sorts of survival devices... and even the only one among us who knew how to survive in the wild."

"His target was Wen Yu, of course. But compared to that dangerous man, at least this person seemed more refined and unlikely to resort to violence. So Wen Yu and I sided with him. Most people, besides us, agreed... Only the two least likable people chose to join him."

"So, the team split up. We were pretty excited at the time because we finally got rid of those annoying guys... and without these facilities, they would definitely be dead here. Although they looked stronger, we had nine people, which gave us a significant numerical advantage."

"Ah... I can roughly guess what will happen next."

Mingpo shook his head: "Your leader is in trouble?"

"……right."

Gao Fan was silent for a while before nodding: "When we woke up again... we found that he had been captured, tied to a tree, and stoned to death."

"If he were still alive, perhaps everyone would have tried to rescue him. But he was already dead... so the team instantly fell apart."

"But they have no idea how to maintain or use these facilities. After fiddling with them all day, they ended up wasting a lot of clean water and food."

"That man was strong, but he didn't know how to hunt. None of us knew how to fish or hunt... and we'd found almost all the fruit we could. Some of it, however, would cause stomach aches if eaten..."

"So... he decided to eat the former leader's flesh."

Have you eaten?

Mingpo asked curiously.

Gao Fan was furious for the first time: "Of course not! Or rather, only four people ate... We realized that if we stayed here any longer, we would likely become new food."

"Fortunately, he probably realized that if he continued to lose strength, it would be even more difficult for him to survive, so he didn't attack Wen Yu anymore. So Wen Yu took me and Xiao Ning and escaped."

"Because it's just the two of you, and you look like the youngest, right?"

Mingpo guessed why Wenyu did this: "She's quite smart... You two are of the opposite sex, so you'll feel protective of her and be more likely to obey her orders. And you two are 'younger,' so you're more obedient and well-behaved... At the same time, you two are also boys, so you can help with some physical labor."

"The reason for bringing two people is probably for the purpose of maintaining a balance of power."

"Yes……"

Gao Fan was exhausted just recalling the events: "Fortunately, although the deserted island was small, there were still places to hide. We hid in a cave for three days, during which we encountered wild dogs and snakes... as well as other refugees who came seeking help."

"After we escaped, two more people died in the camp. In the end, the 'leader' himself was bitten to death by a poisonous snake... After that, some people went mad, and others fled. We didn't have enough food and fresh water at that time, but Changning still gave his share to the other side."

"...Then, even more people came."

No wonder he left the team despite having earned the title of "Dominion of Virtue".

Mingpo shook her head.

His kindness itself brought danger to Wen Yu and Gao Fan.

"In the end, I led them to escape from the dense forest. Those people quickly lost track of us... It was because of this shared experience that we formed a fixed team. I let them all live in my house so that we could participate in the game as a team, which would be less dangerous."

"Xiao Ning often does dangerous things to help others... which also brings us more danger."

"Later... after Xiao Ning realized that his behavior often clashed with ours, he left the team on his own."

"I originally planned to take Wen Yu to find the next reliable team... However, after Wen Yu secretly participated in the game once, she brought that man back."

"He seems to be Wen Yu's former classmate. Of course, although she says he's her boyfriend, I think he's just her simp."

"She brought him to my house without telling me—what could I do? He already knew it was my house and knew my real name. But I didn't even know his full name."

Gao Fan helplessly shrugged: "After all, I'm only this tall."

"You can kill him."

Mingbo narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Just like... your first leader."

"It's too difficult for the two of them to live together."

Gao Fan looked somewhat dejected: "Of course, you could also say I'm cowardly... If I revealed my intention to kill him, he would kill me."

"What are their abilities?"

Mingpo asked, "Titles shouldn't be unique, right?"

"No low-level titles are acceptable, but special titles like 'Frankenstein,' which have a certain classic meaning, should be unique titles."

Gao Fan readily handed over the information: "The 'Diplomat's' ability is to simultaneously increase goodwill between two parties. The more secrets they know about each other, the greater the increase in goodwill. And the 'Moon' prefix allows her to exchange secrets in the dark... You should know about this, Brother Xiao."

"And the ability of a 'leader' is to command those who are willing to obey him with words."

"Words of power?"

Mingpo was taken aback: "That amazing?"

"Pretty much. As long as you verbally acknowledge 'I will obey your orders' or 'I am willing to surrender,' you can directly command the other party to do anything. And with the 'Iron Blood' prefix, even if the other party is unconscious or unable to move, you can still control them as long as you can hear their voice."

Gao Fan explained the other party's abilities in great detail.

This is clearly why he dared not resist.

"So how do we crack it?"

Mingbo asked, "The realm of balance... should all be like 'diplomats' in terms of equality, right? Or like you, completely devoid of any offensive capabilities?"

"The downside is actually quite simple. He can't directly order someone to die or jump off a cliff... The more the other person resists, the more stamina he loses. He can only control one person at a time, and if he switches command, the previous person will be out of control. So he will only enter the game with one of us."

Gao Fan said.

--I see.

Mingper realized that the battle and game between the deceivers was, in a sense, an intelligence war!

When neither side knows the other's abilities, even a very weak ability can potentially lead to victory against a stronger opponent!

With Gao Fan's information, Ming Po was finally able to truly integrate into the Deceiver's circle!

Suddenly, Mingpo thought of something.

He asked casually, "You said... the Domain of Power plays the role of either 'tyrant' or 'protector' within the team. Then I suppose the Domain of Wisdom would be the role of strategist or commander..."

"Then, what about the Domain of Slaughter?"

"...They're just a bunch of perverts."

Gao Fan frowned: "Even our previous leader could only be in the 'Domain of Power' at most, and could not obtain the title of 'Domain of Slaughter'."

"The act of overwhelming others with force belongs to 'force.' Even if everyone is killed in the process, it still belongs to 'force.' Only when the purpose itself is to kill can one obtain the 'Domain of Slaughter.'"

"So... if possible, we usually prioritize targeting those who deceive the world in the Slaughter Domain. Because no one knows what they're thinking. And in terms of pure combat strength, those who deceive the world in the Slaughter Domain are usually no match for those in the Power Domain of the same rank... what they excel at is only 'the ability to kill others,' and all their titles have negative effects."

"Of course, unless it's a purely strategic game or a purely physical game... then we'd definitely exclude people from the realms of intelligence or strength. Because they're just too skilled."

Gao Fan added, "At least that's how we play at this level. We target whoever is the best first."

"I understand..."

Mingpo nodded slowly.

He stared at Gao Fan for a while, and just as Gao Fan was starting to feel a chill run down his spine, he suddenly asked, "What is your wish to participate in the Deceitful Game, Gao Fan?"

Gao Fan was stunned upon hearing this.

And soon, the clever little man understood the intention that "Brother Xiao" had revealed—

He would kill himself if necessary.

Whether it's a conflict of interest in the game, or being forced to abandon him to escape... or even when it's a fight to the death in the final game.

He will kill himself.

After that, he will help himself fulfill his wish.

It's like asking, "How much money do you need at home?" when you're looking for someone to take the blame.

Saying this is tantamount to selling oneself out.

Although it was incredibly cold... surprisingly, it felt alright.

It's much better than selling yourself off without even asking yourself and taking half the cut.

"...You will resurrect me, won't you?"

Gao Fan couldn't help but plead.

"As long as you haven't betrayed me."

Mingpo smiled and whispered persuadingly, "Although there can only be one winner in the end... it's clear that it doesn't mean that one person can only do one thing, right?"

"If I have obtained the authority of the gods, why shouldn't I help my friends?"

"Even though you might not remember me then... you might not even know I existed as a friend. But your wishes will be fulfilled, and you'll live happily in a peaceful world. What's wrong with that?"

Gao Fan remained silent for a moment before expressing his wish.

"I want to resurrect my parents."

"Can."

Mingpo nodded: "I've remembered. I will bear your wish."

As he spoke, he pointed to the gate.

"Then let's go," he said, "let me see what you're capable of."

"Teach me how to team up and enter the game."

Mingpo has no intention of switching back to his "werewolf" title, nor does he plan to go back home.

He planned to see just how good his "teammate" really was.