Chapter 226 - Battle Royale: Survival of the Jedi (XVI)

Right now, his time is precious and he has no margin to spend on himself.

The “catfish” is, by definition, dead.

The only thing that concerns Chi Xiaochi is the number of ‘catfish’ in the team.

Three, is what he presumes to be a reasonable number.

His suspicions were confirmed by the three people who died horizontally for no apparent reason in various places last night.

But why are there four “catfish” in Bai Anyi’s memory?

With this in mind, he got up and tiptoed out of the tent.

The order of duty last night was Lou Ying – Zhao Rou – Wei Shiliu – Dan Shuang, so what happened last night must have been passed on by Zhao Rou. I’m sure what happened last night has been passed down from one drum to another by Zhao Rou.

This is a good order.

Zhao Rou had suffered a great deal and was more cautious than others. She could not trust Wei Shiliu and would only try to give him an objective account of what had happened.

Wei Shiliu, having been saved by Lou Ying and having seen Lou Ying’s skills, was so impressed that he would have thought that the power of “hallucination” belonged to Lou Ying.

This in effect reinforces the perception that Lou Ying is a multi-powered person.

Zhao Rou had risen early, nodding nervously and curtly to Chi Xiaochi as he emerged from his tent.

Compared to the over-stressed Zhao Rou, Wei Shiliu was a heartless man, sleeping soundly in his sleeping bag with his tent open.

As the fire was dying, Dan Shuang fiddled with the embers, and when Chi Xiaochi came out, he looked behind him with a little more cautious reverence: “Mr. Chi is still awake?”

Chi Xiaochi said, “Don’t bother him. He was too tired yesterday.”

Dan Shuang held back, but couldn’t hold back the surge of hope: “Mr. Chi …… really has the power to get us out?”

This was probably the boast Wei Shiliu made when he blew off steam with him.

Chi Xiaochi nodded once and glanced into the void at the invisible, countless eyes that were following them closely: “All the Exalted, not one of them will be left behind.”

It was still early, but no less than a hundred people were already squatting in the pop-up section.

They spent the night arguing about whose “hallucinogenic” powers belonged to whom, even setting up a private chat channel to analyse the recorded live video frame by frame, while the discussion in the comments section was sparse.

”What the hell are they talking about?”

”It’s hard to hear.”

”Don’t struggle, those of you with experience tell you that you really can’t hear unless you speak at 60 decibels or more.”

”What a crap radio system.”

”It’s only been online for three years. Besides, which escape is not a straightforward fuck with less pussy, where does anyone talk as much as they do?”

Chi Xiaochi rolls up his sleeves as he walks to a small pool of water and prepares to wash up.

”You’ve got a lot of nerve.” While shining a shadow at the water, the ” Bai Anyi” in the water quickly filled in the full picture of last night’s events, “You’re playing with your life.”

Chi Xiaochi, with his hands on the bank, “How?”

”Haven’t you ever thought about what would happen if they took Chi Jiangyu out in order to save one more shifter, one way or the other, by injecting all the other shifter with poison and aborting the gamble? You dare to gamble your life like that?”

”It’s not a question of whether I dare or not.” Chi Xiaochi gargles, inclines his head again and spits the water on the bank, “It’s whether they dare.”

The ” Bai Anyi” in the water tilted its head slightly in confusion.

But this change, to an outsider’s eye, is nothing more than a perfectly normal floating of the water.

”I’ve seen Bai Anyi’s memories, and I’ve seen the reactions of other shifter’s when they were told they were going to participate in the Great Escape.” Chi Xiaochi shakes the droplets of water off his hands, “A killing game, a gamble for life, collective participation and profit from it, in a normal world, either of these would have created an uproar. But apparently, before entering the game, there was no relevant social news flowing out; after entering the game, those alien people did not look like they had heard the legend and came prepared. …… So, I’m guessing that this kind of hidden underground trade would only exist on the dark web where no one knows about it.”

” Bai Anyi” said, “It’s all the more so because it’s not known, isn’t it?”

”No.” Chi Xiaochi says, “It’s the fact that it’s not known that makes it even worse to deal with.”

With that, Chi Xiaochi looked up and said to himself, “Wow, textbook no-proposition. I’m so good.”

” Bai Anyi “: “……”

After the narcissism, Chi Xiaochi leans over and washes his face with water: “The reason they hide their heads and tails is that they themselves know that this disgusting fun is not to be revealed to the world. And the reason the game continues from one session to the next is that the gamblers have the same tacit agreement: the game is only playable if you keep it a secret.”

With that, he asked ” Bai Anyi”, “What do gamblers think about, you know.”

”They can admit that they have a black face, they can admit that they have no luck in gambling, they can admit that something unlucky around them affected their luck, but they cannot admit that they invested their capital, they poured their emotions, they spent their time, and in the end they lost because the casino closed temporarily and threw them all out.”

”It would be hard to control what kind of things gamblers would do when they go crazy. You should be able to imagine the kind of stir this kind of game will cause once it is exposed and revealed to the world.”

” Bai Anyi” said, “So have you ever thought about what if the casino returned the entire principal and made the reason for discontinuing the game private? Would they still choose to expose and rebel at that time.”

”That’s true. But it’s not that ‘time’ yet.”

Chi Xiaochi said with certainty: “The people in the agency are not entirely sure if my brother is a multi-powered person. After all, there are still single alters like Wei Shiliu who appear to be multiple alters. They don’t have to risk stopping the game and causing public outrage just for the ‘possibility’.”

”So you can be sure that they will wipe out the ‘catfish’ in the team for this uncertain ‘possibility’?”

Chi Xiaochi didn’t hesitate: “I can.”

”They obliterated the most aggressive ‘catfish’ precisely for the most basic safety reasons.”

”By definition, the ‘catfish’ was originally a carrot and a hole, and knew a lot of information that the ordinary contestants did not know, so they had all the advantages of the time and the place. My brother’s appearance was a surprise to the ‘catfish’. All it would take is for one of them to be a little wiser to realise that to the institution, my brother’s presence is a big threat to their lives.”

”A better possibility would be to squeeze out a survival slot that they should have had; a worse possibility would be to sacrifice the entire game to save just my brother.”

”So, my brother’s existence is completely contrary to their interests. They only have two choices, either they can do everything they can to cling to my brother’s thighs and be that third survivor, or they can do everything they can to kill him.”

”From the perspective of the ‘catfish’, Chi Jiangyu already had Bai Anyi and Wei Shiliu, three people who didn’t seem to have a bad relationship, and later on, Zhao Rou and Dan Shuang were absorbed into the team. So, for the ‘catfish’, the best time to get a leg up was missed, so they were left with the latter option.”

”The latter option, in turn, is completely at odds with the institution’s pursuits.”

”So, whether the other shifter had murderous intentions for my brother or not, ‘Catfish’ had to die.”

Chi Xiaochi’s hand repeatedly ruffles the surface of the water as he rehearses the whole process, his expression muted and his voice extremely low, as if he were whispering, even with the rasp of his first awakening.

The confused voice and the sober logic are intertwined, the murderousness inside the words and the calmness on the surface merge with each other, causing “Bai Anyi” to have the illusion of tingling at the back of his spine.

He created all sorts of hints and released numerous signals, showing step by step the importance of Chi Jiangyu, adding weight to the situation and finally killing the “catfish” by the hand of the institution.

” Bai Anyi” is the first time that I have developed a few moments of genuine admiration for someone other than Bai Anyi.

He asked, “You’re studying psychology?”

Chi Xiaochi raised an eyebrow: “Me? I’m not a major in anything. Didn’t go to college, flunked out of high school.”

” Bai Anyi” chokes up in a rare moment: “…… ha?”

Chi Xiaochi : “Do I look like I’m studying well?”

” Bai Anyi” was now genuinely curious: “Why don’t you read it?”

Chi Xiaochi said in general terms, “I don’t have time.”

Seeing that Chi Xiaochi didn’t want to talk, ” Bai Anyi” simply stopped asking questions and brought the conversation back on track, “It’s true that the agency is not sure if Chi Jiangyu is a polymath yet. But they will definitely try to find out for sure by all means.”

Chi Xiaochi lazily responded, “Yeah.”

”When they’re sure, they’ll be sure to refund the gamblers’ principal, shut down the entire game, and dispose of all the alters who participated in this game. After all, as the world’s first case of a multi-shifter, the institution will pay any price to protect him.”” Bai Anyi” said, “I caution you not to have unnecessary expectations or hope that they will not kill Bai Anyi for the sake of ‘Bai Anyi is Chi Jiangyu’s cousin’.”

This is what “Bai Anyi” is really worried about.

One might even say that in this he blames Chi Xiaochi.

–Why not let Bai Anyi take on the role of “multi-power” when there was a good plan in place?

This way, even if all the other psychics are dead, at least Bai Anyi will still be alive.

Chi Xiaochi could also hear that his tone was unkind.

He said, “I have my reasons for doing this.”

” Bai Anyi” washes his ears.

Chi Xiaochi says: “I couldn’t bear the thought of my brother dying again in front of me. So, I have to keep him safe.”

” Bai Anyi” looked a little harder: “That’s all? Then what is Bai Anyi? A prop to prove that your love is stronger than gold?”

Chi Xiaochi doesn’t mind his acerbity: “That’s just the first reason.”

”The second reason is that no matter what happens, my brother will definitely protect me. Whether I’m Chi Xiaochi , or Bai Anyi, or whatever.”

These two specious reasons still do not convince ” Bai Anyi “.

He said, “I can’t be reassured. Unless you have a better plan to protect Bai Anyi’s personal safety.”

”Now that you mention it ……” Chi Xiaochi stood up and patted the dirt off his knees, “let’s make a bet.”

”What’s the bet?”

Chi Xiaochi said, “The agency, even if they were sure my brother was a multi-shifter, would not kill anyone and would not only keep the whole game running, but would keep as many shifters as possible and tell them to concentrate on my brother alive.”

” Bai Anyi “: “…… Is this possible?”

Chi Xiaochi smiled a little: “Yes, there is.”

……

As Chi Xiaochi washes her face at the pool, Lou Ying awakens from her tent.

Seeing that her side is empty, Lou Ying sits up and tests the warmth of the bedding.

It is still hot and looks like it has only recently woken up.

He connected again with Chi Xiaochi’s consciousness and found him talking to ” Bai Anyi”, and did not make a remark to disturb him, rising silently.

We have fresh horse mackerel in the warehouse, top quality, crispy fried in oil and seasoned with just a pinch of salt for a fresh and refreshing meal, and some congee to go with it ……

He was formulating his breakfast menu when he abruptly heard a female voice ringing in his own head.

”Hey, hey, Mr Chi Jiangyu, can you hear me, can you hear me.”

”This is the Alter Ego Level Assessment Centre speaking to you. We have switched on the backup sensors in your collar to transmit sound directly into your ears. This conversation, therefore, is completely confidential. Please do not make any movements or sounds. We would like to ask you some questions and they are all very simple and only require you to nod and shake your head in response …… Please can you accept them?”

Lou Ying stares and thinks for a moment before voluntarily lying back down in his sleeping bag and nodding to the air.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the female voice then gave the first question in a straightforward manner, “Excuse me, Mr. Chi Jiangyu, are you an empath with multiple psychic abilities?”

Lou Ying lowered his eyes, thought for a moment and nodded his head.

Such a quick admission called for the various members of the emergency response department, including the minister, who were closely following his movements off-screen, to shake their fists.

The minister pulled over the conversationalist impatiently and said, “Ask him again how many kinds of psychic powers he has.”

The minister reminded him, “He could only nod and shake his head.”

The minister calmed down, thought for a moment and rejoined, “Ask him if he has more than five psychic abilities.”

After the female voice relayed the Minister’s original question, all could see that Lou Ying nodded down.

Even the female voice shuddered in surprise, “Excuse me, Mr. Chi Jiangyu, do you …… have more than ten kinds of psychic abilities.”

Lou Ying nods again.

There was a slight commotion among the ministry members.

”Cheating, right?”

”That is, double psychic ability is already exaggerated, ten or more psychic abilities, unless they are monsters ……”

”Quiet!”

The minister’s hand perspired as he clenched his conversationalist after a chortle, “Ask him if we can get him to end the game immediately, and does he agree?”

The ministry is once again in an uproar.

Is this what …… is saying about shedding other gamers?

To be honest, the Minister, who has bet his entire fortune on Chi Jiangyu, is the last person to want the game to end so hastily.

But with several orders from above to protect Chi Jiangyu’s safety, he had no choice but to watch his hard-won opportunity to make a fortune slip through his fingers.

He was already restless, and when he heard the noise around him, he was so distracted that he quickly ran out of patience and bellowed, “Shut up!!!”

As soon as the surroundings fell silent, a strange tapping sound became more and more distinct.

The minister was really annoyed now, “Fuck, who’s banging on the table? Stop it!”

But all the ministry members were glued to the screen, their faces full of astonishment.

A member of the ministry pointed to the screen, “…… is not us. Minister, it’s Chi Jiangyu who’s knocking.”

Chi Jiangyu is shown reclining back into his sleeping bag, the zip of which obscures the movement of his hands, making it impossible to tell what he is doing from the outside.

In fact, he was banging his collar one at a time.

Soon a member of the ministry exclaimed, “Morse code! He’s using Morse code …… He’s got something to say to us!”

This member of the department only had a passing knowledge of Morse code, but it was a good thing that there was an avid Morse code enthusiast in the technical department next door who was immediately brought in to carry out the deciphering.

He listened sideways for a short, long tapping sound, and after making a quick note on a white sheet of paper, he picked it up and read, “He said he had been waiting for us for a long time, just waiting for us to contact him, because he happened to have some requests for us as well.”

The minister made a swallowing motion before he felt the dryness of his throat sting.

The decipherer picked up a new sheet of white paper and read, “He said that he had a total of three requests. The Morse code represented by each request would be typed twice, and we were asked to listen carefully.”

For some reason, the minister got goose bumps.

This was clearly a one-sided enquiry in which the human side had the lead, but not only was this man easily robbed of it, he was also allowed to take the initiative.

…… This is a really bad feeling.

He scratched the chicken skin on his arm nervously and looked uncertainly at the young man on the screen with his eyes closed, tapping his index finger on his collar in an erratic rhythm of lengths.

Within minutes, the decipherer had successfully translated his first request: “First, I must guarantee the absolute safety of my cousin Bai Anyi, both inside and outside the game.”

The minister said sharply, “That’s no problem, what about the second one.”

Another long burst of typing and deciphering.

It took three minutes before the decipherer looked up from between the white pages.

His expression looked a little subtle.

”…… Secondly, the game cannot end early, and not only must you not kill any more of the Exalted, but you must find a way to get them to gather around me.”

Everyone in the room was silent, the same question coming to mind in unison.

…… What does he want?

All eyes were on the decipherer, waiting for him to give Chi Jiangyu’s third request.

Under the pressure, beads of sweat begin to form on the decipherer’s head and the dots and lines he draws inevitably look messy.

As he put the pen down, he was unsteady and it rolled straight down to the bottom of the table.

A strange popping sound seemed to strike a nerve above everyone’s brow, causing everyone’s eyebrows to jump along.

The decipherer rustles up the white paper.

The third sentence is a little shorter than the second, but the amount of information it contains is simply gut-wrenching.

He said arduously, “…… Thirdly, I will kill all the supernaturals except Bai Anyi to strengthen my own power, please cooperate.”

The sound of inhaling rose and fell in the room.

Did Chi Jiangyu know that killing a psychic can strengthen his powers?

However, in this way, it explains a lot.

Why does he have so much power but refuses to show it to people instead of entering a virtual game where crises are rampant; why does he go around recruiting his teammates and why does he generously give them so many supplies to treat them; why does he refuse to end the game ……

So, he’s raising pigs.

Coming back from his shock, the Minister was ecstatic, “Quickly, quickly, call up the report and submit his request! Until we get approval, I’ll make the call and let the game go on without moving any more aliens.”

”Contact the PR department and have them send the ten or so minis we’ve raised onto the live stream to generate public opinion and drive emotion in the pop-up section, saying …… just say that this group of alters, led by Chi Jiangyu, is trying to escape the game with all the alters, and that the powers he has are tricky and there’s probably nothing the officials can do about him …… just spread similar rhetoric.”

”After about half an hour of padding, contact the Ops team and send the ‘Catfish’ squad to Area B3 to round them up, put on a show with Chi Jiangyu and then pretend to have lost the battle and fled. Basically, all the viewers are watching every move in Area B3, our siege will be seen by them, and without us saying much, they will think that the officials are really desperate, and then they will further decide that Chi Jiangyu and the others might really have the possibility to escape. Such a statement, as long as those shifter people see it, they will naturally lean towards Chi Jiangyu and seek refuge ……”

”Escape, escape ……” the Minister mused, “And yes, we can develop a new gambling model while we’re at it! Just bet on whether they can all escape! …… Come on, come on, all move, move, we’ve got our hands full!”

The hustle and bustle of the present world does not reach Lou Ying’s ears.

After the communication hangs up, he fidgets in his sleeping bag for a few more moments before he can’t help but give a low chuckle.

…… Chi Xiaochi really lays out all the innings properly, with all the framework and details.

Their current crisis is twofold.

For one thing, the importance the institution places on the first instance of multiple alters has the potential to invite death for other alters.

Secondly, the other psychics already knew that Chi Jiangyu was a very powerful man, yet they were all stumbling and intent on watching, and the longer they delayed, the worse it would be for them.

Chi Xiaochi knew long ago that the agency would surely come to confirm whether ” Chi Jiangyu” was really a multi-powered person.

The most effective way to confirm this is to ask “Chi Jiangyu” himself directly.

All he had to do was to take advantage of the importance they attached to the so-called “multiple alters” and use their hands to gather the scattered alters around them without much effort.

If only this could be achieved, I’m sure Chi Xiaochi would have the means to get everyone out of here safely.

Lou Ying puts her hand on her forehead and closes her eyes.

…… is so, so clever that you want to kiss him.