Chapter 228 - Battle Royale: Survival of the Jedi (XVIII)

Lou Ying was well ahead of schedule, but in the end there weren’t enough dishes.

He drained and sliced half of the extra mushrooms from the mushroom stir-fry, diced the boneless chicken thighs and marinated them in a ginger sauce, then stir-fried the chicken until cooked, poured the sauce over the cooked glutinous rice and served it up as a simple and delicious glutinous chicken rice.

Most of the people had been hungry all day and their eyes turned green at the sight of the hot food, so they gobbled it up in bowls.

There were also a few cautious psychics who didn’t dare to eat until they had seen the others eat and were sure the food was okay.

Chi Xiaochi has nothing better to do than to write canteen slogans on the floor with a small stick by the stove.

”You must eat less if you are fat, and you must read more if you are beautiful.”

Lou Ying looked down and found Chi Xiaochi making a scene again, “Stop it, wash your hands, it’s time to eat.”

Chi Xiaochi dutifully washed her hands and was about to open the cooker when Lou Ying picked up a large sea bowl upside down on a glass bowl, revealing a bowl of freshly cooked noodles with shredded pork and egg: “Here, it’s a little stove for you.”

Chi Xiaochi’s heart warmed as she quickly took the bowl into her arms, “Thank you, brother.”

Lou Ying was a bit amused, “Just one bowl, no one will steal it from you.”

Lou Ying’s hustle and bustle came to an end once everyone had eaten.

He wipes his hands with a soft cloth and watches Chi Xiaochi bury his head in the noodles, sucking them up with a grunt.

Lou Ying said, “Look, you’ve been preparing all morning and in the end you’ve missed your meal by a whisker.”

With that, he sighed, seemingly unintentionally, “…… Not every plan is perfect, huh?”

What sounded like an ordinary complaint made Chi Xiaochi’s hand lurch.

Only the pause was too brief and he began to eat again, only this time, he buried his face in the bowl of noodles, the heat rising to the lenses of his glasses, adding a white mist that blocked his eyes.

Lou Ying picked up the jug of vinegar and added two drops to Chi Xiaochi’s bowl, “Don’t force yourself if you can’t be perfect ……”

Chi Xiaochi interrupted him, “I’m eating hot. Want to eat somewhere cooler.”

”Go on.” Lou Ying said gently, “It’s about time I went for a walk in the Shifter. There’s something about …… that I want to be a bit concerned about and want to make sure.”

Chi Xiaochi reluctantly said, “What is it?”

”I’m not sure yet.” Lou Ying is always cautious, “I’ll let you know when it’s clear.”

Chi Xiaochi rolled her eyes and said to herself, “…… You’ll always have this problem.”

Lou Ying : “What?”

Chi Xiaochi got up with her bowl in her hand, “It’s nothing, I’m leaving.”

Chi Xiaochi picked up the bowl of noodles and ran like hell to the pond where the scent of loosestrife had not yet dissipated.

The consciousness of ” Bai Anyi” had not yet had time to dissipate and therefore took in the conversation of both men.

He tsked twice, “Your plan is completely seen through, huh?”

Chi Xiaochi said to himself, “…… Why? What did I reveal?”

It is clear that he deliberately showed absolute confidence in his plan when talking to Lou Ying, and did not reveal anything when “Bai Anyi” tested himself, just in case Lou Ying and he were aware of something.

How does …… work?

”He might have known about it from the beginning,”” Bai Anyi” intoned, “…… you use Chi Jiangyu , a force to make him a target of things.”

Having clarified the basics of the world, all of Chi Xiaochi’s actions are aimed at trying to make everyone think that Chi Jiangyu is a multi-powered person.

With this aim in mind, several possibilities arise, rather than the “absolute safety” that Chi Xiaochi has repeatedly stressed before.

However, after ruling out one of the worst and worst possible outcomes, either one ultimately points to an “absolute”.

…… Bai Anyi , is definitely the one who is most likely to survive to the end.

That worst ending was that upon learning of the presence of multiple alters in the team, the authorities immediately suspended the game, interrupted the broadcast, and performed an immediate purge of all alters to prevent the presence of multiple alters from spreading.

The Spartan approach is indeed hardcore and most definitely a one-off, however, the research value of the first multi-powered discoveries, the potential resistance of the live audience, the gambling wheel already in operation, etc., are all factors that the authorities must consider.

If the agency really cared about this, it would have used every means possible to find out if Chi Jiangyu was a multi-powered person.

For this reason, Chi Xiaochi deliberately chose the odds-on favourite, the Dirty Dreadlocked Man.

Sure enough, he made Chi Jiangyu famous.

They were able to escape from the institutional ‘catfish’ and managed to attract the attention, however malicious, of all the live viewers, who at least no longer dared to blatantly send ‘catfish’ to test and contact Chi Jiangyu.

This kind of fanfare naturally attracts the attention of the “catfish” in the group.

There are two different paths that institutions can take to deal with this type of “catfish”.

I. Kill the “catfish” and protect the multi-powered from damage.

Second, the “catfish” was allowed to get close to Chi Jiangyu, spy on him and even kill him.

In fact, both are possible.

Faced with the temptation of a “multi-powered person”, the agency clearly chose the former, and Chi Xiaochi indirectly confirmed this suspicion by reporting the unusual deaths last night.

But in his presentation, he only selectively stated the former so as to make his plan sound infinitely more credible.

”With the catfish out of the picture and Chi Jiangyu in the limelight, the most effective way for the institution to confirm his identity was to “ask him directly”.

Chi Xiaochi and Lou Ying still have a tacit understanding.

He was sure that Chi Jiangyu would take this opportunity to try to speak out and ask the authorities for Bai Anyi’s protection.

In this way, Chi Jiangyu’s status as a multi-powered person is tantamount to sitting on the institution.

Further on, several more possibilities are extended.

One, after discussions, the agency determined the value of Chi Jiangyu’s research as a “multi-powered person” and wanted to protect Chi Jiangyu to the end, following his proposed plan exactly.

Then, as agreed between them, Bai Anyi’s safety would be perfectly protected by both the official authorities and Chi Jiangyu.

Secondly, after deliberations, the institution determined that Chi Jiangyu should be killed to put an end to the problem.

Since the agency did not interrupt the game or the broadcast at the beginning, the choice to interrupt now would be highly unlikely. This would have killed Chi Jiangyu immediately and would have undoubtedly caused a backlash from viewers. After all, Chi Jiangyu’s previous high-profile moves had made many viewers think he was the favourite to win the title and bet big money on him.

Therefore, the institution should not kill him immediately, and it is possible that they will do so after both the game and the gambling are over.

In this way, Bai Anyi will also be sheltered before Chi Jiangyu’s death, and after Chi Jiangyu’s death, Bai Anyi’s status as a “cousin” of the multi-powered Chi Jiangyu may well become a talisman for him.

In the same way as the previous option, Chi Xiaochi still selectively recounts the best ending.

If you compare everything Chi Xiaochi has done so far to an RPG, then what Chi Xiaochi has chosen to state, and wants everyone to believe, is the perfect Happy Ending by choosing the best option all the way through. The perfect Happy Ending is to kill all the “catfish” with a knife, avenge the two Bai Anyi from the previous life, gather all the aliens, try to get them out of this ridiculous battle royale world, create chaos, and eventually, escape with everyone else.

”Bai Anyi” once asked Chi Xiaochi why Chi Jiangyu was allowed to be a multi-powered person when it was so safe to be a multi-powered person.

At the time, Chi Xiaochi was reluctant to give him the benefit of the doubt, offering two reasons and a bet.

But after combing through all the possibilities on his own, “Bai Anyi” realised that Chi Jiangyu, who had been thrust into the limelight, was in fact the most dangerous one.

He takes all the risks.

He may have the last laugh, or he may die a violent death on the spot.

Chi Xiaochi has been cheating.

The “Bai Anyi”, the Chi Jiangyu, and to a lesser extent the Chi Xiaochi themselves, were lied to by being told that the plan was safe and harmless and would go smoothly all the way through.

However, the truth is that the only person most likely to survive is Bai Anyi, the subject of Chi Xiaochi’s mission this time.

For Bai Anyi, he chose to put Chi Jiangyu at risk, even, at the expense of Chi Jiangyu.

In response, ” Bai Anyi” said, “I am grateful to you and thank you on his behalf. But why?”

The bowl of noodles Chi Xiaochi brought to the table was set aside and he never touched a chopstick again.

Half the bowl of noodles is already cold, and the beaten egg yolk has become a layer of powder on the noodle soup, making it look appetising.

Chi Xiaochi : “What ‘why’?”

” Bai Anyi “: “Why not just follow the process honestly. You, me, Chi Jiangyu, the three of us, just work together and we’ll easily get two spots and get out alive.”

Chi Xiaochi said, “You think so.”

” Bai Anyi “: “……”

Chi Xiaochi: “If you go through the process, in the eyes of those viewers, you are Bai Anyi’s psychic powers. If you explain to them that you are Bai Anyi’s second personality with self-awareness and evolved powers, do you think they will believe you? So either you don’t show up or Bai Anyi can’t display any other psychic powers, otherwise Bai Anyi will be identified as a multiple psychic. Now all the threats and dangers to my brother will fall on his head. Is this something you are happy to see?”

” Bai Anyi” indistinctly.

In this way, either their combat power would be tragically weakened, or Bai Anyi would be considered a multi-powered person.

Even if they can conceal their strength for a period of time in the early stages by virtue of the larger number of psychics and the distraction of the officials and gamblers, it is inevitable that they will reveal their strength when there are fewer psychics in the later stages.

Once Bai Anyi is judged to be a multi-powered person, they will lose the upper hand and be passive.

…… but ……

”You’ll be fine even if you don’t show your powers.”” Bai Anyi” said, “I was careless last time, but with my and Chi Jiangyu’s abilities, we can always protect Bai to the end, two places ……”

”My brother is not from this world!” Chi Xiaochi blurted out, “He can’t take up the other shifter’s survival slot! If it does come down to a hundred and one choices, he must die too!”

Anxiety, depression, irritability, all the negative emotions, all in one moment, exploded in Chi Xiaochi’s body.

Chi Xiaochi endured a pinching headache, removed his glasses, covered half his face and bent over uncomfortably.

This uncompromising decisiveness left even “Bai Anyi” cold.

Looking back, he exclaimed, “Oh, how cold-blooded.”

Chi Xiaochi eased through the worst of the headache before burying her face in her palm and whispering, “Are you that keen to play along with them in this game?”

He said to himself, “There is obviously a way to use the identity of a multi shifter to attract everyone over and bring them out, so why must we kill? One hundred and one choose three, Lou brother is the one who will definitely die, he is so nice, he will definitely choose to sacrifice himself at the end …… so my plan will definitely work, everything is going well, Lou brother has not had any accidents until now, my luck is good …… outside should have proceeded to the step of discussing whether to keep him or kill him, no problem, they definitely don’t spare to kill a mature multi-alien ……”

”Bai Anyi” took Chi Xiaochi’s perversity in stride.

When Chi Xiaochi’s voice lowered and weakened as he muttered to himself, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell your brother about your plan?”

Chi Xiaochi rubbed his forehead hair in disarray, and again fired his grip: “Tell him, let him know that I intend to let him risk his life for the object of the mission? I’m sure he’ll say yes, but there’s no way I …… can face him, no way I can tell him he might …… so I’ll be fine knowing alone, I don’t need him ……”

”Oh. You were hoping he’d die before you understood your plan?”

”I told you, I won’t let him die in front of me again!” Chi Xiaochi barely lowered his voice, “…… I’ll try.”

” Bai Anyi” cried and laughed: “Are you a rational or emotional person?”

Chi Xiaochi is silent.

He felt that the question was unimportant, that he was not important at all, that it was Lou Ying and Bai Anyi that mattered, and therefore there was no need to answer it at all.

”But all’s well that ends well now.”” Bai Anyi” stretched a hand, “He probably already knew, and by the looks of it, he’s happy to be your prop.”

Chi Xiaochi pinched his temple, “Shut up.”

”What, still not happy with the plan? Honestly, you’ve made it this far ……”

”No, it’s not enough. It’s not complete enough.” Chi Xiaochi says, “Maybe I’m missing something. ……”

” Bai Anyi” is also a brain of lawsuits when it comes to such difficult people: “Well, well, instead of dwelling on that loophole that I don’t know if it exists, why don’t you tell me what you have to do to get everyone out?”

Chi Xiaochi rubbed his face, trying his best to keep himself awake through the headache: “…… lock spirit bottle.”

” Bai Anyi”: “What is that?”

”An exchange prop.” Chi Xiaochi said, “When my brother’s boss threw me into the spirit world, I wasn’t prepared at all, but I ended up redeeming a spirit lock bottle, which worked quite well. Later, I was afraid he would do the same thing again, so I redeemed a lot of bottles. As a result, it didn’t come in handy once ……”

At this point, Chi Xiaochi bursts out in joy, “He’s quite creative in one way or another, first making me a general and then throwing me in here, but just to force me to kill.”

” Bai Anyi”: “You haven’t said what that spirit-locking bottle is for.”

”…… is specifically for storing soul energy bodies.”

After a brief explanation, Chi Xiaochi looked over at the already well-fed Alter Ego’s and said, “A whole hundred of them, simply too good for this occasion.”

It was not until late afternoon that Chi Xiaochi’s fears were realized.

At around 2 or 3pm, excluding the players who had died or committed suicide in the various melees and encounters, and excluding Chi Xiaochi and Lou Ying, the total number of survivors was 75, all concentrated in C3.

Half of them trusted Chi Jiangyu and believed that he was capable of leading the crowd away, while half of them wanted to wait and see if he was intent on concentrating the players and gathering them together, so they could swarm him and fight him with dozens against one, not afraid of not killing him.

Their names are registered by Chi Xiaochi, one by one.

But one player in particular remained cowering in his hiding place, waiting too long to arrive.

The masters in the pop-up section were waiting impatiently, gradually running out of patience and screaming.

”Fuck, coward, what kind of game do you play when you’re so timid?”

”He’s in the H1 area, hiding in a cave playing dead, doing nothing but waiting, a team drove past and scared the hell out of him.”

”What’s the point of waiting for him? Fight, why don’t you fight.”

”How about shoving a handful of olive branches into their mouths?”

Chi Xiaochi calculated that it was almost time. If we waited any longer, the mood of the other shifter was likely to be increasingly affected by the pop-ups, and if there was a riot, I was afraid it would be difficult to clean up.

Once all the other players have been put into storage with the Locked Spirit Vial, that one player in hiding, plus Chi Jiangyu, plus Bai Anyi, should be considered the last three survivors.

Chi Xiaochi remembered the anomaly that Lou Ying had mentioned today and went out of her way to ask, “Anything?”

Lou Ying’s response was, “It’s been sorted out. Don’t worry.”

In case Chi Xiaochi was worried, he explained again, “I scanned everyone’s belongings and found nothing like a bronze medal. So, there should be no ‘catfish’ among us.”

Chi Xiaochi hmmm, still a little heavy-hearted.

In a haze, he always felt a little uneasy.

It is times like these that Zhao Rou is supposed to play a role.

Despite Chi Xiaochi’s warning not to use her precognitive powers without permission, Zhao Rou kept turning them on for peace of mind, ignoring the mental drain they were having on her.

Two hours ago, she passed out and couldn’t be shaken out of sleep.

Chi Xiaochi’s heart was not in the right place without this layer of security, but the situation was such that there was no time to delay.

He said, “Get ready to do it.”

Lou Ying : “Yeah.”

Lou Ying’s attitude was so bland that Chi Xiaochi couldn’t help but give him a look.

Lou Ying was gently struck by his gaze and looked down at him, not with concealed condemnation or anger, but only with a forgiving light that softened the heart.

…… as long as you want, as long as I can.

Now Chi Xiaochi bows her head at the thought of his meaningful promise.

Lou Ying ran one hand through his hair and gave it a gentle rub.

There were no unnecessary words from the two men, no admission of fault or forgiveness.

Because they are all here for one purpose, other things can be left for later, when there is time to speak more slowly.

Lou Ying straightens the mask on his face and rises to his feet.

In a flash, countless eyes were directed at him off screen and in the game.

Some of the alters stood up and some had already secretly marshalled their powers, ready to defend themselves.

”Everyone ……” Lou Ying’s voice was clear, “please forgive me if I offend.”

The bloody battle that …… broadcasters had in mind did not occur.

Dozens of bright lights flashed across the screen, like snowy bolts of lightning shaking the chain of fire, stinging people’s eyes, and only when they could barely open their eyes did they realise that Chi Jiangyu and Bai Anyi were the only ones left in the middle of the wilderness.

The emergency response department was stunned for a dozen seconds and exploded into a frenzy.

”Confirm the situation, where did all the other shifter go?!”

”Report report report! All signals disconnected! Positioning disabled! The collar does not detect any signs of life!”

”Playback! Playback! What the hell just happened?!”

The big picture was settled, and the pop-up section was mostly popping off, except for a section of people who were cursing, complaining about how they hadn’t seen how to kill so many people at once, and discussing what kind of psychic power this was.

They all invested large sums of money to buy Chi Jiangyu’s survival.

The odds are infinitely closer to 1-1, but it’s good to get the money back.

After confirming that all 75 vials were filled, Lou Ying turned towards Chi Xiaochi and smiled gently, “Don’t worry. We can also prepare to leave now.”

Chi Xiaochi looks around at the vast wilderness and as if: “…… Actually, I have another idea.”

Lou Ying : “It’s sh ……”

His words, no more could be said.

Chi Xiaochi stared blankly at the bloodied hand pierced through Lou Ying’s left forehead, losing all ability to organize words.

What is it, he thought.

…… jokes about it.

All the people were dumbfounded.

The players who had poured their money into Chi Jiangyu’s win, the head of the emergency response department who had just received a new notice to “keep Chi Jiangyu alive for research” and Chi Xiaochi all stared at the smiling man peeking out from behind Chi Jiangyu, their heads spinning and their bodies tingling.

It was as if he were a ghost growing out of the wilderness flat.

…… just now, he was clearly not there.

Chi Xiaochi heard his own voice, unusually calm and somewhat eerily calm: “…… Wei …… sixteen.”

”Not Wei Shiliu Oh~”

Wei Shiliu’s skin is covered in a peculiar substance, as if the result of a bucket of glue being poured on it and then quickly air-dried, the skin shrinks tautly, the features are deformed and the body takes on a pale pink sheen.

…… seems to be undergoing an unsightly metamorphosis.

The look he gives Chi Xiaochi is playful and cynical, the same look he gives Chi Xiaochi when they meet in the car.

He twirled his fingers slightly, satisfied to hear the sound of blood and flesh emanating from Lou Ying’s wound, and listened to the heavenly music with a sigh of satisfaction.

His voice made a unmistakable male and female shrill sound due to the tightening up of his bird muscles.

”…… Now, I’m Wei 17 la.”