When Cheng Shi arrived at the Executive Law Bureau's prison wearing a plain outfit and a hood covering his face, no staff member dared to stop him.
Because he held a Judge's brooch worn by Mercsius.
This was enough to be considered a token of the highest authority.
Several staff members even thought this unfamiliar visitor was an undercover agent from the Grand Tribunal, and they politely led the way, thoughtfully sending away irrelevant personnel to give Cheng Shi enough time to communicate with the prisoner.
Of course, in their eyes, this kind of communication was probably a horrific form of torture.
After all, the Grand Tribunal's punishments were infamous.
Cheng Shi easily reached Fang Jue and took off his hood in front of him.
The moment the heavily injured Fang Jue saw Cheng Shi, a weight finally lifted from his heart.
Cheng Shi looked at Fang Jue's expression with some surprise and smiled:
"I guess you're not relieved for my safety. You don't seem surprised to see me here?"
Fang Jue gave a self-deprecating smile:
"It really is you, Cheng Shi. You are very powerful.
As His follower, you are the most cunning and strategic person I have ever met.
To be able to plot against everyone and cause their Deaths within just three days, I have to admit, I underestimated you."
?
Listening to Fang Jue's nonsense, a shining 'WIN' symbol lit up on Cheng Shi's forehead.
I came to you to check answers, and you immediately identified me as the wolf?
Brother, are we still on the same version?
But he neither denied nor defended himself, merely pursing his lips and smiling subtly.
Cheng Shi had seen all of Fang Jue's hostile actions during the Trial, but he didn't care.
He never minded Players taking the Faith conflict seriously, nor did he mind people taking their anger out on him or even developing deep-seated hostility towards him because of opposing Faiths.
In a game of survival, it was normal for people to do anything.
Cheng Shi always judged based on actions, not intentions.
As long as you don't openly attack me, how you see me is your freedom.
But if you attack secretly, sorry, how I kill you is also my freedom.
However, it was precisely because Cheng Shi's smile was mysterious that Fang Jue became even more certain that he was the mastermind.
His eyes suddenly darkened, and the Death of Du Xiguang came to mind again.
After he reached 2400 points, it was rare to find Players at this level who shared the faint light with him.
Du Xiguang, as a 'good person' who followed the Old Order, died so inexplicably. It had to be said it was a regret for 'humanity'.
"What did He promise you, or rather, what did you seek to gain?"
Cheng Shi frowned. He shifted his perspective to think from Fang Jue's point of view for a moment, and realized that without finding the answer, the Deaths of everyone indeed seemed to be driven by a mastermind.
And this scene just before he came to the prison was even more like the person behind the scenes stepping onto the stage before the curtain call to enjoy the audience's praise.
At this moment, the other party probably thought he was the director who had planned the entire situation.
After all, Chaos always represented disorder.
Cheng Shi didn't answer him, and couldn't answer him, because Fang Jue's perspective was fundamentally wrong.
So Cheng Shi didn't take the bait, but instead asked back:
"You don't seem worried about your situation, but in my opinion, you don't seem to have found the answer.
So, what is your confidence based on?"
Fang Jue's tone was bleak, and he gave a self-deprecating smile.
"It's just a means of survival. Compared to your exquisite calculations, this is just the crudest method of violence.
But I still have a question. Before I leave, could you enlighten me?
Even if it's the last meal given by a clever Hunter to his prey..."
"Don't sound so disheartened. I also have a question. It just so happens we can exchange secrets."
Fang Jue was startled, then nodded.
"You ask first."
Cheng Shi smiled and asked directly, cutting to the chase:
"Last night, Du Xiguang and you returned to the Past and changed the memory, right?"
Fang Jue clearly didn't expect Cheng Shi to ask such an inappropriate question.
That Past Reproduction could return to memory and change the Past was almost common knowledge at this point level.
Once a Player who hadn't participated in the Past Reproduction found that their memory differed from everyone else's perception, they would immediately suspect that the power of Memory was at work.
And Memory would not allow Players to tamper with it. He would fill in the gaps in the memory, and the outcome of doing so was:
The consequences of tampering with memory would be borne by the participating Players.
Du Xiguang's Death and Fang Jue's deep imprisonment were precisely due to this.
Fang Jue didn't answer Cheng Shi immediately because he felt that Cheng Shi was making an excuse, giving him a courtesy, to prevent their conversation from becoming a one-sided handout.
How could he not know?
This kind of courtesy was more hurtful than not giving it.
Fang Jue's expression was complex as he struggled for a moment. To get the answer from Cheng Shi, he still nodded.
Cheng Shi received a positive answer, and the last doubt in his heart was finally resolved. He smiled even brighter.
"Alright, my question is finished. It's your turn."
Fang Jue's expression immediately turned serious, and he asked very earnestly:
"Mercsius, as a Child of Order, definitely wouldn't be manipulated by you. So, how did you plot against him to make him step into your trap step by step and kill them for you?"
The 'them' here naturally referred to everyone except Wei Guan.
"You want to know?"
Cheng Shi laughed heartily, so hard he was out of breath, and his hand again went to his chest.
"We agreed to exchange secrets!"
Oh, followers of Order sure like rules.
"Why don't you take a guess?" A strange smile appeared on Cheng Shi's face, and he tilted his head to look at Fang Jue.
Fang Jue frowned, pondered for a moment, and began his deduction.
"Out of the need to hunt down followers of the opposing Faith, Order, you might be familiar with the history of the Grand Tribunal and know Mercsius himself.
Perhaps upon learning that we were in Eternal Bloom Town, you knew that he would definitely be the one to come this time.
So you used the information gap you had accumulated to subtly influence them to do things that challenged Mercsius's authority, and then...
You just needed to stand among the crowd and reap the benefits.
Cheng Shi.
Everything you did went against the original intention of Chaos. Every step was carefully designed. It's hard to imagine you are His follower...
Perhaps you are right. The closer you are to Order, the more chaos you can create.
Right?"
To be honest, this was a very perfect deduction. If everything was truly as Fang Jue said, then Cheng Shi, this Reason Corroder, should have used a huge information gap as a weapon to complete the hunt of all Players.
But the problem was, he wasn't a follower of Chaos at all, and certainly not the mastermind!
The director was someone else, and right now, it was hard to say who!
"Sorry, you guessed wrong."
Cheng Shi shrugged playfully, put on a more eerie smile, stared intently into Fang Jue's eyes, and slowly whispered in a hoarse voice:
"Have you ever thought...
There's another possibility?"
After speaking, he took out the staff with Thunder roaring at the top from his spatial pocket, the Moment of Execution.
!!!
A 'boom' sounded in Fang Jue's mind, and his Reason seemed to be shattered by endless Thunder.
His pupils constricted, his scalp tingled, and a bone-chilling coldness shot up from his tailbone to the top of his head!
Every inch of his skin broke out in cold sweat, his entire spine became completely rigid and stiff, expressing four words with his whole body's reactive response:
Couldn't believe it!
"You... You... How could you be..."
Just as Fang Jue was saying this half-sentence with wide eyes, a vast aura of Death surged from his body.
Immediately after, a howling Thunder passed through the prison door from Cheng Shi's hand and instantly struck him.
Fang Jue was deeply shocked and unable to react. He was blasted away like a rag doll.
But fortunately, he didn't die.
Yes, how fortunate!
He indeed didn't die.
When Fear Arrives plus Moment of Execution, a double assault, couldn't even kill him!
Could it be that this Ruler also had a body as tough as an Ascetic Monk?
Hehe.
Cheng Shi hadn't intended to kill him anyway.
He was just conducting a small experiment on Fang Jue.
And now, the answer was confirmed.
Looking at the miserable Fang Jue, Cheng Shi laughed heartily:
"Why is it impossible?"
However, Fang Jue, who had narrowly escaped Death, wouldn't listen to any more explanations from him. The moment he fell from the wall and rolled on the ground, he held onto his last breath, gritted his teeth, and used his backup plan.
There was no world-shattering event, no violent tremors or roars.
Cheng Shi only saw a gap suddenly and silently tear open in the space behind Fang Jue, sucking him in like a vacuum cleaner.
After he disappeared into Nothingness, the gap slowly closed like a zipper, as if no one had ever been in the prison from beginning to end.
Only a patch of scorched ground from the lightning strike remained, proving that an attack had indeed occurred here a few seconds ago.
Cheng Shi watched Fang Jue leave dumbfounded. The number of 'WIN' symbols on his head not only doubled but also flashed rapidly.
It's the taste of Order!
He came here to take His follower away!
Damn it, isn't Order supposed to be the God who follows the rules the most? How can He open a back door for His follower??
Is this reasonable?
Is this legal?
Isn't the Faith Game GM going to manage this?
Outrageous!
I want to complain!
Of course, these words he only dared to shout in his heart. Cheng Shi still didn't dare to directly confront the game, which was a way to seek Death.
Sigh, forget it. It's also good to let the outwardly 'good person' live one more time.
Anyway, he wasn't here to kick someone when they were down.
Cheng Shi put away the staff in his hand and put his hood back on.
The last matter was done. Next, it was time to end the Trial.
"Let me think, how should I end all of this?"
...