Deceitful Game

Chapter 59 Ai Shiping is dead again?

When Mingpo went out this time, she felt a little uneasy.

After emerging from this deceptive game, reality has undergone many changes.

His memory was excellent, so Mingpo could clearly remember that about 30% of the shops along the road had changed their signs.

It's not as simple as the company going bankrupt and getting a new owner.

Judging from the foot traffic, hygiene, and the age of the facilities, they have likely been operating here for three or four years.

Moreover, there was a new milk tea chain store on the road that Mingpo had never heard of before.

"...The Snow King?"

Mingpo murmured softly.

At least in Mingpo's incomplete memory... he had never heard of this brand.

But on his way home, he already saw three or four such places near the subway station.

Furthermore, the subway was noticeably more dilapidated than when he last visited, and the facial recognition device that used to be placed at the card reader was gone.

—Without a doubt, while Mingpo was participating in this game, the world underwent many changes.

He instinctively wanted to take out his phone to see if Faceless God Studio and Ouroboros had reappeared... but Mingpo restrained himself from this impulse and didn't waste his resources on such a meaningless thing.

It wasn't until Mingpo returned home that he truly realized... when and how this time-space shift had affected him.

His roommate, his simple-minded son... Ai Shiping has disappeared.

They haven't gone missing, nor have they gone out.

Instead, it was as if it had never existed—

The black and white bedroom was now filled with dust.

There was no computer or stereo system that Ai Shiping had bought himself, nor was there the small refrigerator filled with Coca-Cola.

The blankets, which were almost never folded, were now gone. Even the bed itself was gone... In their place were four sofas and a huge movie screen. It had clearly become a home theater.

Mingpo stood silently at the door, her hand still on the doorknob.

The bright, warm light from the living room shone in from behind him, but it only illuminated a small, cone-shaped corner of the black and white room.

Through that warm light, past laughter and arguments flashed through Mingpo's mind like a revolving lantern.

While the other person was playing games, Mingpo took off his headphones from behind and angrily asked him how many takeout orders he had placed in the past few days and why he hadn't thrown away the pile of trash in the living room.

When he had nothing to do, he would stand behind him and watch his silly son play difficult action games, and then calmly start pointing and commenting.

While eating fried chicken and watching historical videos, the two engaged in a high-level discussion on humanities, and then gradually shifted their focus to politics.

—Watching the e-sports finals together late at night, Mingpo was startled to see the other person so angry that they smashed their mouse.

—When playing games with friends, the other team deliberately sabotaged me, and in a fit of rage, I rushed over and solo-killed this idiot who was laughing so arrogantly offline…

Those memories that Mingbo thought she had forgotten all resurfaced at this moment.

For Mingpo, who has no friends, it is only natural that he cannot forget these memories.

...Although when this guy was around, Mingpo felt like she had high blood pressure every day.

But now, history has truly been changed.

My friend has never rented a room in my house, and may not even know me...

Or...

He also perished along with other family members in the disaster that orphaned Ai Shiping.

Mingpo silently stared at the black and white home theater.

This should indeed be his home.

If Ai Shiping hadn't come, he probably would have decorated it like this.

Because Mingpo actually really enjoys watching movies.

But he doesn't like going to the movies... they're just too noisy.

He hates noisy children, and he hates couples who use sweet words even more.

He didn't know why the two of them could always talk so much, nor did he know why they could always stare at each other as if no one else was around.

Mingpo only truly relaxes when she's alone watching the stars.

Under the vast starry sky, I am all alone... how insignificant I feel.

Now, it seems that Mingpo has gotten what he wanted.

There are no more noisy roommates, and no more stupid friends who raise his blood pressure.

"……Oh."

Mingpo took a deep breath, and her expression calmed down.

He realized that even if he went back in time and saved Ai Shiping again, it would be useless.

As long as the deception game continues, these "assets" that cannot enter the game will become extremely vulnerable.

Any charlatan can harm them.

To alter their memories, modify their past, and reshape their lives.

Even in the more ancient past, they died without explanation.

Only by ending this game can one achieve true freedom.

"...That's why I can't understand it."

Mingpo closed her eyes and slowly closed the bedroom door.

That unfamiliar black and white space was kept out.

I can't understand... why Chang Ning would choose to give up her identity as a deceiver.

What's the difference between this and handing over the butcher's knife to someone else?

Can we pretend we don't know how cruel this is just by closing our eyes and plugging our ears?

At least Mingper believed... that was not liberation, but suicide.

"Gao Fan said... there are three possibilities for a deceiver to leave the game early. But I don't seem to belong to any of those three."

Mingbo murmured softly, and a pseudo-gold of the sun appeared on the tip of her right finger.

As Mingpo's nimble fingers flew up and down, the chips danced at his fingertips, gleaming with dazzling golden light.

"I have no power from the past... no power to inherit the chips and titles of the past. But I do possess a former title... though it's completely shattered. Besides that, I have a strange liquor cabinet... which clearly shouldn't belong to me. I don't even drink."

"The strangest thing is that my memories are still incomplete. How exactly did I die? What was my wish? Why are my memories of participating in the Deceitful Game gone?"

Mingpo murmured softly, then suddenly tossed the chip up and caught it with his other hand.

He opened his palm again, and the chip had transformed into a deep red "Time's Red Copper".

Without further hesitation, he strode toward the gate.

He stuffed the "ticket" into the fourth hole.

Ding-dong~

Just like inserting coins into a vending machine, a crisp sound rang out.

Mingpo reached out and opened the door.

It was surrounded by a vast expanse of white fog.

Mingpo stood motionless at the doorway, gazing at the white mist.

After a long while, a black cat slowly walked out.

It still has an eye, a mouth, and a hand hanging around its neck.

They took flight and formed a triangle.

"Yo."

A slightly manic voice rang out: "What do you need me for, you little wolf cub?"

"Lord Mo."

Mingpo's calm yet respectful voice rang out softly: "I'd like to ask... is there any way to participate in the game with a specific player?"

"You want to catch a little rabbit?"

Mo asked in return.

He was incredibly astute… not to mention, he had just witnessed Mingpo and Chen Bingwen's game. He immediately guessed that Mingpo wanted to take revenge on Lin Ya, who might have betrayed him.

But Mo didn't want them to engage in pointless infighting.

The black cat meowed, but the person hanging around its neck just smiled: "I think...it's unnecessary. I roughly know what you're trying to do...but I have to tell you, it's probably not her. No...not 80%, at least 95%!"

Mo said with absolute certainty, "Because she's already lost two games in a row. Although they were relatively safe risky games, she's almost lost all her initial chips. There's no need for you to go looking for her... She'll probably be permanently imprisoned in her own anchor point soon."

"But there's still half a percent left."

Mingpo smiled, but remained unmoved, her tone becoming even more humble: "I will check carefully. If it really wasn't her, I can help her, can't I?"

"See, I didn't lay a hand on Lawyer Chen, did I? I even helped him get through this."