Chapter 847: The Same Person

"Bai Yang..." Mian Yang said in a deep voice, "I heard you just became a 'Sheng Xiao' a day or two ago and were immediately recommended by the teacher, right...?"

"Yes," Bai Yang nodded. "It's no secret."

Mian Yang's tone was already much more respectful than before: "What exactly are you racing against time for...?"

"I'm racing time against itself," Bai Yang replied. "That's not what we need to discuss right now. I suggest we talk about the upcoming cooperation instead."

At the mention of "cooperation," Mian Yang's expression clearly changed. He turned his head away and silently looked at Sha Pi Quan.

"Cooperation..." Sha Pi Quan still seemed unsatisfied. He turned to Mian Yang and said, "Mian Yang, did you hear that? This guy just said that even without the two of us in the room, he could still host three games. Do you really want to cooperate with someone like that?"

After hearing this, Mian Yang lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Ren Gou, whether you admit it or not... Bai Yang is a very strong 'Sheng Xiao.' His promotion speed has been incredibly fast. Not only did he become an interviewer right after reaching 'Ren Ji,' but now we're just one step away from becoming 'Di Ji' thanks to him."

"'Thanks to him'...?" Sha Pi Quan snorted coldly. "What kind of talk is that?! There are three games here—haven't the two of us put in any effort?"

While Mian Yang and Ren Gou were arguing endlessly, I exchanged glances with Zhang Qiang. These 'Sheng Xiao' seemed to treat us like we were invisible, blurting out everything they should and shouldn't say.

We both knew the situation was dire. The most likely outcome was that we'd be silenced.

Then Zhang Qiang and I looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

A few seconds later, a distant bell rang. Zhang Qiang and I steadied our minds and took the initiative in the "Hui Yi."

We were both immobilized and at their mercy, but since we'd preserved our "Hui Yi," even if we were silenced next, it wouldn't matter.

To my surprise, the expected fight didn't happen. I recalled Article 2.4 of the "Sheng Xiao Fei Sheng Dui Du Hetong," which stated:

Party B promises to help participants build a correct worldview and ensure they are guided to approach death proactively, voluntarily, and calmly. During this process, Party B must not kill innocents indiscriminately or seek personal revenge.

So, these things they said were of their own accord—did that mean Zhang Qiang and I counted as innocents...?

Seeing that their argument wasn't leading anywhere, I turned my head back to Bai Yang.

Strangely, he hadn't interfered in Mian Yang and Ren Gou's conversation at all. Instead, he kept glancing at the clock on the table.

It really seemed like he was in a hurry, just as he'd said. The time had already passed 12:05 and was slowly approaching 12:30.

Now, it looked like Mian Yang was on Bai Yang's side, but Sha Pi Quan seemed reluctant, constantly looking for reasons to object.

After listening to their back-and-forth for a while, Bai Yang sighed helplessly and interrupted: "I never thought that whether it's 'Sheng Xiao' or 'participants,' there are idiots everywhere."

"What...?" Sha Pi Quan was furious at this. He stopped arguing with Mian Yang and turned to Bai Yang. "Don't you dare act all high and mighty. We've all spent a long time getting to this interview room, unlike someone who got here through connections... We're worlds apart from you. We value our lives more than you do, so how could we follow you on some reckless path? Just because you don't cherish your situation doesn't mean we don't."

"Value your lives..." Bai Yang shook his head. "Ren Gou, mindlessly following the rules here isn't 'valuing your lives'—it's just 'surviving like a coward.'"

After saying that, Bai Yang checked his watch again. Time had been wasted for too long; it was now almost 12:30.

"This is so frustrating..." Bai Yang sighed, then looked up at Sha Pi Quan. "I'll make this quick, Ren Gou. Your main hang-up is whether a rule-breaker dies and stays dead, right?"

"Exactly," Sha Pi Quan nodded. "That's the reason I can't take risks with you. No matter how persuasively you talk, it won't change that."

In response, Bai Yang reached into his chest pocket and pulled out an old handgun—the same one he'd used to kill himself after the previous game ended.

To my astonishment, he raised the gun and slowly pressed it against his own temple.

"I'm really short on time," Bai Yang said seriously, gun in hand. "Since I can't convince you this time, I'll have to hope for next time."

"Wha...?" Sha Pi Quan's eyes widened behind his mask. "What are you doing? Your game hasn't even started..."

"I'll demonstrate what happens when someone dies for breaking the rules. From now on, you don't need to worry about what I'm doing—just carry on with your own game as usual."

He cocked the gun, and Zhang Qiang and I held our breath. Everything in this cycle was beyond our expectations. Who exactly was this Bai Yang?

"Ladies and gentlemen, the 'Shuo Huang Zhe' game is over."

With that declaration, a gunshot echoed through the narrow room. The strongest "Sheng Xiao" in my mind ended his life in this bizarre way.

From a rules perspective, he had no reason to kill himself, but he collapsed straight down, the bullet piercing his temple, brain matter splattering everywhere as he turned into a silent corpse before my eyes.

Although Zhang Qiang and I could move again, we still didn't dare act rashly. We couldn't fight back against any of the "Sheng Xiao" in the room—that was the difference between "participants" and "Sheng Xiao."

We stayed silent in the room for a long time. We really didn't understand "Sheng Xiao" or what they were thinking.

In the end, Sha Pi Quan spoke first. He explained the rules of "Yu Hou Chun Sun," and then Zhang Qiang, who had already "responded," quickly spun the table by himself.

As the number of people in the room dwindled, I also had to thank Zhang Qiang. Without his brute strength, I'd theoretically have to control the "Sheng Xiao" in the room to spin the table for me, which would make my situation even more dangerous.

For those of us who retained our memories, these games could be cleared once and then repeatedly. So, we found ourselves back on this blood-red land once again.

Just as Zhang Qiang was about to turn and leave toward the street, I called out to him.

"Qiang Ge," I said—it was, if I remembered correctly, the first time I'd initiated a conversation with him. "Where do you usually go?"

Zhang Qiang glanced at me and replied quietly, "It's a long time, so I go find something to eat, then something to drink."

"Oh..." I nodded.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he asked, "What about you?"

"I also find something to eat, then something to drink."