Chapter 853: Time

He said that after a Sheng Xiao had killed three thousand six hundred people, they might be "root eliminated," completely vanishing from this world.

The reason was that he had heard every Di Ji was working hard to kill people, and there were even strong individuals who had successfully advanced, but those so-called Sheng Xiao who had advanced successfully never showed up again. Some said they had escaped.

However, with no evidence to prove they had escaped, they could only be considered as having disappeared.

He also said that once Can Yu Zhe collected three thousand six hundred Dao, they would undergo a major reshuffle, at which point everyone would lose their memories and start over.

This place has likely existed for far longer than we imagined, and we didn't arrive in batches; we appeared all at once from the very beginning, right up to now.

Interestingly, all the Mian Shi Fang Jian here are like individual incubators, constantly hatching "good eggs" and "bad eggs."

Our room was like a completely rotten egg for a long time, showing no reaction no matter how it was incubated.

The only ones who could walk out of our room and, in the final moment, open the door and stand in the corridor were always just Sheng Xiao. We have no idea how many rooms like ours are along the entire corridor.

After all, we have no way to get "feedback," and we can't retain memories, so every time we make the exact same choices and die here. Without any external interference, we would never hatch any life.

And Bai Yang is our "external force."

At that moment, he was like a teacher, describing to us a world completely different from what we had imagined.

Everything we had heard, seen, or even imagined in these days was overturned by his few words.

I admit I'm not as calm as Bai Yang. When I heard that this world is built on a massive lie, I really couldn't steady my mind.

This means we absolutely have no chance of escaping, and everything we're doing is hopeless.

"Sorry," Bai Yang said to us, "these are the results of my years of investigation. It's tough for you to fully digest and absorb them in just an hour. We still have a bit of time, so feel free to ask me any questions."

I had so many questions I wanted to ask; my mind was a complete mess, and I didn't know where to start.

For example, if this city is inescapable, then what are we even doing?

In a place where no one is allowed to escape, why are there so many ways to try?

Who built this place?

What's the reason for bringing us here?

Oh my god... I feel like my brain is about to explode.

This is totally different from what I had envisioned before, as if life suddenly has no direction.

If in the real world, my daily effort was aimed at "becoming strong," then the reason I was willing to cooperate with anyone here was to "escape."

But if escape is impossible... then what direction should I strive for?

"Just to survive"?

I turned my head and looked at Zhang Qiang. He clearly had a lot of questions too, but several times he tried to speak and couldn't get the words out.

The room fell silent, with only the ticking of the clock on the table in the center.

"Well..." Zhang Qiang finally spoke, but instead of asking the questions on my mind, he said something only he could say.

"Go ahead," Bai Yang said.

"If we cooperate with you, what's in it for us?"

"Benefits...?" Bai Yang nodded. "That's a question that needs explaining."

"Yes..." Zhang Qiang said hesitantly, "It sounds like if we cooperate with you, you might become the 'master' here... but what about us?"

"The first benefit, I already mentioned: I'll ensure your 'absolute safety.' Though I don't have time to explain, you have to believe me that these five words are the most precious guarantee in Tao Yuan." Bai Yang sighed slightly and continued, "As for the second benefit, once I become the master, I'll find a way to change things here. By then, as founding members who helped create it with me, you'll naturally receive special treatment."

"What...?" Zhang Qiang was slightly stunned. "Change things...?"

"Yes." Bai Yang nodded. "But I can only give you a verbal guarantee; there's nothing substantial to offer. So, whether you believe me or not depends on your decision right now."

The two of us hesitated again; we could only say that the time left for us to think was far too short.

If I guessed right, the Bai Yang in front of us had spent years, even a decade or more, gathering this information, yet he wanted to pour it all into our minds in just an hour.

It was really hard to accept.

"How long will it take for you to become the 'master'?" Zhang Qiang asked again.

"Hard to say." Bai Yang replied, "Three to five years, ten to eight years, decades, even a hundred years."

"What...?" Zhang Qiang swallowed hard. "A hundred years...? You're not really trying to trick us, are you?"

"I really can't be sure." Bai Yang's eyes dimmed a bit. "To be honest, clearing this room is only the first step of the entire plan. There are many more stages ahead, spanning years and involving hundreds of people. I can't guarantee success in every stage, or that I'll follow through on everything I say. If I succeed, then all the words I've said so far are true. If I fail, then I've told you the biggest lie."

"This..." Zhang Qiang lowered his head and quickly weighed the pros and cons.

"There's no need to be tense." Bai Yang seemed to see through us and said to the two of us, "Even if you refuse me, there's absolutely no risk of being 'silenced.' From now on, Mian Yang will take over as your long-term 'examiner,' just as I said. With only one Sheng Xiao in this room, that's enough. I'll leave on my own, and for you, everything will stay the same. I'll figure out a way for Mian Yang to handle three games alone."

"So you're saying..." I blinked, "you want to tell us this isn't a 'threat'?"

"Exactly." Bai Yang gave me an approving look. "I'm afraid that if you cooperate just because of my threat, I'd end up with subpar teammates, and you wouldn't be able to perform at your full potential. So, first, I want to make it clear that you're safe—no one will harm you because of your choice. At the same time, you need to ensure that your decision comes from your own heart."

I always felt that although Bai Yang didn't know those effect theories, he really understood psychology and conversation techniques.

He wanted us to make our choice after letting our guard down.

"Well..." I looked up at him, asking seriously, "What does 'absolutely safe participants' mean?"