Chapter 899: Try It All

"Yes," Jiang Ruoxue answered reluctantly on my behalf, "he and Zhi Chun are friends."

I looked at Jiang Ruoxue and then smiled helplessly. I had been worrying whether she would get angry upon hearing about Bai Yang, but here she was, speaking positively about him in front of others.

"What are you kidding...?" Gu Yu wore an expression of utter disbelief. "You're saying Sheng Xiao is a friend?"

"It's no wonder you don't believe it," Jiang Ruoxue said. "You're from Yu Cheng and have spent a long time in Wo Cheng, so it's natural you wouldn't think anyone could become friends with Sheng Xiao. Weren't you always wanting to ask me about Sheng Xiao? I can tell you now."

What Jiang Ruoxue said next left Gu Yu stunned multiple times.

She explained to Gu Yu about the appearance of Sheng Xiao and some of their promotion rules.

Yes, such a straightforward truth had escaped him all along, and anyone would struggle to accept it.

"As long as you put on the mask, you become Sheng Xiao..." Gu Yu's lips trembled slightly. "And there's no need for any exams or training...? No higher-ups selecting people... no interviewers...?"

"That's right," Jiang Ruoxue said. "Earlier, Zhi Chun said to let you stay here... Don't you know what 'staying here' means?"

"What...?" Gu Yu was taken aback. "'Staying here' means letting me become...?"

"What else could it mean?" Jiang Ruoxue said. "The room you're in can't be reassigned, so if you want to stay, you'll have to take a different path. That's what Zhi Chun meant."

Wait... Jiang Ruoxue doesn't seem to know...

In my memory, I had changed rooms once before.

I realized I was falling into a thinking habit again. Since I had switched rooms myself, I naturally assumed it wasn't a big issue for others...

But now that cities have been destroyed, I boldly speculate that most of the people who gambled and died make up about eighty or ninety percent, and those left in the rooms would be trapped there forever, unable to escape.

This would result in empty streets with no 'living people,' allowing all Sheng Xiao to withdraw from the cities.

All that would remain are wandering 'original residents,' who go about their activities based on their pre-death memories, making it seem like a real city at first glance.

Unfortunately, this city has no food, and eventually, all the 'original residents' will be killed off by their own subconscious due to starvation.

If room exchanges were possible, everything could be resolved.

Other cities should have masses of 'refugees' heading to Dao Cheng, but that hasn't happened.

The people of Dao Cheng have always stayed in Dao Cheng; I've never heard of anyone crossing cities to change rooms.

But if that's the case... why did I end up in my current room?

My interview rooms shifted from Yang, Dog, Yang to Hu, Rabbit, She, so was this another move by Bai Yang?

Could he even swap my rooms...?

No, among all the Prefectural Sheng Xiao I know, no one has that kind of authority. The only one who could change my room is someone higher up.

Thinking about it this way, it must be that Bai Yang made some kind of deal with them... and in the end, set me free.

That makes sense. The only thing different about me compared to other participants is that I met Bai Yang and agreed to work for him.

I don't know how he did it, but it suddenly reminded me of something unrelated.

I once said my memories had been altered, but the person who tried to modify them failed.

They didn't understand me, so they gave me an illogical life story, which I spotted right away.

Now, my life has been altered again...

But this time, it's not my life in the 'real world' that's been changed, but the one I've been cycling through in the End Place.

At that thought, a bold idea popped into my head... Are these memories even real?

Did I really meet Bai Yang, Mian Yang, Sha Pi Quan, and Zhang Qiang in that room?

Even if Zhang Qiang stayed in the interview room and Sha Pi Quan died, Mian Yang should still be in the city, and I should have a chance to hear about or see him.

But Bai Yang told me he died too.

How strange—from my perspective, everyone except Bai Yang seems to have vanished.

Since the day I parted from Bai Yang, I haven't seen anyone else.

"To become Sheng Xiao... what are you kidding...?" Gu Yu came back to his senses and muttered to himself. "Everyone we know who disappeared was killed by Sheng Xiao... How could I become one of them...?"

"You're wrong," Jiang Ruoxue said. "The people around you were never killed by Sheng Xiao; it was Wan Cai who did it."

Gu Yu slowly lowered his head. He knew Wan Cai was the real culprit behind everything, but in that city, few people hated him.

A lone person hating the leader of an entire city would make them an outcast, so they had no choice but to redirect their hatred toward Sheng Xiao.

"It's the same in Wo Cheng," Jiang Ruoxue said. "No matter how unreasonable it sounds, the one who destroyed the whole city wasn't Sheng Xiao—it was Nie Bei."

After hearing this, Gu Yu stood up, looking at me and Jiang Ruoxue with a hint of despair: "So... the only way I can leave Yu Cheng is by becoming Sheng Xiao?"

After thinking it over, I decided to keep quiet about how I had changed rooms myself.

I don't know Gu Yu well, and I know Bai Yang wouldn't help him for nothing.

"Theoretically, yes," I said. "I have the safest method, where you can become Sheng Xiao without any risk, but whether you'll face danger after becoming one... that's beyond my control."

"What method...?"

"Go back to Wo Cheng once more," I said. "There should be a large number of abandoned masks there. Pick the type you can handle, and become the corresponding Sheng Xiao."

Gu Yu looked up at me, paused for a moment, and said, "But I can't become Sheng Xiao in Wo Cheng... It's too dangerous... Can I take the mask to Dao Cheng?"

I shook my head: "None of us have become Sheng Xiao, so we can't be sure, but theoretically, it should work. Once you put on the 'mask,' the nearest building will become your 'game arena,' and you'll need to quickly fill in the game content."

"I see..." Gu Yu's eyes showed determination as he nodded. "Xue Jie, Zhi Chun Jie, you've given me two paths: 'go back' or 'become Sheng Xiao.' I'm going to try both, so I won't have any regrets."