The Trial Game of Life – Chapter 151

Table of Contents | Character Guide

Chapter 151: Her Demise

Leaving the dungeon, Tang Cuo glanced at the time: six hours had passed since he entered the dungeon. It might be because of all that dreaming that the time in the dungeon didn’t flow normally.

This was his and Jin Cheng’s apartment in Zone E. Tang Cuo opened the curtains and looked outside to find that the atmosphere seemed to have become much calmer. It was nowhere as worry-stricken and depressing as before, while most of the living corpses on the street were gone.

It seemed that the issue of corpse poison had been solved. After pondering for a moment, Tang Cuo set off a signal that said ‘everything’s done over here’. He didn’t rush to find Jin Cheng, rather, he had a look at the system panel to add points.

[Character]

No. K27216: Tang Cuo

Character score: 50

Strength: 212

Intelligence: 161

Charm: 93

Rating: A

HP: 25

[Survival is not easy, please never stop trying.]

After adding points to his attributes, Tang Cuo still kept 50 points for purchasing potions. As for other odds and ends, given that he had The Equipment Master Wen Xiaoming, there was no need to worry much. As of now, Tang Cuo’s total points had exceeded 500 points; this was much higher than the required points to level up from Zone E to Zone D, which was 300 points.

In fact, Tang Cuo had already met the levelling-up requirements after the dungeon [Realm of Mortals], but with Scarlet’s affair going at the moment, this was temporarily put on hold.

In Yong Ye City, levelling-up requirements increased exponentially. From Zone F to E was 100 points, from Zone E to D was 300 points, from Zone D to C was 700 points, and so on. The differences between the zones were 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 respective.

Tang Cuo felt that he might be able to directly level up to Zone C by joining a couple more dungeons.

As he cast a quick glance at the reward box, the rewards earned from [There’s Someone Under The Bed] caught Tang Cuo’s attention, because it was —

[School Flower’s Protective Talisman]

Category: Equipment

Quality: Common

Description: A luck modifier item. There is a 25% chance to trigger ‘Absolute Defense’, which may stop all attacks. Effective duration is 3 seconds, cooldown time is 1 hour.

Tang Cuo believed that if this thing was in Chi Yan’s hands, the trigger chance might jump to 75%. However, the biggest gain of this dungeon wasn’t the dungeon inself, but the card that triggered the dungeon.

[Greed]

Category: Equipment

Quality: Rare

Description: The fifth card in the [Seven Deadly Sins] series. It may devour half the points and skills of all other players who stand within a radius of 5 meters for one’s own use. The effect of all skills is halved. Effective duration is 5 minutes. Backlash effect is that after using it, all of the player’s attributes will be halved (Remaining uses: 2/3).

With such a powerful card in hand, of course, there was no reason to return it. For now, he would consider it his compensation for dealing with Scarlet. Tang Cuo turned around and poured himself a cup of hot water, then threw a few chocolate beans into his mouth. Seeing his reflection in the water, he realised his face looked almost as dead as the ghost Li Haoshuai.

Two consecutive dungeons had taken a major hit on his soul. Although he would definitely benefit a lot in the end, he couldn’t avoid having such a sickly expression for a short while. The most obvious symptom was how pale his face was at the moment.

Rubbing his face with hot water, Tang Cuo went to look in the mirror again. Gazing at his cheeks that seemed nowhere less sickly, Tang Cuo decided to give up, his expression as blank as usual.

Forget it.

Turning around to go out, Tang Cuo wasn’t sure where Jin Cheng was at the moment, so he went straight to the Ruby Bar. When the players on the road saw him, many recognised him and all of them subconsciously avoided him, not daring to make any provocative move at all.

A series of changes in Yong Ye City had made these ordinary players a lot more cautious, and the remnants of the living corpses on the road were a bitter lesson. Later, when they saw Jin Cheng making an appearance, they felt even better about the fact that they had steered away.

“Heading back?” Tang Cuo was a tad startled when he saw Jin Cheng, because it was clear that he was heading home. One of them was looking for the other while the other was going back, so they nicely crossed each other’s path halfway.

“I still didn’t manage to catch you.” Jin Cheng raised the corner of his lips: “I want to be home before you get out, so you don’t have to come out here again.”

“How’s everything?”

“There’s no ‘how’. You should rest.”

Jin Cheng caught Tang Cuo’s pale face just after one brief glance. Actually, they hadn’t gotten any chance to rest after they came out from [Realm of Mortals]. First, they were busy dealing with Scarlet, and Tang Cuo immediately entered the dungeon thereafter. It wasn’t difficult to figure out how heavy the load was on him. Jin Cheng had been in Yong Ye City long enough for his body to be continuously strengthened, so he had long gotten used to this pacing. But Tang Cuo was, after all, a newcomer.

“Let’s go.” Seeing Tang Cuo not say anything, Jin Cheng thought he was so touched that he couldn’t speak. He placed his hand on Tang Cuo’s shoulder in a half-pushing and half-hugging gesture, trying to bring him back home.

With his hands still in the pockets of his trench coat, Tang Cuo tilted his head to glance at him: “Where’s Scarlet?”

Jin Cheng said as he walked: “Still in the bar. I gave Jiang He half an hour to be there. Half an hour should be enough for them to bid their farewell. When the time comes, we’ll directly destroy the phylactery. This is what we’d call ‘remote operation’.”

Tang Cuo: “I still need to ask Jiang He something.”

“Is it very important?”

“Maybe.”

“Then it’s not as important as sleeping.” It was obviously words of concern, but with Jin Cheng’s choice of tone, it didn’t sound proper at all. 

Tang Cuo didn’t say a single word.

Jin Cheng tried to coax him again, briefly explaining what happened after he entered the dungeon. In the end, he added: “Lilith and Lin Yandong both need time, and they won’t be able to come back for the time being. Given that we have some time to recharge ourselves, we may want to quickly get through [Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight].”

“[Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight]?”

“Looking at what Lin Yandong means, the hidden dungeon that Yan Ye entered may have something to do with it.”

While in the prison, Rong Yi asked Lin Yandong if he knew which hidden dungeon Yan Ye had gone to. Lin Yandong didn’t give a clear answer, rather, he asked Rong Yi to go back to ask Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo, saying that they would understand.

The only hidden dungeon that was related to Jin Cheng and Tang Cuo was [Kingdom Hidden In The Moonlight]. In addition, the movements, Lin Yandong, Black Hat, and so on, were all related to this dungeon. Clearing it must be put on their priority list.

Of course, Tang Cuo had no objection to Jin Cheng’s decision. It was just that looking at the whole thing, what had him most puzzled was neither Ji Ning from the Vaccine Research Institute nor Lin Yandong, but Rong Yi.

“Do you really believe what he said? In the dungeon, he saw what happened to the team that tried to kill God using ‘Time Manipulation’.” He asked.

“What does my smart Cuo Cuo think?” Jin Cheng raised an eyebrow.

“.” Tang Cuo remained silent.

“Mr. Tang? Mister?” Jin Cheng switched his choice of words, and eventually, he deliberately leaned over with his taller body and breathed into Tang Cuo’s ear: “Do you know ‘Mr.’ means that you have a husband?” 

“Go away.”

“Ah.”

Though Jin Cheng’s mouth concurred, his behaviour remained the same, and he even wanted to reach out to rub Tang Cuo’s hair. Tang Cuo did feel that he was too close, but he didn’t push the man away either. As though being carried along with the wind, he walked with both hands in his pockets, simply thinking that a large accessory was hanging onto his body.

Jin Cheng really loved his coolness.

“Rong Yi must be hiding something, but the story of the team that tried to kill God should be true. The past can teach us many things. I have a hunch that after this story is brought up once more, history may repeat itself. We have to find a way to learn more about this incident first. It’s just that it’s been too long, so it may require some work.” 

As they talked, the two finally returned home. After Jin Cheng urged Tang Cuo to take a shower, Tang Cuo took out the phylactery and threw it to him: “You do it.”

With the wooden box in his hands, Jin Cheng sat down on the sofa and turned around to look at the clock on the wall. Estimating that the time was almost up, he took out a soldier doll that resembled The Nutcracker.

He wound up the doll and placed it next to the phylactery, at which moment the soldier drew a sword from his waist and started chopping the wooden box repeatedly in a rather mechanical manner. Although the force was small, these countless cuts would still cause damage to the box.

Meanwhile, inside the Ruby Bar.

Jiang He leaned quietly against the door of the private room with his arms folded, his eyes drooping slightly. In the private room were Zheng Yingying and Scarlet, because Zheng Yingying still didn’t let Jiang He come in. Jiang He didn’t want Zheng Yingying to be alone with Scarlet for fear that she might hear something she shouldn’t listen to and get affected by it, but Zheng Yingying insisted.

In the room, one adult and one child faced each other, but neither of them spoke.

Time slowly passed until there were only five minutes left in the half-an-hour limit given by Jin Cheng. Scarlet finally raised her head and opened her eyes to look at the little girl opposite her.

“I’m going to die soon, right?” She had already sensed the vibration of her soul from the phylactery. A hint of mockery appeared on her lips: “I’m about to die, and he still doesn’t have the guts to see me.”

She couldn’t tell whether that mockery was for herself or Jiang He. But her heart was strangely at peace, not having even the slightest fear of death.

Perhaps it was thanks to K. She was still amazed that she would reveal all her past connections to K, as if they were simply a storyteller and a listener who had never known each other. Through the narration, Scarlet recalled many things she had forgotten and also what she looked like when she first came to Yong Ye City.

Jiang He said that Zheng Yingying was very similar to her back then. Maybe he’s right.

At this moment, the pain hit Scarlet’s mind and her face turned as white as a sheet, but she could endure it without showing any pain. Seeing this, Zheng Yingying finally spoke: “I won’t let him see you.”

“Ah.” Scarlet let out a light chuckle: “The thing you’re holding in your hands is the [Nameless Dagger], isn’t it?”

Zheng Yingying frowned.

Scarlet continued to talk, but the pain was making her whole body curl up and her voice was becoming choppy. Yet, those beautiful eyes remained fixed at Zheng Yingying: “You won’t end well either.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Do you think I’m trying to stir distrust between you two? People only say good words when they’re about to die. Since you’re holding onto the [Nameless Dagger], do you think you’ll be much better than me? Jiang He gave up on me, so naturally, he’ll give up on you too.”

Saying so, Scarlet laughed softly, but the pain made her spit out a mouthful of blood. She slumped to the ground, coughing up blood and laughing like she had gone mad.

Zheng Yingying couldn’t hear the words ‘give up’, and subconsciously, she grabbed the handle of the dagger with her right hand, her eyes turning extremely ruthless. Jiang He opened the door and walked in at this moment, holding her wrist and shaking his head at her.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps, Scarlet lifted her head with the last bit of her strength and saw that Jiang He was protecting Zheng Yingying. Suddenly, tears escaped her eyes.

Through all those years, Jiang He had only seen her cry once. It was when they first met.

Now was the second time.

He was stunned, and his eyes met her tears. He seemed slightly moved, but Scarlet’s laughter came once more. She cried and laughed at the same time, her eyes never leaving the two of them while her lips muttered that sentence over and over again: “Since we’re of different paths, we should go separate ways… Since we’re of different paths, we should go separate —” 

The last word was stuck in her throat.

As the doll shattered the phylactery, the strongest sorceress perished.

Feeling as though someone had taken a grip of his heart, Jiang He suddenly couldn’t breathe. With Scarlet still looking at him, that last sentence was like a curse that kept hovering above his mind.

This was what he had once said to Scarlet.

Zheng Yingying tightly grasped Jiang He’s hand. The pain made Jiang He turn around to meet Zheng Yingying’s paranoid gaze. 

“I won’t allow you to look at her.” Zheng Yingying said.

Outside the room, Wen Xiaoming and Chi Yan were sitting in the corner and exchanging gossip, and they couldn’t help but sigh when they heard the movement inside. It was hard to believe that Scarlet died just like that. She lived such a fierce life, yet died such a quiet death.

How should they say it, Their boss and Tang ge are so awesome.

Shaking his head, Wen Xiaoming put the emotion behind him and glanced at the spot where Leng Miao and Rong Yi had just left.

“Did you say Miao Qi disappeared?” He asked Chi Yan. If it wasn’t for Leng Miao and Rong Yi mentioning it just now, Wen Xiaoming would’ve almost forgotten about the young man whom Lawless kidnapped together with him.

“How do I know? Maybe like that Meng Yufei, he also turned into a living corpse and is lying somewhere out there.” Chi Yan said.

“Oh, f**k, there’s still that Meng Yufei.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think it’s too late to find him and give him a good beating?”

“I think it’s fine, really fine in fact. I’m super good at giving a beating.”

As Wen Xiaoming and Chi Yan discussed a plan to give Meng Yufei a good beating, Meng Yufei, the man they were both thinking of, was gaping with utter shock at the blade that was rushing at him.

“Pfft.” The moment the blade pierced into his flesh, Meng Yufei reached out and tried to grab the other person, but it was all in vain.

He never imagined that he would become a living corpse lying on the ground. But no matter what, this was all under the hands of Zheng Yingying. Zheng Yingying had her reasons to do it, and he was willing to receive it.

But now, this? He was actually killed by a little rascal whom he could smash to death any time he wanted! 

Qian Wei!

A boy with such an ordinary name!

The other party had deliberately cured him from the corpse poison, then put the blade into the hands of another living corpse. As soon as Meng Yufei was awake, Qian Wei killed him using another living corpse’s hands so he didn’t have to go to jail!

Meng Yufei’s eyes opened wide with extreme anger, but that didn’t change the fact that he would be sent to jail right now.

The moment he was gone, Qian Wei fell to the ground on his butt, patting his chest as cold sweat broke out all over him. Swallowing hard, he turned his stiff neck to look at Peng Mingfan, who was just beside him.

“Peng Peng, if he’s like this, won’t he come to seek revenge after he’s out of jail?”

“Of course he will.” Peng Mingfan answered him affirmatively.

“Then what should we do? If he really wants to fight, we can’t beat him!” Qian Wei’s face immediately went dark. A few hours ago, he originally followed Tang Cuo to the central area, but he was slow and fell behind. Later, Tang Cuo got into a fight with Scarlet and Jin Cheng came right after for another battle, so he, a tiny little pawn, didn’t have the nerve to come forward and kept hiding on the periphery.

By the time everything settled, he didn’t know whether he should go up to say hello to Jin Cheng. Luckily, Peng Mingfan happened to come out of a dungeon and the two met outside the game hall.

Seeing Peng Mingfan made him feel as happy as seeing a long-lost relative, so much so that he rambled about everything that happened while Peng Mingfan was away with snot and tears all over his face. To his utter surprise, after hearing what he had to say, Peng Mingfan turned his usual low-key demeanour around and took the initiative to get the antidote for corpse poison from other players, then brought him here to kill Meng Yufei.

Eventually, the corpse poison antidote was snatched by a team in Zone B and was sold in batches at an exorbitant price after being diluted with water. Needless to say, the players in Yong Ye City weren’t so willing to be exploited by others, and the team’s business didn’t survive long before the other players tore it down.

Yet another brawl.

At this moment, Peng Mingfan took off his glasses and wiped the blood off. Putting them on again, he said: “Meng Yufei is a nutcase, so if you’ve caused him to hold grudges, there’ll be no way out unless you die. I’ll help you keep a lookout. If you stay out of the limelight, it won’t be so bad that you may be killed every time you step out of the house.”

Understanding only some parts of those words, Qian Wei scratched his head: “Ah… okay.”