Infinite weird games

The ten-minute countdown ended, and all the players finished eating. The bowls held in their hands or placed on the ground disappeared along with the blood drops, as if they had never existed.

The light in the room dimmed inch by inch. Without the illumination of lights, it soon fell into a cage-like darkness.

Qi Si took out a flashlight from his backpack, starting from the corner of the room, and shone it along the wall inch by inch.

The stone wall was outlined with simple and ancient lines. Combined with the world view background supplemented by Nian Fu, it can be judged that it records the beast fighting games of the past.

From the fight between humans and beasts in the Golden Age, to the fight between beasts and humans in the Silver Age, and then to the fight between humans and humans in the Bronze Age...

So how will the heroic age we are in now end?

Qi Si held the fox mask and stood in front of the last blank stone wall.

There was a bronze hook inlaid in the center of the stone wall, which seemed to be a place to hang masks.

Considering that there might be a trap in the closed room, and with the fate pocket watch, it would be fine even if the death point was triggered, Qis directly hung the fox mask in his hand.

In an instant, the gray and dilapidated wall reflected scenes of light and shadow, which were too abstract and stream of consciousness to be easily read.

The fox mask was hung steadily on the stone wall, as if it had grown out of the stone. The black eyes between the orange-red hair were wide open, staring at Qis like a living thing.

Qis reached out to touch the wall, and a surging river of blood flashed before his eyes. The sticky old blood was wrapped in the blood of the newly dead, and skulls and bones floated on it.

It was very similar to the blood pool under the stone platform of the Colosseum, but it was more vast and vast, which reminded people of the death of hundreds of people.

The strong smell of blood rushed to the face, like worms and tentacles rushing into the nasal cavity; the sound of people rolling in the ears was like a tsunami, as if calling and praying.

Qi Si looked at the fox mask and asked, "What is that?"

The smell and noise gradually faded away, and a deep voice sounded: "That was the past and the present world, the blood of the dead converged into a river, and poured into the wine cup of the feast of the gods.

"I told you the answer, and you have to answer my question too."

[Side quest has been triggered]

[Side quest (must be done): Answer the riddle of the Sphinx]

The cold electronic sound rang out, and the two people in the room could hear it.

Qis raised his eyelids and glanced at the text that appeared on the system interface, then turned his head to look at Nian Fu: "Do you think this task is worth doing?"

Nian Fu exhaled lightly, walked to the wall, and cast a dark look at the fox mask: "It only said to answer, but didn't say to 'answer correctly'. I guess there will be no negative impact even if the answer is wrong. "

Qisi nodded slightly and turned his gaze back to the wall.

The fox mask played the role of the Sphinx at this moment. Its furry appearance showed the texture of marble at certain angles, reflecting the cold reflection, as if it was really a stone statue in an ancient Greek temple.

It stared at Qisi, and asked with its mouth opening and closing: "What is your desire?"

"My desire..." Qisi lowered his head and looked at his hands. There was no mud or dirt on the pale fingertips.

He suddenly remembered the dream he had after coming out of the "Red Maple Leaf Boarding School" copy. The monster with his face buried him in the soil and said to him: "Humans must have desires. What is your desire?"

He did not answer at the time. What he thought of was a humorous answer like "destroy the world", and he could not figure out more specific answers.

"What is your desire?" asked the Sphinx.

Qisi remembered the introduction of the role he played by the background narration of the copy, and answered with a smile almost jokingly: "Maybe it is to become a god. "

The Sphinx closed his eyes and opened them again, his head trembling slightly: "No, that's not your desire, you have no desire.

"I can't see what you are craving for, I can't see what you will be happy about, your heart is a desolate emptiness, I can't find the answer I need in the white nothingness..."

"Isn't becoming a god a desire?" Qi Si tilted his head and asked seriously, "If I can really become a god, it would be quite interesting, I should feel happy."

"But even if you know that you can never become a god, you won't feel uncontrollable pain because of it." Sphinx said, "Someone once wanted to live, and at the moment of death he was overwhelmed by fear, and I tasted the salty pain.

"Someone once wanted money and power, and after falling into the dust he committed suicide, because he couldn't stand the poverty and lowliness, and was crushed by the cold pain.

"People who come here will despair because they can't decide their own life and death, will be humiliated because they are treated like animals, and will be angry because of the simplicity of food and shelter...

"What about you? Have you ever felt angry? "

The Sphinx's half-moon eyes were mysterious and deep, as if it really wanted to know Qi Si's answer.

Qis looked into its eyes quietly, and his mind flashed with past experiences that should have caused him to feel angry according to normal emotional logic.

When he was bullied by his classmates, abused by his uncle and aunt, and sent to a cult base... he should have been angry, but in fact he didn't have too many strange feelings when he recalled it.

At that time, he didn't even have any emotions, but he felt that it was normal to solve the root cause of the problem by killing and arson, as if he was programmed into an automatic question-and-answer program, and the input process could output the result.

"I haven't before." Qisi thought for a while and said, "But I think if you use the pie of becoming a god to keep me busy, and finally tell me that there is no chance, I will still be very unhappy."

The Sphinx seemed to agree with this answer, sighing and saying: "Existence without desires is terrible. He doesn't know what he really wants, nor does he know what beauty is and what happiness is.

"He will make choices based on instinct and inertia. Even if it leads to a dead end, he will not turn around. He will just wait for the day when he can no longer go on, or when his life is burned out, and he will stop there.

"He has no past and no future. He is like a dead thing without a soul, which can only bring destruction without reason. Will you be such an existence?"

Sphinx asked, but before Chiss could answer, he turned his eyes to Nian Fu: "What is your desire?"

Nian Fu listened to the abstract philosophical questions beside him, and his face was already blank. At this moment, he subconsciously blurted out: "I want a bindable identity card."

The Sphinx closed her eyes and said, "You need three thousand points to realize this desire. Wake me up after you have enough points."

"Ah? Do you mean I can get an identity card if I accumulate enough points?"

Nian Fu opened his eyes wide and wanted to ask a few more questions, but the prompt "Side mission completed" was refreshed.

The head on the wall sheds its cold and hard shell and regains the plush texture of the fox mask.

Ziss took off his mask, turned his back to the wall, and smiled easily: "At least we solved a problem.

"The gods of the past and present are slaughtering humans wantonly, pouring human blood into rivers of blood for them to use - whether it's drinking or taking a bath. In short, they need human blood, and their methods are cruel.

"So our character knows he's going to die, but he still throws himself into this beast-fighting game. Because no matter what, the situation can't get any worse."

"Indeed, this makes sense." Nianfu paused, his eyes still falling on the hook in the center of the wall, "I'm thinking about what 'desire' represents in this copy, and why my desire can be counted. Isn’t it your desire?”

"Maybe it's because I'm not a human being." Qisi said in a joking tone, his eyes slightly narrowed, "But I'm curious as to why you are so persistent in getting the identity card."

In the darkness, only the light of the flashlight shines, as if a human living space has been broken into the chaos. It is small but better than nothing.

The white halo of light was blurred by the darkness and looked much softer, making Nian Fu's face appear bright and dark.

"Because I'm tired of being kept in the dark and letting others decide my fate." Nian Fu said with a wry smile, "Without an identity card, you are not qualified to enter the final dungeon.

"Whether we live or die, and where the weird game goes, will all be determined by the success or failure of those players who enter the final copy. We can do nothing but wait outside.

"I hate the feeling that my destiny is involuntary. I have to bind an identity card, even the one with the weakest effect. At least I am qualified to participate.

"I know it's very dangerous, but even if you die in the final copy, it's better than dying and living inexplicably outside."

Zeiss asked: "Would it be painful for you if you didn't get the ID tag?"

"Yes." Nian Fu said, "After the player with the identity card enters the final copy, if I stay outside and don't know what is happening inside and what the situation is, I will go crazy."

"Is that so?" Qisi sat down on the straw bed, stroking the hair of the mask in his arms, noncommittal.

Nian Fu smiled nonchalantly and lay down on the straw bed: "I'm going to sleep first. The beast fighting game should officially start tomorrow. I hope we won't have any problems due to lack of sleep."

Zeiss turned off the flashlight and threw it back into his backpack.

If substantial darkness fills the room again, you can't see anything even if you open your eyes, as if you are in the void at the beginning of the universe.

Qisi closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the palace of thought.

Dressed in red, he was wandering in the mist. When he pushed aside the familiar cover, all he could see were decaying vines.

After the [Soul Contract] was banned, all the golden leaves withered and fell off, and only the bloody leaves closely connected to the [Scarlet Priest] card remained.

That is not control at the contractual level, but a belief embedded in the soul. Even if God is defeated and dying, he is still God.

Even if others no longer believe in God, the only believer still follows God alone.

——It's like being poisoned.

Qisi walked to the end of the palace of thought and raised his hand to touch the last bloody leaf.

Lin Chen's worried voice sounded: "Brother Qi, how are you? Did something happen? I've been watching Chang Xu's live broadcast, but I didn't expect that he didn't turn on it this time..."

"Well, something happened. Chang Xu wants to kill me, and I plan to kill him too." Qisi recounted what happened after entering the dungeon in an understated tone.

Lin Chen's voice became even more nervous: "Brother Qi, what should I do? I'm going to find the Jiuzhou Guild now!"

"It's useless." Zeiss sighed, "The instance has already started. They can't enter, and the players inside can't get out. All we can do is end the game as soon as possible.

"Compared to wasting time and being bullied by them in Kyushu, you have more important value. I need you to keep in touch with me at all times and tell me the answers to some questions."

Lin Chen calmed down a little and said, "No problem, I'm at the guild station now and I just renewed my stay for three days."

Qisi said "Hmm" and said, "Go and help me find out what the 'Sphinx' is."

Lin Chen quickly passed on the information he found: "The Sphinx is an evil creature with a human body and a snake's tail, which represents God's punishment.

"Legend has it that Queen Hera sent the Sphinx to sit on the cliff road near the city of Thebes and asked passers-by a riddle. The content of the riddle is: What kind of animal is it? It walks on four legs when it is young, and walks on two legs when it grows up. Walking on three legs?

"The answer to the riddle is people, and anyone who cannot answer the riddle will be eaten by the Sphinx. It is not until the young Greek Oedipus answers the riddle correctly that the Sphinx commits suicide by jumping off a cliff.

"It is said that the Sphinx symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. The mystery of the Sphinx is expressed in a deeper level as 'fear and temptation', that is, 'real life'."

Fear and temptation?

There are no desires, and therefore no temptations, no fears of frustrated hopes.

Human beings all have desires, so they are afraid and have various emotions.

Sometimes it may even seem despicable, but it is truly human nature.

Qisi asked abruptly: "Lin Chen, what is your desire?"

"Desire? Do you mean wish?" Lin Chen was confused.

He thought for a moment and said, "I hope I can survive and let my parents live a good life."

That had always been his wish, so there was no doubt about it.

Chiss lowered his eyes and said, "I understand."

He withdrew from the palace of thought and returned to the dark room again.

The straw beneath me was unevenly spread, and the moist moisture under the floor penetrated into my skin through the straw, conveying every trace of coolness.

Qisi slept uncomfortably, but did not feel any negative emotions.

He sorted out everything that had just happened in his mind, and vaguely captured a secret sense of dissonance.

Asking about desires and then telling the player the points required to fulfill the desires, how come it looks so much like the wish-fulfillment mechanism of a weird game?

There are many players who enter weird games driven by strong desires.

And as a person without desires, he can only become a player in other ways...

Many issues that had been subconsciously ignored before surfaced now, and Qiss narrowed his eyes. (End of chapter)