Chapter 42.1
(Finally aware of the differences between two men?)
The system’s mechanical voice rang out again: “Woah, our detective made his choice rather swiftly! I hereby announce that Princ.i.p.al Zha is the murderer whom everyone voted out in the end. So, is he the real murderer in this case?”
Two men in black materialised out of nowhere to subdue Princ.i.p.al Zha, with every intention to arrest him.
After pausing for three seconds, the system continued: “How unfortunate, Princ.i.p.al Zha is not the real murderer in this case.”
“However, since everyone has identified him as a murderer, he will suffer his death penalty accordingly. As for the detective—
“Ah, Detective, you’re truly powerless, you implicated the innocent Princ.i.p.al Zha and allowed the real murderer to go scot-free, you have to pay the price! You will be met with the death penalty as well!”
Two more men in black appeared behind Yang Ye instantaneously, as if they were going to bring him away.
Yang Ye felt the grip around his lapels become tighter and tighter.
Lowering his head, he saw Gu Liang’s nails going white due to the exertion of force at a glance. Then, he looked up, meeting his exceedingly pale face.
“Yang Ye, you…” Gu Liang’s voice was incomparably hoa.r.s.e, and it was quivering uncontrollably.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid.” Yang Ye said softly.
“How could you be fine?” Gu Liang’s pupils dilated, worry and terror written in his tea-coloured eyes, clear as day.
“Did I forget to mention what reward I received in the previous scenario?”
Under Gu Liang’s unblinking stare, Yang Ye pulled out a card from his bosom after saying that. He raised his voice, stating: “System, I would like to use this card.”
Since Gu Liang was within arm’s reach, he could easily see the words on the card that Yang Ye was holding.
— “Amnesty Card: Only limited to the player’s use; exempted from one instance of death penalty.”
Wasn’t it said that it was a one in ten thousand chance?
Didn’t you say that you haven’t seen a player draw the Amnesty Card in a number of years?
What kind ofEuropean Kingor koi carp is Yang Ye?
Wait, if he’s using the Amnesty Card right now, what’s going to happen to him if he directly draws the Deceased Card in the next scenario?
In order to save me, he just used such a precious card without care?
Before this…. Why did he put himself through that dilemma then?
The astonishment, the guilt, the blus.h.i.+ng shame…
In that instant, all sorts of feelings welled up in Gu Liang’s heart.
Yang Ye handed the Amnesty Card to the man in black, patted on Gu Liang’s shoulder and supported him back to his seat.
Subsequently after, Yang Ye turned his head, s.h.i.+fting his gaze towards Liu Ran who was in the opposite seat.
Yang Ye clearly remembered that back in the interrogation room, Liu Ran had been persuaded by him.
At that time, Liu Ran had asked a few questions after he heard Yang Ye’s narration. Once everything was clarified, he used an expression typical of honest people as he told Yang Ye: “Understood. Princ.i.p.al Zha is the real murderer, there’s no running.”
“Yes. That is the case.” As Yang Ye was staring at Liu Ran back then, there was actually some lingering doubts in his heart.
But he and Xun Feng had already discussed this; once Liu Ran went out, everyone would take turns to talk to him to ensure that he would not have a chance to come into contact with Gu Liang.
Liu Ran: “Okay. I’ve always trusted your deductions immensely. In the first script, I was almost ruined by Son Bai, and you were the ones who helped me. That has always been in my mind. No matter what, I’ll always follow your vote.”
Hence, Yang Ye stared at him critically right then and there. “What was your reason for doing that?”
The hands that Liu Ran had been placing on the table curled into fists. His head was originally lowered, but he seemed to realise that there was nothing shameful about his actions, so he raised his head and held Yang Ye’s gaze.
“I was only doing it for the gold coins. I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong. Don’t think I’m blind to the act you’re putting up. The Boss Meng played by Gu Liang is the real murderer. I can obtain a gold coin just by voting for him. Additionally, Princ.i.p.al Zha will be giving me four of his gold coins as well. I… I will get five gold coins.”
Yang Ye raised an eyebrow, his replying chortles tinged with some light mockery. “Tsk, a scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes. You epitomise that.”
Liu Ran glared at Yang Ye and said loudly: “It’s possible that the gold coins can offset the years! I have to gather up enough gold coins as soon as possible and get out of this game! I have a daughter, I want to go back and see my daughter! I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Ding dong. The following is the start of the reward settlement segment.” The system broadcast interrupted the pair’s argument, “First of all is the reward settlement for the good persons. How regretful, you did not earn any gold coin rewards due to your inability to find the real murderer.”
“That’s wrong!” Liu Ran stood up hastily, “They voted for the wrong real murderer, I voted correctly! I should be receiving a reward!”
System: “How unfortunate; individual correct votes for the real murderer do not count. This is a good people, team cooperation game, where judgements are made based on the final results!”
In the midst of his fl.u.s.tered anger, Liu Ran snapped his head to the side and berated Li Xiao Yu with gritted teeth: “You kept trying to pull me along, saying that the real murderer was Princ.i.p.al Zha and not Gu Liang. I thought you were also pretending to be stupid. It turns out, you really are stupid. You’ve been through a lot of scripts right? How are you still so stupid? Do you not want to go back to reality?”
Perceiving that Liu Ran was on the verge of pouncing over, Li Xiao Yu skittered backwards to hide. Coincidentally, there was a man in black behind her, so Li Xiao Yu promptly decided to hug the man in black’s waist.
Man in black: “……”
The system broadcast continued: “Warning, please stop interrupting. If you continue to waste everyone’s time, you will be punished oh.”
“The following is the reward settlement for the real murderer. The real murderer has escaped successfully, he will be rewarded six gold coins. Congratulations!”
The man in black who was being hugged by Li Xiao Yu pushed her aside. He walked up to Gu Liang and handed him all six gold coins.
Gu Liang looked at the gold coins for a moment before he rose to his feet, and strode up to Xun Feng and Li Xiao Yu one by one to give them two gold coins separately. Furthermore, he gave them a word of thanks: “Thank you.”
Lastly, he stopped in front of Yang Ye and handed him the last two gold coins. “It’s not enough to buy an Amnesty Card, but I’ll compensate you with the gold coins I earned later.”
Yang Ye gave Gu Liang a deep look. Needless to say, he never planned on coveting Gu Liang’s gold coins, but under his resolute and earnest gaze, he could not, in good conscience, reject his honest intentions.
Although Yang Ye chose to accept the gold coins in the end, he had decided to help Gu Liang safekeep them for the time being.
However, before he kept the gold coins, Yang Ye wanted to taunt at Liu Ran first.
He looked in Liu Ran’s direction and raised up the two gold coins. “I’m really curious, how are you feeling now? Are you regretting it? Is it clear to you now, who the idiot is exactly?”
“I… I’m not losing out. Although I didn’t get the coin from the system rewards, I obtained the four coins that Princ.i.p.al Zha gave me at least!”
Once he said that, Lu Ran retrieved four gold coins from his bosom and placed them on the table.
During the centralisation discussion, Liu Ran saw Princ.i.p.al Zha hint at him with a gestured number “2”.
But soon after that, Li Xiao Yu had exited the resting lounge and asked him when he was going to look for Yang Ye. Hence, Liu Ran did not acknowledge Princ.i.p.al Zha for the time being.
It was only later that Liu Ran managed to find a window of opportunity where everyone else was absent from the main hall and he went up to remove the paper that was stuffed inside Princ.i.p.al Zha’s mouth.
“What did you mean by that?” Liu Ran asked.
Princ.i.p.al Zha plucked out two gold coins from his sleeve. “Two gold coins, exchanged for your vote. Don’t vote for me. The real murderer is definitely that Gu Liang.”
“I’ll be offending all of them for you. It’s not worth it.” Liu Ran replied.
“I’ll give you four gold coins then.” Princ.i.p.al Zha negotiated, “I’m definitely not the murderer. If all of you had anything to say, why didn’t you discuss it in the main hall? Why is there the need for individual talks in the resting lounge? Because they’re butchering the timeline to fabricate a story. Beggar Ding’s death has nothing to do with me, not in the slightest. You’re the only person I harmed.”
While Liu Ran was hesitating, Princ.i.p.al Zha said: “Once this scenario ends, everyone will be scattered. Who knows if you’ll meet them again next time? You’re merely offending them, what is there to be afraid of?
“Furthermore, since you’re familiar with them, you know how many scripts they’ve played. When you take everything into account, how many gold coins could Yang Ye have on his person? Can he give you four gold coins like I can? He can’t!
“I’ll give your four coins, the system will reward you with another. Five gold coins, how profitable is that!”
At this juncture, Liu Ran was looking at the gold coins in his hands and mumbling to himself. “Yes. I still profited. Once this script is over, everyone will walk their own paths on the main road, looking skywards. Perhaps we’ll never meet again. At least I still have the four gold coins…”
The system’s voice rang out abruptly: “Ding dong! Warning! Warning, fake currency has been discovered! May the men in black confiscate it and destroy it!”
Once the system’s voice landed, a man in black went forward and s.n.a.t.c.hed away the four gold coins in Liu Ran’s hands.
He pinched it forcefully, causing the four gold coins to shatter into dust in his hands.
Turning pale with fright, Liu Ran gaped at Princ.i.p.al Zha immediately.
Upon seeing Liu Ran’s reaction, Princ.i.p.al Zha covered his stomach and almost toppled off the chair from laughing too hard. “Hahaha, it’s fine, you’re not the first to fall to fall for it. In this game, you could be lied to at any given point in time! Treat this as the lesson I’m giving you!”
Princ.i.p.al Zha squinted his short-sighted eyes after his laughter subsided, which made him appear exceptionally evil. “Either way, you didn’t manage to save me. No one is allowed to live well!”
System: “Ding dong, silence, silence! The rewards settlement has ended. Presently, the punishment segment has begun. Let us see the crimes that Princ.i.p.al Zha has committed! All these crimes will be carved into his epitaph for all those who come after to spurn!”
The wall face in front of the conference table in the discussion room lit up, displaying Princ.i.p.al Zha’s curriculum vitae.
“Princ.i.p.al Zha, real name Wei Cai, 35 years old, a resident of Xi Gang Village, Bai Li county, X Province, a vagrant. Raped countless of young girls, also a seldom seen serial killer responsible for a chain of homicides, who slaughtered and dismembered more than seven corpses. After absconding for a year, he was later arrested by the police and brought to trial, and was sentenced to death. Sinner, accept your punishment!”
Subsequently, the wall face opened, revealing a dissecting room with an empty bed. A person wearing a mask and white coat stood at the side with a scalpel raised, and he was looking in Princ.i.p.al Zha’s direction with a frigid gaze.
The entirety of Princ.i.p.al Zha started shaking as he put up a violent struggle, yelling and shouting at the same time. However, the men in black responded by covering his mouth, and he was deprived of the ability to scream.
In the end, the men in black dragged him into the dissection room to accept his fate of dismemberment.
The wall face closed immediately, plunging the conference room into silence, as though nothing had transpired.
No one spoke in the centralised discussion room.
Only the system broadcast notice rang out at the end: “Okay, congratulations everyone, the scenario《 Undying Town 》has come to an end. Following, everyone will be given fifteen days of resting time. Players, please take a proper rest before welcoming the next challenge.
“From 《 Undying Town 》onwards, everyone will be formally entering the medium difficulty scenarios. Starting from this scenario, the system will be evaluating the players for their performance in every aspect of the game, and this includes spoiling the match, speaking vulgarly, violent behaviour and harmful conduct. The final evaluation that the players receive will decide the direction of their next script.”
Upon hearing the words “spoiling the match”, the corners of Gu Liang’s mouth slanted downwards. It was highly likely that he was charged with that suspicion.
But no matter what the circ.u.mstances were, it was true that he would never commit such actions ever again.
* * *
The last part of the game’s announcement landed.
Liu Ran was the first to leave, and his swift departure probably stemmed from the fact that he did not have the face to continue staying in the room.
Quick-witted, Li Xiao Yu glanced at Yang Ye and Gu Liang once before she dragged Xun Feng along with her against his own will.
Only Yang Ye and Gu Liang remained in the large discussion room that had quietened down.
After he pushed his chair back, stood up and turned, Gu Liang realised that Yang Ye was standing at the side, staring at him.
And it was under Yang Ye’s stare that Gu Liang slowly opened his mouth to say: “Even if you had that card, you shouldn’t randomly use it. What if you directly draw the Deceased Card next time…”
Yang Ye inclined his body slightly to hold his gaze at eye level. There was a teasing smile hanging on his lips. “Hey, are you cursing me?”
Gu Liang blinked his eyes. “Of course not. It’s just—”
Yang Ye said: “Enough. The things that you’re saying won’t necessarily happen. But if I can use that card to save you, it’s something I’ll most certainly do. Therefore, that makes it worth doing.”
Yang Ye’s gaze was magnanimous, just like his conduct.
In that instant, Gu Liang felt like the small unhappiness that he had experienced in his vile heart was essentially unforgivable.
Gu Liang lowered his eyelids to avoid Yang Ye’s gaze.
His incomparably ashen complexion persisted, as if he had yet to resolve the dilemma in his heart, and it seemed a little exhausting for him to keep himself upright.
Yang Ye raised his hands and held his shoulders before he slipped them around his back to pat him.
From afar, it looked like he was hugging Gu Liang.
Then, he leaned closer to Gu Liang’s ear and said in gentle tones, “Gu Liang, it’s fine. Everything has pa.s.sed. Don’t be afraid.”
Gu Liang did not speak. When Yang Ye saw him acting like this, his heart soured and ached.
“Gu Liang, I didn’t hide it from you deliberately. I just felt that if I told you I had the Amnesty Card then, based on your personality, you wouldn’t have agreed to it either. And if Liu Ran were to find out the truth because of our dispute, there was a chance that he would vote for you. Back then, I didn’t know what a tied vote would result in. Mn… of course, had I known that Liu Ran would pull such a thing, I should have told you earlier to spare you from your worries.”
After Gu Liang heard those words, he shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s my own problem. As a person, I’m…”
Gu Liang stopped when he reached that point.
After a long moment, he raised his eyes to look at Yang Ye, and his voice was a little hoa.r.s.e. “Yang Ye…”
Yang Ye replied to him softly. “Mn, I’m here.”
Gu Liang released a soft exhale, and then said: “Sorry.”
Sorry? What are you apologising for?
Gu Liang’s black hair was reflected in Yang Ye’s eyes.
Gu Liang’s hair was hanging there quietly, just like his current person— he had kept his entire facade of serrated acridness, and became incredibly docile and obedient.
Yang Ye raised his hand and brushed across his hair with his fingers. In the end, his thick and broad palm covered the back of Gu Liang’s head, then ever so gently, and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with restraint, he caressed it.
“Gu Liang, there’s no need to apologise to me. I understand the reasons behind your actions.”
“You are a really good person. Genuinely, and incredibly good.”
“If you still think you’re a terrible person, I’ll remind you everyday from now onwards. Until you’ve completely absorbed it into your brain, how about it?”
“That’s not it, Yang Ye…”
“That’s enough, let’s get out of here. Go back and rest for a while. I’ll make breaded pork cutlets for you at night.”
T/N: This arc was semi-painful to translate because these two refused to hurt each other for their own gain. Also–
THIS ARC IS A PIT, IT’S AN ACTUAL PIT, I CAN’T SAY WHY BUT SOMEDAY YOU WILL REMEMBER THIS COMMENT OF MINE AND YOU’LL UNDERSTAND :’))