Liu Jiayi looked up at [Liu Jiayi], scrutinizing her as if evaluating her: "There is something very strange about what you just said."
"Even if you didn't get the soul banknotes, with the strength of you two—especially since Mu Shicheng is a high-mobility type—it shouldn't be hard to run away from Bai Liu (6), right? Why did you have to wait until your own soul banknotes were stolen before running? That doesn't make sense."
"You've even looked past death," Liu Jiayi pressed. "It's impossible for you to be that stubborn over this, right?"
[Liu Jiayi]'s movements paused imperceptibly. She turned her face away, one hand resting casually on her knee, and suddenly began playing with a poison test tube as if to distract herself. She opened her mouth slightly.
Her long, curled eyelashes drooped halfway, obscuring those clear eyes that seemed somewhat out of place. Strands of hair swayed gently by her ears in the wind. Her voice was very soft as she said: "…The monkey didn't go to steal our soul banknotes."
Liu Jiayi froze. She seemed to realize something and suddenly snapped her head up to look at her: "It was my Ge's?!"
[Liu Jiayi] twirled the test tube in her hand aimlessly, her head lowered so her expression couldn't be seen. Her voice was so flat that it betrayed no emotion:
"…Back then, under Bai Liu (6)'s inducement and in a fit of rage, the monkey and I tortured and killed him. I dug out his eyes, and the monkey hacked off both his hands."
"Actually, at that time, there was no regret. There was only a thrill of revenge, followed by an empty void."
[Liu Jiayi] slowly tightened her grip on the test tube, her voice so light that it seemed it would scatter with the wind:
"…A void and aimlessness so prolonged that it felt like it would last until our deaths. We didn't want to resurrect him either, but it just felt like…"
[Liu Jiayi] curled her knees and hugged herself, murmuring as if to herself: "It felt like from then on, while I lived in this world, there would never be anyone who could love me again."
"We lived in that void for several years. Then Bai Liu (6) discovered the 'How to Own Five Buildings' instance and let it log in. The instance covered the monkey's former university campus; his household registration belonged there…"
[Liu Jiayi] slowly raised her head. There was no expression on her face: "So the monkey and I saw a ghost, Liu Huai, whose eyes had been gouged out and whose hands had been hacked off."
Liu Jiayi pressed her lips thin and asked: "And then… what did he say to you?"
"The monkey and I both thought he would burst into curses, or at the very least flee in terror. After all, when we killed him, both the monkey and I were ruthless; he died quite miserably." [Liu Jiayi] paused here for a long time, letting out a soft laugh as if remembering something amusing, and said absentmindedly:
"He couldn't see and had no hands; he was even bullied by others as a ghost. The monkey and I drove away the ghosts that were bullying him, and he kept bowing to us and saying thank you."
"He didn't recognize us."
"Then the monkey spoke first. He said, 'Hey, Liu Huai, you're still such a loser even when you're dead. I brought your Meimei to see you.' And then he started wailing. He cried so, so miserably; his whole ghost form couldn't even stand steady. He asked, 'How did you die?'"
"Then I said, 'You're the one who's dead. We're living just fine.'"
[Liu Jiayi] slowly buried her head into her knees, her voice muffled: "Then he started laughing while crying, saying, 'That's good then.'"
"'It's good that you're alive. It doesn't matter that I'm dead, as long as you're living well, it's fine.'"
"The monkey and I didn't say a word the whole way back. Then he suddenly asked me, 'Let's resurrect him.' I said his soul is in Bai Liu (6)'s hands; it's impossible for us to resurrect him. Bai Liu (6) would never give us Liu Huai's soul."
"The monkey said, 'I can't fucking stand seeing this guy living like a damn tramp even as a ghost, getting stepped on by everyone. I'll go steal it. At worst, I'll be beaten to death.'"
[Liu Jiayi] went quiet for a long time after saying this. She looked at the shocked Liu Jiayi: "After the monkey was beaten, Bai Liu (6) also looked for me, but he didn't hit me. Bai Liu (6) knew that this kind of punishment was meaningless to me."
She closed her eyes: "He brought Liu Huai's ghost back, then threw him to Daniel's subordinates. He let Daniel torture him. I just watched through the glass as he was tortured in the interrogation room, screaming the whole time."
[Liu Jiayi]'s voice became unsteady: "He never screamed like that, not even on the day I killed him."
"Bai Liu (6) stood beside me and watched with me, saying calmly, 'Jiayi, I know it was your idea. Let this be the last time.'"
After she finished speaking, the two of them fell into a silent confrontation.
[Liu Jiayi] let out a breath and suddenly laughed loudly: "A word of advice for the little Meimei: don't work for Bai Liu (6). There's no good end."
"But since I sold my soul to him too early in every world line," [Liu Jiayi] sighed and shrugged with regret, "telling you now is just being a Monday morning quarterback; it seems useless."
"Let's end the chat here. I've slacked off enough for today. I'm leaving."
As she spoke, she stood up and patted her butt to leave. Just as she rose a bit, Liu Jiayi grabbed her hem. [Liu Jiayi] looked back with slight confusion: "What are you do—"
Liu Jiayi rushed forward and gave her a tight embrace.
[Liu Jiayi]'s pupils contracted slightly, then quickly dilated. She tried to pull Liu Jiayi away from her chest jokingly: "Hey, hey, little Meimei, don't just act spoiled with a strange elder Jie. I'm a cold-blooded killer who personally killed her own father and even gouged out her Gege's eyes…"
"I have many people who love me now," Liu Jiayi interrupted [Liu Jiayi], speaking rapidly. "In the welfare home, many people called me 'little blindy,' and no one was willing to adopt me. My Gege always looked worried when he saw me, as if he might leave me behind at any moment."
"It felt like I was constantly living in an atmosphere where I was about to be abandoned."
"But!" Liu Jiayi said loudly, "after meeting Bai Liu, two families were fighting to have me as their daughter. There's no Daniel in our team, but there's one more big idiot who buys me dresses, a silly monkey, and a very rich Shàoyé. I have a whole squad of Gege. When I left the team, they all cried."
"They are all very good to me. They all like me very much."
Liu Jiayi hugged [Liu Jiayi]'s neck: "So, elder Jie, you aren't unloved."
"You just haven't met them yet. Live well, and you will eventually meet them."
"Sounds like…" [Liu Jiayi] slowly returned the hug and let out a light laugh with her head lowered. "You're living a truly happy life."
"You are the happiest [me] I've heard of in all the stories."
She closed her eyes: "Then I'll reluctantly believe you for once."
—————————————————
District C.
In the middle of the ruins, Bai Liu (6), whose white shirt was devoid of any dust or blood, stood smiling and facing the battered and bruised Bai Liu from a distance. The collars and hems of their shirts swayed back and forth in the turbulent wind.
The buildings around them were slowly collapsing downward. Rebar, concrete walls, and canvas fell to the ground, kicking up countless clouds of dust, creating a visual effect where the ground was rising, the sky was sinking, doomsday was arriving, and the world was crumbling.
The collapsing buildings gave way to channels for sunlight to shine through. Golden rays pierced through the fine dust and smoke, casting beams of light so bright that it was unbelievable around Bai Liu and Bai Liu (6). Their features appeared surreal under such brilliant light.
The mist behind them was dispelled.
[Mu Shicheng] and [Liu Jiayi] appeared behind Bai Liu (6). One had his hands in his pockets, looking to the left, while the other rubbed the back of her neck, looking to the right. Neither reported on their mission.
Bai Liu (6) didn't seem surprised either. Seeing them return, he only said with a squinting smile: "It looks like neither of you completed the mission."
"Xiao Ke should have gone back under the effect of the Death-Exemption Gold Medal. He worked hard."
[Mu Shicheng] glanced at Bai Liu (6), hummed in response, and shifted his gaze away carelessly. He let out a yawn: "I've been too tired from sleeping lately and have no strength to fight, so I didn't finish. If you want to punish me, Boss, then go ahead."
[Liu Jiayi]'s excuse wasn't as perfunctory. She lowered her head with an apologetic attitude: "I had Shi Qian and Yuan Guang with me, so it was hard to use area-of-effect skills. The opponents got away. I'm sorry, I only brought back the land deeds."
"Mm." Bai Liu (6) didn't seem to care much. He asked with a smile, "How does it feel to communicate with a version of yourself who is living well?"
The expressions of both [Mu Shicheng] and [Liu Jiayi] changed slightly.
"Boss, what are you talking about?" [Mu Shicheng] looked at Bai Liu (6)sleepily. "What communication?"
While [Liu Jiayi] silently despised [Mu Shicheng]'s clumsy acting, she lowered her head obediently: "Nothing happened on my end; the opponent resisted very fiercely."
"Is that so?" Bai Liu (6) slowly withdrew his gaze. "I thought you would be in a very good mood in this world line."
He looked at the Bai Liu opposite him, the smile in his eyes deepening: "At least my mood is very good."
"It's been a long time since I've met someone so interesting and valuable."
[Mu Shicheng]'s expression darkened completely.
People Bai Liu (6) evaluated this way either had their souls purchased by him or were tortured until they wished they were dead.
Or rather, in [Mu Shicheng]'s eyes, those two outcomes were basically the same.
The other four team members slowly walked out from behind Bai Liu, but the style of these four was not quite consistent with the spotless Bai Liu (6) opposite them.
Tang Erda was slightly better, but Liu Jiayi's clothes were blackened from corrosive poison mist, and her face was dirty. Mu Ke and Mu Shicheng were even more wretched, almost covered in blood.
"Everyone's here." Bai Liu (6) lifted his eyelids and curled his lips. "The most interesting part of this game is about to begin."
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu (6) is using player Daniel's panel and using the opponent's personal weapon.]
The whip in Bai Liu (6)'s hand disappeared, turning into a grass-green sniper rifle.
The moment this gun appeared, the faces of Tang Erda, [Mu Shicheng], and [Liu Jiayi] all changed.
This was Daniel's weapon, the Soul Shattering Gun!
"This is a gun that can shatter souls. Any player hit by it will have their soul shattered, and there is no possibility of resurrection in any world line." The smile on Bai Liu (6)'s face became increasingly ethereal. He raised his hand and made a 'bang' gesture. "As long as you are hit like [bang], you will no longer exist."
"The cooldown time for this gun is fifteen minutes."
Bai Liu (6) looked up at Bai Liu and the circus members behind him, smiling: "Bai Liu, how about we play a game?"
"I have a land deed here, so you cannot end this 'How to Own Five Buildings' game by collecting all the land deeds. The only way you can end this game is if your team is wiped out, or if your opponents are wiped out."
"Then I'll give you two choices."
Bai Liu (6) signaled [Liu Jiayi] with his eyes, letting her throw the unconscious Shi Qian and Yuan Guang into the middle of the two sides. He then aimed the gun at the two of them, looking at Bai Liu opposite him with a smile:
"Before the game ends, every fifteen minutes, my gun will shatter one person's soul. But correspondingly, you can make a choice."
"If you choose to shatter Yuan Guang and Shi Qian's souls, then I will give the gun to you and let you personally shoot them. Then the game ends, you win this game, and I get what I want."
Bai Liu (6)'s gaze moved back and forth between Bai Liu and the tense Tang Erda: "Or, you can choose not to kill them, and then I will randomly pick one person from your team to shoot every fifteen minutes."
The moment those words fell, Tang Erda raised his gun to his own head, his eyes bloodshot and fierce as he glared at Bai Liu (6) and the gun in his hand.
[System Notification: Player (Rose Hunter) uses skill (Russian Roulette).]
The silver bullet passed through Tang Erda's skull, quickly tracing a bright arc in the air, and then struck Bai Liu (6)'s skull.
Bai Liu (6)s head tilted to the side from the impact.
For the first time, his white shirt was stained with blood. Then, he righted his head as if nothing had happened, tapped the bullet hole on his temple with his finger, and had [Liu Jiayi] perform a healing skill on him. His smile remained completely unchanged as he continued: "Alright, your turn is over. The Russian Roulette skill has entered cooldown. Next, it's my turn."
Bai Liu (6) raised his gun and looked down at Bai Liu, whose face was devoid of emotion: "Choose."
"Countdown starts… 5, 4, 3, 1, time's up."
Bai Liu (6) raised the gun toward Mu Shicheng and was about to pull the trigger without hesitation.
[Mu Shicheng] suddenly stepped out. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and looked up at Bai Liu (6) with a very deep gaze: "Boss, forget it."
Bai Liu (6) glanced at him sideways and suddenly laughed lightly: "Truly interesting. This is the first time I've seen you plead for another version of yourself."
"What is the reason?"
[Mu Shicheng] took two deep breaths: "They have no conflict of interest with us; there's no need to go this far."
"Is that the reason?" The smile on Bai Liu (6)'s face became playful. His eyes half-closed. "I thought it was because of a reason like: [At least let me see that there is one world line where I got the friend I wanted]?"
[Mu Shicheng] remained still for two seconds. He slowly raised his blood-red eyes to look at Bai Liu (6): "Even if I think that way, is there something wrong with that?"
"At least let them go in one world line, Bai Liu (6). You already have so much; allow others to have a little bit too."
Before [Mu Shicheng] could finish speaking, both of his hands instantly turned into monkey claws, lunging fiercely at Bai Liu (6)'s throat with intense killing intent.
Bai Liu (6) dropped his shoulder to dodge. He lowered his gaze, looking at [Mu Shicheng] with a mix of pity and regret: "Once you possess redundant emotions, a person inevitably turns into an inferior animal with overflowing value."
"There isn't much existential value left."
Bai Liu (6) gripped [Mu Shicheng]'s shoulder with one hand and aimed that Soul Shattering Gun at [Mu Shicheng]'s abdomen with the other, and then—
"Bang—"
"Monkey!" [Liu Jiayi]'s pupils shrank.
Blood splattered onto the corner of Bai Liu (6)'s eye.
[Mu Shicheng]'s pupils dilated instantly. The part hit by the gun turned grey-white in an instant, spreading rapidly through his body like it was burning. He knelt on the ground, twitching and letting out two dry, raspy sounds.
Bai Liu (6) pulled a soul banknote out of his glove, which was disintegrating along with [Mu Shicheng]. The image on it was exactly Mu Shicheng with blood-red corners of his eyes.
The banknote and [Mu Shicheng] both slowly crumbled into ash.
Bai Liu (6) let go of the soul banknote as it turned into powder and said flatly: "Good work, Mu Shicheng."
[Liu Jiayi] looked at that pile of ash, her hands and lips trembling. Her eyes were so red that she was on the verge of tears. In a moment of impulse, her mind went blank, and she took two steps forward.
The sniper rifle in Bai Liu (6)'s hand instantly turned into a dagger, silently pressing against her neck.
He looked up and watched [Liu Jiayi] without a trace of emotion: "Jiayi, I said let this be the last time."
The cold touch of the dagger made [Liu Jiayi] snap back to her senses instantly.
This was Liu Huai's dagger.
Bai Liu (6) was reminding her that Liu Huai was still in his hands.
[Liu Jiayi] clenched her fists, trying her best to keep her expression steady. She gritted her teeth to stabilize her trembling voice and lowered her head respectfully: "…Yes."
"Alright." Bai Liu (6) turned his head to look at the team opposite him, which was so quiet it hardly made a sound. His face still wore the exact same smile as before, as if the pile of ash in front of him wasn't the team member he had just killed. "My team member just earned another fifteen minutes of thinking time for you."
"Bai Liu, you still have fifteen minutes to choose who to kill."