by N. Heller
"What a hellraiser! She just can't stop giving me trouble." As he grumbled, he lifted his chalky white arm and pointed at Hegel and Maxin. "You, go and call them back. I'll need you three to help me stall off these bunch of weirdos."
Truth to be told, there was no need for Soulsqn to relay the message, as both Hegel and Maxin could hear his voice just fine. Before they could make any move, Puppeteer then added, "Either they come back on their own, or they will come back as my puppets."
'Perhaps it is due to his relationship with Lin Sanjiu that he didn't turn us into his puppets the moment he saw us.' With that thought in mind, Maxin forced himself from retreating. Since he knew there was no way he could escape this time, he commanded himself to calm down and began to walk towards Puppeteer. Initially, he thought Hegel would not listen to Puppeteer's order, so he was a little taken aback when he saw the bald man walk next to him.
"I bet that soon, he won't be able to take care of us," Hegel said in an urgent whisper, "Let's escape then. How about that?"
What surprised Maxin the most was that he just kept quiet throughout the entire process. He did not agree to nor reject the suggestion.
Puppeteer could change the size of the carpet to his liking. It was able to accommodate three humans and one massive flesh worm at the same time, and there was still a lot of space left. By the time Maxin arrived at Puppeteer's side, the group of Zeus had reached beside Zeus Zen. There was a swath of churning yellow shadows in between the two teams.
Nobody had ever observed so many Zeus at such a close distance before.
There were at least twenty of them. Each of them was two meters tall, and when they gathered together, they resembled a rank of trees with human faces. They all looked like the ugliest and most eccentric group of models, showcasing different kinds of outfits that were left behind by the posthumans who were unfortunate enough to be transformed into a Zeus.
The Zeus wearing a bandage, tank top, and battle pants rolled his eyes as he leered like a Cheshire cat, seemingly excited at the fact that he had gotten a lot more attention than his brethren from the opposition team.
"I've never seen contenders like you guys," said a Zeus wearing a blouse. Although he had a b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding cover tied around his neck, there was no sign of a baby in his embrace. "As indevout as you are, you can still become gods. All you need to do is to allow me to submerge you into the water."
"Think wisely. Aside from this vicious man, all of you can continue the game as long as you don't attack us," another Zeus dressed in an apron chimed in and said with merriment.
Unfortunately, they did not have such an option. As the thought flitted across Maxin's mind, a murmur spread out amongst the crowd of Zeus as they all rolled their eyes agitatedly.
"Ah, the game has ended." The Zeus wearing an apron covered his mouth and giggled sickeningly, his voice reverberating loud and clear in the sky.
"The white camp lost."
Chapter 648 - Lil Pep, Your Wish Is About To Come True
A sudden hush fell over the ocean.
The gale that tore through the fog abated its fury like a singer going off the stage while the troubled, heaving waves slowly calmed down. The ocean was finally clean of the yellow shadows, returning to its usual splendid deep blue color.
Maxin felt a heavy burden being lifted off his shoulders as a wash of relief coursed through him. It was great that the game ended at this point in time because he could not imagine how he would fare against the troop of Zeus while keeping his balance on top of the oscillating carpet at the same time.
The feeling of relief was shared amongst his other comrades, especially Hegel. His eyes shone brightly and a smile appeared on his face. However, not everybody was delighted with the sudden turn of events. Puppeteer's face turned grim, and he asked, gritting his teeth, "Has the game ended? Did the white camp lose?"
"Yeap, that's right. A minute ago, all the platforms in the white camp disappeared," answered a Zeus wearing a lace dress.
"All of them?" Puppeteer pressed on. Right now, he looked like a foreigner who was trying very hard to understand an alien language.
"Yes, gone, zero, none," giggled the Zeus wearing a b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding cover while shrugging his shoulders.
"That's impossible!" Puppeteer lost his cool and snapped, making the people behind him jump. "It has only been less than an hour since I ordered the white camp members to leave!"
It was at this moment that Maxin finally understood why Puppeteer took it so hard. A minute was needed to remove a platform. Even if Ji Shanqing did not catch any rest, she could only remove sixty platforms at most, and Maxin was confident that the white camp had more platforms than that. 'What did she do? How did a fragile and pretty little girl like her manage to break through Rize and Old Hag, avoid Puppeteer, go into the white camp, single-handedly eliminate all the platforms, and ultimately win the game while all of us were struggling to inch even a step forward?'
The group of Zeus shrugged their shoulders in unison. A Zeus wearing coveralls gave a half-suppressed smile. "The winner is on the way here. Why don't you ask him yourself later?"
Startled, Maxin wheeled around and scanned his surroundings. However, since the game had just ended not long ago, the fog had not entirely dissipated yet. Everywhere he looked, his gaze only saw fog.
Puppeteer cast a glance at Soulsqn, his face appearing as black as thunder. Drawing his gaze, the flesh worm propped herself up and whispered something into his ear. While they were talking, Soulsqn kept throwing furtive glances at Maxin from time to time.
The creature was not even trying to hide her actions. When Maxin turned his head back, he froze. He had no idea what or why they were talking about him, but he was not in favor of becoming the subject of their conversation. After a short moment of contemplation, he hollered out to the Zeus, "So, what happens next?"
"That wicked fellow over there must be punished," answered a Zeus donning a tracksuit, "As for the rest of the winners, if you're obedient enough, we'll escort you to the next place."
"What a waste," lamented the Zeus dressed in a tank top. He twisted his ten-centimeter-long neck that was wrapped in a bandage and sighed, "There's only one Zeus in this game. Hmph, how boring. Don't you guys know that every time a new Zeus appears, some new rules will be introduced into the game? Alas, there should have been a few more Zeus! Then, the game wouldn't have ended so soon."
"Sis?" A trembling voice erupted from behind them.
As if he had missed his step while going downstairs, Maxin's heart skipped a beat. He swiveled his head to the source of the sound, and he made out a familiar figure standing amidst the fog in the distance.
"Here comes the hero," Soulsqn whispered. Although she lowered her voice, Maxin could still hear her. He frowned.
After Ji Shanqing walked nearer, he tore his gaze away from Zeus Lin and glanced over the crowd. He nodded at Maxin before turning to Puppeteer and smiling bitterly. "So, you are here too."
"You're the one who went into the white camp?" asked Puppeteer. Even though he did not spare Ji Shanqing a glance, the thick homicidal intent that erupted from him still sent a chill creeping down Ji Shanqing's spine.
"Yes…"
Without waiting for Ji Shanqing to finish his sentence, Puppeteer interrupted, "Great." There was no expression on half of his face while the lips on the other side of his face curled to form a sinister grin. "I hope that you'll give me a proper explanation about how you foiled my plan, you hear me? And you better start praying that your dumb sister can come back. Otherwise, who will be there to protect you when I kill you?"
Ji Shanqing gave a little start. He stared at the Zeus and asked, "Is that true? Can my sister still be saved?"
Soulsqn raised her head to look at Puppeteer, but since her master paid Ji Shanqing's question no mind, she decided to stay silent as well. Perhaps because he still held a grudge against Ji Shanqing for robbing him clean, Hegel pulled his face and set his jaw tightly, refusing to say a word. Max
in was the only one whose heart was soft enough to give Ji Shanqing a reply. He let out a breath and said, "Lin Sanjiu has a Special Item that could save her life."
As a bunch of benevolent gods, the group of Zeus would never strike the contenders unless they were attacked. After Maxin told Ji Shanqing everything about the Human Traffickers Roster, his face did not lighten up but became even paler. He asked with quivering lips, "Do you guys really think that the person inside the pocket folder replaced my sister when she fell into the ocean?"
Puppeteer snapped his head to the grand prize, staring at him for the first time ever since he appeared.
"What do you mean?" asked Soulsqn in a high-pitched voice.
"So, you're telling me that the leecher inside the pocket folder can replace its owner's body to save his or her life but can't keep his or her possessions?" Ji Shanqing asked before pointing a finger at Zeus. "But I noticed that he has a circular scar on his shoulder that's exactly the same as my sister's."
A deadly silence loomed over the area.
The wind seemed to have stopped blowing, and the figure clad in a black jacket froze on the spot. Soulsqn stared at the crowd of Zeus in dazed confusion, trying to digest what Ji Shanqing had just said. The first one to break the silence was Hegel, who suddenly blew a fuse. "That's impossible! The leecher in the pocket folder will definitely replace the owner!"
Stealing a glance, Maxin realized the veins on Hegel's shiny forehead were bulging. His face was scarlet with anger. He did not care about the status of Lin Sanjiu, but managing the Human Traffickers Roster was no easy feat, so there was no way he would allow others to slander his efforts of raising the leech in the pocket folder. "That thing is real. I carried it everywhere I went as a backup to my spare life! I bet it's you who remembered wrongly. Do you think only your sister has that kind of wound?"
The Zeus in the distance giggled.
Ji Shanqing lifted his head slowly as he studied the Zeus from head to toe.
"I'm not saying that your Special Item has no use, but you guys have forgotten something."
"What's that?" asked Soulsqn, who seemed to have just awoken from a dream.
"My sister has a habit of keeping all her Special Items inside her cards, and they won't be activated unless she takes them out," Ji Shanqing said, his voice a low whisper. "She didn't have the time to study her Special Items when she fell into the sea, so there's no way she could have taken the roster out in time to save herself."
The smile on Zeus's face grew wider, and he seemed delighted. "Oh my, you're so smart!"
Nobody said a thing.
"That's right. I was not a leecher before I ascended into godhood."
The Zeus in front of them was Lin Sanjiu. He scanned the crowd, offering them a smile. "Before I became a god, many people often told me that I was a very kind person."
Maxin felt goosebumps forming on his c.h.e.s.t, and his fingers and toes were starting to go numb. He f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y shrugged off the sensation, and before he could piece everything together, a sentence was already blurted out of his lips. "Are you not who you used to be?"
"Of course not." Zeus shrugged his shoulders. "Judging from her past actions, I think I'm the opposite of her."
Once again, Carl Jung's quote came into his mind like a brass bell screaming in the depths of his mind.
'So that's it…' Maxin huffed out a breath.
He was standing next to Ji Shanqing when the latter noticed the circular wound on the Zeus's shoulder. He had totally forgotten about this small detail. After listening to what Hegel said, perhaps his sub-conscience already accepted the truth that Lin Sanjiu had truly transformed into Zeus.
So, was that a prophecy when he thought of Carl Jung's words? Maxin decided to find out. "The kinder you were, the more vicious you will become after turning into Zeus. Is that so?" he asked.
"To be honest, I felt kinda hurt when you said I'm a vicious god, but after I think about it," he said as he cupped his hands together and smiled, "That is pretty much the truth."
Then, he added, "I can prove it to you if you don't believe me."
Maxin's hair bristled as a bad premonition stirred in his heart. He looked at Ji Shanqing and noticed that his face had turned deathly pale.
"For example, I can tell you the secret that Lin Sanjiu has been hiding from you." Zeus Lin c.o.c.ked his head, offering a grin to Puppeteer. "Yes, your conjecture about his name is correct. He isn't Graham. His name is Ji Shanqing. Although Lin Sanjiu is bad at keeping secrets, I bet she never told you that he's the grand prize that she won from the amus.e.m.e.nt park. Am I right?"
Chapter 649 - Stealing Food From A Tiger
'What the hell is he trying to say?'
None of them could come up with a response. They all felt like a bombshell had dropped on their world. Of all the people, the one who was most surprised was Maxin. However, not even he could understand why he felt so astounded. Staring ahead in a daze, he did not come around to his senses until he caught a faint clattering sound in the wind. Turning his head, he realized that the strange noise came from Ji Shanqing.
Ji Shanqing's teeth were rattling against each other uncontrollably. Even though he was trying his very best to calm down, his face still turned pale with fright, and his body was shaking so terribly like it was a leaf in a blizzard storm.
Puppeteer turned his head slowly as he spoke in a low, pleasant voice, "Queen, how long can you hold up against Zeus's attacks?"
Before Soulsqn could give any response to the question, the man clad in a black jacket took a step forward and appeared in front of Ji Shanqing in the twinkle of an eye. Nobody saw how he moved. There was a gleeful smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and a smug expression graced half of his face. He seemed to be humming a song.
Ji Shanqing had never seen this side of Puppeteer before. He looked delighted, yet there was a gloomy and dangerous aura about him at the same time. Panic-stricken, Ji Shanqing stood motionless as if frozen stiff. He was unable to do anything but watch in despair as Puppeteer's shadow loomed over him.
"I don't need to keep them at bay for too long," Puppeteer said, c.o.c.king his head to one side. He looked like an innocent teenager who did not know the gravity of killing a person. As he inspected Ji Shanqing from head to toe, he chortled. "This will only take a few minutes."
The Zeus that Lin Sanjiu had transformed into chuckled gleefully. Along with the other Zeus, he crossed his arms in front of his c.h.e.s.t, admiring the theatrical performance that was going on in front of them.
"Hold on a second."
Maxin wanted to slap himself. The God's ordeal was coming to an end, and as long as he held himself out for a little longer, he could say farewell to this bunch of wackos. He was never a person who would stick his nose into another's affair, but right now, he was standing next to Ji Shanqing, whispering into the gloomy man's ear in front of him, "What are you going to do with her?"
Ji Shanqing was surprised that Maxin would step up for him.
It was at this moment that Puppeteer noticed Maxin's presence. He swiveled his head, and at that instant, Maxin locked gazes with him. An intense fear flared up in his heart. It was a pair of eyes that held no emotions. With a single look, Maxin knew this man was somebody totally out of his league.
Puppeteer made no response. The crimson red glitter on his pallid face suddenly turned dark. Just as adrenaline exploded and rushed through Maxin's body, Ji Shanqing shouted, "Sis, wait! My sis!"
Perhaps he wanted to sidetrack Puppeteer so that he could make use of the opening and escape, but unfortunately, it did not work.
"Even if Lin Sanjiu were standing right in front of me," Puppeteer whispered. With every word, his smile grew wider, "There's no way she could stop me from unwrapping you."
'It's that word again.' This was the second time Maxin heard the word "unwrap," but he was clueless about what it had to do with Ji Shanqing. The swarm of Zeus giggled again as they continued to watch the show in front of them.
"No, that isn't what I meant," Ji Shanqing began in a low voice, but he soon gathered more confidence. "I have an idea. Perhaps we can still save my sister. However, if you unwrap me now, you will never get to see her again…"
"Oh, that would be great."
As if he had been hit by a truck, Ji Shanqing recoiled back two steps and continued to stammer, "D-did you forget that my sis was going to bring you to someone? She didn't tell me who that person was, but—"
Unfortunately, Puppeteer did not give him the chance to finish his sentence.
Nobody could react in time. Little by little, Puppeteer tightened his grip around Ji Shanqing's neck. After having his oxygen cut off, Ji Shanqing's face turned blue. The sadistic man with a nearly white complexion then sneered disdainfully. "I hate being threatened. Lin Sanjiu made a grave mistake. She shouldn't have told me the man's name. Right now, it's my call whether or not to save her. However, if you're planning to use her to stop me from unwrapping you, then I suggest you ditch that thought. If rescuing her means I can't unwrap you, I'm more than willing to let her rot in hell."
Seeing that Ji Shanqing's breathing had grown weaker under Puppeteer's deadly grip, Maxin became a bag of nerves. He commanded his brain to think, but nothing came to mind. Just as he decided to throw everything to the wind after failing to come up with a viable solution, he suddenly saw Soulsqn. His eyes glowed.
The flesh worm had coiled herself up. She rubbernecked between Ji Shanqing and the crowd of Zeus, opening her mouth several times as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. She looked hot and bothered as she kept wriggling her body, causing the carpet to rustle.
Apparently, unlike Puppeteer, Soulsqn somehow cared a lot about whether Lin Sanjiu survived or not. If she wanted to rescue Lin Sanjiu, Ji Shanqing must not die. Even though there was a huge possibility that he was merely bluffing to stop Puppeteer from unwrapping him, Soulsqn had no other option but to believe him. After all, he was their only hope to save Lin Sanjiu.