Chapter 366: Ripples
"Round four begins. The first person shall 'draw lots.'"
The brief announcement made Su Shan restless.
It was already the fourth round—half of the game had passed. If each round represented one "year," then "four years" had already gone by, and everyone had been battered beyond recognition by the "Nian Beast."
Of the three lanterns above the Nian Beast's head, only one had been extinguished.
In the remaining four rounds, they would need to put out two more to win this game. But clearly, Di Gou was not an easy opponent to deal with.
Lin Qin was already severely injured. If another "Disaster" struck her at random, there was a high chance she would die.
Zhang Chenze's situation was even more dire. Her room was now filled with a grayish-green hue, making it impossible to locate her. However, judging by the movement patterns of the insect swarm, she was still struggling fiercely, causing large fluctuations in the wave of bugs.
Could she still "draw lots" and "make a wish" in her current state?
The only two people in relatively good condition now were herself and Qin Dingdong. But unfortunately, they were positioned at the very beginning and end of the round, making it nearly impossible for them to coordinate effectively.
Di Gou had two potential strategies for the upcoming "Disasters." The first was an aggressive approach—continuing to strike the seasons that had already suffered disasters, using the "Misfortunes never come singly" tactic to wipe them out completely. But this had its drawbacks: since Zhang Chenze was linked to Su Shan, and Lin Qin to Qin Dingdong, they could theoretically rescue each other. So unless Di Gou was willing to take a huge risk, this approach seemed unlikely.
The second strategy was to play it safe—deploying "Disasters" on the seasons that were still unharmed. This would lower the overall condition of all four people, leaving the entire year shrouded in calamity. It would make mutual rescue difficult, coordination nearly impossible, and victory even harder to achieve.
The greatest challenge of this game was that "no one could die." But how could she, relying on her own strength alone, save everyone?
She had a feeling that in just two more rounds, everyone would be injured. Even if they managed to leave Di Gou's game venue, there was no way they could participate in the next game.
"So this is what it means to be 'Earth Rank'...?" Su Shan let out a bitter smile. "I still remember clearly the last time I faced Qi Xia. Back then, I lost to a 'participant.' Now I'm losing to a 'judge.' I really am not suited to survive in this place..."
In her hand, Su Shan now held only one "Si Hai Wu Xian Tian" slip and one "Plain Lot" slip.
In theory, to win, she needed to wish for "Si Hai Wu Xian Tian." But "summer" was already plagued by a "locust disaster."
Who would dare to wish for "Si Hai Wu Xian Tian" in "spring" when they knew "summer" was infested with locusts?
Su Shan's mind was a mess. She felt that this game was simply unwinnable.
"I was too naive..."
Her eyes gradually grew despondent. She had been so confident, leading this group into an "Earth Rank" game, and now they were all injured, broken...
Was this damned place really one where they could escape?
What method, what means would it take to get out?
A buzzing sound began to ring in Su Shan's ears. She waved her hand instinctively, thinking a locust had flown close.
"What's going on...?" She remembered this feeling. When she had been backed into a corner during her duel with Qi Xia, she had also heard strange noises in her ears.
If her guess was correct, this was the precursor to an "Echo."
But this time, she was clearly not in as desperate a situation as before. She hadn't been injured or hit by a "Disaster." So why was she hearing the sound?
"My 'Echo' seems to be coming more easily..." Su Shan slowly closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift completely uncontrolled, allowing despair and fear to fully consume her brain and heart. "Qi Xia once said I needed to fall into 'despair.' Could it be that 'despair' is the only way I can 'Echo'?"
Wasn't the current situation desperate enough?
Yes, it was already desperate enough. Not just Di Gou's game—the very "End of Days" itself was enough to drive anyone to despair.
In five years working in the police department's technical division, Su Shan had never witnessed as many horrors in one day as she had in the "End of Days." Without the constraints of law, humans would slaughter each other for the most trivial things.
And the administrators here were completely different from those in the real world. They didn't maintain order—they maintained a more equitable form of slaughter.
Countless people had died and been reborn, died and been reborn again, here. "Loss of memory" could bring people new hope, but those who "retained their memories" were condemned to an agonizing cycle.
This place was not meant for the living or for normal humans.
This was the true hell.
*Dong!*
A distant, melodious chime rang out. Lin Qin and Qin Dingdong both furrowed their brows as they saw Su Shan slowly open her eyes. If one looked carefully, they would notice something peculiar: Su Shan's originally sparkling pupils now shimmered like diamonds, brilliant and radiant.
She looked around slowly, feeling as though the entire world had changed. Was this an "Echo"?
Was this how the world looked in the eyes of an "Echoer"?
Strange, pale blue lights were drifting aimlessly around the room. They floated back and forth as if they had lives of their own. Their paths were both regular and bizarre—like rippling waves, yet like spreading ripples on water.
Looking around, the whole room resembled a dark wall reflecting the shimmering light of a swimming pool. Suddenly, everything became glittering, tranquil, and serene.
The lights gathered and scattered in midair. Some collided with each other, producing strange patterns that looked like words, though they were impossible to read.
"How strange..." Su Shan remembered that the last time she had "Echoed," the scene had been completely different. What was happening now?
Why had there been almost no light when she faced Qi Xia, yet now, facing her teammates, it looked like this?
Could it be that different "people" produced different "scenes"?
Su Shan recalled that Lin Qin had once mentioned to her that every "Echo" had a special ability. So what was her own ability?
"Seeing these lights... is that my ability?"
Su Shan had once fantasized about acquiring some extraordinary power that could let her soar through the heavens and burrow into the earth. But she had never expected it to be merely the ability to see strange lights.
At that moment, some of the lights were lingering around the vicinity of Zhang Chenze's room, as if desperately trying to gather together. Yet each time they were about to converge, they suddenly scattered in all directions.
"What exactly are these things...?"
Su Shan turned her head to look at Qin Dingdong. The scene around her was different from Zhang Chenze's. Only a few stable clusters of light floated around her. These clusters neither gathered nor dispersed—they simply stayed steadily by her side.
Su Shan then looked at Lin Qin, who was opposite her. The strange lights clustered most densely around Lin Qin. Wave after wave of ripples came and went, gathered and scattered, constantly colliding.
And each time the ripples collided, two almost imperceptible small characters would appear.
Su Shan squinted, staring intently at those two small characters. Because of the distance, it took several seconds before she could make them out as they rippled between the waves.
Her lips moved slightly. "I see it... the ripples of 'Inspiration.'"