Chapter 406: Ignorance Is Death
"How strange..." The man turned his head blankly and looked at Yun Yao again. "What did you just say?"
Yun Yao, seeing the man's methods, couldn't help but swallow nervously. "I... I didn't say anything..."
"You said that person is called Chen Junnan?" the man muttered to himself. "Truly strange... I just can't understand... You all know, and yet you refuse to tell me? You're all planning to deceive me?"
The girls felt a chill run down their spines, and no one dared to say another word.
This man seemed capable of hearing what was in people's minds.
The man opened his eyes wide and looked at each of them in turn. "You all know that man called Chen Junnan?"
Qin Dingdong realized the situation had spiraled out of control and could only shout, "Run! It's the 'Sky Serpent'!"
Before anyone could react, vines sprouted from beneath all their feet, binding them firmly to the ground.
"Fine... fine..." The Sky Serpent nodded angrily. "All of you lying to me, are you? I treat you with courtesy, and you lie to me? I... I..."
He seemed to want to say something harsh, but kept stammering, unable to get the words out.
"Wait... wait a moment..." Lin Qin spoke through the searing pain in her right leg. "You... you're looking for Chen Junnan, right? I'll tell you where he is... tying us up like this is useless..."
"What?" The Sky Serpent stared at Lin Qin for a few seconds.
Lin Qin felt as if her very soul was being devoured by that gaze.
The Earth Serpent slowly raised an eyebrow. "What does 'Cat' mean? And where is this 'Prison'?"
"I..." Lin Qin quickly closed her eyes, trying not to let him see. "Make all these people leave... once they're gone, I'll tell you..."
She sensed that this powerful mind-reading ability must have a condition to activate, and the condition was likely being able to see her eyes.
"Do I need to go to all that trouble...?" The Sky Serpent turned to look at Qin Dingdong lying on the ground. "I'll interrogate each of you one by one... someone will eventually tell me..."
He slowly walked over to Qin Dingdong, crouched down, and said, "Please, answer the question..."
"Answer the question...?" Qin Dingdong was taken aback. "No... wait... I have an idea... listen to me first..."
"What is the 'peak-end effect'?"
"Wait, hold on..." Qin Dingdong panicked instantly. "Even if you're really going to ask, shouldn't you pick something simpler..."
"Five-second countdown," said the Sky Serpent.
"You... you bastard..." Qin Dingdong quickly shut her eyes, and in her panic, even the giant bell behind her began to sway. She muttered hurriedly, "These vines are such a pity... they're fake... so where are the real vines..."
A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead.
What an absurd belief—vines sprouting from the ground, verdant green and smelling of soil... could they really be fake?
This was the Sky Serpent's technique, after all. How could it possibly be fake?
The Sky Serpent sighed and reached out to grab Qin Dingdong by the throat. "Without knowledge, you are destined to die."
His pale, slender hand slowly tightened, and Qin Dingdong felt as if her tongue was about to be bitten off.
"I-I know!" Zhang Chenze suddenly spoke, though her voice trembled. "I'm with her... can I answer in her place?"
The Sky Serpent said nothing, turning his head to look at her.
"The peak-end effect means... humans usually only remember the peak emotion and the ending emotion of an experience..." Zhang Chenze struggled to stay calm. "If both emotions are positive, then overall the experience is pleasant... and vice versa."
The Sky Serpent remained silent, but the strength in his hand gradually increased.
Not understanding his intent, Zhang Chenze hurriedly added, "For example, in some restaurants... one dish tastes amazing and leaves a deep impression, and when you pay, you see free candy at the counter... when you eat that candy, it triggers a classic 'peak-end effect.' Since both the peak state and the ending state feel 'good,' the entire restaurant leaves you with a 'good' impression. People will even overlook the negative effects of slow service, a noisy environment, or having to wait in line. Many businesses widely apply this principle... this is called—"
*CRACK!*
The Earth Serpent exerted force and snapped Qin Dingdong's neck in his grasp.
Zhang Chenze hadn't even finished speaking before she choked on her words.
Qin Dingdong's facial features bulged outward, and from her mouth came a mess of bloody tissue.
Qin Dingdong had known the Sky Serpent before, but before she could even say how to deal with this ruthless man, she had already died.
Crimson blood splattered onto the Sky Serpent's white shirt. He shook his hand expressionlessly, stood up, and looked at Zhang Chenze.
Zhang Chenze swallowed, feeling that she was about to die as well.
"You... are very knowledgeable." The Sky Serpent nodded. "I like you. Would you like to be my assistant?"
"Assistant...?" Zhang Chenze furrowed her brow slowly. "You're someone who kills people for 'lacking knowledge.' Who would willingly become your assistant?"
"Shouldn't ignorant people deserve to die?" The Sky Serpent looked into Zhang Chenze's eyes. "Heaven gives each of us the same amount of time... I can learn so much knowledge, yet they remain so ignorant... how pathetic? Rather than letting them waste their time, I might as well send them off."
"But is that fair...?" Zhang Chenze knew she had no way out, so she mustered her courage and continued, "Just because you happen to know one more 'peak-end effect' than she did, she deserved to die? You say heaven gives each of us the same time. Since we didn't use that time to learn the kind of knowledge you call 'knowledge,' we naturally spent it doing things you've never done. What right do you have to decide whether we live or die?"
Lin Qin and Yun Yao were both frightened by Zhang Chenze's aggressive tone. Though what she said was true, was now really the right time to provoke the Sky Serpent?
"I don't believe it." The Sky Serpent sneered. "There is no knowledge in this world that I don't know."
"Alright." Zhang Chenze also nodded. "Please, answer this question."
"What...?"
The others around her stared at her wide-eyed.
"How should counterfeiting currency be punished?" Zhang Chenze asked.
The Sky Serpent pondered briefly. "That should be Article 170 of the Criminal Law. Anyone involved shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than ten years. If the offender is the ringleader or the amount counterfeited is huge, or there are other serious circumstances, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment."
Zhang Chenze swallowed slightly, searching her mind for an even more obscure question. "What about someone who agrees to hold property for another person... but then decides to take it for themselves? How should that be judged?"
"Article 270. Sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years. If the amount is huge, fixed-term imprisonment of not less than two years and not more than five years, and also a fine." The Earth Serpent answered again, this time noticeably faster than before. It seemed he had already figured out Zhang Chenze's strategy.
"I told you..." The Earth Serpent slowly walked toward Zhang Chenze. "There is no knowledge in this world I do not know. You cannot compare to me, so you are all fools. Fools must die."