Chapter 853: Time
He said that after a "Zodiac" has killed enough people—three thousand six hundred—there's a possibility they might be "rooted out," completely erased from this world.
The reason, he explained, was because he had heard that every "Earth-level" was trying hard to kill people, and some had even succeeded in advancing to become stronger. But those so-called "Zodiacs" who had successfully advanced had never shown up again. Some people said they had escaped.
However, since there was no evidence to prove they had actually escaped, the only conclusion was that they had vanished.
He also said that once a "Participant" collected all three thousand six hundred "Dao," they would experience a great reshuffling. At that time, everyone would lose their memories and start over from scratch.
This place had probably existed for far longer than we had imagined. We hadn't arrived here in batches, either. Instead, we had all appeared here together from the very beginning, and it had been that way ever since.
Interestingly, all the "interview rooms" here were like incubation chambers, constantly hatching "good eggs" and "bad eggs."
For a very long time, our room had been a completely rotten egg—no matter how it was incubated, there was no reaction at all.
Only the "Zodiac" could ever leave our room, opening the door at the last moment and standing in the corridor. How many other rooms like ours were there along the entire hallway?
After all, we couldn't obtain "Echoes," nor could we retain our memories. So every time, we made the exact same choices and died here. If there was no external interference, we would never hatch any life.
And Aries was our "external force."
Right now, he was like a teacher, telling us about a world that was completely different from what we had imagined.
Everything we had heard, seen, or imagined over these past few days had been overturned by just a few words from him.
I had to admit that I wasn't as calm as Aries. When I heard that this world was built on a massive lie, I really couldn't steady my mind.
It meant we had absolutely no chance of escaping. Everything we did was hopeless.
"Sorry," Aries said to us. "These are the results of my years of investigation. It's a bit difficult for you to digest everything in an hour. There's still some time left—if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
I did have too many questions. My mind was a mess, and I didn't even know where to begin.
For example, if this city couldn't be escaped, then what were we doing here?
If this place didn't allow anyone to escape, why were there so many ways to try to escape?
Who built this place?
What was the reason for bringing us here?
Oh my God... I felt like my brain was about to explode.
This was completely different from the scenarios I had imagined before. It was as if my life had suddenly lost all direction.
If in the real world, my daily goal was to "become stronger," then the reason I was willing to cooperate with anyone here was to "escape."
But if escape was impossible... what direction should I strive in?
Just "survive"?
I turned to look at Zhang Qiang. He clearly had a lot of questions too, but every time he tried to open his mouth, he couldn't find the words.
The room fell into silence, broken only by the ticking of the pendulum clock in the center of the table.
"Um..." Zhang Qiang finally spoke, but instead of asking the questions in my mind, he blurted out something only he would say.
"Go ahead," Aries said.
"What's in it for us if we cooperate with you?"
"Benefits..." Aries nodded. "That is indeed something I need to explain."
"Yeah..." Zhang Qiang said nervously. "It sounds like if we cooperate with you, you might become the 'sovereign' of this place... but what about us?"
"The first benefit I already mentioned: I will ensure your 'absolute safety.' Although I don't have time to explain now, you have to believe that these five words are the most precious guarantee in the 'Peach Blossom Spring.'" Aries sighed slightly. "As for the second 'benefit'—once I become the sovereign, I will try to change this place. Then you, as founding members who helped me build it, will definitely receive preferential treatment."
"What..." Zhang Qiang was stunned. "Change this place...?"
"Yes," Aries nodded. "But I can only give you a verbal promise. I have nothing tangible to offer. So whether you believe me or not depends entirely on your decision right now."
After hearing this, the two of us hesitated again. The time we had to think was simply too short.
If I wasn't mistaken, the Aries in front of me must have spent years or even a decade gathering this information, yet he was trying to cram it all into our minds in just one hour.
It was really hard to accept.
"How long will it take for you to become the 'sovereign'?" Zhang Qiang asked again.
"Hard to say," Aries replied. "Three to five years, eight to ten years, several decades, or even a hundred years."
"What..." Zhang Qiang swallowed. "A hundred years...? Are you sure you're not lying to us?"
"I really can't be certain." Aries's eyes dimmed slightly. "To be honest, clearing this room is just the first step of the entire plan. There are many more links ahead, spanning several years and involving hundreds of people. I can't guarantee every link will succeed, nor can I guarantee that every word I say will come true. If I succeed, then everything I've said so far is true. If I fail, then I've told you the biggest lie."
"This..." Zhang Qiang lowered his head, quickly weighing the pros and cons.
"There's no need to be nervous." Aries seemed to read something from our expressions and said to us, "Even if you refuse me, there's no possibility of being 'silenced.' From now on, Sheep will be your long-term 'interviewer.' As I said, this room only needs one 'Zodiac.' I will leave voluntarily, and nothing will change for you. I'll find a way to have Sheep host three games alone."
"You mean..." I blinked. "You're telling us this isn't a 'threat'?"
"Yes." Aries gave me an approving look. "I'm very afraid that you might be forced to cooperate because of my threats. If that happens, I'll end up with inferior teammates, and you won't be able to unleash your true strength. So first, I want to declare that you are safe. No one will harm you because of your choice. At the same time, I want you to ensure that your decision from now on follows your own heart."
I felt that although Aries might not know about those psychological theories or effects, he was very good at psychology and conversation techniques.
He wanted us to make a choice only after we had let our guard down.
"Um..." I looked up at him, my expression serious. "What exactly does 'absolutely safe Participant' mean?"