# Chapter 381: Catching the Betrayer
"Welcome, everyone, to this new game event. I am the game planner for this occasion—Vison Mainey. It is my honor to host this game today."
The white-haired man wearing a snake mask said, "I believe the old friends here today know that Rongxin Group's game themes have always focused on replicating real instances, striving to create a game world within a virtual world. Many players call our games 'Iron Man' games—there's nothing to get your heart racing except killing and survival."
"Is it that hard to get hearts racing? Replace me with a beautiful woman, and I guarantee two-thirds of the people here will have their hearts racing. Or if I were thirty years younger, perhaps I could make the lovely ladies present blush with charming rosy cheeks."
Laughter erupted in the hall. As the laughter subsided, the white-haired man continued, "But I'm not someone who places too much emphasis on appearance—my beautician can attest to that."
More laughter.
"To prove this to everyone, I have planned this unique palace night tour."
"Being here, many friends should have already guessed what this is about. That's right—prayer."
"According to Rongxin's statistics over the years, one-third of the people who come to experience instance games are players. They are trapped in a game that only stops when they die, exhausted from running around, yet forced to enter simulation instances to improve their survival rates. It can be said that their hardship and pressure are something we can never fully understand."
"For most of us, this is just an insignificant simulation game, but for them, it may be experience for surviving another day."
"We can live in such a peaceful and harmonious world, and the players definitely deserve credit for that. To support players, Rongxin donates large amounts of supplies to the government every year, and the group also employs players. But the power of one person or one group is small—more people should show friendly sympathy toward players."
"While I was planning this simulation game, I learned that a group of players from Zone 011 who went to develop resources in a high-risk game world all died. They left no bodies, no words for their waiting families..."
"I'm willing to donate to the players!" a person wearing an elephant mask shouted loudly. "Sponsor them with potions and props!"
With that start, several more people successively proposed donations.
"Thank you. I believe those fallen players, if they know in the afterlife, will also be grateful. Your sincerity will surely receive positive feedback." The white-haired man said, "Before the night tour begins, I propose we pray for their next lives."
A projection of a lectern appeared before him. He flipped through non-existent books and prayed devoutly:
"Though brutality and sin devour the light;"
"Though slaughter and baseness pollute the world;"
"We will never yield to darkness;"
"Take up arms, chant holy hymns, drive the enemy back to their filthy nests;"
"The enemy is strong, do not be cowardly; the enemy is cruel, do not compromise;"
"God will protect every warrior, and the new sun will guide the path of hope for both the dead and the living!"
Vison Mainey's prayer seemed to infect those present. With each sentence, more people joined the prayer, voices rising straight to the dome. When he said, "Farewell to our warriors," golden-white light scattered down from the dome, shining on everyone.
Xu Huo watched those people looking up with closed eyes as if bathing in holiness, and a slight smile tugged at his lips. He now knew the purpose of those murals.
Guests entering the simulation game couldn't use props, but the game venue could. It was hard to say where prop power had been arranged in this game. Seeing how carried away these people were, the palace night tour was fake—indoctrination and brainwashing were the real deal.
"Are these people okay?" someone nearby questioned. "Didn't they come to play a game? Why are they preaching here? What's the point? Wasted money?"
At that moment, Vison Mainey on the podium waved his hand, and an altar appeared behind him. He raised both hands and said, "God protects us, so we should also give back to God. Who is willing to sacrifice themselves here and go to another world to serve God?"
The noisy hall fell silent.
"For God, shouldn't we offer our loyalty?" Vison Mainey seemed completely unaware of the strange looks around him. The snake eyes on his mask stared straight ahead, not looking at anyone, yet as if looking at everyone.
Soon, a person wearing a black wolf mask moved forward from the crowd.
"There appears our sacrifice!" Mainey led the applause, and thunderous applause immediately erupted in the hall.
Xu Huo's gaze darkened slightly. The black wolf mask was the one who had deliberately approached the fox earlier. The two had already met in the crowd, and now the black wolf was voluntarily sacrificing himself?
He wasn't the only one who found it strange. The fox and the hyena began slowly backing away.
People behind were trying to push forward, so the two weren't too conspicuous. The change came the moment the black wolf lay on the altar. Seeing the golden short sword in Mainey's hand, the black wolf suddenly sprang up, jumped off the altar, and fled into the crowd!
The sword-wielding Mainey sighed, then said loudly, "The disloyal must confess to God. Catch him."
He didn't command anyone, but as soon as he finished speaking, guests immediately reached out to block the black wolf. Shouts and jeers mixed together, and those participating in the palace night tour began voluntarily joining this forced sacrifice.
The black wolf was dragged onto the altar, shouting in terror, "I don't want to sacrifice! Let me go!"
Mainey looked at him pityingly: "Young man, everyone must be responsible for what they've done."
The black wolf tried to argue, but the people beside him directly covered his mouth: "It's not like you'll really die..."
The golden short sword severed the black wolf's head, blood flooding the altar. The crowd below cheered.
Mainey raised the black wolf's head high: "I have just received a divine oracle. There are still rebels here. The blood of the betrayer will guide me to find them!"
The blood on the altar began to surge, gathering into thin snakes that flowed down the podium and into the crowd.
Guests made way, and among those blood snakes, two headed straight for the fox and the hyena. The two shoved aside people nearby and ran, and immediately someone shouted excitedly: "Catch them! Send them to the altar!"
The guests in the hall joined the revelry, following the blood snakes as they ran out. Some on the second floor also followed with interest.
Vison Mainey, who had orchestrated everything, stepped off the podium with a dance-like movement and disappeared, reappearing a moment later in one of the corridors leading out of the hall.
This made Xu Huo abandon the idea of following the fox. He came down from upstairs and followed, but when he entered, the man was already gone. The corridor had side paths on both sides, and he didn't know which way Mainey had gone.
Walking slowly past two forks in the path, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a figure flickering not far away. He quickened his pace, but the person was waiting at the corner and directly intercepted him. Under an openwork gold butterfly mask, a pair of purple eyes appeared: "Why are you following me?"