Techniques and Dao

Chapter 158 The Prisoner's Dilemma

Hua Sheng stared intently at the stranger in front of him who claimed to hold their lives in his hands.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was furious as if he were facing someone he hadn't seen in a long time and who was his sworn enemy.

Hua Sheng blurted it out without the slightest hesitation.

"Since you bastard want to kill someone, then you might as well kill me! That's my choice!"

Hua Sheng felt that he couldn't possibly choose to kill an innocent girl. At the same time, he thought he might not even be fit to exist anymore.

I experienced a lot in St. Pingning, but the guilt I felt towards Weiyu was like a bottomless abyss.

There was a time when that helplessness and self-blame echoed and pounded in his heart countless times.

Every time he thinks of Wei Yu's last look in his eyes, it's like diving deeper into the trench, only to find that he feels far more regretful than he ever imagined.

This made him roar loudly, "I'm the one who'll die! Come at me if you dare!"

Since one of him, Mieying, and Jian had to die, Hua Sheng simply couldn't bring himself to choose a girl as a scapegoat.

Jane is two years younger than him, and her leaving the magic school is directly related to him.

Needless to say, Mieying has given up almost everything for himself in the past two days.

No one knew the true extent of the white-robed man's magical power. Since that was the case, whether it was out of impulse or for liberation, it was better to simply sacrifice oneself.

The white-robed man chuckled dryly at Hua Sheng's reply.

"No need to rush. Since this is a game, there are rules. You chose to die, but you might not be the only one to die!"

Hua Sheng stared intently at the person in front of him without saying a word.

The man said, "You'd better think this through carefully. This isn't something one person can decide. In the end, who dies depends on the choices of both of them."

The white-robed man's tone was utterly inscrutable. No one could guess what he was thinking.

He said, "I only intend to kill one, but if you all want to sacrifice yourselves, then all three of you will have to die!"

People don't necessarily kill others out of hatred. Selfishness or self-preservation can also be reasons.

But killing yourself is both difficult and easy; sometimes it's an easy way to escape.

If you were to save your own life, or the life of someone important to you, would you choose to kill someone? Even if that person is your friend.

Death is unattainable. Life is also unattainable.

The white-robed man in front of me was very patient.

"The rule is that if you all choose to die, then all three of you will die. You must make a choice, and if any one of the three does not make a choice, I will kill all three of them."

He looked at Hua Sheng like a cruel cat toying with a mouse it had caught. The cat didn't rush to bite off its prey's throat, but instead tormented and tortured it to death in its hand.

Some killers don't enjoy the thrill of the killing moment, but are obsessed with the moment when they control the life and death of others.

Hua Sheng narrowed his eyes. In this deadly game before him, his choice was actually quite simple.

Either all three die, or one person's life is sacrificed.

Mieying is a unified entity of nine souls. Before she fainted, the one who appeared was probably Xiao Wu, who was practically powerless. But it's clear that as long as Mieying's body is killed, whichever of the sisters it is, the other eight will also perish.

Therefore, Hanamori felt that if he could not break free from these ropes, he would have to make a choice.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "How exactly do you play this murder mystery game?"

"No rush. Everyone can choose someone they want to kill. If you want to live, listen carefully to the rules."

The man said slowly and deliberately:
"First, if two or three people choose the same person, that person will die, and I will release the remaining two."

Second, if both of you are chosen, the one chosen more often dies. The remaining two are released. Third, the best outcome for you is if all three of you choose someone else, but each of you is chosen once. In that case, all three of you live, and I release you all.

Finally, in any other situation besides the three points mentioned above, such as someone not making a choice or all choosing to kill themselves, I will kill all three of you!

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng angrily retorted, "When each of us becomes someone others want to kill, you let us go?"

"Isn't letting you go exactly what you wanted?" the man replied. "That way you can leave this place with hatred in your hearts."

Hua Sheng was about to curse when he suddenly felt a tightness around his neck and began to have difficulty breathing.

Having learned from experience this time, he held his breath, adjusted his heart rate, and silently recited the incantation, which allowed him to go for a long time without breathing.

But to his surprise, the rope around his throat tightened more and more, causing him a sharp pain in his neck. He thought that if it continued like this, his neck would break before he suffocated.

But he did not try to break free of the ropes binding him!
Just as Hua Sheng was in so much pain that her eyes almost rolled back, the rope suddenly loosened.

The man in white robes sneered and said, "It seems Jane next door has also discovered the pattern in this rope. Now we'll see what she chooses."

Hana was panting and glancing around the house out of the corner of her eye, trying to think of a way to escape.

Seeing that the man in white robes was mentioning Jian next door, she wanted to take the opportunity to get him out of her sight.

"You said someone woke up next door, aren't you going to go check on them?"

The man in white robes said coldly, "I've already seen it."

Hua Sheng was a little confused, as there were no surveillance devices in this room that could monitor other rooms.

"But if you don't go and explain the rules of the game to Jane in person, how can she make a choice?"

The man replied coldly, "I'm in her room right now."

The man's words were puzzling and unsettling, and Hua Sheng turned to look around.

The room wasn't large, and there was nowhere for anyone to hide. Jane wasn't in this room.

But why did the man say he was in Jane's room?

The man in white robes said, "I am both here and not here. I exist simultaneously before the three of you."

"Clone?"

The white-robed man let out a strange laugh: "No, no, no! The clone technique is too low-level. This is called Trinity. All three are me, possessing the same perception. It is consciousness leading and physical extension."

Hua Sheng looked at the strange white-robed man before him. He had initially thought the man was using some kind of clone, but if so, the clone itself wouldn't be under the control of the main body. Even when Taishang Xiaojun brought Hua Sheng to the same place from different times in Panxian Cave, Hua Sheng's consciousness couldn't connect to the same mind.

It is impossible for one person to be in this room and at the same time in the next room.

This is completely baffling.

But before Hanamori fully understands the current situation, he must face this life-or-death dilemma.

The man was probably not lying; it was because he, Mieying, and Jane possessed physical bodies that he was able to use something to bewitch them.

If one were an immortal, perhaps they could escape this man's magic. If the Supreme Lord Xiaojun were here…

Hua Shengqiang suppressed the urge to seek help from others, for he had no one to turn to now. It was already a stroke of luck that Taishang Xiaojun had helped him escape the pursuit of Lü Dongbin and Tianjizi.

Now he has no choice but to rely on himself, and not only that, he must also protect Mieying.

If Jane were to die because she was kidnapped by herself, the guilt would be even more difficult to determine.

Just then, the noose around Hua Sheng's neck tightened suddenly again! But this time, it wasn't as forceful as Jian's before; it tightened and loosened intermittently, and it wasn't as suffocating as before.

He immediately realized it must be Mieying.

(End of this chapter)