Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 34 Re-entry
Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, the old monk's expression grew even more bitter.

"You probably don't know, but there's a fierce ghost guarding each of those three routes, and they're all close relatives of Liu Shang. I only found out later that this beast actually peeled off his daughter's face, gouged out his son's eyes, and killed his most loyal subordinate's entire family in front of him. He then chopped up the three men's bodies and buried them under the crossroads, all to nurture their ghostly energy with their resentment, so that they could indiscriminately kill anyone who passed by."

He paused, frowned, and continued speaking.

“Even when I was at my peak, it was difficult for me to walk all three paths. So don’t waste your time, benefactor. The Bodhisattva will be completely unsealed in a few days. You should get away from this place of trouble as soon as possible and have my fellow disciples disperse the crowd. Sigh, let’s save as many as we can.”

Zhou You didn't heed the old monk's subsequent words; he simply recalled the clues from before.

—Three roads that are specially separated, yet lead to the same destination.

—Three near-imminent death traps.

—If you simply exchange items, it's absolutely impossible to get all the necessary items for clearing the game.

"Damn, so this is where I was waiting!"

"What exactly are you talking about, benefactor?"

Seeing the old monk's astonished expression, Zhou You didn't answer, but slowly took out two things from his pocket.

A withered face, and an incense stick with a curse mark.

"Master, if we add these things, will we be able to seal that Bodhisattva away?"

The old monk stared blankly at the two items, instinctively wanting to pick them up, but immediately realized that his hands were covered in oil. He hurriedly wiped them on his robe before carefully picking them up.

"The corroded skin and the wealth-gathering incense mixed with baby bone powder—these are cursed objects that are evil beyond measure. Where did you get them, benefactor?"

Zhou You simply smiled.

"you guess?"

The old monk paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"—Wonderful, brilliant! I never thought that old hag wouldn't trust Liu Shang either, and deliberately left behind a few backup plans, but in the end, it benefited me—so."

The old monk put down those two things.

Then, suddenly, he knelt down in front of Zhou You with a thud. He even prostrated himself on the ground, performing a full prostration to Zhou You.

"This old monk, no, this humble monk, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people in the city, thanks you, benefactor."

At this point, his self-designation had subtly changed.

“These two items, benefactor, can save countless lives. Originally, I could only buy some time, but with these two items, I am now at least 30% confident that I can suppress that Bodhisattva again. And even if I can’t suppress him, at least I can buy time for my fellow disciples to evacuate the crowd.”

The old monk seemed too excited to speak, even breathing heavily. “Time is of the essence, and I need to make further preparations. I will not accompany you any longer. I will now see you out of here. Afterwards, you may go to Qingjing Temple on your own. I left some things there; you may take them all.”

The system notification sounded immediately.

"Congratulations, player. You have completed the hidden quest condition: The gratitude of the HP monk. He has handed over all the relics of the Qingjing Temple to you. You can view them after choosing to leave this instance."

"You have completed the main plot of this script and can leave at any time. Would you like to return now?"

Zhou You did not make a choice, but silently asked the question in his mind.

"What would happen if I didn't choose to return?"

The response this time was quite quick.

"Dear player, if you do not choose to return, you will face the monster 'Auspicious and Silent Demon Mother Bodhisattva' with Monk HP. Of course, you can also use your gratitude to force Monk HP to enter the three temples again after you leave, and then use this time to explore other places, but this behavior is very likely to result in the death of the character."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhou You suddenly smiled, and then without hesitation, directly chose 'not to return'.

Then, he suddenly said to the monk, "Master, don't you think a 30% probability is a bit low?"

The old monk understood what he meant.

However, this person did not speak, but remained silent for a moment before firmly refusing.

“Please just call me monk, benefactor. Also, I know what you want to say, but you have already done more than enough. You rescued me first and gave me the key to breaking the deadlock. Now I cannot burden you any further. I will take care of everything from now on. Please, benefactor.”

That's a good person; even in this situation, they don't resort to moral blackmail.

But.
Zhou You silently recited this in his heart.

—If you don't kidnap me, how can I see that 'Auspicious and Tranquil Buddha Mother Bodhisattva'?
Suddenly, he remembered a sentence his grandfather had once said to him.

"You're great in every way—smart, quick-witted—but the problem is..."

"His gambling addiction is just too strong."

—Yes, I've always been like this.

Zhou You suddenly laughed and then spoke earnestly to the old monk.

"If you, monk, can sacrifice yourself for the entire city, why can't that kid do the same?"

The old monk stared blankly at Zhou You for a while, as if he didn't recognize him, then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Since that's the case, then this humble monk won't be pretentious. Please be prepared, benefactor. I will meet you at your location tonight, and then we'll..."

"Let's venture into this demonic realm together."

"—The player has given up on returning."

"Players choose to enter the fourth night with the HP monk."

"This choice will directly or indirectly confront the monster: the Auspicious and Tranquil Demon Mother Bodhisattva."

"If players can successfully suppress the 'Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva', they will receive a very special reward."

"This task may be too difficult for you, please proceed with caution."
-
Time flew by as they plotted with the old monk.

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in that familiar security room.

To be honest, after spending so many days together, Zhou You has almost developed a fondness for this place.

Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to it today.

He stepped forward and, as was his habit, glanced at the newspaper.

This time there was only one more image, but although the rest of the image was still blurry, the title was incredibly clear.

There, several lines of large, vivid characters were written in huge printed font.

"Liu Shang, the city's richest man, was brutally murdered, his body was dismembered, and his head is missing."

"I was wondering how to explain the scattered intestines on the ground, but it was immediately ruled a murder. But that makes sense; who in their right mind would think the sacrifice had failed? Besides, ordinary people probably couldn't even see the head glued to the back of the idol."

Zhou You casually tossed the newspaper aside, then sat down in a chair and waited quietly.

A few minutes later, the door to the security room was pushed open, and as a pair of trembling hands reached in, a bald man whom I had seen several times before appeared right on time.

Zhou You smiled at the other person, and before the terrified look could respond, he suddenly rushed forward and punched the man directly in the stomach!
　Thank you to Hongzhong Laoda Tianxia Wudi Kouya for the generous donation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)