Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Paul paused for a moment, then slowly began to speak: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit should be cut down and thrown into the fire. The fire of God will cleanse all defilement.”

The man let out a suppressed laugh, like a cough. Then he abruptly stood up, not looking at Paul again, and walked towards the door.

“Father.” The man paused in the porch, the backlight from the door sculpting him into a charred, blurry shadow. “I have tried to entrust myself to God.”

"But I didn't get that fire. God, He is powerless to help humankind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man's heavy footsteps disappeared outside the door.

Father Paul stood there, neither trying to stop him nor responding, simply watching him leave calmly.

The emergence of the extraordinary has had a great impact on the world.

Ordinary people might just express their feelings on short videos and then go about their business, but as a clergyman, his experience is much deeper.

Anything in the church that was a bit old was taken away by the authorities under the guise of being borrowed.

Moreover, it's not just the level of official attention they receive, but also the attention from believers, which generally leads to two extreme emotions.

Either their faith becomes stronger as a result, or people who were not originally religious come to embrace God, but these people are very utilitarian, coming for miracles and benefits.

Or perhaps their faith has collapsed, and they feel that the extraordinary things that are happening now have nothing to do with God, and maybe God doesn't exist in this world at all.

The first type is more common overall, but the man we just saw was clearly not that type.

Paul shook his head, suppressing these thoughts.

He was powerless to do anything about it, but he still firmly believed in the existence of God. Perhaps it was God's mercy that temporarily contained the disaster of Mount Fuji erupting and demons running rampant within Japan? He could only silently pray for the believers on that land.

Amen.

Suburbs.

The dilapidated secondhand car bumped along the rutted dirt road and finally came to a stop in front of a somewhat desolate farm.

Upon arriving at his destination, the man parked his car haphazardly in front of the house, sat there staring blankly at the open door for a while before finally opening the door.

The house is decorated in a very cozy style, typical of American country villas.

The various daily necessities were arranged fairly neatly, not particularly tidy, but full of life, as if the family had just had a proper meal together inside.

The man walked slowly, step by step, past the doorway and into the restaurant.

A well-dressed figure stood tall by the window, exuding an air of wealth and luxury; it was as if you could almost smell the ink of banknotes if you got any closer.

“I’m glad you chose to believe me, Arthur.”

Ethan turned around, his smile perfectly natural.

Arthur used to hate fake smiles the most.

He didn't reply immediately, but simply stroked the spotless cups and glasses on the table with his hand.

This doesn't make sense. The only explanation is that Ethan had someone clean the place before he arrived, and the setup was quite elaborate.

He gently moved the chair in the main seat and slowly sat down, but dared not sit down completely, only touching half of his buttocks.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The air seemed to still carry the scent of five years ago: the aroma of freshly baked bread, his wife's gentle whispers, and his son's joyful laughter. But these warm memories didn't last long. The afternoon argument that led to the decision to sell the farm shattered the illusion, ringing clearly in his ears.

“Listen, Arthur, we have to sell the farm! If we keep losing money like this, we won’t even be able to pay the electricity bill!”

"Honey, give me a little more time, I'm sure I can think of a way."

"What other choice do we have? No one knows the family's situation better than me! We can still get some money by selling them now! Arthur, it's time to wake up!"

"dad."

"Child, your mother and I need to discuss something important. Would you like to go back to your room first?"

".good."

The image of his son leaving in despair became the last clear picture in his memory, shattering like glass.

Arthur opened his eyes, suppressing his burning emotions.

"As long as you meet my conditions, I can agree to all the requests I mentioned earlier."

Ethan's gaze swept over the man's clenched fists on his knees before he sat down opposite him.

"Meeting your conditions is easy for me, and I don't intend to hide it from you."

"But I don't want a knife that's out of control either."

Arthur shook his head: "I'm perfectly sober."

Ethan remained noncommittal, took out a few sheets of paper from his briefcase, flicked them lightly, and, supported by the blood energy, placed them in front of Arthur.

"Everything about Father Geoghan is here. You'll show me your sanity, won't you?"

Arthur placed his hands on the document, stroking it gently: "I promised you, and I will keep my word. In the game, I will stand by your side, even if you are utterly wicked."

Ethan just smiled.

"I just hope you understand that only after you've completed the game will you have a little bit of the qualifications to fight against this society and the deeply entrenched interest groups. But if you die before that, you're nothing."

"Your hatred, your obsession, are worthless. No one will avenge you."

Arthur opened the document and read it word by word: "I have paid the price for impulsiveness for five years and understand the importance of opportunity."

Ethan didn't say anything more and left the house.

Arthur remained seated at the dining table, oblivious to the gradually shifting sunlight.

He read the document carefully until he had memorized every detail before putting it down.

By this time, it was already nearly dusk outside.

Five years ago, Arthur's son committed suicide.

He found it hard to accept this devastating news. In his view, his child had always been cheerful, so how could he have taken the step of suicide? Especially since, in his opinion, this suicide was completely without warning.

Of course, looking back, there were actually quite a few things that didn't go right.

The wife suffered from severe depression due to the huge blow. Not long after, one winter night, she lost control of her car and veered off the road. She was not found until dawn, and she was already dead.

After losing his son and wife in succession, Arthur became increasingly silent, and the search for answers became the driving force that kept him alive.

Based on some clues, he found his son's classmate, and under his questioning, he vaguely sensed that this might be related to the nearby church.

As the investigation deepened, even without direct evidence, it was enough for him to draw a conclusion.

One of the worst guesses.

The murderer who caused his son's suicide was Father Geogen of the church.

Ironically, the funeral was officiated by Giorgen.

At the time, he thanked the priest for euphemistically describing the suicide as a tragedy of depression, never imagining that the priest was the culprit.

He, a father, actually allowed a murderer to preside over the funeral of the victim's son and thanked him.

Whenever Arthur thought of this, he felt his son's ghost silently accusing him, and a strong sense of suffocation gripped his throat, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Extreme anger overwhelmed his reason. Arthur grabbed the old hunting rifle from his home, rushed into the church, and found Father Geoghan.

Amidst the heated argument and confrontation, a gunshot rang out.

The priest and a believer who tried to stop him fell in a pool of blood, and then he was stopped by more people.

Father Giorgian was not severely punished by law due to a lack of crucial evidence.

When Arthur was released from prison after serving his sentence for assault, the demon had already left his original parish and vanished without a trace.

Just as Arthur sank deeper into despair, wandering like a zombie, the mysterious game chose him.

The Silver Cup Manor game has now reached its fifth round.

Half a day ago, when he was in church, it was during the fifth round of the game that had just ended.

But in the second round, Ethan had already keenly noticed the undisguised hatred in Arthur's eyes.

So during a break in the game, Ethan cleverly bypassed the rules and passed him a message.

"Interested in making a deal?"

This statement cleverly avoided violating the rules of the game and also conveyed his contact information through his finger.

Arthur, who had just been released from prison, did not hesitate much and contacted Ethan directly.

And so, today's meeting came about.

Ethan provides information about his enemy, and Arthur willingly becomes Ethan's pawn in the game.

Perhaps in reality, he was also a pawn, but he didn't care too much about it.

In his eyes, there are only three types of people nowadays.

Those who help him get revenge are all good people.

Those who meddle in others' affairs are merely passersby.

Anyone who tries to stop him from taking revenge is an enemy.

Thank you "钰雨星泷" for the donation.

Chapter 273: Florida

"Sir, the situation in Georgia has recently become quite complicated."

"The authorities and some powerful families have started to get involved. They have poured most of their resources into this, and various former manors have been taken into control. My influence there is limited, and it is difficult for me to intervene. I can only try to find a way from the periphery. Please punish me, sir."

In Louisiana, at an ordinary property that has no connection to the Benson family.

Tom Benson, the head of the Benson family, lay prostrate on the ground, his forehead pressed against the floor and his lips almost kissing the ground.

In front of him, Ethan, whose face was disguised and appeared extremely pale with a touch of blood at his temples, and dressed in casual clothes, did not seem surprised.

The Benson family only has considerable influence in Louisiana. Outside the state, it is difficult for their influence to extend to other places. To say that they are virtually unknown would be an exaggeration, but they are basically at the bottom of the major families.

"It seems my old friend has been discovered."

Ethan, of course, wouldn't miss the opportunity that Silver Cup Estate was so close at hand.

Andersonville concentration camp is a very important clue revealed in the game, and its former site is located in the southwest of central Georgia.

So after the first round of the game, he had Benson discreetly gather information about the nearby manor.

Pay special attention to information such as "Silver Oak" and "French plantation owner".

The search did not fully utilize the information that the player clearly understood.

Ethan didn't tell Benson his purpose in looking for those former plantations in Georgia, but he didn't mind occasionally using such vague information to indirectly convey his intentions.

Although this purpose was fabricated.

Tom didn't dare to reply, but silently remembered the man's words.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional, once it was said, he had to keep it in mind.

Now, he has placed all his hopes for survival on Ethan, this "vampire nobleman".

Even if Ethan reveals any flaw, he must come up with a reasonable explanation in his mind and never doubt the authenticity of his vampire identity.

Ethan was fairly satisfied with Tom's attitude.

After remotely controlling the Benson family, he did not rush to carry out his "cruel" experiments. Instead, he expanded his knowledge by exploring the connections between the Renault family and the Benson family.

To understand how a mature family operates, where its weaknesses lie, and what kind of family leader is most willing to risk their life and put the family's interests aside as long as there are enough bargaining chips.

Gradually, he developed a clearer plan for the organization of his immortality foundation.

The current global situation can be roughly divided into three known and mysterious camps.

First, there are demons, regardless of whether the game gave rise to them or revealed their existence. All that's needed is to know that with the advent of games, they are gradually awakening from their forgotten history, and the vast majority of them are naturally hostile to humanity.

Secondly, there are those in white robes and masks, those of unknown high status whose motives are completely unclear, and those who are lost figures in history, such as the spirit of Nichiren and the Great Serpent of the Other Shore, who appeared briefly in the past.

Thirdly, there is the human faction. In this regard, most of the extraordinary beings are players, with the exception of Hirosue Eri, who is not a player.

However, based on the limited information available, it can be inferred that her abilities are closely related to the game "Escape from the Other Shore".

Based on the information above, along with the Kyoto Giant, the Demon Sword, and Ashiya Dōman, it is entirely possible to deduce that some historical figures may still be asleep to this day.

It makes perfect sense to have another "Baron Rice".