Chapter 96: Unfortunately

An old tungsten lamp, hanging from the center of the room by black wires, flickered with a dim light.

The quiet atmosphere was like ink dripping into water, spreading and diffusing throughout the room.

As the clock on the table pointed to twelve, a deep bell tolled from far away, reverberating through the air.

The ten people beside the table suddenly awoke, all staring at the eerie scene.

Qi Xia widened his eyes, looking at the familiar setting, his heart racing like a stampede of wild horses, unable to calm down.

He was back.

Everyone was back.

Ren Yang still stood among them, emitting a unique odor of decay and mustiness.

Although he had anticipated returning, when Qi Xia sat at the round table again, he felt only despair.

"Good morning, nine of you," Ren Yang's familiar voice rang out again. "I'm very glad to meet you here; you have been asleep in front of me for twelve hours."

Qi Xia took this opportunity to subtly observe the familiar faces, noticing that their expressions were the same as the first time he had seen them.

Qiao Jiajin stared blankly at Ren Yang and asked, "Who... are you?"

At this question, Qi Xia furrowed his brow.

What was going on? Did no one remember what had happened before?

If so, why did he still remember?

"Since you all have this doubt, I'll introduce myself to the nine of you..."

Before Ren Yang could wave his hands and begin his speech, Zhang Lvshi interjected, "No need for introductions. I advise you to stop your actions immediately. I suspect you've detained us for over twenty-four hours, which constitutes 'illegal detention.' Every word you say now will be recorded as evidence against you."

Qi Xia looked at Zhang Lvshi in confusion, then turned to Zhao Yisheng.

It was his turn to raise a question.

Sure enough, Zhao Yisheng spoke up: "Wait, we've only just woken up. How do you know we've been imprisoned for 'twenty-four hours'?"

"What's really going on..." Qi Xia murmured to himself, his lips moving slightly. These people were acting as if they didn't know each other, saying the same words and making the same movements as last time.

Everything seemed unchanged, as if they were simply starting over.

Zhang Lvshi explained assertively to Zhao Yisheng, drawing curious glances from the others.

Yes, in Qi Xia's memory, Zhang Lvshi had been highly suspicious from the start, using every opportunity to show her dominance—this was likely a defense mechanism beneath her calm exterior.

After her explanation, the group fell into silence.

The silence lasted for over ten seconds.

Qi Xia felt something was off; last time, someone had said something at this moment, but this time, no one did, so the subsequent events didn't happen.

This disconnect between reality and memory left Qi Xia deeply puzzled.

"You may have noticed that there are clearly ten people in this room, yet I address you as 'nine,'" Ren Yang said.

"Dammit... I don't care how many people are here; I advise you to smarten up, you freak!" Qiao Jiajin said fiercely. "You have no idea what happens if you mess with me—I really will end you!"

Qi Xia suddenly thought of something and turned to look at the young man to his right.

It was a face that was both familiar and strange.

He was the tenth person in the room, whom Qi Xia had only seen once.

The young man was still watching everyone with a bizarre smile.

Having been through this before, Qi Xia had some understanding now.

Those with this kind of smile were almost always "original inhabitants." Was this tenth person just brought in by Ren Yang to fill the numbers?

Ren Yang walked over to the young man and placed a hand on the back of his head.

Qi Xia was startled and quickly turned his face away nonchalantly.

Last time, the young man's brains had splattered onto his face, and he had no desire to experience that warm sensation again.

There was a dull "bang," and the young man's head burst open on the table.

At the same moment, a bell toll came from afar.

That bell made Qi Xia suddenly realize something.

This man, who had just died, might not be an "original inhabitant" but a "resonator"!

Why was his behavior so sluggish? What was the point of his role?

"The reason I prepared ten people was to use one of them to quiet you all down," Ren Yang said, shaking the blood from his hand.

Lin Jin let out a scream instantly, timed exactly as before.

Qi Xia should have thought of it earlier—they had heard the bell the moment they woke up, meaning at least one person had gained "resonance" at that time.

The bell rang again when the young man died, signaling the end of the "resonance."

If it happened once, it could be coincidence, but the young man's death triggered the bell twice in a row.

He must be a "resonator."

As Lin Jin's scream abruptly stopped, Ren Yang let out a strange laugh:

"Very good, nine of you, it seems you're all quiet now. Please allow me to introduce myself: I am 'Ren Yang,' and you are the 'participants.'"

"We're gathering you here to take part in a 'game,' ultimately to create a 'god.'"

This time, Qi Xia wasn't startled by the death, so he focused entirely on Ren Yang's explanation.

But once again, the group fell silent.

Qi Xia couldn't quite remember who had spoken last time, only that someone had asked Ren Yang about "creating what kind of god."

Why wasn't he speaking up?

"Aren't you curious about what kind of 'god' we're going to create?" Ren Yang looked at the group in bewilderment.

"Say what you want or don't!" Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth and snorted coldly. "Killing someone in front of me doesn't make me bow to you!"

"Very well..." Ren Yang shook his head and said, "We're going to create a god like 'Nüwa'; he can fulfill all our desires! A great task awaits this 'god'!"

Glancing at the silent crowd, Ren Yang sighed helplessly: "You all are so boring. No questions at all?"

The women were clearly terrified, and Qi Xia looked at the remaining men.

Li Jingguan stared at Ren Yang with a serious expression, no different from last time.

Zhao Yisheng and Han Yimo were trembling after witnessing the death, their faces showing fear.

Qiao Jiajin, on the other hand, wore a look of disdain, his unique expression.

Seeing no one speak, Qiao Jiajin's irritation grew—he wasn't afraid of Ren Yang at all.

"Dammit, 'Investiture of the Gods,' is it? We play your game and win, you make us gods? What if we don't win?"

"If you don't win..." Ren Yang looked at the fresh blood on his hand, his tone somewhat disappointed, "It would be such a pity..."

"Pity for whom?" Qi Xia suddenly asked.

Ren Yang turned to look at Qi Xia, his gaze ice-cold.

"Pity for this world."

"For this world?" Qi Xia was stunned, as if he understood something, but it only raised more questions in his mind.

In other words, if they couldn't create the "god," the biggest loss would be for the "Abyssal Realm"?