Deceitful Game

Chapter 279 Saying Goodbye to Yourself

"What are you doing...?"

Chen Bingwen on the other end quickly realized: "Oh, I understand."

He walked past Ai Shiping, who was still hitting him, and slowly approached, shaking hands with Wang Qi together with Chen Bingwen.

It's not the kind of grip where you stuff the pieces between your palms; instead, you hook the pieces together with your fingers, forming a "互" (mutual) shape. The pieces are upside down, with their center of gravity facing downwards. If someone loosens their grip even slightly, or if someone gives them a push, these precious pieces will fall to the ground.

Nobody knows what will happen if it falls to the ground.

Will it shatter? Crack? Explode? Or will nothing change, because it cannot be destroyed...? Anything is possible.

Because Chen Bingwen didn't care that much.

After the two Chen Bingwens appeared at the same time, this sense of world-weariness began to resonate and increased wildly!

They thought alike, so they immediately understood what the other wanted to do.

Since there's no compelling reason to live...

Then there's no point in them fighting or killing each other.

Whether they're exchanging blows one by one, or waiting for Mingpo and Ai Shiping to finish their fight, it's all about "taking a chance" for them. Whoever survives is the correct "Chen Bingwen" to everyone else, while the one who dies is just a stand-in. That's the essence of the so-called "paradox."

When two people who are almost identical come together, it doesn't really matter to others which one dies, because they simply can't tell the difference. But the fact that "one of them died" is very important.

Rather than waiting for someone else to pronounce their verdict...

Judge Chen wanted to roll his own dice.

..….….”

Chen Bingwen counted down.

..….….”

[Chen Bingwen] continued.

..……1!

They both spoke at the same time.

Without any prior agreement, they both knew when the other would stop counting.

The next moment, they simultaneously activated the King Chess!

The effect of the [King's Chess] is that the holder can gain a corresponding enhancement by sacrificing a part of themselves or an organ. But what if…

Are they discarding organs that could be fatal?

In just a moment, one "Chen Bingwen" fell to the ground, while another was sent flying. In the chaos, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Because in that very instant, one of Chen Bingwen sacrificed his own brain!

The moment he lost his life, his hands had already lost their strength.

The moment he released his grip, the chess piece fell to the ground.

The moment the chess piece left his hand, the sacrifice of the other Chen Bingwen was interrupted. He was kicked away by the brainless but enhanced body of the other Chen Bingwen, but he survived because of it.

It's like a duel between cowboys in the Wild West.

However, the guns they held were meant to kill themselves.

In other words, it's about who has a stronger will to survive and hesitates for just a second longer when it comes to killing themselves...

Whoever deserves to live.

What a fair set of rules.

What a powerless judgment.

...just like what he does when he's a corporate judge.

He usually can't do anything, can't influence anything. He can only mechanically strike the gavel, pronouncing judgments on things that aren't his decision. Just like now... exactly the same.

Although they only learned of the rule that "only one King Chess sacrifice can be performed at a time" at this point, even without this rule, their coincidence of sacrificing and dying at the same time was not unacceptable.

For someone who is homeless and dies alone, being able to live and die with another version of themselves is not necessarily a bad thing.

Then, Chen Bingwen, who had slammed heavily against the wall, closed his eyes.

The other Chen Bingwen turned into black ashes.

Like ashes after a fire.

Ai Shiping, his face covered in blood, delivered his final, heavy punch, panting heavily. He turned around and exclaimed in astonishment:

"What the hell... what kind of 'touch the electric gate' game is this...?"

Ai Shiping used all his strength to finally beat the other Ai Shiping to death with his bare hands.

He is now completely exhausted.

"No matter what... I must live."

Ai Shiping murmured softly, turning around: "I'm sorry, my other self."

"Your share... I'll take care of it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ai Shiping beneath him showed no further reaction.

He simply watched quietly as another version of himself pressed down on him, his body slowly decaying.

The skin dehydrates, the appearance ages, and the body turns grayish-white. Then the skin collapses, and the black ash inside scatters and flies away like countless tiny black butterflies.

But Ai Shiping did not let his other self simply drift away with the wind.

He frantically reached out, grabbing handfuls of black ash from the air, and desperately stuffed the specks of black ash he had caught into his mouth, swallowing them as much as he could.

He didn't know what the point was, he didn't know what use eating another version of himself would have.

He didn't know... whether there would be any risks or hidden dangers in doing this.

Ai Shiping's mind was blank; he acted instinctively, devouring his other self, which had turned to ashes. It was like an oviparous animal swallowing its eggshell.

An inexplicable sadness made him want to shed tears.

But Ai Shiping ultimately held back.

only………

He turned around and looked at Mingbo, who was still frozen in place, a hint of worry in his eyes.

Is Aper still not done fighting?

Should he lend a hand?

After a moment of silence, Ai Shiping gave up his idea.

If this were a magic duel between Mingpo and other enemies, then Ai Shiping would risk his life to create an opportunity for Mingpo.

However, this is a duel between Mingpo and "another version of herself".

He had a premonition that if he intervened in this duel... Mingpu would be extremely unhappy.

Even if his unhappiness wasn't quite "hate," Ai Shiping didn't want his best friend to dislike him.

As they traveled, their companions dwindled in number.

Every companion I can still contact today is a bond as strong as half a body.

"…Good luck, Amber."

Ai Shiping prayed softly for Mingpo on his side.

And in the illusion.

However, the situation was slightly different from what Ai Shiping had expected.

These two Mingbos may indeed have had a fierce battle before...

Because at this moment, their prosthetic bodies were almost completely damaged.

The surroundings resembled a laboratory that had been partially demolished.

The plaster had peeled off, revealing the steel bars underneath. A light tube dangled from the ceiling, still crackling and sparking. The ground was pitted and covered with dried, blackened bloodstains, and there were corpses wearing hazmat suits.

One of the men, Mingpo, had his left arm severed at the shoulder and his right leg broken into three sections. He barely managed to stay upright by leaning against the wall.

His other two forearms had been severed, but the bleeding had stopped. His legs, however, were intact. He looked down at his empty wrists, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if he were looking at something interesting.

Such injuries would have killed an ordinary person, or at least rendered them unconscious.

But both of them were still conscious.

On the contrary, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

"You really push yourself hard."

With only his right arm remaining, Mingpo gave the middle finger with his right hand: "Fuck your mother."

The other Minpeer raised his two hands, now only wrists remaining: "Double the rebound!"

The next moment, the two Mingpo in the ruins both laughed foolishly.

"Hey," one of the Mingpo spoke up, "let's find somewhere else to talk, sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"How was it at the top of the snow-capped mountain?"

"I think it's fine."

The two ambers thus made an incredibly bizarre agreement in a friendly manner.

Just as they expected, the world around them changed in an instant.

Mingpo opened her eyes.

The two of them stood on the summit of a snow-capped mountain.

Beneath their feet was knee-deep snow, and the broken-legged Minpe sat sprawled on the ground with a soft crunch. The sound was crisp, like biting into a cookie, and it pleased the other Minpe.

Mingpo squinted slightly and looked up at the sky.

In the distance was a somewhat unfamiliar azure sky, so blue it seemed unreal. The sunlight was pale gold, reflecting off the snow in shimmering, flowing dappled patterns.

These things existed before the company war... but back then, young Mingpo definitely hadn't climbed a snow-capped mountain. Mingpo himself didn't know where this memory came from, but he'd had this nightmare since he was little. It was incredibly clear, full of details, exactly like what he was seeing now.

I dreamt that I was on a snow-capped mountain, shouting as I jumped off.

Then he would wake up in shock.

At that time, Mingpo thought he was afraid, afraid of falling from a height... and then he would bleed profusely.

But now that I think about it, the truth is probably not like that.

Returning here fully conscious, I realized how comfortable and wonderful this place is.

It was as if... he was meant to be here.

This is not a nightmare, but a beautiful dream.

He wasn't afraid; quite the opposite... he was nostalgic.

It is a memory that remains deep in Mingpo's soul, still longing for that past life that she thought she had completely forgotten.