He said that once the “Zodiac” has killed three thousand six hundred people, there might be a chance for them to be “eradicated,” completely disappearing from this world.
The reason is that he heard every “Earth-level” is striving to kill, and there are even those who have successfully advanced. Yet, those so-called “promoted Zodiacs” have never shown up again. Some say they escaped.
But since there’s no evidence to prove they escaped, the only conclusion is that they vanished.
He also mentioned that once “participants” collect three thousand six hundred “Dao,” a great reshuffling will occur, where everyone will lose their memories and start anew.
This place has likely existed for far longer than we imagined. We didn’t arrive here in batches—we appeared here neatly from the very beginning until now.
What’s interesting is that all the “interview rooms” here are like incubators, constantly hatching “good eggs” and “bad eggs.”
For a very long time, our room was a completely rotten egg, showing no reaction no matter how it was incubated.
The only ones who could walk out of our room and stand in the hallway at the last moment were always the “Zodiacs.” Who knows how many rooms like ours exist in this entire corridor?
After all, we can’t obtain “Echoes,” nor can we preserve our memories. So, every time, we make the exact same choices and die here. Without any external intervention, we would never hatch life.
And Aries is our “external intervention.”
At this moment, he’s like a teacher, telling us about a world completely different from what we remember.
Everything we’ve heard, seen, or imagined these past days was overturned in just a few words from him.
I admit I’m not as composed as Aries. When I heard that this world is built upon a massive lie, I truly couldn’t steady my mind.
This means there’s absolutely no way for us to escape. Everything we do is hopeless.
“Sorry,” Aries said to us. “This is the result of my many years of investigation. It is indeed a bit difficult for you to digest and absorb it all within an hour. There’s still some time left—if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
I do have too many questions. My mind is in complete chaos, and I don’t even know where to start.
For example, if this city is inescapable, then what are we doing here?
If no one is allowed to escape, why are there so many ways to escape?
Who built this place?
What’s the reason for bringing us here?
My God… I feel like my brain is about to explode.
This is completely different from what I previously imagined. It’s as if life suddenly has no direction.
If in the real world, my daily goal was to “become strong,” then the reason I’m willing to cooperate with anyone here is to “escape.”
But if escape is impossible… what direction should I strive for?
“Survive”?
I glanced at Zhang Qiang. He clearly had many questions too, but every time he tried to speak, no words came out.
The room fell into silence, with only the ticking of the clock on the table echoing.
“Um…” Zhang Qiang finally spoke, but instead of asking the questions on my mind, he said something only he would say.
“Go ahead,” Aries said.
“What benefits do we get from cooperating with you?”
“Benefits…” Aries nodded. “That is indeed a question worth explaining.”
“Yeah…” Zhang Qiang said nervously. “From what you’ve said, if we cooperate with you, you might become the ‘Ruler’ here… But what about us?”
“The first benefit I’ve already mentioned—I will ensure you are ‘absolutely safe.’ Though I don’t have time to explain, you must believe that these five words are the most precious guarantee in ‘Taoyuan.'” Aries sighed slightly. “As for the second ‘benefit,’ once I become the Ruler, I will try to change this place. By then, as the founding members who worked with me, you will naturally receive preferential treatment.”
“What…” Zhang Qiang was stunned. “Change this place…?”
“Yes.” Aries nodded. “But I can only give you a verbal promise—no tangible benefits right now. So whether you believe me depends entirely on your decision at this moment.”
After hearing this, we hesitated again. The time left for us to think was simply too short.
If I’m not mistaken, Aries must have spent years, maybe even decades, collecting this information, yet he’s forcing it all into our minds in just an hour.
It’s just too hard to accept.
“How long will it take for you to become the ‘Ruler’?” Zhang Qiang asked again.
“It’s hard to say,” Aries replied. “Three to five years, ten to eight years, decades, maybe even a hundred.”
“What…” Zhang Qiang swallowed. “A hundred years…? Are you really not lying to us?”
“I truly can’t say for sure.” A hint of gloom flickered in Aries’ eyes. “To be honest, clearing this room is only the first step of the entire plan. There are many more stages ahead, spanning years and involving hundreds of people. I can’t guarantee every stage will succeed, nor can I promise every word I say will come true. If I succeed, then everything I’ve said so far is true. If I fail, then I’ve told you the biggest lie of all.”
“This…” Zhang Qiang lowered his head, quickly weighing the pros and cons.
“There’s no need to be nervous.” Aries seemed to read our thoughts and said, “Even if you refuse me, there’s absolutely no risk of being ‘silenced.’ From now on, Goat will be your permanent ‘interviewer.’ As I said, only one ‘Zodiac’ is needed in this room. I will leave voluntarily. For you, nothing will change. I’ll find a way for Goat to host all three games alone.”
“You mean…” I blinked. “You’re telling us this isn’t a ‘threat’?”
“Correct.” Aries gave me an approving look. “I’m afraid you might feel forced into cooperating due to my ‘threat,’ which would mean I’d recruit subpar teammates, and you wouldn’t be able to unleash your true potential. So now, I first want to assure you that you’re safe—no one will harm you based on your choice. At the same time, you must ensure that your decision is truly from your heart.”
I couldn’t help but feel that, though Aries might not know the laws of effect, he’s quite skilled in psychology and conversation techniques.
He wants us to make our choice after lowering our guard.
“Um…” I looked up at him and asked seriously, “What exactly does ‘absolutely safe participant’ mean?”
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