Chapter 386: It Should Be It

Cheng Shuili's gaze was calm, carrying a certainty that left no room for doubt; she lifted her lips and uttered those four words: "It should be it."

Young man: "!!!"

All players: "!!!"

Faceless Joker: "……!"

Overturn the feast!

She isn't joking!

She actually intends to, with the help of the rules, have the players treat the Faceless Joker as dessert ingredients!

How is this possible?! How can this be allowed?!

But this logic… seems…

Eh? It actually turns out perfectly self-consistent!

The Faceless Joker's aura around it became completely frenzied.

Shadows spread like living things from behind it, the light of the entire banquet venue dimmed, and a fierce wind rose.

"Blasphemer… you deserve to die!"

It let out a roar unlike that of a human!

The young man was struck by this terrifying pressure and collapsed directly to the ground, unable to stand.

Cheng Shuili, however, remained unmoving at the center of the frenzy; she even tilted her head slightly, looking at the Faceless Joker whose form was somewhat twisted by rage, her tone carrying an almost innocent puzzlement:

"How? Could it be that the rules don't allow stating facts?"

"Or perhaps the rule you set for eliminating impurities doesn't even include yourself?"

"If the rules cannot even bind their maker…"

She gave a light laugh, that laugh especially clear amidst the silence and storm.

"Then isn't this rule itself the biggest joke, the very impurity that ought to be eliminated?"

This sound reached precisely into the ears of every player and every monster, forcing them to start thinking.

If the rules are supreme, then everything in this world should be within the rules; and following the logic given by Wu Ya, the 'impurity' to be cleared—could it not be the Faceless Joker itself?

And if the rules are not supreme…

Then what are the players who have always stayed within the rules, obeyed them, and cannot resist the Faceless Joker?

The young man collapsed on the high platform, his pupils contracting from fear and the received information.

He looked down at that calm figure, then up at the Faceless Joker on the stage furious to the extreme, and an absurd yet intensely strong idea sprouted like weeds in his mind!

"What if… what if Wu Ya is right?"

"If the entity that toys with them at will, setting cruel rules, is itself the source that ruins the "perfect feast"?"

This thought, like a spark, fell onto the dry grassland.

Not only the young man, but all players, and even those originally dull attendants and guests, had a faint trace of thought flicker in their hollow eyes!

The rules themselves, under Cheng Shuili's words, began to subtly scrutinize the Faceless Joker.

"No!"

The Faceless Joker let out a shriek even more shrill than before, tinged with a hint of panic.

It sensed danger!

"I am the rules! I am the feast!"

It roared madly, trying to crush Cheng Shuili, this audacious blasphemer, with greater force.

But this time, the spread of shadows encountered an obvious obstacle.

The threatening things no longer diffused smoothly as before; instead, after spreading, they emitted a sizzling sound, like an electrical short circuit, and even began to dissipate on their own.

Cheng Shuili curled the corner of her mouth, drawing a smile of success.

She actually wasn't sure whether this whole theory about the rules would affect the Faceless Joker; she had two purposes in saying these words.

First, to motivate the chosen player to attack the Faceless Joker.

Second, to provoke the Faceless Joker's anger, deepening its dissatisfaction with her to the point of losing control, so that it would strike at her.

Cheng Shuili didn't know whether the rules would self-correct, but the rules were certainly in effect, and they were restricting the Faceless Joker.

Now Cheng Shuili hasn't violated any rule either; how could it act?

If it makes a move, isn't that breaking the rules?

Since it broke the rules, it must accept the rules' punishment!

The Faceless Joker's surging shadows trembled violently, and even on its smooth mask, distorted facial contours faintly appeared.

It fixed its gaze on Cheng Shuili; that intangible stare almost turned into a substantive blade to pierce her.

"You… you…"

The Faceless Joker's voice became hoarse and distorted, filled with unstoppable killing intent.

Cheng Shuili met that gaze, capable of making any player's spirit collapse, not retreating but stepping forward.

She slightly lifted her chin, her eyes holding a near‑challenging calm.

"Looks like I hit the mark."

"And you just tried to strike me, you rule‑monster, you also broke the rules, right?"

Her tone was light and casual, yet like a heavy hammer it smashed this farce to pieces!

As Cheng Shuili's words fell, the backlash of the rules reached its peak!

The Faceless Joker could no longer endure; it raised its head and emitted a shriek that no human could produce, mixed with frenzied rage.

The young man on the high platform was frightened by this horrible sight to the point of nearly fainting, but his survival instinct made him bite his lip hard; the intangible pressure caused blood to seep from his mouth, the bloody smell spreading.

He looked at the figure below still standing straight, and a crazy thought suddenly arose.

"Since the impurity… since the greatest impurity…"

He muttered, struggling to rise from the ground, his gaze locking onto the faceless clown, twisted and in pain from the rules' backlash.

"Since the greatest impurity is this monster, then as long as we kill this monster!"

His eyes shone terrifyingly bright; despite having no weapon, he held only a dinner knife he had picked up for self‑defense when his legs went weak.

"But…"

"Kill you… kill you and we can live! Kill you, this impurity!"

He roared, turning all his fear and despair into brute force, gripping the small dinner knife and stumbling toward the faceless clown.

Though the faceless clown was in agony from the rules' conflict, it was not something just anyone could provoke.

At this moment, seeing this insignificant offering dare to charge forward, its fury intensified, and a twisted shadow tendril lashed out like a whip at the young man.

This strike contained power far exceeding what had been used against any player before.

If it landed, the young man would instantly turn into a pile of flesh.

All the players held their breath, eyes fixed on the scene.

The man gripping the dinner knife had bloodshot eyes, obviously having lost his mind, with only one thought filling his head: "Kill it! End the entire Instance!"

He rushed toward the boiling shadow like a moth flying into flame, without hesitation.

Just when almost everyone thought he was surely doomed, a sudden change occurred.

The faceless clown's tendril seemed to strike an absolutely invisible wall, stopping abruptly less than half a meter from the man, then as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, it shattered inch by inch, bit by bit, vanishing.

The faceless clown let out an even more shrill scream, its whole form becoming somewhat illusory.

"It cannot directly attack the chef chosen by the rules!" Panshi reacted sharply, shouting, "At least not before the dessert is finished or clearly refused! This is its own rule!"

Hearing that shout, the young man's madness intensified, even tinged with wild joy!

"It can't kill me! It can't! Hahaha!"

He laughed, seeming mad, and drove the dinner knife hard into the writhing, seething shadow substance of the faceless clown!

"You dare attack me?"

The faceless clown let out an earth‑shaking roar, the whole island seeming to tremble beneath its fury.

Yet the boiling power surrounding it seemed bound by countless invisible chains; each attempt to gather an attack was forcibly dispersed by the invisible rules and then vanished.

It could only watch helplessly as that insignificant dinner knife, carrying the utter despair and madness of a tiny offering, pierced its body made of rules and shadow…

Pfft!

A faint sound, almost negligible.

The dinner knife sank into the shadow.

There was no blood, no sensation of piercing a solid body.

But the faceless clown's movement froze abruptly at that moment.

Its constantly twisting body and mask completely solidified.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

All the players held their breath, eyes wide, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Could it be… we succeeded?

Just… that simple?

Cheng Shuili frowned slightly, feeling something was off.

The rules' backlash and limits are real, and it's true that the faceless clown cannot directly attack the chef it has chosen.

But would a rule‑based monster really be so easily felled by an ordinary dinner knife…

Just then, another change occurred!

"Uh… ah…"

The young man holding the dinner knife suddenly let out a painful groan.

His hand gripping the dinner knife, starting from the fingertips, his skin quickly turned ashen and withered, as if all moisture and vitality were being instantly drained.

The ashen spread like a plague, racing up his arm, over his shoulder, crawling toward his torso, his head…

"No… no…"

He widened his eyes in terror, trying to release the dinner knife, but found his hand firmly stuck to the hilt—or rather, his very existence was being absorbed by the dinner knife plunged into the shadow!

"Dessert… needs… ingredients…"

The faceless clown's solidified form emitted a low, malicious voice.

Its smooth mask turned back toward the crowd below; though no expression could be seen, everyone could feel the cold, triumphant mockery surfacing on it.

"Volunteer… offering oneself… as an ingredient… the chef… truly is… the most… delicious… part…"

Its voice carried a pleasant tremor, like savoring a delicacy.

In everyone's shocked gaze, the young man's body turned completely into a plaster statue holding his thrusting pose within two or three seconds.

Then fine cracks appeared on the statue's surface, crackling incessantly, until it shattered completely into powder, which scattered and vanished.

Only the dinner knife clanged onto the high platform, ringing with a clear sound.

But the faceless clown seemed as if the earlier unpleasantness had never happened; it stretched its body, as if it had just enjoyed an appetizer.

"Thank you, this guest…" it deliberately paused, using that tiny gap to fully observe the players' expressions below, then, as if satisfied, spoke the following line: "Generous offering."

The faceless clown regained its tone, as if nothing had happened, and immediately its gaze swept over Cheng Shuili again, openly regretting.

"Too bad… the main course seems unwilling to step forward on its own."

"So… according to the rules… this preparation…"

The faceless clown's voice drew out, carrying a cat‑toying‑with‑a‑mouse sort of teasing.

"Obviously it succeeded!"

It deliberately paused, enjoying the feeling of the players' hearts again being clenched by fear.

The air was dead silent.

The image of the young man turning to ashes still burned onto everyone's retinas.

Volunteering to attack, they were instead eaten as dessert!

This cruel twist completely crushed the fledgling spark of rebellion that had just ignited in most players' hearts.

Despair, like an icy tide, once again engulfed the entire venue.

The Faceless Joker enjoyed this silence, its shadow-formed body stretching out like a sated beast, languid and satisfied.

Its gaze swept over Cheng Shuili again, bearing undisguised greed and lingering anger after being provoked.

"So… next! Dessert time continues!" it announced in a singsong voice, malice nearly overflowing from its tone, "In ten minutes, we will select another chef to make a choice again! Hope the next one… can bring us a more… spectacular performance!"

The countdown began again.

The skinny man who had incited the attack on Wu Ya lay collapsed on the ground, his body still trembling, a wet patch at his crotch emitting a foul odor, yet no one laughed.

The players' faces were grim, gripping their weapons as if facing a great enemy. Yet they were unsure how to confront this monster, so for the moment they could only stand in place, waiting for the outcome of the next round.

And Cheng Shuili…

Cheng Shuili Qing Qing patted the nonexistent dust on her sleeve.

Just now, when the Faceless Joker opposed the rule, it seemed some intangible ash drifted down.

Her patting motion was meticulous and earnest, as if she were at a banquet requiring decorum, not a life‑or‑death horror slaughter.

Having finished patting the dust, she lifted her head again and looked toward the Faceless Joker.

This time, her eyes held no trace of earlier scrutiny or mockery, replaced instead by an utter chill, like ancient ice that knows no bottom.

She spoke slowly, her voice soft yet clear enough to pierce the oppressive silence, reaching every player and the Faceless Joker's ears.

"I think I've already made myself quite clear."

"You have violated the rule."

Cheng Shuili's voice was calm and unperturbed, yet like a cold scalpel it precisely cut through the false tranquility.

The Faceless Joker's languidly extended shadow hesitated slightly.

"Oh? My dear guest, what brings this on?"

Its tone remained teasing, but beneath that composure lay a barely perceptible tension.

As if afraid that something it had desperately tried to conceal would be discovered.

Cheng Shuili ignored its performance, merely continuing in a matter‑of‑fact tone: "You laid hands on a guest who had broken no rule—namely, me."

"The rule had already stopped you at once, but your violation of it has become a fact."

Do you think ending this round of dessert time will let you brush this incident aside?

Cheng Shuili will absolutely not let it go.

She lifted her head with a smile and used Insight on the monster again.

If she hadn't guessed wrong…

"The rule that rule monsters cannot be slain by players—shouldn't it have already failed?"