Chapter 2: God-Demon Game

"Looking for the Tathagata isn't to have him save me; what if this guy caused it?" Tang Luo said.

Tathagata, a professional scapegoat.

Everything is the Tathagata's fault; all his various dark forms, added together, could circle the Earth.

"Heh, interesting idea, are you a monk?"

The owner of the hoarse voice looked at the already standing Tang Luo and asked.

Keeping a shaved head doesn't necessarily mean one is a monk; it could also be a miserable bald guy.

Tang Luo's head had no monk's precept scar.

However, it's already modern society; it's normal for monks to have no precept scar, so that's why the question was asked.

"Yes."

Tang Luo turned around.

The standing Tang Luo also saw the full appearance of the carriage.

Compared to the original carriage, the current carriage is much shorter.

Besides Tang Luo and the speaking middle-aged man, there were five other people.

Three men and two women.

Among everyone, the oldest was that middle-aged man.

The youngest was a high school boy wearing a uniform, with some black fuzz on his mouth.

The rest were all young people who looked about twenty years old—including Tang Luo.

The conversation between Tang Luo and the middle-aged man obviously drew the attention of the others.

Some people stood up, some peered around.

Everyone was looking at the two of them.

The middle-aged man didn't continue questioning Tang Luo; instead, he clapped his hands, shifting everyone's attention from the two of them to him alone.

"Looks like you're all newcomers; let me briefly explain the situation." The middle-aged man spoke.

"Slaughter City, Main God Space, Reincarnation World?" someone raised a hand, posing their question.

Those three terms made some people look enlightened, while others became more confused.

In the age of information explosion, there will always be someone who knows something about it.

Even if they don't fully understand what happened, at least they don't react with "I don't believe anything, it's all fake! Come out, cameraman!", "My dad is XX, dare you kidnap me?", or "Any amount of money is fine, send me home."

Even if not particularly understanding what exactly happened, at least they didn't show the expression of "I don't believe anything, it's all fake! Cameraman, come out.", "My dad is XX, you dare kidnap me?", "Any amount of money is fine, send me home."

Putting it in industry slang—this batch of newcomers is of relatively high quality.

Facing a group of high-quality newcomers, abbreviated as "susu", the middle-aged man nodded and said: "Pretty much; simply put, we were selected, entered a special place, and must complete a mission."

Facing a group of high-quality newcomers, briefly called amateurs, the middle-aged man nodded and said: "Pretty much, in simple terms, it's that we were selected, entered a special place, and complete the mission."

The middle-aged man paused and said: "It's not really a reincarnation world; most people prefer to call it the God-Demon Game. We are a group of 'players' who enter instances and complete missions with our lives."

The middle-aged man paused and said: "It's not some reincarnation world; most people prefer to call it a god-and-demon game, and we are a group of 'players' who enter dungeons and risk our lives to complete missions."

The man who had just asked, wearing glasses and looking like a college student, continued to ask.

While speaking, he also pushed up his glasses.

He gave off a calm, wise vibe.

Of course, if we ignore his cute pink bear-patterned pajama pants and slippers.

The bursting forth of a maiden's heart made people glance sideways.

The middle-aged man slightly shook his head: "No, there are no points; only after completing a mission will one receive a 'reward'. To become stronger, either gain benefits while completing the mission in the instance, or obtain the reward after finishing the mission. At least that's what I know."

He didn't mind the glasses-wearing man asking questions, and was happy to use this Q&A format to explain the situation to everyone.

We're all grasshoppers on the same rope.

Providing the information he knows to help newcomers get up to speed quickly—this small effort, Zhou Zhen Guo doesn't mind doing.

Some people might like to make a fuss about this.

But Zhou Zhen Guo won't.

"What kinds of rewards are there?"

"Skills, mainly skills, which is why it's called a 'game'." Zhou Zhen Guo said.

"What's the penalty for mission failure? Is it outright extermination? Since there are no points to deduct."

"Probably, but I've also heard some people say it's not extermination, but 'disappearance'."

"Probably, but I've also heard some people say it's not eradication, but 'disappearance'."

"Yes, that's it—disappearance, mysterious missing persons, because we can't prove whether they really died. But don't worry so much; it's not that one failed mission makes you disappear, maybe three to five times. I've had a few failures myself and I'm still doing fine."

"Yes, it's disappearance, mysterious missing, because we can't prove whether they're really dead. But don't worry so much; it's not that one failed mission makes you disappear, maybe three to five times— I've had a few failures and I'm still doing fine."

Zhou Zhen Guo asked: "Any other questions? I'll tell you everything I know——"

As his words fell, the train that had been moving began to slow down, stopping a few seconds later.

The sole carriage door slowly opened.

The world outside the carriage was pitch black.

The light inside the carriage, shining through the opened door, could illuminate less than a meter.

Beyond one meter, everything was black.

The window coated with a layer of dust obviously couldn't let anyone see outside through it.

Even without dust, one would only see the carriage's interior reflection.

Zhou Zhen Guo glanced at the pitch‑black world outside the door, exhaled, and said: "Let's go; we'll talk as we walk."

Zhou Zhen'guo glanced at the pitch-black world outside the car door, exhaled a breath, and said, "Let's go, we'll talk as we walk."

After speaking, he stepped forward and walked straight to the train door.

The bespectacled man had no hesitation and immediately followed.

The other two men also followed, and the two women, who apparently knew each other, did the same.

They stood close together, hesitated a moment, then followed.

Just as Zhou Zhen'guo led the charge, about to leave the dirty yet bright train car, Tang Luo spoke.

"Sirs, please stay."

Zhou Zhen'guo stopped, turned back, frowned slightly, and said, "Monk, what doubts do you have? We can talk as we walk."

"You've misunderstood, sir."

Tang Luo shook his head, raised one hand before his chest, and instantly a sense of calm and peace emanated.

It made people feel favorably inclined and willing to listen to him speak.

After all, he too was a person who had sealed the Buddha; is the Victorious Fighting Buddha also a Buddha?

"My monastic name is Xuanzang."

Tang Luo said, "I am an orthodox transmission of the Buddhist gate, know a little about subduing demons and eliminating evil; if any of you encounter danger, you may come to me, and I can protect you completely."

In Tang Luo's eyes, these people were not merely players who risked their lives to complete missions.

Moreover, each bore an ominous countenance, with a death omen star above their heads—these "walking merits."

Since they were playing with their lives, it was natural that things would sometimes go awry.

Saving a life outweighs building a seven-story pagoda.

Precisely when merit was needed to heal wounds, this sudden shift in scenery perfectly satisfied Tang Luo's need.

It was basically like bringing a pillow to someone who was already sleepy.

Fate—wonderful beyond words.

"Really?" After hearing Tang Luo's words, everyone was somewhat dumbfounded, not knowing what expression to make.

Xuanzang?

Why don't you say your monastic name is "Traveler"?

"Monks do not tell falsehoods." Everything Tang Luo said was the absolute truth.

"Master, do you know lightness skill?"

The bespectacled man, feeling fortunate, suddenly asked with a hint of teasing.

"I cannot."

Tang Luo shook his head.

Not a pretentious claim of "I don't know lightness skill, but I possess a divine ability surpassing it."

Rather, he truly does not know it.

He is an extremely one-sided cultivator, following the path of "one force breaks myriad laws."

He knows no mysterious methods or supernatural abilities.

When needed, he relies entirely on the merit jade lotus for assistance.

"... So he really can't." The bespectacled man gave a dry laugh.

Everyone also turned back, intending to leave the train car.

Tang Luo also didn't care whether they believed him.

Leaving such an impression in their minds is enough.

In a critical moment, they will naturally grasp at this last straw of salvation.

By then, Tang Luo's act of saving people will be accomplished.

If they truly do not believe at all, Tang Luo will not insist.

As a Buddha, how could he not be laid-back?

Zhou Zhen'guo led the way out of the train car, Tang Luo being the last to exit; at the moment they emerged, his gaze shifted slightly.

The vital energy here is far richer than that of Earth.

This aids in his recovery from injury.

A group of people whispered among themselves while surveying their surroundings.

Outside the train car lay an abandoned subway platform, very narrow.

It almost resembled a cage enveloping the train car.

Worth noting is that the train car they rode in was truly a single car, without a head or tail.

The tracks they had come on vanished after they exited, leaving only a wall in sight.

The sole exit was a sealed lattice iron door on the platform.

Beyond the iron door lay an upward staircase.

It was pitch black, yet occasional chilly winds blew from unknown sources, raising gooseflesh on everyone's skin.

After adjusting to the darkness, barely able to make out objects, Zhou Zhen'guo reached out and felt around the iron door, then pulled hard twice.

"Step back a bit." Unable to open the iron door, he spoke, signaling the crowd behind him to retreat a certain distance.

Next, he launched a kick, and a tremendous boom echoed within the platform.

Zhou Zhen'guo grunted and sank down.

"What's wrong, Old Zhou?" the bespectacled man asked.

Earlier, everyone had already exchanged basic information such as names and occupations.

However, Zhou Zhen'guo also suggested that they need not use their real names; a nickname would suffice.

He simply called himself Old Zhou.

Everyone thus respectfully called him Uncle Zhou, after all, this is a big thigh to hold onto tightly.

Others followed suit, pulling out surnames they didn't know were real or fake.

All sorts of little X, like a company team-building outing.

"It's fine, I just kicked my toe..." said Big Thigh Zhou Zhen'guo.

"……"

Self-reliance—relying on heaven and earth is not as good as relying on oneself.

Although he kicked his toe, Zhou Zhen'guo's kick still had an effect.

The iron door was quickly opened, and everyone walked up the stairs.

The originally murky air also became a bit fresher.

Soon, a faint light appeared ahead; then, another iron door.

This time, Zhou Zhen'guo found the right spot, and with a kick the iron door collapsed with a bang.

Everyone entered a small room even narrower than the underground station, with stone walls on both sides.

Only a narrow passage in the middle barely allowed two people to stand side by side.

Moonlight streamed in through the half-open door at the far end of the passage.

"It's actually a tomb chamber!" someone exclaimed, recognizing the room's layout.

This is a Western-style tomb chamber.

It's the kind of small house resembling a coffin,

the "stone walls" on either side of the passage are actually coffins, usually engraved with names and birth and death dates.

Some also have a brief biography.

No one likes staying in the tomb chamber, so everyone quickened their pace to leave.

And as Tang Luo, who was walking last, had just stepped out of the tomb chamber,

a sudden gust of yin wind came from nowhere, slamming the door behind him shut.

At the same time, the half-obscured moon in the sky was completely covered by the dark clouds blown by the wind.

The relatively bright moonlight vanished, and in an instant everyone's vision went pitch black.

Tang Luo turned his head to look at the tomb chamber behind him, his face showing a strange and pensive expression.

Soon his expression returned to calm and unruffled.