Chapter 60: Day Four: Mo Qiusi, You Are Not the Answer Either

Day Four: Mo Qiusi, You Are Not the Answer Either

(Extra Large Cup!)

Wei Guan died on the street, killed by Adros.

Yun Ni died in the room, captured by the Grand Inquisition.

The Ascetic died in the chaos of the battle, murdered by someone lurking in the confusion—so far, the killer remains undiscovered.

Worse still, his identity vanished; no one remembers him.

Du Xiguang also died at the hands of the Grand Inquisition, but this is only the memory of a witness, its accuracy unguaranteed.

Fang Jue... was captured, probably not dead yet.

Every player’s death was illogical, brimming with strangeness—yet there was no concrete evidence proving anything unusual, leaving everyone baffled.

Cheng Shi pondered all night, and a bold thought emerged in his mind:

Could death itself be the trial’s answer?

Is it possible this trial differs from all previous ones, with each person having their own answer?

So, are these dead players already free from the sea of suffering of the trial, leaving only me here, lost and struggling to survive?

It’s not impossible—yet... much more verification is needed.

Right now, the only clue lies with Mo Qiusi.

And Mo Qiusi...

arrived far sooner than expected.

Before dawn, a solemn figure appeared in Cheng Shi’s room.

He brought no one with him, as confident as those vanished 2400-point players.

Cheng Shi slowly opened his eyes and sat up on the bed.

Mo Qiusi stood beside the room’s table, his eyes still flickering with thunder—but this time, besides thunder, there was a hint of doubt.

“Crude pretense cannot conceal the fact of crime. I’ve seen you—during last night’s arrest of the killer.

You stood among the crowd, pretending to be a curious bystander, yet your gaze never left the scene.

Perhaps you’re connected?

You should be glad: this apostate of 【Order】 did not betray you.

But now you dare provoke the Grand Inquisition with such tactics...

What crime shall you be charged with?”

Each of Mo Qiusi’s words grew colder than the last; by the final sentence, his staff was raised high, the roaring thunder at its tip eager to devour the enemy.

Cheng Shi smiled faintly, utterly calm. He rose slowly and bowed slightly.

“If I am guilty, why does my lord not arrest me outright, but waste time talking here?

During daylight, you were far more decisive.”

“Hmph.” Mo Qiusi snorted, his reply as cold as a bottomless abyss.

“Five corpses were covered in ‘invitations’—this revolting trick was clearly meant to summon me.

My time is scarce, yet I can spare a condemned criminal a moment to speak his final words.

How you committed these murders is irrelevant.

After your last words, you will precede your companion in facing 【Order】’s judgment!”

Hmph, how righteous you sound.

Cheng Shi smiled again.

“A humble traveler would hardly draw the interest of an Inquisitor so great. What truly interests you is likely the aura on their bodies.”

Correct—Cheng Shi had indeed written indecent words on the “corpses” to lure Mo Qiusi here.

Not overly indecent—just five words:

“Come catch me!”

One on each body.

But the words themselves didn’t matter—what mattered was the tool used to write them!

He used 【When Fear Arrives】!

Thus, every wound on the corpses oozed the aura of 【Death】 and 【Corruption】!

And it was precisely this that made Mo Qiusi hesitate and refrain from acting.

He had seized the dagger and sealed it away in secrecy—so why did traces of the Divine Artifact’s aura still linger in the world?

This was what he sought to uncover.

Every Inquisitor who passes judgment, if possible, also wishes to know the true answer behind the crime.

It is human nature—none can escape it.

Mo Qiusi clearly treated Cheng Shi’s invitation as the answer.

Yet he did not realize—he himself was Cheng Shi’s answer.

“Inquisitor, I have no intention of opposing the Grand Inquisition, nor do I wish to create further chaos.

If you answer my questions truthfully, I shall resolve all your doubts.

Even—confess and accept execution!”

Mo Qiusi’s face darkened. He gave Cheng Shi no chance to bargain—immediately, a bolt of thunder slammed into him.

Cheng Shi anticipated the attack—but not this soon.

He unleashed all his divine power, spamming healing and mental spells onto himself, fingers clutching a “Past Glory” pill, ready to endure the lightning with his body alone.

If he could survive this, he’d gain the leverage to speak with Mo Qiusi.

But Cheng Shi never expected: Mo Qiusi’s Judgment Staff was a Semi-Divine Artifact!!??

Even when the lightning had half-blinded him before, he hadn’t realized such ferocity came from a Semi-Divine Artifact!

No wonder!

So this is what it feels like to be locked onto by a Semi-Divine Artifact:

His mind screamed in agony; his soul trembled in terror.

In that moment, Cheng Shi felt his flesh had its own will—it wanted to kneel and beg the terrifying Judgment Staff for mercy!

He wondered: how could the Ascetic possibly have survived even one strike of this?

Cheng Shi had always been confident in his body’s endurance and mental resistance. His robust physique and skilled healing arts granted him durability rivaling warriors of his level.

Combined with his Priest class traits and preemptive healing techniques, he wasn’t the player with the most HP—but he was among the most resilient.

He had seen the Ascetic survive one of Mo Qiusi’s lightning strikes—and since then, he’d been certain he could endure it too.

But reality proved him wrong.

This was not power a mortal could withstand!

Before Cheng Shi could swallow his pill, the lightning exploded through every joint in his body.

Flames of judgment erupted from within, instantly turning him into a charred black figure.

The full might of SSS-Divine power was laid bare.

Finished. One step too late.

Misled!

Now, the game was truly over.

Cheng Shi’s mind did not flash with memories—he was still deafened by the thunder’s roar.

He closed his eyes in resignation, thinking perhaps release was better.

At least he wouldn’t be deceived anymore.

But just as Cheng Shi thought he’d lost, something even more shocking occurred.

Just as when Yun Ni stabbed him before 【The Bloom Waits for Withering】—the overwhelming death aura within Cheng Shi’s body suddenly shattered at a precise death-point and vanished.

As if some rule had halted his death line!

Surviving, Cheng Shi crawled from the shattered remains of his bed, grinning at Mo Qiusi with blood-stained white teeth like a demon from the Nine Hells.

Mo Qiusi stared at his lightning strike failing again, his face dark as a storm about to break.

“You are indeed a group.

Few in this world can survive my lightning—yet I’ve seen two in two days.”

!

Cheng Shi suddenly understood many things—but still had questions. He struggled to lift his head and asked:

“Do you remember the Ascetic?

The monk who stole 【When Fear Arrives】?”

Mo Qiusi frowned, coldly replying:

“Stop your nonsense and disturb my mind. I mean your spectacled friend.

His death is your path ahead!”

Spectacled friend?

Du Xiguang!?

That frail mage actually survived one of your lightning strikes?

Of course!

Cheng Shi lowered his head, his grin stretching to its widest.

So this is the answer!

“No one can survive the second strike, sinner. Leave your final words.”

This man is rather interesting.

He clearly wants them to explain the full story, yet refuses to speak, only pressing with his scepter.

Fine, you’re too shy to speak—I’m not.

Cheng Shi crawled forward two steps, clutching his chest in obvious discomfort, yet a faint smile lingered on his grim face.

“Your Honor, aren’t you curious how we managed to endure your punishment?”

A flicker of confusion crossed Mo Qiusi’s face, then vanished instantly.

He closed his eyes slightly and grunted:

“Last words.”

Heh, cute.

Cheng Shi sneered inwardly, but feigned mystery as he spoke:

“Because... all of this was taught to us by Lord Chenosli!”

“Who!!??”

For the first time in a thousand years, Mo Qiusi’s unchangingly stern face showed shock—his hand holding the scepter trembled slightly.

Cheng Shi seized the opportunity, striking while the iron was hot, and continued:

“Have you forgotten?”

But Lord Chenosli has not!

He can never forget the injustice of the Grand Tribunal, nor your betrayal of him, nor the filth beneath the gaze of 【Order】!

Today, the Lord’s will has returned!

Right here, right now...

Behind you!”

“Impossible!!!”

“Ugh...”

“Ugh!!!”

In the instant Mo Qiusi whirled around and cried out, a dense, solidified aura of 【Death】 exploded against his chest.

The beloved Son of 【Order】, the First-Class Judge of the Grand Tribunal, the half-artifact wielder who held all the advantage—suddenly...

All light in his eyes shattered!

His vibrant life withered instantly; the power of 【Order】 vanished into thin air.

His slightly open mouth never closed again, unable to utter another word.

Fear still carved into his face, his pupils still contracted—but no change would ever come again.

Mo Qiusi was dead.

In the blink of an eye!

His corpse crashed to the ground with a thud, overturning chairs and tables, sending the scepter flying.

In his final dying words, the great Judge also delivered his own last words.

“Impossible?”

Nothing is impossible.

Cheng Shi coughed wildly with laughter, pulling from beneath his hand the blood-red dagger.

【When Fear Arrives】.

You treated me as a half-artifact—I return the favor with one.

At this moment, 【When Fear Arrives】 was saturated with “blood and heart,” glowing brilliantly.

Who could have imagined that mentioning his elder brother Chenosli stirred fear in the heart of the Grand Tribunal’s Son of 【Order】?

“What filth hides within the Grand Tribunal? How curious, cough cough cough...”

But...

I was right.

Mo Qiusi, you were never the answer either.

Ha, hahaha, hahahahaha!

The trial of 【Death】—how fascinating!

Truly fascinating, hahahahaha!”

Cheng Shi laughed for a long time, until exhaustion brought violent coughing, then painfully turned over and swallowed the pill in his hand.

In this small town watched over by 【Prosperity】, the “past prosperity” seemed far more potent than before.

Soon, a “pink newborn,” its charred outer skin shed, rose from the ground.

He silently cleaned the scene, disposed of the corpse, retrieved the scepter, and restored the chairs and tables to their original positions.

Everything was as it had been at nightfall—except for one collapsed bed, as if no one had ever come.

【Moment of Execution】!

The scepter’s name is 【Moment of Execution】!

True to its name—it’s formidable indeed!

But now, it belongs to me.

Cheng Shi checked his watch; dawn was about to break.

Perfect. When the Law Enforcement Bureau opens, I might pay a visit to the prison, see my only surviving teammate, Fang Jue.

O believers of 【Order】—I think I’ve found the answer.

What about you?