Chapter 70: Bureau for the Elderly, Weak, Women, and Children

Bureau for the Elderly, Weak, Women, and Children

Interesting.

The male actor, who seemed loud and talkative, had lied during their initial introductions.

More interesting still, the statement was long, offering many opportunities to lie, and Cheng Shi couldn’t yet pinpoint exactly what he was hiding.

So he kept his expression calm, but mentally tagged Big Soy Sauce Brother as a high-priority subject.

When Su Yi reached the end of his introduction, the white-haired old man beside him finally straightened up and nodded with a smile toward the group.

Yet that smile looked painfully forced.

“Forgive me, everyone. I know time is tight, but I’d like to ask one thing first:

Has anyone here encountered a college student named Cui Qiushi?

Cough cough cough... He’s tall, a bit taller than me, about 1.83 meters, thin, short hair—might have grown it out by now.

His skin is dark, and he has a burn scar on the back of his neck.

Cough... His eyes resemble mine, but he has a mole near the corner of one eye. He...”

Before the old man could finish, Su Yi couldn’t hold back and waved his hand.

“Stop, stop, stop, old man, what are you even doing here?

Looking for someone? Who is this guy, your grandson?”

The old man shook his head, coughing violently, then straightened again with an apologetic expression.

“I’m truly sorry. My body’s failing.

He’s my son. I just want to know if he’s still alive, if he’s safe. I’ve searched for him a long time, but haven’t found him.”

Son?

Cheng Shi looked at the old man in surprise.

The man looked at least seventy—if his son was a college student, he must’ve had him in his fifties?

No wonder he’s still searching for his son even after the world collapsed—old men who have children late dote on them to death.

“Aren’t you seventy or eighty, sir? Your son’s a college student?”

The old man showed no anger at Su Yi’s skepticism, only nodding repeatedly as he coughed.

“Yes, Qiushi was a good student—he got into Nanjiang Science University...”

“...Forget it, who cares what university he got into? There are no universities anymore.

I’ll tell you, nobody’s seen him. Think about it—twelve billion people on Earth, six matched per group. If you ran into him, that’d be a miracle. Besides, he might’ve...”

Perhaps realizing how cruel it was to suggest the old man’s son was dead, Su Yi opened his mouth, then swallowed the words.

“Sorry for wasting your time. My name is Cui Dingtian. My faith is 【Decay】. T Ti score: 1677.”

Cui Dingtian, 【Decay】, 1677

【Decay】!

The old man had just spoken his faith aloud.

Everyone stared at each other in shock. Cheng Shi quickly scanned the others’ faces and noticed only Tao Yi’s expression flickered with slight unease for an instant.

Oh, now this gets interesting.

She’s a believer of 【Prosperity】!

Su Yi also froze for a moment:

“You... old man, you just said that out loud?

Tao Yi’s a believer of 【Life】. Aren’t you afraid she’ll...”

“Ah, I’m already a withered stump—what’s the point of hiding it?

Everyone’s seen my condition. I’m lucky to live another day. My only wish is to know Qiushi’s fate before I die.

Cough cough cough... But don’t worry, I still have some strength left. I can help.

If I slow you down, just leave me behind. It’s fate.”

Cui Dingtian’s words were sincere, and he hadn’t lied.

Yet Cheng Shi, watching this truly “withered stump” of a 【Decay】 believer, frowned deeply.

In his state, his 【Decay】 power should be at its peak—honestly, his 【Decay】 energy ought to be several times stronger than a young man’s. So why was he like this?

Strange.

“We need to move faster, everyone. The rain’s getting heavier.”

The man who had first warned them their storage spaces were sealed seemed unusually perceptive to everything around him.

He slowly tore his gaze from the old man and twisted the water from his clothes.

“Zhao Qian, 【Civilization】, Hunter, 1937.”

Zhao Qian, 【Civilization】, Hunter, 1937

A Hunter, indeed!

Cheng Shi smiled faintly, silently praising himself—but he couldn’t shake the memory of Zhao Qian’s earlier gaze.

This Hunter seemed unusually interested in the old man. His flickering eyes hid unspoken lies.

Had he found his prey?

Or had he seen the man named “Cui Qiushi”?

As Cheng Shi carefully observed the old man and the Hunter, the boy beside him spoke up.

“Gao Yu, 【Civilization】, Mage, 1721.”

Gao Yu, 【Civilization】, Mage, 1721

Another Mage?

Is today Mage team-building day?

Cheng Shi suddenly felt like laughing.

This young Mage looked boyish, and his voice still carried a childlike lilt.

He still looked young.

“High schooler?” Cheng Shi asked with a grin.

Gao Yu’s face stiffened. He turned his head and muttered:

“There’s no high school anymore. I’m almost eighteen.”

“Oh, high schooler.”

“...”

Gao Yu stared at Cheng Shi, utterly unimpressed.

Cheng Shi grinned.

Pfft, kid.

But... this group’s interesting. All the elderly, weak, women, and children are here.

As for who’s weak...

“Cough cough... Cheng Shi, 【Life】, Priest, 1501.

Nice to meet you, esteemed seniors.

Cheng Shi smiled brightly, as if he felt honored to be matched with a group of 1700s and 1800s.

When the others heard Cheng Shi was a Priest, their furrowed brows eased.

Finally, in this desperate survival trial, a Priest had arrived.

Even if this Priest’s score was low, it didn’t matter—better than nothing.

The moment Cheng Shi finished his introduction, a flash lit up the distant horizon, followed shortly by a thunderous boom.

“Boom—”

Lightning surged wildly through the ink-black clouds, as if a true dragon were summoning rain.

The rain intensified visibly.

“Splash splash splash—”

“It seems the initial disaster is tied to rain—likely flooding or landslides. Move quickly. After the ritual, decide whether to go up or down.”

The six players were currently on a mountainside. If the disaster was flooding, the summit would be safest.

But if it was a landslide, the valley floor would be safer.

This decision would affect survival difficulty—potentially life or death.

Must be cautious.

After Zhao Qian spoke, no one moved—except Su Yi.

He glanced at the group in shock, then awkwardly turned and walked away.

As he turned his back, Cheng Shi watched his stiff posture and suddenly laughed.

Interesting. I’ve met a fellow traveler.

This man isn’t from 【Existence】—he’s from 【Void】!

The 【Deception】 Mage, Master of Trickery!

Among the six present, only Cheng Shi, Tao Yi, and Cui Dingtian had opposing Paths—everyone else had no opposing Path here, so no need to hide anything.

The 【Memory】 ritual requires offering a memory—anyone’s memory. The 【Time】 ritual demands precision and punctuality.

Neither requires secrecy.

Personal privacy?

Ordinance practice?

No, under the pressure of time, none of this is necessary.

Moreover, even the followers of 【Prosperity】 haven’t left—why would a follower of 【Existence】 depart alone?

No wonder he started with a lie!

Because the ordinance practice of 【Deception】 is deception.

Whether to deceive enemies or allies depends entirely on one’s profession and talent.

Ironically, the ordinance practice of 【Existence】 is not tied to any tangible object, whereas the ordinance practice of 【Void】 requires prayer to a specific divine relic.

Su Yi’s departure was likely to conceal his false face.

For followers of 【Deception】 without the 【Lies Like Yesterday】 talent, how to fake their faith has always been a profound question.

But most 【Deception】 followers I’ve encountered before pretend to be followers of 【Fate】, because all they need is to replicate a single die—the rest they can cover with a silver tongue.

Then, when others aren’t looking, they secretly swap their prayer target for the hidden false face.

It’s rare indeed to find someone like the Demon Realm’s Great Sauce pretending to be a 【Existence】 follower.

And there’s a saying: the more you talk, the more you slip up.

Players who follow 【Deception】 generally speak little, and when they do, they cut straight to the deception.

Using a loquacious manner to mask true intent, and chatter to divert attention—that’s a clever trick, but only if you can control it.

Because it places a heavy burden on both mind and spirit.

Back to ordinance practice.

This fellow must have some smooth little trick up his sleeve, which is why he’s so cautious.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi became even more interested in him.