Chapter 122: I Come From the Doomsday

CG13.

"There is a type of person in this world who pursues ultimate purity, yet they also harbor fears that ordinary people find difficult to understand. I once met a pianist who possessed the skill to reach the pinnacle of the world, but he could not bring himself to step off a ship. He died with his purity."

"I like pure people. Games created by such people, even if they are filled with malice and darkness, must be very interesting."

The arrival of Scorpio led John's life toward a fantastical direction.

In CG13, Scorpio displayed many supernatural abilities.

Just like playing The Sims, everyone suddenly lost the ability to speak, and the thoughts in everyone's heads were all represented by icons.

Scorpio took the desperate and bewildered John through the streets of Wind City and discovered that the icon appearing most frequently in everyone's mind was always money.

"Look, the Demon King is everywhere. I completely agree with your thoughts; only I truly understand you."

"To hell with the rules of the adult world, to hell with money being supreme. Why can't this world have a pure game?"

"If children can't even believe in games, then what else can they believe in?"

"There are many ugly places in this world, but the suffering of reality should have a safe haven."

Scorpio was clearly just a child, yet every word he said resonated strongly with John.

The suffering of reality should have a safe haven. When the daily work is already so heavy, and when all the noise in the entire world comes from being "poor," why must these sounds also appear in the pure land of games?

"Follow me, and let me bring everything in your mind into reality. I will let everyone know the true art that is hidden within your mind."

John looked at Scorpio with a hint of astonishment:

"You... who are you? Are you a delusion in my mind?"

"Poor man, even now, you are still denying yourself. You are not pure enough, and this will prevent your power from reaching my requirements. It doesn't matter who I am, but tomorrow, I will make the entire Wind City praise the game in your mind. By then, you will understand that I am not a delusion."

Scorpio smiled, waved his hand, and left.

The final scene of CG13 was posters, banners, and promotional slogans hanging all over the streets and alleys of Wind City overnight.

That game, titled "Doomsday," appeared in everyone's sight in an even more explosive way.

The images in the promotion made everyone look forward to the game immensely, because the visuals were too realistic.

Some even felt that a certain zombie in the poster looked exactly like them.

CG14.

Having witnessed a miracle, John finally became convinced that the little boy he saw... was not a delusion.

This was a miracle.

And not long after the miracle descended, Catherine came to visit John again. In that pavilion in the Violet Garden, Catherine snuggled up to John and began to apologize:

"I'm sorry, John. Perhaps we pursue different things; this may depend on our different definitions of success. But I definitely love you. I shouldn't have doubted you, I shouldn't have maliciously thought it was your affectation. If you didn't have your stubbornness, we couldn't have made a game of this quality, and I shouldn't have failed to inform you about such an important matter..."

"Because I always felt that you only needed to be responsible for making the game well, and those messy negotiations and scheming probes were things I should handle."

"When I was very young, I thought you must be a genius. I still remember the look on Charles's face when he was thwarted. John, just pretend I made a mistake this once, okay? Everyone is still willing to continue fighting alongside you."

John remained unmoved, only pointing to the surrounding posters:

"Catherine... I have a premonition that the doomsday is really coming soon. You should leave Wind City."

Catherine thought John was a bit insane at this moment:

"'Doomsday' is indeed coming soon. With the help of Tengyi, we will soon be able to release the game. Although... although some changes you resisted were added, actually... it doesn't really affect the game experience."

John shook his head:

"I will always remember what you did when I was at my lowest point. Catherine, leave quickly. The doomsday I'm talking about is the real doomsday, the same as the one on the posters... the doomsday. God has already appeared, do you know that?"

Catherine hugged John, her heart aching.

Sometimes, life is just about being unable to understand each other. John was really, earnestly telling Catherine everything.

But the more he did, the more Catherine felt that John had gone mad. She also felt more self-reproach.

Catherine kept talking about how the posters appearing overnight were just game promotion, even though she hadn't been notified why there was suddenly such a massive amount of promotion, and why the promotional images were so inconsistent with the actual gameplay.

Finally, John said:

"Catherine... I am about to disappear. It's strange, I used to think, if two people cannot understand each other, how could they possibly be in love?"

"But now I feel that even if you can't understand me, I still love you very much. If the doomsday descends... you should head to this location."

"I have hidden all the character relationships and all the settings of the game here."

John handed Catherine a blueprint, and Wen Xishu noticed... this was the hidden Easter egg.

John was disappointed in his lover's betrayal, or perhaps it couldn't be called betrayal, just a divergence in philosophy.

But in the end, he loved Catherine.

On the blueprint, there was only one coordinate and a single sentence.

Catherine truly could not understand, because she really did not know how absurd the things that were about to happen would be.

Yet she asked very earnestly:

"You are about to disappear, does that mean... you are leaving Wind City?"

John nodded, then shook his head:

"At the very least, you will no longer see me in Wind City."

There were tears in Catherine's eyes:

"For my sake, can you stay?"

This was the final scene of CG14; struggle and hesitation appeared in John's eyes.

In Catherine's eyes, there was only sadness and reluctance to part.

CG15, also the final CG.

Scorpio told John a secret while John was still struggling:

"Poor John, while you are wavering and struggling, let me show you something."

"This is the negative impact brought by Tengyi."

Scorpio handed John a table, as if it were a spreadsheet from the future.

It listed quite a few instances of children losing themselves in games to play Tengyi's games and starting to steal their parents' credit cards.

At the same time, "Doomsday," the first game John had truly put his heart into making, also began to feature a large number of microtransaction points.

And in the later stages of the game, the gap between paying players and ordinary players became unimaginably large.

Furthermore, things like strengthening and amplification—bottomless pits—appeared. To increase the amount of microtransactions, there were even some limited-edition skins.

Once missed, they would never be available again.

Consequently, in order to obtain the limited-edition skins, players scrambled to pay. But the most extreme part was that whenever an anniversary or something similar came around, the limited-edition skins would return.

The so-called "limited edition" was just up to the mood of the planners.

The more John looked, the angrier he became.

"The one who did all this is your teacher. He really has gathered the strengths of all planners and performed every malicious act that could ruin the game environment."

"The game also has various group activities with decent rewards, such as two groups of people collectively farming zombies, but there is player-versus-player behavior. This is just to allow paying players to kill others reasonably."

"But ordinary players, for the sake of those meager rewards, have to participate and become toys for the paying players. Interesting, isn't it?"

"John, what are you still struggling for?"

At the end of CG15, John sat alone on a bench in the villa's courtyard, hugging his knees and looking at the river.

Time: six hours ago.

This was the end of the CG.

Reality, CG16.

After watching all of this, Wen Xishu's heart was actually very complicated.

He said:

"Brother, I really like games. From the moment you obtained my blade, you should have understood this."

"Although I don't know where you got this blade from... but brother, it must have given you quite a bit of help."

"I'm not a bad person, you know."

Wen Xishu asked an irrelevant question:

"Why do you call me brother? You call John 'poor John'."

Scorpio smiled and said:

"Your appearance is somewhat similar to my brother's."

"Which brother? Which constellation?" Wen Xishu grew bolder.

Scorpio still had the same smile:

"Brother, do you want to follow him? Then I can kill you right now. The world is so big, there must be someone who looks more like him than you."

Wen Xishu stopped talking.

Scorpio got down from the bench and looked at the river:

"Money has given games an abnormal development. John's idea wasn't actually wrong, brother, don't you think?"

Wen Xishu said:

"So... will so many people in this city turn into zombies directly?"

Scorpio waved his hand and said:

"There are no people here, brother. You are the only real people; these are just NPCs."

Wen Xishu suddenly realized that he could not discuss topics related to life with these guys who considered themselves gods.

When necessary, he himself could also manage to abandon everything, let alone a creature like Scorpio that possessed a trace of divinity.

Wen Xishu said:

"If I agree with you... can I leave alive?"

Wen Xishu actually did not agree with John.

John had fundamentally misunderstood one thing, and Wen Xishu also did not believe that the greatest danger of this mission was merely coming face-to-face with Scorpio.

If it were any other bunker player, without the Scorpio cheating knife, what attitude would Scorpio adopt?

Would it also make the bunker player agree with it?

Furthermore, was it just a polite remark that he looked somewhat similar to one of Scorpio's older brothers, or was it truly the case?

In any case, Wen Xishu was now in a very interesting situation; what was originally the greatest crisis in the eyes of all players was not considered a crisis to Wen Xishu.

Scorpio's attitude could not be called friendly; this god-like creature was very fickle. But it could definitely not be called overly hostile either.

Yet Wen Xishu would still not harbor any wishful thinking; if it were just a matter of agreeing with Scorpio, he could force himself to accept John's "purity."

And just a moment ago, he had already found the Easter egg in John's game.

He also understood why the blind man was able to survive.

Now returning to the game, Wen Xishu only needed to head to the coordinates marked in the Easter egg to find the clues to clear the level.

Logically speaking, this trip to the Desire Tower could be wrapped up just by agreeing with Scorpio here.

He could even gain Scorpio's favor.

But this was the easy thing to do, not the right thing to do. That sentence from Alport had, at some unknown point, become engraved in Wen Xishu's mind.

If everything in the Desire Tower could be completed so easily, that would naturally be great.

But unfortunately, deep down, he did not agree with John.

"But the key to this game is actually not John, but Scorpio. John is indeed pure; such a person is also very easy to guide or utilize."

"But the real difficulty lies in whether I can persuade Scorpio. And whether I have the qualifications to discuss the Dao with him."

"I must find a way to make Scorpio... approve."

At this moment, Scorpio also replied:

"Of course, brother, if you agree with me, then we are people on the same path, aren't we? Especially since you have also gained the approval of the knife."

"I like making friends and collecting dogs; I don't lack dogs, but I really don't have many friends."

"My brothers and sisters have various abilities, and they are very dangerous. Having more friends means more paths, don't you think, brother?"

Wen Xishu said:

"Let's play a game."

Playing a game was undoubtedly something Scorpio could not refuse. Scorpio's eyes immediately lit up:

"What kind of game?"

Wen Xishu remained calm: "I agree with what you said; I believe in the purity of someone like John when it comes to making games, and I also know that he loathes those who destroy the purity of games. But let's play a game: you play the defender, and I play the attacker."

Scorpio found it a bit interesting:

"How do we defend, and how do we attack?"

"That depends on whether you can achieve this, using John's heart as the battlefield. Let's verify whether someone as pure as John truly no longer struggles and accepts his own theory. I will shake him, and you will consolidate him."

After a slight pause, Wen Xishu said with a somewhat provocative posture:

"As a god, you wouldn't be afraid of me, would you?"

Scorpio grinned, laughing very happily:

"Brother, I like everyone who plays games with me. Then, let's load the save. Let's head to CG15; I'll give you a chance to change John."

However, Scorpio's smile suddenly disappeared:

"But brother, playing a game with me must come with a price. If you lose, then the Luo Pan in your hand belongs to me."

Wen Xishu was stunned; he hadn't expected his Pseudo-Fate Luo Pan to be targeted.

Wen Xishu hesitated slightly... if he failed, would this bet change history to some extent?

Wen Xishu thought for a moment and said:

"You could just snatch it."

Scorpio shook his head:

"Brother, I said, I am not your enemy, and we haven't formed a grudge between us yet. If I want to take your things, I will do it in the way I consider most friendly."

"Do you want to continue playing this game with me?"

Wen Xishu no longer hesitated:

"Fine, let's begin."

Scorpio revealed a smile again and snapped his fingers:

"Brother, you're awesome!"

CG15.

The appearance of the miracle made John realize that his life seemed to have taken a fantastical turn.

The god of the game had descended. He was going to join him in punishing everyone who made the game no longer pure.

The purest game in his heart would descend in a realistic way; the world's most real game was about to be born.

The apocalypse was coming, and everyone would become a part of the game. No one would ever be able to interfere with his game again.

But the appearance of Catherine, that sincere apology and plea to stay, made John hesitate a little. John ultimately chose to give Catherine a safe coordinate; that was his love for Catherine.

At this moment, Scorpio, carrying that "table from the future," finally appeared before John, reinforcing John's stance on the way these people twisted the game.

It was also at this moment that John made his final decision. He would become the defender of pure games.

The story, up to this point, seemed to have been set in stone.

But now, under Scorpio's magical power, the game had reloaded.

And this time, unlike before, Wen Xishu appeared before John.

"Can I sit next to you, John?"

"Who are you?"

"Someone who, like you, looked forward to 'Apocalypse.' No, I should change to a more accurate way of saying it: someone who once looked forward to 'Apocalypse'."

At this time, Scorpio was also beside John. Scorpio was very curious about what Wen Xishu would do.

Hearing "Apocalypse," John's first reaction was that it was the game "Apocalypse," not the real apocalypse.

Wen Xishu knew that to move John, he had to have something that Scorpio did not know.

The only thing Scorpio did not know was the timeline.

"In the first mission, you taught me that in the apocalypse, one must learn to be cruel. When facing the pleas of a mother and daughter, I chose not to accept their mission; I chose to send their family to be reunited. I robbed, I killed, but I knew this was the right thing to do."

John froze.

This was indeed content from "Apocalypse," but it had already been rejected by his former mentor, who was the current game planner for "Apocalypse."

The reason was that it would corrupt children and wouldn't pass censorship. Only the development team knew about this mission.

"In the second mission, I found supplies here... at the home of your neighbor, a person from an Eastern country named Duan Donghuo. And I successfully utilized Duan Donghuo's lecherous nature, feigning weakness to lure him to the pavilion, and while he was distracted, I killed him."

"At the time, I was thinking, the tone of this game is truly dark. Does the game producer really still want to give players joy?"

John was no longer just frozen; he was looking at Wen Xishu in astonishment. Because this was the draft in John's heart...

This level plan had not actually been implemented yet. This was a level that no one knew about except himself.

Wen Xishu sighed softly:

"Look at the 'god' beside you; he is about to destroy this city. Although the apocalypse will inevitably come, and although most people here, even if they don't turn into zombies, will turn into other monsters. But at least, fate gave them a choice."

"I used to like a saying: what is called a game is for the player to make interesting choices."

"But John, what you are about to do is to deprive all of us of our choices."

"In the third level of the game, I went to the Golden Building; that is also where the Tengyi Group has its offices, right?"

"There, humans are forced to duel with zombies. It's very dark, and to break the situation, players must use even darker and more perverted roleplay to defeat the enemy."

"I was thinking, can this game... still be called a game? You always use uninteresting ways to force players to make choices at the start of a mission. But the tone of your entire game is so dark..."

"Players seem to have two choices, but everyone knows what the price of playing a good person is in that game, so they can only play the bad guy. They... have no choice. Can such a game still be called a game?"

John suddenly said loudly:

"Who exactly are you? Why do you know content that hasn't been released yet?"

Wen Xishu did not answer John's question; he started the next topic:

"During your childhood, for you, the happiest thing in life was playing games with your father—that kind of simple, pure joy."

"But your family suffered a change, and one day you discovered that your father would no longer smile because of playing games."

"You blamed everything on money, and it was also from that time that you began to avoid problems, attributing all evil to money."

"When you reached university, you thought you were enjoying the fun of games, enjoying the pure joy that belonged to games. And when your roommates discussed valuable equipment, in your sensitive heart, you began to avoid it once again..."

"You were thinking, how could that be joy? Showing off... how could that be pure gaming joy?"

John's body trembled.

Wen Xishu said:

"But John, why can't there be showing off in a game? Why doesn't the joy I get from using money to buy items belong to pure joy?"

"Because you loathe money; you are always thinking that money will deprive people of the fun of experiencing games, and there are indeed many such examples."

"But the reason you loathe money is because of your father. You have never dared to face this point directly. There are actually many reasons why the smile disappeared from a father's face."

"He owed a debt and had no heart for games; he craved money and had no heart for games; he had problems in his relationship with his wife and had no heart for games... or even, he felt this game wasn't fun and he didn't want to play."

"He didn't want to stay in this family anymore, he didn't want to endure his wife's scolding anymore; he was a gambler, he lost, and in front of you, he lost his dignity as a father. All of this stemmed from his greed, his conceit, and his pride."

"But you refuse to accept these things. You cannot accept that your father became a 'scumbag.' If a father cannot be wrong, then just create a new villain."

John's fists clenched, and he kept shaking his head, saying:

"It's not like that, it's not like that..."

Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes from anger. But Wen Xishu did not care; as long as Scorpio did not make a move, he could stand there and let John hit him, and John still couldn't kill him.

Wen Xishu said:

"Money became the villain in your life. The benefit is that everything you do from then on becomes exceptionally pure because you don't value profit. I fully believe that someone like you can become a role model for many people. For example, Catherine."

"The downside is that your perspective has also become narrow because you refuse to face certain problems."

Wen Xishu stood up and looked down at John. Scorpio, standing to the side, acted as if he didn't exist, as if the whole matter had nothing to do with him.

Scorpio actually hadn't expected that "Big Brother's" point of entry would be this. The departure of his father was indeed the first tragedy in John's life.

He had originally thought Wen Xishu had only browsed the CG content roughly, but now, he seemed to feel Wen Xishu's ability to "interpret missions."

Perhaps in many people's eyes, the loss of the smile on John's father's face was all caused by gambling, and attributing this result to money didn't seem wrong.

But Wen Xishu knew that this was wrong.

And it was precisely from here that John had been wrong ever since. So much so that back in the university dormitory, Wen Xishu had already felt that John... it wasn't purity, but something a bit extreme.

"Paranoia is actually considered a good quality in many fields, and this also covered up your shortcomings. Catherine and even everyone on the team thought you were very pure, that you had no worldly desires."

"But they didn't know that you were just loathing money."

"Under this logic, when your mentor backstabbed you, you didn't think it was your mentor's moral corruption; you first attributed it to money."

"When your roommates enjoyed the spoils of victory, you didn't think they were truly happy; you felt their values had been corrupted by money. You attributed it to money."

"When your partners finally saw their hard work pay off, sold the game to a big company, and could achieve fame and success, you didn't think this was a victory; you only felt you had been defeated by a great demon king named Money. You still attributed it to money."

John gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling, and he suddenly stood up as well, grabbing Wen Xishu by the collar.

Lies do not hurt people; the truth is the sharp blade.

"Isn't that so? Isn't the reason they were all corrupted because of money?" John roared while grabbing Wen Xishu's collar.

Wen Xishu let John grab his collar; he only tilted his head slightly to the side, and then—he raised his hand and slapped him.

*Slap*, the sound was so crisp, hitting John's face and leaving him completely stunned.

Wen Xishu also rarely had his eyebrows raised in anger, carrying a bit of fury:

"Then what do you think Catherine liked about you? When you were at the lowest point in your life, she stood up and proposed; was she looking at your money?"

"When you felt betrayed, did you ever think that there were once seven people who, without hesitation, risked everything to weave your dreams with you!"

"When you thought they were corrupted by money, did you ever think that they didn't approve of you only when you were wealthy? They were the people who, from the very beginning, when you had nothing, were already willing to go and conquer the world with you."

"Now that you unilaterally declare that they have been corrupted by money, do you actually think you are right?"

"You would rather believe that a girl like Catherine was corrupted by money than believe in the courage she showed by standing up for you at your lowest point. You really are a coward!"

"John, so many years have passed, and you are still that coward who refuses to believe his father changed for the worse and only knows how to escape!"

This last sentence was spoken almost in a low roar.

A look of confusion appeared on John's face, followed by a deepening fear. He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to defend himself, but he couldn't say a single word.

Wen Xishu suddenly changed the subject and began to bombard him from another angle:

"I don't know why your games turned out like this. In your games, there is no more justice. After the apocalypse descends, every mission must be interpreted from a dark perspective to have any chance of surviving in your game."

"Indeed, this is the seriousness you expect. But do you really approve of such a game?"

Wen Xishu grabbed John's collar again, and he said very seriously:

"When I was a kid, give me a gun with only simple A-type bullets, and with three lives, I believed the protagonist of *Contra* could definitely complete his mission."

"Even if Mario didn't eat a mushroom, facing so many enemies, I firmly believed he could defeat the great demon king just by jumping. Because when I teamed up with him, we were the strongest."

"Even if there were many enemy tanks, I firmly believed I could defeat them and guard the old commander's dirt wall. I believed my skills could definitely break through the siege."

"A hero who is only level one in the starter village wouldn't care at all how strong the demon king in the distance is, because I, who controlled him, firmly believed I could end the demon king's rule with him!"

"To hell with realistic rules, to hell with seriousness, to hell with logic; what I want is the illogical, what I want is to transcend reality—otherwise, why would I play games?"

"These games gave me faith and courage very early on. They made me believe that I am the protagonist of this world, and even if life ravages me time and again, I can at most start over."

"But John, what about you? What did your games bring? The impending apocalypse is all your personal resentment. You have the cruelty and blood you wanted, and you have the villain who controls money, but where did the person who could happily enjoy the game go?"

"Is he already dead? If we can't even believe in games, what else can we believe in?"

Each question struck at John's heart. That last question, coming from John himself, hit the center of his brow like a boomerang.

He suddenly remembered that many years ago, he had actually asked why *Bomberman* could defeat so many enemies.

His father had said at the time, because we who hold the controller are omnipotent.

It was just that with his father's departure, he gradually forgot these things. He even began to deny these things deep in his heart.

"I cannot stop the arrival of the apocalypse, John, and I also sincerely believe you have the talent to make games."

"I also don't think changing you will have any impact on everything in Wind City; if zombies don't descend, other monsters will."

Wen Xishu's emotions began to gradually subside:

"But I came here hoping you would think carefully about the decision you are about to make. Because your friends are all waiting for you, you still have countless partners in the game, and in reality, Catherine is still trying to hold onto you."

"They may have indeed lost to the demon king named reality, but they are all waiting for you to challenge the demon king together again."

"Your talent was chosen by God; you have the ability to make games descend into reality. Perhaps in your eyes, that perfect work in your heart is finally about to be realized."

"But once a game becomes reality, it is no longer a game. Everything in a game can be cruel and dark because players know it's just a game; they have the right to mess around with the game, and they also have the right to immerse themselves and enjoy the game."

"But reality is not like that. When *Apocalypse* becomes the apocalypse... there is no such thing as being serious or not."

John's anger also gradually subsided; he seemed to have never thought about the reason why he loathed money.

And he had never realized that the arrival of the apocalypse and the arrival of *Apocalypse* were fundamentally different.

These words from Wen Xishu made John begin to panic. After a long silence, John asked the question from the beginning:

"Who... who exactly are you? Can you tell me now?"

Wen Xishu knew that this conversation was coming to an end:

"I come from the apocalypse; I am a player in your game."

This answer made John feel surprised, yet it seemed so reasonable. After Scorpio appeared, it didn't seem strange that a player from his game had traveled to his world.

He asked the second question, which was also his final conversation with Wen Xishu:

"Is the apocalypse... fun?"

"*Apocalypse* is great, but the apocalypse is terrible."

John understood. He really wanted to say he was sorry, but he couldn't make a sound; he was like a child who had done something wrong.

Although all the tragedies had not yet happened, just a short while ago, he had truly accepted that deal.

The apocalypse would eventually descend. At this moment, John was suddenly afraid; he really wanted to cancel the deal with God.

God no longer seemed to be the God who resonated with him, but rather like a devil who had made an evil deal with him.

Scorpio watched all of John's expressions and suddenly snapped his fingers.

John, and even the entire world, paused again.

Wen Xishu said:

"It seems my turn is over."

Scorpio suddenly snapped his fingers, and everything around them went still.

"Yes, Big Brother, your speech was great; I was almost persuaded. But unfortunately, the deal already reached and the contract already established cannot be changed."

"The apocalypse will definitely descend in the way of *Apocalypse*. He will become the greatest evil in Wind City. People escape reality to enter the game, but he brought the game into reality. This is interesting, isn't it?"

God is indeed a very annoying creature.

Wen Xishu could imagine that if everything could not be changed, and the zombie apocalypse eventually descended as shown in the Ghost Tower...

A person like John, after reconciling with the past, would surely endure immense pain and regret.

"Is the price of cooperating with you so huge?" Wen Xishu asked.

Scorpio shook his head:

"Big Brother, he is just one of my attempts, a toy; is he worthy of being called a partner? If you are willing to help me, we would count as partners. Partners in cooperation naturally receive different treatment."

Wen Xishu remained unmoved:

"I believe in John; in the world of obsession, the apocalypse will definitely be different from before."

[Scorpio] said:

"John's paranoia is very terrifying. Do you think you can change him with a few words?"

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"No, I'm just betting that John was a kind person from the very beginning."

Scorpio became interested:

"Why do you say that?"

Wen Xishu said:

"If I tell you, will you distort him?"

Scorpio shook his head:

"I only gave him the opportunity to realize his self-worth; I didn't distort him. To be precise, I just agreed with his previous views."

"However, your appearance, Big Brother, has made me start to think that perhaps he was indeed wrong."

Wen Xishu said seriously:

"That makes me feel honored."

He said:

"So brother, why would you believe him?"

Wen Xishu, for once, revealed a smile:

"Because I saw an Easter egg. I suddenly understood... the kindness in John's heart."

Scorpio expressed confusion:

"I don't understand."

Wen Xishu was very patient with Scorpio; he knew that the key this time was not actually John—John was paranoid, but John was not evil at heart.

"When I participated in 'Doomsday', I had a friend who was seeking death, and he also participated in Doomsday."

"He was a blind man, he truly was seeking death, but for some reason, he survived in Doomsday."

"I can imagine that in the eyes of a guy as paranoid as John, he certainly wouldn't allow a situation in the game that didn't conform to the game's settings."

"Doomsday should have the atmosphere of doomsday; it should be dark and evil, and everything should be based on profit."

"But John added an Easter egg in the game, and this Easter egg was also what he later told Catherine about."

Scorpio seemed to understand:

"Zombies... won't hurt disabled people?"

Wen Xishu nodded:

"Yes, when you have lost the courage to face life, the monsters in the game, conversely, will not attack you..."

"John has his own gentleness; he was using this method to tell Catherine that he isn't paranoid, he is just pure."

"Additionally, when I searched John's past, I found this piece of news: a game streamer named Tim, who was paralyzed in both legs and in the late stages of cancer, wanted to play the real 'Doomsday', and John indicated he would find a way to let him play it before he passed away."

"It is evident that when facing those who have lost the courage in life, John is always gently giving his greatest support. At that time, John's game had already been bought by Tengyi, but John still promised that he would let Tim play this game."

"Such a person is actually someone who loves games from the bottom of his heart. If not for his past experiences of being defeated by money, he would certainly have made that kind of game that heals the heart."

"I am also convinced that John's purity is not self-deception; he is truly excellent and truly single-mindedly wants to make good works. Such a person will definitely find himself again, so I believe in him."

Scorpio was slightly surprised; this was the first time he revealed a somewhat bewildered expression:

"But brother, you... didn't say that to him. In your words, you seemed to completely negate his game."

Wen Xishu laughed:

"All is fair in war, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Isn't gaming all about countering moves as they come?"

"At this moment, it is the darkest time in John's heart, especially with you, a god, stirring things up; he believes even more that his hatred for money is correct."

"Of course I had to completely negate him first, break him apart, and then let him pick himself back up piece by piece."

Scorpio did not speak, only looking at Wen Xishu with some confusion.

Wen Xishu said:

"It's your turn. Aren't you going to re-consolidate his hatred for money?"

Scorpio knew this was Wen Xishu's "playing hard to get," but he still smiled and said:

"I suddenly started to get curious about what changes the new 'Doomsday' will have if he is truly worth your belief."

"So, let it be. Brother, there is no turn for me anymore; you landed a fatal blow in this turn."

Wen Xishu was somewhat surprised that Scorpio, this "devil" who could bewitch John into turning a city of millions into zombies, was actually so easy to talk to.

It was also at this moment that Wen Xishu suddenly received the notification that the mission had ended.

Scorpio seemed to know that Wen Xishu was about to leave, and he said:

"However, I am not that easy to dismiss. Brother, you already owe me a favor, and favors must be repaid."

Wen Xishu was not surprised; in fact, this made him feel at ease.

He had been clear from the start that this mission was not about persuading John, who was already kind at heart, but about gaining Scorpio's approval.

Hearing Scorpio say this, Wen Xishu did not resist at all:

"Of course, always happy to be at your service, dear younger brother."

Recommend a friend's new book—Title: "Starting from Eight Hundred Sparrows to Grind into a Deity"

Synopsis: Cao Xing opened his eyes and saw his parents of this lifetime being skinned and deboned; he realized this was a world that devoured people.

Fortunately.

He had a cheat.

Starting point: Driving eight hundred sparrows to seize a black shop!

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(End of this chapter)