I Became a God in a Horror Game (Unlimited)

Chapter 363

The red light in the hospital emergency room, signaling the ongoing resuscitation, finally went out. Sitting on the bench, Bai Liu slowly raised his head and glanced toward the room behind Yang Zhi. Their eyes inadvertently met for a brief moment as Yang Zhi was standing in front of him.

In that fleeting glance, even though Yang Zhi knew Bai Liu couldn’t actually see him, he felt as if his mouth, nose, and internal organs had been frozen solid.

Yang Zhi had expected Bai Liu to rush to the emergency room immediately, but Bai Liu didn’t. Instead, he simply glanced at the light above the emergency room door and then looked away.

What Bai Liu did next sent chills down Yang Zhi’s spine. He bent down and meticulously picked out an intact orange from the bag of smashed ones at his feet. With his slender, pale fingers, he peeled it slowly and placed each segment into his mouth, chewing carefully.

The orange juice dripped from Bai Liu’s fingers onto the ground.

Then, Bai Liu lowered his gaze and remarked in an indifferent tone, “What a waste. Most of them are ruined. I paid quite a bit for these.”

Though it was just a normal comment and action, Yang Zhi, who was immersed in Bai Liu’s memory, could clearly sense an overwhelming aura of murderous intent. He felt a spine-chilling fear that made him struggle desperately to wake up from the memory.

He opened his eyes, drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale, and gasped for air.

“What’s wrong with you again?” Kong Xuyang’s irritated voice came through. “You suddenly stopped talking in the middle of a sentence. If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t keep me hanging.”

Yang Zhi shook his head, trying to open his mouth and speak, but his throat and nose felt as if they were blocked by wet cotton. No sound came out.His head was spinning, and the world around him seemed to whirl uncontrollably. The edges of his vision blurred with colorful halos. Yang Zhi crouched on the ground, retching, and leaned against a tree branch to support his weak body.

The murderous intent and desire directed at the perpetrator in Bai Liu’s memory were too extreme. Yang Zhi couldn’t process or handle such overwhelming malice aimed at him. He was completely controlled by it, becoming a slave to Bai Liu’s memory.

…It was terrifying.

Yang Zhi had processed countless people’s memories before, but he had never experienced such extreme emotions that triggered a psychological resistance reaction just from a glimpse.

But what was even more terrifying was that despite harboring such intense emotions, Bai Liu appeared so calm, as if he was completely accustomed to controlling emotions of this magnitude.

Yang Zhi felt nauseous for a while before he managed to recover slightly. Just as he was about to speak, leaning on Kong Xuyang’s arm, Kong Xuyang’s eyes lit, and he interrupted urgently, “Something’s coming!”

In the pitch black night, several mutilated bodies were moving through the graveyard. They stretched their necks, sniffing at each grave mound, as if searching for their own tombs.

Kong Xuyang held his breath, and Yang Zhi didn’t dare to make a sound either. They had been waiting here for over an hour, anticipating the return of these zombies to their graves.

There were too many grave mounds here, and they were all nameless, without tombstones. Not every person buried here was related to the main storyline. That meant the village almanacs buried alongside these villagers might not be the ones Kong Xuyang needed.

Digging up each grave would not only be too noisy but also risk alerting others. It was hard to tell whether the graves contained humans or ghosts —digging them up could easily lead to a chase.

After much deliberation, Kong Xuyang came up with a plan: wait for the zombies to return to their graves.

These zombies, driven by the Paper Daoist, would return to their graves at dawn, much like returning to their nests to sleep. At night, they would be driven back to the tomb by the Paper Daoist to reunite with the Sacrificial Bridge Ghosts, thereby appeasing these couples’ resentment.

Therefore, the zombies that had been to the tomb and then returned to their graves must be connected to the main storyline. When the time came, they would simply need to dig up the graves these zombies had returned to and find the village almanac buried alongside them.

Kong Xuyang had a Disguise Talisman stuck to his forehead. Holding up a branch with both hands, he used the foliage as cover to observe the zombies clawing at the grave mounds under the dim moonlight. A smug smile spread across his face.

Sure enough, it was almost the same as he expected.

“When I use the talismans to immobilize these zombies, you go straight to digging up the graves they’ve been clawing at. Got it?” Kong Xuyang ordered, holding a yellow talisman between two fingers without even glancing at Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi nodded. Just as he was about to charge out, his foot already lifted, he caught a glimpse of something and exclaimed in shock, “Brother Kong! Why is there already a zombie with your talisman stuck to it over there?!”

“How can that be, I haven’t even used the talismans yet…” Kong Xuyang followed Yang Zhi’s gaze and saw a zombie with a [Binding Talisman] he had drawn already stuck to its forehead, spinning in place.

Next to this zombie’s grave squatted Mu Sicheng, who had a camera hanging around his neck and was vigorously digging at the grave. Bai Liu knelt beside him, examining the contents of the unearthed coffin.

Seeing Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi emerge, staring at them in astonishment, Mu Sicheng flashed a fierce grin. “Yo, what a coincidence! You’re here to dig graves in the middle of the night, too?”

Bai Liu looked up at Kong Xuyang with a smile. “Fellow villagers, looks like fate brought us together. We meet again.”

The moment Yang Zhi saw Bai Liu’s smile, which was identical to the one in the memory, a cold sweat broke out all over his body, and he stammered, “Brother Kong! How do they have your talismans?!”

“Left in the tomb,” Kong Xuyang replied through gritted teeth, glaring at Bai Liu on the ground. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⟡fire.net

This had originally been a trap he had set, but Bai Liu had repurposed it for his own use!

He had planned well at the beginning, to keep Bai Liu alive and then torture him to death with traps to create a show effect and absorb Bai Liu’s popularity. But things had taken an unexpected turn, and there was no need for such complications now.

The Zombie Daoist had been released, and his panel was sealed, leaving him defenseless. If they waited until the seventh day after death, they would surely die.

Before, they had thought Bai Liu would stay within the Zombie Daoist’s protective range, making it impossible for them to harm him and forcing them to take the decryption route to survive.

But now that Bai Liu had foolishly walked right into their hands, although Kong Xuyang still wanted to torment this idiot to vent his frustration, the most rational course of action at this moment was—

Kong Xuyang’s eyes turned bloodshot as he swiftly raised his hand and activated the talismans. “Kill Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng now. Let’s end this match directly.”

Several yellow talismans with activating effects flew from between Kong Xuyang’s fingers and stuck to the foreheads of the zombies. The zombies, which had been clawing at the graves, suddenly stopped. Their eyes glowed with a piercing red light as they opened their foul-smelling mouths, bared their fangs, and turned to pounce toward Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng.

Squatting on the ground, Mu Sicheng was filled with rage. Now unafraid, he grabbed a crude wooden tombstone from the ground, belonging to someone unknown, and swung it fiercely at the zombie charging towards him, knocking it down in one blow.

Bai Liu stood up and sidestepped a sharp claw reaching out from the side. With a quick glance, he spotted Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi, who were hiding among the zombies and digging graves. He swiftly instructed, “Avoid the claws and teeth of the zombies; they are poisonous.”

“Go straight for Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi. They’re good at traps and long-range attacks but likely weak in close combat.”

Bai Liu raised his eyes, his gaze icy. “Steal the talisman from his hand, but be careful not to touch that orthodox spellbook. I suspect it could affect your game path and identity.”

“Zombies can’t bend their legs, go low,” Bai Liu quickly reminded.

Mu Sicheng gave an OK gesture, exhaled, and tossed the cracked, sharp-edged wooden board in his hand. His sharp eyes locked onto Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi behind the zombie horde in the darkness.

He crouched low, a flash of red light in his eyes revealing the faint shape of a monkey. His hands, planted on the ground, seemed to transform into monkey paws for a moment before reverting as he landed.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Sicheng darted underground, emerging right in front of Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi.

Mu Sicheng stomped on the ground to brake, turned, leaped, and swung the board with a snarl, his expression fierce and menacing. His crimson eyes narrowed into slits, and a tail seemed to flicker behind him, ready to lash out.

“Die for grandpa!”

Bai Liu, now holding a snow-white bone whip, calmly watched the zombies clawing their way toward him. He gripped the whip with his right hand and flicked it expertly to the left and right.

A white flash of lightning struck the swarm of zombies rushing at Bai Liu’s face with incredible speed.

As the zombies were flung into the air, their claws and teeth still poised to attack, their expressions were dazed, as if they couldn’t comprehend what had just happened or how they’d been sent flying.

[System… zz… Notification: Player Mu Sicheng is about to activate “Monster Book: Capuchin Thief” form…]

[System Notification: Player Kong Xuyang’s skill (Panel Silence) is about to expire…]

Kong Xuyang’s eyes widened in shock.

“How is this possible?!” he exclaimed.

The audience outside the field was equally stunned:

“What’s going on?!”

“Kong Xuyang’s skill failed?! How is that possible?!”

Almost all the members of Lambs stood up in silence, staring in disbelief at the events unfolding on the big screen. A few were so agitated that veins bulged on their necks.

Among the few who remained seated were the Queen of Hearts and her team, as well as the Reverse God and his team. Even Wang Shun leaned forward in astonishment, watching the scene unfold.

The Reverse God leaned back in his chair, his face relaxed with his usual calm smile, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.

Wang Shun, frantic and unable to hold back, blurted out, “Teacher Reverse God, why did Kong Xuyang’s skill fail this time?”

The Reverse God glanced at Wang Shun, as if just realizing something, and said with sudden clarity, “Isn’t this a trap set by Bai Liu? Didn’t he tell you about it?”

“No!” Wang Shun felt a pang of frustration. Although Guild Master Bai discussed everything with him in advance, he never explained the reasoning behind his actions!

Most of the time, others couldn’t keep up with Bai Liu’s train of thought. Even after discussing things, Wang Shun still couldn’t grasp the connection between the actions and the final outcome.

Wang Shun forced a bitter smile internally but maintained a polite demeanor as he asked the Reverse God, “I’ve investigated all the matches I could find involving Kong Xuyang, and this is the first time I’ve seen his skills fail. I really can’t figure out what Guild Master Bai did to bring about this situation. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

The Reverse God pondered for a moment and then explained in a friendly tone, “I gave Bai Liu some firsthand information about Kong Xuyang’s skills. He probably started from there.”

Mu Ke couldn’t help but lean in closer, his eyes fixed on the Reverse God. “Skills?”

“Exactly,” The Reverse God replied with a smile. “Bai Liu exploited a weakness in Kong Xuyang’s skills.”

In the audience stands, Qi Yifang, sitting next to Hearts, voiced the same question,

“A weakness in his skills?” Qi Yifang was utterly baffled. “What weakness could Kong Xuyang possibly have? When he faced us last year, his skills never failed. Our team’s panels were completely shut down from start to finish.”

Qi Yifang couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “And our team last year was much stronger than Bai Liu’s current lineup, right? Kong Xuyang didn’t expose any weaknesses against us, but he did against Bai Liu? That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

“Moreover, if Kong Xuyang’s skills really had a weakness, Your Majesty, you should have noticed it last year, right? That match wasn’t easy for us either; we had to tough it out…”

“I did notice it, but we couldn’t exploit that weakness,” Hearts replied, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned against the armrest of the audience seat, her eyes slightly lowered as she gazed at the large screen in the center of the arena.

Qi Yifang was stunned. “Why not?’

Hearts raised her eyes and lazily glanced at Qi Yifang. “The Reverse God probably also noticed Kong Xuyang’s weakness during the match the year before last, but he still struggled and only managed to break through by killing Kong Xuyang.”

“So, it’s not just us who couldn’t exploit that weakness. No major guild with strong capabilities could exploit Kong Xuyang’s weakness.”

Qi Yifang grew more and more confused, his eyes filled with question marks. “Why?!”

Hearts answered calmly, “Because our teams are too strong. When Kong Xuyang faces strong teams, he has no weaknesses.”

“No weaknesses when facing strong teams?!” Wang Shun was also baffled.

He tried to make sense of what Reverse God had just told him, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He tactfully said, “… Teacher Reverse God, I don’t think Kong Xuyang is the type who becomes stronger when facing strong opponents.”

The implication was that someone like Kong Xuyang, who was all bark and no bite, should be at a disadvantage against strong teams. How could he have no weaknesses then?

Reverse God clasped his hands together and rested them on his knees. He stared at the large screen and suddenly changed the topic. “Skills are derivatives of desire. Wang Shun, your skill should make it easy to investigate Kong Xuyang’s life. Based on his life, what do you think his desire is?”

Wang Shun quickly opened his system panel, scanning Kong Xuyang’s information with a glance.

His gaze settled on the core desire he had summarized for Kong Xuyang, “To rise above others and erase past humiliations.”

Reverse God turned to look at the information and was about to speak when Liu Jiayi and Mu Ke peeked over Wang Shun’s shoulders from both sides.

“I don’t think Kong Xuyang’s core desire is that positive,” Liu Jiayi began with a cold, mocking tone. “The skill ‘Panel Silence’ seems less about standing out and more about dragging others down.”

Wang Shun continued scrolling down.

“From what I’ve seen, Kong Xuyang generally doesn’t use his skills when facing teams with poor conditions. He only uses ‘Panel Silence’ when up against strong teams.”

“So far in this year’s preseason, Kong Xuyang has only used this skill on fewer than five teams.”

“Of course, Kong Xuyang wouldn’t use ‘Panel Silence’ against weak teams,” Liu Jiayi explained rapidly. “His panel stats are better than many players on weaker teams. Using the skill against them would diminish his advantage, bringing him down to their level after the panel is locked.”

“But against strong teams, it’s the opposite. After ‘Panel Silence,’ Kong Xuyang can use the skill to bring the stronger players down to his level, then defeat them with his extensive experience in panel-less combat.”

Mu Ke’s eyes paused on Kong Xuyang’s university experience in the data. “…He harbored intense hatred and jealousy toward classmates from wealthier and more powerful families, believing that if he had the same conditions, he wouldn’t have faced such discrimination…”

He fell silent for a few seconds, then looked at Reverse God beside him. “Kong Xuyang’s core desire isn’t about rising above others—it’s about ‘unfairness,’ isn’t it?”

The Reverse God nodded slightly with approval. “That’s my guess as well.”

“Unfairness?” Wang Shun was utterly confused. “What kind of core desire is that?”

Mu Ke retracted his gaze and looked at the information on Wang Shun’s system panel, tapping it lightly with his index finger. “I’ve encountered many people like this around me. It’s a twisted admiration for strength. They believe they are exceptionally talented and deserve the best things in the world, but when they can’t achieve it through their own abilities, they blame society and their background.”

“To put it simply, when Kong Xuyang looks up at those with better material conditions, he feels the world is ‘unfair’ to him.”

The Reverse God nodded. “The skill derived from this desire is ‘Panel Silence.’ When Kong Xuyang resets everyone’s panels, the initial conditions become equal, achieving the ‘fairness’ he desires.”

Mu Ke looked up at the Reverse God. “And Kong Xuyang believes that with his excellence, he can win under such ‘fairness.’”

“But I still don’t understand why this skill fails against Guild Master Bai,” Wang Shun said, rubbing his temples with a wry smile. “Could you please explain it further to this not-so-bright audience member?”

“At this point, the whole situation is quite clear.” Mu Ke swiped on Wang Shun’s panel, bringing up the battle records of the Fanatic Lambs. “Brother Shun, look here. As you just mentioned, Kong Xuyang never uses his skills against weaker teams–only against stronger ones.”

Wang Shun nodded, stroking his chin.

“Yes, the Little Witch already explained that to me.”

“It’s not just that,” Mu Ke shook his head slightly. “Because the fairness Kong Xuyang desires is inherently distorted.He wants fairness where those with better conditions than him are brought down to his level, while those with worse conditions are completely excluded from his concept of ‘fairness.’ They are only to be trampled upon, unworthy of his skills.”

“In other words,” The Reverse God smiled, “it could also be said that the condition for Kong Xuyang’s skill, ‘Panel Silence,’ includes his belief that the opponent is stronger than him.”

“So, when facing strong teams like us, whom Kong Xuyang is highly wary of, determined about, or even harbors hatred toward, his skill will never fail,” Mu Ke added.

“But if Kong Xuyang believes the opponent is weaker, his skill is very likely to be rendered ineffective.”

“Just like now.”

Wang Shun was stunned for a moment before finally piecing it together. Slowly, word by word, he unraveled the entire scheme Bai Liu had set up from the beginning,

“So, from reality to entering the game of Yinshan Village, Bai Liu has been following Kong Xuyang’s plan step by step, without much resistance. When Kong Xuyang sent the biker gang and even came to us to gather information on Bai Liu, Bai Liu handled it himself and even had me provide the most negative information…”

“Even repeatedly injuring himself during the matches, putting Mu Sicheng in life-threatening situations, and allowing Yang Zhi to devour his and Mu Sicheng’s memories at the start of the match despite knowing Yang Zhi was problematic—all of this was for…” Mu Ke’s tense expression from the entire match finally relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Mu Ke’s eyes lit up as he looked at the screen. “If I’m not mistaken, Bai Liu did all this to maintain a ‘weak’ pretense.”

“He was deliberately showing weakness to Kong Xuyang to exploit the flaw in his skill.”