MS Chapter 97

Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai cautiously glanced at Lu Qingjia.

Despite Lu Qingzhou’s repeated provocations, even they found it unbearable, but Lu Qingjia’s calm demeanor seemed almost saintly to them.

So, it wouldn’t be surprising if Lu Qingjia suddenly exploded at any moment.

Zhong Liyu, who knew him best, understood what this calmness signified, and it made him increasingly anxious.

Upon hearing Lu Qingzhou’s words, Lu Qingjia looked up at his Old Uncle—or rather, the reanimated corpse made from his Old Uncle’s body.

The corpse obediently followed Lu Qingzhou’s command and calmly moved to Lu Qingjia’s side.

Though one couldn’t expect much from a controlled corpse, Lu Qingjia’s eyes still flickered momentarily.

In an instant, the surrounding layout changed.

The villa’s hall retained its decor, but the area they were in transformed. The sofa morphed into a circular shape surrounding a round coffee table.

It resembled a booth in a bar, suitable for gatherings, and everyone had already taken their seats.

Six people, spaced roughly equally, forming a tight circle.

Lu Qingjia and Lu Qingzhou sat directly across from each other, while Lu Ji sat on the edge, right next to Lu Qingzhou.

Zhong Liyu and the others felt that the Trickster was simply pulling their leg.

But Lu Qingjia himself seemed completely unfazed.

“How shall we play?” Lu Qingzhou asked.

“Give and take,” Lu Qingjia replied with a cold smile. “We’ll sign a soul contract that ignores levels. If you choose truth, you can’t lie. If you choose dare, you can’t back out.”

“Agreed. So, who goes first?” Lu Qingzhou’s side promptly signed the soul contract.

Normally, such a dangerous contract wouldn’t be signed by an administrator with someone of a lower level, as this rule disregards one’s inherent strength, game status, and power composition.

Unless you’re strong enough to defy the game’s rules, you must abide by the contract’s terms.

Just like in Lu Qingjia’s previous classroom instance, lying or refusing to complete a dare could result in death.

As for Lu Qingzhou, he knew how to manipulate the contract’s rules to eliminate someone—just as Lu Qingjia had once turned six players into six golden flowers.

With the right approach, an ordinary player could eliminate an administrator with minimal risk and cost.

It was madness for an administrator to sign such a contract, but Lu Qingzhou didn’t hesitate.

After signing the soul contract, Zhong Liyu gestured toward the teapot on the table.

The teapot floated and began to spin.

Zhong Liyu said, “You can tell I’m not cheating. This teapot could stop at any moment.”

“With so many administrators here, let’s avoid petty tricks. Let’s see where it lands.”

“The side the handle points to is the king, and the side the spout points to starts first.”

Lu Qingzhou glanced at Ouyang Bai and smiled, “With the famous lucky person here, why bother with tricks?”

But he didn’t object. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the teapot’s spin slowed and finally stopped.

The handle pointed directly at Ouyang Bai, while the spout pointed at Lu Qingzhou.

Lu Qingjia leaned back, his back against the chair, relaxed yet composed.

“Your turn!”

Ouyang Bai, however, looked unprepared. He glanced at Lu Qingjia and Zhong Liyu, feeling confused.

What should he ask?

Though his luck guaranteed him the first move, he was sure Lu Qingjia had anticipated this. Yet, Lu Qingjia hadn’t given him any instructions beforehand.

It seemed Lu Qingjia didn’t care about the crucial opening question.

Ouyang Bai, unsure of Lu Qingjia’s intentions, decided to follow his curiosity.

He asked Lu Qingzhou, “How did you come up with the idea to turn Mr. Lu into a puppet?”

“Did you foresee his extraordinary talent and limitless potential, destined to rise to the administrator level, and thus prepare an obedient team for yourself early on?”

Lu Qingzhou smiled, “That’s two questions.”

“But it’s fine, I’ll answer both.”

He looked at Lu Ji, his eyes filled with undisguured tenderness and affection. Just by looking at his eyes and the sense of security Lu Ji’s presence gave the Trickster, no one would doubt their relationship.

If one disregarded prior knowledge and judged solely by the current situation, anyone would think Lu Qingzhou’s heart was entirely devoted to Lu Ji.

Yet, this same person didn’t deny betraying and causing Lu Ji’s death, feeling no remorse, as if it were just a trivial episode in their relationship, akin to an ordinary couple’s quarrel.

It didn’t need to be dwelled upon, nor did it require outsiders’ judgment.

Such a reaction was utterly chilling, making Ouyang Bai’s scalp tingle.

If that undisguised affection was merely an act, Ouyang Bai had to admit that in terms of acting, Lu Qingjia would be completely outmatched by Lu Qingzhou.

This was the first time Ouyang Bai had seen Lu Qingjia lose in terms of deceit.

Lu Qingzhou spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Why turn him into a puppet? I believe Jiajia already knows from that instance. Your uncle and I weren’t just lovers; we were husband and wife, married before heaven and earth.”

“For players, especially those like me trapped in alternate dimensions, laws no longer hold any meaning, right?”

“Mutual consent and the heavens as witnesses are enough.”

He reached out, took Lu Ji’s hand, and intertwined their fingers, smiling at Lu Qingjia and the others, “Isn’t it only natural for a couple to be together?”

“Even if an accident separated us in life and death, the benefit of being a player is the ability to challenge fate. I preserved my husband’s body, waiting for the right moment to revive him. Is that so hard to understand?”

“As for the second question,” he glanced at Lu Ji’s expressionless face, his eyes filled with admiration and dependence.

“I never doubted A Ji’s talent and potential. Though he often said his family thought he wasn’t gifted enough, had fatal flaws in his character, and worried he wouldn’t survive the game.”

“At the time, I thought it was nonsense, or perhaps someone with a superiority complex using their familial status to belittle him.”

“But after becoming an administrator and foreseeing Jiajia’s identity and the potential destruction he could bring, and considering Jiajia had only been a player for less than a year, if those words came from Jiajia, they wouldn’t be arrogant.”

He smiled at Lu Qingjia, “After all, Jiajia is a rare genius with both martial prowess and intellect, far surpassing my starting point. By your standards, it’s quite objective, so I forgive you.”

The implication was clear: if it weren’t Lu Qingjia but someone else unqualified to judge Lu Ji, they would have been marked for death by the Trickster.

But as they thought they were getting used to the Trickster’s perversion and shamelessness, he always managed to surprise them further.

Regardless of the second answer, just the first one, facing someone as calculating and deeply enraged as Lu Qingjia, who hid his fury beneath a calm exterior, treating the other as already dead, was enough.

An ordinary person would have been infuriated to death several times over by Lu Qingzhou.

It was remarkable how he could spin using and killing someone, even preserving their corpse, into a tale of a devoted widow who never gave up hope of reviving her beloved.

But the infuriating part wasn’t over yet.

Lu Qingzhou seemed to genuinely regard Lu Qingjia as a younger family member, despite Lu Qingjia’s apparent dislike for him, maintaining a sense of familial duty.

He couldn’t resist revealing some private thoughts, usually reserved for insiders, showing a knowing smile only adults could understand, and casually remarked, “Though I expected A Ji’s slumber wouldn’t be brief, I didn’t want to waste this time.”

“As you can see, even without a soul, he’s reached this level. And rather than leaving him as a silent corpse in the space, I am, after all, a normal adult man.”

The unspoken implications of his words likely took Ouyang Bai, a virgin with no experience, a while to grasp.

After a moment, he let out a shocked, distorted cry, “You slept—you—with his corpse—this!”

Lu Qingzhou glanced at Ouyang Bai and smiled, “Seems the lucky person doesn’t live up to his reputation.”

The enemies of the lucky person always died in tragic, endless torment, so players in various games who heard of him believed he was a sadistic, pleasure-seeking serial killer.

Especially in Infinite City, a hub for serious criminals who wouldn’t hesitate to view anyone with malice, the lucky person’s reputation was formidable.

Lu Qingzhou hadn’t expected Ouyang Bai to be such a simple-minded, naive person, revealing how distorted the rumors had become.

But he casually replied, “Yes, A Ji has always been remarkable.”

“I don’t want to know this,” Ouyang Bai said, breaking down, then looked at Lu Qingjia, “You owe me.”

Lu Qingjia, with a dark expression, glanced at Lu Qingzhou’s one-sided performance and sneered, “Your turn.”

Lu Qingzhou thought for a moment and calmly asked, “What did A Ji say when he returned to reality?”

Lu Qingjia recalled the scene, a hint of blood appearing in his vision.

He looked at Lu Qingzhou and asked, “Are you sure you want to waste time on such a meaningless question?”

Lu Qingzhou smiled, “Whether it’s meaningful is for me to decide.”

Lu Qingjia said, “Fine. He told me that the human heart is the most terrifying.”

Hearing this, Lu Qingzhou’s smile faded, and a faint melancholy enveloped him.

He looked at Lu Ji, who also looked down at him.

Lu Qingzhou reached out, caressed his face, temple, ear, and finally rested his hand on his neck.

“I’m sorry, A Ji.”

He then kissed him deeply.

Lu Ji, though a reanimated corpse, seemed to instinctively crave his intimacy and quickly responded to the kiss.

The two ignored everyone else, only separating after a long while.

Lu Qingzhou’s face was flushed, his lips moist, his eyes sparkling like stars as he leaned against Lu Ji’s chest, catching his breath.

Zhong Liyu spoke up, “Shall we give you some time? There’s an empty room upstairs; don’t mind us.”

Seeing Lu Qingjia’s dark expression, he quickly added, “Our uncle isn’t at a disadvantage here. In such a short time, he must have started by lusting after his body.”

Lu Qingzhou smiled at him, “No need, sorry for losing composure in front of the kids.”

Despite his words, he made no move to separate, sitting even more intimately with Lu Ji.

Ouyang Bai said, “At this point, is there even a need to say he’s part of our group? Why not make it four against two? Save us the trouble.”

Lu Qingzhou smiled but didn’t respond, then reminded Lu Qingjia, “Your turn.”

Lu Qingjia seemed to have been passive since a certain point, much quieter than usual, which worried Zhong Liyu.

Lu Qingjia asked, “Are your parents alive in reality?”

“No,” Lu Qingzhou answered without hesitation.

“Did you kill them?” Lu Qingjia pressed.

Lu Qingzhou smiled, “That’s two questions. Though I should say, don’t take advantage of your junior status, but—”

“Yes, I killed them.”

The Trickster knew that even if he didn’t answer, Lu Qingjia already had the answer.

Sure enough, Lu Qingjia nodded, “I see. Family fortune lost, familial bonds built on wealth crumbled overnight, likely betrayed repeatedly.”

He smiled at Lu Qingzhou, whose eyes had darkened, “Your parents were fools. They didn’t recognize your true nature and dared to harm you with their familial authority, underestimating your true value. They deserved to die.”

Lu Qingzhou’s eyes shifted, but his face showed agreement with Lu Qingjia’s words.

He praised, “What a clever child. But this only makes me admire A Ji more.”

“How did he manage to raise a natural-born demon like you into a proper person?”

He then nuzzled against Lu Ji’s arm, sighing, “A Ji truly is an angel who saves people like us.”

“What a pity I didn’t meet him earlier, to have him sooner.”

Lu Qingjia sneered, “So you play house with his corpse?”

Lu Qingzhou shook his head, not answering, “My turn?”

Seeing Lu Qingjia remain silent, Lu Qingzhou asked, “What did A Ji like to eat?”

Under Lu Qingjia’s increasingly sharp gaze, Lu Qingzhou smiled, “I didn’t have much time with him, just a mere half month.”

“That half month was spent mostly on survival, so I didn’t get to know him well.”

“When he returns, I want to be more than just my old self.”

Answering this wasn’t hard for Lu Qingjia, but his expression was as if he’d swallowed a fly.

Lu Qingzhou smiled, “If you answer this, the next question can be more personal.”

He then hinted, “But if you prefer this pace, that’s fine. I have plenty of time to talk about A Ji.”

Zhong Liyu and Ouyang Bai exchanged glances. Though they guessed the Trickster’s cunning meant he anticipated the hidden battle within the game, his calmness made them feel increasingly passive.

This was the first time they’d seen Lu Qingjia at a disadvantage in a non-physical confrontation, making them doubt if today’s plan would succeed.

Even though, in their eyes, Lu Qingjia had considered every possibility.

Surprisingly, after Lu Qingzhou’s words, Lu Qingjia seemed to let go of his concerns.

He directly named several dishes, which Lu Qingzhou accepted with a satisfied smile, making a mental note to learn them.

Seeing Lu Qingzhou’s expression, Lu Qingjia’s face showed a strange smile as he asked, “Do you really think you’ll live long enough to prepare all this for his return?”

Lu Qingzhou looked surprised, “Of course, but is that your question?”

Lu Qingjia was about to nod, but Lu Qingzhou interjected, “I said you could ask something more personal. Let’s treat the previous question as casual family chat.”

“Family? I’m honored you included me in your make-believe family. What about the God Envoy?”

Lu Qingzhou gave him a helpless look, “Don’t bring up unpleasant things. Are you sure you want to waste your question on something meaningless?”

Lu Qingjia nodded, “Fine, since you insist on showing off your generosity as an elder.”

“Then, tell me your real-world coordinates.”

Lu Qingzhou was taken aback, then smiled, “That is a personal question.”

“I’ll refuse to answer and take the dare instead.”

Lu Qingjia’s smile deepened, “I thought, given the atmosphere, you’d go along with it to save face as an elder, since you’ve put on such a show.”

“If it were anyone else, I’d have answered, but you’re such a clever child. An elder’s refusal means you’ve pushed me to a certain point, which you should be proud of.”

He maintained a completely pragmatic stance, valuing substance over appearance.

He then urged Lu Qingjia, “Alright, what’s the dare?”

Lu Qingjia’s smile widened, forming a malicious, mocking grin—

“Then die, how about that?”

The three beside Lu Qingzhou immediately stood up, glaring at Lu Qingjia with hostility. It was clear that at the slightest hint from the Trickster, they would attack.

But Lu Qingjia ignored their threats and fury, leisurely saying, “What’s the use of baring your fangs? He’s already chosen to forgo the truth. If he refuses the dare, the soul contract will take effect. Even if there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance you kill me before the contract expires, does my death nullify the contract?”

If it were that easy to break, it wouldn’t be the highest-level contract that ignores all ranks.

The three gritted their teeth, finding Lu Qingjia’s face more detestable than any enemy they’d faced.

But Lu Qingzhou chuckled, “Agreed.”

“Boss!!!” the three exclaimed in shock.

Lu Qingzhou shot them a cold look, and they immediately sat down, not daring to speak out of turn.

Lu Qingzhou produced a silver pistol, beautifully crafted with intricate patterns etched into its surface, emanating a strong spiritual aura—clearly a treasured artifact.

He raised the pistol to his temple.

Lu Ji’s gaze shifted toward him but remained calm, as if unaware of the danger.

The atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

“Bang!” A short gunshot rang out, and a bloody hole appeared in the Trickster’s temple.

His body went limp, caught by Lu Ji.