Chapter 165: I Grant You the Chance to Live, Young Ones. Choose!
From beginning to end, Zhang Yangqing did nothing but issue a single retreat command and then simply stood there watching.
He even kept a considerable distance from the scene, wary of being splattered by the green blood.
When the audience witnessed the gruesome death of the pot-bellied commander, the feeling of catharsis was immense.
Even those who usually criticized Zhang Yangqing for his cruelty couldn’t help but admit he had done well this time.
Zhang Yangqing now possessed the highest authority among the mechanical beings, second only to the City Lord.
Except for being unable to kill the Green-Skins, the mechanical guards would execute any command he gave.
Unless the City Lord or other mechanical guards were present, his authority was supreme.
The audience could still comprehend this, but the next scene nearly shattered their minds.
In the arena, besides the deceased pot-bellied commander, there were five other Green-Skins.
Witnessing the commander’s brutal death and the seemingly malfunctioning mechanical guards, they immediately tried to flee for their lives.
Unlike the slow-moving commander, these five were strong and swift, darting in different directions. The audience thought that even Zhang Tianshi wouldn’t be able to capture them all in time.
If these Green-Skins escaped and reported to the City Lord, Zhang Tianshi’s run would be over.
Qiong Si, a member of the Eagle Country’s expert team, sighed, “Given his temperament, he shouldn’t have made such a mistake. Was he blinded by rage?”
But the next moment left Qiong Si stunned.
Zhang Yangqing drew the pistol from his waist.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
His mechanical body emitted an unusual glow, and within the scope of his visor’s scan,
the five Green-Skins were clearly visible, each marked with a red skull symbol.
High Noon!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed throughout the arena.
With precise marksmanship, five green heads exploded.
As the bullets hit the ground, five headless corpses collapsed.
No Green-Skins remained alive in the arena.
No one was surprised that Zhang Yangqing could kill five Green-Skins.
But doing so personally under the restriction rules left countless viewers on Blue Star baffled.
: What’s going on? Can the Dragon Country’s Celestial Master ignore the failure rules now?
: Didn’t he violate the death rule? Why is he still alive and well?
: First, he ignored instant-death items; now, he’s ignoring failure rules. Is there any rule left that can restrict him?
: What skill did he unlock? Can he somehow shield himself from the ghost stories world’s rules?
: That might be possible, but does such a skill even exist?
: As satisfying as it was to watch, this is just too unbelievable. Can anyone explain why?
Zhang Yangqing’s actions once again left everyone deeply shocked.
Each round, he seemed to redefine their understanding of the ghost stories world.
In his first appearance, he showed that terrifying anomalies could be killed.
In his second, he demonstrated that even hidden, immortal anomalies could be destroyed.
In his third, he revealed that identities within the ghost stories world could be swapped.
In his fourth, everyone began to understand that NPCs in the ghost stories world could be manipulated.
In his fifth, Zhang Yangqing proved he could ignore instant-death items.
It seemed Zhang Yangqing had deciphered everything there was to decrypt, leaving people feeling familiar with the ghost stories world. Some were even eager to enter and grind for skills and attributes.
Many believed that, aside from the failure rules, everything else could be resolved through certain methods.
For example, using skills to counter instant-death, relying on natives to test rules, leveraging higher identities to gain authority, and so on.
There was a sense of, “Now that I know all this, it doesn’t seem that difficult.”
Minds brimmed with countless clever strategies, lacking only the opportunity to go in and try them out—or die trying.
Now, in this sixth round, everyone’s minds were once again shattered by Zhang Yangqing. Could he now “ignore” even the death rules for failure?
Viewers watched with wide, disbelieving eyes.
At this point, even if Zhang Yangqing paused in the ghost stories world, stepped out to take a shower and have a meal before returning, everyone would probably find it normal.
Was there anything he couldn’t do?
Every time the Dragon Country’s Celestial Master entered, he brought something new to the table.
This was what made him uniquely shocking to the world.
In the Vatican, all the Holy Knights, Cardinals, and even the Pope looked at Ge Lieke, as if saying, “Translate this for us. What kind of surprise is this?”
Ge Lieke was sweating profusely. How should I know what kind of surprise this is?
I’m not the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s translator, and I have no idea what skills he has.
But since the Pope was watching, Ge Lieke felt he had to say something.
So, he began to speculate wildly.
“If skills can counter instant-death items, then there must be some method to shield oneself from the failure rules as well.”
After he said this, everyone rolled their eyes.
Wasn’t that stating the obvious?
Did we ask for that?
Don’t we already know that?
Seeing the disdainful looks still directed at him, Ge Lieke braced himself and said:
“I remember when I was on the Mary Cruise ship, I obtained the captain’s identity. But I could only exercise the captain’s authority, such as ordering senior crew members to accelerate the voyage. Ordinary crew members had to obey me upon sight, just like how the Dragon Country Celestial Master now has the mechanical guard identity and can order the mechanical guards to retreat.
But doing something like ignoring the rules of thought seems impossible. Wait, thinking from this angle, haven’t you noticed something strange about the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s behavior after obtaining his identity?”
At this, Ge Lieke recalled Zhang Yangqing’s recent actions.
What had he done before forcefully killing the Green-Skins?
Suddenly, Ge Lieke’s eyes widened as if he had an epiphany!
He rewound the screen to when Zhang Yangqing went to the first layer to command the mechanical beings, fast-forwarding to the sixth layer where he met the City Lord.
After watching this, he rewound again to the dialogue between the Dragon Country Celestial Master and the mechanical repairman.
“I get it! Look, the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s approach has always been simple and effective. In other words, he definitely wouldn’t do anything meaningless. Why did he do so many things other challengers wouldn’t even consider? He must have discovered something.
If I’m not mistaken, this guy not only obtained the mechanical guard’s authority but also their rules. This can be inferred from his dialogue with the mechanical repairman.”
At this point, one of the Cardinals caught on and added, “So, he can now kill any Green-Skin except the City Lord?”
Because the mechanical repairman had said that the mechanical guards could eliminate anyone except the City Lord.
Ge Lieke shot him a look. Well, well, I analyze for so long, and you steal the thunder with the conclusion?
“Exactly. If he can kill Green-Skins without dying, it proves his rules have already changed. Take a closer look at Rule 1, and you’ll see. And all those seemingly ‘meaningless’ things he did were probably to change the rules.”
After Ge Lieke’s final explanation, everyone began to understand.
Admittedly, he had guessed correctly.
Only those who had entered and changed their identities had even a one percent chance of figuring out Zhang Yangqing’s methods.
Ge Lieke wasn’t stupid; he was truly the only one with any chance of guessing Zhang Yangqing’s approach.
Everyone else could only watch in confusion.
Seeing this, even the Pope had to marvel. This Dragon Country Celestial Master had perfectly integrated rules and intelligence; his experience was truly vast.
Then the Pope glanced at Ge Lieke, who was now looking pleased with himself, and said, “You, come with me to the Holy Lord’s Temple later.”
His majestic voice filled the hall.
The moment these words were spoken, the entire Vatican was stirred!
It was said that only the Pope and his successor could enter the Holy Lord’s Temple.
Did this mean Ge Lieke had been chosen as the Pope’s successor?
The Pope possessed divine power. If Ge Lieke entered the Holy Lord’s Temple, he would gain semi-divine power.
If nothing else, his strength would undoubtedly reach a new level, achieving a qualitative leap.
The surrounding Cardinals and Holy Knights wanted to say something but didn’t dare at this moment.
The Pope’s decision was equivalent to divine will; who would dare oppose it?
Ge Lieke was stunned. He was the least likely candidate to succeed the Pope, and he knew it.
To put it bluntly, he was the Vatican’s enforcer, and he struggled to control his temper.
Ge Lieke was puzzled. Even if someone had to succeed, why him?
Could it be that simply analyzing a fraction of the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s methods qualified him to be the Pope’s successor? Wasn’t that too incredible?
Did he owe this opportunity to the Dragon Country Celestial Master?
The Pope had no choice. Ge Lieke had to participate in the next round; he was the only one with any hope of catching up to Zhang Yangqing.
The Pope himself couldn’t bring himself to compare with the Dragon Country Celestial Master, so he could only send his successor.
Besides, the Pope was well aware that everyone in the Vatican had their flaws and quirks; it was just that many hadn’t been exposed yet.
Since Ge Lieke had two S-rank or above clearances, the Vatican had no choice but to nurture him. Others stood no chance of catching up to the Dragon Country Celestial Master, including the Pope himself.
However, while news of Ge Lieke becoming the Pope’s successor didn’t spread, the revelation of how the Dragon Country Celestial Master killed Green-Skins without punishment sent the entire world into a frenzy.
The Noodle Country’s expert team didn’t hold back. Once again, they reasoned that the Dragon Country’s experts would find out anyway once the Celestial Master emerged. By sharing the information now, they could boast a little.
It was just borrowing the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s prestige to show off, making themselves seem knowledgeable.
This left many viewers in the Dragon Country dissatisfied. Why didn’t their own experts know anything? They had to hear it from others.
In the Dragon Country’s expert team, many looked at Hu Liuqi with questioning eyes.
As if accusing the only person who had met Zhang Yangqing, how could you not know this?
Hu Liuqi rolled his eyes and said, “The Celestial Master didn’t say, and I didn’t dare ask. Would you?”
Everyone shook their heads upon hearing this.
No kidding. Merely meeting the Celestial Master was difficult enough.
If Hu Liuqi hadn’t had the special status of a clearance expert last time, he wouldn’t have met the Celestial Master either.
Throughout the entire Dragon Country, wanting to see Zhang Yangqing was harder than reaching the heavens.
Once viewers realized this was possible, their minds buzzed with clever ideas again.
: I see. The ghost stories world only asks us to play one role, but we can actually switch by taking on other identities, which changes some of the rules.
: So, if I play a mechanical waste, can I get out more easily?
: Damn it, stop. Now that you say it, I feel like I could do it too.
: I hope the next Ghost Stories is easier so we can give it a try.
A wave of enthusiasm for entering the ghost stories world swept across Blue Star.
Everyone had learned so much from Zhang Yangqing—whether in terms of thinking style, clever strategies, or approaches.
It was unclear whether they were just boasting or actually willing to try.
While they discussed, the ghost stories world continued.
Zhang Yangqing pointed the pistol he had just used to kill the five Green-Skins at the two brothers and said solemnly:
“I grant you the chance to live, young ones. Choose.”
In that moment, the two brothers were intimidated by the powerful aura of the mechanical body.
The gun-wielding mechanical guard before them exuded an unparalleled domineering presence, the aura of a supreme ruler!
His tall mechanical form stood like a deity, transcending the world, independent and aloof!
They felt as though they were facing not a mechanical being, but the God of Mechanics, the master of this colossal sky fortress.
Even the deceased pot-bellied commander couldn’t compare to this presence—not even one ten-thousandth of it.
One was in the heavens, the other in the dirt; there was simply no comparison.
Initially, they had prepared for death. Killing the pot-bellied commander had already satisfied them.
But now, there was a chance to survive?
Moreover, this being seemed to be killing Green-Skins too.
The two Demi-human warrior brothers exchanged a glance and dropped their chainsaws.
With a thud, they knelt and kowtowed to Zhang Yangqing.
“We are willing to follow the Mechanical God. May the God guide our path.”
This was the highest form of respect among Demi-humans; they already regarded Zhang Yangqing as a deity.
Witnessing the Demi-humans’ submission, most viewers couldn’t hold back.
Their countries’ challengers were still acting as dogs for the Green-Skins to gain more information and opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Country’s representative was already playing God.
If they hadn’t entered together, they might have suspected the Dragon Country Celestial Master and their own challengers were in different ghost stories worlds.
Viewers were also curious. Usually, the Dragon Country Celestial Master showed his strength later on, but this time, he was breaking the mold early on.
Had he already deciphered this round’s rules, or figured out how to clear it?
In the arena, Zhang Yangqing was pleased with their attitude.
As he told them to rise, he pointed the pistol’s muzzle at himself and handed it to one of the brothers.
It was a gift bestowed upon him.
Pointing the muzzle at himself was a special gesture.
A sign of trust.
The elder Demi-human warrior brother took the pistol, overwhelmed with excitement. This was a weapon they could never manufacture.
The younger brother was envious. Not only had they just narrowly escaped death, but now the Mechanical God had bestowed a weapon upon them. Their future seemed boundless!
As Zhang Yangqing had said, did they have a choice?
They had none. If they wanted to live, they had to follow him!
Unless pushed to the brink of death, they wouldn’t submit so quickly.
This was Zhang Yangqing’s way of controlling people.
If he had recruited them directly in their cell initially, even if they submitted, it wouldn’t have been wholehearted.
Only by letting them face the fear of death and then stepping in at the critical moment,
could he become their only hope for survival.
If they didn’t cling to this lifeline, they would have no chance.
Because Zhang Yangqing was clearly pointing a gun at them—that was the hard truth!
If they said one wrong word, death awaited.
The advantage of the surrounding mechanical guards was that they would execute orders without question.
When Zhang Yangqing arrived, the mechanical beings on the lower three layers had already received his commands.
They wouldn’t interfere with his subsequent actions. He wouldn’t have appeared in the arena without proper arrangements.
Unless the City Lord personally came down, no one had higher authority than him.
Zhang Yangqing had the two Demi-human warrior brothers select two hundred Demi-humans who appeared combat-capable from the prison.
With their publicity, these frightened Demi-humans already saw Zhang Yangqing as their savior.
Zhang Yangqing certainly wouldn’t release everyone. There were two thousand Demi-humans here. If they wanted the others to return alive, these two hundred selected ones would need to perform well.
After all, here, the mechanical guards obeyed Zhang Yangqing.
With a single command from him, all the captured Demi-humans would die.
Next was equipping these people with weapons.
On the second layer’s training ground, Demi-humans were using simple firearms.
As warrior prisoners, they might not be able to manufacture them, but they knew how to use them.
Soon, they had chosen their weapons.
Coincidentally, it was dinner time for the Green-Skins again. The City Lord, somewhat paranoid today, didn’t come to eat.
The fourth layer of Skyhold City had an extremely luxurious dining hall.
Its decorations were mostly rare treasures plundered from various races.
Mechanical chefs and servers were preparing a lavish dinner for the Green-Skins.
Zhang Yangqing had prepared a feast for them.
Before that, he gave orders to the surrounding mechanical guards: the City Lord had commanded him to lead troops to eliminate traitors and wipe out these Green-Skins in one fell swoop. The mechanical guards were not to panic later.
As long as they received orders, the mechanical guards would comply.
After all, their rules only forbade killing humans.
At that moment, in the dining hall, enticing aromas filled the air as Green-Skins enjoyed the food plundered by mechanical guards that day.
Green-Skins chewed large mouthfuls of meat, discussing what delicacies they would eat tomorrow and which places they would plunder.
The next second, a group of armed Demi-humans stormed in through the front, back, and side doors.
They immediately opened fire, spraying bullets across the hall.
The dining Green-Skins were caught completely off guard.
In the dining hall, no one carried weapons, and they weren’t wearing their metal armor.
Instantly, the roar of gunfire engulfed the entire hall.
All screams were drowned out by the gunshots.
Demi-humans relentlessly pulled their triggers, their eyes bloodshot with rage.
They wanted these Green-Skins to taste what it felt like to be pierced by bullets.
Utensils shattered on the floor, tables and chairs were reduced to splinters, and Green-Skins were riddled with holes.
The ground was covered in a green-black mush, a mixture of flesh, blood, and bullets.
A foul odor permeated the hall, and the walls were stained green with blood.
Many Demi-humans didn’t stop until they had exhausted their ammunition, unable to vent their hatred otherwise.
The one-sided massacre ended. Over a hundred Green-Skin warriors had no chance to fight back.
The Demi-human warrior brothers led their men to inspect the bodies. Those not quite dead received two extra shots.
One to the head, one to the heart.
Ensuring they were thoroughly deceased.
Throughout this, Zhang Yangqing watched coldly from the sidelines, as if observing a show.
He could have killed them all himself.
But not acting had significant advantages.
First, he disdains to attack indigenous people of this level.
Unless necessary, Zhang Yangqing really couldn’t be bothered.
Second, the Demi-humans had long been tormented by Green-Skins, their hatred deeply ingrained.
Letting them do the killing tired them out, and they would still be grateful to Zhang Yangqing.
Without him, they wouldn’t have this chance for revenge.
Even though their kin were killed by mechanical guards, all their hatred was directed at the Green-Skins.
Thus, an absurd situation arose: these people worked for Zhang Yangqing for free and even knelt to thank him for the opportunity.
Zhang Yangqing was exceptionally skilled at creating such opportunities.
Next, only one target remained. Once the City Lord was dead, the entire Skyhold City would be under his control.
And the despair of all races in this world would begin from here.
