Chapter 227 - To Kill Or Not To Kill?

Zhihao couldn't help but gulp as a response. If this really were nothing more than just an advanced VR technology, it would be a good thing for them since it meant that Andyzz was still alive, and they also didn't have any real threat on their lives. 

If this theory was really right then it would also answer a lot of questions such as why this entire city was empty and also why there were no cops or the government having any problem with a live shooting happening inside the national football stadium. 

Everything would start to come together and it would make sense, but this theory itself was quite hard to believe. 

For someone to successfully create the world's first full-dive VR and not brag about it anywhere on social media or newspapers wasn't the only thing weird. It was also weird that someone chose another game to mess and try out the new invention without the permission of the gaming company that owned the game. 

"If this ain't the case then killing the hunters right now should be the least of our worries," Li Ling suddenly commented. 

"Eh?" Zhihao snapped out of his thoughts as he curiously looked at the man and waited for him to explain as Zhihao questioned, "What do you mean by that?" 

Li Ling gulped and answered with honesty, without leaving behind any important threat that would be faced by them in the future if they continue to play this game, "Self destruct. If you win the game by killing the gamemaster then Alvi automatically goes into self-destruct mode.. If the game is destroyed then we all get out of here safely but if we don't manage to win the game then the system destroys this world." 

Zhihao blinked as he absorbed all that information and looked back at the man as if he had just said something even more unbelievable than the theory of all this being a part of a full-dive VR technology. 

Zhihao suddenly chuckled dryly as he spoke up, "Gege, calm down for a sec. Why... No, that shouldn't be the question. How do you think the system can destroy the world? It's just impossible for the whole world to be destroyed by a... Game." 

Now that Zhihao had said this out loud, it did sound ridiculous and stupid for Li Ling to think that the system would destroy the whole world, however, Li Ling knew Alvi better than anyone else in the world. 

He gulped as he nodded and agreed with Zhihao as he responded, "You're right. It sounds impossible for just a game to destroy the whole world but A-Zhi... T.I.A.D. is not just a game." 

"..." 

"Transmigration Into Alternate Dimension that is powered by the bot Alvi. Automated Living Virtual Intelligence. The system is free to do anything it wants. It has the brain of a computer and a human mixed together. Do you think it would be hard for the system to hack into national security headquarters?" 

Zhihao gulped as he suddenly found that he was indeed a bit naive to underestimate the system. 

"Alvi can be dangerous if she wants to," Li Ling added, "Let's consider the fact that this isn't a full-dive VR technology and everything we see is indeed real. In such a case, if we don't win the game, we would be risking the life of every human being out there. We are betting on our planet right now." 

"..." 

Zhihao felt as if he was in a sticky situation. 

On one side, he didn't want to bet on the fact that all of this was fake cause if he was later proven wrong then it would mean that he had become a criminal who murdered somebody.

He was indeed the type to love challenges however, this was definitely not the type of challenge he liked. 

"But how do we win this game?" Tian Xifeng muttered her question, "The gamemaster... Is one of us..." 

It was a thought that haunted all of their minds but nobody dared to say it out loud. 

Since the gamemaster was one of them, if they needed to win the game and destroy Alvi, they would still have to kill a person. There was no other way around it. 

There was no safe alternative. Somebody was already going to be killed by the end of this. 

Zhihao's grip around Li Ling's wrist tightened up unconsciously as he seriously considered something that managed to send a shiver down his spine. 

Out of everyone here, Tian Xifeng, Wang GuiYing, and Zhou Xinyi were out of the question since Zhihao was sure that none of them were the gamemaster. 

Jiangshi and Li Ying who had already run away looked to be too young and since the gamemaster was at least the same age as Zhihao, the man was sure that they were also not to be suspected. 

It was impossible for Zhihao to be the gamemaster and this didn't leave behind a lot of people to guess from. 

Liang Feng. 

Kaoru. 

Li Ling.

Andyzz and Aunt Su. 

Zhihao was more than sure that his aunt was definitely not the gamemaster and since Andyzz was already out of the game, he could also be struck out as innocent. 

Out of Liang Feng, Li Ling, and Kaoru, Zhihao was unsure who the gamemaster could be since he suspected all three of them. 

All three of them were new players who climbed up on the T.I.A.D. ranking suddenly out of nowhere. They were not pro-gamers and information about them was as limited as it could get. 

Zhihao knew Li Ling very well but if someone were to ask him if he could confidently say that the man wasn't the gamemaster, Zhihao would surely stay silent as a response. 

Deep inside, he couldn't hide the fact that he suspected Li Ling. He didn't know why but there was a gut feeling that told him it would be impossible for someone else to be the gamemaster. 

Li Ling frowned as he noticed this small flick of conflict that reflected on Zhihao's eyes, "Are you okay, A-Zhi?" 

Zhihao gulped as he took a sharp breath in and nodded his head, "I'm... Okay..." 

"Damn it," Wang GuiYing cursed out as clutched his hands tightly in a fist before punching the wall to relieve his anger. 

"GuiYing!" Zhou Xinyi shouted as he pulled the man back and took a look at his fist. 

Wang GuiYing's knuckles were covered in his own blood that oozed out of the small cuts.

"Have you gone insane?!" Zhou Xinyi shouted as he scolded the man. 

For the first time in his life, Wang GuiYing pushed Zhou Xinyi away as he exclaimed, "I'll do it!" 

Everyone immediately turned their heads towards the man who looked to be filled with a lot of conflicting emotions. 

On one hand, he looked to be angry but his eyes were moist with tears and his voice sounded to be determined. He looked much alike someone who had been forced to become a villain because of unfortunate circumstances that would kill him if he didn't leave his morality behind. 

"Being a criminal? F*ck that!" Wang GuiYing cursed out and it was probably the first time he was cursing like this, "I'll go with your plan! If you really think that this system is going to destroy the world then I'll help you destroy the system first! You want me to kill the hunters? I'll do exactly that! That cash price can go to hell for all I care!" 

Li Ling and Zhihao blinked in unison as they heard the man say such things that would have never been expected to come from him. 

"Let's freaking save the world!" Wang GuiYing cried out and everyone was silent as they heard him. 

"Idiot," Tian Xifeng was the first to break the silence as she looked at the man with emotionless eyes, "That's what we are already trying to do." 

"Eh...?" Wang GuiYing's eyes widened as he paused for a mere second and replayed the woman's words in his mind 

"What? Did you think we were all playing this final level for the one million dollars?" Tian Xifeng scoffed, "Who'd be stupid enough to risk so much for just a mere pocket change?" 

Wang GuiYing gulped as his ears turned a bit red. 

"We were... Not competing for the one million dollars...?" He muttered questioningly in a volume that was hardly audible. 

Tian Xifeng's face cringed up as she somehow managed to hear him, "You crazy or what?! We are trying to shut down the system since the beginning! Nobody cares about that cash prize anymore!" 

"Ah!... So that's it..." Wang GuiYing faltered a step back as he had the shocking realization. 

He seemed to be the only one who was confused about what their goal was... 

Zhihao sighed as he saw this interaction. Even he had figured this out. 

When games come out of the screen and start affecting everything around you, winning the cash prize is probably the last thing you need to worry about.

"You're a bit slow to catch up, I see." Tian Xifeng didn't sound to be too polite as she pointed out. 

Wang GuiYing chuckled awkwardly as he agreed.