CH 99

The thoughts gradually returned to Gu Yi.

Gu Yi shook his head, looking ahead.

In the midst of emptiness, his younger sister was crouching in the corner, holding her knees, emitting soft sobs.

Using his hands and feet, Gu Yi approached her. The clown mask on his face was slowly shattering— even the clown mask couldn't withstand the attack of the void for long.

Gu Yi wanted to shout, but suddenly remembered the rules of using the mask: he couldn't talk.

He struggled to get to his sister's side and lightly patted her shoulder.

She slowly turned her head, her eyes empty, tears as dark as ink rolling down her cheeks.

"It's the clown... It's the clown..."

Gu Yi pointed to his own face.

"Ah!"

She suddenly opened her mouth and let out a piercing scream.

The eardrums of Gu Yi were instantly ruptured, countless bone-like branches erupted from his sister's chest, charging straight at him.

Numerous cracks appeared on the clown mask, and he had to constantly hold it in place.

The weird power of his sister was too overpowering.

There was no way to communicate with her or reason with her. Even though he had found the most powerful props in the dungeon, he couldn't contend with his sister's weird powers.

The resentment of his sister was beyond resolution.

In their original family, she was constantly abused and beaten. After being sold, she was merely used by others.

If it was Gu Yi, he too would surely fall, becoming just as unspeakable as his sister.

Is there... no way out?

Everyone in the real world, have you done what I entrusted you with?

Creak, creak—

Gu Yi's mask began to shatter. A black gloved hand appeared before him, pulling him out of the void.

"Whoa!"

The mask of Gu Yi broke into eight pieces, and he found himself sitting down on a chair, staring blankly at everything around him.

This was the screening room he had visited before. The big screen was showing his confrontation with his sister in the void, the movie paused just before his mask shattered.

"Gu Yi, you can't survive," said a voice from behind.

The host sat down next to Gu Yi, took out a bucket of popcorn, and started eating leisurely.

"Don't be stubborn," the host said with a smile, "My predictive power is a hundred, no, a thousand times stronger than yours. I can foresee millions of outcomes in an instant. No matter how you communicate with your sister in the end, death is the only outcome."

Gu Yi remained silent.

"I know you don't believe me. Let me show you, and you will believe it."

The host pulled out a remote control from his pocket and pressed the button.

The screen flashed with countless clips, all showing the various ways Gu Yi dies.

Pierced in the heart by the branches.

Crushed to mud by a tree trunk.

Eyes gouged out by his sister.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he pleaded, in the end, his sister would always kill Gu Yi.

"What do you think? Have you given up hope?"

Gu Yi leaned back in his chair like a heap of mud, "Hmm... The footage is well-made. I've never experienced death by eye-gouging. Might be interesting to try someday."

The host paused, even he felt a chill.

"Gu Yi, I know what you're thinking. You're worried about your family, right? It's okay. As long as you join us and become a host, I can ensure that your parents will live luxuriously with endless life."

"What exactly does a host do?"

"He can become the master of a dungeon world," the host said with a smile. "The more people die in your dungeon, the stronger you become. The worlds you create become more dangerous, the rules more complex. Eventually, you can achieve immortality."

"Oh, I'm not interested."

Unmoved, Gu Yi squinted, reaching into the host's popcorn bucket to grab a piece of popcorn and pop it into his mouth.

"What are you resisting so much?

Do you really care about the survival of other humans? Who in this world is worth your desperate effort? Human nature is ugly and selfish. The story of this dungeon is the best illustration.

Who caused the sister's tragedy?

It was her own parents—those who should've loved her most.

Because she was a daughter, she was a liability in her parents' eyes, fit only to be sold as a commodity when she grew up.

She was born in a town that thrived on human trafficking. Beneath the poplar forest outside of town, countless innocent bones were buried.

When she fell ill, her parents didn't care to treat her. In a bid to squeeze out her last ounce of value, they sold her.

The only person who ever loved her, her grandmother, died in a hospital.

The brother who cared for her only existed in her imagination.

Did her parents love her?

Did the world love her?

Did fairness love her?

Did justice love her?"

Crunch crunch-

The echo of Gu Yi chewing popcorn resonated throughout the screening room.

The host grinned, placing the popcorn bucket on Gu Yi's lap.

"Join us, and make humanity pay the price they deserve."

"Pff—"

Gu Yi spat out the food.

"You know what?

You're like a stone you bite into while eating popcorn, like a lukewarm cola after a basketball game, like a mosquito bite on the sole of your foot, like an unachieved accomplishment after clearing a game.

Though none of these can harm you, they just make you uncomfortable."

The colors on the host's face continuously changed as he clenched his fist, trembling slightly.

Gu Yi turned to face the host, revealing a brilliant smile.

"What has allowed humans to survive until now is definitely not selfishness. It's sharing, unity, sacrifice, dedication, and courage. It was such beliefs that are ingrained in our very bones.

In primitive societies, if you didn't share your food, your comrades would starve. And when faced with a dangerous beast, they wouldn't be there to help you.

When confronting terrifying natural disasters, humans form a protective wall for each other. Countless times we've built barriers with our own flesh and blood against raging floods and tsunamis.

I've seen firefighters who sacrificed their lives to save others during a fire.

I've seen volunteers who anonymously and selflessly helped disaster victims.

And more importantly, I've seen countless fearless adventurers who refused to submit to the Gods and dared to challenge the unknown. They would rather die than bow to trash like you.

This is the undying spirit passed down through our generations.

We, the people of the Dragon country, neither believe in gods nor accept our fates. One day, we will annihilate all the weirdness and eliminate these so-called Gods!"

"How dare you!"

The host stood up angrily from his chair, and Gu Yi did the same, hurling the popcorn into the host's face.

"In this dungeon, while you've seen the ugly side of humanity, I've seen its shining moments.

Despite a miserable life full of torment, the sister always remained optimistic, believing that her brother would protect her.

Even though she was just a girl, her grandmother never left her side, treating her as her dearest granddaughter. She'd even risk her own safety to protect her.

Even if the brother was a non-existent ghost, he was still willing to give up his chance to be human, sacrificing his own life, just to awaken his sleeping sister, fulfilling a brother's duty.

And you?

You're just a traitor to humanity, to faith, to yourself. What right do you have to judge human nature here?"

"Good... very good... You think you're some hero! Keep playing your human hero act and get out!"

The host clenched his fist, landing a punch on Gu Yi's nose.

Blood gushed from Gu Yi's nose and stars danced before his eyes.

When his vision cleared, his sister appeared before him once again.