The World Below Surface

"What do you plan to wish for It?" asked Lu Yan.

"It" in Chinese sounds the same as "He". Therefore, Chu Xiu didn't notice anything wrong with Lu Yan's description. On the contrary, his tone sounded quite pious.

Chu Xiu looked out the window. The scenery outside was no different from usual. The streets were clean and tidy under the sunshine, and vehicles came and went, bustling with prosperity.

"I still have some thoughts to sort out," Chu Xiu muttered. "I feel like I've overlooked some crucial information." He changed the subject, "How about you? If it were you, would you make a wish?"

Lu Yan smiled bitterly, "Do I have any other choices now?"

Indeed, there was no difference for them, whether it was a ghost or a god. Whatever they wanted to do, ordinary people couldn't resist.

"But I always feel..." Chu Xiu hesitated.

He always felt that everything was not that simple. Compared to the bloody and ferocious killings by ghosts and monsters, the so-called "wishes" of gods gave him a chilling sense of danger.

From Wen Qing to them, everything seemed to be... under the control of that "god." Who else had made a wish to the god? What price did they pay? Chu Xiu had no idea.

Lu Yan stared at him and suddenly said, "Did you make a wish to it?"

Although his tone was questioning, it was more confident. Chu Xiu was surprised and blurted out, "How did you know?"

"I just casually asked, but you admitted it." In fact, it was suspicious enough that Chu Xiu did not directly deny it because of the restraint of that "god."

"What did you wish for?" Lu Yan asked, his gaze fixed on Chu Xiu's face, sharp as a knife. "As you can see, it's difficult for us to live with our strength; only cooperation gives us a chance. So, you'd better not hide anything anymore. Similarly, I will tell you what I know."

Chu Xiu remained silent and asked, "What else do you know?"

"It depends on what you want to know, one for one."

Chu Xiu asked, "How did you know I made a wish?"

"Because I made a wish too. What was your wish?"

Chu Xiu expressed his desire, "I wish I could come back to life one day earlier, but now it doesn't seem like a good wish." Did he only yearn to go back one day because his subconscious hoped to avoid the first day of the game? He inquired, "What's your wish?"

Lu Yan replied, "I will disclose it when the moment is right, but I can barter it with other information."

After confirming that the other party was not intentionally deceiving him, Chu Xiu agreed to the deal. "One for three."

"Agreed." Lu Yan pondered for a moment. "First, Ye Sheng Ke has been ensnared by a female ghost that can be seen through devices such as cameras. Second, Wen Qing and Wen Zhengxin both have a statue of a god, and it is uncertain whether it is the same. Given their circumstances, where they have died but have been reborn, it is reasonable to suspect that they have been reanimated by making a wish to an evil god. The current cost is unknown. Third, for unknown reasons, Wen Zhengxin killed Yun Qian, his daughter's best friend, and it is suspected that it may be connected to Wen Qing."

Chu Xiu interrupted, "Wait, you said Yun Qian was murdered by Wen Zhengxin? When?"

"Yes, he kept Yun Qian's body in his closet in his room."

"How do you know?"

"I witnessed it." After identifying Wen Zhengxin, Lu Yan infiltrated the room and discovered Yun Qian's body in the closet. He managed to take the statue away.

The video that Nie Yun Zhen watched later was intentionally edited by Lu Yan, who replaced the statue on Wen Zhengxin's bedside table. He desired to observe what would occur when this group did the task with the statue.

However, Chu Xiu did not need to know this.

"But then..." Chu Xiu realised something was amiss. "The cause and effect are completely out of line. Isn't this an endless loop?"

"What else?" Lu Yan questioned, "Is it really so benevolent?"

Chu Xiu lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Lu Yan placed his hand on Chu Xiu's shoulder and gazed straight into his eyes, which seemed even more profound. He asked in a voice with a hint of temptation, "Tell me, what round are you, Chu Xiu? And how did you arrive here?"

Chu Xiu suddenly felt strange, as if the secret he should have guarded was not that crucial. The person before him was reliable, so why not confide in him? If he kept concealing it, he might die many more times.

"It's the fifth time," Chu Xiu responded. "The first round...was when we played the Four Corners game. We were in the factory at the end of Yin—Ming Road's crossroads. I died inexplicably inside. So, I prayed to come back to life one day earlier.

— The second round ended without a hitch, and the apple-peeling game did not incur any losses. We returned to the hotel for another round of the elevator game. I entered the elevator with three others for my second attempt, only to suffer a tragic death. In the third round, I sought you out as my companion for the elevator game. This time, we chose to leave the elevator but inexplicably found ourselves transported to another realm. As I faced certain death, I pleaded to be revived.

— In the fourth round, I returned to the factory, where we played the four corners game. There, I confronted and killed my past self, finally realising who had killed me during the first round. Despite surviving the ordeal, I still perished when I decided not to leave the elevator. I followed the correct path on the fifth and final round and arrived here." Chu Xiu felt the weight of their stare and recounted his tale.

That was why he wasn't surprised to see Lu Yan, his companion from the previous round's elevator game, in this new world.

Lu Yan withdrew his hand from Chu Xiu's shoulder, his gaze retreating. "I understand."

Chu Xiu sensed something amiss and refocused. "Did you use psychological manipulation on me?" His eyes betrayed a hint of concealed anger, but this display of emotion was barely distinguishable from none for Lu Yan.

No one would willingly let others tamper with their mind. Yet, Lu Yan was unconcerned with Chu Xiu's adverse reaction and replied calmly, with a touch of sarcasm. "Did you request my permission at the beginning? It's only now that you're upset."

Chu Xiu quickly reined in his emotions and apologised. "I'm sorry." He then inquired, "How many rounds have you experienced?"

Lu Yan considered before shaking his head. "I cannot say." He was uncertain how he had dealt with the repeated deaths and revivals that Chu Xiu had undergone. Still, the outcome was unlikely to be favourable.

"You..."

"But you can try another method. Try returning to the beginning and taking a different path; see if you can solve the problem from the root."

"Are you so certain that we will die here?"

"Indeed, it is predetermined," declared Lu Yan. "Though I cannot fathom your desire to seek death, don't bring me along."

Taken aback, Chu Xiu inquired, "Do you know a solution then?"

"I?" Lu Yan's lips barely moved, forming a cold smile. "You need not concern yourself with that."

Before Chu Xiu could ponder further, Lu Yan interjected, "Wait. Let us make a wish together later. Try to go back to the beginning and steer clear of Wen Qing and her companion Yun Qian! And stay far away from that hotel."

"Are you suggesting that the path to survival is…" Chu Xiu began to realise as if waking from a hazy dream.

"Indeed. Otherwise, where did your belief in a wish-granting god originates? If you fail to make a wish for revival, you will not perish due to it," explained Lu Yan.

Although he had only attempted it once, he had discerned everything he had observed and heard with remarkable clarity.

Fully alert, Chu Xiu murmured, "So, that's how it is…."

Their mission demanded that they entice two strangers to play together on the first day. They came across Wen Qing and Yun Qian on the Yin—Ming Road and assumed they were the lifelines arranged by the task.

However, by selecting them, they had unwittingly chosen a dead end. Wen Qing and Yun Qian were ensnared in a peculiar cycle of praying to the gods for resurrection and then dying repeatedly. They were forcibly embroiled in it.

This was the task's trap. They had fallen into it from the outset, and since they had misjudged the danger of the game on the first day, the ghosts were drawn to Yun Qian. Like that, they believed to be safe and continued to make mistakes.

It was akin to a Mobius strip. Once they entered it, no matter how they chose, they would inevitably arrive at the same conclusion.

When Chu Xiu spoke aloud, Lu Yan added, "Do you believe it's only a Mobius strip? It..." Lu Yan hesitated before using an ambiguous reference, "can also overlap all the consequences of our choices, putting all our selves from different times and spaces together."

Thus, the more times they made a wish, the more opportunities they had to start anew and the more "other worlds" they created. It appeared that they had countless opportunities. However, once they entered the other world through the elevator game, they would become lost and unable to find a way out, ultimately leading to their demise.

The only way to break the cycle was to abstain from making a wish from the beginning! To refrain from starting over!

"Understood," Chu Xiu nodded, hoping to break the cycle fundamentally. After reflection, he asked, "What about you?"

Lu Yan gazed out the window and uttered, "I told you not to fret about it."

As a person of few words, Chu Xiu promptly concluded, "Since it's settled, we'll go our separate ways."

As he opened his eyes again, he found himself seated in the backseat of a car, the road ahead disappearing into a bleak, desolate landscape. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. He had discovered a crucial clue. Had they not taken this choice, they wouldn't have been stuck in an endless horror cycle. Chu Xiu knew that if they had kept Wen Qing and Yun Xi alive or managed to avoid them, the mission wouldn't have spiralled out of control.

"Hold on, we need to find two people here," Chu Xiu suddenly said, surprising his companions.

"Are you certain this is the place, Brother Chu?" one of them asked, uncertain.

"Let's just find them," Chu Xiu replied, his response vague. His companions had no choice but to search for the people he had asked for.

After some time, the car resumed its journey with two unconscious figures in the backseat. As they drove, two familiar young ladies appeared before them. This time, they passed by Wen Qing and Yun Xi, and Ye Sheng Ke was affected by the ghost-summoning game during the night.

Later, due to Chu Xiu's persistent insistence, they moved to a different hotel. Away from the influence of the "god," the following games were not as arduous.

It was because, previously, Wen Qing had to tail them, thinking they had killed Yun Xi. But without the interference of Yun Xi and Wen Qing, they managed to pass the elevator game unscathed.

As Chu Xiu left, Lu Yan overheard his voice filled with hope, "All-knowing and all-powerful god, please let me...let me survive."

That was his only wish.

At a particular hotel in the city centre, Chu Xiu waited outside the door for an extended period until his target finally appeared. He felt excited and followed the man for a while before approaching him. "Excuse me, sir, would you like to play a game?"

Lu Yan's body tensed up.

The reaction to facing the barrel of a gun is always the same, no matter who you are. Recalling the surveillance layout in the parking lot, Lu Yan realised that the blind spot they were in was not easily visible.

He asked, "What game?"

"Don't worry, nobody dies. If you cooperate, your life will be safe," Chu Xiu replied.

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Is that so?"

Before he could react, Chu Xiu sensed that something was off. The gun pressed against his waist was removed and thrown out of reach. Then, he felt a heavy blow to his head, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

Lu Yan grabbed his neck and tightened his grip slowly. "Didn't I tell you? If you're looking for death, don't bother me again."

He had made a wish to the so-called omniscient god, but the price he paid was considerable. "You remember?" he gasped.

Lu Yan hit him with his elbow again and stood up with a cold face. "What if I remember? What if I don't? Don't drag me down with you if you want to die."

"Wait! Let's talk." Chu Xiu fought through the pain and stood up from the ground. "I've been investigating you for the past few days. Did you join the so-called omniscient god cult?"

Lu Yan nodded in response, refusing to say anything.

"I know a lot about this religion. If you participate, I'll provide you with information. What do you say?" Chu Xiu didn't believe that Lu Yan joined the omniscient god cult because of his beliefs; he must have had other motives.

Lu Yan sneered. "Do you take me for a fool? At first, you didn't even know what the omniscient god was. Now you say you know a lot about it?"

"I have my ways of gathering information. I will give you the information in about two or three months," Chu Xiu explained.

Lu Yan knew what he meant. He said two to three months, but it was probably just the frequency of his missions. After a long pause, he finally nodded in agreement.

As they walked, Chu Xiu filled Lu Yan in on the past few days' events. When Ye Sheng Ke played games that day, nothing significant happened. But the next day, when everyone went to call him, they found that he had died in bed. His body was covered in blood, and deep purple bruises were on his neck.

"So now there are only three people left, and I must find one more," Chu Xiu explained.

"Hmm, what game do you intend to play this time?" inquired Lu Yan.

Chu Xiu found it difficult to reply upon hearing the question.

"At midnight, at the crossroads of the underworld road, we shall set up a bowl of rice, light three incense sticks and insert them into the rice. After they burn out, mix the ashes with the rice and eat it," he eventually revealed.

Lu Yan: "..."

Chu Xiu: "You have already agreed." This game was hard to find players for; if an ordinary person consumed it and vomited, it could summon some strange events. After pondering it, it was better to play with someone familiar.

Lu Yan: "No problem." He glanced outside the window and suddenly revealed a creepy smile. "Incense ashes are nothing...I have even tasted bone ashes."