Chapter 287 - Chapter 287: 225. Raise the stakes for the game

Chapter 287: 225. Raise the stakes for the game

“I’m quite curious about the secrets Mr. Shadow can tell me, but I’m not particularly fond of weighing my life on a scale,” Qing Chen said in the darkness.

Within this small room, Qing’s Family’s present Shadow and the Shadow Candidate sat opposite each other in the living room, devoid of light, their faces both shrouded in shadow.

Both parties sat in strikingly similar postures, creating an atmosphere of tension in the room.

It was as though on a silent throne, two opposing kings were scrutinizing each other.

But the strangeness lay in the fact that one was a king with real authority in his grasp, master of the power behind the Qing’s Family, while the other was a nameless individual.

Shadow suddenly chuckled, “How strange, you’re rejecting me, yet I don’t feel angry at all. Over the years, not many have dared to say no to me.”

After pondering, Qing Chen said, “Mr. Shadow seems to have killed many people, so life doesn’t inspire reverence in you anymore. A life for a secret, this game might seem trivial in your eyes, but to me, it’s unnecessary.”

“To be a Shadow naturally entails killing plenty,” Shadow said with a laugh, “Otherwise, what did you think a Shadow was?”

Qing Chen explained calmly, “In the eyes of the outside world, I’ve successfully faked my death. At this point, I could simply hide in the shadows and slowly plot my course, await the other candidates to fight amongst themselves, then reap the rewards as the fisherman benefits from the quarrel, correct?”

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Shadow said with a smiling tone, “Correct.”

“But it seems you can’t stand to see me living in peace, so you’ve come here in person to up the stakes in this struggle for Shadow,” Qing Chen continued, “You don’t wish for me to have it too easy in this contest, do you?”

Before this point, even when Qing Chen planned to clear Liu Dezhu of charges, it was only to add some bargaining chips for his own protection.

Should an opportunity arise to harvest, having a C-Class by his side would also seal the deal.

However, he had no intention of actively setting traps for the Shadow Candidates as it was too dangerous and unnecessary.

The most important part was that it was ‘unnecessary’.

Now, it seemed Shadow had discerned this very issue and had made the trip to address it.

“Since you killed Qing Huai, I’ll tell you the first secret. Without external intervention, a Shadow contest can take years,” Shadow said methodically, “During these years, the various factions keep on testing each other, then choose the most careful moment to strike. But I can’t wait that long, because I don’t have time.”

With that, Shadow burst into a violent cough in the darkness.

In the murky light, Qing Chen vaguely saw the other person take out a handkerchief to cover his mouth, and then, a strange scent of blood permeated the air.

Qing Chen suddenly realized what the other person meant by not having time.

“Mr. Shadow,” Qing Chen began, “Is it worth it, to suffer such grave injuries for the struggle of Shadows? Is power truly that important?”

“Power?” Shadow took a long time to reply, “Qing’s Family’s foundations are like mountains, and both you and I will be the foundation beneath this mountain. Only once you truly stand before this mountain will you understand that personal honor and disgrace are no longer worth contemplating. Power is merely a byproduct that comes after one has taken on their mission.”

Qing Chen shook his head, “If you want me to actively participate in the struggle for Shadow, you should be telling me how enticing power can be, how I can use power to amass wealth and high positions, not some strange sense of duty. I don’t have as strong a sense of duty as you do, so I can’t understand.”

“No matter, you will understand one day,” Shadow replied thoughtfully, “I don’t have the time to wait for several years, nor can I stand to see those people sluggishly contend for the championship, so it’s only right that I hope someone can expedite the process. As it stands, you are the most suitable candidate.”

“Is it only me you’re playing this game with, or have you played this same game with all the Shadow Candidates?” Qing Chen asked.

Shadow laughed, “That’s another secret. If you want to know the truth, go kill a candidate. The world is cruel, if you don’t kill, someone will want to kill you. To be a Shadow of the Qing’s Family, you need to be accustomed to life and death. You have spirit, but you’re not bloody enough. After all these years, you’re still as intelligent and naive as before. That’s your strength, but also your flaw.”

Qing Chen didn’t press further. In a situation with asymmetrical information, asking one more question would only add to the other person’s sense of superiority.

Just then, Shadow stood up and smiled, “Our game will always be valid.”

As he spoke, he suddenly took out a palm-sized mirror, and on the other side, a Door of Shadow appeared out of thin air.

Qing Chen’s pupils constricted sharply; he realized that the mirror in the other’s hand might be some secret Taboo artifact, allowing the Qing’s Shadow to travel through space at will.

This was quite unexpected because the ability to traverse space was far more shocking to a god of physical science than obtaining the Puppeteer had been.

The Taboo was more mysterious than he had thought.

And such methods of coming and going as one pleased were indefensible to others!

However, the Taboo artifact could probably only go to “known locations,” otherwise why would the Shadow come in through the main door?

Shadow appeared to notice Qing Chen’s reaction, “How about I add another chip to the stakes? If you become the Shadow one day, I will give you this Taboo artifact.”

Before stepping through the door, Qing Chen asked, “Actually, Mr. Shadow, are you specifically here because you’re worried I might completely side with the Knights, that I’m detaching from Qing’s Family?”

“I’m just worried that you might get too close to Uncle Li Dong and forget your identity as part of Qing’s Family,” Shadow said with a chuckle.

After a two-second silence, Qing Chen said, “Uncle Li Dong has already given me a Taboo artifact, you haven’t yet.”

The Shadow laughed, “Interesting.”

Having said that, he didn’t respond further and turned to disappear into the Door of Shadow.

…

…

Qing Chen remained quietly seated on the sofa until the Door of Shadow vanished before he gently exhaled a sigh of relief.

The oppressive feeling the Shadow gave him far exceeded his expectations, and he wasn’t as composed as he had imagined.

The mere act of the other party sitting casually opposite him made him feel as if he was conversing with a ferocious tiger; the room’s atmosphere seemed to be guided by some force, keeping Qing Chen’s spirit taut at all times.

The next second, a warm orange light illuminated the room.

Qing Chen asked curiously, “Why didn’t you turn on the light earlier, so I could see his face clearly?”

Yi said, “I’d rather not provoke such people lightly.”

Qing Chen was taken aback. What kind of person could even make Yi hesitate to provoke? He said with irritation, “Why didn’t you warn me in advance, tell me there was someone in the room?”

“He wasn’t going to kill you,” Yi said slowly, “Your master entrusted me to warn you if you were in danger, but you weren’t in danger, were you?”

“So, my master’s trading partner, was it him?” Qing Chen pondered before asking.

“I don’t know, don’t ask me,” Yi replied, “But… I am curious, will you do as he said and kill the other candidates?”

Qing Chen reflected for a moment, “No, I don’t even believe what he said at the moment.”

“Whew,” Yi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “If your master knew you could think like this, he would be very pleased.”

“Why?” Qing Chen asked curiously.

“Because that Shadow never speaks a single truth,” Yi said nonchalantly, “Whatever he says about you joining the contending for the title of Shadow could be nonsense, and the promise of granting you a taboo item for becoming the Shadow could also be nonsense. I’ve even doubted whether he has ever been seriously injured, and claim that his frequent coughing is due to the containment conditions of a particular taboo item!”

“Then why does he want me to kill the other Shadow candidates? What’s in it for Qing’s Family?” Qing Chen was puzzled.

“That person only cares about what’s fun and what’s interesting!” Yi said, “Often while playing, he achieves his goals.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier,” Qing Chen wondered, “Wait until I had already dismissed his words before you tell me such a thing post factum?”

“I was trusting your analytical skills; I knew you wouldn’t believe him,” Yi declared.

Qing Chen thought for a while, “If just before he left, he had given me a taboo item directly, I might have believed him a little.”

Yi was silent for a few seconds, “You really are a pragmatic human.”

In fact, Qing Chen wasn’t very interested in the secret the Shadow had mentioned.

Because he had already clarified many things while standing outside the door for those two minutes.

First, the day the Scepter of the gods fell from space, Qing Chen knew that Uncle Li Dong must have made some deal with Qing’s Family, otherwise his teacher couldn’t possibly have known the precise time of the tungsten rod’s descent.

Second, Uncle Li Dong’s friend was jointly imprisoned by the Chen Clan and Qing’s Family, and despite searching for many years, he couldn’t find the secret location of the imprisonment. However, as soon as the deal with Qing’s Family was done, that secret was no longer a secret.

Third, the taboo item ACE-002 originated from an ancestor of Qing’s Family, who had the status of an ordinary person, not a Transcendent, which led everyone to overlook the possibility that this individual could produce a taboo item.

This was a secret among secrets. If Qing’s Family hadn’t disclosed it, there was no way Uncle Li Dong could have known this intelligence, let alone the containment conditions for the taboo item.

Qing Chen pondered: When did this transaction begin?

He believed that the trade must have started a long time ago, even before he entered Prison 18.

Because Uncle Li Dong had begun “collecting” prisoners with unatoned sins before Qing Chen entered Prison 18, which fulfilled the conditions to contain ACE-002.

At this moment, he, the most marginal figure of Qing’s Family, suddenly got involved in the Shadow Rivalry and was also assigned to work in Prison 18.

Qing Chen couldn’t help but suspect that he was actually a part of the transaction as well!

…

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