HP - Chapter 41

Thank you Elaina for the Ko-fi

Kingdom of Gods 19

This was inciting her to take action against the players.

This was guiding her to kill, to make as many players as possible perish.

Was this her path to survival…?

In Zhong Xu’s mind appeared the game producer wearing the butterfly mask.

She really, really wanted him to die.

She couldn’t let him get his way.

She had to leave this place as quickly as possible, go somewhere with no people. Otherwise, she would be forced onto the path he had chosen for her.

Zhong Xu’s ear twitched.

People of the Tarot Path surrounded her from all directions.

How was she supposed to break free from this predicament?

“Let’s make a deal,” Zhong Xu said slowly.

“Oh? What kind of deal do you want to make?” Miao Ge asked with interest.

“What do I need to do for you to let me leave?”

“You want to leave? I really couldn’t tell,” Miao Ge said, his gaze turning probing.

This woman was no slouch—she could easily kill someone without even using a Tarot card. So why, without fighting at all, did she want to part peacefully?

Her brows and eyes were bold and defiant, practically spelling out the word “rebellious.” She didn’t look like someone who would admit defeat.

“You’ve got so many people—am I supposed to just wait here to die?” Zhong Xu showed a faintly mocking smile. “Just to kill me alone, you sent this many.”

Miao Ge laughed as well. “We think highly of you!”

He paused, a malicious glint flashing in his eyes. “How about this—I'm a kind person, after all. I’ll agree to make a deal with you. I can let you go.”

“Oh? Then what conditions do you want?”

“Each of us kills you once.” The more Miao Ge thought about it, the better the idea seemed; his tone grew excited. “After we’re done, we can go back and report in, and you get to leave. How about that?”

The surrounding members of the Tarot Path all burst out laughing.

Truly worthy of Miao Ge—coming up with such a vicious idea just to avoid letting someone go, and still praising himself as kind. How very kind indeed.

Seeing Zhong Xu remain silent, Miao Ge pressed on. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Isn’t this deal fair?”

“Fair.” Zhong Xu nodded. “Will you keep your word?”

Miao Ge was taken aback. Though it seemed unbelievable, he still nodded casually. “Of course. I, Miao Ge, never lie.”

“Alright. Come kill me.”

This time, it was Miao Ge and the surrounding members of the Tarot Path who were stunned. “What did you say?”

“If you don’t keep your word, I’ll make your death very unpleasant.” Zhong Xu looked coldly in Miao Ge’s direction. In her dull, lifeless eyes, an inexplicable chill shimmered.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?” someone couldn’t help but say. “Each of us is supposed to ‘kill’ you once—those will definitely be lethal moves.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Zhong Xu curled her lips into a faint smile and let out a dry laugh. “Someone who didn’t know any better might think that even without this deal, you wouldn’t use lethal moves on me.”

“Since you’re asking for death.” That person fell silent for three seconds, then stepped forward first. “Then I’ll start. I’m the type who cherishes beauty—I’ll make your death look a bit nicer.”

Zhong Xu replied perfunctorily, “Much obliged.”

After receiving Miao Ge’s nod of approval, the man revealed his Tarot card. Given how cleanly Zhong Xu had killed Scarecrow earlier, he didn’t dare get close.

Countless petals rose into the air out of nowhere. Those petals, which looked soft and delicate, were in fact the sharpest of weapons.

What astonished the members of the Tarot Path was that Zhong Xu neither dodged nor avoided them. Could she not see?

But that didn’t seem right. Even though she couldn’t see, her hearing appeared exceptionally sharp. When she killed Scarecrow earlier, every step she took had been precise.

The petals pierced into flesh and bone, and the pain struck through her instantly!

Caught completely off guard, Zhong Xu’s mind went black, and she crashed backward!

The entire area fell silent.

So… that was it?

Even the guy who controlled the flying petals was a little dazed, staring blankly at Miao Ge.

Although Miao Ge was also surprised, he quickly realized it wasn’t that simple. He was more perceptive than the others—no, she wasn’t dead.

Sure enough, the next moment, Zhong Xu forced herself to stand up. Grimacing in pain, she said, “This is your so-called ‘cherishing beauty’ way of killing? Do you even know how to kill? What’s with all these wounds?!”

“……”

The petal-flying guy was scared out of his wits. “How is that possible?”

Miao Ge narrowed his eyes. “No wonder you agreed to this deal. Your card ability is ‘immortality,’ isn’t it?”

The searing pain made cold sweat bead on Zhong Xu’s forehead. Her face was deathly pale, and she neither confirmed nor denied anything.

“Miao Ge, is there really an ability that strong?”

“There shouldn’t be. We’ve done research—Tarot card abilities may vary in strength, but they maintain a delicate balance… there shouldn’t be anything this powerful.”

“No wonder so many of us… and even Luo Shen died at her hands.”

“Miao Ge, do we keep going?”

Miao Ge sat on the roof of the car. He stomped his foot down hard, producing a loud bang, and said coldly:

“So what if she’s ‘immortal’? Look at how much pain she’s in… her sense of pain still exists. Can her mind really endure it?”

The deal continued.

Zhong Xu knew she wasn’t a good person.

She simply didn’t want to let that shameless game producer get what he wanted—that was all. She was just resisting.

But…

The boundless pain had no end. Her consciousness gradually blurred, and scattered fragments of memory flashed past—every one of them from her childhood.

“Xiao Xu, listen to Auntie and be good. Mom and Dad have to go catch bad guys.”

“But today is the Spring Festival. The teacher said today is a day for family reunion.” Her younger self cried, tightly clutching her parents’ clothes.

“You silly child, Mom and Dad have work to do.”

“Her father, stop talking. The suspect is already on the run—we need to move quickly. That’s an extremely vicious criminal who killed a family of five…”

“Don’t go… don’t go… don’t leave me at Auntie’s place again. I don’t like it here…”

……

Should she hate justice, or hate crime?

Now… she couldn’t even tell anymore… it hurts… it hurts so much…

She couldn’t take it, she really couldn’t… why should she think about them at all… they all deserved to die.

“Stop it! Let her go!” A sharp shout tore Zhong Xu out of her hazy memories.

Because of the intense pain, her entire body was trembling, icy cold.

Though she wasn’t dead, this was truly thousands of times more painful than death.

And now, someone was standing beside her.

“Y-you… are you okay?” It was an anxious female voice, somewhat familiar.

Zhong Xu’s consciousness drifted apart.

“Chaos,” that person called softly. “I’m Ning Zhi.”

Oh—that little judge.

What was she doing here?

Ning Zhi suddenly spun around, facing the group of Tarot Path members head-on, her gaze sharp and icy.

“I’m from the Judgment Eye. More members of the Judgment Eye are already on their way! If you want to live, get the hell out—now!”

“Miao Ge… Judgment Eye!”

Miao Ge revealed a ferocious expression. “Putting aside the fact that killing her before leaving wouldn’t be too late—if she’s telling the truth, then judging by the Judgment Eye’s usual ways, even if they sacrificed ten people, they still wouldn’t let us go.”

But the situation really was a bit tricky now.

Miao Ge’s gaze fell on Zhong Xu lying in a pool of blood. No matter what method or what ability they used, this woman just wouldn’t die!

Miao Ge’s face darkened. “Kill the Judgment Eye agent. Take this half-dead woman back with us!”

Ning Zhi tensed completely, ready to strike.

But she didn’t move a single step away from Zhong Xu.

“Don’t worry. I won’t stand by and watch you die,” she said softly, reassuring Zhong Xu.

Zhong Xu wanted to tell her that baseless justice never ended well—then suddenly thought of her own actions right now.

Yes. It wouldn’t end well.

Zhong Xu spoke, her voice hoarse. “You’re planning to break the deal?”

Miao Ge tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Sorry about that. I’m just a bad person—heartless.”

With a glance from Miao Ge, someone had already begun attacking Ning Zhi.

Ning Zhi’s Tarot card ability was “Identification.” How could she possibly deal with this group?

Even so, she still stood firmly in front.

A sharp blade pointed at Ning Zhi’s neck, stopping abruptly just one centimeter away.

Ning Zhi widened her eyes and turned her head, only to see Zhong Xu—half her face smeared with blood—already standing, gripping the blade.

With a decisive backhand—crack.

The opponent collapsed.

“One isn’t enough,” she murmured.

Ning Zhi instinctively asked, “What isn’t enough?”

Zhong Xu didn’t answer, choosing instead to explain with action.

This was a counter-slaughter.

As long as she could kill her opponent, she didn’t care if they stabbed at her with a knife.

And with each death, the searing pain wracking her body weakened in turn. Her wounds began to heal rapidly, and her muscles grew stronger and stronger.

So this was the feeling.

She was getting better. She was getting even better.

“Wait! Wait!” Miao Ge stared at the woman now right in front of him, his voice completely panicked.

Those pitch-black, dull eyes were now dyed a scorching crimson.

“I gave you a chance. Why did you still force me to choose this path?” Zhong Xu said emotionlessly.

Only their deaths could heal her shattered mind.

An indescribable sense of exhilaration spread through her.

“I surrender! I surrender!” Fear flooded his heart as Miao Ge hurriedly shouted. “I’ll acknowledge you as my boss, okay? I surrender! I lost to you, and I accept it completely! Don’t kill me—I can do many things for you. I can help you fight your way back against the Tarot Path!”

This woman was no ordinary person.

Only at this very moment did Miao Ge truly realize it—he could not be her enemy.

“Oh?”

Seeing that Zhong Xu seemed to have gained a bit of interest, Miao Ge swallowed hard. Gone was his earlier arrogance; he dropped straight to his knees at her feet and said devoutly, “I’ll listen to everything you say.”

Zhong Xu curled the corner of her lips.

Miao Ge’s eyes lit up—then froze. Because that smile was nothing but mockery.

Zhong Xu lightly patted his head.

Bang—

His body crashed straight into the metal shell of a car.

“But you didn’t listen to me from the very beginning.”

Ning Zhi stood rooted to the spot, completely motionless.

She couldn’t quite tell whether this was reality or a dream.

“A… Ah Xu?”

Just then, a cautious voice sounded. When Ji Zhou arrived, dusty and travel-worn, what he saw was this very scene—one that nearly made his heart stop.

He had thought it was finally his turn to play the hero and save the beauty.

Instead, all he saw was Ah Xu drenched in blood, smashing someone headfirst into a car—an utterly horrifying sight. The entire junkyard reeked of thick blood.

Zhong Xu turned her head, looking at the only two people still alive in the dump.

The murderous intent in her heart had yet to fade.

Ji Zhou noticed that something was off about Zhong Xu’s expression. He moved a little closer and asked hesitantly, “Ah Xu… are you okay?”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhong Xu stepped forward. “I want to twist your neck into pieces.”

Sevyn here ~~~

Reminder CH 29, NZ described ZX as "chaotic."

Changing Brother Cat to Miao Ge, idk "Brother Cat" makes it read so awkwardly.

Enjoy!