HP - Chapter 48

Kingdom of Gods 26

The moment the door was pushed open, the lights switched on, brightly illuminating the entire room.

“There’s no one,” Scorpion King said, holding White Butterfly close, somewhat displeased.

“She must have left.”

White Butterfly scanned the room, slipped out of Scorpion King’s embrace, and checked a few important items. She then opened another door; her face was reflected in the mirror. “Nothing is missing, and there are no traces left behind. But I know she definitely came.”

Scorpion King asked curiously, “Why?”

White Butterfly turned to look at him. “Intuition.”

“Your intuition is still as unreasonable as ever.”

Scorpion King tried to push her back toward the bed, his tone suggestive. “Then shall we…”

“Not in the mood.” White Butterfly coldly pressed a hand against his chest, her voice lowering. “I need to find him as soon as possible. No matter the cost, I must speak with him.”

One in the morning.

Zhong Xu knocked on Ji Zhou’s door.

Ji Zhou had only just returned from outside and had slept for less than an hour. After a full day of exhaustion, he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

“Ah Xu?”

“Let’s talk inside.” Zhong Xu pushed him inward, slipped in quickly herself, and closed the door behind her.

“What happened?”

“I found White Butterfly and Scorpion King’s room today.”

On the library floor, Zhong Xu quickly noticed something unusual. There were few people and heavy guards—clearly an important location. Yet the library’s management was not as strict as expected. After all, there was nothing scandalous inside; overly harsh control would instead seem suspicious.

So Zhong Xu suspected that on this floor, besides the library, there was another location.

After entering the library, she casually flipped through a few books and found that they contained background stories, such as legends about how the Kingdom of Gods was established.

They were written convincingly and did not seem to have been authored by players. Most likely, they were still game clues, merely collected by the Pantheon.

She quickly discovered something interesting—

The spatial structure was wrong. The library was only a shell, concealing another important space within.

The heavily guarded room next door was merely a decoy.

She spent the entire day in the library studying the spatial structure. Finally sorting it out in her mind, she formed a bold hypothesis—what if this was one of the game’s initial locations, simply occupied by the Pantheon, leading people to mistakenly believe it had been built by players?

To verify her hypothesis, she went to the cafeteria and then to the top-floor garden.

Whether through the cafeteria windows or beneath the garden’s full-glass canopy, she could not see that tree—the one that was supposed to be visible from anywhere.

Hearing this, Ji Zhou blinked. “But… is it possible that because the Pantheon is suspended in midair, you just can’t see the tree from up here?”

“That’s possible. But that tree is clearly central to the game’s setting. Since it was designed to be visible from anywhere in the world, it generally wouldn’t make such a mistake,” Zhong Xu said. “Besides, when you make a bold hypothesis, it doesn’t matter whether the guess is right or wrong.”

“So how did you open that hidden space?”

“The answer was in the books—in the form of a game puzzle.”

“And after opening the room?”

“It was White Butterfly and Scorpion King’s room.”

“Another decoy?”

“Exactly. There were additional mechanisms inside the room. Only after opening that mechanism did I see the real secret.”

Passing through a corridor filled with mirrors, Zhong Xu entered a mirror world.

There, it was eternal daylight. A massive tree stood tall, withered leaves falling in the wind.

One world of light and one of darkness—merged together, yet someone had quietly concealed the entrance between them.

Ji Zhou was stunned. “You found that tree?”

“I could touch it. It was real.” Zhong Xu paused slightly, then continued, “I wanted to know whether that world was an illusion created by Tarot cards, so I lay down on the ground and listened.

“I heard thunder.”

Deep underground, where the tree’s roots coiled, thunder roared.

Ji Zhou suddenly understood. “The mirror world where the tree is located is right above us—above the rolling dark clouds where no daylight can be seen.”

“And following the logic of myths and legends…” Ji Zhou stared intently into Zhong Xu’s eyes. “In the world even higher up—that is the true Kingdom of Gods.”

Zhong Xu curved her lips slightly and nodded.

“The Pantheon actually knows this much!”

“More than that.” Zhong Xu’s gaze darkened. “They hid the entrance immediately and built the Pantheon here. They knew too much, far too quickly.”

“I now suspect that someone in the Pantheon has played this game before… or participated in creating it.”

If someone had played it, it must have been in reality. Zhong Xu still remembered what that producer had said—the game stage had never been entered by any player before.

Therefore, Zhong Xu now leaned more toward the latter possibility.

Especially White Butterfly’s mask—it always reminded her of that producer.

Zhong Xu continued, “I still don’t know their purpose in doing this, but the tree’s importance is beyond doubt. And the fact that no information about it can be found in any of the books, with pages showing signs of being torn out, further proves that the Pantheon did it deliberately.”

Based on the NPC clues and the way the tree roots connected to the rainstorm, one thread could be pieced together—

“The prosperity and decline of the Tree of Faith are closely tied to the fate of this world.”

“Just look at how withered that tree is now, and you’ll understand how dangerous this world has become.”

In a pitch-black cave, a campfire burned brightly, its flames illuminating the speaker’s face. That face was covered in insect-like patterns, and both eyes had transformed into compound insect eyes. In the dim light, he looked especially terrifying.

Ning Zhi silently edged farther and farther away, trying to distance himself as much as possible from this player who was neither fully human nor fully insect.

Qiu Heming tossed a bone into the fire and was the first to speak. “How did you end up looking like this?”

Liang Qing, sitting opposite him, glanced down at himself, his face full of confusion. “What’s wrong with me? I just haven’t bathed for a month. Do I really smell that bad?”

Hearing this, Ning Zhi felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn’t expected that this guy was completely unaware that he was on the verge of turning into an insect.

Qiu Heming remained much calmer. “You don’t smell.”

“Then don’t worry about whether I’m scruffy or not.” Liang Qing waved a hand dismissively and continued, “Only our flesh and blood can nourish the Tree of Faith and make it flourish again.”

“Why is that?” Ning Zhi asked.

Liang Qing chuckled. “Probably because we’re the ones who made mistakes. This is our punishment.”

Qiu Heming’s gaze drifted out of the cave, where the faint outline of the great tree could be seen through the curtain of rain.

“When it prospers again, what will happen?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Not even our bones will remain,” Liang Qing said through gritted teeth. “So no matter what, we cannot let it prosper!”

“What’s your plan?”

“From the memories I recovered after awakening, we need to find the insect nest and restore everyone’s memories. The power of unity can stop the Tree of Faith from reviving.”

Before they could respond, Liang Qing continued, “But that won’t work. If everyone regains their memories, we’ll just be insignificant nobodies, and we’ll quickly die in this chaotic world.”

Qiu Heming and Ning Zhi silently exchanged a glance.

Their vehicle had set out from the city, cutting through the rain, and the greatest gain had been encountering Liang Qing today.

At the time, he had been curled up on a roadside rock, and they had thought they were facing a monster. But when he lifted his head, Qiu Heming recognized him.

Liang Qing was probably isolated and helpless as well, and in the end, he resolved to reveal his greatest secret:

He had recovered his identity memory and come to understand many truths about the world.

For example, just as they had previously speculated—they were the ones who had made mistakes.

Liang Qing’s objective was also straightforward: to seek cooperation.

“I’ve racked my brains and can’t think of any good solution,” Liang Qing sighed.

Qiu Heming gave a faint, inscrutable smile. Liang Qing was a typical sort of person—unwilling to accept mediocrity, yet truly mediocre, and with a head full of wish-fulfillment fantasies.

“You’re overthinking it,” Qiu Heming said calmly. “Do you really think this group of people would be so united?”

“Really?” Liang Qing froze.

“The Reversed Disaster is unfolding in the city. Before long, half the players will be dead,” Qiu Heming said. “We don’t need to make everyone recover their memories immediately. We can make use of those who already have.”

Liang Qing suddenly understood. “Let them kill each other?”

“Exactly.” Qiu Heming smiled. “Pleasure working with you. Now take us to the insect nest.”

Ning Zhi shot him a silent glance.

Qiu Heming’s offer of cooperation was riddled with flaws and utterly insincere. And yet—

“No problem. Pleasure working with you.” Liang Qing grinned, revealing sharp, pointed teeth.

As the night deepened, Liang Qing curled up beside the campfire and fell asleep, his entire body bent in a way that made him look even more like an insect.

Ning Zhi asked softly, “You’re actually planning to make all the players recover their memories, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your plan?”

“The consequence of recovering memories? Just look at him,” Qiu Heming said mockingly. “So what if they learn the truth? They’ll only turn into a swarm of insects.”

“But the Tree of Faith will definitely wither even further because of that… You know, logically speaking, insects hollow out a tree’s trunk.”

“That won’t happen.”

Ning Zhi was stunned, unable for a moment to grasp the crucial point.

The firelight softened Qiu Heming’s features, and his tone remained as calm and gentle as ever. “Zhong Xu is the only god.”

Although they had speculated as much before, no one had ever said it outright.

After all, it had only been speculation, without any evidence.

“Have you already taken that guess as the final answer?”

“I’ve already confirmed it.”

“Why—” Ning Zhi’s question cut off abruptly. Her gaze, filled with shock and uncertainty, shifted to the stark white bones behind him.

Qiu Heming smiled. His eyes were like an abyss—one glance and it felt as though you might fall in, making them impossible to look at directly.

“Yes. I’ve also begun to recover my memories. But my mind is clearer than an insect’s.”

“We are sinners exiled from the Kingdom of Gods. Yet before being judged, we stole the fruit of the Tree of Faith and thus gained so-called Tarot divine powers. We committed a wrong and ought to accept God’s judgment.”

Ning Zhi asked slowly, “You mean you confess your guilt and are willing to accept Zhong Xu’s judgment? And you intend to make all the players submit before her, allowing her to claim victory?”

“Correct, Ning Zhi. You’re a good teammate,” Qiu Heming said. “But don’t worry. According to the game’s rules, accepting judgment isn’t death—it’s an ending.”

Sevyn here ~~~

Enjoy!