"It really seems like a way to verify if I’m human. It looks like I should comply."
"But the difficulty of this game lies in that if I do comply, once I’ve exposed myself as human, I won’t be able to survive in the monster’s room anymore."
The new version of the game is even more challenging.
Because the biggest conflict is... if the other party is human, you need to prove that you’re human since they won’t open the door for a monster.
So you need to prove you’re human, but if you do manage to prove it... and the one who opens the door is a monster, you won’t be able to pretend to be a monster again—after all, you’ve already proven you’re human.
So should you prove you’re human or not? This is the core dilemma.
Undoubtedly, Wen Xishu is now trapped in this dilemma.
"How do I know if you guys are human?" Wen Xishu said.
"Who gives a damn, you monsters just want to trick us into opening the door! We won’t believe you. If you won’t strip, then get lost!" said the person inside the room.
Great, Wen Xishu felt like a boomerang had hit him right back.
He had also been shouting for the monsters to get lost in the previous version.
"Now this is interesting..."
Wen Xishu started to think.
First, the house was built by the mage. Unlike others... although I’m also new to this version of the game, the new version of the game stemmed from my interaction with the mage.
In other words, I know its origin.
Other players still need to explore the storyline, but Wen Xishu already knew the background of the new version—
The mage guarding Rokkasho ultimately decided to go to the source to find the root of evil and change the apocalypse. Before leaving, the mage created a safe house.
"Created by the mage... created by the mage..."
Wen Xishu muttered the phrase, suddenly finding an answer in his heart. He remembered something.
Wen Xishu suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground, like a mage chanting sutras.
Then he took out a wooden fish.
Yes, at the end of the Desire Tower storyline, Master Lingqing had given Wen Xishu the wooden fish he often chanted with.
At that time, Wen Xishu wondered, is this thing considered a prop? Does it serve a substantial purpose?
Now, he suddenly thought, perhaps the wooden fish’s purpose is for this! He is the chosen one.
So Wen Xishu began to strike the wooden fish.
At this point, the people inside the room angrily shouted:
"Damn it! Damn you! You despicable mage! Get out! Get out!"
The sound of the wooden fish made the people inside the room feel enraged.
Wen Xishu knew... this wasn’t the house he was meant to visit.
So he quickly left and started to look for another house.
After turning a corner...
The surroundings changed again. New hints appeared in Wen Xishu’s mind.
[After many choices, you found another house. But are the inhabitants human? If they are, can you get them to open the door for you?]
[The radiation moon is about to appear, and the thick fog will also dissipate... You don’t have much time left. Please find a house before "moon strong" arrives. Remaining attempts: 4.]
Although the wooden fish could help Wen Xishu confirm whether the inhabitants inside were monsters or not...
But if he never finds the right house, it would still be difficult.
Wen Xishu knocked on the door again, and once again, after hearing the sound of the wooden fish, the other side cursed and their voice even turned monstrous, a sound that no human could make.
So Wen Xishu’s remaining attempts became 3.
On the third visit, it was the same.
Wen Xishu’s remaining attempts became 2.
On the fourth visit, Wen Xishu decided to make an attempt; he couldn’t sit and wait for death.
"Strip." Faced with Wen Xishu’s knock, it seemed that the homeowners always asked him to perform this action.
This time, Wen Xishu took out the wooden fish and just struck it once. Clearly, he felt the killing intent from inside the house.
And the heavy breathing.
The deep growl that could only come from a beast’s throat was captured by Wen Xishu.
But at this moment, Wen Xishu thought—
"The monster has been exposed, just like before, monster exposed, I leave..."
"In the monster’s eyes, if I leave, I must be human. But what if I don’t leave?"
Wen Xishu said:
"Actually... I come from Hujiang. I killed a monk, and this wooden fish is my trophy. I think this should prove my identity?"
"I heard the sounds you made; we are the same kind. I hate the sound of this wooden fish just like you, but I decided to keep it because it’s my trophy."
"I think you would be very interested in hearing my story about how I killed the Demon Cleansing Monk of Hujiang."
The name of the Demon Cleansing Monk had spread to Rokkasho. Hearing Wen Xishu say this, the other side was indeed willing to open the door.
Wen Xishu’s remaining attempts at this time were 1, which didn’t mean he could only visit one more time—it meant after one more visit, the moon strong would arrive.
Seeing that he successfully gained the monsters’ trust and could successfully stay as a monster himself...
Wen Xishu couldn’t help but thank the mage.
The Demon Cleansing Monk must have made significant contributions, killing many evil spirits and demons.
Otherwise, these monsters wouldn’t hate him so much.
Wen Xishu said:
"Oh... I suddenly remembered something. I won’t go in for now. Thank you for opening the door."
Wen Xishu turned and left.
Before long, he turned a corner again... and the surroundings changed once more.
A new room appeared before Wen Xishu.
Another hint appeared in his mind.
This time, Wen Xishu directly knocked on the door.
"Strip... we need to know you’re human." the person inside the room said, with a faint voice.
Wen Xishu, of course, didn’t strip. He just took out the wooden fish and struck it.
But this time, the people inside the room reacted differently:
"Hey, the talisman moved! Is the mage back?" Another voice said.
This voice made Wen Xishu pause.
Was his luck really that good? He didn’t need to figure out the trick in the previous visit?
Did he really just stumble upon this?
Sometimes it’s like this, when you’re unprepared, you can’t encounter good fortune.
But when you’re prepared... perhaps the long-awaited luck will arrive.
Just when Wen Xishu was thinking about how to make up a story...
The door opened, it was the short-haired man he encountered in the previous version.
But this time, the short-haired man no longer resented the mage. When he saw the wooden fish, he immediately invited Wen Xishu in:
"So you’re a friend of the mage! Come in! Come in! The moon strong is about to arrive!"
The despairing night instantly dissipated.
In this house, alien to the Rokkasho atmosphere, there was light, warmth, humans... humans without any mutations.
They gathered happily, unafraid of evil spirits invading.
And this is Deceit Tower, already a post-apocalyptic Deceit Tower.
None of this felt real, yet it was undeniably real.
Despite the dark, desperate, twisted past, the mage preserved a small number of survivors in Rokkasho.
In Rokkasho, the most twisted and broken place, there still was a warm and happy dwelling.
"They no longer resent you... they survived safely."
After entering, Wen Xishu felt he could finally have a good sleep and then return to the bunker.
All the helplessness was unchangeable, but in the end, he achieved the best possible outcome for now.
When Wen Xishu found and entered the real house—
A mission completion hint appeared in his mind.
"I wonder what rating I will get for this mission, and... if the Great Devourer has descended upon the bunker?"