Chapter 2

A gentle breeze blew, and the black characters scattered like dust in the wind.
Gu Yi'an felt a wave of relief.
Although she had spoken at length earlier, it was all based on her subjective assumptions without any solid evidence.
But now things were different.
The god had responded to her.
It was highly likely that she had guessed correctly, the god was pleased with her performance.
This was The Game of the Gods.
Everything else was secondary; pleasing the god was the top priority.
Gu Yi'an stepped out of the moss-covered alley and found herself in a relatively spacious lane.
Compared to the narrow, desolate alley she had just left, this new lane had pedestrians coming and going. The pavement tiles were dusty, and the doors of various households lined both sides.
Gu Yi'an glanced at the pedestrians' attire, all were dressed in classic modern spring outfits. Among them were elderly people and middle-aged adults carrying groceries, seemingly in a hurry to return home to cook.
Occasionally, a passerby would glance in Gu Yi'an's direction, their eyes naturally filled with curiosity as they looked her over.
But they didn't linger long, quickly moving on with their groceries.
For a moment, Gu Yi'an felt a sense of confusion. Everything she saw appeared so normal that she had no idea what to do next.
Perhaps this was the god's twisted sense of humor, watching them flounder helplessly in an unfamiliar world.
Although Gu Yi'an found much of what Brother Zhang said unreliable, she agreed with some of his points, such as the need to find a place to stay first.
Gu Yi'an observed which direction most pedestrians were heading and chose to follow that path, walking along the lane.
As she walked, she glanced down at her own clothes.
She was wearing the outfit she had chosen that morning.
Gu Yi'an checked her pockets, they were empty.
Starting with nothing, how was she supposed to find a place to stay?
She recalled how Brother Zhang had casually mentioned taking the new players to find accommodation.
It seemed the god wasn't entirely abandoning them; some conveniences were likely provided.
Gu Yi'an continued walking slowly along the lane when, at a corner ahead, several figures suddenly came into view.
She immediately recognized them, the five people she had parted ways with in the alley: Brother Zhang and the others.
They didn't look well. Brother Zhang was frowning, and the four new players all wore extremely grim expressions, as if they had encountered something terrible.
Gu Yi'an stopped in her tracks.
The lane wasn't particularly wide, and although there were pedestrians around, Gu Yi'an stood out due to her striking appearance. The five of them recognized her instantly.
"Little Gu, is that you?" one of the new male players exclaimed in surprise.
He voiced the thoughts of the other new players.
However, the other three new players regarded Gu Yi'an with caution, their eyes filled with wariness.
Gu Yi'an's appearance seemed to be within Brother Zhang's expectations.
He wasn't surprised to see Gu Yi'an. Instead, he immediately spoke in a tolerant tone, "Since we've run into each other, Little Gu, come with us. It's too dangerous for you alone. With more people, we can watch out for each other."
The other novice players were somewhat resistant, but since it was Brother Zhang, the experienced player guiding them, who had spoken, they had no choice but to keep quiet.
Gu Yi'an observed the slightly disheveled group of five, her mind working quickly. She slowly approached them, stopping about two meters away.
Gu Yi'an asked, "What strange things have you encountered?"
"How did you know we ran into trouble?" a female player blurted out.
She immediately regretted it, realizing their expressions had already given everything away.
Gu Yi'an didn't have much of an impression of this female player and turned her gaze to Brother Zhang.
Understanding the meaning behind her look, Brother Zhang frowned and said, "We just left that alley and were looking for a place to stay. But when we tried to choose a direction, we ran into an invisible wall that forced us to go in only one direction. We turned three times, and each time it was the same."
A novice male player muttered, "It's not an invisible wall, it's more like a ghost wall."
After hearing this, Gu Yi'an glanced back in the direction she had come from.
The alley had two ends, both with people coming and going, both serving as exits.
If she had chosen the other direction earlier, she might have encountered the same situation as Brother Zhang and the others.
Gu Yi'an looked at Brother Zhang and said, "It seems the gods want us to act together."
Brother Zhang laughed casually. "Acting together is good. Otherwise, we’d be worried about something happening to a young girl like you. After all, this world is unfamiliar to all of us."
He didn’t acknowledge that it was the gods who wanted them to gather.
Listening to Brother Zhang's words and observing his expression, Gu Yi'an felt even more convinced of her own speculation.
She said, "Whether the gods want us to act together or not, we’ll find out soon enough."
Now that their group was complete, Gu Yi'an guessed they would soon encounter whatever the gods had arranged for them.
The other four novice players listened to the conversation between Brother Zhang and Gu Yi'an, feeling confused and unsure whom to believe.
Of course, more importantly, they still hadn’t fully adjusted to their identities as players.
The only thing they could sense was that the atmosphere between these two felt off.
The previously talkative novice male player couldn’t hold back any longer.
"What are you two even talking about? Little Gu, are you an experienced player too? Are you two teaming up to trick us newbies?"
Gu Yi’an looked at him calmly.
The male player, however, couldn't bear to meet her gaze. He clutched his head in despair and cried out, "What kind of game is this ‘Game of the Gods' anyway? Are there no rules at all?"
Thud!
Suddenly, a dull sound echoed from their surroundings.
The noise was unusual. Gu Yi’an turned her head toward the source.
She saw an elderly woman who had fallen in a narrow alley not far from them.
The old woman had fallen backward, landing on the ground with her face upward, moaning and groaning in pain.
In that moment, Gu Yi’an had a sudden realization, the hint given by God.
Kindness is a sin.
Their task had arrived.
The other players stared at the sudden scene before them, exchanging uncertain glances.
The male player who had just broken down was utterly bewildered. Noticing that the old woman had fallen quite close to them, he whispered guiltily and fearfully, "Uh... she didn't fall because my shouting scared her, did she?"
Gu Yi’an didn't think so. She guessed this was a task arranged for them by God.
God hadn't abandoned them; instead, He had set up a mission for them to trigger.
In other words, they were unknowingly following a script laid out by God.
Gu Yi’an ignored the other players and turned her attention to the reactions of the other pedestrians in the alley.
She noticed that they looked at the fallen old woman with surprise, their expressions conflicted, before eventually walking past her slowly.
Brother Zhang turned to the four novice players he was leading, his tone hardening as he asked, "What were your beginner hints?"
"Huh?"
The four novices could sense the coldness in Brother Zhang's expression.
One of the female players, feeling intimidated, obediently revealed the hint she had received.
"Kindness is a sin."
The male player next to her glared at the one who had spoken, while another female player quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The remaining male novice wore a complicated expression and turned his face away to avoid Brother Zhang's scrutiny.
Brother Zhang frowned deeply and looked once more in the direction where the old woman had fallen.
"You're insane!" he blurted out.
He stared in disbelief as Gu Yi’an walked over to the old woman and asked about her condition.
Hearing Brother Zhang's words, Gu Yi’an paid him no mind. Instead, she comforted the old woman, "Grandma, in your current state, if I try to help you up recklessly, it might cause further harm. Please hold on a little longer, the ambulance will be here soon."
After calming the groaning old woman, she stopped passersby who were trying to skirt around the scene and asked them to quickly call for an ambulance.
Although some questioned why she didn't have a phone herself, Gu Yi’an's beautiful face earned her more leniency, and the emergency call was successfully made.
Brother Zhang left the four flustered novice players behind and strode over to Gu Yi’an's side.
He said irritably, "Are you trying to provoke them on purpose?"
Gu Yi’an glanced at him. "God is merciful. He wouldn't want us to stand by and do nothing."
Brother Zhang couldn't refute that, he didn't dare offend God.
He looked at the old woman lying on the ground, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
Gu Yi’an changed the subject. "Provoke them? Who are 'they'?"
Brother Zhang replied, "Aren't you good at guessing? Try figuring it out yourself."
The four novice players, whom Brother Zhang had abandoned, cautiously approached the two of them.
Brother Zhang reined in his emotions and said to the others, "You've seen it, this is the test the gods have given us. Our survival hinges on this."
The four novice players were weak, pitiful, and helpless.
They didn't understand why Brother Zhang's mention of the seven-day survival task had anything to do with the old woman lying on the ground.
But the four-word hint they received as newcomers, "Kindness is a Sin," seemed to have some connection to the scene before them.
Yet the emergence of this scene also seemed to validate what Gu Yi'an had said, that the gods wanted them to act together and they would understand soon.
Didn't that mean Gu Yi'an's words were correct?
A female player looked at Gu Yi'an, hesitating to speak.
Gu Yi'an could see what the female player was thinking. She waited for a while, but the female player still didn't speak up.
Gu Yi'an lost her patience and went to encourage the old woman.
The old woman on the ground kept moaning, her cries wrenching at the heart.
But given her condition, moving her recklessly was too risky.
Gu Yi'an remembered the hint: Kindness is a Sin.
But kindness itself is not a crime.
If it wasn't kindness itself, then it must be the other consequences brought about by kindness.
Therefore, Gu Yi'an didn't dare to help the old woman up. She could only wait for professional medical personnel.
The old woman cried out, "It hurts! It hurts!"
Her cloudy eyes fixed on Gu Yi'an, "Young lady, help me up. This old woman is begging you today. I'm begging you!"
Gu Yi'an comforted her in a gentle tone, "Grandma, don't worry, the doctors will be here soon."
After several requests were refused, the old woman suddenly changed her expression.
"You just want to watch me die!"
She threw a tantrum, "Heaven strike you down! Today, this old woman has run into such a heartless person. How miserable I am!"
Gu Yi'an hadn't expected the old woman to change her expression so quickly. Judging by her vigorous cursing, the old woman was in excellent health.
With the old woman's commotion, households opened their doors to watch the spectacle, and passersby stopped to stare.
Gu Yi'an had anticipated this scene. Her expression remained calm.
Brother Zhang and the four novice players blended into the crowd as onlookers.
Just as everyone was pointing fingers at Gu Yi'an, a little boy, about six or seven years old, wearing faded clothes, struggled to squeeze into the innermost circle. He saw the old woman lying on the ground.
"You're at it again with your scams!"
The boy pointed at the old woman on the ground, his voice choked with tears, "You killed my parents, and today you want to use the same method to kill this sister!"
Gu Yi’an had waited so long precisely for this moment, she had finally encountered the key figure.