Chapter 80

God’s thought process was always so incomprehensible.
Gu Yi’an glanced at the rusted entrance of the amusement park.
Sunlight bathed the world, but it couldn’t dispel the cold desolation of the abandoned amusement park.
Gu Yi’an looked down at the documents in her hands.
Just moments ago, Lu Zize had teleported the two of them here directly and handed her this stack of files.
Ignoring Lu Zize’s slightly expectant gaze, she lowered her head without saying a word and began flipping through the documents.
Business license, operating permits, all the necessary documents were complete.
Even though the abandoned amusement park hadn’t been renovated yet, all the paperwork was already prepared. It was clear these hadn’t been obtained through legitimate means.
Gu Yi’an remembered that before the reset, when they were at the amusement park, Lu Zize had mentioned that he wanted to build an amusement park and play there every day.
She never expected that after the reset, he had actually gone and acquired an amusement park.
Who would come to an amusement park every single day for no reason?
After mentally complaining, Gu Yi’an suddenly realized that all the documents for this abandoned amusement park were in her hands.
From now on, she would be the manager of this amusement park.
If she wanted to, she could come to the amusement park every day, and no one would find it strange.
In fact, if she didn’t come, people might find it odd.
Now the problem arose: to reopen this abandoned amusement park, Gu Yi’an needed to renovate it and contact suppliers for equipment and materials.
This was definitely not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
There would be no playing for now. On the contrary, a pile of tasks awaited her.
Gu Yi’an silently flipped through the documents.
Her silence made the atmosphere around her somewhat oppressive and quiet.
It clearly signaled one thing.
She was in a bad mood.
Suddenly, a corner of a notebook quietly slipped into Gu Yi'an's field of vision.
It was a notebook Gu Yi'an was all too familiar with.
It didn't dare reveal too much of itself.
It only allowed a tiny corner to appear at the edge of Gu Yi'an's sight, cautiously testing how much tolerance she had for it at the moment.
Gu Yi'an kept her gaze steady, watching to see what the notebook would do next.
Under the sunlight, the notebook's corner cast a shadow on the documents.
The notebook quietly retracted.
Then, it tentatively extended its corner again.
Was she really that terrifying?
Gu Yi'an's previously foul mood dissipated somewhat upon seeing this cautious notebook.
Forget it, Lu Zize's intentions were good, he probably just wanted everyone to have fun together in the future and hadn't considered the renovation work involved.
Gu Yi'an looked up.
Sure enough, Lu Zize, who had been standing beside her earlier, had vanished. In his place was the notebook, now hovering mid-air, quietly trying to inch its way onto the documents.
Once the notebook realized Gu Yi'an had noticed it, it slowly shifted to cover the documents she had been reading, then opened automatically. A line of black text appeared on its own.
"I was wrong."
Gu Yi'an was taken aback.
Why was the notebook apologizing right off the bat?
If she really thought about it, the notebook hadn't done anything wrong. It was just that buying an amusement park was far from what she had imagined when she thought of "going out to have fun."
In her mind, "going out to have fun" meant relaxation, but the reality was that she was about to face a mountain of work.
The notebook's apology came so quickly that Gu Yi'an felt a twinge of guilt, as if she had bullied it.
Hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke, "...You didn't do anything wrong."
Her expression was serious, making it clear that she meant every word.
Upon hearing this, a new line of text appeared on the notebook's page.
"Whatever you say is right."
How was she supposed to respond to that?
Gu Yi'an was at a loss with the notebook.
Its attitude was too perfect, leaving no room for criticism.
Gu Yi'an glanced at the desolate scene beyond the iron gate.
Renovating this place into a new amusement park would undoubtedly cost a fortune.
After a moment's thought, she took out her phone.
She still had memories from her previous cycles through the worlds and recalled the portly uncle who had sold her the peace talisman wanting to team up with her to exorcise ghosts.
Back then, the chubby uncle had offered her a 30-70 split.
The client’s reward was apparently 500,000, which meant she would get 350,000. Even after taxes, it was still a substantial amount.
Although such generous clients were rare, it highlighted the lucrative nature of the ghost-exorcism industry.
Gu Yi’an assessed her own capabilities.
She had the Hanged Ghost and the Little Girl under her care, both powerful enough to sweep through most threats. Add to that the unpredictable strength of the notebook, and she felt confident she wouldn’t have to worry about her abilities when entering the ghost-exorcism industry.
Gu Yi’an dialed her brother Gu Tianjing’s number.
This time, she intended to proactively ask for the chubby uncle’s contact information so he could introduce her to the ghost-exorcism trade.
Because from now on, she needed to earn money to support her family and build an amusement park.
Eight players hid in the bushes behind the mountain path.
They watched as a villager, his face etched with worry, walked past along the trail.
After a while, once the villager had moved farther away, one of them finally spoke.
“Xiao Cheng, is this the person you said would lead us up the mountain?”
The speaker was a straightforward, honest-looking male player.
Hearing his voice, Xiao Cheng replied, “Brother Wei, you have to trust me. I’m not lying. This is the third time. We failed the previous two attempts.”
The others remained skeptical of Xiao Cheng’s words.
She claimed to be an experienced player who had reset the timeline twice.
The first time, they went up the mountain and encountered ghosts, resulting in many deaths. Xiao Cheng had no choice but to reset.
The second time, they went down the mountain and found a woman, but she was overwhelmingly powerful, nearly wiping them out. Xiao Cheng had no choice but to reset again.
Xiao Cheng said, “The task hint’s ‘wish’ refers to the desires of the ghosts on the mountain. As long as we kill her, we can complete the mission.”
Her tone was firm.
However, the other players didn’t fully trust Xiao Cheng.
Anyone faced with someone claiming the world had reset twice would naturally doubt their words.
There were too many aspects of Xiao Cheng’s story that could be fabricated.
The other players were still unfamiliar with this world and couldn’t verify the truth of her statements.
Hiding behind the bushes, they watched the villager Xiao Cheng had mentioned pass by on the mountain path, which slightly bolstered their trust in her.
The male player referred to as Brother Wei glanced at the thoughtful expressions of the others, then at Xiao Cheng’s pleading look that seemed to say, “Brother Wei, you have to believe me.” He could only sigh deeply.
He partially believed Xiao Cheng.
He believed she had reset the timeline.
She mentioned possessing a time-reversal item.
Lying about something like that seemed unnecessary, especially since such items often attracted deadly trouble.
Brother Wei had already noticed greedy glints in the eyes of some male players. When he shot them a warning look, they quickly lowered their heads.
While Brother Wei trusted that the world had reset, he didn’t believe her claimed number of resets, her interpretation of the “wish” in the beginner’s hint, or her explanations for the two previous failures.
His intuition told him Xiao Cheng was hiding a lot from them.
But there was nothing to be done, Xiao Cheng trusted him too much.
She had willingly revealed her time-reversal item and the fact that they had reset, even letting the other players in on it.
Her unwavering trust left Brother Wei feeling both helpless and bewildered.
He truly didn't recognize this girl.
Nor could he trust Xiao Cheng the way she trusted him.
Brother Wei had no choice but to speak up: "Let's give Xiao Cheng some trust. We'll send someone to secretly investigate the village and verify her words. What do you think, Xiao Cheng?"
Xiao Cheng didn't care about the others' opinions.
Hearing Brother Wei's words, she turned to the other players looking at her and said, "Do whatever you want."
Xiao Cheng showed two different faces to Brother Wei and the other players.
To the former, her tone was gentle, but to the latter, it carried a hint of rejection.
Xiao Cheng said, "Brother Wei, let's go find that person. I already know her exact location. If we prepare carefully this time, we can definitely complete the mission."
Brother Wei forced a stiff smile at Xiao Cheng.
This self-absorbed girl still hadn't grasped that his words actually meant he didn't trust her.
He also wanted to send someone to investigate the village to see if it matched what Xiao Cheng had said.
Brother Wei said, "We still don't know what the mission actually is. Let's investigate the village first before deciding. It's uncomfortable staying here anyway, we should leave."
They were currently hiding in bushes - the space was cramped, crowded, and was getting hot after staying too long.
Xiao Cheng heard Brother Wei's words.
She wasn't oblivious to the underlying meaning.
But Brother Wei had always defended her before.
This time, however, his words were filled with distance toward her.
Xiao Cheng's hand groped for a pocket watch in her pocket.
Should she start over again?
This version of Brother Wei probably wouldn't help her.
But if she started over, Brother Wei might not help her either.
The situation was almost identical to last time.
This time she had been more honest than before, and had worked hard to gain Brother Wei's trust.
Why was Brother Wei so wary of her this time?
That kind Brother Wei who had compassionately advised her seemed like someone she would never see again.
Xiao Cheng stared at Brother Wei for a while, making him almost break out in goosebumps.
During this time, the other players had gradually left the bushes and returned to the mountain path.
Xiao Cheng remembered what Brother Wei had told her before the reset - to use this time-related item less often.
The more you use this item, the more despair you feel.
Finally, she released her grip on the prop and withdrew her gaze.
Xiao Cheng turned and walked away from the bushes.
Brother Wei, still hidden in the thicket, recalled the look she had just given him. He decided it was best to keep his distance from this woman whose thoughts he couldn’t fathom. That glare of hers had felt murderous.
Gripping his tool tightly, Brother Wei prepared himself for any sudden attack from Xiao Cheng.
The eight players regrouped on the mountain path. Among them was an experienced female player with above-average looks, calm and gentle in demeanor. She spoke up, “Xiao Cheng mentioned we’ve reset twice, once on the mountain and once heading to the village. Some of you might doubt her words, but I believe her.” She offered Xiao Cheng a friendly smile.
Xiao Cheng avoided her gaze, her expression neither pleasant nor outright hostile.
A few sharp-eyed players, Brother Wei among them, noticed Xiao Cheng’s clear aversion to the woman.
Unfazed by the cold shoulder, the female player maintained her composure, simply ceasing to smile at Xiao Cheng. She continued at her usual pace, sharing her thoughts. “I agree with Brother Wei that we should investigate the village, but let’s make a change this time: we’ll scout secretly without alerting the villagers. Xiao Cheng also mentioned that in her experience, we were driven out by them. The village must be hiding secrets they won’t share with outsiders.”
Her suggestion gained general approval.
Of course, Xiao Cheng didn’t voice her opinion; her bias against the female player was obvious to all. Regardless of whether Xiao Cheng’s claims were true, everyone agreed it was wise to be cautious around the villagers and follow the proposed plan.
After some discussion, they decided to send experienced players equipped with tools to eavesdrop discreetly in the village. As for the novice players, an experienced one would stay behind to watch over them and prevent any mishaps.
Xiao Cheng was ultimately chosen as the one to remain.
Since part of the group’s goal in entering the village was to verify the truth of her statements, her staying behind made sense.
Brother Wei noticed the displeasure in Xiao Cheng’s expression, and the other experienced players shot him looks, urging him to calm her down. He felt betrayed by his teammates, he had no desire to interact with Xiao Cheng, who always regarded him with the resentment of a jilted lover.
But he had no memory of the resets and no idea what kind of relationship they might have had. Moreover, based on his self-awareness, Brother Wei was certain he wouldn’t be attracted to someone like Xiao Cheng. There couldn’t have been any romantic entanglement between them.
Could it be that Xiao Cheng had a secret crush on him? Brother Wei dismissed the thought, he knew his own limits.
In this situation, since Xiao Cheng seemed to trust only him, he had no choice but to step up and reassure her. Reluctantly, he put on a pleading expression and said, “Xiao Cheng, please.”
Xiao Cheng had observed his entire hesitant process. The more he acted like this, the more she remembered the Brother Wei from before the reset, the one who would always accommodate her, a good man who kept his promises, who stood by her side and shielded her from other players, not the one who now sided with them to persuade her.
It seemed she would never see that wonderful Brother Wei again.
If we were to start over again, it probably wouldn’t make much sense.
She had already repeated this same scenario four times.
If it were to restart once more, Xiao Cheng wasn’t sure she could endure it.
Moreover, that woman named Gu Yi’an wasn’t someone she could handle alone.
It wouldn’t hurt to let these players investigate further. When the time came, they could confront that woman together.
Xiao Cheng’s thoughts raced, but her gaze couldn’t help lingering on Brother Wei’s face, which was filled with caution as he watched her.
Starting over again.
It seemed like everything had changed.
Xiao Cheng remained silent for a moment before finally nodding in agreement to stay behind and watch over the newbie players.
Brother Wei and the three other veteran players, equipped with their tools, vanished from Xiao Cheng’s sight in an instant.
Xiao Cheng glanced at the newbie players present, then shifted her gaze to the end of the mountain path where Brother Wei and the others had disappeared.
Seeing Xiao Cheng’s aloof and unapproachable demeanor, the other newbie players didn’t dare to strike up a conversation or ask about the details of The Game of the Gods.
Suddenly, everything fell into silence.
Time seemed to crawl by.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed.
The sun in the sky appeared almost motionless, hanging high above.
Eventually, the figures of Brother Wei and the three other veteran players reappeared in Xiao Cheng’s line of sight.
As soon as Xiao Cheng spotted Brother Wei, she rushed over to him.
Her action made Brother Wei twitch his lips, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare say anything to her.
The moment he thought about speaking, Xiao Cheng’s eyes welled up with tears.
Brother Wei didn’t dare utter a single word.
Once everyone had gathered, Brother Wei remained silent. It was the female player who had earlier suggested they investigate covertly who spoke up.
She said, “We’ve figured things out. Last year, a group of students came here for a trip and accidentally discovered that the mountain temple was fabricated by a few villagers. Those villagers used the mountain god as a pretext to swindle money from neighboring villages. To prevent the truth from leaking, they killed the entire class of students who had come to visit, claiming they had offended the mountain god and died as a result.”
“Those villagers have now faced retribution, they’ve died one after another. When we investigated, we found that nearly every household had lost someone.”
The female player shared her perspective, “I think the newbie hint about ‘wishes’ in this game is related to those deceased students. It’s likely they’re the ones causing the villagers to die off one by one. Their wish is probably to have their true cause of death revealed to the world.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Cheng interjected, “You’re overthinking it. It has nothing to do with those villagers. Their wish is definitely about that ‘lucky one.’ Brother Wei, let’s go find that lucky one.”
Since these players didn't believe her, Xiao Cheng decided not to take them to find Gu Yi'an.
Xiao Cheng turned her gaze to Brother Wei.
Brother Wei avoided her eyes, cleared his throat awkwardly, and said, "We tracked down the place where they disposed of the murder weapons. They were so guilty they even burned incense there. Now we have evidence, so we can report it to the police and let the people of this world handle it."
His words served as a supplement to what the female player had said earlier.
Xiao Cheng shot a glare at the female player before turning back to stare intently at Brother Wei.
Brother Wei had no choice but to voice his true thoughts.
He said, "Xiao Cheng, we made some inquiries, and the information we got doesn't match what you provided. After discussing it, we believe their wish is likely to bring those villagers to justice. How about this, let's go report it to the police first. If that doesn't help us clear the level, we'll go find the lucky one you mentioned."
Although Brother Wei didn't actually think they were wrong.
He only said this to brush Xiao Cheng off.
Xiao Cheng could easily detect the insincerity in his words. She looked at him silently.
This Brother Wei was not the one she knew, the one who treated her as a teammate and genuinely cared for her.
Xiao Cheng stood still, closed her eyes for a moment.
She could sense her emotions at that moment.
She was heartbroken.
She wanted to cry.
She would have to go on alone.
Because her teammates were gone.
But she didn't want to be alone.
Xiao Cheng opened her eyes and said, "Do as you wish. I'll just tell you one thing, you will definitely fail."
Her words prompted a few players to cast slightly disgusted looks her way.
While everyone was working hard to complete the task, this person was making sarcastic remarks.
How unpleasant.
If Brother Wei hadn't firmly shaken his head at the other players, stopping them from taking action, some of them would have really wanted to confront Xiao Cheng.
Though Xiao Cheng didn't participate in the plan, she stuck close to Brother Wei and moved along with the other players.
To report to the police as quickly as possible, the players stole a tricycle belonging to one of the villagers, drove out of the village, and, following directions from passersby, headed to the police station.
The police in this world were quite efficient.
The case involved multiple victims, and Brother Wei and the others had provided detailed information about the location of the murder weapons.
By noon, several police cars had entered the village.
There was a small incident along the way: one villager thought the police had come to return his stolen tricycle. Overjoyed, he welcomed the police into the village and asked if they were there to follow up on the report he had filed that morning.
Other villagers also mistakenly believed the police were there for that reason, so none of the culprits fled or moved the murder weapons.
Under the direction of Brother Wei and the other players, the murder weapons were found, and the relevant individuals were arrested.
The players watched as the police arrested several households of villagers.
Everyone exchanged glances.
The middle-aged male player said, "That's not right. The truth has been uncovered, the real culprits have been arrested, we should have cleared the level by now."
He looked puzzledly at the female player who had earlier guessed that the wish was to arrest the real culprits.
The female player also realized something was wrong and was deep in thought.
Brother Wei, on the other hand, looked conflicted and turned his gaze to Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng ignored Brother Wei, glanced at the other veteran players, and said, "I told you their wish wasn't about the villagers. Do you still think they're human? How could a human's wish be the same as a ghost's?"
Her words carried a hint of sarcasm.
The female player, hearing Xiao Cheng's words, ignored the sarcasm and proactively asked, "Are you guessing their wish is related to that person who didn’t attend the class reunion back then?"
Xiao Cheng chuckled and said, "Isn’t it obvious? Their wish can only be to kill the villagers or that lucky one. They’ve already killed the villagers themselves, so only the lucky one remains."
The female player pondered Xiao Cheng’s words thoughtfully.
She said, "I think I know what their wish is."
Xiao Cheng rolled her eyes and retorted, "Are you deaf? I said it’s to kill that woman."
The female player didn’t take offense at Xiao Cheng’s remark. She said, "Their wish should be for the whole class to be together."
"Together in death?" the middle-aged male player inquired.
He mostly believed what Xiao Cheng had said.
The female player shook her head.
She explained, "This wish refers to the collective desire of those ghosts, and none of us disagree on that. They traveled as a whole class and camped overnight on the mountaintop. If we camp on the mountaintop, what’s the main reason? Most likely, it’s to watch the sunrise. So, isn’t it possible that their shared wish is for the whole class to watch the sunrise together?"
Xiao Cheng, hearing the female player’s words, sneered, "How could that be?"
The female player wasn’t angered by her response. She said, "Even though ghosts aren’t human, they were once people and still have emotions. You should try to see the world in a kinder light."
Xiao Cheng didn’t respond.
The female player said, "Let’s invite that person to come watch the sunrise once. If she’s unwilling, we won’t force her, we’ll just convey the ghosts’ wish to her."
Noon.
Gu Yi’an finished the ghost-exorcism task with the chubby uncle and returned alone to her rented place.
This exorcism task involved the same little ghost from Gu Yi’an’s memory.
She had successfully contacted the chubby uncle in the morning, met up with him half an hour later, and within another hour, the two of them smoothly left the client’s house.
The whole process was so quick and smooth that even the chubby uncle got a bit carried away.
The chubby uncle wanted to treat Gu Yi’an to a meal, but she declined.
For some reason, she didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry even by noon.
After thinking it over, Gu Yi’an could only attribute it to one reason: the bracelet on her wrist was gone.
Speaking of which, where did the infant spirits from that bracelet go?
Gu Yi'an placed the notebook on the desk and asked it, "Where have the infant spirits gone?"
The notebook automatically opened, and a line of text appeared on it: "In our amusement park."
Gu Yi'an: "..."
Our amusement park?
That abandoned amusement park from today?
Did Lu Zize throw all those little infant spirits in there?
How could he do something so excessive?
Gu Yi'an could only say, "That's an abandoned amusement park."
You can't just throw the little infant spirits there.
Gu Yi'an's somewhat cold attitude made the notebook feel a bit wronged.
It explained, "There are many ghosts keeping them company."
Many ghosts?
Gu Yi'an stared at the text on the notebook, hoping she had misread it.
But unfortunately, she hadn't.
If the notebook said there were many ghosts, then it probably wasn't just a few.
Didn't that mean there were a lot of ghosts in that amusement park?
Wait, Gu Yi'an suddenly realized she might have misunderstood something.
She thought she needed to renovate the abandoned amusement park, but perhaps Lu Zize's intention was to create a ghost-themed amusement park filled with spirits.
To humans, it was abandoned, but to ghosts, it was their paradise.
The little infant spirits were probably having a great time playing there.
Gu Yi'an fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. "Is there something wrong with my body? I don't seem to feel hungry anymore."
The notebook paused, and another line of text appeared.
"I will help you find a new body."
Gu Yi'an was taken aback.
Was her current body no longer suitable?
As she thought this, she suddenly heard an extremely unpleasant voice eagerly say by her ear, "Your Highness, your current body is suited for this. This is a fresh offering I specially obtained. I haven't touched a single bite and have brought it especially for you."
It was the voice of the Hanged Ghost.
Caught completely off guard, Gu Yi'an turned toward the source of the sound.
She saw the adult-sized Hanged Ghost holding two severed, bloodied limbs that were clearly human thighs, standing less than a meter away from her.
"Your Highness, this is premium meat, tender and fresh. Please allow me to make up for my mistakes..."
The Hanged Ghost wore an especially fawning expression, eagerly offering the items in its hands to Gu Yi'an.
The Hanged Ghost's reasoning was simple: since the Princess Consort's body could now consume human flesh, it hurried to present the finest meat to her.
From then on, it would be the number one trusted aide under the Princess Consort.
"Don't come closer."
Though she had been calm before, Gu Yi'an was completely unsettled by the Hanged Ghost's forceful attempt to hand her the limbs.
The Hanged Ghost was trying to make her eat human flesh.
Gu Yi'an blurted out the words in a panic and turned her gaze to the other side.
There, she saw the notebook instantly transform into human form.
Lu Zize stood beside her. Though his expression was gentle and his eyes carried a smile, his aura was powerful, making him appear exceptionally reliable.
He was someone she could depend on.
In her panic, Gu Yi'an unconsciously sought refuge. She abruptly stood up and embraced him.
The Hanged Ghost finally realized its actions had frightened the Princess Consort. It tried to hide the food in its hands to avoid further scaring her.
By chance, the Hanged Ghost looked up and saw the two embracing.
The Hanged Ghost froze.
It seemed it had messed up, but in doing so, it had inadvertently facilitated another good outcome.