Chapter 131: Salvation

Not far west of the Evil Spirit Mine, the land remained blanketed in forest. Tucked away within this woodland lay a clearing.

Tied to the trees surrounding the clearing were people whose eyes were wide with terror. Their hands were bound behind the trunks with black electronic locks—a deceptively simple restraint from which escape seemed impossible. They were men and women of varying ages, but they shared a common trait: all were either infirm, elderly, or disabled.

In the center of the clearing, a black walkie-talkie the size of a brick sat atop a wooden stake, crackling with sound.

"Greetings, everyone. I would like to play a game with you."

"There is only one goal for this game: to please the Supreme Beings who have descended upon our Earth. If the Supremes are amused, you may have a chance at survival."

"What comes to mind when you hear that?"

The captives looked at one another. Among them, those with a bit more wit or worldly experience immediately thought of a certain place.

A sickly young man, head bowed, replied weakly, "Are you talking about the arenas of Ancient Rome?"

"Spot on! You are now gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. When the noble Supremes applaud your performance, you shall live."

"Now, let the game begin."

At this, some of the bound captives began to plead feebly.

"Please, let us go. We are all elderly, weak, or ill; we can’t be gladiators..."

"Have mercy. It’s hard enough just to stay alive in this world; please, don’t make things any harder for us."

Many began to weep.

"Fools," the voice from the walkie-talkie sneered. "You should feel lucky. Since you are useless, your only remaining purpose is to provide the Supremes with entertainment! You should be proud that your sacrifice can buy us a little more time to survive."

Resentment burned in the hearts of the captives, their faces etched with a sense of helplessness. Those vicious, evil entities were truly beyond their power to resist; only a tiny fraction of humanity possessed the strength to combat them.

"That’s a fine way to put it, but it’s nothing more than the weak wielding blades against the weaker," the sickly young man spoke up again. "To trade the lives of your own kind to amuse those monsters—how shameless."

The others nodded, followed quickly by waves of worry and terror. Didn't this young man fear provoking the mysterious game master? But then, some felt a sense of resignation; looking at his frail, deathly state, he likely wouldn't live for more than a few days anyway.

"Ignorant, foolish creatures. You have no idea of the power of the Supremes!" The walkie-talkie crackled with anger. "Compared to them, we aren't even like ants to humans; we are like pebbles to men! Any struggle on our part is futile! We are alive only because we still hold a modicum of value for their amusement!"

Before the sickly young man could speak again, a new voice emerged from the walkie-talkie:

"Enough. Explaining things to you ignorant fools is a waste of my time and ruins the spectacle of the game."

"Now, the game begins."

The clearing fell into a heavy silence, waiting for the game to unfold.

"Wang Hai, you were once a well-known carpenter in your area; you must be skilled with a saw. Your lock will be opened. You have half an hour to find a handsaw hidden nearby. Then, you must choose three people from this group and saw open their bodies. Inside the stomachs of these three, you will find slips of paper containing the password for your electronic lock. With that password, you can rescue your sick son."

"Hint one: If you perform quickly and well, your son's terminal illness will have a cure. Hint two: Your son’s peers hold his fate in their hands."

"Come now, base and useless creatures. Let us please the Supremes and fight for our last, insignificant scrap of survival space."

The captives were horrified, trembling as they craned their necks, desperate to identify who among them was Wang Hai. If this man was stupid, he would likely kill everyone except himself and his son!

Just then, an electronic lock clicked open.

It was an old man, around seventy, his face weathered by the elements. He looked stubborn, and though his eyes held fear, he managed to maintain a modicum of composure.

"Old man, find the saw and help us cut these trees!" someone pleaded.

"Yes, save us!"

"Have mercy, we are all innocent, miserable people..."

The others joined in the desperate cries.

The old man said nothing. Instead, he walked with trembling steps toward a middle-aged man whose head hung low, his face deathly pale. The man was around thirty-five, gaunt and emaciated, clearly suffering from a grave illness. He kept his eyes closed, breathing shallowly, as if he lacked the energy to even acknowledge the life-or-death situation unfolding around him. In truth, for him, perhaps dying now would be a relief. People usually fear death, but there is one exception: when life is worse than death.

"Son, your illness can be cured... Father is coming to save you," he whispered, then opened his eyes wide and began searching for the hidden saw.

"Old man, what are you saying? You mean to kill us?" Panic rippled through the crowd.

They finally understood why the mysterious figure had released this old man first!

"We are all human," someone begged weakly. "Humans shouldn't kill humans."

"Yes, we are all poor souls. Can't we avoid hurting each other?"

The sickly young man shook his head helplessly, though he remained silent. He knew well that to trust others blindly was foolish; even in times of peace, countless people were swindled, let alone now. Besides, this man was a lackey for a devil! He knew that in films and stories, devils loved nothing more than watching people fall into total despair just as hope appeared.

At this moment, a sinister laugh echoed from the walkie-talkie.

"Excellent, Wang Hai. You have made the right choice. Stupid, ignorant fools—you know nothing of the mysteries of this universe. If we want to survive, we must offer up our most humble knees. Our greatest value is to serve as cheap AI for this Earthly game..."

...

Meanwhile, inside one of the trees, a voice was speaking.

"Yangyang, is that guy really that bad? But he hasn't hurt that good person yet, has he?" the voice asked, sounding troubled.

"Foolish Yang, everyone faces birth, aging, sickness, and death. That 'good person' you speak of will face that day sooner or later. Do you want to see him tied to a tree in the future?" the fierce girl coaxed.

"Hmm, it seems he must die," the voice changed its tone.

"Very good. He is a monster—half-tree, half-human—and he possesses the same means to control us trees. I discovered him when I was attacking this forest, but I could never deal with him. After all, my ability to control trees is far inferior to yours," the girl said excitedly.

"Fine, leave it to me."

"Wait, aren't you going to save those people? They are about to be cruelly sawed open," the fierce girl asked with surprise.

"What's the point of saving them?" the voice replied curiously. "I only need to eliminate those who pose a threat to him. What meaning is there in saving the others?"

"Fine, fine, I understand your intentions. Save them or don't—it makes no difference to my grand ambition of conquest anyway." The fierce girl stopped persuading, not wanting to risk further variables.