Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 451: Chapter 68: Little Fish... Sister

(For the Silver Covenant, random additional updates are not possible, progress 66/100.)

Outside the tower, Food Town Streets.

The long-abandoned streets of Food Town hide countless secrets, and the entire city is permeated with the breath of death and desolation.

There are many areas here with special rules, which have also led quite a few Evil Fallen to start leaving the city after the area restrictions are lifted.

But there is one place that seems out of place in this city.

It is a ring.

The core is a circular road that encircles the whole of Food Town. On either side of the road, at certain intervals, there is a telephone booth.

In the eerie telephone booths, the sound of a ringing phone has not been heard for a long time.

Jing Liu held Jing Si’s hand and led Jing Si towards a certain telephone booth.

They didn’t look like siblings, more like a couple.

But the hand holding Jing Si’s was only to suppress the twist within Jing Si’s body.

Not long ago, Jing Liu had sent her own confidant outside the mist, because the world outside the mist was starting to get exciting.

"Brother, how are you feeling now?"

Jing Si shook his head, seemingly in pain.

"It’s about to happen. You... get away from me..."

A low growl like that of a wild beast came from Jing Si’s throat, as if he was desperately suppressing some kind of desire.

The night sky studded with stars began to slowly disperse. Stars started to rise, and then began to fall.

Gradually, the starry night sky enveloped Jing Si. When it completely surrounded him, Jing Si would fall into a state of madness.

Jing Liu was not afraid; she could see some of the future and was very clear about the timing of her brother’s "madness."

"Is there a place you wish to go? Once we get Reincarnation, I will take you there..."

"Lamp, forest."

"So you really can’t forget about Professor Tao?"

Jing Si nodded with some difficulty.

"Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to take you to that place now... Even the causality here is the causality of Food Town, and my power is no longer sufficient for us to change such a past yet to come."

The obsessions of numerous Evil Fallen were transformed by the Power of Causality into telephone booths. These telephone booths actually have extremely powerful rules, but such rules are like a lock.

The key needed to unlock this lock is the Power of Causality.

Bai Wu had once been here and had undergone several causal travels. They were actually all instigated by Jing Liu.

The harbor of Food Town saved Wen Hao, the streets saved Lin Rui, and the outskirts saved Gu Hailin.

Apart from Yin Shuang’s telephone, which made Bai Wu feel very strange, nearly everything here had something to do with Food Town.

And they all had something to do with Jing Liu, because in her eyes, Wen Hao, Bai Wu, refuge, Masked Man were all important chess pieces used to restrain her opponents.

One of Jing Liu’s pupils had turned white. The vision in her eyes had also faded a lot.

Not long ago, she had used the Power of Causality again.

The starry sky covered everything.

Jing Si confined himself within the starry sky, while Jing Liu left from afar.

She waited for the next time her brother would briefly become lucid.

As the Inverted Well Domain completely covered the space, a few strands of Jing Si’s fluttering hair outside the domain also became transparent.

"Brother, I will find the High Tower and let you end all this."

The savior does exist.

This was something Jing Liu once said. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

However, the three words "savior" held a different, more insane meaning in the eyes of Jing Liu.

The opening of the Well, the Ark’s arrival outside the Mist, Bai Wu’s reach beyond the Mist, and even Shen Shuyue’s recent arrival outside the Mist, all were within Jing Liu’s causal loop.

She and Jing Yi shared the same goal—to make the High Tower reappear.

But when the High Tower truly appeared, she and Jing Yi would become the greatest rivals.

As for the former opponents on this chessboard, the Masked Strange Person, Jing Wu, Jing San...

In Jing Liu’s view, they were insignificant.

It wasn’t that their strength wasn’t formidable but that their causality was destined not to enter the interior of the High Tower.

...

...

Thousands of years ago, when religions were numerous, Fuyue New Island and Fuyue Old Island were once one country.

In that era when religion was most powerful, due to new religions, new doctrines, the country split in two.

Over thousands of years of history, religious strife became less intense, relatively milder. People from Fuyue Old Island and Fuyue New Island began to engage in trade.

There were even organizations like the Religions Association, where, under one signboard, you could see the symbols of different religious sects such as Manichaeism, Wuwei Religion, New Fortune Religion, Old Fortune Religion, Brahmanism, and so on.

They also had their own office buildings, located very close to each other, where they could even sit together to play mahjong.

This was an interesting phenomenon; you could hear the words of several sects at one mahjong table—

"May the Holy Father bless me and let me draw the one-dot tile, Amen."

"Buddha’s mercy is boundless, as they say ’my self-drawing leads to my victory.’"

"The way of Dao is natural, don’t lose heart, my friends. This great four joys hand that I have aligns with the heavens; how could you not be defeated?"

Seven hundred years later, today, religion is merely about pure faith, devoid of so much political implication.

People are increasingly believing in the spiritual purification that religion can bring.

In Fuyue New Island, a man adorned with Buddha Beads but holding a rosary in his hand, wearing a priest’s robe, was blessing a woman.

"Which sect’s deity do you need to protect you? The Taoist Ancestor, the Buddha, or the Holy Father? Or perhaps the Karma Queen?"

The woman was not very polite:

"I want to see my father, and I know you are the contact person."

"Amitabha, the Lord will guide you to the truth. May you and your father reunite soon, Amitabha Buddha." After joining his hands, the man then traced a Z on his chest.

The woman revealed the tattoo on her hand:

"No matter who you are, I hope you can weigh your own status!"

The Black Spade Q.

When he saw this tattoo, the charlatan of many faiths did not react much.

"As far as I know, some people in Sheng Country like to tattoo the Black Spade Q on their ankles, meaning ’for black people only’, venerating black people. Although Sheng Country is no more, and although I, a mixed-faith charlatan, believe in the Equality of All Beings, I still suggest that you see a psychologist."

"However, since yours is on the wrist, I sincerely hope no black person has harassed you."

"You’re angering me, you lowly card!"

Black Spade Q was ready to make a move, though after she had transformed into Evil Fallen not long ago and the Distorted World had come less than a year ago, her combat capabilities were still weak.

But Q’s natural talent afforded her formidable top-grade skills.

Whether it was the growth ceiling or the rate of growth, she was definitely beyond the likes of Xu Ling, beyond those like McDro at the Numeric Level.

In this newly distorted world, she didn’t believe anyone could withstand her.

But just as she was about to make a move, behind this multifaceted charlatan’s back, suddenly appeared the swastika golden symbol of Manichaeism and the z-shaped red symbol of the Old Fortune Religion.

The Queen of Spades suddenly stopped, feeling that if she were to take one more step forward, she would fall into an abyss.

The charlatan’s smile was not quite a smile as he twisted his Buddha Beads in one hand and lightly waved his duster with the other:

"I’m simply reluctant to state a fact. Why must you be so angry?"

"What fact?"

"Your mother is dead, your father is dead. You have no father."

The Queen of Spades flew into a rage: "Your memory has been erased? You’d better remember your duties. You are just a messenger!"

"Sigh..." The charlatan drew out a long sigh:

"You’re still young, not knowing that we gatekeepers often end up being the hidden bosses."

The Queen of Spades was stunned.

Because behind the charlatan, both the swastika and the Z insignias disappeared, revealing a giant letter now emerging behind him—

K.

"You are... K?"

Xi Yunzi revealed his wrist, which bore no tattoos.

"Ah, I’m not particularly fond of that title. See, I wouldn’t carry such marks."

"Even though these markings are hard to remove, my monastic name is Forget Dust, my Taoist name is Xi Yunzi, and I have been given the name Nero by God. Take your pick, call me whichever you think sounds best."

The charlatan seemed to consider which name sounded better.

The Queen of Spades was perplexed, staring at him in astonishment:

"Impossible, Dad said there’s no K... Dad couldn’t lie to me... I am his most beloved daughter..."

"How can you still speak of what your father said when you have no father? Oh, now that I think about it, you should call me Xi Yunzi."

Xi Yunzi decided to refer to himself this way, and although he was a composite charlatan, he still preferred the Wuwei Religion.

"Does it not seem fitting? I like the Wuwei Religion, with its philosophy of quietism and returning to nature that held sway 700 years ago in Sheng Country, far above other religions. But don’t assume that I am just another Manichaeism pawn, or a pawn of some new or old religious faction. In fact, every faction has its merits; it’s just that I may lack enough insight."

The Queen of Spades had no desire to listen to Xi Yunzi go on about this.

But Xi Yunzi was such a person, sometimes sparing with his words, at times appearing contemplative, other times verbose to the point of annoyance.

"Even if... even if you are K, even if there truly is a K, Dad told me to find him through you. K must obey Dad’s orders as well."

The Queen of Spades didn’t know how vast the gap between herself and K was, and her tone betrayed a hint of fear.

"I only obey the orders of the Taoist Ancestor, Buddha, the Holy Father, and Karma’s Mother. One must have faith, and their faith must be far stronger than themselves. Although you can consider that ’father’ of yours as your faith, for me, he is not worthy enough to be my faith."

Xi Yunzi spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The Queen of Spades retorted angrily:

"You dare to blaspheme Dad."

Xi Yunzi shook his head and sighed:

"Why still call him Dad? Don’t you know that the moment distortion arrived, we transformed from humans into the Evil Fallen, and do you know why?"

The Queen of Spades was at a loss, and she unconsciously stepped back:

"Why... why?"

Xi Yunzi was patient:

"Because we are discarded cards, get it? Our potential is limited, unlike the ace held by your ’father.’ Of course, when the time comes, all aces can also become discardable. But that day is very, very far off, tsk tsk."

"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us since we’ve become discardable cards. In the next game of cards, or chess, we’ll either be eliminated by the Light Arrow Knight or another great figure. My purpose is merely to test the opponent’s methods. Why are you so smug? Even Buddha thinks you’re foolish..."

After saying this, Xi Yunzi added:

"Have you ever seen anyone return from the Land of Bliss? Have you seen any Evil Fallen there?"

"No..."

"There you have it, you’re the Queen of Spades from the Spade faction, and you guys are best at manipulating hearts. But look at you, not only did you fail to sow discord between mankind and the powers Inside the Mist, but you also got duped by one person without even realizing it... So tell me, do you want to convert to my Buddhism, go to Heaven, or head to Ling Bo Prison?"

"I’m proficient in my job, whatever post-mortem service you want, be it transcendence, soul conjuring, spirit calling, I’m good at all of it."

Xi Yunzi looked at the Queen of Spades with kind and benevolent eyes.

The Queen of Spades exclaimed in shock:

"You want to kill me..."

"You are a key surveillance target, after all. Your death would be of great significance. As we have said earlier, you can’t return to the farm, so you might as well make yourself useful one last time."

The gaze of Xi Yunzi became ever more amiable:

"You... want to betray Dad?"

"No, no, no, even though he isn’t my faith, I do respect him. Even though I’m a discarded card, I’m well aware that he will be the final winner. I’ve got to have some merit, right? Can’t just be a deadbeat. When that era comes, I should at least fare a little better, shouldn’t I? I love God, but I don’t want to meet Him too soon."

Xi Yunzi, with a smile reaching his eyes, squinted them into slits.

Squinting at the Queen of Spades, he gave her a chilling sense.

The Queen of Spades turned to flee, but the church doors were already closed.

This was a western-style church with Brahmanism murals around it and a Buddha statue worshiped in the center.

It symbolized religious harmony.

In fact, it was created by an artist decades ago, who was later burned to death.

But interestingly, this place was preserved, and many believers regarded it as a holy site.

And Xi Yunzi, the current King of Hearts, was its master. He had lived over a hundred years in this world under different identities.

Religion had given him some amusement.

"Buddha, Taoist Ancestor, and the Holy Father all hope you’ll consider carefully which side you want to join."

The doors and windows of this strange church were closed tight.

After the sound of snapping bones echoed, the church filled with the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, followed by standard prayers of the old religion.

After everything ended, Xi Yunzi stepped out of the church.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, burped contentedly, still squinting with kind and benevolent eyes, ready to start doing business.

However, at that moment, the cross in front of Xi Yunzi suddenly began to tremble.

"Yu’er? My, what a lovely day. I’ve missed you terribly, have you missed me? Would you be interested in joining the faith? Hmm... no, not Manichaeism, they don’t allow marriage. Maybe Wuwei Religion..."

Xi Yunzi was very happy.

In a distant place, in a dark room, a woman with her hair down was wearing a hospital gown, barefoot, squatting on a cold seat, holding a red gemstone indifferently as if she could transmit her voice to a far distance through it:

"Is it done?"

"Mmm, the Buddha ended up taking her in. Buddha sure has a big appetite these days, just like the saying goes ’meat and wine pass through—’"

Before Xi Yunzi could finish, the woman interrupted his spellcasting:

"As long as it’s done, it’s good. Have the other two been contacted? No problems with them, right?"

"All contacted, all contacted. Soon the four of us will meet. Can’t be making the same mistakes as these youngsters, with the enemy bearing down on us like this. We’ve got to sincerely seek the blessings of Buddha, Taoist Ancestor, and the Holy Father. If they can’t protect us, I guess I’ll add a few more small sects. Mmm, the god-king from the Aulora mythology might just be good enough to be my faith..."

Beep—

The busy signal on the phone, this was the nth time Xi Yunzi was hung up on by Xiaoyu because he talked too much.

Xi Yunzi didn’t mind and chuckled to himself before returning to the church, squinting his eyes, he began to pray.

Meanwhile, waiting for the four Kings to gather.