Who hid my body?

Chapter 356: Playing the cards

Rocky was terrified by the sudden sound.

The last time a man suddenly whispered behind him like this was when he first entered the Rhineland, by an old priest; ever since then, he's always the one behind other people.

It's back, it's all back.

Of course, more importantly, Rocky was completely unaware of the other party's presence. If the other party had any ill intentions, he would have already been defiled by now.

“Ring finger…” Rocky said through gritted teeth, “Don’t you think that’s a bit too impolite to greet someone like that?”

“There’s no other way,” the man replied. “If I want to see you without being noticed, this is the only way. If this offends you… well, there’s really nothing I can do about it.”

“You don’t need to add that last sentence,” Rocky said. “You said you’re the ring finger?”

“Yes, if you want to ask me why I’m not a woman…” the man said with a light laugh, “I could meet you with a woman’s body, but I’ve heard that the priests of Rhine prefer men to women…”

"Alright, enough with the pointless chatter." Rocky rudely interrupted the man, inwardly cursing, "Another hermaphrodite," before continuing, "Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for us to talk like this? At a time like this, is there any need for you to hold back?"

"This is just my personal habit, and I have no intention of revealing my hand at the moment," the man said with a smile. "So please forgive me."

He has a deep, resonant baritone voice, but the way he speaks is like that of a stupid, effeminate woman; it really does sound like a ring finger.

Although Rocky really wanted to turn around and see the real face of the ring finger lady, he was now at her mercy—he could feel something hard pressing against his back, which made him even more hesitant to move.

"Then what do you want from me?" Rocky asked irritably.

Diana, who was using Carter's body, said with a smile, "You shouldn't be surprised why I'm here, right?"

"...You want to know why Isaiah sought me out?" Rocky said coldly. "But why should I tell you?"

“If this was a private deal between you and your right eye, then you really didn’t need to tell me,” Diana said slowly. “But your behavior just now didn’t seem like you were discussing a deal properly.”

Rocky took a deep breath.

He felt very uncomfortable. Why did everyone in Peach Blossom Village seem to have the ability to read minds, while he knew nothing and was being led around like a monkey?

"That guy told me that his tongue, hands, and eyes have always been one person."

Despite his displeasure, Rocky told Diana everything Isaiah had told him. After all, he knew that in the current situation, Diana was the only one in Paradise who could be considered an ally, and the two of them were on the same side.

After listening to Rocky's story, Diana remained silent for a long time. If it weren't for the hard object pressing against his lower back, Rocky would have thought that Diana had already left.

After a long pause, Diana slowly spoke up: "What a shocking statement."

Do you think he's telling the truth?

“I can’t be sure, because there’s no clear evidence yet,” Diana said. “But if what he says is true, then Hand and Eye are the real masterminds, and in some ways even more terrifying than Right Eye, since Right Eye has already been pushed to its limit. If I could, I really wouldn’t want to face such an opponent.”

Rocky agreed with Diana's statement.

If Isaiah is telling the truth, then that guy Uru is far too terrifying.

There's not even a way to confirm whether he is actually Uru.

"So what do you think?" Rocky asked.

“Both of their claims are questionable,” Diana said. “The key point is that he said Isaiah didn’t hold the meeting in Paradise because it was no longer necessary. But as things stand, Isaiah still has a strong desire to communicate with us. There’s no reason for him not to hold the meeting in Paradise and instead use such a troublesome method to contact us.”

"He contacted you?" Rocky asked, puzzled. "When did he contact you?"

Diana: "...Is it possible that the reason he contacted you in public was because he guessed I was watching from the side, and therefore hoped to find me through you?"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Rocky suddenly realized: "So that's how it is!"

Seeing Rocky's reaction, Diana couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Having a teammate like that is a real headache.

Fortunately, with this guy in the middle, Diana didn't need to meet Isaiah directly to establish contact, which avoided a considerable risk. So Diana didn't say much, but continued the topic: "In the end, the reason why Isaiah didn't enter Paradise is just one side of the story."

“But if he really takes those three pieces of body parts, won’t he be unable to hide his identity once he enters Peach Blossom Village?” Rocky’s mind was unusually sharp. “In Peach Blossom Village, we can all see exactly how many pieces of body parts he has, so whatever he says will be useless.”

“You’re not wrong either.” Diana nodded slightly. “As long as Isaiah doesn’t enter Paradise, both versions of the story are possible. But this is something that can be questioned. We shouldn’t believe Isaiah, nor should we believe the hand and the eye.”

"Then who should we believe?"

“Trust in ourselves, trust in what we see with our own eyes,” Diana said in a deep voice. “If the doubts about Peach Blossom Village cannot be proven, then let’s go find another place where the doubts can be proven.”

"You mean that finger?" Rocky immediately realized the key point.

“Yes,” Diana said. “That finger is the key. Once it’s proven to be real, the Hand-Eye’s story… no, everything about the Hand-Eye can be overturned. His true identity, his phantom in Paradise… it’s all fake. We’re about to face an opponent more terrifying and mysterious than Isaiah, and more importantly, according to Isaiah, he’s been watching us all along.”

Rocky gasped.

“And if that finger is fake, it proves that Isaiah is lying and still wants to evade the obedience of the voice of heaven,” Diana said. “And if he succeeds, then there will be no one in the world who can stop him, and he can hunt us down without restraint.”

Rocky gasped again, his lungs aching from the cold air.

"So, if we make the wrong choice, we're doomed no matter what?" Rocky asked.

"That depends on how far they intend to go," Diana said calmly. "At least if they want to deal with us, it will be very difficult for us to resist. Of course, they might give up now, after all, the gods are still around, and your status is what it is... but are you really willing to bet that they will back down?"

Who the hell would dare to do that?

"Then what should we do?" Rocky asked.

“It’s very simple,” Diana said. “That finger is the key; it proves whether it’s real or fake.”

"So how do we prove it?"

“Do as he says,” Diana said. “Go find him and let him prove it to you.”

Rocky instinctively wanted to nod, but halfway down his head he suddenly realized something was wrong, and immediately burst out cursing: "After all that talk, you still want me to go and die?! Why don't you go yourself?!"

“It’s simple, because I’m still in the shadows,” Diana said calmly. “We’re in this together now; the risk of both of us being in the open is too great. My presence in the shadows ensures your safety.” “How can you guarantee my safety?”

“As long as Isaiah knows I’m watching you, he naturally won’t dare to lay a hand on you,” Diana said. “In that case, his identity will be exposed immediately. But if I’m in the open, he won’t have to worry about so much. Do you think that makes sense?”

Rocky thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense.

But even if that's true, sending him on such a risk is a bit too much...

Diana noticed Rocky's hesitation and said calmly, "Of course, you can refuse, and then leave everything to fate."

“You don’t need to threaten me like that.” Rocky retorted fiercely. “If it really comes to that, I’ll just hand the body parts back to Rhine City. What can they do to me then?”

"That is, if you can actually get back to the Rhine."

Rocky: "..."

Damn it, this is so annoying.

Rocky said irritably, "Then what do you want me to do?"

“Just like I just said, listen to Isaiah’s advice and let him choose a spot to prove himself. He has that eye, so he must know where the blind spots are. You can go there then.”

"Myself?"

"What do you think?"

"And you? You just stand there and watch?" Rocky said. "He has that eye; can you monitor him without attracting his attention?"

“Yes,” Diana said calmly. “Don’t forget, I also have [Watch] now.”

Rocky then remembered that Diana had also won the rule for the left eye from Uru.

“Any other questions?” Diana asked.

“Yes,” Rocky said. “How can I verify your identity?”

“Oh?” Diana raised Carter’s eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

"What if you're not the ring finger, but someone Isaiah sent to impersonate you?" Rocky said coldly. "That's still a possibility, isn't it? You deliberately set a trap for me, lured me in, and then took my share."

Diana remained silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Indeed, I cannot deny the existence of this possibility. So how would you like me to prove it?"

“You don’t need to prove it yourself,” Rocky said. “Before I go, I will inform my subordinates of my whereabouts. If I do not return, they will immediately notify the warden and have him activate the Voice of Obedience.”

"Interesting, is this considered a threat?"

“If you really did send someone from Isaiah in disguise,” Loki said, emphasizing each word, “it’s not too late to change your story.”

“Hmm, very good precautions.” Diana shrugged Carter’s shoulder and praised, “If you can stay this alert, I’ll have it much easier… Let’s proceed as planned. I’ll send someone to inform Isaiah for you. It will happen tonight.”

"Tonight?" Rocky frowned.

“Of course, we don’t have that much time, do we?” Diana said. “Finding out sooner whether our enemy is Isaiah or someone even more troublesome will save us a lot of trouble. Don’t forget that the four of us zombies are all in one place now… Well then, goodbye, Mr. Rocky.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Rocky felt the heavy object that had been pressing against his waist disappear, and then a calloused hand teasingly pinched his waist.

"Please don't look back before I leave," Diana said with a laugh in Carter's deep, husky voice, "so as not to embarrass everyone."

After saying that, the footsteps faded into the distance. Only then did Rocky turn around and realize that what had been pressed against his waist was not a weapon, but a piece of hardened black bread.

"Damn it," Rocky cursed under his breath, then immediately went outside and asked the chief knight guarding the door, "Who just left my room?"

The chief knight was taken aback: "Who is it?"

"I'm fucking asking you!" Rocky cursed, "It's a guy who looks like a man but gives off a very feminine vibe!"

The chief knight looked puzzled, and after a moment's thought, cautiously asked, "You mean your accompanying priests? Should we...?"

"Get lost! You bunch of useless trash!"

Loki turned back in a huff, leaving the chief knight looking bewildered and his subordinates who had rushed over after hearing the commotion looking at each other in confusion.

All of this also came to Bai Wei's attention.

"Is that really the plan?" Bai Wei stroked his chin. "It's quite an effective way to break the deadlock."

Clearly, the pressure Bai Wei had put on Isaiah had worked, and Isaiah decided to call him out immediately.

After all, in Diana and Rocky's eyes, Bai Wei should still be keeping his promise in Peach Blossom Village and be far away, so he shouldn't be involved in this matter.

Those who are not present will naturally not be suspected.

So Isaiah has decided to play his cards open, and of course, he has no other choice but to play his cards open.

Once he successfully proves himself, the situation will instantly reverse, and at least Rocky and Diana will be on his side.

But how could Bai Wei let him prove himself successfully?

Since we're destined to make a commotion tonight, let's make it as big as possible.

Moreover, it can also be used as an opportunity to test the person Bai Wei most wants to test.

After a moment's thought, Bai Wei called Ina over and told her directly that something big was going to happen that night and that he needed her cooperation.

Ina immediately became serious, but instead of asking what was so important, she asked herself what she should do.
"Don't worry, you don't need to fight or kill anyone," Bai Wei said. "You just need to go to a designated location and retrieve a corpse for me."

Ina asked instinctively, "Whose body?"

Bai Wei said with a smile, "Of course it's mine."

(End of this chapter)