Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 325, Section 72: Amitabha Buddha

"Let's summarize the current clues."

"Based on the latest visions of the Whitechapel node, and the information we previously gathered about Templar Richard, the source of the Ripper's power has become clear: it is the dagger Richard hid beneath the altar in Whitechapel."

"The reason is not hard to guess; that dagger probably required the wielder to maintain a benevolent nature."

"Richard was about to participate in the Third Crusade, and he probably sensed that he would have his hands stained with blood in the war and would no longer be qualified to possess this relic. Therefore, he hoped to leave it in the relatively safe London and wait for a more suitable owner."

"The reason why the dagger was not placed together with the metal box that was given to his deputy Matthew for safekeeping in the previous illusion is probably because we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket, and also because the Knights might not be entirely stable internally."

"But why Britain? Richard instructed Matthew that the box must remain in Britain as much as possible, and he also left the dagger in London."

Is there anything special about Britain?

"Furthermore, why would this merciful dagger guide the vengeful Ripper to open the altar and bestow its power upon him?"

After digesting the latest clues, Uesugi sorted out the two biggest questions and posed them to the other players.

In the round table hall, after a week of continuous investigation and fighting, everyone was exhausted to varying degrees.

After listening to Uesugi's words, the players fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time.

As always, Ikeda waited until no one else spoke before finally saying:

"If the legend of the Three Horsemen of the Holy Grail is true history, then the story of Galahad's physical ascension and dissipation into the sky after finally holding the Holy Grail may also be true."

"Legend has it that the Holy Grail was found at Gobinick Castle, a location that cannot be found in reality. But if we have to say that this castle actually exists, then its most likely location is in present-day Britain."

"That's the answer. The reason Richard insisted on leaving these items with special powers in Britain was because he believed that this land had some profound connection with the Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail is a symbol of purity. Legend has it that the Three Knights underwent seven trials to prove their purity before they were qualified to hold the Holy Grail."

"Then, suppose the Holy Grail did not ultimately return to Heaven, but instead transformed into seven sacred objects representing virtues, remaining on Earth to await its destined return according to history, would that also be reasonable?"

Ethan's eyes narrowed when he heard Ikeda's idea.

Sure enough, this guy's thinking was basically the same as his.

The difference is that I knew more clues in advance, while Tian only recently came back online and could only say that he had a general understanding of what was happening.

This leads to such a clue, indicating that he already had a basic idea before this round of the game.

If there's competition in the later games, this guy will definitely be a problem.

"Ha!" Hayato slammed his hand on the table, startling Ludu, who was secretly eating noodles.

Spaghetti spurted out of my nose.

Hayato looked like he understood: "So after all that, this is actually a classic scenario, where we collect the seven Dragon Balls, right? We collect all seven, uh, virtue items, and then summon Shenron in Britain... no, I mean, summon the Holy Grail to make a wish?"

No one responded to his joke; most players were deep in thought.

Although Hayato spoke jokingly, his direction was actually quite accurate.

Taki looked at Iwasaki, who now held the silver cup in his hand.

A silver cup corresponds to generosity, but is Iwasaki generous? Is there any connection?
"If the greedy Hugo could use the silver cup that represented generosity, then it is not surprising that the jealous Ripper could use the dagger that represented tolerance through some means that we do not yet know."

"Taki said softly."

The strategy is quite clear: collecting all seven key items is likely a prerequisite for initiating some ultimate ritual involving the Holy Grail in Britain.

As for the purpose of summoning the Holy Grail—whether it's a good thing or a bad thing—nobody knows for sure right now.

But as a supreme sacred object in Christianity, its symbolic meaning and potential power are enough to drive anyone mad.

If this thing really exists, then we can think about whether God is really watching over humanity.

Was that rain of God caused by something unfathomable, like a supernatural act involving a white-clad mask, or was it truly sprinkled by God?
Thinking about these things now is a bit too far ahead. In fact, in many people's eyes, players are already considered demigods, and many of the monsters that have caused extraordinary disasters can even be called quasi-gods.

Mount Fuji, which even nuclear bombs couldn't flatten, is now just a small hill made of rubble. Who would have dared to imagine this before? Anyone who could do all this is no different from a god.

So, the origin of the severed angel finger that fueled Ashiya Dōman's obsession with immortality—which was also the foundation of his immortality—has almost been revealed: it really did come from heaven.

Now they can only continue to progress through the game and improve their strength as much as possible, so as not to be completely unable to participate in future battles.

Taki went offline for a few seconds and then came back online: "Regarding 17 Backstreet, Whitechapel, the British authorities have reconstructed a comparison map and, at our request, marked the locations where key nodes may exist."

Nobita nodded and made the allocation.

Iwasaki remained silent, offering no objection to the allocation, which was considered tacit approval. Everyone else had no objections and quickly got to work.

They returned to reality to investigate, using crystals to activate suspicious locations, but after using up all their attempts, the marked locations remained completely unresponsive.

No response.

Taki stood by the window and informed Uesugi of the results. She felt no disappointment and even had the composure to gaze at the dilapidated scene outside.

At this time, London was filled with a desolate atmosphere.

Nearly half the population evacuated in panic, especially in areas where riots had occurred. Whether day or night, the areas resembled ghost towns, with empty streets and only the sound of wind and occasional strange noises, creating a desolate, apocalyptic atmosphere.

This environment has also become a paradise for some reckless criminals.

As night fell, four shadowy figures were prying open the door of a house in a high-end residential area near a cordoned-off zone.

"Damn, what a waste," one of the tall, thin thieves said, idly glancing at the massive, towering brain-like structure illuminated by the searchlight in the distance. He kept muttering, "That's the British Museum! Who knows what happened to all those priceless treasures inside? If we could sneak in and steal one or two, wow, we'd be set for life! Why would we need to be scavenging for change in this run-down apartment building?"

"Don't drag us down with you if you want to die!" the burly black man leading the group hissed, his tone stern. "You try going in there, that thing, even a bomb couldn't destroy it! What we've reaped in the last few days is equivalent to half a year's work normally! Thieves should be content!"

It was a bit strange that these words came from a thief, but no one objected. A few days ago, it was only thanks to the boss's command that they escaped that terrible fire.

He claimed to be content, but greed ultimately prevailed over fear.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to this place so close to the British Museum's restricted area.

The door opened, and the four filed in.

The house was a bit messy, indicating that the owner had left in a hurry and must have left behind a lot of things.

They quickly dispersed, skillfully using their flashlight beams to scan the darkness, searching for valuables.

"I'm going to the second floor. You guys search and come up. Shout if you find anything unusual." The burly man walked towards the stairs, and with a thud of wooden planks, the light disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

"Hey, this family is interesting. They've collected quite a few statues." The tall, thin man's voice came from one of the rooms, filled with the excitement of discovering something new. "They actually look pretty authentic."

"Is it valuable? Don't just look at those useless broken stones!" came the eldest brother's voice from upstairs, accompanied by the sound of rummaging through drawers. He seemed to have found something; after the sound of a zipper, there was a satisfied hum.

"Uh, they seem to be just some handicrafts," the tall, thin man muttered.

After a series of rustling sounds as they rummaged through the bags, the other two accomplices found their bags empty, clutching a watch they had found: "There's nothing valuable here. Boss, how's it going on your end? There must be something good in the master bedroom, right?"

One person looked up at the building and asked.

There was no response, and the group slowly stopped what they were doing, and the room suddenly became quiet.

Only the faint sound of the wind outside and their breathing could be heard.

Not right.

The tall, thin man and his two accomplices exchanged glances. The leader usually boasted about finding something good, so why was he suddenly silent?
"Boss?" the tall, thin man called out again towards the stairwell, raising his voice slightly. Still, there was no response, nor any sound of anything being rummaged through.

"Boss?" The group sensed something was wrong, their voices tinged with panic, and they drew their weapons.

"Let's go take a look." The tall, thin man gestured and took the lead, guiding the remaining two towards the stairwell.

As I walked up to the second floor, the flashlight beam swept across the surroundings and suddenly illuminated a human silhouette with taut muscles, bent over as if about to throw something.

"Who?!"

One of the men was startled and raised his dagger, pointing it at the figure.

But once the beam of light froze, it turned out to be just a lifelike marble statue with a very familiar appearance and a dynamic posture, as if it was about to throw the discus in its hand at any moment.

"Fuck! You scared me!" The man breathed a sigh of relief and cursed.

"Wait! This... isn't this the Discus Thrower from the British Museum?!" The tall, thin man suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

"Idiot!" Another relatively calm accomplice couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Use your brain. How could a treasure of that level appear here? This is definitely a replica, a high-grade replica."

The tall, thin man paused for a moment, his excitement fading, and then he realized what he'd done, sheepishly touching his nose: "Oh, right. Damn, that's really convincing."

To hide his embarrassment, he moved closer and shone his flashlight carefully on the statue: "Hey? Why is there a dark red mark under the statue's arm? It looks like...bloodstain?"

The three men immediately became serious, exchanged glances, and felt a sense of unease.

"Boss!" one of them called out again in a low voice.

No one responded.

From a room in the corner, a faint gurgling sound suddenly came, like something rolling or rubbing.

The three men immediately became alert, gripping their sticks and knives tightly, and cautiously made their way towards the room.

He pushed the door open abruptly, and the flashlight beam instantly illuminated the small room.

No one is empty.

The room was simply furnished. Apart from basic furniture and bookshelves, the only eye-catching item was an oriental-style Buddha statue placed next to the door.

The Buddha statue sat on a platform, its paint peeling and looking somewhat eerie under the flickering flashlight beam.

"Nobody's here." The two quickly searched the area, even looking under the wardrobe and under the bed.

"Boss!" the tall, thin guy called out.

Just then, the other person suddenly realized something and abruptly turned around to look behind him.

The third accomplice, who was just there a moment ago, has vanished!

Within the mere ten seconds of them entering the room, they vanished as if they had evaporated! There were no screams, no sounds of fighting, not even the sound of footsteps!

No, maybe they were, but they were too tense and focused to notice.

"Pete?!" The man's voice trembled.

The remaining two felt a chill run down their spines, and their legs started to feel weak.

"How about we... how about we go first?" The tall, thin man's voice trembled uncontrollably. He looked at the discus thrower statue again and felt that the marble-carved muscle lines were full of indescribable realism, as if they might come to life at any moment.

"Leave?! Most of the money is in that bag on the boss!"

His accomplice gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear. He refused to believe in superstition, thinking that perhaps, like in the movies, wealthy families who loved statues might have some secret mechanisms they hadn't yet discovered.

The two of them accidentally activated the mechanism, which is why they disappeared without a trace.

He gripped the stick tightly and walked toward the statue, wanting to examine the base and surrounding area more closely.

Just as he approached, the flashlight beam almost touching the statue.
The marble statue moved!

Its movements were fluid, its arm swinging out with an almost imperceptible speed.

chap!
A crisp sound!
The heavy stone disc transformed into a blurry white shadow, instantly embedding itself several inches deep into the wall behind its comrade.

The strong man's head was now only half intact.

The body stood frozen for a moment before collapsing heavily to the ground, gushing blood.

"Ahhhh!!!"

The tall, thin man let out a bloodcurdling scream, but before he could finish, he saw the murderous statue slowly turn its gaze toward him.

The way downstairs would inevitably lead past the statue, and his only way out was to retreat back to the room he had just been in!

He swallowed the rest of his scream, scrambled back to the room with the Buddha statue, slammed the door shut with a bang, and then used all his strength to push over a heavy bookshelf next to him, using it to block the door.

boom! boom! boom!
Heavy, rhythmic thuds immediately came from outside the door, each impact causing the door to tremble violently, as if it were about to be smashed open at any moment.

The tall, thin guy was smashing a window, but this damn family had installed a glass grille! That thing is rarer than a panda in London!
At least upgrade your front door, you bastard! If you did, wouldn't we just give up?!
After exhausting himself for a long time, he slumped against the corner of the wall, panting heavily. His flashlight had fallen to the ground, its beam swaying wildly.

The banging on the door continued for a while before finally stopping.

A deathly silence fell outside the door.

The tall, thin man's heart pounded; given the current situation, he dared not go out.

To avoid being located, they do not carry mobile phones while on the move.

Otherwise, do you want to call the police?
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally regained some composure. His trembling hands fumbled for the flashlight, its beam instinctively sweeping across the room.
Finally, the image settled on the smiling Buddha statue.

etc.
The tall, thin man's pupils constricted.

Was its original face smiling?

How can its smile be so realistic?

Gulu.

He swallowed hard, his body stiff with fear, his eyes fixed on the Buddha statue, not daring to even blink.

But he couldn't defy his physiological instincts in the end; extreme tension and dry eyes finally made him blink.

Just as his eyelids opened and closed.

The smiling face of Buddha was right in front of him, almost touching his nose!
"Ah ah—click"

The scream was cruelly cut off.

The blood-stained Buddha silently pulled out the body parts of the tall, thin man and stuffed them back into his body one by one.

"Ah."

After finishing, the Buddha tilted his head and opened his mouth, as if he were learning to speak.