Deceitful Game

Chapter 36 What did you bring with you?

Upon hearing this, the boy's pupils emitted a faint green light.

In an instant, it seemed as if a green wind spread out in all directions.

Then, the boy's face grew even paler—

Because in his perception, the mortality rate "ahead" of him was almost 100%!

"snort……"

Mingbo loosened his grip on his neck, somewhat tempted.

This guy is actually quite useful.

Who keeps this kind of tool person?

Mingpo absolutely did not believe this was wild—judging from the other party's reaction speed, he at least knew that "deceivers in the material world can attack each other."

You should know that Mingpo didn't even know this rule.

What if it's not allowed for cheaters to attack each other outside of the game?

This means that he has experienced or witnessed at least one battle of the Deceiver in the material world.

His abilities are undoubtedly invaluable.

Being able to actively sense the "path to survival" means that Mingpo wouldn't need to gamble with his life in the previous advancement game. If this child were to enter that advancement game, he could at least skip that level using his title ability.

Similarly, if other people enter the game with him, they can also enjoy this kind of assistance.

"What's your name?"

Mingpo spoke again.

Upon hearing this, the boy's pupils widened.

He looked at Mingpo in disbelief, but quickly realized his predicament.

"Gao Fan, my name is Gao Fan!"

He answered reluctantly, yet somewhat impatiently.

In a sense... deceivers and demons are similar.

Once you reveal your real name, it means you will be under the control of the other party. The other party can eliminate you at any time by rewinding time.

An attack from the future is unstoppable.

But also—

Now that he had handed over his name, it meant that he wouldn't have to die for the time being.

I have regained my usefulness!

This relieved the boy.

"My name is Xiao Ke."

Mingpo spoke slowly, releasing her grip on the other person's hand: "You can take it as my name."

He still didn't dare to reveal Ai Shiping's name, but revealing his real name was even more impossible.

So he came up with this name on the spot.

Both "肖" and "明" contain the character for "moon," while "珂" means a stone resembling jade, which corresponds perfectly to the character "珀" in amber.

He might use this face for a long time, so why not just give this identity a name?

Seeing the other person looking at him in disbelief, Mingpo simply chuckled and said, "Of course, you can try it too... to see if this is my name."

"...A 'honeypot'?"

Gao Fan murmured.

He clearly didn't believe the name either, and was full of doubt about it.

Hearing this, Mingpo became somewhat interested.

Honeypots are a tactic used in cybersecurity. Simply put, a honeypot is bait offered to hackers for sabotage.

If a hacker accidentally steps into a honeypot, their attack intent, methods, and even motives will be discovered, and evidence and other intelligence can be collected while ensuring system security.

In other words, one sets up a pseudonym, but this pseudonym has a real identity. If this pseudonym dies mysteriously, it can be determined that someone has launched a time-travel attack against them.

Especially when the history of non-deceitful individuals can be unconditionally modified and take effect immediately... even if the "honeypot" is breached, it can be reset by going back in time.

Although Mingpo didn't think that way, he discovered... that there seemed to be some truth to it.

In a sense, he unknowingly made Ai Shiping a honey pot!

Moreover, Mingper immediately came up with a new tactic—

— "Canary Deployment".

This technique comes from the exploration of mines in the past.

People would use cages containing canaries to determine if there was poisonous gas in the mines. This is actually somewhat similar to the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" novel, a genre of tomb raiding fiction.

Later, this strategy was used for "canary releases" or to find spies.

For example, different intelligence can be given to different suspicious individuals, and then it can be observed which intelligence was leaked shortly afterward to determine who was at fault. Although it is impossible to pinpoint the spy to a specific person, it can significantly narrow down the area of suspicion.

Similarly, if Mingpo gives different true identities to different people, he can also determine who betrayed him by observing who is attacked.

Thinking of this, Mingpo narrowed her eyes slightly.

Although Mingpo doesn't intend to use it that way...

But this also means that if you get someone else's real name, it's best not to betray them casually.

Because that could very well be a trap.

Thinking of this, Mingpo glanced at the boy with some surprise.

—This kid's got some skills.

Mingpo reached out and pulled Gao Fan up, leading him to sit down by the roadside.

Watching the silent stream of gray cars pass by, Mingpo said calmly, "Tell me about it."

"...What?"

Why are you there?

As Mingpo spoke, she turned to look at Gao Fan: "You've come more than once, haven't you?"

But upon hearing this, Gao Fan's pale face gradually regained its color.

Because Gao Fan cleverly realized one thing—the other party was at least not an enemy seeking revenge.

"I'm here... to help my teammates..."

Gao Fan paused for a moment, then added, "I'm here to visit a friend's relatives."

"Friends? Relatives?"

Mingpo repeated, raising an eyebrow: "His surname is Gu?"

"...His surname is Chang."

"Changning?"

Mingbo confirmed.

Upon hearing this, Gao Fan looked at Ming Po in astonishment.

A smile immediately spread across his face, and his eyes shone with hope and relief.

He quickly brushed the dust off Mingpo's shoulders, smiling apologetically, "Oh dear... Brother Xiao, you know what's going on... this is like a flood washing away the Dragon King's temple!"

Although he had just been forced to reveal his real name... Chang Ning wasn't the type to be forced to give up his real name! He had something he absolutely had to do—

Since the other party was able to reveal Chang Ning's real name and even appeared at Gu Keke's house, it means that they are most likely friends rather than enemies!

"...You're pretty good at handling things, kid."

Mingpo glanced at him: "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight."

"?"

Mingpo paused for a moment, then glanced at the child again.

He looked to be no more than fourteen years old—no, that's an exaggeration.

Mingpo had even thought it was a child before.

Dwarfism.

Gao Fan said frankly, "It's this tall now... and it will still be this tall in ten years."

"Feel sorry."

Mingpo lowered her head slightly.

"It's nothing," Gao Fan said nonchalantly, sitting back down next to Ming Po. "It's actually a good thing; everyone will take care of me because I look younger..."

"I wonder if you, Brother Xiao, participate in role-playing games... We halflings have always been lucky. Oh, like... The Lord of the Rings, have you seen it?"

Mingpo nodded without saying anything more.

Gao Fan finally relaxed.

He breathed a sigh of relief, straightening his disheveled clothes as he muttered, "I heard... Xiao Ning gave up on becoming a charlatan."

"Aren't you his teammate? Why is Chang Ning alone?"

"It used to be."

Gao Fan sighed and shook his head slightly: "We met 'offline' and collaborated on two games. But later... he became a bit radical. A mature team finds it hard to accept a teammate who always has radical strategies... You understand? To avoid us arguing, he voluntarily withdrew."

"Um."

Mingpo nodded, pretending to understand: "That's why I was able to meet him."

Now, Mingpo finally understands—

Why is it that this guy knows Chang Ning, and they seem to have a good relationship... but doesn't recognize his face now?

Clearly, Chang Ning only started going crazy after leaving the team and going solo. It's even possible that at that time, his title wasn't yet "Frankenstein"!

but……

...Teammates?

Mingpo didn't believe it, and the other charlatans couldn't see through it... In the end, there can only be one winner in this game.

In a game where everyone is destined to be eliminated, teammates... are such hypocritical beings.

Thinking of this, Mingpo frowned.

He loathed betrayal—or rather, betrayal by others.

In the first game, Mingpa deliberately set a trap: anyone who wanted to betray him would die because of their own thoughts.

If a fixed team is formed, it means that... if the team wins the final victory, they must kill each other until only one person remains.

The teammates who entrusted their lives to each other along the way became mortal enemies after all the enemies were wiped out, with only one of them surviving—isn't that ridiculous?

Or is it that a few people should hold the power to kill everyone else at any time, and thus become gods of co-governance?

That is certainly not a stable state.

Mingpo shook her head.

He couldn't help but ask, "Your team..."

He paused halfway through his sentence, then changed his question, asking, "How many people are there now?"

"Three. We don't always play together; we usually go in pairs... to avoid games where we have to kill each other."

Gao Fan's eyes lit up: "Brother Xiao...why don't you join us?"

"Do they all know Chang Ning too?"

"There was another one who had come out with Xiao Ning before. The three of us passed the preliminary rounds in the same batch back then."

Gao Fan frankly stated, "We were all mentored by the same host, and we're inseparable... so our relationship is closer than with others."

...It seems your game isn't the kind where everyone kills each other.

Mingpo's lips curled up almost imperceptibly for a moment.