Deceitful Game

Chapter 57 A Not-So-Late Frankness

When Mingpo woke up again, the touch felt so unfamiliar.

Only then did he realize... he wasn't lying in bed, but sleeping on the sofa in Gao Fan's living room.

—That's the classic spot where he plugged in the remote control.

If Wen Yu's body hadn't been cleared away, this spot would still be in the knee-to-pillow position.

"Please spare me..."

Mingpo muttered to herself as she slowly got up from the sofa.

He seemed to be deep in thought.

So... if you enter the game from someone else's "base", you'll still appear in that base when you log out, instead of returning to your own base.

He tried to mobilize his power, and a faint crimson glow ignited in the depths of his pupils.

"……really."

Mingbo pushed up his glasses, dispelling the "Frankenstein" power.

Although she received the title of "Detective," a title associated with the realm of wisdom, Mingpo was not forced to switch over.

According to Gao Fan's previous statement... if you obtain a title in a different field, then the old title will be overwritten.

This is what is known as "domain shift" or "bias." For this reason, a deceiver who has entered a stable state will tend not to use behavioral patterns that are too different from their title, so as to avoid having their familiar power suddenly replaced by an unfamiliar power.

Deceitful people judge others' behavior patterns by their titles, and this is basically how it works.

Even in the material world, one can act in ways that contradict one's title... provided one can resist the title's influence on one's personality. But as long as one is in a "game," one must be fully immersed in the role.

If we follow the normal line of reasoning, as the deceiver of the "Power Domain," Mingpo shouldn't be the one to solve this mystery.

If he talks too much, he might get talked out of the loop!

However, Mingpa is an exception.

The titles Mingpo received weren't immediately assigned to him; instead, they became "wine" and were stored in his mysterious wine cabinet. This allowed him to act freely without being restricted by his titles.

He remembered that "The Republic" mentioned that a host named "Limbo" also had similar abilities.

"...It seems we can't trust the charlatans of the 'Dominion of Virtue' too much."

Mingpo narrowed her eyes.

At that moment, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Gao Fan sauntered out from inside.

"how?"

Mingpo leaned back on the sofa and casually asked, "How many chips did you get?"

Gao Fan paused for a moment, then replied, "Three."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and golden light seeped through his fingers.

He materialized one of the chips and walked toward Mingpa with it in his hand.

Mingpo simply waved his hand: "No need to give it to me."

He immediately guessed why Gao Fan had paused for a moment—

That must be because Gao Fan thought of his old captain and assumed that Mingpo was going to take a cut!

Mingpo said, half sarcastically and half pityingly, "You've been harmed by evil people, and now you can't recognize good people anymore."

"……really."

Upon hearing this, Gao Fan carefully checked Ming Po's expression again.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his bet when he realized that Mingpo wasn't being sarcastic.

"Thank you, brother."

Gao Fan walked over, bowed slightly, and said sincerely.

"screw you."

Mingpo waved his hand lazily: "It looks like you're bowing to a dead person... Are you Japanese?"

"It's only right that I spend the money I earn myself. We're teammates, not in a superior-subordinate relationship... I'm not a gang leader or a capitalist. There's no need for me to play this 'paying tribute' game."

"...Big brother, you are really a good person."

As Gao Fan spoke, he subconsciously added, "Although he looks quite fierce."

"I'm not exactly a good person..."

Mingpo instinctively retorted.

But he paused slightly as soon as he finished speaking.

Even Mingpo herself didn't know why she rejected this obvious compliment.

Fully automatic bar lifting?

He was silent for a moment before speaking softly, continuing from that sentence: "If you want to be a good person, you have to do the stupid things that good people do."

"Good people are more likely to have guns pointed at them."

Gao Fan nodded, clearly understanding what Ming Po meant: "So at that time... I didn't leave with Xiao Ning either."

"By the way, speaking of Changning..."

Mingpo no longer wanted to hide this fact, lest it become a major scandal later.

He has always liked to eliminate potential threats and instability.

"I didn't have a chance before... Let me explain it to you now."

Mingpo leaned back on the sofa, propping her cheek with her right hand, her pupils fixed on Gao Fan: "I didn't know Chang Ning before."

"..."

Gao Fan fell silent.

Mingbo continued, "My first promotion ceremony was Changning, which turned into a paradox."

"After he denied his past, he became a paradox. After I completely defeated him, I took the power of 'Frankenstein' from him."

"This title originally belonged to him. Even the face I'm using is one he used... I don't know this person at all."

"...Actually, I had a rough idea beforehand."

Gao Fan sighed, his gaze towards Ming Po now tinged with complexity: "I just didn't dare ask."

"There's nothing wrong with asking."

Mingpo said lazily.

He held the now-clean TV remote, pointed it at Gao Fan, and randomly pressed a few buttons: "I'll say it again—if you're thinking of avenging your old teammates, just tell me honestly. I'll move out of here, and when we meet in the game, I'll take your dog's life."

"But don't play dirty tricks. If you have a conflict, say so; if you disagree, say so; if you're unhappy, just say so. We can talk about anything; I'm a reasonable person. Also... don't secretly cause trouble and make me guess what you're thinking... am I being clear?"

Perhaps due to the influence of "Frankenstein," Minper's speech became much more direct than before.

Seeing this, Gao Fan actually breathed a sigh of relief.

He shook his head: "There's no... need for revenge."

His expression was somewhat complicated: "It's a kind of luck that I didn't get to see Xiao Ning become a 'paradox.' I hope that day will never come for me."

—Gao Fan seems to know something.

Mingpo realized this, so he didn't respond, but just looked at Gao Fan.

Gao Fan walked to another sofa and sank into it. From Ming Po's angle, Gao Fan was almost invisible.

"Because... I've been in quite a few teams."

Gao Fan paused for a moment when he said this word before continuing, "So he knows much more than an ordinary second-tier Deceiver."

"The so-called 'paradox' is a self-denying liar."

"Although the deceiver will leave the game as long as the past is modified and can no longer serve as the deceiver's motivation... not all deceivers who leave in this way will become 'paradoxes'."

As Gao Fan spoke, he held up three fingers: "There are three conditions for something to become a paradox."

"First, the past is altered, and the motivation and possibility of becoming a deceiver are lost. This is indeed something anyone can do. If that's all there is to it, then as long as history is changed again and one becomes a deceiver once more, one can merge with the self locked in the anchor point and immediately return to one's prime."

"Secondly, as the deceiver, I denied my original motives for entering the game. And only I could do that. But even if I did that, I could still regain my identity as the deceiver and compete again... I just couldn't regain my former power."

"Third, if one is completely corrupted by the power of the title... then there is no possibility of becoming a deceiver again."