Chapter 36: The One Above the Rules

Yu Ziyu’s figure appeared outside the theater.

 

Whether it was due to the effects of this banquet, although he had specifically activated his domain to seal off the magnetic field, with so many monsters gathered together, some of the aura still leaked out.

This caused a large dark cloud to appear above their heads, preventing even a single ray of sunlight from penetrating the miasma, shrouding the entire city in shadow.

 

Yu Ziyu took off the black robe as he walked and tossed it on the ground like trash.

 

Then, his figure flickered, like a piece of paper being pulled back and forth by the wind.

He actually vanished into thin air in the span of a breath.

A leaf fell from a branch, originally meant to land on his shoulder, but it paused mid-fall, then fell back to the ground, trampled into the mud by a passerby who didn’t notice a thing.

 

When Sloth was thrown out of the windbreaker pocket, he immediately realized they had reached their destination.

“So, Master’s plan is complete?”

 

But before he could voluntarily revert to human form, he felt his entire skin burning.

His snake form writhed on the ground, as if burned by an invisible flame, letting out a pained hissing sound.

The young man’s figure was forcibly extracted from the cold-blooded reptile’s body.

“Put it on.”

 

He was almost naked.

Hearing Yu Ziyu’s voice, he bent down and picked up the windbreaker tossed in front of him, wrapping it around himself.

While using his peripheral vision to watch Yu Ziyu’s reaction, he buttoned each button.

His voice barely steady: “Is this about that question before the banquet started?”

 

Yu Ziyu had his back to him, picking up something on the table, seemingly fiddling with it idly.

“Games always have rules.

They never give out missions that can’t be completed.”

He muttered to himself.

 

Sloth narrowed his eyes, surveying the surroundings as Yu Ziyu pondered.

He found it was a rather spacious warehouse… also a familiar place.

Several times when Yu Ziyu was working, he would bring him here.

So this was probably one of his photography studios.

 

It was very quiet here.

The equipment had all been moved out, leaving only four wide-open windows on the walls.

The chilly wind poured into the room through the gaps, like a peeping hand pulling the curtains back and forth.

In the fleeting glimpses, Sloth could see the familiar forest in the distance and the prominent villa.

“Here… we’re back?”

 

Before this, Sloth hadn’t realized that this studio he had visited several times was actually not far from Yu Ziyu’s villa.

He glanced at the forest and remembered that Yu Ziyu sometimes left him at home and went out for walks himself…

So what did this mean?

“Just feeding a pet.”

Yu Ziyu turned around, looking at Sloth with a half-smile, crossing his arms.

“I never hid anything else from you.

A walk was just a walk.

As for you?

Can you guarantee to say the same about me?”

 

So, they were back to this topic.

“No…”

 

Sloth opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but before he could defend himself, he let out a grunt.

A powerful force hurled him backwards without warning.

His thin human body slammed heavily into the white wall, then weakly slid down, dry heaving blood mixed with organs.

 

And just as he managed to stand up, Yu Ziyu grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall again.

Cracked dust fell, pattering all over his head.

“No, what?”

 

Sloth felt his head buzzing from two consecutive impacts.

The icy temperature of the fingers clamped around his neck seemed to seep into his skin, making it impossible for Sloth to breathe.

His brain went blank from lack of oxygen.

The fear of death was once again so intense.

 

Yu Ziyu choked him by the neck, lifted him up, and then threw him to the ground like some piece of trash.

“I don’t like people lying to me.”

Yu Ziyu leaned down slightly, stepped on his chest, and looked into Sloth’s eyes, satisfied to see them now filled with fear.

“Let’s get to the point now.

Why do you have names?

The score between us isn’t settled yet.”

 

According to the rules of the Land of Desire Amusement Park, each floor’s boss was a product of the game, bound by the game’s rules.

That meant they were like game NPCs, some kind of unconscious existence.

They couldn’t have names, and even their personalities should be completely bound by predetermined templates…

 

But earlier, Sloth had said they had real names.

 

They were products of the game, so they couldn’t have names.

The reverse should also be true, unless… they weren’t NPCs to begin with.

 

Sloth’s body trembled slightly.

He looked away, not daring to meet Yu Ziyu’s eyes: “I…”

 

Because of his hesitation and wavering, the air grew colder.

Yu Ziyu narrowed his eyes impatiently.

But soon, the way the air flowed in the room shifted.

He stood up straight, withdrew his boot from pinning Sloth, and turned to look behind him—

Two unfamiliar figures had already appeared there.

 

***

 

Lou Chen rushed back to the Supernatural Management Bureau as fast as he could.

Although he had said he was going to find Yu Ziyu, running around like a headless fly clearly wouldn’t work.

Moreover, he now had a doubt that needed to be resolved…

Only by finding its answer could he truly understand Yu Ziyu.

 

He was searching for documents in his office.

 

Over the past two years, Lou Chen had noticed his memory gradually deteriorating.

So besides using a sketchbook to draw the person from his dreams, he also had the habit of recording details he recalled about the Land of Desire Amusement Park.

And now was the time to cross-check his vague idea.

 

Since game bosses can’t leave their designated floors, then…

Could Pride really break the rules?

Did it shape the other bosses?

 

Think about it carefully… this didn’t make much sense.

Why did the other bosses call Yu Ziyu “master”?

Previously, this could be explained by Pride having created them.

But now that explanation had lost its credibility, because it completely contradicted the game’s rules.

Their previous information about the monsters’ origins was clearly wrong.

 

Yu Ziyu could move freely between floors.

He could even break the rules and take Sloth with him.

 

This led to only one conclusion—

He was on a higher level than the so-called game bosses.

He was unlikely to even be Pride.

 

This thought struck Lou Chen’s mind like lightning.

His movement of pulling open the drawer froze, his body stiff in place.

 

Only an existence more powerful than Pride, higher than the bosses, could break the rules without limit.

And precisely because of that, when Yu Ziyu wanted to leave the Land of Desire Amusement Park, he only needed to try and he easily succeeded.

The other bosses also wanted him—or rather, after losing him, they got the chance to appear in the real world.

 

A vague idea surfaced in Lou Chen’s mind.

He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Fragments flashed through his thoughts.

 

No one knew how long had passed until someone knocked on the door from outside, breaking the stagnant atmosphere in the room.

 

It was Xiao He.

 

He came in with a stack of documents.

Although Lou Chen had already made preparations to hand over responsibilities, the Supernatural Management Bureau wasn’t some small organization; there was still a series of matters to transition.

Xiao He knew what Lou Chen was looking for in his office, so as soon as he had a chance, he quickly came here.

“I don’t know what I’m doing right now either.”

He murmured, dazed.

“Captain, can you tell me again that we’ve been working with Pride for a few weeks?

I still can’t believe Teacher Yu is… no, this just doesn’t make sense!”

 

Even though Xiao He asked this, deep down he had already accepted what Lou Chen had said.

 

This news was like an earthquake.

He almost couldn’t catch his breath, almost shut down.

But if he were to deny that Yu Ziyu wasn’t Pride… he couldn’t make an accurate judgment.

Yu Ziyu was very evil, very cold.

His profile completely matched Pride.

Xiao He couldn’t believe they had only now realized this.

 

Yu Ziyu had never tried to hide.

“Yeah.

I don’t think he is anymore.”

Lou Chen said.

“What?”

Xiao He looked up, realizing this was the umpteenth time today he had said this word.

But the shock it left him was too deep.

He believed that anyone else in his position would be unable to calmly deal with this matter.

“Captain?”

 

His voice was a little helpless, a little panicked.

 

After all, he didn’t think things would turn for the better.

They would only get worse.

 

But Lou Chen didn’t explain to him.

Instead, he looked at the document in his hand and pointed out the purpose for which he had originally come here: “What’s this?”

“Mm…”

Xiao He snapped back to reality, forcibly suppressing the panic in his heart, and looked up at the document.

Realizing there was still a mess to clean up, his tone was weary.

“I plan to lock Xu He on the third floor, the place where we used to contain the monsters.

He’s been completely infected by Lust.”

“We’ll have a meeting later about how to handle him… but I think there may be no chance of recovery.”

He said clumsily, somewhat unable to bear Xu He’s fate.

“You know, Captain, those bosses are extreme.

Black and white, no middle ground…”

 

They had severely beaten each other in the corridor.

And Xiao He believed that if he hadn’t happened to have game items on him, Xu He would have cold-bloodedly snapped his neck by now—

He could never understand why someone who was originally good, once tainted by those bosses, would have their inner darkness directly triggered, becoming extreme, completely detached from their former self.

 

Xu He had originally had a good relationship with them.

They had worked together for a long time; they weren’t just casual colleagues.

 

But even so, he hadn’t hesitated to follow his heart and betray all of them—
Just as the former minister, Old Yu, had said: they were very good at reading people.

When this was applied to tempting people to do bad things, it wasn’t so pleasant.

“So, do you think Yu Ziyu is evil and selfish?

Like the other bosses?”

 

Suddenly, Lou Chen asked a question completely different from the previous topic.

It made Xiao He pause for a moment before he realized what he had said.

Lou Chen was gazing at him, making him realize he couldn’t avoid the question.

He fell into thought: “Hmm…”

 

This question should have been easy to answer.

After all, Xiao He had already thought of Yu Ziyu as an evil person.

But when Lou Chen asked it directly, Xiao He hesitated for a moment, unable to give an accurate answer immediately.

 

He was very cold and sharp-tongued, completely disregarding anyone’s gaze or feelings.

Extremely self-willed, with no trace of thoughtfulness.

 

But…

 

Yu Ziyu was so duplicitous.

He kept his agent and psychologist completely away from these abnormalities.

He participated in a ritual to help an unfortunate deceased girl get revenge.

He drove away and restrained Jealousy, who intended to harm humans.

He expelled Gluttony, who tried to cause chaos at the Supernatural Management Bureau.

He didn’t even allow any casualties at the banquet…

 

He had never brought these matters to light, even using contempt to cover them all up.

So if you didn’t think carefully, the impression Yu Ziyu left was always of someone who impatiently and coldly dealt with trouble and rejected lending a helping hand.

 

Seen this way, although he truly didn’t help either side, he had completely created a certain balance.

 

He remained silent for a long time.

He noticed Lou Chen gently close the drawer, putting the sketchbook back inside.

Then, Lou Chen lowered his gaze, his voice flat: “That’s what I think too.

And, I find this scene quite familiar.”

 

Indeed.

Xiao He still remembered what had happened weeks ago, before they had even met Yu Ziyu.

He and Lou Chen had been in this office together.

Lou Chen had proposed a hypothesis to him—that what stands in the high tower isn’t necessarily a princess, but more likely a demon.

This conversation had left a deep impression on him.

 

Now it seemed that Lou Chen also recalled this conversation.

“Say that again.”

Suddenly, Lou Chen said abruptly.

 

Xiao He was stunned.

“Just now, about Xu He’s arrangement.”

“I said…

I said Xu He has been contaminated.

I’ll lock him on the third floor.”

Xiao He tried to recall, repeating what he had said earlier as accurately as possible.

He didn’t know what Lou Chen was looking for.

“I said he’s beyond saving.”

 

As these words fell, a strange thought struck Lou Chen’s mind.

He instinctively frowned.

 

Several weeks ago, he had already had a thought—

The Land of Desire Amusement Park wasn’t really an amusement park; it was more like a prison.

Because from a certain perspective, not allowing bosses on other floors to move outside their designated floors, always being accompanied by monsters, was just like… categorizing and locking them up separately.

 

You had to know, the instances on each floor were completely classified according to the seven deadly sins.

 

Jealousy’s floor was filled with monsters that made mistakes because of jealousy.

The traps and instances they set were also related to the emotion of jealousy.

This was true for every floor without exception.

Lou Chen had memories of clearing the other six floors, and they could attest to this.

This explanation was completely correct.

 

What if it really was as they thought?

 

The rules weren’t game rules, but some kind of… prison rules.

 

The entire Land of Desire Amusement Park was an alternate space prison.

Those people with strong emotions were potential criminals.

The so-called players were actually wrongly judged by the rules and brought into that space, locked up with a group of truly heinous criminals.

 

They had wandered into a dark prison.

Some survived, but more died there.

As long as they could clear the game—this was an impossible condition in itself.

Because in the cold darkness, people with such tendencies would naturally breed evil, and they would thus remain in the game.

 

According to this explanation, Lou Chen knew why he had entered the Land of Desire Amusement Park.

 

Because back then, he wasn’t so approachable.

Yu Ziyu knew this about him, which was why he mocked his current position.

 

He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

He was extremely determined about his objectives, even if it meant leaving weaker people behind, he didn’t care, as long as he could protect those he wanted to protect…

He was essentially a person who didn’t treat all players equally.

Lou Chen had just packaged himself very well.

 

Xu He was Jealousy.

 

He envied people more talented than him.

This had always been a flaw in his nature, which was why he was easily seduced by Lust in the real world.

 

Lou Chen believed that Xiao He must also represent one of the seven.

 

At the same time, if you thought of those bosses as also being criminals, it would explain why the rules applied equally to them and to the players.

They were all prisoners, without exception.

Naturally, there would be no favoritism.

So if they failed in their struggle for power, they would also die.

 

Their power came from the same emotions, which were also their sins.

They were trapped on corresponding floors, atoning forever, with no chance to leave.

 

Lou Chen felt the world swaying.

These puzzles from the past that had been completely impossible to understand were now being confirmed one by one because of Yu Ziyu’s existence.

And just by reverse-engineering the inconsistencies around Yu Ziyu, he could deduce so much information…

This, to some extent, showed that Yu Ziyu was the core of this massive prison.

 

The tip of the iceberg had been revealed.

 

But Yu Ziyu’s figure, just like the one that had frequently appeared in Lou Chen’s dreams, was once again shrouded in a layer of black mist.

“What kind of identity can freely move within a prison, easily suppress all its inmates, make criminals leave their cells… and even, after he leaves, all the prisoners get the chance to leave the original prison, breaking the rules together in a mass escape?”

“Um, the rules themselves?”

Xiao He hesitated.

“No.”

He shook his head.

 

Before this, Lou Chen hadn’t known why Yu Ziyu suddenly changed his mind when the game panel appeared.

If… if it had specifically issued a mission to Yu Ziyu, then it made sense.

It had indirectly made Yu Ziyu take responsibility, to maintain the balance that had become precarious because of his departure.

 

But this also indirectly showed one thing—Yu Ziyu was also bound by the rules.

 

It was just that his rules were different from everyone else’s.

Its attitude towards him was cautious, respectful, and absolutely not coercive.

Because Yu Ziyu leaving the Land of Desire Amusement Park proved that it couldn’t stop Yu Ziyu from doing anything he wanted to do.

He wasn’t the rules themselves, but the rules feared him.

“So… an existence that even the rules fear.”

“Are we still talking about Teacher Yu?”

Xiao He asked, unable to help shivering.

“Who are we talking about?”

 

Lou Chen had already forgotten where he was, and hadn’t noticed what Xiao He said.

Something was about to burst forth in his mind, almost screaming in his head, making it impossible for him to breathe—

This involved a secret even deeper than he had thought.

“I know.”

Lou Chen murmured, his expression blank.

“He owns the entire prison.

He controls the entire prison.”

 

The rules were attached to the prison for survival; they were destined to be lower than its master.

If they wanted to survive, they had to maintain balance.

They couldn’t do it themselves; they could only rely on Yu Ziyu.

That was why he had such high authority.

 

The rules—the game, or rather, the prison itself—had to be very cautious, very cunning, to have a chance to survive.

 

It would find ways to please Yu Ziyu, perhaps by issuing missions.

It didn’t dare deceive Yu Ziyu.

So it could only reappear in the form of a game at the right time to help him.

Otherwise, it couldn’t explain why the game had restarted the very next day after Lou Chen sought out Yu Ziyu.

“Captain,” Xiao He looked very scared.

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

 

He didn’t know why his heart was racing, as if something terrible was about to explode right there.

“He is…”

Lou Chen said in a low voice, without hesitation.

“Yu Ziyu is the warden.”

 

***

 

“Late enough.”

Yu Ziyu said coldly, looking at the familiar figure.

“Greed, do you have anything to explain to me?

Together with Sloth?”

 

Standing before him was Greed himself, who hadn’t come to the scene.

 

Its androgynous appearance made it look even more radiant than imagined.

Its long hair fell to shoulder length.

It smiled slightly at him with the face of a young girl.

It wore a well-fitted dress, looking much better than any of the other bosses.

It seemed to be the one that had fared best among them during this time.

“I believe they’ve represented me well.”

Greed said, seemingly not stingy about claiming credit.

Although its words were intimate, it stood still, not moving, speaking cautiously.
“Long ago, I already helped the master a great deal.

When Sloth contacted me, I immediately offered up the heretics.”

 

Oh.

 

This could explain why Sloth was able to quickly come up with a contingency plan.

Because he had found Greed, and it had been prepared all along.

 

Yu Ziyu examined it.

“I created the forum.”

Greed said, slightly bowing.

“The forum that brought together those who were interested…

I hope you haven’t forgotten, Master.

But please don’t blame me.

I was the one who organized the first heretic gathering you attended.

I just knew you needed this.

You needed to come into contact with Lou Chen.”

 

It had always been there, just forced to hide in the shadows.

 

But it hadn’t explained at all why there was a pale, thin young man standing beside it.

He had been staring at Yu Ziyu while they spoke, as if he rarely had the chance to do so.

He couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Although he stood beside Greed, he looked down on it.

 

His eyes were deep black, like a whirlpool, dyeing everything that fell into them black.

Making him so unique, filled with fatal attraction.

 

Sloth struggled up from the ground.

He coughed violently, choking up more blood, soaking Yu Ziyu’s windbreaker, turning it black and dark.

“I also wanted to come, Master.”

The young man suddenly spoke, his voice very dull.

“But I noticed you didn’t leave a seat for me.”

 

He looked at Yu Ziyu, patiently awaiting his answer.

“…What are you trying to do?”

Sloth asked warily behind Yu Ziyu, his voice hoarse.

“I don’t know what you’re doing,” his voice was full of hesitation, which seemed to indicate something.

“I changed my mind.

I don’t want to be the invisible one anymore.”

The young man glanced at Sloth disdainfully.

“You know very well what I intend to do.

You should learn to be grateful.

Since I did something when the master left, then now… of course I want to continue doing something.”

 

Greed stepped back, fearfully glancing at the young man beside it.

 

Yu Ziyu smiled slightly, seeming not very surprised, leaving no one knowing what he was thinking at that moment.

He lifted his chin slightly.

“Tell me, what do you want to do to me?”

“I am Pride, the boss of the seventh floor.”

The young man said.

“The first prisoner you locked up in the game.”

 

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