I Wasn't Born Lucky

The moment he finished reading the first sentence of this cluster of starlight, Xiao Li knew that Pseudo-Logoi had been swindling him. This information touched the realm of the gods and even shook the status of the gods. It was a truth that needed to be 'buried.'

The god of lies didn't speak any words of truth. If Xiao Li had agreed to his deal then he would've just become one of the trophies that Pseudo-Logoi had fooled. Perhaps he would become Pseudo-Logoi's stepping stone like the unlucky god of death.

He didn't even need a reason, just as long as he wanted to do so. It was conceivable that a god with this personality must've offended many existences of the same level. The fact that he was still alive proved the power of the god of lies.

Xiao Li shook his head, erased Pseudo-Logoi from his mind and continued to explore the contents of the light.

[Chaos dies, the Styx crumbles, they seized the opportunity to form 'him']

[He needs strength to maintain himself.]

Blank.

Large blank.

Styx…

Xiao Li immediately thought of the river he saw when he received the letter of help from Tan Li on the first day he entered the instance. Was this the so-called River Styx? He continued to 'look' downwards.

Blank.

[A new order was established.]

[They need petri dishes.]

[All tombstones are blank.]

Blank.

[From this…]

[Only…]

In the next flow of information from the light group, only the first few words of these two sentences were left. All the following words were erased. Xiao Li almost wanted to cough up blood because of this. If it didn't want to show it then don't even give these two words! Even so, the amount of information from these words was very large.

Xiao Li roughly sorted out the information: The Styx River collapsed and chaos died. Some ghosts took the opportunity to absorb power and were promoted to the gods today. Maintaining the status of a god required creating batch after batch of petri dishes i.e. the instance worlds that would eventually die.

No wonder why the adjudication prison was neutral and other gods couldn't destroy it. Otherwise, the gods would want to destroy this area just because of this light group.

Time was limited. Xiao Li seized the opportunity to go forward into the middle of the nebula. The colourful nebula was so beautiful that it almost wrapped him in it. The almost pitch-black darkness was lined with the brilliance of the stars and possessed shocking power. This time, he chose the largest nebula in the middle.

[Cold knowledge: The daily food in the adjudication prison is transported from an instance world dominated by chefs. It is delicious, nutritious and can be consumed.]

Xiao Li, "……"

Xiao Li, "???"

Fuck your cold.

He almost swore. Was this information really like a draw? He drew an SSR card the first time which seemed to be the result of the explosion of his lucky aura. Xiao Li frowned slightly, threw away this halo and went to touch the next halo.

[A sentence of duck soup for the soul before going to sleep. Cherish your time just like you cherish your life.]

Pass.

Xiao Li flicked past with a cold face.

……

Next.

[The adjudication prison is the largest neutral organization in the universe. It is parallel to the abyss of chaos and originated before all things. There are 138792232 adjudication prisons in all universes.]

It was slightly useful.

[Hot knowledge: If you get caught by a ghost, you will die.]

Get lost.

[The goddess of beauty is so beautiful that I really want to spend the night with her.]

?

[The existence is so mysterious. I have never seen him before.]

Don't know, don't understand, don't care.

[Friendly tip that was deliberately inserted to play with your mentality: If you want to leave the adjudication prison by improper means, you must do…]

There was nothing more.

……

In just one hour, Xiao Li felt the exercise of his mind as his mood went up and down to the final calm response. Apart from the first and middle ones, most of them were small natural encyclopedia facts about the entire universe, including some gossip among the gods. It was really useless.

At the end of an hour, Xiao Li was ejected from the library. He watched the door behind him disappear again and merge with the wall. He shook his head, stroked his chest and returned to the passage.

***

Wang Huai muttered, "So this is the source of the instances? The petri dishes of the gods and we are just like the microorganisms on it. Ha, I didn't expect that in the midst of so many speculations, the real version of Truman's world turned out to be real."

Park Heesoon added, "It's a despairing fact."

Zheng Yi wondered, "Is the goddess of beauty really so beautiful?"

Ye Zeqing continued, "Is there a photo?"

Setamon, "……"

The above were the reactions of the reincarnators after Xiao Li informed them of what happened in the library. Zheng Yi seemed to feel the weird gazes of the other people and scratched his head. "I have been with Sherlock for a long time and my thoughts have been taken by him."

Xiao Li immediately refused. "I won't carry this blame."

Then he answered their questions one by one. "Yes, I don't know, no."

Wang Huai teased, "Don't change the topic, you know this trick is useless to me. They have partnered with you the most. Who can infect them if it isn't you?"

"By the way, there is one more thing I have forgotten. The food in the cafeteria is edible, including the meat." Xiao Li suddenly added in a surprised tone of 'almost forgotten.'

The other people who heard his tone and thought there was something important, "……"

He still dared to say it wasn't his influence?!

As Xiao Li spoke, his fingertips swept over his brooch. He opened the communicator and quickly scanned the barrage.

[It has been cut off again…]

[I'm quite curious about what Sherlock found inside.]

[Disappointed.]

Sure enough. Xiao Li thought that the power of the gods could be used once he left the scope of the adjudication prison, for example, the spectators of the live broadcast who weren't in the adjudication prison. In more common terms, there was a god or maybe two who hacked his broadcast just now so ordinary gods couldn't see it.

However, this was just temporary. He believed that as long as one of the reincarnators successfully completed the mission and returned to reality, then the message of 'an unknown god admires the goddess of beauty' would surely become a hot post on the forum.

As the price for Pseudo-Logoi's attempt to deceive him, Xiao Li would add fuel to the flames and depict this god as the god of lies, letting him taste the power of rumours. As for whether it would be blocked? Xiao Li believed that the enemies of the god of lies would be happy to help spread the news. For example, the god of death.

Setamon might be surprised and worried about the situation in reality but seeing the depressed crowd, she slammed her hands against the wall and attracted everyone's attention. "Don't be discouraged. Our main purpose now is to escape from prison!"

Everything else could be put away.

"Sherlock," she spoke to Xiao Li. "During the time when you were away, we thoroughly searched this prison again. There is no door, just like the library. It should really only be opened during special periods. I think Wang Huai's suggestion of breaking out when newcomers enter is feasible."

Wang Huai bent over, clutching his stomach and speaking weakly, "I am getting hungrier. We really need to hurry up."

Setamon gazed at Xiao Li for advice and he spoke thoughtfully, "It is a good method but there are two uncontrollable factors. First, when will the newcomers come? Second, how to attract the jailers away?"

"Regarding the first point," Wang Huai spoke weakly. "I used an item. Based on the words of Lian Susu and Yu You, a group of newcomers will come in every two days. At least, the rule between them was like this."

"In other words, the opportunity is tomorrow."

"Yes, before that, we need to figure out a way to get the tiger away from the mountain…" Wang Huai's tone gradually weakened and this room fell into silence.

***

Night fell.

It was almost time to turn off the lights. Xiao Li didn't sit on the bed. He simply pulled off the sheets to use as a cushion. He bent his long legs, placed one hand on his knee and lowered his head slightly.

The lights of the passage outside illuminated the entire prison. The area next door was very quiet. There were occasional gasps but most of the breathing was weak. It was obvious that Yu You's group was almost unable to withstand the punishment that was strengthened over time. It was just a matter of time before they died.

The quietness made people anxious.

Xiao Li remained motionless in this posture. It was unknown what he was thinking. Just then, there was the sound of fingers tapping on the door of his room. The sound was very soft. It was a volume that was just right for Xiao Li to hear without disturbing him.

Xiao Li raised his head, looked at the door and found it was Shen Chenzhi standing outside.

Xiao Li cocked his head, "?"

Shen Chenzhi didn't plan to come in. He placed his finger on the door and wrote stroke by stroke: [Good night.]

It was now very close to lights out and the jailer would come at any time to patrol. He came out of his room just to say good night to Xiao Li. He was very happy.

Xiao Li stared straight at him and suddenly had an indescribable feeling. He closed his eyes and mouthed, "…Good night."

Shen Chenzhi got a reply and went back in a contented manner.

Xiao Li didn't slump down. Even though the weight on his back already made him feel uncomfortable, he still sat upright and stared at the door blankly, as if seeing the Shen Chenzhi who gave his defense earlier today. Just like he did thousands of times in the past, Shen Chenzhi didn't move. He stared at Xiao Li with gentle eyes. His unconcealed love could be seen even in the broadcast room.

"I fell in love with someone." Shen Chenzhi said.

He stood there for a long time as if he didn't know what to say next. Then his eyes curved in a smile and he continued, "I want that person."

"I'm very greedy. I've been thinking that I want everything about him so that he completely belongs to me."

The young man wasn't used to such occasions. The dim light shone on half his face. The young man had a deep brow and a slight smile in his pale eyes. He added softly, "I want everything about him."

"I confess my guilt."

He confessed willingly.

Xiao Li recalled up to here and suddenly closed his eyes. He didn't know how to describe this feeling. His emotions kept surging and refused to let him go.

It was just like a long time ago on the night when Xiao Li's mother died. The doctor gave a critical illness notice and he waited alone in the corridor. It was just like how Xiao Yuzheng appeared in the corridor of the ICU and declared without mercy that he would take Xiao Li away. It was just like the time when Xiao Yuzheng and Xu Mei went to a party for some senior official while a driver of the Xiao family waited downstairs at an old, dilapidated community. At that time, Xiao Li returned to the house rented by his mother and moved his luggage by himself to the Xiao house.

Xiao Li didn't actually tidy up his things that night. He just sat on the sofa, watching the dark roof and not thinking of anything else.

As a child, he had thought many times about how he would treat his mother when he grew up. He would try to make money to buy a big house and move into a new community. However, it turned out he couldn't hold onto anything.

That night was the closest he had come to an emotional breakdown in years.

Xiao Li raised his hand to his eyes. His fingers trembled slightly as he took off his brooch and covered it with the bedsheets. Then he bent his arms and buried his head in them. He could feel it.

…He was on the verge of falling.

6th Anniversary Event Page (Final Submission Date: 15th November)

Proofreader: Tofu