Chapter 22 The Key to Escape

On the way to the next room, Feng Bujue discovered something pleasing: the [Apparatus] specialization in his skill tree had been unlocked. It was currently F-rank. He wasn't sure if it was from fiddling with his Walkman or folding newspapers, but it was good that it was unlocked. If the skill rewarded upon clearing the stage was in the [Apparatus] or [General] category, he should be able to learn it directly.

A few minutes later, he finally arrived at another door marked in red. This time, he pushed it open and entered.

The room wasn't large. Two televisions were placed against the wall. In the center of the room was a table, with a key sitting directly on top of it. In the corner to the right was a straight pipe, protruding about a meter from the ground. Feng Bujue walked over and looked at it. The diameter seemed to be just right to fit a tennis ball.

This time, the door behind him closed on its own before he touched anything. At the same time, one of the two televisions lit up, displaying the image of the white-faced doll.

"Hello, Arthur. Perhaps you feel that the game is nearing its end, that you will soon be able to leave here alive. But please, ask yourself, do you really deserve this? Can a momentary act of kindness and a brief period of suffering change your hypocritical nature?

"You and I both know, you have not yet attained true redemption."

Feng Bujue didn't speak. He felt that something was off about these words. The so-called "momentary act of kindness" and "brief period of suffering" should be referring to his choices when passing through the first two rooms. This indicated that this recording might have been made just a few minutes ago, or perhaps... the screen was showing a live feed.

The screen of the second television also suddenly lit up. Feng Bujue saw an unbelievable scene: Wang Tanzhi was on that television. Wang Tanzhi in the image was also moving forward in a corridor. He looked injured, with bloodstains on his body, and his gait was a little strange.

"Wallowing in the world of fame and fortune has allowed you to meet many petty people who call you brothers. I believe that even if they learned of your disappearance or death, these people wouldn't care in the slightest. But... Arthur, you have one friend, a true friend," the doll said. "John is also undergoing a game, but his destination is a dead end. And the only thing that can help him escape, and at the same time... the thing that can help you leave here, is the key on the table.

"You can use it to open the last door, or you can throw it into the pipe in the corner and send it to John.

"There is only one key. If the despicable and hypocritical Arthur Sieg chooses to die, then the kind and upright John can survive.

"Life or death, make your choice."

Feng Bujue stared at the television screen, stunned for a full two minutes. He was thinking about what was going on with Wang Tanzhi in the second television. Was it just a false image generated within his own scenario, or was he really seeing Wang Tanzhi in another single-player survival mode scenario at this moment? If it was the latter, then this system was too sharp. Could it actually allow the scenarios of two different players to overlap at a certain moment?

He thought: It seems that the answer will have to wait until the end of the scenario to ask Xiao Tan. Now, he can only speculate, unable to verify.

At this time, Feng Bujue couldn't help but admire the cleverness of this scenario. Arthur in the setting was indeed not a good person, and the previous two levels were not enough to change anything, but those were just foreshadowing.

According to this plot, the final choice was the key. If Arthur sacrificed John and chose to escape himself, then he would suffer the condemnation of his conscience for the rest of his life, living in pain. His selfishness and hypocrisy would be infinitely magnified, tormenting his mind. Arthur would eventually go to another extreme, becoming a fanatical altruist, a true philanthropist, so that his conscience could feel a little better.

This was the so-called "redemption", allowing the player to understand how to respect and cherish life after the trial, and to be grateful for the rest of their life.

And the other situation was that Arthur chose to die himself, letting his friend John live. That was directly a sacrificial redemption.

Feng Bujue shrugged, walked to the table, picked up the key, looked at the last closed door, and said to himself, "In that case, this scenario of mine has ended in failure..." He walked to the pipe, didn't think much about it, and threw the key in.

Afterward, the screen of the second television was turned off, and the doll in the first television spoke again: "An admirable choice, Arthur. Don't worry, death is the sublimation of the soul." It seemed this really wasn't a recording.

"That door..." Feng Bujue turned his face and pointed in the direction of the door, "leads to a dead end."

The doll's neck turned slightly, without responding.

"Your wording is very interesting... and very precise. I was almost tricked," Feng Bujue said. "The thing that can bring him 'escape' is also the thing that can help me 'leave here'." He smiled, "Heh heh... if I take the key to open the door, I would die instead, right?"

The doll still didn't answer, remaining silent.

"You said I 'can use it to open the last door', but you didn't say that I could live after opening it. I would only 'leave'," Feng Bujue said, "And the most important hint is... 'If the despicable and hypocritical Arthur Sieg chooses to die, then the kind and upright John can survive' this sentence." He spread his hands, "I thought for a few seconds before I understood that this doesn't conflict. At this moment, John has gotten the key. He can survive, and the 'despicable and hypocritical' Arthur has already died.

"Standing here is Arthur Sieg, who is willing to sacrifice himself for a friend, who has passed the trial, a 'admirable' person whose 'soul has been sublimated'. Am I right?"

The doll finally spoke: "Excellent. You have seen through the rules of the game, but that makes me question the results of the trial."

"Are you really just a set of scenario data generated by the system?" Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes and walked toward the television. "Could it be that, for you, my choice isn't just a logical conclusion that's already been decided? Does it matter if my basis for passing is conscience or cunning?" He squatted in front of the television, using the same tone as in the recording, and lowered his voice, "The final choice in this scenario isn't actually between life and death. But a game about the id, ego, and superego.

"If I put myself into the mentality of 'Arthur Sieg', then that's choosing with the consciousness of the id. That despicable reporter would undoubtedly abandon others to save himself, using the key to open the door. That way, he would die.

"If I completely look at the problem with the mentality of a 'player', then that's choosing with the consciousness of the ego. For the players of Thriller Paradise, this is just a scenario, after all. The options are simple: Clear or Game Over. Therefore, I would still use the key to open the door, and still die.

"Only someone who brings an objective mentality to a subjective role, 'a player who is focused on playing Arthur Sieg', can make a decision with the consciousness of the superego. That way, even if I don't break your tricks, I would choose to throw the key into the pipe, because that's the most perfect interpretation of the scenario.

"And at that time, you would give me a surprising ending in return, is that right?"

The television screen actually went black at this moment, as if the doll had forcibly stopped this exchange. Feng Bujue immediately heard that familiar system prompt in his ear, without any emotion:

[You have completed this scenario. You will be automatically teleported in 60 seconds]