Chapter 89: Open Cards, Faction Division

Morning. The blinding sunlight filled the interior of the coffin.

No. 11 was broken, shattered into pieces. His body, like a pile of rotting sludge, emitted a heavy stench of blood that mingled with the fresh air, seeping into everyone’s nostrils.

On both sides of the coffin, Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao stood, their bodies exuding a raw, primitive wildness. Their chests heaved violently, their breaths heavy and ragged.

As Ren Ye’s gaze swept over the pulped remains inside the coffin, for a fleeting moment, he felt as if the civilization he had cultivated over twenty-plus years of life in modern society had… completely vanished in this instant.

He had once been an anti-fraud officer. Even when a colleague was brutally murdered, he still sought a proper justification for revenge, adhering to procedural justice—even paying the price of imprisonment for it.

And perhaps such actions would earn some approval, but they would never be accepted by society.

However, in the Star Gate, things were different.

Culture, etiquette, reverence, law—one by one, these “constraints” were torn apart by the most primitive and extreme rules of the Star Gate.

He wasn’t sure whether the disappearance of this “civilized restraint” was good or bad.

But physiologically speaking, at this moment, it was undeniably exhilarating—an unrestrained, euphoric thrill!

Deep down, Ren Ye didn’t even bother justifying the act of smashing No. 11 into pulp as “self-defense” or as “kill or be killed.”

That kind of reasoning felt both shameless and hypocritical, something a defendant in a civilized society might argue in court.

But in the world of Star Gates, there was no need for such “self-defense” arguments, no need to explain to anyone.

I smashed you to pieces simply for revenge.

Revenge for last night’s countless brushes with death,

Revenge for the freezing cold that cracked my skin,

Revenge for the moments I wanted to give up on life, yet still gritted my teeth and endured…

I survived, so you had to die.

Each time the solid coffin lid struck No. 11, it was an equivalent exchange for every moment of pain and mental collapse from the previous night.

That was why Ren Ye felt such immense satisfaction—like successfully collecting a long-overdue debt.

“Clatter…!”

Just then, the sound of wood shifting rang out.

A pair of bloodshot eyes fixated on Ren Ye with pure hatred before lunging at him.

The first thing the Scholar saw upon waking was his teammate turned into “fruit pulp.” A surge of fury shot straight to his head, leaving no room for thought—like a raging beast, he pounced at Ren Ye with only one thought in mind:

Kill him! Kill him!!

But just as the Scholar’s body dashed across the row of coffins, an unexpected foot slammed into his waist.

“Thud!”

A muffled impact followed. The lunging Scholar was kicked sideways off the coffin, crashing hard onto the ground.

“Your dad died, and you’re acting like a rabid dog?” The one who kicked him, Li Yan, spat coldly. “What the hell are you trying to do?!”

“I’ll kill you!”

Usually sharp-witted and a strategic thinker, the Scholar had now completely lost his rationality. He pushed himself up from the ground and charged at Ren Ye again.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

The man and woman stood together, each gripping a coffin board still smeared with flesh and blood, turning in perfect sync to face the Scholar.

For some reason, the two had developed a powerful mutual understanding overnight—something even Tang Feng and Li Yan, who had been through thick and thin together, couldn’t compare to.

The Scholar charged at them in a frenzy, completely forgetting his own combat strength, forgetting that Ren Ye and Xu Qingzhao still held deadly weapons in their hands.

The sight of No. 11 being smashed to death had sent him into a blind rage.

“Ah!”

The Scholar screamed as he stretched out his arms, reaching for Ren Ye’s throat.

“Bang!”

Standing at the side, Xu Qingzhao swung her coffin lid down hard onto the back of the Scholar’s head. The edge, still coated with ice shards, was sharp enough that a single strike peeled away part of his scalp, sending him tumbling forward onto the ground.

“Whoosh!”

Xu Qingzhao immediately raised the lid again.

Nearby, Ren Ye took a step forward, cutting off the Scholar’s escape. His arms trembled slightly as he lifted his coffin lid high, ready to smash down again.

Lying on the ground, the Scholar—who had just been struck—felt his body shudder with goosebumps. His mind finally snapped back to reality, sensing the presence of death.

“Bang!”

Ren Ye’s coffin lid struck the Scholar’s arm just as he tried to push himself up, eliciting a pained howl before he collapsed again, like a dog with a broken spine.

Unlike his beloved Consort, his body couldn’t compare. After last night’s torment, he was already at his limit. His brief burst of rage had drained him further, leaving him completely exhausted.

Otherwise, that single blow would have shattered his right arm completely.

Just as the pair prepared for a second round, a shadow rushed forward, shoving Ren Ye aside with a loud thud before forcefully pushing Xu Qingzhao back.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” No. 3 Xing Tao shouted with bloodshot eyes. “You seriously think you can just do whatever the hell you want?!”

As his voice fell, Guo Cai’er, who had just climbed out of a coffin, also stepped forward.

Without saying a word, she positioned herself beside the Scholar and reached out to help him up.

“Outnumbering us, huh?!” Li Yan walked up to Ren Ye.

“We do seem to have a slight numbers advantage,” Tang Feng added, stepping beside Ren Ye to make his stance clear. “I’m done pretending. Cards on the table—I’m his damn ally.”

At this moment, the scene reached a standoff.

On the Court Faction side, the Scholar had taken two hits and was in a damaged state, while Guo Cai’er and Xing Tao were both at peak condition.

On Prince Huai’s side, both the Prince and the Princess were on the verge of collapsing, their stamina and health bars nearly empty, whereas Tang Feng and Li Yan were at full health and full energy.

Now, both sides had revealed their hands completely.

Guo Cai’er and Xing Tao couldn’t just stand by and watch the Scholar get beaten to death. Back on the second level, the Scholar had already severed ties with the Opportunist Faction and pledged allegiance to the Court Faction to prove his loyalty. Now, the three of them were in the same boat.

As for Li Yan and Tang Feng, neither of them knew exactly what had happened to the Prince and the Princess last night, but it must have been brutal. Otherwise, given Xu Qingzhao’s personality, she would never have chosen such a method to kill.

With their teammates signaling for a full-scale fight, there was no point in hiding anymore.

As the two sides squared off, Guo Cai’er’s heart pounded wildly. She could sense that the situation was looking unfavorable, so she immediately kicked the Scholar, signaling him to start acting.

Why not kick Xing Tao instead? Because a crude Martial Artist has questionable intelligence—kick him, and he might just take off your shoe and sniff it instead.

The Scholar clutched the back of his head, blood trickling from his wound. He looked up at No. 11’s coffin, his eyes filled with unfiltered hatred, and gritted his teeth as he roared, “Are you still not seeing the situation clearly, huh?! Do you want to be eliminated?!”

His shout echoed through the frigid air, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

Just then, the Horksekeeper, who had been silently observing from the side, glanced at Ren Ye and his group before striding toward the Scholar.

Stopping beside the trio, he spoke in a simple, straightforward manner: “If it’s a life-or-death fight now, then I’m standing with them.”

Why did the Horsekeeper so decisively choose Guo Cai’er’s side?

First, he was a Court Faction player.

His logic was straightforward. After Zhang Meixuan’s death in the first level, he had heard a notification from the Star Gate:

Court Faction player -1!

What did this mean? It meant that No. 5 had manipulated the votes and orchestrated Zhang Meixuan’s death—quick and decisive.

From this alone, the Horsekeeper could be sure that No. 5 was definitely not a Court Faction player and was highly likely aligned with Prince Huai’s faction.

Then, upon entering the second level of the tomb, No. 11 and the Scholar immediately provoked No. 5, a clear attempt to signal their stance and find allies.

After reaching this third level—the Frozen Abyss—No. 11, the Scholar, Guo Cai’er, and the Martial Artist had begun interacting frequently.

Shortly after, No. 5 and No. 2 never returned to the starting area. This obvious, targeted aggression made it almost certain—the Scholar and the others were likely his teammates.

So why hadn’t he reached out to Guo Cai’er and the others earlier?

This was where the Horsekeeper’s wisdom showed—he knew that revealing his allegiance too soon would strip him of his freedom.

Take ambushing No. 5, for example. If he had declared his stance earlier, he would have been forced to participate in the attack.

But after that?

Once his identity was exposed, he’d have to constantly watch out for retaliation from No. 5’s teammates. If he were a little unlucky, the one lying in the coffin right now might have been him instead…

By staying hidden and observing, he had more flexibility.

However, now that things had reached this point—Guo Cai’er’s side at a disadvantage, all major pieces on the board locked in battle—he had no choice but to step forward.

If their faction lost any more members, their chances of victory would plummet.

With the Horsekeeper declaring his stance, the battle lines shifted—it was now a four-on-four fight.

At this moment, the only factor that could tip the scales was Imperial Inspector Liu.

He sat atop a coffin, his small yet shrewd eyes fixed on the two opposing factions, but internally, he was torn and bewildered.

Damn it, I still haven’t even figured out what’s going on, and now they’re about to start fighting?!

Imperial Inspector Liu furrowed his brows, realizing that everyone was looking at him.

“…What the hell are you all staring at?! Can’t I just be the referee?” He rolled his eyes.

“Are you an idiot?!” Even the crude Martial Artist looked at him in disbelief. “Do you really need to analyze this situation?!”

“Wait, wait, don’t insult him!” The Horsekeeper quickly stopped Xing Tao, his gaze soft as he looked at Imperial Inspector Liu.

“Brother, the situation is clear as day. I’m guessing you’re the type who plays both sides, yeah? No need for me to spell out who they are, right? But you have to understand—whoever goes solo in this game… is the easiest target.”

Imperial Inspector Liu hesitated as he looked at him.

“What are you still thinking about?!” The Scholar grew anxious. “Attack them! That damned couple was tormented all night, and we have a five-against-four advantage! What the hell are you afraid of?!”

The sun rose, bringing warmth back to the freezing land. Its golden rays shone on Imperial Inspector Liu and the coffin, just like a spotlight in a theater illuminating the main character—brilliant and dazzling.

After a brief silence, Imperial Inspector Liu suddenly shouted, “Prince Huai’s father will always encounter vice raids when he gets in a car!”

Without hesitation, Ren Ye responded, “Prince Huai’s grandmother will always run into hooligans when she dances!”

It matched. Everything matched!

Imperial Inspector Liu’s eyes lit up instantly. It was him—it was that man who saved him from prison!

That’s right! He was No. 5!

Imperial Inspector Liu leaped off the coffin, about to rush over, but suddenly stopped.

Wait a minute—wasn’t No. 5 supposed to be Li Yan? They even had a brief conversation last night. How did he suddenly become my ally?

Doubt crept in. Something felt off. Imperial Inspector Liu hesitated.

Just then, Li Yan completely ignored Guo Cai’er and the others’ gazes and stepped forward to stand beside Imperial Inspector Liu.

“I’m Li Yan. No. 5 was with me the whole time. He told me about you, and I told him about myself. Now, we have no choice but to lay our cards on the table and fight them.”

“You’re Li Yan? How do you prove that?” Imperial Inspector Liu stared at him interrogatively.

Li Yan’s body tensed. Then, with a serious expression, he asked, “Tell me the truth—who exactly saved you today?”

Hearing this, Imperial Inspector Liu got goosebumps all over. Instinctively, he responded, “If I say it was Prince Huai, would you believe me?”

“Heh.”

That “heh” was crucial.

It was a subtle detail from the conversation between Li Yan and Imperial Inspector Liu at the cottage that day.

“I believe you.”

It matched. Everything matched again!

Imperial Inspector Liu’s mind ignited, and his thoughts raced with meticulous precision:

“The man before me is definitely Li Yan, because our conversation was highly confidential—there was no way it could have been overheard.

At the same time, No. 5 is undoubtedly an ally. He saved my life, and the secret phrase about Prince Huai was a personal emotional marker—no matter how smart someone else is, they wouldn’t be able to crack it.

So… Li Yan is a Court Faction player, and No. 5 is on his side. That makes everything crystal clear!”

“Opportunist plus Court Faction—attack Prince Huai’s faction!”

All the fog lifted.

The previously uncertain situation became completely clear under Imperial Inspector Liu’s sharp, discerning gaze.

“Heh.”

He chuckled as well, then stepped up to stand beside Li Yan, positioning himself to Ren Ye’s left. Hands behind his back, he declared,

“Since everyone has made their choice, I’ll make mine too. Cards on the table—I’m an Opportunist, and my specialty is screwing over Prince Huai’s faction.”

A light breeze blew past.

Guo Cai’er, the Horsekeeper, Xing Tao, and the Scholar all shivered involuntarily, their pupils dilating as they stared at Imperial Inspector Liu in disbelief.

“You… what did you just say?!” The Horsekeeper asked in shock. “Did you really figure this out, brother?!”

“I’ll admit, your acting was convincing…,” Imperial Inspector Liu said warily, keeping his eyes on the four of them. “But I’m no fool.”

“They… they’re Prince Huai’s faction!” Xing Tao pointed at Ren Ye and the others, practically jumping in frustration. “How much clearer can this get?!”

“Heh, still trying to sow discord?” Imperial Inspector Liu pointed at Ren Ye and asked, “Do you have any idea what kind of bond I share with him? He saved my life! And this No. 10—we’ve known each other since the first act! With a connection like that, do you really think there’s anything left for you to act out?”

Hearing this, Ren Ye suddenly felt a strange sense of guilt—something he hadn’t even felt while smashing No. 11’s coffin.

On the other side, the Horsekeeper was silent for a long time before finally muttering six words: “Fuck your mother, you absolute dumbass.”

“No arguments here. Let’s beat them down!” Imperial Inspector Liu cracked his neck and rolled his wrists, locking eyes on Guo Cai’er.

“…I’m taking on that woman.”