Game of Deception Chapter 166: Frozen Heart

"So that is how it is."

After finishing the movie The Silence of the Lambs, Ming Po fell into deep thought and closed his eyes.

He finally understood—the title of this movie was also the aning behind his own Title.

In the movie, when the female lead, Clarice, exchanged secrets with Hannibal, she ntioned her childhood.

After losing her father at a young age, she was sent to live with relatives on a farm. Then, late one night, she was suddenly awakened by the horrific screams of slaughter-bound lambs.

Screams that sounded exactly like a crying child.

She had tried to open the pen to let the flock escape, but the lambs only shrieked, freezing in place and refusing to run away.

Stung by their miserable cries, she thought that saving even just one would be enough. So, she grabbed a small lamb and fled.

In the end, she only made it a few miles before being intercepted by a sheriff's car. Her relatives were furious and sent her to an orphanage.

And the lamb she had tried to save was, naturally, slaughtered anyway.

From then on, she would occasionally wake up in the dead of night, hearing the screams of the lambs.

Ming Po opened his eyes slightly, a dim yellow glow swirling in his pupils.

That was not just the scream of lambs waiting to be slaughtered—it was the manifestation of her childhood helplessness after becoming an orphan.

She did not lack courage, because she had actually acted, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. But she failed simply because she was too weak and lacked power.

She could do nothing.

This guilt accompanied her throughout her life, driving her to beco a police officer.

Her attempt to save the kidnapped Catherine was precisely because she never wanted to experience that kind of helplessness again.

It was just like the question Hannibal had asked—

"Do you think if you save Catherine, those lambs will stop screaming?"

Her entire life was the epito of that question.

"Truly fascinating."

Ming Po murmured softly, "Even though 'Silence of the Lambs' refers to Clarice, or perhaps Catherine—the power I obtained belongs to Hannibal. Just like..."

...Just like Frankenstein.

Even though Frankenstein actually referred to the scientist rather than Frankenstein's monster, Ming Po possessed both the ability to dismantle and assemble limbs alongside monstrous brute strength.

And now, Ming Po had mastered the ability to see through the psychology of others.

The Detective Title's ability to see through the attributes of objects had been weakened; now, Ming Po could only see an extrely brief hint.

In exchange, he could now see through the despair, pain, and darkness hidden deep within another person's heart at a single glance.

Perhaps it was not just limited to others—it naturally included Ming Po himself.

In Ming Po's vision now, the emotions hidden deep within others were like the strings of an instrunt. They drifted up and down, brightening or dimming along with their mories, and he only needed to reach out his hand to pluck them and make them sound.

Yet his own heart had beco extraordinarily serene. No longer hyperactive, no longer anxious, no longer furious. It was probably for this reason that Ai Shiping thought Ming Po was in a bad mood.

But that was not the case. Ming Po felt he was in an excellent mood.

His inner mind was not like a placid, ancient well, but rather like a firmly frozen icicle.

Clear and transparent, cold and sharp.

Enough to kill without leaving a trace.

Ming Po also tried to actively use the ability, but its activation failed.

Lacking a target.

Such a clear thought surfaced in Ming Po's mind.

This ant that the ability had to be used on soone else, and it could not be himself.

Although logically speaking, it would be safer to thoroughly test his abilities before entering a Promotion ga, Ming Po did not want to expose the fact that he had changed his Title—which might reveal the existence of the Bacchus Shrine. At the sa ti, he did not want to use his ability on Ai Shiping or Gao Fan.

What if his ability carried so sort of offensive nature?

What if his ability crippled them, permanently stripped away their will, or simply killed them?

Even if there was only a slight possibility, he had to remain cautious.

For other Deceivers of the World, a Promotion ritual might require every ounce of their strength just to barely survive.

But for Ming Po, that was not the case.

After all, to him, these gas were not inherently very difficult.

Or rather—up until now, Ming Po had not truly found his nesis. There was neither an enemy nor a ga that he had to take completely seriously.

Testing a new ability in a Promotion ga was naturally not an issue.

After all, even without using his active ability, it was not as if he would fail to clear the Promotion ga.

As for Gao Fan, he had already made his move first.

Although he intended to wager a bet with Gao Fan, he obviously could not set out at the exact sa ti. They were both promoting to Zhou's Azure Lead, but their strengths were entirely different. Departing at the sa ti would actually be unfair to Gao Fan—just like in chess, when the gap in rank is too high, one has to spot the opponent a few pieces.

Therefore, Ming Po gave Gao Fan a two-hour head start.

If Gao Fan could co out before Ming Po, then Ming Po would willingly acknowledge him as an older brother.

Moreover, contrary to his seemingly proud and detached exterior, Ming Po did not care at all about childish issues like who got to be the boss or the second-in-command.

To Ming Po, being able to call soone he trusted a brother was already sothing that made him very happy. This bet was a win-win scenario for him either way.

"However, now that the movie is finished—it is about ti to make a move."

Ming Po rose leisurely, adjusting his clothes in front of the full-length mirror.

Looking at his reflection, a thought popped into his mind:

'Feels like it's missing a hat. I could also pair it with a cane—it would probably look a lot better.'

The current Ming Po possessed a temperant that was visibly different from before he joined the Ga of Deception. He was no longer so restless and frantic, but instead carried a slight sense of calm restraint.

Perhaps it was because the dangers of the Ga of Deception had already satisfied him, so he no longer needed to go around seeking death.

Thinking this, Ming Po walked toward the front door of Gao Fan's house.

He pulled out a Zhou's Azure Lead chip, carefully admiring and twirling it.

This was also currently Ming Po's only Zhou-level chip.

The outer ring was an intertwined mix of dark green and azure, while the inside carried the texture of tallic lead.

The pattern on the Hour's Red Copper chip was an hourglass that resembled a star, while the Day's False Gold chip bore a dim, twisted sun shaped like a tree crown.

But for this chip, the pattern in the center was made of stars.

It looked like five stars, but upon closer inspection, one could find two hidden stars connected to the largest one.

'What does that an? Does it an a five-day workweek plus a two-day weekend? And then the weekend and Friday are joined together...'

The corners of Ming Po's mouth curled up slightly.

He was amused by his own thought.

He flipped the chip into the air, caught it casually, and threw it into the door.

[Promotion].

With a crisp clink, pure black rose patterns slowly spread across the door.

The number of rose patterns was far greater than in any previous ga!

Imdiately afterward, an emblem of several stars erged right in the center of the door, exactly like the symbol on the Zhou's Azure Lead chip.

Ming Po opened the door, squared his shoulders, and stepped inside.

During his last Promotion, his heart had been anxious, tyrannical, and verging on despair.

But the current Ming Po was unhurried, his mind as still as water.

Because he was no longer alone.

And he would no longer fear loneliness.

The current Ming Po already had friends who truly belonged to him, and there would only be more and more to co.