Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 79 - 74: Acting Explosion!

Chapter 79: Chapter 74: Acting Explosion!

Wang Jinhui wore an air of arrogance and fiercely scolded the poet scholar, then was taken to the basement.

Su Xianjun isolated himself in his room, not wanting even to see the faces of these bandits.

Yang Xinyan stepped forward with an apologetic smile, "Calm your anger, strategist, this Wang Jinhui is ignorant of the larger picture. Please, be patient. I believe both he and Su Xianjun will understand soon."

The scholar sipped his wine, "Well done, Boss Yang. You indeed know the times. But please, go and persuade Boss Su again. If the General does not hear his opera tonight, by tomorrow morning, this small county might be left with no living creatures!"

Yang Xinyan hurriedly smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, rest assured, strategist, I will go and persuade him!"

On the surface, the Eastern Barbarian General was drinking wine, but in reality, he was observing the characters in this opera house.

As demons, they could not retain memories in the historical slice. Each entry into the memory was reset, only retaining memories of their abilities and objectives.

And those histories that needed alteration were invariably histories of failure for the demons and foreign tribes, dominated by narratives where the foreign tribes were counter-slaughtered by the people of the Central Plains.

Thus, successful alteration wasn’t about randomly seizing any Tom, Dick, or Harry or a passerby, it required altering the key figures in this historical slice.

Moreover, the power of demons was not omnipotent. The more resolute the individual, the more difficult they were to alter, and in some cases, it might even result in direct failure.

Regarding those inherently weak characters, although easy to alter, they were unlikely to be key figures in this instance, thus alterations might prove ineffective.

Another critical point was that demons entering the historical slice shouldn’t act recklessly; they inhabited the bodies of foreign tribes and couldn’t completely defy the original intent.

They could only act within the broad compliance of this setting.

Of course, since this was a smaller historical slice, the entering demons were weaker, their actions relatively limited. In contrast, more potent demons might break these constraints.

Additionally, there was a very special circumstance—the possible presence of "Restorers" in the historical slice!

All demons harbored a deep-seated hatred for Restorers, akin to the hatred the barbarians harboring relentless invasions and massacres in the Central Plains bore toward the Central Plains’ heroic figures.

With Restorers present, their chances of successfully altering the historical slice would significantly decrease, even potentially reverting many already altered slices.

For demons, the encounter with a Restorer was a rare circumstance but one that couldn’t be ignored.

If a Restorer was identified, the demons would prefer an alteration failure over not attempting to kill the Restorer. Because each Restorer killed in the historical slice dramatically weakened the Restorer’s power.

For now, the Eastern Barbarian General temporarily focused his attention on Su Xianjun, Yang Xinyan, and Wang Jinhui.

He guessed at least one of them was a key figure in this historical slice, maybe holding the key to a successful alteration.

If he could capture a Restorer... that would be hitting the jackpot.

Zhao Haiping, who was playing Yang Xinyan, was just thinking of turning back to the backstage, as he had practiced numerous times in the Trial Illusion.

But just then, he heard in ancient Eastern Barbarian language, "Hold on!"

Zhao Haiping involuntarily shuddered.

What was happening?

Previously, he had passed through many times, and this Eastern Barbarian General had always been drinking and eating meat without ever initiating a conversation!

The scholar frowned, "Boss Yang, what’s wrong?"

The unexpected situation caused Yang Xinyan’s movements to be somewhat exaggerated, arousing the scholar’s suspicion.

Zhao Haiping reacted quickly, his face breaking into an apologetic smile, "Strategist, the General’s voice just now was so commanding, it made me unconsciously terrified, so I lost my composure.

"May I know what the General meant? Any commands?"

Zhao Haiping immediately switched to acting mode in a blink.

The current situation strangely resembled a scenario from previous assassin trials. Zhao Haiping had watched the gameplay of that unknown top player, so he managed to bluff his way through, mimicking on the fly.

Besides, he actually understood ancient Eastern Barbarian language, but considering the character Yang Xinyan he was playing wouldn’t understand it, his reaction had to fit the character.

The scholar put aside his doubts for now, "Just wait a moment."

He then turned to the Eastern Barbarian General, "What are your commands, General?"

The Eastern Barbarian General stood up and approached Zhao Haiping, examining him closely.

The distance between the two was very close, and the General exuded a strong oppressive aura, making Zhao Haiping feel immense pressure.

Zhao Haiping felt his heart pounding wildly, but he still remembered to keep acting, merging his nervousness with Yang Xinyan’s identity.

He couldn’t help but think, no wonder this game demands acting skills!

Combat ability, knowledge, and acting—all these aspects had to be complete without any weaknesses.

If he had not practiced his acting skills subconsciously before, he might have already given himself away by now.

The Eastern Barbarian General spoke coldly, "This man has colluded with the local militia, take him out and kill him!"

Zhao Haiping looked bewilderedly at the scholar, "What did the General say?"

The scholar was also stunned, "General, Boss Yang is a well-known actor, set to play the role of a conqueror, is it really...?"

The Eastern Barbarian General gave him a cold glance, "Translate it for him!"

Feeling the murderous intent from the Eastern Barbarian General, the scholar dared not say more and could only tell the seemingly still oblivious Yang Xinyan, "The General said you’ve colluded with the local militia, and you’re to be dragged out and killed!"

The Eastern Barbarian General observed Yang Xinyan’s subtle expressions very seriously.

Yang Xinyan’s expression first registered shock, then confusion, and finally transformed into fear and despair.

"General!

"It’s a miscarriage of justice!

"I, I, I’m just an actor, I perform on stage merely to make a living, how could I dare collude with the local militia!

"I know now, it must be Wang Jinhui! It must be the one surnamed Wang!

"General, please see the truth! Advisor, please quickly explain to the General, I absolutely wouldn’t collude with the local militia!"

His expression was agitated, his hands waved around as if not knowing where to place them, his face a mix of shock and confusion.

The Eastern Barbarian General paused for a moment, "Alright, I can spare your life. But if you do not die, then Su Xianjun must die! Bring Su Xianjun here now, and I will spare you!"

The scholar was stunned, "General, Su Xianjun is a prominent actor..."

The Eastern Barbarian General’s gaze was sharp as a knife, "Say one more word, and I’ll kill you too! Pass my exact words to him!"

The scholar wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "Yes, General, I will convey it faithfully."

He then turned to Yang Xinyan, "Boss Yang, the General said, between you and Su Xianjun, only one can live. Bring Su Xianjun here now, and he will spare your life."

Yang Xinyan’s expression was once again overtaken by shock, his facial muscles twitching, seemingly facing a difficult internal decision.

After a moment of internal struggle, Yang Xinyan still managed to say, "General, Xianjun he... he just couldn’t see the reason for a moment. Please give me a little more time, just an hour, no, half an hour, I will definitely persuade him to perform!

"Please, have mercy..."

The General waved his hand, "In that case, you go die instead of Su Xianjun!"

Two thieves came over, seized Yang Xinyan, and dragged him outside.

Yang Xinyan screamed in terror, "General, General! I did not collude with the local militia!"

The scholar, completely dumbfounded, watched the two thieves almost drag Yang Xinyan out of the theater before he reacted, hurriedly following them, "Boss Yang, perhaps you should just bring Su Xianjun..."

His reasoning was simple; Su Xianjun’s attitude was firm, clearly unwilling to perform. If they killed Yang Xinyan, who would perform today?

If he had to choose between the two, he would rather choose Yang Xinyan, since Yang Xinyan was willing to cooperate.

But though Yang Xinyan was terrified, his face pale and legs shaking, he still would not exchange Su Xianjun’s life for his own.

Just then, the Eastern Barbarian General suddenly said, "Wait!

"Bring him back."

The two thieves dragged Yang Xinyan back.

The Eastern Barbarian General’s demeanor changed, "Boss Yang, I was just joking with you earlier. Please go and persuade Mr. Su again."

While speaking, he patted Yang Xinyan on the shoulder.

Playing Yang Xinyan, Zhao Haiping felt a peculiar sensation rising within him, as if some profoundly evil and mysterious force was eroding his inner being, prompting some unpredictable change.

But soon, the Restorer’s power within him surged forth, dispelling the erosion as if nothing had occurred.

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