Chapter 103: Hunter & Prey
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What?
What is he saying?
The already numbed brain became particularly dull under the bombardment of information. Wen Ya stared blankly at the young man in front of her, almost unable to believe what she heard.
Lilith…
Is there still hope?
Wen Ya stood still, feeling a bit dizzy.
Suddenly, the emotions that had been deliberately suppressed erupted.
In fact, if calculated carefully, although she and Lilith haven’t collaborated in many instances, their acquaintance was not short.
They were both Eternal Day anchors and would occasionally meet in the guild.
When they first met, she was called Lilith, a popular beauty anchor in the guild with a beautiful face that was no less enchanting than any other seductive-type anchor and a stable fan base. In the instances, she could provide a steady supply of points.
Wen Ya understood the necessity of beauty anchors in a team, but that didn’t mean she had a good impression of this type of anchor. Their beautiful faces and slender figures were advantages, but they were also burdens in life-or-death instances.
Lilith was no exception.
Their first collaboration was in a supernatural instance.
There, they made a momentary mistake and fell into a very dangerous situation. As they couldn’t figure out the true face of the boss, their teammates became impatient and started rushing forward.
One of the teammates had ulterior motives and suggested pushing one anchor out to test the boss.
And at that time, Lilith, who was still not highly ranked and hadn’t built up a large fan base, unsurprisingly became the chosen one.
Wen Ya voiced her opposition.
It wasn’t the desperate and fearful look in the other person’s eyes that moved her, but simply because she had a prop that could possibly counteract the situation and she hadn’t completely lost her bottom line.
Since she was the team leader, although other teammates were unwilling, they still followed her command.
Soon, the team fell into a difficult battle, and because of the large consumption of props, Wen Ya’s points were quickly depleted.
Trembling all over, Lilith hid behind Wen Ya, tugged on her sleeve, and timidly raised her tear-filled eyes.
“Sister, do you… need any props? Just tell me…”
Wen Ya glanced at her quickly and stated the name of the prop she needed.
Afterward, they managed to clear the instance without any further danger.
After that, Lilith inexplicably became very close to her.
Whenever they met in the Eternal Day guild, even though Wen Ya still maintained a polite and distant attitude towards her, Lilith would come up affectionately, calling her “sister” and gossiping about the weird teammates and audience she encountered in instances.
Unconsciously, Lilith became Xu Lili.
Xu Lili was an ordinary person.
A recent college graduate who grew up pampered, she was a well-behaved girl proud of her excessively beautiful appearance. However, she would occasionally worry about the inconveniences caused by her face. She was a girl who cried herself to sleep after the first instance, having nightmares for a month and dreaming of the day she could leave the live broadcasting room and see her parents again.
Wen Ya always thought that the relationship between the two of them was never too close.
But just now, on that rapidly moving train, when she saw Lilith standing alone in the mucus, pale-faced and trembling, what came to Wen Ya’s mind was Lilith’s imagined expression when she dreamed of leaving the live broadcast room.
“…Of course, I need to redeem the termination voucher. I’ve been gone for so long, and my parents must have been worried. When the time comes, you’re welcome to come to my house. My mom makes delicious braised pork. You must try it. It’s much better than the food in this live broadcast room…”
As she spoke, a glimmer of light shone in the girl’s eyes.
Wen Ya’s memories of Xu Lili faded away, replaced by the trembling Lilith.
She reached out with her mucus-covered fingers, stooped down, and picked up the plush suit from the ground, slowly putting it on herself.
She said, “Don’t come near me.”
Only now did Wen Ya realize why the Vice President gave them advice when they joined Eternal Day:
“Don’t form relationships with anyone, don’t develop emotions for anyone.”
Because here, you can’t escape, you can’t afford to lose.
A teammate dies, but the instance is not over. At this moment, besides forcing yourself to forget the death of a teammate, suppressing all emotions, and continuing to clear the instance, you can’t do anything else.
Only by not forming emotional connections with anyone, by making yourself numb and indifferent in endless live broadcasts, can you survive longer.
No one knows this better than Wen Ya.
She forced herself to forget the other party’s sacrifice, forget her smile and tears, forget her dreams, and braised pork, making her heart as cold as iron and impervious to knives and bullets.
She decided to continue clearing the instance.
But at this moment, the young man’s youthful and hoarse voice sounded in her ears, like the sound of a bell suddenly piercing through the mist, forcefully pulling her back from her numb and almost lifeless state.
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The cheerful music echoed in her ears, but what was clearer than that was the voice of the other:
“Lilith can still be saved.”
In the short moment of daze, it seemed like just a few seconds had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime in her mind.
Wen Ya, suddenly reacting, reached out her hand and tightly grasped Wen Jianyan’s arm.
“Hey, what… what did you say?”
Her voice trembled, and the calm and indifference she had just displayed was easily shattered:
“Are you serious?”
Under the intense emotions, Wen Ya’s breathing involuntarily intensified. She stared at the other person, afraid to miss the slightest change in Wen Jianyan’s expression.
“Of course, I am.”
The young man turned his head, looking into her eyes with his amber-colored ones, a faint smile playing at the corners of his light-colored lips, inexplicably bringing a sense of peace to her heart.
He placed his hand on top of Wen Ya’s hand, freeing his arm from her tight grip.
Wen Ya felt the warmth of his fingertips on her skin as something was placed in her palm.
She belatedly lowered her head and looked at the folded strip of paper in her hand.
The white paper stood out with its bold black printed characters.
[Thank you for purchasing our cat plush doll.]
[If your mental state is approaching complete pollution, the cat doll will provide you with three hours of protection (Note: During this time, your self-perception will be influenced by the doll costume). Please remove the mental pollution within three hours; otherwise, the cat costume will become ineffective]
[The doll becomes invalid after one use.]
[Thank you for your patronage.]
Yun Bilan leaned closer and quickly scanned the contents of the invoice. She couldn’t help but pause, speculating, “So, Lilith’s current condition should be reversible?”
“Yes.”
Wen Jian nodded slightly, his gaze analyzing as he said, “Judging from this situation, the reason why Lilith took the initiative to put on the cat costume was not because she was polluted, but because she was protected by the doll’s effect. In other words, even if the cat costume wasn’t on the ground at that time, the utility of this prop would have been rationalized in another way by the instance.”
Lilith is not dead at the moment but is in a dangerous state that is about to be completely polluted. Without this cat doll, she would have immediately followed in the footsteps of Brother Fatty and succumbed. However, under the effect of the doll, they have a three-hour buffer period. If the effect can be lifted during this time, the other party can be saved.
Yun Bilan hurriedly turned around and looked toward the “Crazy Little Train” project behind her.
“What are we waiting for then? Let’s quickly find Lilith–”
Her voice got stuck in her throat.
After all the players cleared the game, the “Crazy Little Train” project had already been closed. The staff members who were previously wearing cat costumes and selling tickets at the entrance had disappeared at some point. Only the tightly locked gate and the empty ticketing area remained. The train conductor’s uniform had also been taken off and placed on the table.
Yun Bilan’s heart skipped a beat.
She stood still, surveying the area in front of her. The staff members dressed in various furry costumes were walking around in the crowd, and all the tortoiseshell-colored cats looked exactly the same. It was impossible to distinguish one from another.
…This was not good.
Finding Lilith would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
“Although their faces are covered by the headgear, their voices shouldn’t have changed. If we…” Yun Bilan’s words were interrupted by Wen Ya.
“It won’t work.”
She shifted her gaze away from the object in her hand and shook her head.
“After Lilith put on the costume, I tried to talk to her. Her voice changed after she put on the headgear, making it indistinguishable from the other staff members. I can’t rely on that to identify her among the others.”
Yun Bilan hesitated. “This…”
She was at a loss for words.
“What can we do then?”
“Well, there is still a way to differentiate them to some extent.”
Wen Jianyan said.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“These cat costumes have tortoiseshell patterns, which are stripes of yellow and black mixed together. While they may appear similar at first glance, if you observe closely, you will notice that the patterns on each employee’s costume are not exactly the same,” Wen Jianyan said thoughtfully, squinting his eyes.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and continued:
“I remember that on the forehead and neck of the cat costume we are looking for, there are two diagonal stripes at a forty-five-degree angle.”
“However, this distinction is too subtle. Even if we search according to this criterion, the probability of finding the target will be very low. Moreover, the amusement park is so large that even now we haven’t explored the entire map. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack…”
“But there are people who can discern such subtle distinctions.”
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Wen Jianyan turned his head and looked at the Blonde haired man not far away. “That’s why we need our old friend’s help. I estimate that this guy probably has enhanced visual abilities and most likely also possesses remarkable memory skills. Otherwise, it would be difficult to find the target person among so many faces.”
“As for the other point…”
Wen Jianyan chuckled softly. “If you know where to find someone, it’s not like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
The group was taken aback and looked at the young man in front of them with confusion. They were a bit lost.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t forget, despite the seemingly loose and illogical rules of this amusement park, everything is interconnected inside.”
Wen Jianyan’s voice remained calm and composed:
“Rule number 8 of the Fantasy Amusement Park Food Area: Visitors are prohibited from entering the east side of this area.”
“Rule number 3 of the Crazy Little Train Staff Rules: This project opens later and has no fixed time. All staff members wait for the announcement in the rest area on the east side of the North Square and avoid going to the work area in advance.”
“In other words, the reason why visitors are prohibited from entering the east side of the food area is that it serves as the staff rest area.”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, pondering. “Lilith’s self-perception is influenced by the plush costume. In other words, she now believes she is a staff member of this project.”
“There are no signs of staff mixing in the Fantasy Amusement Park, so after completing a project, where do all the staff members go?”
Yun Bilan paused for a moment and answered, “…the staff rest area.”
“Exactly.”
Wen Jianyan blinked at her, confirming her guess. “And that place might also have what I’m looking for.”
And there’s another important point. According to Wu Zhu’s hint, his soul fragment won’t be in a very superficial location of the instance but will be related to the deep information of the instance.
And the employee rest area on the east side of the food area precisely fits this condition.
“Anyway, I was already prepared to go there. Saving someone on the way won’t be a big deal.”
Under the sunlight, the young man said casually.
He slightly squinted his amber eyes, and a gentle breeze brushed through his soft hair. Under the slightly loose clothes was an overly slender frame. His facial features were young and soft, combining to form an excessively beautiful face.
Innocent and pure, without any aggressiveness, his soft lips carried a hint of a smile, making him fit to be a beauty anchor without any sense of incongruity.
No matter who sees him, It would be difficult for them to regard him as a formidable opponent at first glance.
Wen Ya stared at him in a daze.
She suddenly understood why this seemingly harmless and beautiful young man in front of her became the most terrifying newcomer with such an impressive resume.
She couldn’t help but recall the scene in the Fukang Hospital instance where he single-handedly reversed the situation.
…Impressive and convincing.
In a dreamlike realm where all laws and morals lose their meaning,
He had enough strength and intelligence to do evil.
If he wanted to, he could do unimaginable and horrifying things in the real world, and no one would dare become his enemy.
Wen Ya looked at him, perplexed.
He could deceive everyone without changing his expression, leave the roller coaster without hesitation, hold their necks, set traps that made the red team dizzy, and give away a cat plush toy without hesitation.
And now…
Wen Ya questioned herself.
If she encountered the same situation, would she choose to break the rules at the risk of her own life just to save a teammate she barely knew, someone she had only collaborated with in one instance?
If it were the past, Wen Ya, who had never experienced any danger, would probably nod without hesitation.
But after going through so many instances in the nightmare and witnessing the effects the instances could have on people, Wen Ya knew…
She wouldn’t.
But why? Why did Wen Jianyan not hesitate at all?
It seemed like he never even considered not saving the person as an option from the beginning.
He just…
Did it.
If it were before, Wen Ya might have sneered and mockingly said, “Naive.” However, this liar could never be described as naive. A naive person couldn’t deceive all the red team anchors, turn the tide of battles single-handedly in the Hunting Ground, or survive in an A-level instance with them until now.
She didn’t know why, but all the complex thoughts were stuck in her throat, weighing heavily in her abdomen.
Sour and heavy.
For the first time, Wen Ya realized that she couldn’t see through the person in front of her completely.
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How could there be such a deceitful, powerful, and complex person in this world?
“Let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan stared at the conspicuous Blonde head not far away.
He took the lead and started walking, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “The first step in saving someone…”
“Kidnapping.”
***
Blondie involuntarily sneezed.
He looked up at the bright sun above, feeling puzzled.
Strange…
Even though he didn’t sense any drop in temperature around him, why did he suddenly feel a chill?
“What’s wrong?” Hui Cheng turned his head and looked at Blondie, asking, “Is something not right?”
Blondie snapped back to reality and shook his head, murmuring softly, “No, nothing.”
Perhaps it was due to completing the mission, Hui Cheng seemed much more relaxed now. He patted Blondie’s shoulder and said, “Alright, don’t worry. Since the mission is already complete, all we need to do now is clear the instance with all our strength. Rest assured, even though it cost us quite a few tickets, Brother San has already purchased a gift. After we finish this instance, we’ll make the employer pay a little extra to compensate for our mental losses in this instance.”
“Mm… okay.”
Blondie nodded absentmindedly.
Although in a corner of his heart, he still felt that this mission wouldn’t be so easily completed, with his teammates reassuring him, he gradually began to doubt his previous unwavering conclusion.
Perhaps…
He had been mistaken before?
After all, the train compartment was really dark, and his own state was overly tense. Maybe… those two mirror-like figures were just his imagination?
Blondie tried to numb himself.
After all, he and his teammates had gone through several instances together before, and their talents complemented each other well. Since forming this team, they have hardly made any mistakes.
This time should be no different.
Yes.
“Big brother, what should we play in the next project?”
One of their teammates asked.
Hui Cheng stood still, looked around, and his gaze fell on the entrance of a particular project.
He turned to Brother San. “What was the item you bought again?”
“Plush sheep.”
Not far away, at the entrance of the project called ‘Halloween Spin Wheel,’ a staff member dressed in a white sheep plush costume was selling tickets to passing visitors.
“Alright, that’s the one!”
Hui Cheng decisively made the decision.
The group headed in the direction of the Halloween Spin Wheel.
“Welcome to the Fantasy Amusement Park! This is our newest featured project, the Halloween Spin Wheel. Would you like to experience it?” greeted the sheep, pointing to a sign nearby.
“The ticket price is ten Coupons!”
Blondie followed at the end of the group, absentmindedly listening to the conversation between his teammates and the NPC. For some reason, he suddenly felt a strange chill and the sensation of being watched.
He instinctively looked up, his gaze scanning the square in front of him.
The air was filled with cheerful music, and the square was bustling with crowds. Anchors and staff members in various plush costumes mingled together, creating the illusion of being back in the real world.
Countless faces passed by in the distance, and everything seemed ordinary.
Suddenly, without warning, a familiar figure abruptly entered his field of vision.
“…!!!”
In that instant, Blondie’s pupils contracted sharply!
The young man stood casually amidst the surging crowd. He was not tall, slender in physique, and under the sunlight, his fair and handsome face seemed to glow. His light-colored eyes were slightly narrowed, and a playful smile lingered on his lips.
At that moment, the passing figures around him seemed to blur into the background, and amidst the dizzying chaos, he stood out like a thorn, piercing directly into Blondie’s eyes!
Blondie’s face turned pale, and he almost forgot to breathe.
He raised his hand and grabbed Hui Cheng’s arm abruptly. “Big… big brother, he’s not dead! He’s not dead!!!”
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“What?”
Hui Cheng was in the middle of taking out the coupons from his pocket and nearly dropped them due to Blondie’s tug.
He turned to Blondie, feeling a bit impatient. “What are you talking about?”
“Our mission isn’t completed! He’s not dead!”
Blondie’s eyes were filled with fear, his lips trembling, and his voice almost changed. “He’s right over there…”
Everyone’s gaze followed Blondie’s pointed direction.
However, at the end of the pointing finger, there were only moving crowds, and there was no trace of the target person’s figure.
Hui Cheng frowned: “Where?”
“He, he was just here!”
Blondie looked around incredulously. “I swear! He was very close to us… I’m telling you, he’s definitely not dead. I saw him on the train in the darkness. I really did!”
“He has ill intentions towards us… definitely!”
“…”
Hui Cheng and the others exchanged discreet glances.
If the target person was far away and Blondie saw him while they didn’t, it would be believable, but…
He appeared just a few meters away?
Taking a step back, even if the other person really survived in the Crazy Little Train, he would definitely know that someone was chasing him. Before his disguise of death was exposed, it would be reasonable for him to stay as far away from them as possible. How could he still catch up?
And he conveniently showed himself only to Blondie and disappeared the moment others looked?
Connecting it to the fact that the other person had become extremely paranoid since entering this amusement park…
Blondie’s words lacked credibility.
Even Hui Cheng was starting to get impatient.
He patted Blondie’s shoulder. “Stop overthinking. I already said, I hit the target. You saw it wrong.”
“Four tickets.”
The group handed the coupons to the sheep.
“Alright, no problem!” The sheep handed them the tickets. “There’s no time limit for this project. Enjoy it to the fullest.”
“But for your gaming experience and safety, please read and familiarize yourself with the rules inside the Halloween Spin Wheel.”
The group nodded and began walking toward the project.
Blondie didn’t move.
He stood in place, covered in cold sweat, searching for the familiar figure among the crowd.
He heard Hui Cheng urging him from behind.
“Hurry up, pay and enter. Stop wasting time.”
“Okay… okay.”
Blondie averted his gaze, his face pale. He handed the crumpled, sweat-dampened coupons to the sheep and received the tickets from it.
He turned his head for one last glance.
The square in front of him was bustling with people, but he couldn’t see the familiar figure of the target person, as if the previous scene had been nothing but his imagination.
The sun was high overhead.
But for some reason, Blondie felt a chill run down his spine. A cold sensation crept up from his feet, making him shiver. He huddled in fear, like a herbivore targeted by a predator, trembling in an unknown environment, fearful that the next second it would be pinned down by the predator emerging from the grass, its throat viciously torn apart.
The relaxed nerves he had just regained tightened once again, though he didn’t know when.
Blondie fearfully averted his gaze and hurriedly entered the Halloween Ferris Wheel as if fleeing.
It was as if…
The roles of the hunter and the prey had somehow reversed.
The author has something to say:
Wen Ya: He’s so gentle.
Wen Jianyan (rubbing his hands): Let’s go! Kidnapping time!
Wen Ya: …?
Chapter 103: Hunter & Prey
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What?
What is he saying?
The already numbed brain became particularly dull under the bombardment of information. Wen Ya stared blankly at the young man in front of her, almost unable to believe what she heard.
Lilith…
Is there still hope?
Wen Ya stood still, feeling a bit dizzy.
Suddenly, the emotions that had been deliberately suppressed erupted.
In fact, if calculated carefully, although she and Lilith haven’t collaborated in many instances, their acquaintance was not short.
They were both Eternal Day anchors and would occasionally meet in the guild.
When they first met, she was called Lilith, a popular beauty anchor in the guild with a beautiful face that was no less enchanting than any other seductive-type anchor and a stable fan base. In the instances, she could provide a steady supply of points.
Wen Ya understood the necessity of beauty anchors in a team, but that didn’t mean she had a good impression of this type of anchor. Their beautiful faces and slender figures were advantages, but they were also burdens in life-or-death instances.
Lilith was no exception.
Their first collaboration was in a supernatural instance.
There, they made a momentary mistake and fell into a very dangerous situation. As they couldn’t figure out the true face of the boss, their teammates became impatient and started rushing forward.
One of the teammates had ulterior motives and suggested pushing one anchor out to test the boss.
And at that time, Lilith, who was still not highly ranked and hadn’t built up a large fan base, unsurprisingly became the chosen one.
Wen Ya voiced her opposition.
It wasn’t the desperate and fearful look in the other person’s eyes that moved her, but simply because she had a prop that could possibly counteract the situation and she hadn’t completely lost her bottom line.
Since she was the team leader, although other teammates were unwilling, they still followed her command.
Soon, the team fell into a difficult battle, and because of the large consumption of props, Wen Ya’s points were quickly depleted.
Trembling all over, Lilith hid behind Wen Ya, tugged on her sleeve, and timidly raised her tear-filled eyes.
“Sister, do you… need any props? Just tell me…”
Wen Ya glanced at her quickly and stated the name of the prop she needed.
Afterward, they managed to clear the instance without any further danger.
After that, Lilith inexplicably became very close to her.
Whenever they met in the Eternal Day guild, even though Wen Ya still maintained a polite and distant attitude towards her, Lilith would come up affectionately, calling her “sister” and gossiping about the weird teammates and audience she encountered in instances.
Unconsciously, Lilith became Xu Lili.
Xu Lili was an ordinary person.
A recent college graduate who grew up pampered, she was a well-behaved girl proud of her excessively beautiful appearance. However, she would occasionally worry about the inconveniences caused by her face. She was a girl who cried herself to sleep after the first instance, having nightmares for a month and dreaming of the day she could leave the live broadcasting room and see her parents again.
Wen Ya always thought that the relationship between the two of them was never too close.
But just now, on that rapidly moving train, when she saw Lilith standing alone in the mucus, pale-faced and trembling, what came to Wen Ya’s mind was Lilith’s imagined expression when she dreamed of leaving the live broadcast room.
“…Of course, I need to redeem the termination voucher. I’ve been gone for so long, and my parents must have been worried. When the time comes, you’re welcome to come to my house. My mom makes delicious braised pork. You must try it. It’s much better than the food in this live broadcast room…”
As she spoke, a glimmer of light shone in the girl’s eyes.
Wen Ya’s memories of Xu Lili faded away, replaced by the trembling Lilith.
She reached out with her mucus-covered fingers, stooped down, and picked up the plush suit from the ground, slowly putting it on herself.
She said, “Don’t come near me.”
Only now did Wen Ya realize why the Vice President gave them advice when they joined Eternal Day:
“Don’t form relationships with anyone, don’t develop emotions for anyone.”
Because here, you can’t escape, you can’t afford to lose.
A teammate dies, but the instance is not over. At this moment, besides forcing yourself to forget the death of a teammate, suppressing all emotions, and continuing to clear the instance, you can’t do anything else.
Only by not forming emotional connections with anyone, by making yourself numb and indifferent in endless live broadcasts, can you survive longer.
No one knows this better than Wen Ya.
She forced herself to forget the other party’s sacrifice, forget her smile and tears, forget her dreams, and braised pork, making her heart as cold as iron and impervious to knives and bullets.
She decided to continue clearing the instance.
But at this moment, the young man’s youthful and hoarse voice sounded in her ears, like the sound of a bell suddenly piercing through the mist, forcefully pulling her back from her numb and almost lifeless state.
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The cheerful music echoed in her ears, but what was clearer than that was the voice of the other:
“Lilith can still be saved.”
In the short moment of daze, it seemed like just a few seconds had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime in her mind.
Wen Ya, suddenly reacting, reached out her hand and tightly grasped Wen Jianyan’s arm.
“Hey, what… what did you say?”
Her voice trembled, and the calm and indifference she had just displayed was easily shattered:
“Are you serious?”
Under the intense emotions, Wen Ya’s breathing involuntarily intensified. She stared at the other person, afraid to miss the slightest change in Wen Jianyan’s expression.
“Of course, I am.”
The young man turned his head, looking into her eyes with his amber-colored ones, a faint smile playing at the corners of his light-colored lips, inexplicably bringing a sense of peace to her heart.
He placed his hand on top of Wen Ya’s hand, freeing his arm from her tight grip.
Wen Ya felt the warmth of his fingertips on her skin as something was placed in her palm.
She belatedly lowered her head and looked at the folded strip of paper in her hand.
The white paper stood out with its bold black printed characters.
[Thank you for purchasing our cat plush doll.]
[If your mental state is approaching complete pollution, the cat doll will provide you with three hours of protection (Note: During this time, your self-perception will be influenced by the doll costume). Please remove the mental pollution within three hours; otherwise, the cat costume will become ineffective]
[The doll becomes invalid after one use.]
[Thank you for your patronage.]
Yun Bilan leaned closer and quickly scanned the contents of the invoice. She couldn’t help but pause, speculating, “So, Lilith’s current condition should be reversible?”
“Yes.”
Wen Jian nodded slightly, his gaze analyzing as he said, “Judging from this situation, the reason why Lilith took the initiative to put on the cat costume was not because she was polluted, but because she was protected by the doll’s effect. In other words, even if the cat costume wasn’t on the ground at that time, the utility of this prop would have been rationalized in another way by the instance.”
Lilith is not dead at the moment but is in a dangerous state that is about to be completely polluted. Without this cat doll, she would have immediately followed in the footsteps of Brother Fatty and succumbed. However, under the effect of the doll, they have a three-hour buffer period. If the effect can be lifted during this time, the other party can be saved.
Yun Bilan hurriedly turned around and looked toward the “Crazy Little Train” project behind her.
“What are we waiting for then? Let’s quickly find Lilith–”
Her voice got stuck in her throat.
After all the players cleared the game, the “Crazy Little Train” project had already been closed. The staff members who were previously wearing cat costumes and selling tickets at the entrance had disappeared at some point. Only the tightly locked gate and the empty ticketing area remained. The train conductor’s uniform had also been taken off and placed on the table.
Yun Bilan’s heart skipped a beat.
She stood still, surveying the area in front of her. The staff members dressed in various furry costumes were walking around in the crowd, and all the tortoiseshell-colored cats looked exactly the same. It was impossible to distinguish one from another.
…This was not good.
Finding Lilith would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
“Although their faces are covered by the headgear, their voices shouldn’t have changed. If we…” Yun Bilan’s words were interrupted by Wen Ya.
“It won’t work.”
She shifted her gaze away from the object in her hand and shook her head.
“After Lilith put on the costume, I tried to talk to her. Her voice changed after she put on the headgear, making it indistinguishable from the other staff members. I can’t rely on that to identify her among the others.”
Yun Bilan hesitated. “This…”
She was at a loss for words.
“What can we do then?”
“Well, there is still a way to differentiate them to some extent.”
Wen Jianyan said.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“These cat costumes have tortoiseshell patterns, which are stripes of yellow and black mixed together. While they may appear similar at first glance, if you observe closely, you will notice that the patterns on each employee’s costume are not exactly the same,” Wen Jianyan said thoughtfully, squinting his eyes.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and continued:
“I remember that on the forehead and neck of the cat costume we are looking for, there are two diagonal stripes at a forty-five-degree angle.”
“However, this distinction is too subtle. Even if we search according to this criterion, the probability of finding the target will be very low. Moreover, the amusement park is so large that even now we haven’t explored the entire map. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack…”
“But there are people who can discern such subtle distinctions.”
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Wen Jianyan turned his head and looked at the Blonde haired man not far away. “That’s why we need our old friend’s help. I estimate that this guy probably has enhanced visual abilities and most likely also possesses remarkable memory skills. Otherwise, it would be difficult to find the target person among so many faces.”
“As for the other point…”
Wen Jianyan chuckled softly. “If you know where to find someone, it’s not like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
The group was taken aback and looked at the young man in front of them with confusion. They were a bit lost.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t forget, despite the seemingly loose and illogical rules of this amusement park, everything is interconnected inside.”
Wen Jianyan’s voice remained calm and composed:
“Rule number 8 of the Fantasy Amusement Park Food Area: Visitors are prohibited from entering the east side of this area.”
“Rule number 3 of the Crazy Little Train Staff Rules: This project opens later and has no fixed time. All staff members wait for the announcement in the rest area on the east side of the North Square and avoid going to the work area in advance.”
“In other words, the reason why visitors are prohibited from entering the east side of the food area is that it serves as the staff rest area.”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, pondering. “Lilith’s self-perception is influenced by the plush costume. In other words, she now believes she is a staff member of this project.”
“There are no signs of staff mixing in the Fantasy Amusement Park, so after completing a project, where do all the staff members go?”
Yun Bilan paused for a moment and answered, “…the staff rest area.”
“Exactly.”
Wen Jianyan blinked at her, confirming her guess. “And that place might also have what I’m looking for.”
And there’s another important point. According to Wu Zhu’s hint, his soul fragment won’t be in a very superficial location of the instance but will be related to the deep information of the instance.
And the employee rest area on the east side of the food area precisely fits this condition.
“Anyway, I was already prepared to go there. Saving someone on the way won’t be a big deal.”
Under the sunlight, the young man said casually.
He slightly squinted his amber eyes, and a gentle breeze brushed through his soft hair. Under the slightly loose clothes was an overly slender frame. His facial features were young and soft, combining to form an excessively beautiful face.
Innocent and pure, without any aggressiveness, his soft lips carried a hint of a smile, making him fit to be a beauty anchor without any sense of incongruity.
No matter who sees him, It would be difficult for them to regard him as a formidable opponent at first glance.
Wen Ya stared at him in a daze.
She suddenly understood why this seemingly harmless and beautiful young man in front of her became the most terrifying newcomer with such an impressive resume.
She couldn’t help but recall the scene in the Fukang Hospital instance where he single-handedly reversed the situation.
…Impressive and convincing.
In a dreamlike realm where all laws and morals lose their meaning,
He had enough strength and intelligence to do evil.
If he wanted to, he could do unimaginable and horrifying things in the real world, and no one would dare become his enemy.
Wen Ya looked at him, perplexed.
He could deceive everyone without changing his expression, leave the roller coaster without hesitation, hold their necks, set traps that made the red team dizzy, and give away a cat plush toy without hesitation.
And now…
Wen Ya questioned herself.
If she encountered the same situation, would she choose to break the rules at the risk of her own life just to save a teammate she barely knew, someone she had only collaborated with in one instance?
If it were the past, Wen Ya, who had never experienced any danger, would probably nod without hesitation.
But after going through so many instances in the nightmare and witnessing the effects the instances could have on people, Wen Ya knew…
She wouldn’t.
But why? Why did Wen Jianyan not hesitate at all?
It seemed like he never even considered not saving the person as an option from the beginning.
He just…
Did it.
If it were before, Wen Ya might have sneered and mockingly said, “Naive.” However, this liar could never be described as naive. A naive person couldn’t deceive all the red team anchors, turn the tide of battles single-handedly in the Hunting Ground, or survive in an A-level instance with them until now.
She didn’t know why, but all the complex thoughts were stuck in her throat, weighing heavily in her abdomen.
Sour and heavy.
For the first time, Wen Ya realized that she couldn’t see through the person in front of her completely.
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How could there be such a deceitful, powerful, and complex person in this world?
“Let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan stared at the conspicuous Blonde head not far away.
He took the lead and started walking, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “The first step in saving someone…”
“Kidnapping.”
***
Blondie involuntarily sneezed.
He looked up at the bright sun above, feeling puzzled.
Strange…
Even though he didn’t sense any drop in temperature around him, why did he suddenly feel a chill?
“What’s wrong?” Hui Cheng turned his head and looked at Blondie, asking, “Is something not right?”
Blondie snapped back to reality and shook his head, murmuring softly, “No, nothing.”
Perhaps it was due to completing the mission, Hui Cheng seemed much more relaxed now. He patted Blondie’s shoulder and said, “Alright, don’t worry. Since the mission is already complete, all we need to do now is clear the instance with all our strength. Rest assured, even though it cost us quite a few tickets, Brother San has already purchased a gift. After we finish this instance, we’ll make the employer pay a little extra to compensate for our mental losses in this instance.”
“Mm… okay.”
Blondie nodded absentmindedly.
Although in a corner of his heart, he still felt that this mission wouldn’t be so easily completed, with his teammates reassuring him, he gradually began to doubt his previous unwavering conclusion.
Perhaps…
He had been mistaken before?
After all, the train compartment was really dark, and his own state was overly tense. Maybe… those two mirror-like figures were just his imagination?
Blondie tried to numb himself.
After all, he and his teammates had gone through several instances together before, and their talents complemented each other well. Since forming this team, they have hardly made any mistakes.
This time should be no different.
Yes.
“Big brother, what should we play in the next project?”
One of their teammates asked.
Hui Cheng stood still, looked around, and his gaze fell on the entrance of a particular project.
He turned to Brother San. “What was the item you bought again?”
“Plush sheep.”
Not far away, at the entrance of the project called ‘Halloween Spin Wheel,’ a staff member dressed in a white sheep plush costume was selling tickets to passing visitors.
“Alright, that’s the one!”
Hui Cheng decisively made the decision.
The group headed in the direction of the Halloween Spin Wheel.
“Welcome to the Fantasy Amusement Park! This is our newest featured project, the Halloween Spin Wheel. Would you like to experience it?” greeted the sheep, pointing to a sign nearby.
“The ticket price is ten Coupons!”
Blondie followed at the end of the group, absentmindedly listening to the conversation between his teammates and the NPC. For some reason, he suddenly felt a strange chill and the sensation of being watched.
He instinctively looked up, his gaze scanning the square in front of him.
The air was filled with cheerful music, and the square was bustling with crowds. Anchors and staff members in various plush costumes mingled together, creating the illusion of being back in the real world.
Countless faces passed by in the distance, and everything seemed ordinary.
Suddenly, without warning, a familiar figure abruptly entered his field of vision.
“…!!!”
In that instant, Blondie’s pupils contracted sharply!
The young man stood casually amidst the surging crowd. He was not tall, slender in physique, and under the sunlight, his fair and handsome face seemed to glow. His light-colored eyes were slightly narrowed, and a playful smile lingered on his lips.
At that moment, the passing figures around him seemed to blur into the background, and amidst the dizzying chaos, he stood out like a thorn, piercing directly into Blondie’s eyes!
Blondie’s face turned pale, and he almost forgot to breathe.
He raised his hand and grabbed Hui Cheng’s arm abruptly. “Big… big brother, he’s not dead! He’s not dead!!!”
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“What?”
Hui Cheng was in the middle of taking out the coupons from his pocket and nearly dropped them due to Blondie’s tug.
He turned to Blondie, feeling a bit impatient. “What are you talking about?”
“Our mission isn’t completed! He’s not dead!”
Blondie’s eyes were filled with fear, his lips trembling, and his voice almost changed. “He’s right over there…”
Everyone’s gaze followed Blondie’s pointed direction.
However, at the end of the pointing finger, there were only moving crowds, and there was no trace of the target person’s figure.
Hui Cheng frowned: “Where?”
“He, he was just here!”
Blondie looked around incredulously. “I swear! He was very close to us… I’m telling you, he’s definitely not dead. I saw him on the train in the darkness. I really did!”
“He has ill intentions towards us… definitely!”
“…”
Hui Cheng and the others exchanged discreet glances.
If the target person was far away and Blondie saw him while they didn’t, it would be believable, but…
He appeared just a few meters away?
Taking a step back, even if the other person really survived in the Crazy Little Train, he would definitely know that someone was chasing him. Before his disguise of death was exposed, it would be reasonable for him to stay as far away from them as possible. How could he still catch up?
And he conveniently showed himself only to Blondie and disappeared the moment others looked?
Connecting it to the fact that the other person had become extremely paranoid since entering this amusement park…
Blondie’s words lacked credibility.
Even Hui Cheng was starting to get impatient.
He patted Blondie’s shoulder. “Stop overthinking. I already said, I hit the target. You saw it wrong.”
“Four tickets.”
The group handed the coupons to the sheep.
“Alright, no problem!” The sheep handed them the tickets. “There’s no time limit for this project. Enjoy it to the fullest.”
“But for your gaming experience and safety, please read and familiarize yourself with the rules inside the Halloween Spin Wheel.”
The group nodded and began walking toward the project.
Blondie didn’t move.
He stood in place, covered in cold sweat, searching for the familiar figure among the crowd.
He heard Hui Cheng urging him from behind.
“Hurry up, pay and enter. Stop wasting time.”
“Okay… okay.”
Blondie averted his gaze, his face pale. He handed the crumpled, sweat-dampened coupons to the sheep and received the tickets from it.
He turned his head for one last glance.
The square in front of him was bustling with people, but he couldn’t see the familiar figure of the target person, as if the previous scene had been nothing but his imagination.
The sun was high overhead.
But for some reason, Blondie felt a chill run down his spine. A cold sensation crept up from his feet, making him shiver. He huddled in fear, like a herbivore targeted by a predator, trembling in an unknown environment, fearful that the next second it would be pinned down by the predator emerging from the grass, its throat viciously torn apart.
The relaxed nerves he had just regained tightened once again, though he didn’t know when.
Blondie fearfully averted his gaze and hurriedly entered the Halloween Ferris Wheel as if fleeing.
It was as if…
The roles of the hunter and the prey had somehow reversed.
The author has something to say:
Wen Ya: He’s so gentle.
Wen Jianyan (rubbing his hands): Let’s go! Kidnapping time!
Wen Ya: …?
