Chapter 127: “To… truth and freedom.”
Seeing that, Wen Ya was about to rush forward, but Blond quickly grabbed her clothes, saying, “Sister! Wait a moment!”
“What’s wrong?”
Wen Ya paused her movements and turned to look at Blond beside her.
Blond tugged at Wen Ya’s sleeve and pointed to a vehicle not far away. “Look at the window there.”
Accompanied by joyful music, a festooned vehicle adorned with balloons and ribbons moved slowly forward. The windows of the vehicle were tightly closed, and faint traces of dampness could be seen along the edges.
The colorful ribbons and wallpaper were damp and slightly curled.
“That vehicle doesn’t seem right. Be careful,” Blond lowered his voice, his tone trembling.
Wen Ya nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t worry, I understand.”
In the next moment, she activated her invisibility prop and disappeared from Blond’s view.
Before being completely polluted, Lilith has only seven minutes left.
***
“Drip.”
Crimson blood oozed from the wound, dripping down with a sound that was covered by the young man’s usual clear voice.
The light scent of blood easily blended into the slightly fishy air, leaving no traces behind.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window was a crimson sky that seemed to be bleeding, along with the huge eyeballs amidst the scars.
Wen Jianyan calmly explained his “management philosophy,” sounding just like a sincere job applicant, offering all his suggestions for the other person’s benefit.
Exceedingly selfless and exceedingly sincere.
Behind him.
Drops of blood fell onto the black tail-snake emblem.
One drop, two drops…
The blood spread onto the mirror, absorbed almost entirely by the dormant shadows within.
At the beginning, it was just passively feeding, but with the passage of time, the heavy shadow in the depths of the mirror began to stir uneasily, growing restless. It gradually extended beyond the confines of the mirror. Though it couldn’t leave the area circumscribed by the ouroboros, it was becoming more active and strong.
Before the blood droplets even had a chance to reach the mirror’s surface and make a sound, they were greedily seized, sucked, and devoured by the shadow within.
Soon, the previously suppressed, almost unconscious state of slumber vanished.
The shadow elongated into a fine line, resembling a small, black snake.
Instinctively, it wriggled upwards in the air, exploring the limited area it could move within, heading towards the alluring, sweet blood radiating the warmth of human body temperature.
“!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice unexpectedly paused for a moment.
Seemingly, something cold had latched onto his injured finger from below.
This sudden sensation caused a tremor in his fingertip, yet his face showed no hint of concern. After a brief tension, the young man’s body relaxed once again.
Wen Jianyan’s face remained calm with a smile, as if the momentary pause was simply for sorting out his thoughts.
He continued speaking seamlessly, without a trace.
Behind him.
The pitch-black shadow enveloped the young man’s fingertip, as if a cold mouth was covering the wound. It squeezed, licked, and devoured greedily with all its might.
Its growth rate accelerated even further.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh my god, what is that black shadow?!]
[Same question! And why does the anchor seem completely unconcerned?]
[Hahaha, you guys probably don’t know. This is the previous evil god who got played by the dog liar using the same trick, hahaha!]
[???]
[Come on, check out the recorded videos of the previous instances in the anchor’s channel. Enjoy the love-hate relationship between the dog liar and his dog, hahaha!]
[…Am I the only one who feels like this seems a bit harsh?]
[Well, it does seem a bit…]
The shadow, seemingly alive, wrapped around the young man’s pale skin, winding along his slender joints like small black snakes, resembling black tendrils growing around a human body. It crawled bit by bit toward the sleeve, spreading wantonly in places beyond sight.
Wen Jianyan could clearly feel the shadow’s growth and strengthening—
He maintained an expression and posture that seemed effortlessly composed, yet his body involuntarily tensed up.
“My master, I’m willing to offer my life and loyalty to you. You can entrust your beloved park to me with confidence. I will make it thrive and become the perfect reaping machine.”
He flaunted his resplendent feathers without reservation, showing off his skills with every flourish.
“Whether it’s the director of the Fantasy Amusement Park or the manager of the Frog Food Processing Factory, I can excel at both.”
The deceitful flatterer was swearing allegiance to his new master with clever words and a beguiling demeanor.
However, in places beyond the reach of his new master’s gaze, he was merging with his old master, intertwining and becoming inseparable.
Fingertips, palms, arms—body heat was absorbed and devoured by the greedily entwining shadow. The sensation of cold sliding over the skin came from every patch of flesh, leaving no part untouched, not even the gaps between fingers, the soft skin on the inner side of the wrists and elbows.
At the same time, the temperature of the mark on his abdomen rapidly rose.
Scalding.
A sensation akin to being seared spread from his lower abdomen and hip bones.
Even though he couldn’t see that area, Wen Jianyan seemed to sense, with distinct clarity, the intricate crimson lines silently moving beneath the skin. They seemed like some kind of living entity lurking over his body, awakened by the call of the shadow, inducing an unsettling tickling sensation.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s smile remained unchanged on his face, but he clenched his back teeth in secret.
Right now, he was trying to allocate one hundred and twenty percent of his attention to simultaneously deal with the eldritch god within the Fantasy Amusement Park and his former master, while also restraining any outward reactions—
It was utterly exhausting!
He forced his focus away from the shadow behind him.
Wen Jianyan raised his eyes and looked at those giant eyeballs outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Countless eyeballs in the sky resembled observers, weighing, considering, and pondering.
Subconsciously, Wen Jianyan held his breath. The pounding of his heart seemed to echo in his chest like it wanted to break through, the stimulating sensation akin to dancing on the edge of a knife triggered a sharp surge of adrenaline.
He waited.
Silently waited.
Like a dying convict awaiting a court’s verdict, or a seasoned hunter lying in wait for its prey.
Time flowed second by second.
Suddenly,
The screen of the young man’s phone in his pocket lit up, buzzing twice.
——”Identity Card” has been tampered with.
Life: Wen Jianyan
Age: 24
Occupation: Nightmare Live Room Contracted Anchor (After 12:00 tonight, it’ll change to Fantasy Amusement Park Director.)
Related Plot: ???
Remaining Survival Time: ???
The next second, a mechanical system notification sounded in his ear.
【Ding!】
【Plot Deviation: 95% Reward Points: 20,000】
【Uncontrollable variations detected as plot deviation reaches threshold!】
At the sound of the notification, Wen Jianyan’s eyebrows involuntarily twitched slightly—
The threshold for this instance to undergo uncontrollable variations was indeed too high, reaching 95%. If he hadn’t finally heard this familiar system sound, he might have believed that this moment would never come.
Now, it was a matter of how long the countdown to the transformation would last…
【New plot opening…】
【Instance Transformation Countdown: 00:00:03】
【Target of Hatred: Wen Jianyan】
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Three seconds???
The fleeting three-second countdown passed in an instant, leaving almost no room for thought or consideration. The system’s voice resounded in his ears once again:
【00:00:00】
【Instance Transformation Completed】
At the moment the countdown ended, the ground trembled. Wen Jianyan’s figure flickered, revealing the blood and glasses behind him.
?!
The crimson pupils in the air suddenly contracted.
At that moment, they realized something.
Cold, unfeeling gazes locked onto the human youth’s body. Deep within each eyeball, there was still no emotion, but Wen Jianyan could sense a strong sense of terror emanating from them.
What is a human? It’s an ant, food, or a tool.
A frog, minced meat, an incubator, a product, a slave… They were never creations of value; they were meant to be absorbed and utilized as “objects.”
Clearly just a weak ant that could be crushed at any moment, yet under their watchful eyes, he deceived them. After they bestowed the position of Fantasy Amusement Park Director upon him, he turned around and betrayed them, letting their feared enemy into the heart of their lair, even secretly nourishing it, reviving it from slumber—
Unforgivable.
Even though they were superior extraterrestrial beings, besides malice, they didn’t possess any emotions akin to human feelings. However, at this moment, they were experiencing an emotion closest to humans—
Anger.
Enormous anger that demanded compensation in the form of screams, agony, and wails from their opponent, or else it would never cease.
The ground shook, and the steel behemoth underfoot seemed to awaken, emitting a sharp, angry roar.
***
Inside the Fantasy Amusement Park.
“What, what’s going on?”
The surviving visitors looked up in terror, gazing at the suddenly transformed sky.
In a matter of seconds, the previously clear sky underwent a drastic change. Blinding redness climbed up the canopy, giving rise to a gloomy and eerie feeling, instinctively causing unease.
“Quick, look! Those attractions… those attractions are changing too!”
One of the visitors pointed at a massive structure not far away and screamed.
Beneath the crimson sky, the colorful amusement attractions seemed to be slowly altering their appearances. Sticky, putrid slime oozed from their edges and crevices. Under the scrutiny of the visitors, they deformed bit by bit, transforming into gray steel structures. Brass-colored pipes extended from the interiors of the buildings, everything appearing strange and twisted.
Inside the Kid’s zone.
“What… what’s happening?”
Blond took two steps back in fear and disbelief, staring at the suddenly distorted amusement park before him.
Fantasy Amusement Park, Fantasy Amusement Park.
If the previous amusement park was a colorful and almost illusory dream, then now that layer of soap bubble had been ruthlessly popped, exploded, revealing its filthy, putrid, and sinful true nature, like a nightmare.
To these changes, the employees dressed in plush uniforms continued to turn a blind eye, dancing along with the altered cheerful music.
Sticky and slippery slime oozed from their suits.
Some had more, some had less. Slowly, it seeped from the junction of their hoods and outerwear, dripping onto the ground. The vibrant costumes became wet, and the velvet on the uniforms became matted, turning the cartoonish smiles on their faces into something sinister.
“!!!”
Blond suddenly realized something, his young face turned pale. He quickly looked in the direction Wen Ya had left—
The festooned vehicle had also undergone changes.
More liquid, like a stream, gushed out from it. Ribbons soaked with moisture fell to the ground, revealing the brass-colored metal frame underneath. Sitting within the frame was a massive dark green frog. Its swollen body filled the entire interior of the vehicle. On its wet, slimy skin were grotesque warts that oozed a foul-smelling venom incessantly.
Its two bulging, vacant eyes were slowly rolling in their sockets, seemingly fixated on a point in the void, tracking the approach of a certain presence.
Forgotten memories surged into his mind; it seemed like he had seen something similar a long time ago…
Frogs have excellent dynamic vision.
So, could it see… the airflow caused by a human’s movement, or the deviation of plants?
Ordinary frogs couldn’t, but the frog-like monster in the instance—
“Be careful!!!”
Blond took a sharp breath, screaming in alarm.
***
In that instant, Wen Jianyan felt his body let out a cry of agony.
He was like a tiny ant being crushed between giant fingers. His skeletal structure creaked under the weight, as if it could be turned into powder in the next second. A sharp whining resounded in his ears, the familiar and mentally contaminated sensation of intense dizziness rushed over him.
And this time, it was being maliciously imposed.
Drip, drip.
Wen Jianyan realized that his vision was stained with scarlet. Fresh blood and fragments of internal organs surged out from his mouth, and every pore in his body seemed to be oozing blood.
This was pain that exceeded the limits of what a human could bear. Wen Jianyan almost had the illusion that he could hear the sound of his own soul being crushed.
Just the words “pain” and “agony” were insufficient to describe this sensation.
The wail was stifled deep in his throat, like backflowing water pouring into a valley, producing a heavy, muffled sound.
He couldn’t scream.
Because he had lost the ability to scream.
Wen Jianyan stumbled backward, his legs weak and feeble. He resembled a doll that had been damaged from the inside out. Although the exterior remained intact, the interior was riddled with holes.
His lung cavity was like a broken bellows, laboring within the shattered body.
“Cough… cough, cough…”
Wen Jianyan coughed twice. Fragments of his internal organs were choked out, dripping down his pale chin.
A continuous stream of fresh blood still oozed from various parts of his body. In the blink of an eye, the ground was stained a crimson hue, shocking in its intensity. It was almost unbelievable that a human body could hold so much blood, and…
When would it run out?
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[His… looking at it hurts.]
[The anchor… is in a sorry state. I think he might really be unable to leave this instance. This isn’t about completing or not completing a mission anymore. He’s managed to offend the core boss of the entire instance. I doubt he’ll get away without being tormented for thousands of years.]
[Indeed… being able to offend the boss of an instance to this extent, it’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in all my time here. It’s truly an eye-opener.]
[Huh? Speaking of which, what’s he smiling at?]
Wen Jianyan suddenly looked up at the densely packed eyes in the sky not far away and burst into laughter.
The corners of his pale and soft lips curled up, revealing a pure and blissful smile. It seemed like he had no awareness of just how perilous his situation was.
The young man’s blood-soaked fingertips deftly flipped over, revealing a jet-black ouroboros perched on his fingertip.
Amidst the buzzing in his ears, Wen Jianyan could vaguely hear the familiar mechanical sound of the system:
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for obtaining a hidden item (legendry) within the instance!】
【Collection progress: 3/6】
The human raised the ouroboros ring, and his amber pupils met the countless eyes in the sky through the hollow center. His bloodied lips curled into a sweet smile. His hoarse and fractured voice uttered inarticulate words:
“To… truth and freedom.”
[Humans are difficult creatures to control; they will forever be an uncontrollable part of a perfect system.]
[Sometimes, even in the face of death’s threat, truth and freedom hold more allure.]
Chapter 127: “To… truth and freedom.”
Seeing that, Wen Ya was about to rush forward, but Blond quickly grabbed her clothes, saying, “Sister! Wait a moment!”
“What’s wrong?”
Wen Ya paused her movements and turned to look at Blond beside her.
Blond tugged at Wen Ya’s sleeve and pointed to a vehicle not far away. “Look at the window there.”
Accompanied by joyful music, a festooned vehicle adorned with balloons and ribbons moved slowly forward. The windows of the vehicle were tightly closed, and faint traces of dampness could be seen along the edges.
The colorful ribbons and wallpaper were damp and slightly curled.
“That vehicle doesn’t seem right. Be careful,” Blond lowered his voice, his tone trembling.
Wen Ya nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t worry, I understand.”
In the next moment, she activated her invisibility prop and disappeared from Blond’s view.
Before being completely polluted, Lilith has only seven minutes left.
***
“Drip.”
Crimson blood oozed from the wound, dripping down with a sound that was covered by the young man’s usual clear voice.
The light scent of blood easily blended into the slightly fishy air, leaving no traces behind.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window was a crimson sky that seemed to be bleeding, along with the huge eyeballs amidst the scars.
Wen Jianyan calmly explained his “management philosophy,” sounding just like a sincere job applicant, offering all his suggestions for the other person’s benefit.
Exceedingly selfless and exceedingly sincere.
Behind him.
Drops of blood fell onto the black tail-snake emblem.
One drop, two drops…
The blood spread onto the mirror, absorbed almost entirely by the dormant shadows within.
At the beginning, it was just passively feeding, but with the passage of time, the heavy shadow in the depths of the mirror began to stir uneasily, growing restless. It gradually extended beyond the confines of the mirror. Though it couldn’t leave the area circumscribed by the ouroboros, it was becoming more active and strong.
Before the blood droplets even had a chance to reach the mirror’s surface and make a sound, they were greedily seized, sucked, and devoured by the shadow within.
Soon, the previously suppressed, almost unconscious state of slumber vanished.
The shadow elongated into a fine line, resembling a small, black snake.
Instinctively, it wriggled upwards in the air, exploring the limited area it could move within, heading towards the alluring, sweet blood radiating the warmth of human body temperature.
“!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice unexpectedly paused for a moment.
Seemingly, something cold had latched onto his injured finger from below.
This sudden sensation caused a tremor in his fingertip, yet his face showed no hint of concern. After a brief tension, the young man’s body relaxed once again.
Wen Jianyan’s face remained calm with a smile, as if the momentary pause was simply for sorting out his thoughts.
He continued speaking seamlessly, without a trace.
Behind him.
The pitch-black shadow enveloped the young man’s fingertip, as if a cold mouth was covering the wound. It squeezed, licked, and devoured greedily with all its might.
Its growth rate accelerated even further.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh my god, what is that black shadow?!]
[Same question! And why does the anchor seem completely unconcerned?]
[Hahaha, you guys probably don’t know. This is the previous evil god who got played by the dog liar using the same trick, hahaha!]
[???]
[Come on, check out the recorded videos of the previous instances in the anchor’s channel. Enjoy the love-hate relationship between the dog liar and his dog, hahaha!]
[…Am I the only one who feels like this seems a bit harsh?]
[Well, it does seem a bit…]
The shadow, seemingly alive, wrapped around the young man’s pale skin, winding along his slender joints like small black snakes, resembling black tendrils growing around a human body. It crawled bit by bit toward the sleeve, spreading wantonly in places beyond sight.
Wen Jianyan could clearly feel the shadow’s growth and strengthening—
He maintained an expression and posture that seemed effortlessly composed, yet his body involuntarily tensed up.
“My master, I’m willing to offer my life and loyalty to you. You can entrust your beloved park to me with confidence. I will make it thrive and become the perfect reaping machine.”
He flaunted his resplendent feathers without reservation, showing off his skills with every flourish.
“Whether it’s the director of the Fantasy Amusement Park or the manager of the Frog Food Processing Factory, I can excel at both.”
The deceitful flatterer was swearing allegiance to his new master with clever words and a beguiling demeanor.
However, in places beyond the reach of his new master’s gaze, he was merging with his old master, intertwining and becoming inseparable.
Fingertips, palms, arms—body heat was absorbed and devoured by the greedily entwining shadow. The sensation of cold sliding over the skin came from every patch of flesh, leaving no part untouched, not even the gaps between fingers, the soft skin on the inner side of the wrists and elbows.
At the same time, the temperature of the mark on his abdomen rapidly rose.
Scalding.
A sensation akin to being seared spread from his lower abdomen and hip bones.
Even though he couldn’t see that area, Wen Jianyan seemed to sense, with distinct clarity, the intricate crimson lines silently moving beneath the skin. They seemed like some kind of living entity lurking over his body, awakened by the call of the shadow, inducing an unsettling tickling sensation.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s smile remained unchanged on his face, but he clenched his back teeth in secret.
Right now, he was trying to allocate one hundred and twenty percent of his attention to simultaneously deal with the eldritch god within the Fantasy Amusement Park and his former master, while also restraining any outward reactions—
It was utterly exhausting!
He forced his focus away from the shadow behind him.
Wen Jianyan raised his eyes and looked at those giant eyeballs outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Countless eyeballs in the sky resembled observers, weighing, considering, and pondering.
Subconsciously, Wen Jianyan held his breath. The pounding of his heart seemed to echo in his chest like it wanted to break through, the stimulating sensation akin to dancing on the edge of a knife triggered a sharp surge of adrenaline.
He waited.
Silently waited.
Like a dying convict awaiting a court’s verdict, or a seasoned hunter lying in wait for its prey.
Time flowed second by second.
Suddenly,
The screen of the young man’s phone in his pocket lit up, buzzing twice.
——”Identity Card” has been tampered with.
Life: Wen Jianyan
Age: 24
Occupation: Nightmare Live Room Contracted Anchor (After 12:00 tonight, it’ll change to Fantasy Amusement Park Director.)
Related Plot: ???
Remaining Survival Time: ???
The next second, a mechanical system notification sounded in his ear.
【Ding!】
【Plot Deviation: 95% Reward Points: 20,000】
【Uncontrollable variations detected as plot deviation reaches threshold!】
At the sound of the notification, Wen Jianyan’s eyebrows involuntarily twitched slightly—
The threshold for this instance to undergo uncontrollable variations was indeed too high, reaching 95%. If he hadn’t finally heard this familiar system sound, he might have believed that this moment would never come.
Now, it was a matter of how long the countdown to the transformation would last…
【New plot opening…】
【Instance Transformation Countdown: 00:00:03】
【Target of Hatred: Wen Jianyan】
Wen Jianyan: “…”
Three seconds???
The fleeting three-second countdown passed in an instant, leaving almost no room for thought or consideration. The system’s voice resounded in his ears once again:
【00:00:00】
【Instance Transformation Completed】
At the moment the countdown ended, the ground trembled. Wen Jianyan’s figure flickered, revealing the blood and glasses behind him.
?!
The crimson pupils in the air suddenly contracted.
At that moment, they realized something.
Cold, unfeeling gazes locked onto the human youth’s body. Deep within each eyeball, there was still no emotion, but Wen Jianyan could sense a strong sense of terror emanating from them.
What is a human? It’s an ant, food, or a tool.
A frog, minced meat, an incubator, a product, a slave… They were never creations of value; they were meant to be absorbed and utilized as “objects.”
Clearly just a weak ant that could be crushed at any moment, yet under their watchful eyes, he deceived them. After they bestowed the position of Fantasy Amusement Park Director upon him, he turned around and betrayed them, letting their feared enemy into the heart of their lair, even secretly nourishing it, reviving it from slumber—
Unforgivable.
Even though they were superior extraterrestrial beings, besides malice, they didn’t possess any emotions akin to human feelings. However, at this moment, they were experiencing an emotion closest to humans—
Anger.
Enormous anger that demanded compensation in the form of screams, agony, and wails from their opponent, or else it would never cease.
The ground shook, and the steel behemoth underfoot seemed to awaken, emitting a sharp, angry roar.
***
Inside the Fantasy Amusement Park.
“What, what’s going on?”
The surviving visitors looked up in terror, gazing at the suddenly transformed sky.
In a matter of seconds, the previously clear sky underwent a drastic change. Blinding redness climbed up the canopy, giving rise to a gloomy and eerie feeling, instinctively causing unease.
“Quick, look! Those attractions… those attractions are changing too!”
One of the visitors pointed at a massive structure not far away and screamed.
Beneath the crimson sky, the colorful amusement attractions seemed to be slowly altering their appearances. Sticky, putrid slime oozed from their edges and crevices. Under the scrutiny of the visitors, they deformed bit by bit, transforming into gray steel structures. Brass-colored pipes extended from the interiors of the buildings, everything appearing strange and twisted.
Inside the Kid’s zone.
“What… what’s happening?”
Blond took two steps back in fear and disbelief, staring at the suddenly distorted amusement park before him.
Fantasy Amusement Park, Fantasy Amusement Park.
If the previous amusement park was a colorful and almost illusory dream, then now that layer of soap bubble had been ruthlessly popped, exploded, revealing its filthy, putrid, and sinful true nature, like a nightmare.
To these changes, the employees dressed in plush uniforms continued to turn a blind eye, dancing along with the altered cheerful music.
Sticky and slippery slime oozed from their suits.
Some had more, some had less. Slowly, it seeped from the junction of their hoods and outerwear, dripping onto the ground. The vibrant costumes became wet, and the velvet on the uniforms became matted, turning the cartoonish smiles on their faces into something sinister.
“!!!”
Blond suddenly realized something, his young face turned pale. He quickly looked in the direction Wen Ya had left—
The festooned vehicle had also undergone changes.
More liquid, like a stream, gushed out from it. Ribbons soaked with moisture fell to the ground, revealing the brass-colored metal frame underneath. Sitting within the frame was a massive dark green frog. Its swollen body filled the entire interior of the vehicle. On its wet, slimy skin were grotesque warts that oozed a foul-smelling venom incessantly.
Its two bulging, vacant eyes were slowly rolling in their sockets, seemingly fixated on a point in the void, tracking the approach of a certain presence.
Forgotten memories surged into his mind; it seemed like he had seen something similar a long time ago…
Frogs have excellent dynamic vision.
So, could it see… the airflow caused by a human’s movement, or the deviation of plants?
Ordinary frogs couldn’t, but the frog-like monster in the instance—
“Be careful!!!”
Blond took a sharp breath, screaming in alarm.
***
In that instant, Wen Jianyan felt his body let out a cry of agony.
He was like a tiny ant being crushed between giant fingers. His skeletal structure creaked under the weight, as if it could be turned into powder in the next second. A sharp whining resounded in his ears, the familiar and mentally contaminated sensation of intense dizziness rushed over him.
And this time, it was being maliciously imposed.
Drip, drip.
Wen Jianyan realized that his vision was stained with scarlet. Fresh blood and fragments of internal organs surged out from his mouth, and every pore in his body seemed to be oozing blood.
This was pain that exceeded the limits of what a human could bear. Wen Jianyan almost had the illusion that he could hear the sound of his own soul being crushed.
Just the words “pain” and “agony” were insufficient to describe this sensation.
The wail was stifled deep in his throat, like backflowing water pouring into a valley, producing a heavy, muffled sound.
He couldn’t scream.
Because he had lost the ability to scream.
Wen Jianyan stumbled backward, his legs weak and feeble. He resembled a doll that had been damaged from the inside out. Although the exterior remained intact, the interior was riddled with holes.
His lung cavity was like a broken bellows, laboring within the shattered body.
“Cough… cough, cough…”
Wen Jianyan coughed twice. Fragments of his internal organs were choked out, dripping down his pale chin.
A continuous stream of fresh blood still oozed from various parts of his body. In the blink of an eye, the ground was stained a crimson hue, shocking in its intensity. It was almost unbelievable that a human body could hold so much blood, and…
When would it run out?
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[His… looking at it hurts.]
[The anchor… is in a sorry state. I think he might really be unable to leave this instance. This isn’t about completing or not completing a mission anymore. He’s managed to offend the core boss of the entire instance. I doubt he’ll get away without being tormented for thousands of years.]
[Indeed… being able to offend the boss of an instance to this extent, it’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in all my time here. It’s truly an eye-opener.]
[Huh? Speaking of which, what’s he smiling at?]
Wen Jianyan suddenly looked up at the densely packed eyes in the sky not far away and burst into laughter.
The corners of his pale and soft lips curled up, revealing a pure and blissful smile. It seemed like he had no awareness of just how perilous his situation was.
The young man’s blood-soaked fingertips deftly flipped over, revealing a jet-black ouroboros perched on his fingertip.
Amidst the buzzing in his ears, Wen Jianyan could vaguely hear the familiar mechanical sound of the system:
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for obtaining a hidden item (legendry) within the instance!】
【Collection progress: 3/6】
The human raised the ouroboros ring, and his amber pupils met the countless eyes in the sky through the hollow center. His bloodied lips curled into a sweet smile. His hoarse and fractured voice uttered inarticulate words:
“To… truth and freedom.”
[Humans are difficult creatures to control; they will forever be an uncontrollable part of a perfect system.]
[Sometimes, even in the face of death’s threat, truth and freedom hold more allure.]
