Chapter 129: “Until next time.”
Fantasy Amusement Park.
Everything was undergoing a transformation.
The azure sky has been mostly swallowed by a crimson hue, turning the once colorful and pristine amusement park into a bizarre amalgamation. Half of it still retained its original appearance, while the other half had been replaced by ugly, cold metal factories and countless twisted brass-colored pipelines. These two completely contrasting spaces were eerily merging together, accompanied by a viscous liquid flowing from the pipes, turning the entire instance into a grotesque and horrifying monster.
The music still echoed in the air.
It drifted through the crimson sky, meandering between the distorted buildings, but it failed to evoke any sense of joy, only an undeniable sense of strangeness and terror.
The Kid’s Zone.
The festooned vehicle parade seemed to have stopped at some point, with the vehicles tilting in place, ribbons soaked in slime, and huge, warty frogs sitting within the brass-colored metal frames.
There were five of them in total, each exceptionally ugly.
They sit silently in place, their swollen eyeballs looking dull and their wide, flat mouths tightly closed.
There was silence all around.
Wen Ya sat on the ground, staring blankly at the nearest vehicle, her expression empty.
Everything around her seemed to be fading rapidly, and she felt like she was sinking into a cold, dark sea.
Someone… is shouting.
What are they shouting?
The sound of sticky water raised, and the frog’s bulging eyeballs slowly rotated, as if searching for something.
Wen Ya felt something wrapping around her ankle, pulling her forcefully away from the vehicle—
“Boom!”
A crimson tongue slammed heavily onto the ground where Wen Ya was just standing, kicking up rubble and dust.
“Hurry up!”
Yun Bilan held a long whip in her hand, and the end of the whip was wrapped around Wen Ya’s ankle. She was sweating on her forehead, gritting her teeth as she shouted loudly.
Elise and Blond were taken aback and rushed forward, dragging Wen Ya to safety.
Yun Bilan’s whip had thorns on it, and even though she had deliberately restrained its force, the thorns still inevitably pierced Wen Ya’s flesh around her ankle.
But Wen Ya seemed completely oblivious.
Her eyes were fixed on the frog not far away, her face was pale, and her entire body was soaked in sweat and slime.
“Sister-this-this is not your fault.”
Blond couldn’t bear it and whispered, “You’ve already done…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Ya seemed to suddenly wake up. She looked over, grabbed Blond’s sleeve tightly, and with a hoarse voice, she asked:
“You saw it just now, didn’t you?”
What?
Saw what?
The others were all puzzled, and for a moment, they couldn’t grasp what she was talking about.
“It was Lilith, the tortoiseshell cat; right at the last moment, she pushed me down, didn’t she?”
Wen Ya’s voice is low and suppressed, as if she’s restraining some emotion. “She still had consciousness, didn’t she?”
“But… but…”
Blond’s small frame was being pulled forward, and he stammered, “But that doesn’t mean anything…”
“Yeah, even if she retained consciousness at that moment, now…”
Elise started to speak but glanced at the nearby frogs and couldn’t bring herself to continue.
Though they didn’t have Blond’s eyesight and couldn’t see exactly what happened on top of the vehicle a moment ago, they all vividly remembered the last scene.
—The tortoiseshell cat was hanging on the railing; it ultimately let go, disappearing into the wide-open mouth of the frog.
Lilith was dead.
She wouldn’t come back.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the ground violently trembled.
Everyone was startled and subconsciously looked up at the amusement park in front of them.
In that instant, the crimson spreading overhead seemed to accelerate, and the original colors were almost entirely replaced. Faint red scars could be seen in the sky.
It was as if they were all looking at tightly closed eyeballs.
Black cracks spread from the edge of the sky, expanding at a visible speed, and the whole world seems like a shattering glass sphere.
What… what’s going on?
The group steadies themselves, exchanging uncertain glances.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
A coarse frog croak sounded from not far away.
As if receiving some command, the five ugly frogs move their thick and plump bodies, their slimy webbed feet dragging them—
With a few “thuds,” the massive vehicles crashed to the ground, and the frogs, making coarse croaking sounds, slowly crawled out of the metal frames that imprisoned them.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
The frogs emitted hungry croaks, and their swollen, bulging eyeballs fixed on the people nearby.
“!”
Yun Bilan was startled and quickly surveyed the surroundings.
At some point, they realize that they were the only ones left in the square: “Not good, these things probably want to eat us!”
Wen Ya clenched her teeth. She reluctantly glanced at the frog that swallowed Lilith and took a deep breath, standing up.
As a seasoned anchor, she knew she couldn’t let her emotions hold her team back. Regardless, she needed to prioritize her surviving teammates.
“Run!”
———
Fantasy Amusement Park, Pirate Ship.
In the spacious room, there was a deathly silence, with only the humming noise of machines. A tall young man stood still, surrounded by people wearing Mr. Ribbit costumes.
They were dressed in green suits with cartoonishly oversized head masks that appeared disproportionately large. Even those who hadn’t seen their real faces couldn’t help but feel unnerved by their silent stares.
But unfortunately, Wen Jianyan wasn’t like the others.
He maintained a relaxed and casual posture, seemingly oblivious to the gazes from all directions, as if he was already accustomed to being the center of attention.
Under the watchful eyes of Mr. Ribbits, he took a step forward, naturally extending his hand to retrieve his recruitment letter from the last Mr. Ribbits’ hand, neatly folding it and putting it back into his pocket.
“Now that you’ve seen it, let’s go.”
Mr. Ribbits remained still, looking particularly puzzled.
Wen Jianyan raises an eyebrow, “Do you know why I was appointed as the new park director here?”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[???]
[Because you talk nonsense, and betrayed your former boss?]
[I don’t get it. What are you trying to do?]
“Because your current management model is just a big failure.”
Wen Jianyan’s lips curled into a slight smile, his voice still light and ethereal but somehow carrying the weight of a thousand pounds. “Do you know how many flaws and loopholes are hidden in our park? Do you know that our factory assembly line is becoming increasingly inefficient, and our supply chain can’t support our current market anymore?”
“And there’s this…”
Wen Jianyan reached into his pocket and casually handed a piece of paper to one of the Mr. Ribbits. “Does the content on this paper look familiar?”
It was the clue he had found earlier inside the pirate ship.
“…”
Mr. Ribbits unfolded the paper and looked at its contents.
The air in the entire space seemed to thicken little by little. Although Mr. Ribbits still observed the rules of silence from inside the pirate ship, even from their body language, one could sense their unease and panic.
“That something like this could end up in the hands of a visitor…”
The young man laughed, his amber-colored eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the group of frogs in front of him.
“How embarrassing.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[F*ck, The pressure is getting to me!]
[Oh my, oh my, oh my, I really feel like my tail is being caught. Even though I know the truth, I can’t help but start to panic. What’s going on?]
[Are you the visitor you mentioned just now? Shameless!]
[Hahaha, this is textbook reverse psychology!]
[Welcome, newcomer. The above are all traditional skills of a con artist! Deceiving others and deceiving oneself!]
“As your future park director, I’ve been tasked to get acquainted with the job.”
Wen Jianyan raised his chin slightly.
“Let’s go; take me to the factory center of the pirate ship.”
“…”
Mr. Ribbits exchanged glances, and after a brief silence, they bowed slightly to Wen Jianyan, then turned around and began to lead the way.
Wen Jianyan’s lips curled, and he followed along.
The location of this room was already quite deep within the pirate ship, but where they were heading next was evidently even deeper. After passing through increasingly tilted corridors, they suddenly entered an expansive area.
What appeared before them was an abyss composed of steel and machinery.
Machines were humming all around, and beneath their feet was an abyss of impenetrable darkness. A narrow iron pathway extended into the center of the abyss, where there was a small room.
A small iron plate was affixed to the room, bearing two words:
[Captain’s Quarters]
The humidity and temperature in the air had reached the limits of human tolerance.
Many brass-colored pipes had become misaligned during the recent intense tremor, and high-temperature steam, exuding a sweet and sticky smell, hissed from the gaps between the pipes.
Wen Jianyan’s wounds hadn’t healed yet, and his complexion displayed a sickly paleness. He carefully navigated through the hissing high-temperature steam, entering the Captain’s Quarters.
He surveyed the room, and one of the frogs approached, opening a drawer for him. Inside the drawer was a piece of paper.
It was another set of rules, but not just rules; it was an operational manual.
Wen Jianyan earnestly read through the contents of the paper, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. “I see, this is the engine for generating power here, and the operation seems quite complex.”
“So, does this one increase the power?”
Mr. Ribbit nodded.
“And this one alters the pipelines?”
Mr. Ribbit nodded again.
Wen Jianyan appeared humble and genuinely interested, like a true park director who cared about understanding the work of his employees.
He tilted his head, letting his gaze sweep over the countless machines not far away, finally settling on one point:
“That must be the core of the engine, right?”
There was another nod from Mr. Ribbit.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Wait, I have a bad feeling…]
[Me too…]
“Thanks, I understand now.”
Wen Jianyan smiled faintly, extending his hand and gently changing the direction of the pipelines. Then he adjusted the engine’s power output to its maximum.
His actions were smooth, unhurried, and so natural that no one noticed anything unusual until…
The engine suddenly began to vibrate violently, like it was overloaded. Sharp metallic humming spread throughout the pitch-black space, like a volcano about to erupt, with scorching magma surging beneath a thin crust, seeking fissures to release pressure.
“?!” Mr. Ribbit was startled and rushed forward to stop it, but it was too late.
The young man grinned and then pressed his palm downward forcefully.
“Boom!” Several pressure chambers burst open! Hissing steam, deep red, viscous, and mixed with partially finished frog eggs, gushed violently toward the core of the engine!
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss.
The engine emitted an unbearable roar, sparks flew, and the metal blades creaked, but it continued to run at maximum power!
Boom!!!!
Flames spewed out violently.
Small explosions occurred throughout the machinery, ultimately converging into a sea of crimson flames that erupted with a thunderous blast!
“Pirate Ship Staff Rules, Article 5: There are no drinking water sources in this area, and bringing water is not allowed.”
Under the fiery backdrop, the young man’s amber eyes were filled with passionate crimson.
He said with a beaming smile, “In other words, we have no fire-extinguishing devices here, right?”
***
Yun Bilan and the others struggled to survive under the frogs’ attacks.
Dealing with just one frog had already been challenging, and now the number had multiplied by five, meaning the danger level had increased fivefold.
If it weren’t for the fact that the terrain in the kid’s zone had become more complex after the anomaly in the instance and the frogs’ size was too large to enter the gaps filled with brass pipes, they would have had no chance of survival, especially while carrying a child and an injured comrade.
Yun Bilan carried Blond on her shoulder while running wildly.
Blond felt dizzy, and his face turned green from the jolting, almost throwing up.
“If you dare to vomit on my shoulder, you’re dead.” Yun Bilan gritted her teeth.
Blond: “…”
He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit, deciding to shift the topic, “How did you suddenly appear? Weren’t you supposed to finish the last project with that guy?”
He originally thought that they would leave the instance after completing all five projects.
When he saw Yun Bilan appear, he could hardly conceal his astonishment.
“We didn’t finish that project.,” Yun Bilan said through clenched teeth.
Previously, in the amusement park, they had separated from Wen Jianyan, who had disappeared into the cleaner’s break room, telling them before leaving that if he didn’t return within ten minutes, they shouldn’t wait for him.
Time had passed, and Wen Jianyan hadn’t returned.
After a difficult decision and weighing their options, they ultimately decided to abandon the almost-within-reach path to the exit and go back to look for Wen Ya and Blond.
“…”
Blond was puzzled.
Boom!
Suddenly, in the distance, it seemed like something had exploded.
In an instant, the earth shook, and a thunderous roar spread through the ground beneath their feet. Everyone was startled, turning their heads to look in the direction of the sound.
The sound seemed to come from the other side of the park.
Whether it was due to some anomaly that had connected the pipes throughout the entire dream amusement park or because the entire park had no water source, or perhaps both… the fire spread rapidly.
Visible to the naked eye, the explosion sound grew closer, rapidly connecting into a single cacophony, and a surging blaze almost merged with the blood-red sky.
The ground quivered, and the sky lost its color.
In the dazzling red sky, those dark red slits suddenly opened, and one by one, eyes appeared. Their pupils contracted, and their eyeballs frantically rolled, appearing furious and violent, as if searching for something.
“What the hell…”
Blond widened his eyes: “What’s going on?!”
Just at that moment, all the anchors still inside the park heard a familiar mechanical voice in their ears:
【Ding! The system has detected a critical vulnerability. The fantasy amusement park instance is closing prematurely——】
【60, 59, 58…】
In an instant, the entire fantasy amusement park’s live broadcast square exploded:
[What the f***!!! Ahh, what’s happening!!!]
[Damn, a critical vulnerability! I’ve never heard of such a thing!!!]
[Oh my god, the whole instance got shut down!!]
[Ahh, this is insane!!]
Wen Ya stopped in her tracks, turned to look at the crimson sky, and heard the familiar system voice in her ears as well.
Unlike the bewildered anchors, she knew exactly what had happened.
That guy…
He had actually succeeded.
What was even more unbelievable was that he hadn’t just completed the main mission; he had created a critical vulnerability.
A strong sense of shock spread through her.
Her fingers, hanging by her side, quietly clenched, and her knuckles turned white from the pressure. Wen Ya could almost taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
She had failed.
The brass and steel behind her tilted and crashed to the ground due to the intense shaking, blocking the path ahead.
There were flames on this side too.
Wen Ya was choked by the thick smoke and coughed several times as she stepped back.
“Damn it!”
Not far away, Yun Bilan’s scream echoed.
Wen Ya realized that a giant green frog had appeared behind the brass pillar. Its bulging eyes were fixed on her, and its mouth slowly widened.
“…”
Wen Ya knew that she couldn’t escape.
Her inventory of items and points had been exhausted; her ankles were bleeding profusely, and the fact that she had made it this far was a miracle in itself.
All the sounds seemed to come from a very distant place, as if separated by a thick layer of foam.
A cracking sound echoed.
The frog’s bright red tongue broke through the air and shot straight toward Wen Ya—
But then it hit something behind her.
The wall that should have fallen on her swayed and shattered.
Wen Ya stared blankly, looking at the frog not far away.
“Ribbit.” It made a coarse croak, and its protruding eyes rolled, locking onto Wen Ya. Its mouth, now crimson, opened strangely and produced a human-like voice. “Th-thank you…”
The voice sounded like that of a girl.
“Willing… to come back and find me…”
“Lilith…”
Wen Ya’s body couldn’t help but tremble. She took a shaky step forward.
“Hurry… go.”
The giant frog turned around, its strong hind legs bent, and then it leaped without hesitation, jumping into the already roaring flames.
Crackle!
The raging flames rose, swallowing its grotesque, enormous body.
“Lilith—”
Wen Ya’s heart-wrenching scream was blurred amidst the sea of fire.
———
[30, 29, 28…]
After everything had exploded, Wen Jianyan used the mirror to leave the pirate ship.
He had long prepared for all the follow-up actions.
Including how to leave.
The young man stood in front of the blazing fire, smiling. His pale face was dyed a bright crimson by the flames, and the corners of his lips, drained of blood, lifted slightly, appearing cheerful and content.
He tilted his head back and made eye contact with the enraged and crazy eyes in the sky. He smiled and blew a kiss.
“Until next time, my master.”
His voice was gentle and soothing like pillow talk between lovers, and the sweet trailing tone was blurred in the crackling sea of fire.
“!!!” The crimson eyes suddenly shrank, trembling and wriggling madly in the crimson canopy of the sky, as if trying to break free from it.
Click!
Dark patterns covered the crimson sky, like a densely woven spider’s web.
The whites of the eyes, the pupils, and the glass-like shattered patterns spread like everything was collapsing.
Suddenly, a low, icy voice sounded behind Wen Jianyan:
“Your master?”
From the cracks, shadows emerged. The shallow black shadows condensed into a solid form, curling around the young man’s slender waist in the midst of the flames.
“Which one?”
Chapter 129: “Until next time.”
Fantasy Amusement Park.
Everything was undergoing a transformation.
The azure sky has been mostly swallowed by a crimson hue, turning the once colorful and pristine amusement park into a bizarre amalgamation. Half of it still retained its original appearance, while the other half had been replaced by ugly, cold metal factories and countless twisted brass-colored pipelines. These two completely contrasting spaces were eerily merging together, accompanied by a viscous liquid flowing from the pipes, turning the entire instance into a grotesque and horrifying monster.
The music still echoed in the air.
It drifted through the crimson sky, meandering between the distorted buildings, but it failed to evoke any sense of joy, only an undeniable sense of strangeness and terror.
The Kid’s Zone.
The festooned vehicle parade seemed to have stopped at some point, with the vehicles tilting in place, ribbons soaked in slime, and huge, warty frogs sitting within the brass-colored metal frames.
There were five of them in total, each exceptionally ugly.
They sit silently in place, their swollen eyeballs looking dull and their wide, flat mouths tightly closed.
There was silence all around.
Wen Ya sat on the ground, staring blankly at the nearest vehicle, her expression empty.
Everything around her seemed to be fading rapidly, and she felt like she was sinking into a cold, dark sea.
Someone… is shouting.
What are they shouting?
The sound of sticky water raised, and the frog’s bulging eyeballs slowly rotated, as if searching for something.
Wen Ya felt something wrapping around her ankle, pulling her forcefully away from the vehicle—
“Boom!”
A crimson tongue slammed heavily onto the ground where Wen Ya was just standing, kicking up rubble and dust.
“Hurry up!”
Yun Bilan held a long whip in her hand, and the end of the whip was wrapped around Wen Ya’s ankle. She was sweating on her forehead, gritting her teeth as she shouted loudly.
Elise and Blond were taken aback and rushed forward, dragging Wen Ya to safety.
Yun Bilan’s whip had thorns on it, and even though she had deliberately restrained its force, the thorns still inevitably pierced Wen Ya’s flesh around her ankle.
But Wen Ya seemed completely oblivious.
Her eyes were fixed on the frog not far away, her face was pale, and her entire body was soaked in sweat and slime.
“Sister-this-this is not your fault.”
Blond couldn’t bear it and whispered, “You’ve already done…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Ya seemed to suddenly wake up. She looked over, grabbed Blond’s sleeve tightly, and with a hoarse voice, she asked:
“You saw it just now, didn’t you?”
What?
Saw what?
The others were all puzzled, and for a moment, they couldn’t grasp what she was talking about.
“It was Lilith, the tortoiseshell cat; right at the last moment, she pushed me down, didn’t she?”
Wen Ya’s voice is low and suppressed, as if she’s restraining some emotion. “She still had consciousness, didn’t she?”
“But… but…”
Blond’s small frame was being pulled forward, and he stammered, “But that doesn’t mean anything…”
“Yeah, even if she retained consciousness at that moment, now…”
Elise started to speak but glanced at the nearby frogs and couldn’t bring herself to continue.
Though they didn’t have Blond’s eyesight and couldn’t see exactly what happened on top of the vehicle a moment ago, they all vividly remembered the last scene.
—The tortoiseshell cat was hanging on the railing; it ultimately let go, disappearing into the wide-open mouth of the frog.
Lilith was dead.
She wouldn’t come back.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the ground violently trembled.
Everyone was startled and subconsciously looked up at the amusement park in front of them.
In that instant, the crimson spreading overhead seemed to accelerate, and the original colors were almost entirely replaced. Faint red scars could be seen in the sky.
It was as if they were all looking at tightly closed eyeballs.
Black cracks spread from the edge of the sky, expanding at a visible speed, and the whole world seems like a shattering glass sphere.
What… what’s going on?
The group steadies themselves, exchanging uncertain glances.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
A coarse frog croak sounded from not far away.
As if receiving some command, the five ugly frogs move their thick and plump bodies, their slimy webbed feet dragging them—
With a few “thuds,” the massive vehicles crashed to the ground, and the frogs, making coarse croaking sounds, slowly crawled out of the metal frames that imprisoned them.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
The frogs emitted hungry croaks, and their swollen, bulging eyeballs fixed on the people nearby.
“!”
Yun Bilan was startled and quickly surveyed the surroundings.
At some point, they realize that they were the only ones left in the square: “Not good, these things probably want to eat us!”
Wen Ya clenched her teeth. She reluctantly glanced at the frog that swallowed Lilith and took a deep breath, standing up.
As a seasoned anchor, she knew she couldn’t let her emotions hold her team back. Regardless, she needed to prioritize her surviving teammates.
“Run!”
———
Fantasy Amusement Park, Pirate Ship.
In the spacious room, there was a deathly silence, with only the humming noise of machines. A tall young man stood still, surrounded by people wearing Mr. Ribbit costumes.
They were dressed in green suits with cartoonishly oversized head masks that appeared disproportionately large. Even those who hadn’t seen their real faces couldn’t help but feel unnerved by their silent stares.
But unfortunately, Wen Jianyan wasn’t like the others.
He maintained a relaxed and casual posture, seemingly oblivious to the gazes from all directions, as if he was already accustomed to being the center of attention.
Under the watchful eyes of Mr. Ribbits, he took a step forward, naturally extending his hand to retrieve his recruitment letter from the last Mr. Ribbits’ hand, neatly folding it and putting it back into his pocket.
“Now that you’ve seen it, let’s go.”
Mr. Ribbits remained still, looking particularly puzzled.
Wen Jianyan raises an eyebrow, “Do you know why I was appointed as the new park director here?”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[???]
[Because you talk nonsense, and betrayed your former boss?]
[I don’t get it. What are you trying to do?]
“Because your current management model is just a big failure.”
Wen Jianyan’s lips curled into a slight smile, his voice still light and ethereal but somehow carrying the weight of a thousand pounds. “Do you know how many flaws and loopholes are hidden in our park? Do you know that our factory assembly line is becoming increasingly inefficient, and our supply chain can’t support our current market anymore?”
“And there’s this…”
Wen Jianyan reached into his pocket and casually handed a piece of paper to one of the Mr. Ribbits. “Does the content on this paper look familiar?”
It was the clue he had found earlier inside the pirate ship.
“…”
Mr. Ribbits unfolded the paper and looked at its contents.
The air in the entire space seemed to thicken little by little. Although Mr. Ribbits still observed the rules of silence from inside the pirate ship, even from their body language, one could sense their unease and panic.
“That something like this could end up in the hands of a visitor…”
The young man laughed, his amber-colored eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the group of frogs in front of him.
“How embarrassing.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[F*ck, The pressure is getting to me!]
[Oh my, oh my, oh my, I really feel like my tail is being caught. Even though I know the truth, I can’t help but start to panic. What’s going on?]
[Are you the visitor you mentioned just now? Shameless!]
[Hahaha, this is textbook reverse psychology!]
[Welcome, newcomer. The above are all traditional skills of a con artist! Deceiving others and deceiving oneself!]
“As your future park director, I’ve been tasked to get acquainted with the job.”
Wen Jianyan raised his chin slightly.
“Let’s go; take me to the factory center of the pirate ship.”
“…”
Mr. Ribbits exchanged glances, and after a brief silence, they bowed slightly to Wen Jianyan, then turned around and began to lead the way.
Wen Jianyan’s lips curled, and he followed along.
The location of this room was already quite deep within the pirate ship, but where they were heading next was evidently even deeper. After passing through increasingly tilted corridors, they suddenly entered an expansive area.
What appeared before them was an abyss composed of steel and machinery.
Machines were humming all around, and beneath their feet was an abyss of impenetrable darkness. A narrow iron pathway extended into the center of the abyss, where there was a small room.
A small iron plate was affixed to the room, bearing two words:
[Captain’s Quarters]
The humidity and temperature in the air had reached the limits of human tolerance.
Many brass-colored pipes had become misaligned during the recent intense tremor, and high-temperature steam, exuding a sweet and sticky smell, hissed from the gaps between the pipes.
Wen Jianyan’s wounds hadn’t healed yet, and his complexion displayed a sickly paleness. He carefully navigated through the hissing high-temperature steam, entering the Captain’s Quarters.
He surveyed the room, and one of the frogs approached, opening a drawer for him. Inside the drawer was a piece of paper.
It was another set of rules, but not just rules; it was an operational manual.
Wen Jianyan earnestly read through the contents of the paper, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. “I see, this is the engine for generating power here, and the operation seems quite complex.”
“So, does this one increase the power?”
Mr. Ribbit nodded.
“And this one alters the pipelines?”
Mr. Ribbit nodded again.
Wen Jianyan appeared humble and genuinely interested, like a true park director who cared about understanding the work of his employees.
He tilted his head, letting his gaze sweep over the countless machines not far away, finally settling on one point:
“That must be the core of the engine, right?”
There was another nod from Mr. Ribbit.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Wait, I have a bad feeling…]
[Me too…]
“Thanks, I understand now.”
Wen Jianyan smiled faintly, extending his hand and gently changing the direction of the pipelines. Then he adjusted the engine’s power output to its maximum.
His actions were smooth, unhurried, and so natural that no one noticed anything unusual until…
The engine suddenly began to vibrate violently, like it was overloaded. Sharp metallic humming spread throughout the pitch-black space, like a volcano about to erupt, with scorching magma surging beneath a thin crust, seeking fissures to release pressure.
“?!” Mr. Ribbit was startled and rushed forward to stop it, but it was too late.
The young man grinned and then pressed his palm downward forcefully.
“Boom!” Several pressure chambers burst open! Hissing steam, deep red, viscous, and mixed with partially finished frog eggs, gushed violently toward the core of the engine!
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss.
The engine emitted an unbearable roar, sparks flew, and the metal blades creaked, but it continued to run at maximum power!
Boom!!!!
Flames spewed out violently.
Small explosions occurred throughout the machinery, ultimately converging into a sea of crimson flames that erupted with a thunderous blast!
“Pirate Ship Staff Rules, Article 5: There are no drinking water sources in this area, and bringing water is not allowed.”
Under the fiery backdrop, the young man’s amber eyes were filled with passionate crimson.
He said with a beaming smile, “In other words, we have no fire-extinguishing devices here, right?”
***
Yun Bilan and the others struggled to survive under the frogs’ attacks.
Dealing with just one frog had already been challenging, and now the number had multiplied by five, meaning the danger level had increased fivefold.
If it weren’t for the fact that the terrain in the kid’s zone had become more complex after the anomaly in the instance and the frogs’ size was too large to enter the gaps filled with brass pipes, they would have had no chance of survival, especially while carrying a child and an injured comrade.
Yun Bilan carried Blond on her shoulder while running wildly.
Blond felt dizzy, and his face turned green from the jolting, almost throwing up.
“If you dare to vomit on my shoulder, you’re dead.” Yun Bilan gritted her teeth.
Blond: “…”
He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit, deciding to shift the topic, “How did you suddenly appear? Weren’t you supposed to finish the last project with that guy?”
He originally thought that they would leave the instance after completing all five projects.
When he saw Yun Bilan appear, he could hardly conceal his astonishment.
“We didn’t finish that project.,” Yun Bilan said through clenched teeth.
Previously, in the amusement park, they had separated from Wen Jianyan, who had disappeared into the cleaner’s break room, telling them before leaving that if he didn’t return within ten minutes, they shouldn’t wait for him.
Time had passed, and Wen Jianyan hadn’t returned.
After a difficult decision and weighing their options, they ultimately decided to abandon the almost-within-reach path to the exit and go back to look for Wen Ya and Blond.
“…”
Blond was puzzled.
Boom!
Suddenly, in the distance, it seemed like something had exploded.
In an instant, the earth shook, and a thunderous roar spread through the ground beneath their feet. Everyone was startled, turning their heads to look in the direction of the sound.
The sound seemed to come from the other side of the park.
Whether it was due to some anomaly that had connected the pipes throughout the entire dream amusement park or because the entire park had no water source, or perhaps both… the fire spread rapidly.
Visible to the naked eye, the explosion sound grew closer, rapidly connecting into a single cacophony, and a surging blaze almost merged with the blood-red sky.
The ground quivered, and the sky lost its color.
In the dazzling red sky, those dark red slits suddenly opened, and one by one, eyes appeared. Their pupils contracted, and their eyeballs frantically rolled, appearing furious and violent, as if searching for something.
“What the hell…”
Blond widened his eyes: “What’s going on?!”
Just at that moment, all the anchors still inside the park heard a familiar mechanical voice in their ears:
【Ding! The system has detected a critical vulnerability. The fantasy amusement park instance is closing prematurely——】
【60, 59, 58…】
In an instant, the entire fantasy amusement park’s live broadcast square exploded:
[What the f***!!! Ahh, what’s happening!!!]
[Damn, a critical vulnerability! I’ve never heard of such a thing!!!]
[Oh my god, the whole instance got shut down!!]
[Ahh, this is insane!!]
Wen Ya stopped in her tracks, turned to look at the crimson sky, and heard the familiar system voice in her ears as well.
Unlike the bewildered anchors, she knew exactly what had happened.
That guy…
He had actually succeeded.
What was even more unbelievable was that he hadn’t just completed the main mission; he had created a critical vulnerability.
A strong sense of shock spread through her.
Her fingers, hanging by her side, quietly clenched, and her knuckles turned white from the pressure. Wen Ya could almost taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
She had failed.
The brass and steel behind her tilted and crashed to the ground due to the intense shaking, blocking the path ahead.
There were flames on this side too.
Wen Ya was choked by the thick smoke and coughed several times as she stepped back.
“Damn it!”
Not far away, Yun Bilan’s scream echoed.
Wen Ya realized that a giant green frog had appeared behind the brass pillar. Its bulging eyes were fixed on her, and its mouth slowly widened.
“…”
Wen Ya knew that she couldn’t escape.
Her inventory of items and points had been exhausted; her ankles were bleeding profusely, and the fact that she had made it this far was a miracle in itself.
All the sounds seemed to come from a very distant place, as if separated by a thick layer of foam.
A cracking sound echoed.
The frog’s bright red tongue broke through the air and shot straight toward Wen Ya—
But then it hit something behind her.
The wall that should have fallen on her swayed and shattered.
Wen Ya stared blankly, looking at the frog not far away.
“Ribbit.” It made a coarse croak, and its protruding eyes rolled, locking onto Wen Ya. Its mouth, now crimson, opened strangely and produced a human-like voice. “Th-thank you…”
The voice sounded like that of a girl.
“Willing… to come back and find me…”
“Lilith…”
Wen Ya’s body couldn’t help but tremble. She took a shaky step forward.
“Hurry… go.”
The giant frog turned around, its strong hind legs bent, and then it leaped without hesitation, jumping into the already roaring flames.
Crackle!
The raging flames rose, swallowing its grotesque, enormous body.
“Lilith—”
Wen Ya’s heart-wrenching scream was blurred amidst the sea of fire.
———
[30, 29, 28…]
After everything had exploded, Wen Jianyan used the mirror to leave the pirate ship.
He had long prepared for all the follow-up actions.
Including how to leave.
The young man stood in front of the blazing fire, smiling. His pale face was dyed a bright crimson by the flames, and the corners of his lips, drained of blood, lifted slightly, appearing cheerful and content.
He tilted his head back and made eye contact with the enraged and crazy eyes in the sky. He smiled and blew a kiss.
“Until next time, my master.”
His voice was gentle and soothing like pillow talk between lovers, and the sweet trailing tone was blurred in the crackling sea of fire.
“!!!” The crimson eyes suddenly shrank, trembling and wriggling madly in the crimson canopy of the sky, as if trying to break free from it.
Click!
Dark patterns covered the crimson sky, like a densely woven spider’s web.
The whites of the eyes, the pupils, and the glass-like shattered patterns spread like everything was collapsing.
Suddenly, a low, icy voice sounded behind Wen Jianyan:
“Your master?”
From the cracks, shadows emerged. The shallow black shadows condensed into a solid form, curling around the young man’s slender waist in the midst of the flames.
“Which one?”
