MMPS Ch. 57

Chapter 57: Protection

The story took a sudden turn, growing more complicated by the second.

“More than two people?” Wei Chiyue rubbed his nose, his brow furrowed. “What does that mean? Xiao Ming, his companion, and the person who locked them up? The person who locked them up gave the password to the companion, who then sent it to Xiao Ming, but Xiao Ming entered it wrong.”

Behind the crack in the wall, a strange man peered out, only his eyes visible. His pupils darted back and forth, tracking the movements of the people in the room. The sight sent a chill down their spines.

“He’s leading us into a mental trap, starting with the word ‘companion,'” Yu An muttered, crouching on the ground and scratching lines into the floor with the tip of his knife. “It’s not the person who locked them up. It means there’s more than one companion.”

“If he’s using words to mislead us, we need to read the question again from the beginning.”

“In a sealed room, there’s a password device. The password is a four-digit number. If entered incorrectly, the room’s anti-intrusion lasers will activate. Xiao Ming received the password ‘9069’ from his companion…” Yu An closed his eyes, recalling the exact wording of the question, and repeated it softly. “After entering it, the anti-intrusion lasers activated and killed Xiao Ming. Why?”

As he whispered the question, Ji Nian’s lips moved in sync, as if he had memorized every word.

“Damn… he can remember it after just one listen?” The interns exchanged glances. Wei Chiyue scratched his head, muttering, “If I had that kind of memory, I wouldn’t have failed my exams. The bar for hiring technicians at our company is higher than I thought.”

“Then hurry up and think! We’ve already asked four questions. There are six left. We won’t interfere anymore.”

Yu An fell silent for a moment, then asked a crucial question. “Was Xiao Ming the one who actually entered the password?”

[No]

“!” Wei Chiyue’s eyes widened in realization, but he covered his mouth, not daring to interrupt the technicians’ train of thought.

“So, Companion A sent the correct password to Xiao Ming, but Xiao Ming gave the wrong password to Companion B, who entered it, causing Xiao Ming’s death.”

[Yes] Four attempts remaining.

“Now the only question is why Xiao Ming misread the password.”

Yu An and Ji Nian exchanged glances. Ji Nian spoke up. “Are the three people locked in separate compartments within the sealed room, unable to see each other?”

[Yes] Three attempts remaining.

Yu An asked. “Is the direction of gravity the same in Xiao Ming’s and his companion’s spaces?”

[Yes] Two attempts remaining.

Ji Nian followed up. “Is the password display in front of Xiao Ming upside down?”

[No] One attempt remaining.

The three investigators tensed, counting the remaining questions. Wei Chiyue’s hands, still covering his mouth, were slick with sweat. The pounding and scratching outside the security door grew louder, more frantic. The countdown above the door ticked into its final five minutes.

“Hurry… the hanging corpses outside are about to break in…”

Hanging corpses? Yu An froze for a moment.

He stood slowly, dragging the fire axe behind him. The blade scraped against the floor, leaving a faint white mark.

“Something has to be upside down. It’s not the gravity, and it’s not the display.” Yu An raised the fire axe, his gaze locked on the man hiding behind the wall, only his eyes visible, watching them. “Is it Xiao Ming’s head?”

The red light on the wall scanner flickered out, replaced by a bright green glow.

[Correct Answer]

A sharp alarm blared as the wall split open from the center, revealing the true form of the strange man who had been watching them through the crack.

The creature was enormous, its lower half buried in the ground. It wasn’t fat, but its skeletal frame was several times larger than a human’s, with long, spindly arms. Its head hung upside down, twisted 180 degrees, resting on its chest like a swollen white gourd dangling from a thin vine.

The face was grotesquely large, yet the features were normal-sized, creating a jarring, disproportionate effect.

An old noose hung from the ceiling, the thick rope digging into the creature’s neck, the reason for its inverted head.

Above the creature’s head, a long red health bar appeared, like a boss’s health bar in a game. Above the bar floated the name—”Xiao Ming.”

Someone glanced back at the security door. “The countdown hasn’t stopped. Four minutes left before the door breaks!”

Yu An tightened his grip on the fire axe. As the inverted monster raised its arm to strike, Yu An swung the axe with all his might, the blade biting into the creature’s thin arm. Black, foul-smelling blood spurted from the wound. A quick glance at Xiao Ming’s health bar showed only a sliver had been chipped away.

Even with the Advancement Badge enhancing his strength, the damage was pitifully small.

Yu An wanted to press the attack, to test other weak points, but Xiao Ming’s other arm swung at him. The two noodle-like limbs lashed out relentlessly, forcing Yu An to dodge and weave, with no opening to strike back.

As the long arm descended, casting a shadow over Yu An, he suddenly felt weightless, the world spinning around him.

Wei Chiyue, the tall investigator, had hoisted him onto his shoulders. Despite his burly appearance, Wei Chiyue moved with surprising agility, dodging the long arms’ strikes. He shouted to the others, “Protect the technician!”

Yu An was momentarily stunned.

He was accustomed to facing danger alone. He wasn’t used to explaining his tactics or expecting cooperation. The shout felt like a beam of light piercing through a dark abyss. He remembered pushing Ji Nian into the elimination pit, and the fine belt Ji Nian had thrown up to him, along with the stubborn words, “Don’t let the technicians lose.”

Yu An was set down in a relatively safe spot, and Ji Nian was pushed over by Cha Eunjae. Ji Nian’s legs trembled, his hands gripping the knife handle, shaking slightly. Facing such a tough challenge during his internship made him want to retreat.

“If you’re so scared, why did you apply to Underground Metro?”

“For the money.” Ji Nian answered without hesitation.

“Your team leader gives you money?” Yu An asked.

“…” Ji Nian pursed his lips. “I’m not a traitor.”

“I know.” Yu An replied. Someone like Ji Nian, whose intelligence and courage were inversely proportional, was unlikely to engage in something as unprofitable as betrayal.

But this wasn’t what Yu An cared about. He could spare a traitor for greater rewards, or kill an innocent intern to sever a transmission chip. Innocence was never his standard for judgment. Benefit was.

Still, the current situation made Yu An feel more at ease, perhaps because he wouldn’t be scolded by the interviewer for killing a colleague upon returning. He wasn’t sure.

Ji Nian never expected to hear words of trust from Yu An. He stood there, gripping his knife, his eyelids slowly reddening. He choked back a sob and whispered, “You believe me?”

Yu An passed by him, casually muttering, “I believe you’re not a traitor. But is there a prophet role in this dungeon?”

Ji Nian’s shoulders trembled.

The three investigators continued to engage Xiao Ming. Wei Chiyue took Yu An’s fire axe and rope, tightly binding his own knife to the axe head. Then, raising the axe handle, he leaped into the air as the long arm swung at him. His strong body stretched like a taut bow, quickly snapping back, using his full strength to drive the knife, now weighted by the axe, deep into one of Xiao Ming’s arms, pinning the worm-like limb to the ground.

Ai Ke and Cha Eunjae teamed up to handle the other arm. Although the small knives did minimal damage, after some time, Xiao Ming’s health bar dropped by a third.

While the investigators charged, Yu An took the opportunity to carefully observe the boss’s movements. Xiao Ming hadn’t moved from his spot, and only his upper body was above ground, suggesting he was in an upright position.

Yu An’s gaze fell on the thick noose around Xiao Ming’s neck. The rope was taut, bearing a significant weight.

“He’s hanging by this rope! Keep his arms busy. I’ll cut the rope!” As Xiao Ming raised his arm to strike, Yu An slipped into the shadow cast by the overhead light, disappearing from view.

The Mask of the Dead Lake allowed the user to blend into darkness, like the Parasite of the Dead Lake, using the cover of shadows to launch a surprise attack.

Yu An’s shadow vanished before their eyes. Xiao Ming roared in confusion, his long arms flailing wildly. Yu An followed the shifting shadows, running swiftly forward, clutching the knife between his teeth. He climbed onto Xiao Ming’s inverted head, stepping on his upturned nose and eyelids to ascend.

Xiao Ming bellowed, retracting his long arm to grab at Yu An. Wei Chiyue rushed forward, wrapping his body around the arm and pulling with all his might.

Yu An, thin and light, moved with exceptional agility, quickly climbing onto Xiao Ming’s bent neck. He raised the knife and began hacking at the noose.

The rope frayed bit by bit, and Xiao Ming’s body sank lower.

A deafening roar echoed through the space. The axe pinning the arm to the ground loosened, and with a loud crash, Xiao Ming broke free, swinging his long arm high and slamming it down onto his own neck.

Yu An jumped, grabbing onto the noose. The long arm swept past his face, knocking the knife from his hand. It clattered to the ground.

“Here—!” Ji Nian threw his knife toward Yu An with all his strength.

But his strength was insufficient, and the knife began to veer off course at the peak of its arc.

As the knife started to fall, Cha Eunjae flipped forward, kicking the blade mid-air.

The knife flew toward the noose, and Yu An caught it firmly. Gripping the handle with both hands, he slashed through the last thin strand of rope.

The noose snapped, and Xiao Ming’s body, supported solely by the rope, plummeted downward, his last hand desperately clinging to the edge of the pit.

Yu An jumped down as the rope broke, walking over to Xiao Ming’s dying hand and coldly stepping on it.

The massive body fell into the pit, gradually swallowed by the darkness. A loud crash echoed seconds later as it hit the ground and shattered.

The security door’s countdown reached zero, and the lock burst open. The horde of corpses outside smashed through the wall and flooded in.

*

In the Circus Illusion Chamber, the two key members of the Emergency Order Unit, Xiao Qi and Xiao An, arrived just in time, much to the relief of the City Patrol Unit members guarding the interns’ bodies.

These two were Zhao Ran’s trusted subordinates, responsible for the Emergency Order Unit’s operations.

Xiao An charged into the circus tent, standing in front of the unconscious interns. The red-level Functional Core: Purple Qi Rising embedded in her forehead glowed faintly as she shouted. “Evil spirits, begone!”

Her ability to repel evil spirits allowed her to disperse most summoned creatures. The floating poison balloons around the tent dissipated into wisps of ash, falling to the ground.

Xiao Qi calmly reassured the surrounding team members, “They wouldn’t dare openly slaughter interns in the city. Right now, we should be more concerned about what’s happening inside the game illusion chamber.”

A few minutes later, hurried footsteps approached from outside the tent. A silver rapier pierced through the tent flap, and Ni Lan pushed it aside, rushing in. She was breathing heavily from running, “Did we make it? The young lady sent us to help.”

Huo Yangui followed closely behind, panting heavily from the sprint. The sweat on his forehead evaporated from his intense body heat, raising the temperature inside the near-freezing tent by several degrees.

Yong Zheng, staring at the computer, shook his head. “Too late. The second scenario dungeon has already started. You’ll have to wait until they reach the final save point before you can enter and replace them.”

If only they had arrived a bit earlier. With Ni Lan and Huo Yangui’s combat abilities, the situation wouldn’t have become so dire.

“Stay here and wait for your turn. They’ll make it to the save point. I believe in them.”

“Wait, where’s the other one?” Ni Lan looked around, not seeing Yu An.

“He was taken by the team leader to lure away the magician.”

*

In a quiet bedroom, the wooden floor radiated warmth from the underfloor heating. Light blue star-and-moon curtains blocked the cold wind blowing in from the yard. Three children’s desks were lined up against the wall, one pink and two blue, with stationery boxes, pencil sharpeners, and math workbooks on them.

Yu An lay on a small bunk bed, a connector attached to his head, still unconscious.

A small hand reached out, gently brushing Yu An’s eyelashes. Soft, childish voices whispered by the bed. “Why does he only have one eye?”

“Maybe he left the other one on the bus.”

“Dad has lots of eyes. He could lend him one.”

“He could rent it out for five bucks a day.”

A floating eyeball hovered above the bedroom, occasionally rotating to scan the room, acting as a security camera.

Outside, the front door’s lock turned, and Ha Bai stepped in, carrying a bag of shrimp and a small winter melon. He shook the thin snow off his coat, removed his knit cap, and ruffled his white curls, sighing as he changed his shoes.

The sound of slippers pattering echoed from the bedroom as three children rushed out, gathering around Ha Bai to peek at what was for dinner. Two boys and one girl, all with smooth, black tadpole tails trailing from their pants.

“Who told you to come here? Go keep an eye on him. Don’t let him wake up and run away.” Ha Bai scolded.

The little girl said: “Father came by earlier. He said Drift Racing and Underground Metro are about to go to war, so he told you not to go out unless necessary.”

One of the boys effortlessly carried several large black plastic bags to the dining table. The bags were labeled “Yuan-ge’s Grocery Store,” containing vegetables, fruits, and junk food like spicy strips, chips, and jelly that were enough to last a week.

“Where is he?” Ha Bai rummaged through the snacks, storing the perishables in the fridge. As the snacks were cleared, a heavy pistol with a full magazine was revealed at the bottom of the bag.

“He left on his new tricycle.” the other boy said. “He also took your skull, saying the grocery store needed a speaker and this would do.”

“What’s his problem with that thing? Always fixated on it,” Ha Bai paused, a wave of frustration rising. He gritted his teeth and cursed, “What kind of father is he? That soldier ruffian is always teaching you useless stuff. Go do your homework. And remember to put the Picture Within the Painting Core back into Yu An when the alarm goes off. If you forget, Zhao Ran will have my head.”

The three man-eating tadpoles scattered like birds.

Just after cursing Zhao Ran for his unrealistic idea of forming a contract with a human teenager, Ha Bai realized his own life was no less chaotic. Forming a contract with a human expert had its downsides, like the guy effortlessly navigating through the heavily trapped suburban yard as if it were nothing.