As the words fell, Han Meng squeezed the trigger.
Click—
The mechanism collided, but no bullet was fired.
At the same moment, the ground before Han Meng instantly disintegrated. Soil and debris vanished into nothingness, as if an invisible bullet had thoroughly shattered the matter at the molecular level!
And this "disintegrating" bullet flashed to the Red Paper Monster's face within a millisecond!
Under this invisible disintegrating force, a gap was forcibly torn in the red paper tentacles hovering in the air. Immediately after, a circular wound with a radius of one meter completely pierced through the monster's body!
Through that massive circular wound, Han Meng could even see the streets of District Three in the distance. This single shot had directly annihilated two-thirds of its body.
Just as Han Meng was preparing to withdraw his gun, a sudden change occurred!
The Red Paper Monster, with a large hole in its center, did not die but continued to extend red paper as if nothing had happened.
It spread wildly around. Within just two seconds, it not only repaired the hole in its center but also swelled to more than three times its original size!
Now, it resembled a giant paper sun, with countless paper fragments twisting around it, suspended in the wilderness sky.
[Audience Expectation -1]
[Current Expectation: 14%]
Han Meng's pupils constricted slightly!
He immediately raised the gun and aimed upward, squeezing the trigger three times in succession. The disintegrating force tore three large holes in that giant sun.
Fine rain drifted down from the three holes, patting Han Meng's solemn face, cold to the bone.
Swoosh—
Dense paper fragments stung downward like a red rain, instantly turning the entire wilderness into a honeycomb. Han Meng frantically fired, but he could only barely tear open a gap in this red rain to save his life.
"It's bad..." Han Meng's back was already soaked in sweat.
He could sense that he was no match for this calamity!
Unknown to him, the opponent's aura seemed to have surged again, leaping from the initial entry into the fifth level to the pinnacle of the fifth level, just a hair's breadth away from stepping into the terrifying sixth level!
Just then, a hand wearing theatrical robes emerged from the paper monster, lightly and precisely pressing down on Han Meng's head!
"Hee-hee."
The giggle echoed in Han Meng's ears. In the next moment, he was pushed down by a single palm, his head crashing heavily onto the ground!
Boom—!!
The earth cracked. Han Meng, at the center of the impact, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, lying motionless like mud.
The battle had ceased. The red paper scattered across the sky returned to the monster's body, and a fine drizzle covered the devastated earth.
The Red Paper Monster was about to leave, but the arm wearing theatrical robes suddenly grabbed hold of the red paper body, tearing at it vigorously, as if something was trying to emerge from within...
...
Five minutes ago.
"The audience is starting to intervene in the performance?"
Chen Yifei felt a chill when he saw the last line. He suddenly looked up at the front of the stage.
Countless crimson pupils were still watching him in the darkness, but in the corner of the audience seats, a batch of wooden chairs were already empty...
"A portion of the audience has vanished."
Thud—thud—thud!!
The shadowy figures in the audience seats continuously stomped on the theater floor, emitting a uniform and muffled sound.
This sound, within the confined space, was like continuous thunder. Their crimson pupils were fixed on Chen Yifei, their eyes filled with anger and interrogation!
Thud—thud—thud!!!
Under their synchronized stomping, Chen Yifei even felt the stage shaking, the spotlight overhead trembling slightly, as if it couldn't hold on for much longer.
Chen Yifei basically understood.
Because he was killed by an axe in reality, the "performance" on the stage abruptly ended.
The performance was interrupted, and the audience was extremely angry, but they couldn't directly communicate with Chen Yifei. They could only use this form to express their dissatisfaction and threats!
"So...actually, I'm not dead?" Chen Yifei stared blankly at his own hands,
"But if my consciousness is here...then who is controlling my body now?"
Chen Yifei seemed to have thought of something. He turned around and saw a large black curtain covering the back half of the stage. He forcefully pulled it aside by a corner, and consecutive scenes flooded into his mind!
He saw himself turn a dinner knife into a piece of paper, frightening Li Xiuchun and Chen Tan into unconsciousness, and battling with the two enforcers...
This feeling was marvellous, as if he was sitting in front of a large screen, watching his own actions from a third-person perspective... Of course, the "protagonist" at this moment was no longer him, but the "audience" who had usurped his body!
The audience was intervening in the performance.
[Audience Expectation -1]
Chen Yifei saw the characters on the screen flicker. In the next moment, another group of figures in the audience seats vanished without a trace.
"As the expectation value decreases, more audience will intervene in the performance..." Chen Yifei said, lifting his own hands. He saw his body gradually becoming transparent,
"At the same time...will my existence also be gradually erased?"
Indeed, if the audience completely becomes the "protagonist," then what use is he?
Chen Yifei's heart immediately sank. He knew he had to do something.
Chen Yifei stood before the curtain, took a deep breath, and tentatively extended his palm, reaching towards the flickering "scene" behind it...
Either reclaim his own body and become the "protagonist" again,
Or die.
Chen Yifei's fingertips pierced through the curtain, as if touching a layer of barrier, forced to slow down.
This barrier was not extremely hard, but rather more like a certain kind of "membrane," soft and extremely resilient. After a few attempts, Chen Yifei finally managed to pass through with one finger.
"There's a chance!" Chen Yifei's eyes slightly lit up.
He used all his strength to push his palm through the barrier, followed by his forearm, elbow joint...
Just then, the characters on the screen flickered again:
[Audience Expectation -1]
As the expectation value dropped to 14%, another batch of audience disappeared. Chen Yifei felt the barrier becoming even harder. He saw his body becoming even more transparent, and a thought flashed through his mind.
It was not that the barrier had become harder...but that his body had become weaker.
Chen Yifei gritted his teeth, but he could only slowly extend his arm through the curtain, at a speed several times slower than before. His heart was extremely anxious.
With the current resistance, he estimated that if the expectation value dropped to around 10%, he would no longer be able to pass through this layer of curtain.
Finally, through his relentless efforts, one arm completely passed through the curtain.
He saw Han Meng struggling under the red rain in the scene. After a moment of hesitation, he slapped him on the forehead with one hand, using the power of the Red Paper Monster to knock him unconscious on the ground.
This way, no one would witness the scene of him passing through the curtain and returning to reality.
He used his arm from the real world side to hold the curtain upside down, and then forcefully pulled it, tearing open a narrow gap.
The second hand extended from the gap, forcibly prying it open until it was wide enough for his body to pass through. Chen Yifei took a deep breath and dove in!