Cheng Tingyu remembered that the replica of Wei Heng's residence had slowly disappeared after the homeowner's remains were collected.
She wanted to use a similar method to lift the replication of the store, but where exactly was the source of the power causing this anomaly?
The twisted force permeating the environment had grown so intense that it could no longer be ignored.
The sense of space was suppressed, hearing was suppressed, and vision was suppressed.
The "Fiery" megastore is a replica of reality. Apart from the scavengers who smuggled in using props, the original participants all entered through the main gate but ended up directly in the office.
Unlike Wei Heng's former residence, there is a spatial discontinuity here.
Would there be anything special about this forcibly shortened path?
Cheng Tingyu had previously speculated that the formation of the replica might be related to the "Dangerous Mask." Wang Si might have made certain arrangements in the marketplace before his death to ensure that if he lost contact for some reason, a replica would be created.
In the absence of other clues, Cheng Tingyu initially speculated that this was an item similar to Wei Heng's remains, possessing the power of the boundary realm.
The place where items are stored won't be too hard to access, making it convenient for Wang Si to come over and make adjustments from time to time.
Moreover, it was mostly in public areas, so frequent visits wouldn't seem out of place.
In addition, it must also possess a certain level of confidentiality to avoid unforeseen disruptions.
Cheng Tingyu thought, meeting the above conditions and existing on the first floor of the mall, what exactly should it be?
As time passed, her sanity gradually diminished, and her thoughts slowed down, as if she were sinking into a mental quagmire.
Kaso: "Are you looking for something?"
Her voice gradually lost its human quality.
"Are you looking for something?"
The same words echoed from all directions, with every actor reciting the identical lines.
Maxi stared at Cheng Tingyu with a blank expression: "Time is running out."
"Time is running out."
"Time is running out..."
"…Not much left…"
The emotionless voice buzzed and echoed on the first floor of the market, the damp smell of blood making one feel nauseous and irritable.
Cheng Tingyu closed her eyes. She didn't need these actors to remind her; she knew very well that the props leading to the outside world would not always remain open for an employee who was reluctant to leave work.
Suddenly, a light laugh escaped from Cheng Tingyu's lips. She brushed away the strands of hair, damp with cold sweat, that clung to her cheeks. Her pupils seemed darker and deeper than ever before. "I almost forgot, I actually don't need to go looking."
In the world of metaphysics, encountering a problem doesn't necessarily require a battle of wits and courage; you can also directly engage in a battle of superpowers.
With the previous conditions set, Cheng Tingyu had already considered that the source of the anomaly might come from something like a locker. She decided to stop tormenting her increasingly chaotic thoughts.
Her right eye twitched, and her gaze fell on the lockers near the entrance of the store.
[Detected item to be analyzed, identification can be performed.
Remaining identification attempts: 2/4.
The copy consumed a considerable amount of Cheng Tingyu's stamina, but fortunately, the remaining portion was still enough for her to use her ability once more before making a run for it.
The Overlooked Cabinet 333: A storage cabinet that is perpetually ignored, containing items with boundary powers inside. When not being watched, no one can open it.
Note: You need a key, or something else.
Cheng Tingyu had complex feelings about her awakened abilities. As a "Secret Eye," the lack of direct combat methods was one aspect, while the other was her growing realization that the results of her assessments often had a cryptic, riddle-like quality.
We've come this far, can't you just tell her directly what that "something else" really is?
Cheng Tingyu took a deep breath, grateful that he didn't have too many props on him. Even if he had to rely solely on the process of elimination, it wouldn't be too difficult to sort things out.
The backpack, resume, and pen were obviously not suitable substitutes. The items that might be useful were the [stage play water gun] and the [exemption pass]. Cheng Tingyu decided to try the latter first—the pass itself was a tool imbued with a certain boundary force, which could be used to break through specific area restrictions.
Her attempt succeeded. The moment the cabinet door opened, the movements of the surrounding actors froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
In the locker was a painting themed around a labyrinth. Its style was very abstract, and just a single glance at it would evoke a strong sense of disorientation.
Under normal circumstances, Cheng Tingyu couldn't handle items of too high a level. Fortunately, before entering the instance, she borrowed the identity of a temp from the "Screwdriver" side and was assigned a high-end sealing box as office supplies.
The mannequin with Maxie's appearance quietly watched her, a sinister smile spreading across its face: "Lady, the countdown to death has not yet begun. Finding a way to break the curse ahead of time is not an exciting and thrilling ending."
Cheng Tingyu's movements didn't stop. She quickly stuffed the drawing into the sealed box while responding, "Your statement doesn't sound like that of an actor."
Maxi: "Indeed, I am not." Then he drew out his long knife.
When Cheng Tingyu ran to the vicinity of the storage box, he had already reached the place where the rope hung down.
Maxi raised the blade, sliced through the rope with a swift motion, and smiled, "Now it's exciting enough." He clapped his hands gently, "The one who discovers the secret sacrifices themselves to free their companion. Such an ending, filled with regret, always leaves a deep impression."
Seeing this scene, Cheng Tingyu's expression rarely stiffened. She was silent for a moment before saying with a hint of confusion, "May I remind you, there is also a door on the first floor of the mall."
"..."
Normally, participants indeed cannot leave through the first-floor entrance, but once the source of the anomaly causing the instance to mutate is contained, the space distorted by the boundary forces around it will gradually return to its original state.
At this very moment, the true exit was already imprinted in her right eye.
Cheng Tingyu retreated while laughing, "I take back what I said before, you actually are quite suited for acting, like in comedies."
[Congratulations to the player for clearing the dungeon...]
The information representing the clearance flowed into Cheng Tingyu's mind, but she could no longer spare any thoughts to pay attention to these issues. Cheng Tingyu turned around and sprinted towards the exit of the dungeon.
As an ordinary participant being carried along, Li Fuci had firmly planned to wait for Cheng Tingyu to come up before leaving together.
The plan was perfect, but Li Fuci didn't expect that shortly after Cheng Tingyu went down, the dungeon began to show signs of collapsing.
Wei Xuguang's face was numb, unsure whether he regretted not stopping his companion before she jumped or regretted not giving her his blessings.
He Xijiang's voice was urgent: "Quick, gather around me."
It was obvious that this inspector was a player of the domain type. An invisible barrier seemed to form around him, and as he approached, most of the distortion within the instance dissipated.
The task this time was already completed, and the door to the office opened accordingly. The wooden doors, which had been twisted due to compression, wobbled twice after signs of the copy collapsing appeared, and then unexpectedly fell off the door frame.
There was no time to delve into the sturdiness of the dungeon's decor; everyone lowered their heads and filed out through the doorway.
As the replica collapsed, the internal forces began to run amok in chaos. The barrier propped up by He Xijiang became unstable due to external impacts, causing He Xijiang to cough twice involuntarily.
Wei Xu Gui rasped, "Just give up, your strength won't hold out to get you through."
In his daze, He Xijiang, feeling a slight recovery of his energy, closed his eyes: "I... thank you?"
Li Fuzi didn't have time to ponder the senior's attitude and asked anxiously, "Your companion, she—"
Wei Xu interrupted, his tone firm: "There must be something!"
Li Fu said, "..."
Did these two people team up to enter the dungeon with the intention of mutual destruction?
Wei Xuguang's throat had already begun to taste of blood.
Normally, it shouldn't consume that much, but my companion always acts unpredictably.
The group sprinted away from the dungeon area, the scene before their eyes beginning to distort. Wei Xugui struggled to maintain his balance, and it was only thanks to Li Yetai's quick grab that he avoided an intimate encounter with the ground.
They swiftly crossed the boundary between the copy and reality.
At the exit, Wei Xu saw a figure from behind.
Li Fu was surprised: "You're already out?"
Cheng Tingyu took a deep breath and replied, "It's a bit closer to walk out from the first floor than from the second floor."
"..."
What astonished them was not the distance of the journey, but that she could actually emerge from the copy unscathed.
Wei Xugu reminded, "Did you bring those gloves?"
Cheng Tingyu was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "Anyway, the instance is almost over. We can go again after it's done."
At this moment, the others suddenly felt a subtle sense of sympathy for the "Screwdriver" insurance company.
When you live a life of crime, you have to pay the price sooner or later. Who knows what kind of temporary worker you might hire with just a basic commission?
Li Yetai breathed a sigh of relief and immediately contacted his colleagues to bring another car over, taking Cheng Tingyu and Wei Xuguang to the inspection team as well.
Zhou Jianyun often partnered with Li Yetai for field assignments. However, as a clerical staff member, during missions that inevitably involved combat, such as exploring new territories, he would usually step back to a secondary role, handling logistical tasks.
For example, right now, he is responsible for external security and the retrieval of relevant information.
The inspector had just entered the instance when the communication between inside and outside hadn't been completely cut off. A subordinate reported, "Intelligence from within the instance indicates that the distortion in the marketplace instance is linked to the 'Immortal Golden Theater.'"
Zhou Jianyun frowned.
For the participants entering to pioneer, this was definitely not good news.
The owner of the "Immortal Golden Theater" is known as the "Playwright," and He is also a figure who can be regarded as a significant personage.
Just as dream makers love to create dreams, playwrights often take their theaters on tours around the world, whether there's a reason or not.
Perhaps those who can be called significant figures have a bit of abnormality in their minds. When playwrights invite people to watch their plays, they intentionally diminish the audience's awareness of the performance, striving to make all viewers feel as if they are truly in the scene.
——Not only do I have to play you, but I also have to make sure you don't realize you're being played.
Just as Zhou Jianyun was worrying about his colleague, thinking that the inspection team might suffer another reduction in numbers today, he received a text message.
The sender was Li Yetai, and the message read, "The inspection team is intact. I'm bringing people over for tea. Go buy some juice and get ready."
Zhou Jianyun: "???"
He suspected that his colleague's sanity points had been completely drained in the instance, and he had evidence.