Chapter 127: Blood Loss

In this bizarre environment of temporal chaos, undergoing a timed escape—unless he had a 【Emergency Escape Card】 or similar item, Duizhan Qibing truly wanted to delete the database and run right away.

The only good news was probably that this team's members were sufficiently capable.

Duizhan Qibing subtly scanned the people present: Elliot belonged to the Prometheus Guild, a major brand with reliable backing; Father Andre as the Temple Knight representative in Yin City had undeniable strength; the unassuming Bai Lang also had Level 11—far from a novice.

As for Master Pi Fu, though he seemed unreliable, from his experience in the Last Curse of Resentment, he was still quite dependable… right?

"The mission objective requires us to read the park's guidebook and escape within the time limit. Note that the word used here is 'read,' not 'follow.' That means these twelve rules in the guidebook are not absolute laws—merely references at best."

Elliot, in his suit and tie, said, "From the wording of these rules, the amusement park clearly knows something—or several things—are lurking inside.

For some reason, that thing has escaped park control, causing the current state of the park. It may be related to the air raid siren we heard when we were teleported here."

He paused, turned back, and saw a steel gate blocking the park's exit. Beyond the gate lay complete darkness, radiating an intense sense of unease.

Bai Lang suddenly said: "I'll do it."

After reaching the top of the lamppost, his tiny, pea-sized eyes emitted a spotlight-like intense glow, scanning the surroundings.

"Uh, just to confirm—your reconnaissance skill isn't about flying high in the air, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Li Cheng spread his palms and said: "Simple. One, the park has roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and bungee jumpers with extreme heights. Two, if height restriction were the intent, the rule would say something like 【Tourists are strictly prohibited from using drones or carrying balloons】."

Elliot sighed and let go of the gate, "Many horror games have this trope—blocking players from escaping too quickly with crude designs like 【door can't be opened from this side】, 【windows won't budge】, 【need key】, 【need battery】."

"Damn, this is Saw, isn't it?" Duizhan Qibing squinted and mocked, "I don't see your legs cut off."

Attempting to climb over the gate triggered an invisible air wall. Flashlights and other light-emitting items could not penetrate the darkness beyond the gate.

【Cost: 100 Spirit Energy, 70 Sanity】

"Just in case. Maybe if we shake this gate long enough, it'll fall apart on its own."

The snake's head was triangular, matching the traits of a venomous snake; it slithered upward along the lamppost in a circle, flicking its bright red tongue.

"I have a reconnaissance skill that can scan a certain area from a height."

"I've personally experienced it—a serial killer kidnapped two unlucky victims, locked them in an abandoned basement, and forced them to use a gun held by one corpse to kill the other. After enduring life-or-death torture, they sawed off their own leg to escape, only to discover the corpse in the center of the basement was actually the serial killer in disguise."

"Classic."

"Why?" Duizhan Qibing asked, puzzled. Li Cheng casually explained: "Because the park's visitor rules are written for ordinary people, not explaining reasons or principles. The rule 【Tourists are strictly prohibited from using drones】 might just be a variant of 【No artificial high-speed flying objects allowed inside the park】."

The group immediately rushed toward that direction, turned the corner, and indeed saw a spectacular scene—

Bai Lang waved his arm, and the colorful slender snake immediately dropped from the lamppost's top and slithered back into his robe.

Li Cheng nodded in agreement, grabbed the gate with both hands, and shook it back and forth with loud clanging noises.

Amid the others' exasperated, speechless stares, Li Cheng finally released the gate and mused: "Too bad—the rules explicitly forbid tourists from using drones. Otherwise, we could've used drones to quickly scout every corner of the park."

【Note: Originating around the 11th century from the Ismaili sect, a splinter of Shia Islam, the Nizari branch established the Alamut Fortress atop towering cliffs in the Alborz Mountains, forming the assassination order known as the "Assassins." Led by the Old Man of the Mountain, the order passed down through generations, each Old Man mastering unique arts: stargazing, divination, poison, hidden weapons, assassination, and snake-taming. At the end of his life, the final Old Man—who knew how to command snakes—awaited his disciple: a young Eastern man named Xu Xian.】

【Cooldown: 5 minutes】

The slender snake scanned the area and swiftly locked onto a specific direction.

Li Cheng was baffled, "I'm not the kidnapped victim."

Elliot reached out and shook the gate, finding it immovable. A system prompt appeared before him: 【Temporarily Unopenable】.

Bai Lang calmly stepped forward; his black robe stirred without wind, and a colorful slender snake slithered out from the hem.

"Eleven o'clock, seventy-five meters away—fresh blood residue."

So you're the serial killer who kidnaps people? Hey, police officer? There's a bad guy here.

Duizhan Qibing thought for a moment, then grasped the subtle difference between those two statements and asked: "Then why isn't it a variant of 【No object may exceed a certain height】?

【Effect: Insight Scan. After releasing the tamed snake, scan a 150-meter radius and mark thermal signal sources.】

The roadside bench, once meant for pedestrians to rest, was now splattered with copious blood.

???

【Skill Name: Tamed Snake Insight】

It was as if someone had been sitting on the bench, suddenly attacked and slashed at the throat, then instinctively clutched their neck and fled.

Li Cheng said matter-of-factly: "According to the logic of certain twist movies, it's possible the escape route was right in front of everyone's eyes from the start."

"True—I often get the prompt 'Explore this area later' when playing horror games."

"This fucking—"

【Type: Universal】

The amusement park was unnervingly clean—not even a single trash bag on the ground. Fresh blood clearly indicated a new clue.

Crimson blood pooled beneath the bench; messy footprints stained with blood stretched forward along the path, gradually fading until they vanished.

Li Cheng said: "If so, it's best not to release it."

"My skill shouldn't violate the rules."

Everyone, including Elliot, looked bewildered. Duizhan Qibing couldn't help asking: "Wait, bro, what are you doing? Didn't you see the 【Temporarily Unopenable】 system prompt?"

Duizhan Qibing took a breath: Adult human blood volume is roughly 6–8% of body weight. For a 60kg person, that's 4800ml of blood.

The total blood at the scene likely reached 2500ml—far exceeding the 20% safe blood loss threshold.