Chapter 140: Candid

Bai Lang approached the security alarm device, extended his hand above the valve, and released a blind snake from his sleeve.

The snake's body coiled several times around the valve, its tail hooking beneath the triangular base.

Bai Lang made a gesture, signaling everything was arranged, and ordered everyone to exit the castle—this area overlapped with the space of the future world; if the air raid alarm were shut down abruptly, it might disrupt the spatial overlap and trap everyone inside the castle.

It would be better to withdraw first, return to the park, and then use the serpent-feeding technique to remotely control the blind snake to contract its body and shut off the air raid alarm.

Li Cheng did not rise; he remained crouched on the ground, examining the corpse of the unnamed security guard.

Although his face was twisted by extreme fear before death, his facial contours were clearly defined, his features fitting the description of "handsome."

And

Li Cheng noticed a faint glimmer reflecting inside the unnamed guard's mouth; he pried open the corpse's jaws with his rusted straight knife from a distance. With a crisp "ding-dang," a shard of diamond fell from the corpse's mouth.

Diamond?

Li Cheng realized something, tilted his head slightly, and asked Su Jie: "When you selected these uniforms from the security department, did you distinguish between male and female?"

Su Jie froze, confused by the question, and instinctively replied: "All are male versions; there are no female ones."

Why are you fixating on this now?

Bai Lang had no patience to stop and inquire further; seeing Li Cheng refuse to leave, he turned and walked toward the castle's main entrance.

Andre suddenly drew his short sword, swung his arm forcefully, and hurled it with all his strength.

In that instant, Bai Lang was first filled with shock and rage, then realized the short sword was not aimed at him—it passed in front of him, striking something in the darkness.

Clang!

A sharp metallic clash echoed from the darkness; the thrown sword veered off, spinning as it embedded itself into the brick-and-stone wall, leaving only the hilt exposed, still trembling.

"Come out," Andre said calmly, his hand moving to his waist, four fingers now gripping four additional short swords.

After a moment of silence, heavy footsteps approached from that direction; a pink-furred rabbit plush toy, nearly one meter ninety centimeters tall, with no eye sockets, walked forward, holding a small black box resembling a portable player. A cable extended from the player, connecting directly to the plush's temples.

Li Cheng recognized the small black box—it was the "Non-Implantable Portable Neural-Acoustic Automatic Conversion Device" designed and sold by Prometheus Corporation; in simple terms, it received neural electrical signals related to language from the human brain, converted them into complete sentences, and emitted them as audio.

It was a tool specifically designed to help those who had lost speech abilities—such as stroke patients, ALS patients, or the deaf-mute—communicate with the outside world. It was scheduled for release in North America next year, with an estimated price of seven hundred thousand U. S. dollars; discounts required purchasing medical insurance from a specific company.

Li Cheng knew about this device partly because he was gathering language-learning tools for Grey Rain, and partly because memes featuring Hawking using it had spread across the internet.

For example: "Kids, I can speak fluently now—I must clarify that day I mistook Epstein for Einstein, which is why I went to the island."

In short, a Prometheus Corporation product not due for release until next year appearing here made the identity of the pink-furred rabbit plush obvious.

"Eliot, are you alright?"

Bai Lang squinted, secretly activating his skill, ready to release venomous snakes at any moment.

The small black box in Eliot's hand emitted a voice, mechanical and slightly stiff, resembling Eliot's: "What do you think?"

Well, that question was indeed unnecessary. Eliot, dressed in a plush suit with no eye sockets and unable to speak independently, was, from any perspective, anything but "normal."

"What do you want?"

Bai Lang did not lower his guard despite Eliot's ability to communicate; he glanced with the corner of his eye toward the castle exit, where faint light was barely visible.

He could be certain: since the four players entered the castle, no one had passed through the entrance—meaning Eliot had arrived before them, possibly observing silently all along.

"It's not what I want, but what I can offer."

Eliot held up the black box: "I offer you a deal. Give me one visitor card, and I'll help you complete your mission and leave this place."

"What do you mean?"

Bai Lang feigned confusion to buy time, his mind racing to interpret Eliot's words.

Until now, he had assumed plush toys with eye sockets were park staff or visitors wearing costumes, while those without eye sockets were monsters spawned by the amusement park. But why did Eliot, lacking eye sockets, possess self-awareness?

And what did "visitor card" mean? Had he lost his own? Did he need a new card to leave?

"Delaying only lowers your own survival probability."

Eliot said calmly: "To show sincerity, I'll recount my experience. After separating from you, I suffered a severe accident and sustained heavy burden; in my delirium, hair grew over my body, and I transformed entirely into a plush toy."

But this also allowed me to learn more secrets and mechanisms of this park.

For example, visitors, staff, security guards, and plush toys represent four distinct ways to exit the park.

For example, the amusement park recently suffered a disaster, nearly everyone transformed into plush toys.

And for example, your bodies have already grown thick hair, beginning to transform into plush toys—that's why you dared not gamble on slim odds, choosing to enter the castle before sunset to shut off the air raid alarm, fearing you might be unable to leave the park—or leave but remain monsters.

This hypothesis is correct.

Eliot paused, observing the silent players, then continued: "On your way here, didn't you see any visitor cards fall? Each person carries one; when a visitor becomes a plush toy, their card vanishes automatically."

I, in this form, lost my card, and thus no longer suffer attacks from other plush toys—I arrived at the castle long ago, waiting quietly for you all to arrive.

I know how to shut off the air raid alarm and let you leave safely. I also know how to trigger the mechanism that makes the castle appear out of thin air, trapping you here again."

"Is that so?"

Bai Lang's eyes flickered: "Aren't you afraid we'll kill you? We have four players; you're alone."

"Not afraid," Eliot said calmly. "First, I dared to show myself because I have a trump card—you won't dare act rashly. Second, I don't want your visitor card—I want hers."

The pink-furred rabbit plush, or rather Eliot who had become one, raised his arm and pointed at Su Jie's glass jar containing the floating head.

"A living organism can't be stored in a backpack slot—this proves the woman is still alive, and her visitor card still exists."

Eliot said: "I only need the card—I don't care whose. Give me her visitor card, and I'll tell you how to leave safely."

Su Jie's face turned pale; he clutched the glass jar containing the floating head tightly. "Impossible!"

Eliot said calmly: "She's merely an ordinary person, correct? She's lost most of her body. Even with the Special Affairs Bureau's technology, how much would it cost to reconstruct her body? Thirty million? Forty million? Do you really think those bureaucrats would allocate that much to save an ordinary civilian?"

Both Bai Lang and Andre fell silent; they had no connection to Ding Shaoxia and didn't care whether she lived or died.

"Master Pi Fu?" Su Jie's lips trembled; he instinctively called out.

"Huh? What do you want?" Li Cheng asked absently, still weighing the shard of diamond in his hand.

"." This time, it was Su Jie who couldn't speak—he was a mobile task force officer of the Special Affairs Bureau, responsible for protecting the public, but Master Pi Fu did not belong to the Special Affairs Bureau.

Could he possibly force Master Pi Fu to protect Ding Shaoxia, who was now just a head?

That counts as moral coercion, I really can't bring myself to say it.

"You want me to say a few fair words?"

Li Cheng, ever considerate, grasped Su Jie's meaning, cleared his throat, and said: "Like everyone else, Old Bi was also quite shocked upon receiving this news. Old Bi believes that, as an old media person, there are still some things worth going on about. The accident has already occurred; the rescue of personnel and property needs to be followed up in a timely manner, and the cause of the accident must also be thoroughly investigated. At the same time, Old Hu has also noticed that many rumors are spreading online. Old Bi here earnestly appeals: please everyone, starting with me, stay rational and restrained, don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors, and jointly maintain a good social environment."

???

The three foreigners—Elliot, Byron, and Andre—all fell into bewilderment. Su Jie, who often surfed Weibo, wore an expression as strained as constipation, barely holding it together.

Old Bi believes, Old Bi is earnest—could it be that you're the former editor-in-chief of the Global Times who loves stock trading? And in your second-to-last sentence you directly used "Old Hu," didn't you?! You can even mistype while typing?!

(End of this chapter)