Chapter 444: Drawing the Sword to Help

All the players' gazes instantly shifted over, and the stage spotlight, as if noticing the focus, turned to shine on that figure.

Only now did Cheng Shuili see the person's appearance clearly.

It was Qing Qing's kiss!

She wore a neat dark combat outfit, her hair slightly disheveled from the recent impact, with a few strands sticking to her sweaty forehead.

Her face showed little expression, only her eyes, which shone astonishingly in the dim light, coldly sweeping over the below players still shaken with fear, finally locking onto the red hat in her hand that trembled slightly between her fingers.

She hesitated not at all, her wrist shaking, and a dagger that appeared from nowhere suddenly pierced the red hat.

As the dagger pierced the red cloth, a sound like a "puch" came, as if stabbing into thick cotton batting.

Immediately afterward, everyone heard an extremely faint scream.

It was short and sharp, carrying a sense of desperate pain.

At the same time, the red hat pinned to the dagger twitched violently.

The originally soft fabric instantly became like a living thing, writhing and struggling; even the edge of the brim oozed a few strands of viscous, plasma‑like fluid that trickled slowly down the blade.

Qing Qing's kiss didn't even furrow her brow, her wrist gripping the dagger steady as a rock.

She even raised the dagger to eye level, coldly watching the hat that had come to life writhe uselessly on the blade's tip.

All the players' eyes were fixed on the dagger in her hand, watching the red hat twist and struggle until it exhausted its last strength, twitched once, and then fell still.

Qing Qing's kiss finally lifted her head and looked toward the stage.

She flipped her wrist, flinging the dagger together with the now lifeless hat toward the stage.

The dagger lodged in the stage floor, emitting a clear, ringing tremor.

The red hat, now torn and hole‑ridden, lay limp beside the dagger like a discarded rag.

At some point, the windows of the paper‑board hut showed two black smiles that had been drawn ever deeper; now their color was rapidly fading, reverting from near‑solid paint back to the faint lines of the original sketch, even blurrier than before.

The entire stage lighting also changed completely.

No longer a harsh white spotlight, it was replaced by a warm, yellowish light.

This also seemed to signal the end of this stage.

Above the audience seats, the feeling of being watched by something invisible also vanished, leaving only the inherent silence of the empty theater.

Although this silence remained, it still held the heavy breathing and suppressed sobs of those who had survived the ordeal.

Qing Qing's kiss jumped down from the rear‑row seats and landed soundlessly.

She did not look at the survivors' faces, mixed with awe, fear, and bewilderment, but went straight through the sparse seats toward the stage.

The survivors instinctively made way for her.

Someone opened their mouth, apparently wanting to thank or ask, but upon meeting her cold gaze, swallowed their words back.

She walked to the edge of the stage, didn't go up, merely raised her head to look at the top light that was no longer harsh white.

This was also the direction the second player who had gone on stage was looking; she stared for a while, seemed to see nothing, and simply stopped looking.

The set had been taken down at some point, leaving the stage empty; Qing Qing's kiss simply sat cross‑legged on the floor, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the surviving players.

"Hmm… this isn't it… this isn't it either."

After searching here and there, Qing Qing's kiss furrowed her brow and, feeling a bit irritated, scratched her head.

This instance is almost over, yet my teammates still haven't been found—what's going on?

She also wondered if something had gone wrong in the corridor, but that was Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji, the top ranker of the Long Guo region; if he died in a place like this, it would truly be a case of falling in a gutter—even dead, he'd be laughed at.

Thinking that, Qing Qing's kiss turned her head to look at the stage again.

Now it's probably the intermission after a drama ends; she could see gray work puppets arranging the new set, and once they finish, another round of slaughter will likely begin.

Seeing her sitting so casually on the stage, the players in the audience grew bolder, many standing up to explore.

Cheng Shuili took out some more of the jerky Wan Yi had baked for her from the Abyssal Ring, eating while observing everyone's condition.

She now understood the purpose of her private booth.

Perhaps it was the reward for achieving a special ending in the first stage; everything happening in this second stage has little to do with her, and even the third stage might not affect her.

She only needed to be a spectator to get through this stage perfectly.

Of course, she could also choose, like Qing Qing's kiss, to break the one‑way glass and join in.

But she and Qing Qing's kiss are not the same.

It's not that their choices differ; it's that their identities differ.

She is the leader of the Gray Puppets—how could she go out to help these evil player spectators?

Cheng Shuili picked up another piece of jerky and put it in her mouth.

Wan Yi's skill needs no further description; the moment the tip of her tongue touched the jerky, the seasoning exploded in her mouth.

She narrowed her eyes, feeling that life was comfortable.

Outside the glass, Qing Qing's kiss turned her head to look at the stage situation; the gray puppets were almost finished setting the scene.

She stood up, stretched lazily, jumped down from the stage, and chose a comfortable spot to sit.

She was just waiting for the second act to begin.

Just as Qing Qing's kiss sat down, the stage lights suddenly went out.

It wasn't a gradual dimming; with a snap, it plunged instantly and completely into darkness.

A few stifled cries rose from the audience seats, then, at the announcement's cue, everyone promptly sat back down.

After all, everyone knows the consequence of not following the announcement's instructions.

Cheng Shuili set down the jerky and traced her fingertip across the cold glass.

Outside the one‑way glass lay endless darkness, but it posed no obstacle for her; soft wall lamps glowed inside the SVIP room, casting light on her calm profile. She could see everything outside clearly—even more clearly than with the naked eye.

From the stage direction came the rustle of fabric rubbing—those were the gray puppets making final adjustments in the darkness.

The stage direction carried the rustling sound of fabric rubbing; that was the Gray Puppet making adjustments in the final darkness.

No announcer voice, no instructions, only an intangible pressure permeated the darkness, slowly building, pressing so hard that all surviving players could barely breathe.

After all, no one knew what would happen next, nor whether death would suddenly fall.

Tension spread in the silence.

Qing Qing's kiss sat in the audience seats, body appearing relaxed but actually every muscle was in optimal readiness.

Her eyes slightly narrowed in the darkness, adapting to the dim environment.

Other VIP players who saw this were even more relieved, fortunate that they, unlike Qing Qing's kiss, were not impatient, and for the sake of showing off, they simply broke the glass and jumped out, giving up the safety of the VIP room.

The curtain on the stage slowly closed, then suddenly opened, two drapes flying to the sides of the stage, as if eager to display the stage scenery to the audience.

All players' gazes instantly focused on the stage.

What came into view was an obviously wooden-board-made forest, brown trunks, green leaves, individual fake trees standing on the stage, the forest center deliberately cleared into an open space, the ground covered with artificial green moss and fallen leaves.

Furthermore, to the side, a large gray wolf lay prone.

Cheng Shuili frowned, stared intently for a while before realizing this was also a mannequin.

But…… it was too lifelike.

Not the anthropomorphic, hat-wearing kind from fairy tales, but a more primitive, more ferocious form.

Rough gray fur covered its whole body, limbs on the ground, claw tips digging deep into the stage's wooden floor. The wolf's muzzle protruded forward, revealing interlaced snowy-white fangs, with suspicious dark-red stains hanging at the corners of its mouth.

Most terrifying were its eyes.

Two constantly rotating eyeballs emitting a faint green light, now hungrily scanning the players below, emitting a low, threatening growl from the throat.

This scene followed directly after the previous one; Cheng Shuili clearly heard that the breathing of the players below had become much softer.

Not to mention them, Cheng Shuili herself broke a sweat for Qing Qing's kiss.

She only had this one teammate, naturally hoping this teammate could survive.

But to ask her to risk her life to save a teammate…… that was absolutely impossible.

Just as most players thought this large gray wolf would die in some way, it suddenly moved, its huge body unusually agile, its gray fur gleaming with oil in the dim light.

It did not need to, like the Little Red Riding Hood of the previous segment, pick lucky viewers one by one; instead it violently shook its head, those green‑glowing eyes locking onto a player in the audience.

The growl in its throat grew louder, almost becoming a low roar.

It scraped the ground with its forepaws, coiling its hind legs.

The next second, its huge body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, lunging straight down from the stage!

"Careful!" a player cried out in alarm.

The targeted player's pupils shrank sharply, but being able to survive to this point, he was no ordinary person; he almost instinctively twisted his body, rolling sideways at the critical moment.

The gray wolf's claws scraped his back, tearing his coat and pulling out a few threads.

It landed in the aisle of the audience seats, its heavy body making the wooden floor groan under the strain.

The surrounding players fled in terror, knocking over chairs, the scene descending into chaos.

After missing its strike, the gray wolf instantly turned and lunged again at that player.

This time, its movement was faster, its fangs aiming straight for his throat!

That player couldn't react in time; just as the fangs were about to pierce his throat……

"Clang!"

A flash of cold light flew in from the side, striking the gray wolf's fangs precisely and producing a crisp metallic clash.

It was Qing Qing's kiss!

She had somehow risen, her thrown dagger deflecting the wolf's muzzle.

The gray wolf winced, its movement faltering.

Cheng Shuili couldn't help but frown slightly.

Isn't this person Gu Lang?

Cheng Shuili's understanding of a lone wolf was someone who cared nothing for anyone else's fate and could indifferently watch others die.

Not like now, where he would readily intervene to save others' lives……

What is this?

Drawing the sword to help upon seeing injustice?

Cheng Shuili complained inwardly, but her eyes remained fixed on the monster and Qing Qing's kiss.

The player who had escaped death crawled backward, his face ashen as paper.

Qing Qing's kiss hesitated not, she surged forward like a leopard, taking the moment the gray wolf turned its head to look at her, she lowered her body, slipped under its belly, and snatched up the dagger that had fallen to the ground.

"Roar!"

The gray wolf was completely enraged.

It abandoned its original target, its greenish eyes locking firmly onto the human who dared provoke it.

Its huge body, reeking of blood, lunged at Qing Qing's kiss with even greater ferocity.

Qing Qing's kiss's gaze was sharp, she did not retreat but advanced.

She did not meet force with force, but relied on astonishing agility and anticipation to weave through the gaps between the wolf's claws and fangs.

The dagger occasionally scraped the wolf's body, kicking up clouds of dark‑yellow stuffing.

Yet these attacks seemed unable to inflict real harm on the gray wolf, only making it more frenzied.

Its attack range was huge, its force astonishing; each lunge reduced nearby seats to fragments.

The other players had long been scared witless, desperately retreating toward the back and corners of the theater, fearing collateral damage.

Some tried to attack, but ordinary weapons had almost no effect on that fur, possibly only drawing the wolf's attention.

"This won't work! This thing can't be killed!" a player shouted hoarsely.

Qing Qing's kiss also realized this.

Her breathing was slightly disordered; high-intensity combat consumed enormous stamina, the monster could endure it, but she could not.

We must find this monster's weakness, or… just like when we stabbed to death that little Red Riding Hood, we discovered a change!

After the red hat killed the first person, it gained a shadow, and Qing Qing's kiss immediately noticed this.

She could be certain, it wasn't just her who noticed.

Perhaps everyone sitting in the VIP private rooms saw it, but the players seated below the stage noticed nothing; if she didn't step forward, those players would all die.

If they all died, who would the Instance target next?

Even thinking with your toes you could figure it out!

So she stepped forward.

Now, the monster of the second act no longer needs to kill people one by one according to the rules; it can go straight for the audience seats.

Qing Qing's kiss need not think much; she knows better than anyone that if this continues, the third act will target the players staying in the VIP private rooms!

But now is not the time to think about that; her gaze swept quickly across the stage again.

The forest backdrop remained unchanged, those fake trees stood silently.

Cheng Shuili also followed her gaze toward the stage; after a moment, she found what Qing Qing's kiss was looking for.

At the edge of the forest, near the curtain, stood an inconspicuous figure, its back to the audience, motionless.

That is also why it is very easy to overlook.

Cheng Shuili's brows rose slightly; she waited patiently for a while, seeing that Qing Qing's kiss still hadn't noticed this, she finally couldn't help shouting, "Corner!"

The voice wasn't loud, but in the theater, which was chaotic yet relatively quiet, the sound instantly reached everyone's ears.

There was no time to argue whose voice it was; Qing Qing's kiss almost immediately looked toward the stage's corner.