Chapter 182: The Despicable Me (7)
Chapter 182: The Despicable Me (7)
"Not a single Contra Medal has been used yet, but my personal time has already passed forty minutes. According to that rabbit's plan, at the forty-first minute of the map time, I’ll appear in the cell here and hand the puppet over to it. Which means... after I reach the starting point, enter the fourth corridor, capture the puppet, and return to the endpoint, that alone will cost eighteen minutes of personal time..." Feng Bu Jue was calculating more variables than ever in this scenario, and physically, he wasn’t in an easy spot. He had to keep running nonstop from here on out. "If I don’t take down a mini-boss during this return trip, by the time I reach the endpoint again, I might run out of time." In fact, the moment he charged into this corridor, he had already discarded the earlier plan of simply sprinting straight back. "The current challenge... I came from the cell at the eighty-fifth minute of the map time, so I must defeat this corridor’s mini-boss within seven minutes." He thought this, then sped up his steps even further. "As long as I do that and ensure the corridor run doesn’t exceed twenty-three minutes of time, I won’t fail due to map time constraints."
Just as he was thinking this, the door appeared ahead. On one side of this second corridor’s wall, a room door had materialized.
But this door was nothing like the worn wooden door of Ao Er Deng’s small room in the third corridor. This one looked more like a heavy-duty vault door designed for a biochemical weapon storage facility.
Its frame was metallic, gleaming under the dim light, and the door itself resembled a thick slab of solid metal. There was no handle—just a circular valve.
This sight immediately reminded Feng Bu Jue of the Saw scenario he’d once played. That refrigerated room also had a massive, reinforced door like this.
"Could they be recycling old tricks?" Feng Bu Jue thought, though his hands didn’t pause for a second, not hesitating or retreating at all.
At this moment, Feng Bu Jue had a vague feeling that the mini-boss behind this door might need to be killed.
Earlier, in the cell at the eightieth minute’s endpoint, only one mini-boss was locked in the four cells—Bi Li the puppet. La Bit had only asked Feng Bu Jue to capture this single prisoner from the past timeline.
As for the mini-boss in the first corridor, La Bit had told him to deal with it last. This could be connected to the scene he’d witnessed at the starting point initially. In terms of personal time, Feng Bu Jue probably wouldn’t reach the first corridor until the final trip to the endpoint in the near future—and once he entered, he never returned to the cell again... That matter could be set aside for now.
Looking at the current situation, the prisoner in this second corridor was highly likely to be eliminated. By extrapolation, Feng Bu Jue would return to the starting point later, capture the puppet in the fourth corridor, and when he reached the cell at the endpoint, he’d possess three potions, a puppet, and the news of this second corridor prisoner’s death. That explained why the later La Bit had no comment on the prisoner’s absence from the cell.
If events unfolded this way, the Feng Bu Jue at the forty-first minute cell would have a personal time of around seventy minutes—forty plus eighteen, plus the time spent in this second corridor. Optimistically, that would leave twenty minutes to enter the first corridor from the endpoint. Without a space-time paradox occurring, this would trigger that earlier scene. As for why? That answer would have to wait.
"Hmph..." Feng Bu Jue crouched low, bent his knees, and strained his arms, using his entire body’s force to budge the resistant valve slightly. But once it started moving, the effort eased. After turning the valve counterclockwise three or four times, a metallic "clack" echoed as the internal lock mechanism seemed to disengage.
This metal door opened outward, so Feng Bu Jue pulled the thick slab toward him with all his strength. As the door swung open, red artificial light spilled into the corridor.
Feng Bu Jue instinctively glanced inside—a glance lasting only a fraction of a second—before swiftly turning his gaze away. But in that instant, the image of the monster inside had already burned into his mind. And one second later, much to his misfortune, he belatedly recognized the creature standing in the corner of the room...
"Sht!" The two syllables barely left Feng Bu Jue’s lips when the monster Instantly Teleported* into the corridor. It stood beside him, arms lashing out with impossible strength and speed, snapping Feng Bu Jue’s neck...
...
-173 File
Item Number: *-173 (The Sculpture)
Security Level: Euclid
Biological Traits: Unconfirmed Non-Living Entity with Biological Signs
Origin: Unknown
Physical Composition: Construction materials
Internal Structure: No biological organs or life-driving mechanisms
Metabolism: Confirmed; excretion occurs
Sensory Perception: Confirmed; detects being watched
Movement: Unknown; Instant Teleportation
Behavior: Twists the necks of all living beings
Special Containment Procedures: -173 must be contained in a locked chamber (Containment Chamber) at all times. If personnel must enter, a minimum of three individuals must accompany the team. Upon entry, the chamber door must be locked. At least two personnel must maintain visual contact with -173 at all times during the operation.
Description: -173 was transferred to Site-19 in 1993; its origin remains unknown. Constructed of concrete and rebar, it bears traces of Krylon-brand spray paint. -173 is mobile and highly hostile but cannot move while under visual observation.
Eye contact with -173 must never be broken. Personnel in the chamber must verbally confirm observation before blinking. When unobserved, -173 will Instantly Teleport to a target’s position and Strangle them by breaking the connection between skull and neck. In such attacks, personnel must follow Protocol 4 for containing high-risk entities.
Personnel reports note that the empty Containment Chamber emits Scratching Stone Sounds. This is normal. Any behavioral changes must be reported to the on-duty Hmcl supervisor.
The Reddish-Brown Substance on the floor consists of feces and blood. Its origin is unknown.
The chamber must be cleaned every two weeks.
...
A flash of white light filled Feng Bu Jue’s vision as he suddenly reappeared at the Sector Area starting point. The system prompt sounded simultaneously: [Your item, Contra Medal, has been consumed.]
"Wait, why am I here?" This was Feng Bu Jue’s first thought, quickly followed by an answer: "Dying sends me to the 'starting point' of the current space-time domain..." He realized, "Die in a corridor, and you revive at its starting point with the corridor door sealed behind you..." He recalled his previous self being killed. "If I’d died in the Sector Area beyond the threshold, I’d probably revive at the scenario’s starting dead-end."
As he thought, his gaze fixed on the fan-shaped room separated by the door ahead. But at that moment, a buzzing hum and the sound of stone scraping against wood came from behind him.
A foreboding premonition surged, but Feng Bu Jue realized the danger too late. The moment he turned his head, two stone arms lunged, delivering his second Strangulation.
[Your item, Contra Medal, has been consumed.]
He’d been pondering how to use his four medals wisely, but now two were gone in an instant...
Feng Bu Jue was fairly familiar with -173’s traits. When the second Strangulation* occurred and he revived on the spot, he immediately widened his eyes, locking his gaze onto the grotesque monster before him.
*-173’s surface resembled plaster—a filthy, white body. Its disproportionately large "head" bore a red, black, and green trademark logo. Standing over two meters tall, its short legs and arms were dwarfed by its elongated torso. But as a monster capable of full-speed teleportation and one-hit kills, limb length was irrelevant. It was a relentless executioner, especially against humans—Feng Bu Jue’s two prior strangulations were proof enough.
The key to confronting -173 was constant "observation." While under visual contact, 173 couldn’t move. But the moment an observer blinked, even briefly, 173 would Teleport* and kill the target.
Feng Bu Jue had no desire for a third death. He lacked the mythical stamina to swing a cleaver from the Southern Heaven Gate to the Penglai East Road for three days and nights without blinking. Nor did he believe *-173 could be reasoned with.
So the next second, the gunshot of [One-Shot Pistol] rang out. The tiny bullet struck *-173’s body, causing it to erupt violently.
Feng Bu Jue had never imagined what *-173’s death would look like—but now he saw one possible outcome. The white, concrete body shattered into pieces, some fist-sized fragments striking Feng Bu Jue, though non-lethally.
Inside *-173, a massive splash of blood plasma erupted like ink thrown from above, drenching Feng Bu Jue before he could dodge. Finally, within a meter or two of the second corridor’s door, the scene was left: a blood-stained man, a floor of reddish-black liquid, and scattered corpse fragments.
Feng Bu Jue wiped his face, sniffing the "blood" odor. "Hmm... smells like regular blood." He reassured himself half-heartedly, worried this blood might be mixed with something nastier.
Among the corpse fragments on the floor, a glowing spot pulsed, like the Glowing Item icon in top-down Rpgs.
This obvious hint wasn’t ignored. Feng Bu Jue stepped over, touched it, and the light transformed into an item. Simultaneously, the system prompt chimed:
[Main Quest Progress Updated]
[Search for Chemical Potion (1/4)]
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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