Chapter 198: The Awakening Players

Chapter 198: The Awakening Players

“Where is this place?”

“Wasn’t I under a control spell?”

Singo woke abruptly. He first checked his body, finding himself unscathed, before surveying his surroundings.

Before him lay a chaotic laboratory, littered with chunks of flesh and severed limbs. The floor was awash with sticky blood, deep enough to cover his ankles.

A thick metal bed stood nearby, stained with blood, where Born Battle Maniac was securely restrained.

Singo glanced cautiously to his side.

Mantou’s body lay motionless in a pool of blood, as still as a corpse.

Singo felt puzzled. The mage who had possessed Mantou had easily subdued the three of them. Why would he suddenly disappear, especially in his own lair with no external threats?

“Did that ‘Wagner’ vanish?”

“Was the spell terminated, or was there another reason?”

A faint, blurry figure seemed to emerge from the Soul Vessel, flowing back into Mantou’s body.

Singo let out a startled cry:

“Mantou?”

Mantou’s body twitched slightly, his fingers trembling, before he opened his eyes. Straining, he propped himself up in the bloody pool.

“Ugh, this place is so gross. Why is everything so sticky?”

Mantou grimaced with disgust.

As he raised his head slightly, he saw Singo drawing his bow, an armor-piercing arrow aimed directly at his forehead.

“What the hell! I’m Mantou—”

Unmoved, Singo coldly said, “How can I be sure you’re Mantou and not something else? You’ll have to pass my test, or I’ll put an arrow through your head.”

Mantou shouted angrily, “Singo, are you out of your mind? What NPC has my charm and style?”

The sharp arrowhead pressed firmly against Mantou’s forehead, making him break out in a cold sweat.

He raised his hands in surrender, saluting in mock military fashion, and sighed.

“Fine, fine, I’ll answer your damn questions.”

Singo looked down at him, his tone icy. “What’s Mantou’s most-viewed video?”

“《Langli Baitiao and the Unspeakable 30 Seconds with the Vampire》”

“How many online dating failures has Mantou had?”

“Three, damn it!”

“What’s the name of Mantou’s mount?”

“Noodle.”

“How many gold coins has Mantou stolen from me?”

“Fifteen, while you were sleeping—wait, damn it, Singo, you tricked me!”

Mantou jumped up, instantly realizing that Singo’s “test” was just an excuse to bait answers out of him.

“Good, you’ve passed the test, Mantou.”

“But about those stolen coins…”

Singo’s voice was slow and deliberate, his expression cold. The drawn bow remained aimed at Mantou’s forehead.

“I’ll pay you back! I’ll work for you! Just put that thing down!”

Seeing the situation worsening, Mantou quickly pleaded for mercy.

Finally, Singo lowered his weapon and said seriously, “What was it like in the urn? Do you know what happened earlier?”

Mantou thought for a moment before replying, “It was weird. I could perceive the surroundings through the urn, but I couldn’t move at all. I just had to watch him control you like a noob—kind of satisfying, like I was bullying you myself, heh.”

“…”

Singo ignored the jab and continued, “What did he say? And why did he disappear?”

Mantou became indignant. “That guy’s a monster! Not only did he experiment on Miss Valenna, but he wanted to make us his specimens. Luckily, he suddenly vanished.”

Singo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“You’re saying… he just disappeared?”

“Did he say anything before leaving?”

Mantou scratched his head, hesitating before replying, “It was hard to make out from inside the urn, and I was busy cursing him out. But I think I heard him mention our faction leader’s name.”

“Cassius.”

Singo’s eyes lit up with excitement. “So, Wagner is tied to the main questline boss. Any mission involving the red dragon is major. Looks like we’ve struck gold this time.”

“Singo, stop daydreaming and get Battle Maniac out of those restraints!”

“If he dies, it’s all on you.”

Singo finally remembered Born Battle Maniac, who was still bound to the metal bed. He hurried over, using his thief tools to unlock the metal restraints, then injected a stimulant into Battle Maniac’s neck.

“Ugh—”

“Where am I? Wasn’t I in the middle of a fight?”

Born Battle Maniac opened his eyes, struggling to rise from the metal bed. He looked confused, instinctively reaching for the battle axe at his waist, only to find it missing.

Seeing him awake, Mantou rushed over to help.

Recognizing Mantou’s familiar face, Battle Maniac’s expression instantly turned furious, still caught up in the earlier battle.

Veins bulged on his arms as he threw a punch, roaring in anger:

“Monster! Get out of Mantou’s body!”

The barbarian, with a Strength of 18, delivered a full-force punch. His fist, as large as a sandbag, slammed into Mantou’s face.

“Thud!”

A dull impact echoed as Mantou’s face contorted grotesquely, swelling in a mess of red, purple, and green bruises.

“Ow!”

Mantou cried out in pain.

Stars danced in his vision, and he felt like his soul was about to leave his body again.

Battle Maniac prepared to follow up with another punch, but Singo quickly stepped in to stop him.

“Singo, why are you holding me back? I’m going to kill that beast!”

“Fight! Smash!”

Finally recovering his senses, Mantou clutched his rapidly swelling face and shouted, “Battle Maniac, stop! It’s me! I’m Mantou!”

He pointed to his face, nearly in tears.

Singo added, “The boss just possessed Mantou’s body. You were knocked out by a spell. Take it easy, or you might accidentally kill Mantou.”

“What?”

Battle Maniac immediately lowered his fists, rubbing his shiny bald head as his face flushed slightly.

“Oh, sorry, Mantou. I thought you were still the boss. Are you okay? I’ll buy you a healing potion back in town.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ll live.”

Mantou was almost in tears, his face swollen like dough.

Singo smirked mischievously. “Forget Mantou. As long as he’s not dead, we’re fine. We’ve stumbled into a hidden dungeon—let’s focus on exploring.”

“A hidden dungeon?”

“There must be some powerful enemies then.”

Battle Maniac’s eyes lit up with battle lust, his face filled with the excitement of a professional player. After all, this was a man who had soloed a Star Beast!

Meanwhile, Mantou, still clutching his face, let out a pitiful wail:

“My handsome face!”

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