In the bizarre environment of space-time chaos, participating in a time-limited escape, if it weren’t for the lack of items like [Emergency Escape Card] on hand, Stack Soldier really wanted to immediately delete his account and flee.
The only good news, probably, is that the teammates this time are strong enough.
Stack Soldier imperceptibly scanned the few people present. Elliot belongs to Prometheus Guild, a big brand with a guarantee; Father Andre, as a Templar Knight representing Yin City, undoubtedly has strength; the unassuming Bai Lang also has Lv11, far from a rookie.
As for the Ant... although he seems out of place, from the experience of the Death Curse, he’s still pretty reliable... right?
"The mission goal requires us to read the park guide and escape within the time limit. Note that the word used here is ’read,’ not ’follow.’ This means the twelve rules in the park guide are not ironclad, at most they’re just a reference."
Elliot, dressed in a suit, said, "From the wording within these rules, it’s clear that the amusement park knows that something dangerous, or several dangerous things, lurk inside.
Perhaps because of some reason, that thing has escaped the control of the park, leading to the current state of the park. Maybe it’s related to the air raid alarm we heard when we were teleported here..."
He paused for a moment, turned his head to look back, where the exit of the amusement park was blocked by an iron gate. Beyond the iron gate was completely shrouded in darkness, creating an extremely strong sense of unease.
Elliot reached out to shake the iron gate, only to find it immovable. A system prompt appeared before his eyes [Temporarily unable to open].
Attempting to climb the iron gate would result in hitting an invisible air wall. Flashlights and other light-emitting items were also unable to penetrate the darkness behind the door.
Elliot shook his head helplessly, releasing the iron gate, "In many horror games, there are scenarios to prevent the player from escaping too quickly, with crude designs like [The door cannot be opened from this side], [The window remains immovable], [A key is required], [A battery is needed]."
"Indeed, when I play horror games, I often encounter prompts like ’explore the area ahead later’."
Li Cheng nodded in agreement, grabbing the iron gate with both hands and shaking it back and forth, making a loud clanging noise.
Everyone, including Elliot, was a bit stunned. Stack Soldier couldn’t help but ask: "Dude, what are you doing? Didn’t you see the [Temporarily unable to open] system prompt?"
"Just in case. Maybe if you shake the iron gate long enough, it will fall apart on its own."
Li Cheng stated matter-of-factly: "According to the nature of some reversal movies, it’s possible for them to pull off ’the way out was under everyone’s nose from the start’.
I’ve been through it myself — a serial killer kidnapped two unlucky guys, locked them in an abandoned basement, and demanded they use a gun in a corpse’s hand to kill each other. After a life-and-death struggle, sawing off their legs to escape, only to find that the corpse in the middle of the basement was actually disguised by the serial killer."
"Alright, we’re talking about ’Saw’, right?" Stack Soldier sarcastically said with unfocused eyes: "But I see your legs are still intact."
"What are you talking about?"
Li Cheng looked puzzled, "I wasn’t the one tied up as a victim."
So you’re the serial killer who kidnaps people? Hey, is this the police? There’s a bad guy here.
Under the dumbfounded and speechless gazes of the rest, Li Cheng finally let go of the iron gate, contemplating: "Too bad, the rules clearly state that drones are forbidden for the guests. Otherwise, drones could be used to quickly scout every corner of the park."
"I have a reconnaissance skill that allows me to scan a certain range from a high vantage point."
Bai Lang suddenly spoke up: "I’ll do it."
"Uh, let’s just confirm something, your reconnaissance skill isn’t the kind that involves flying at high altitudes, right?"
Li Cheng said, "If it is, it’s probably best not to activate it."
"Why?" asked Stack Soldier curiously.
Li Cheng casually explained, "Because the amusement park’s visitor rules are written for ordinary people without explaining the reasons or principles. The rule that states [Drones are strictly forbidden within the park], might actually be a variant of another rule that says [Man-made high-speed flying objects are strictly prohibited within the park]."
After a moment of thought, Stack Soldier grasped the subtle difference between the two statements and asked, "Then why isn’t it a variant of the rule [No object may exceed a certain height]?"
Li Cheng spread his hands and said, "Simple, one, the park itself comes with very tall attractions like roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and bungee jumps. Two, if there were a height limit, the rule should read [Drones and carrying balloons are strictly forbidden within the park]."
"My skill should not violate the rules."
Bai Lang calmly took a step forward, his black robe fluttering without wind, and from under the hem slithered a colorful slender snake.
The snake’s head was triangular, characteristic of a venomous species, flicking its bright red tongue as it coiled and ascended along the lamp post.
Upon reaching the top of the lamp post, its eyes, small like mung beans, emitted a strong beam of light akin to searchlights, scanning the surroundings.
[Skill Name: Feeding Snake Insight]
[Special Effect: Insightful Scan. Once the Feeding Snake is released, it scans a diameter of 150 meters to mark thermal signals]
[Consumption: 100 Spiritual Power Value, 70 Sanity Value] Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel·fire·net
[Cooling Time: 5 minutes]
[Note: Originating around the 11th century, it began with a splinter group of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, the Nizari sect, situated atop Elburz Mountain Range on the cliffs of Alamut Castle, forming a historical assassination cult called "Assassins". The cult was led by the Old Man of the Mountain, with each successive leader possessing a unique expertise, such as stargazing, divination, poison, hidden weapons, assassination, and feeding snakes, etc. At the end of his life, the last Old Man of the Mountain who knew how to command snakes, awaited his disciple—a young man from the East named Xu Xian]
The slender snake scoped the area, quickly locking onto a specific direction.
"At eleven o’clock, 75 meters out, there is a residue of fresh blood."
With a wave of his arm, Bai Lang called the colorful snake back from the top of the lamp post into his robe.
The amusement park was terrifyingly clean without even a trash bag on the ground. The presence of fresh blood was clearly a new clue.
The group immediately sprinted in that direction, rounded a corner, and indeed saw a ghastly scene—
The roadside bench meant for pedestrians to rest upon was now smeared with a copious amount of blood.
Crimson stains pooled into a watery spot beneath the bench, and messy footprints marred with blood zigzagged along the pathway ahead, gradually fading until they disappeared.
It was as if someone sitting on the bench had been attacked and had their throat slashed, forcing them to flee instinctively while clutching their neck.
Stack Soldier inhaled sharply. An adult’s blood volume typically accounts for about 6 to 8 percent of their body weight. For a 60 kg individual, that would be 4800 ml of blood.
The bloodstains at the scene likely amounted to 2500 ml, far exceeding the safe blood loss threshold of 20%.