Chapter 51
Chapter 51
After the Magic Dong Genie died, illusory spirits emerged from within his remains one after another.
Their faces were filled with pain and exhaustion, as though they had endured endless torment.
One spirit was much more solid than the rest. He appeared to be a scruffy, middle-aged man.
His gaze was confused at first, then gradually cleared.
“Thank you for saving my soul…”
“We can finally rest…”
Qin Lan studied him and asked tentatively, “Do you remember anything about the disaster that struck this town?”
According to Qin Lan’s theory, every “town resident” they killed would free someone who could provide another piece of information.
The little girl had told him where to find the Glass Slipper, then helped him locate “Cinderella.”
“Cinderella,” or Ah Hui, had revealed that an unknown force sealed and transformed the town.
What clue would this man’s soul leave behind?
“The town… the town…”
The man sank into thought. His expression twisted, as if merely brushing against those memories brought unbearable agony.
“I remember a rift… a bottomless… rift…”
“Something… came out of it…”
He clutched his head and released a low roar.
Qin Lan watched in silence. He did not interrupt, waiting patiently for the man to finish.
“I’m sorry…” Confusion returned to the man’s eyes. “There are so many things I can’t remember…”
“But the palace… Beneath the palace, there is something evil. Something deeply evil…”
His body gradually faded, leaving only a faint voice behind.
“Don’t go… to the other side of the rift…”
Then his soul dispersed before Qin Lan alongside all the others.
After several seconds of silence, Qin Lan wiped away a trace of cold sweat.
“That sounded ominous… Like finding a save point and a pile of health potions and ammunition halfway through a game map.”
“There is obviously a brutal fight ahead.”
Luo Yue frowned. “Was that rift the cause of whatever happened to this town?”
“And when he said not to cross it… was that a warning, or a hint about the hidden storyline?”
Qin Lan spread his hands helplessly. “Who knows?”
“No matter what, we have to visit the palace. Everything should become clear once we get there.”
Luo Yue sighed. “True…”
“But I may not be much help from this point onward.”
Her face was pale, and she gave a bitter smile. “I’ve used the Public Opinion Mouthpiece too many times. If I bring it out again, it will inevitably undergo curse resurgence inside this instance.”
“I have other 3-Star cursed artifacts, but I don’t have enough energy left to use them for long…”
Luo Yue had remained calm throughout their previous battles, but Qin Lan could see that she had truly reached her physical limit.
She was only a 2-Star Anomaly Hunter. Her ability to fight at all inside a 3-Star instance containing multiple anomalies was already impressive. Lasting this long had exceeded all expectations.
“Don’t worry.” Qin Lan smiled. “When the sky falls, the tallest person will hold it up.”
Luo Yue gave him a light shove and teased, “So being tall makes you special?”
“You’re awfully confident in your strength for someone so young.”
Qin Lan merely smiled.
He was not confident in himself. He was confident in the person standing guard outside the instance.
If Luo Yue truly faced mortal danger, Lu Xingshan would force his way inside immediately.
Director Lu’s priorities were clear. Luo Yue was the only person inside the instance he truly cared about.
Qin Lan was, at most, a promising junior.
There were many promising Anomaly Hunters, but few survived long enough to fulfill that promise.
If Qin Lan lacked the strength and died inside the instance, then his life had simply reached its end. Lu Xingshan would not intervene.
“Judging by Matchstick Bro, the Glass Slipper, and that magic… uh, thing we just killed, this instance’s base difficulty is only at the very bottom of the 3-Star tier.”
Qin Lan analyzed their present situation.
“That means the prince, as the instance boss, should be somewhere between the lower-middle and middle of the 3-Star tier.”
“If all we wanted was to clear the instance, the boss we face would not actually be that difficult.”
“The only real problem is whether we should explore the hidden storyline to the end…”
Qin Lan rubbed his chin in frustration.
“Obviously, uncovering every part of the hidden storyline could draw out a high-tier 3-Star anomaly, or even a 4-Star one…”
“But–”
“There is still a ‘but’?” Luo Yue stared at him in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’re actually still thinking about that hidden storyline.”
“How could something like that possibly be within our reach?”
Furious at his refusal to see reason, Luo Yue rapped Qin Lan hard on the head.
“Is your skull made of wood?”
“This isn’t a game. You could genuinely lose your life!”
Luo Yue looked angry at his complete disregard for danger.
“No matter how confident you are, you shouldn’t be this reckless!”
“Our job is to record everything we learn about the instance, clear it, and report the information to the Bureau. Then another team can conquer it later!”
Qin Lan rubbed the spot she had struck and did not dare answer.
He truly had been considering activating the hidden storyline to see what happened.
What if he could handle it?
But after Luo Yue’s reprimand, he finally realized how frightening his idea was.
If they actually triggered a 4-Star anomaly, Qin Lan would have no ability to escape. His only option would be to wait for Lu Xingshan’s help.
But what if the anomaly they summoned was beyond even Lu Xingshan?
What then?
Cold sweat broke out across Qin Lan’s back.
Everything had gone too smoothly for him so far.
Even when he had accidentally entered 3-Star and 5-Star instances while still weak, he had found a way through their rules or received enough help to clear them.
That success had gradually distorted his judgment and caused him to ignore dangers that might exist.
“She’s right. Even a 3-Star instance can never be taken lightly.”
“I was getting carried away.”
Qin Lan sighed.
Seeing that he understood, Luo Yue’s anger faded. She began persuading him patiently.
“All right. I understand that you want to help the people in this town and rid them of these rampaging anomalies for good.”
“But you have to know your limits.”
Qin Lan nodded silently and committed her warning to memory.
She was right.
When Qin Lan’s name had appeared on the death list written by Death, he had been driven into a hopeless situation.
Without Han Chan’s help, Qin Lan would have remained trapped in that instance, dying endlessly inside an eternal thirty-second loop.
Nothing guaranteed that another instance would not put him in the same position.
“I understand.”
“Let’s go. We’ll deal with the prince and leave this place.”
Qin Lan looked toward the nearby palace.
Was the so-called “evil” buried beneath it?
They continued forward.
The moment they reached the palace gates, several guards hopped out to block their path.
They truly did hop, because the guards were feet, just like the enormous foot that had announced the prince’s decree earlier. They possessed facial features and could speak.
Unlike the first foot, however, each one also had a separate pair of arms and legs. The sight was deeply unpleasant.
“Halt!”
“State your identity! The royal grounds lie ahead. Unauthorized persons may not enter!”
Qin Lan stared at them. “What’s with the over-the-top period-drama dialogue? Are you cosplaying as imperial secret police?”
There was nothing worth discussing.
Two solid blows from his stick sent both foot guards to sleep where they stood.
Each guard possessed only the fighting strength of a 1-Star anomaly. Against the current Qin Lan, the only difference between them and a pile of shit was that the shit smelled worse.
“What was that prince called again…? Northeast Bro Yu, I think?”
Qin Lan searched his memory.
Then he took two steps back, filled his lungs, and shouted at the top of his voice.
“Hey, Yu! You want a wife or not?”
“Say the word, and I’ll deliver one right to you!”