Chapter 70
Chapter 70
How could this have happened?
No one could give him an answer.
They had only just come to terms with the fact that players who failed to clear an instance would die inside it.
Now, the players who had died were appearing in the instance as grotesque monstrosities. It was more than they could bear.
Although Yu Lingling couldn’t see the comments about it, the sight of these monsters watching the performance gave her an idea.
The human parts on these misshapen creatures had most likely been cobbled together from players who had failed to clear the instance.
Did this happen to every player who failed? Or only those who violated some rule?
Yu Lingling had too little information to identify a pattern. She reached into her clothes and stroked the kitten tucked against her chest, then described the audience to Tongyu. With other players and the dwarf nearby, she kept her suspicions to herself and merely warned him, “Keep your puppy safe.”
Tongyu nodded.
The performance began, and a cheerful song filled the tent.
The singer was a birdman locked inside a cage. Although it had the shape of a human, its entire body was covered in feathers. Judging by the color of its plumage and its song, it appeared to be a thrush.
The animal trainers emerged, led by the beautiful woman Yu Lingling and the others had seen before. There were six trainers in total, each accompanied by a different kind of animal.
Yu Lingling glanced at Zhao Peng from the corner of her eye. The parrot that had previously perched on his shoulder was now cradled in his arms.
It seemed Zhao Peng would make up his mind soon.
The audience was utterly indifferent to the six animals’ routine tricks. One spectator even rose to leave.
Just then, the singing thrush-man let out a piercing shriek.
The spectator turned toward the sound. A satisfied smile spread across its face, and it sat back down.
Yu Lingling and the others looked up at the birdman suspended in midair. At some point, its cage had disappeared. It was now hanging upside down, with a large pot positioned beneath it.
There was no fire under the pot, yet the water inside was clearly boiling.
A frail-looking girl controlled the rope binding the birdman with one hand.
She repeatedly lowered it into the boiling water and yanked it back out. Every time she pulled it up, she tore feathers from its body.
Yu Lingling noticed that every feather came away slick with blood, leaving behind patches of mangled flesh.
The birdman’s screams were only the beginning. The animal trainers began subjecting the animals beside them to all manner of torture.
The monstrous spectators cheered incessantly. The more the animals suffered, the more excited they became.
Tongyu’s body went rigid. Sometimes, not being able to see was even more terrifying.
Yu Lingling took his ice-cold hand. After a brief silence, she began describing everything happening onstage in careful detail.
It was indeed horrific, but Tongyu’s earlier panic faded. All that remained was anger and sorrow.
The viewers in the Livestream Room reacted in different ways as well.
Some were thrilled, while others left immediately.
Once all the trainers had dragged away their animals, whose conditions were impossible to determine, the beautiful woman stepped into the center of the stage. She raised both hands and pressed them downward, silencing the monsters.
She looked radiant as she announced, “Today’s performance was merely a warm-up. Tomorrow night will bring the show you’ve all been looking forward to. We invite everyone to bring flowers and come watch.”
The entire tent instantly erupted in cheers.
The beautiful woman lifted the hem of her skirt and dipped into a shallow curtsy toward the monsters below. “Happy Circus will be waiting for you all tomorrow.”
Only after all the spectators had left did the glamorous woman approach Yu Lingling and the others. Smiling sweetly, she said, “Our Circus has no room for freeloaders. Starting tomorrow, you may exchange the flowers you earn for food and water.”
“If you don’t have a single flower, you’ll be punished. And anyone who fails to earn any flowers for three days… will simply have to be put to use as feed for the animals. Today is your first day.”
Every player’s expression turned grim.
The glamorous woman continued with a smile, “All right, hurry back. It’s not safe outside the tents after dark.”
The dwarf appeared before them and led them out.
When they reached the entrance of the big top, the dwarf took out an oil lamp. Once it was lit, he stepped outside first.
Yu Lingling and the others quickly followed.
It was clearly only a tiny oil lamp, yet its glow perfectly enveloped all eleven players and their animals.
Once outside, Yu Lingling and the others understood why the glamorous woman had warned them that it wasn’t safe.
Countless pairs of eyes watched them from the darkness. Numerous hands reached out as if to seize them, only to recoil with shrieks the instant they touched the lamplight.
The sounds didn’t seem human. They were more like the cries of all kinds of animals.
What was more, the tents that had been silent during the day had become extraordinarily lively. Cheerful laughter and the sounds of chewing drifted from within.
The dwarf stopped first outside Yu Lingling’s tent. Xu Chao glanced at Wang Hao but did not go inside yet.
Yu Lingling led Tongyu straight into the tent.
Xu Chao looked at Wang Hao, only to find that Wang Hao wasn’t looking at him at all. He sneered inwardly and decided not to tell Wang Hao that Yu Lingling and her group already knew five members of the Abyss Guild had entered this instance.
Zhou Ming said directly, “Li Na, come with us.”
Sun Yao stiffened. Wang Hao’s tent was already full. If Li Na went with them, did that mean she would have to leave?
But between the two options, it was obviously safer to stay with Wang Hao’s group. They were stronger and knew more.
Sun Jian hugged the goat that now belonged to him and stared eagerly at Wang Hao, but Wang Hao said nothing more.
To Sun Yao’s surprise, however, Zhao Peng followed Xu Chao into the tent.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that the dwarf was about to leave, Sun Jian didn’t dare delay any longer. He carried his goat into the tent.
There was now one fewer person in the tent. Zhao Peng glanced around, then naturally chose an empty bunk and sat down.
Xu Chao froze when he saw Zhao Peng.
Zhao Peng no longer bothered hiding his intentions. “I’m here because I want to work with you.”
Xu Chao had understood what Yu Lingling meant earlier, but he still wasn’t sure whether Zhao Peng was that person.
Zhao Peng said directly to him, “We’re in the same guild.”
Sun Jian looked at Zhao Peng, his eyes full of hope.
Since Zhao Peng had already admitted it, he simply showed Xu Chao his information.
Xu Chao deliberately put on a puzzled expression. “Were you also sent by the Vice Guild Leader?”
Zhao Peng shook his head. He merely traced a single character on Xu Chao’s palm.
There was only one oil lamp inside the tent. Anyone sitting even slightly farther away couldn’t make out the others’ faces, much less see what someone was writing.
Yu Lingling didn’t look over at Zhao Peng and the others. Instead, she was studying the oil lamp. “The oil in our tent’s lamp is burning more slowly than the lamp the creature carried on our way back, but there’s less oil in it to begin with.”
Zhao Peng abruptly turned to look at the lamp.
Yu Lingling asked, “Do you think they’ll replenish our lamp oil tomorrow?”