Chapter 46
When Lu Li asked his question, Nuo Nuo’s hand holding the paintbrush trembled.
She ignored him, burying herself in her painting, muttering to herself for comfort:
“I have a happy family-Dad, Mom, and my puppy Buck. I love Dad, I love… I hate Mom…”
Zhu Yue whispered, “Is the Boss speaking in reverse?”
Nuo Nuo seemed like a broken machine, stuck in a loop, wavering between love and hate.
The brush clattered to the floor.
Lu Li said, “You don’t hate Mom at all.”
“What you really hate is yourself. You hate yourself for being so cowardly, for standing on the stairs and watching Dad seal Mom-who was still alive-into the wall.
You heard Mom crying and begging for help every night, but you never went to save her.”
“Nuo Nuo, your room is on the Second Floor, and Mom’s corpse was sealed in the wall of the living room on the First Floor, right?”
Luo Jia Bai looked as if he’d been struck on the head. He stared wide-eyed at Lu Li. “So that’s it? That’s it!”
“Nuo Nuo’s Castle doesn’t have a Second Floor, and there’s never a way up. Because the First Floor we need to reach is actually the First Floor in Nuo Nuo’s world!”
Zhu Yue’s face turned pale. “We can’t even find the door. Even if we know, how do we get there?”
Nuo Nuo’s hair and half her face were swallowed by flames. She stood up and screamed at Lu Li, hysterical:
“Don’t say it! Don’t say another word!”
Blood tears streamed from her eyes. “The Clown isn’t Mom, the one who died was the Clown, Mom isn’t dead! She’ll come back for me one day!”
Lu Li sighed.
“Running away won’t help.
Mom was so brave for you-do you still want to be a coward?”
The flames on the Second Floor of the Castle raged, burning away most of the walls, which collapsed piece by piece.
They spun through the air and drifted down.
Luo Jia Bai caught one of the pieces and exclaimed, “The Castle is made of paper!”
“Woof-”
Amid the crackling of flames, a faint whimper from a puppy could be heard.
“We’re on a table, the Castle is almost burned down, and the table is burning too.” The fire was already at their feet. Zhu Yue peeked under the table, then fell to the ground in panic. “It’s all fire underneath! There’s a black triangular head! We’re about to die!”
Suddenly, a shadow fell over them.
“The Boss is coming over!?”
Lu Li’s Wristband flashed red wildly, and the Audience went wild.
[Spirit Money tip *15,000. I watched this same Instance during the Public Beta Period. A Player got this far, but no matter how he tried to talk to her, Nuo Nuo ignored him. This is my first time seeing the Boss stand up!!]
[Spirit Money tip *10,000. Damn??? So this is what they meant by the First Floor in terms of space! How can the Streamer be both good-looking and smart!? Isn’t this better than the top ten on the Heavenly Ranking!]
[Spirit Money tip *3,000. What’s he trying to do?? Is he actually going to clear it? No way! Impossible-even if he figured it out, he can’t clear it. This is an officially certified Instance that can never be cleared!]
[Getting this far is already amazing. Too bad he didn’t open a normal D Grade Instance.]
Nuo Nuo walked over.
Her burned face had turned into black, charred fragments, falling off, and blood tears splattered heavily onto the table.
“Mom is dead. I’ll never see her again. Separated by life and death-even if I stop running away, what’s the point?”
Lu Li heard another bark.
Buck had died long ago.
Why did Nuo Nuo keep interacting with him in this room?
A memory surfaced in his mind-the last, extra weather forecast shown on the Television on the Third Floor.
The time of that weather forecast was:
[After December 20th]
The content:
[The weather is warming up, dry conditions, beware of fire]
Lu Li narrowed his eyes, facing the flames, and met Nuo Nuo’s gaze.
“Nuo Nuo, you forgot-you died too.”
You died in the fire after December 20th.
“Maybe life and death separate you, but now it’s different. If you’re just a little braver, I can take you to see her.”
Lu Li’s voice was gentle but clear in Nuo Nuo’s ears. “You can be with her forever.”
“If you miss someone, don’t just rely on memories. Go see her.”
Nuo Nuo’s face was burned down to the bone, her body creaked as she struggled to turn, her mind still working:
“I died… Yes, I remember now, the house caught fire that day. But Dad said… he said I’m never allowed to leave the Second Floor, never allowed to go to the First Floor…”
Luo Jia Bai and Zhu Yue were sweating profusely from the flames, enduring the pain, barely daring to breathe as they watched Lu Li negotiate with the Boss.
This seemed like their only chance.
Nuo Nuo’s eyes were burned so badly her vision blurred. She forced her eyes wide open, looking at the most beautiful guest, pleading, “Will you really take me to see her?”
Lu Li stood in the fire and answered, “I will. Tell me, which floor is your room on?”
Nuo Nuo said, “Second Floor.”
“I want to see her. Please help me.”
The Wristband suddenly blared a piercing alarm.
[Warning! Abnormal fluctuation in Boss hatred detected in this Instance, now decreased to 90%]
Amidst the alarm, they stood on Nuo Nuo’s shoulder.
Nuo Nuo’s body was burning too. They had only moved from one dangerous place to another, following Nuo Nuo as she moved.
Lu Li’s body could revive infinitely and remained unharmed.
Zhu Yue was nearly unconscious from the burns, covered in blood, barely alive.
Luo Jia Bai’s bandages were burned away, exposing his scarred arms, but he was unharmed by the flames.
“I…” He touched his face and body in disbelief, his hands trembling. “My Healing Ability… it’s back?”
Zhu Yue slowly closed her eyes, about to slip off Nuo Nuo’s shoulder.
Luo Jia Bai gritted his teeth and pulled her back up, then, after a struggle, ruthlessly cut a piece of flesh from his own left arm.
Blood spurted out, but the wound quickly healed.
Panting heavily, Luo Jia Bai shoved the flesh into Zhu Yue’s mouth. “Eat! Don’t spit it out.”
Zhu Yue gagged and retched, but after swallowing, she was shocked to find her body recovering. Soon she was unharmed by the fire. “What did you just make me eat?”
Luo Jia Bai said, “It’s not something you should know. Don’t ask.”
Suddenly, Nuo Nuo’s shoulder began to shake. She asked in confusion, “One of my Eyeballs fell out… Where’s the door?”
Lu Li calmly directed, “Don’t panic, just walk forward.”
A door appeared in the flames.
Nuo Nuo twisted the handle and cried out in despair, “The door is locked! I can’t open it!”
Lu Li closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on whether he had missed any clues.
When he opened his eyes again, he took out the key that had previously opened the coffee table drawer.
It was a [Key that looks like it can open a door or a drawer].
Holding the key up to Nuo Nuo’s remaining Eyeball, Lu Li asked, “Do you have a key like this?”
Nuo Nuo became excited. “Yes! I have one! My mom gave it to me!”
She ran across the flames and the table.
Lu Li turned and saw that the once indestructible Castle was actually folded from paper.
A breeze blew, and it wobbled, then toppled from the table to the floor.
The fire crept along the floorboards. As soon as it touched the Castle, it turned to ash.
Nuo Nuo opened the drawer and indeed found a key.
Next to the key lay a crookedly sewn Doll.
It was unlike all the perfect Dolls in Nuo Nuo’s Castle.
Nuo Nuo wept bloody tears. “This is the first Doll my mom gave me.”
She reached out to grab the Doll.
But her arm passed right through it.
“I can’t get it. I don’t want to lose it…” Nuo Nuo sobbed, her remaining Eyeball was burning in the fire.
A slender figure suddenly dropped from Nuo Nuo’s shoulder and landed lightly by the drawer, robes fluttering. Pale fingers reached through the flames and picked up the Doll.
“Lu Li!” Luo Jia Bai hadn’t kept up with Lu Li’s sudden movement. He shouted and crawled over, only to find that Lu Li had already returned.
Lu Li blew out the flame on the Doll.
“All right, don’t cry. I’ve got it.”
The key really did open the door.
Nuo Nuo staggered down the corridor.
At the end, a staircase appeared, leading downward.
It led to a deeper abyss, where the fire raged even more fiercely.
Lu Li said, “Nuo Nuo, be brave. Go down.”
Nuo Nuo stepped onto the first step.
Lu Li leaned on Nuo Nuo’s shoulder. Through her torso, he could hear a rustling sound like Mice crying. They came from deep within Nuo Nuo’s body, huddled together in fear.
“I’m so scared.”
“I don’t dare.”
“I can’t do it.”
“Why am I so useless?”
Both of Nuo Nuo’s Eyeballs fell out, bloody tears splattering on the floor. Trembling, she clutched the railing. “I can’t see the steps.”
Lu Li said, “You’re heading in the right direction. Keep moving forward.”
Nuo Nuo stepped down one step.
Her father’s twisted face appeared in the flames. He roared, reaching out a giant hand to grab Nuo Nuo:
“All of this is for this wonderful family! Who allowed you to walk out the door? You’re not allowed to go downstairs!”
Suddenly, a loud bark came from behind the group.
Buck, only its head remained, leaped from the steps and bit down hard on her father’s hand. Its jet-black eyes were full of courage. Even as the flames burned its mouth, it did not let go.
“You again! This crazy dog! Ahhh!”
[Warning! Abnormal decrease in Boss aggro value detected in this Instance, now reduced to 60%]
Nuo Nuo hugged her head in fear, but firmly stepped down another step.
On every step, black hands grew out, grabbing for Nuo Nuo’s ankles.
“Sacrifice yourself, and everyone will be happy!”
“You tempted him! You committed the crime!”
“You killed Mom!”
Lu Li’s voice drowned out these murmurs: “Keep going. Don’t look back.”
Nuo Nuo stepped down one more step.
Suddenly, the raging flames retreated and disappeared completely.
It turned out that from the Second Floor to the first floor, there were only four steps.
When they reached the first floor, the fire that had trapped Nuo Nuo vanished as well.
Lu Li said to Nuo Nuo, “See? There was nothing to be afraid of.”
In the living room, scorched and in disarray, a hole had been burned in the wall beside them, the plaster crumbling down.
Inside was revealed a woman, buried in cement with only her head exposed.
The woman’s hand stretched toward Nuo Nuo.
Lu Li continued guiding her. “Nuo Nuo, she’s right in front of you.”
Nuo Nuo was confused. Suddenly, a little embarrassed, she touched her hand, now burnt to bone, then her gaunt face. Nervously, she said, “I’m so imperfect now. Will she still recognize me?”
Lu Li: “Hold her hand. Ask her yourself.”
[Warning! Boss aggro value in this Instance has abnormally dropped, now down to 20%]
Nuo Nuo, trembling, pressed her hand against the back of the woman’s hand.
Her vision spun wildly.
Lu Li found himself suddenly back on the living room coffee table, with Luo Jia Bai and Zhu Yue beside him, gasping as though they had survived a disaster.
Nuo Nuo, tightly holding the woman’s hand, was standing at the wide open front door.
From outside, dazzling light shone in.
Nuo Nuo looked up at the woman. “I want to go outside and have a look.”
“Mom, will you go to the Park with me during the day and play on the Swing?”
The woman nodded.
Nuo Nuo turned and waved at Lu Li. “Thank you, beautiful guest. That Doll is my favorite-I’m giving it to you!”
The two of them walked into the bright doorway and left the house, their bodies completely enveloped by the sunlight, finally dissolving into the light.
A mechanical prompt sounded:
[Boss aggro value in this Instance detected at zero. Conditions for opening the Necromancer Game not met. This Instance will now be permanently closed.]
[Goodbye, final batch of Players. You are damned lucky indeed.]