Chapter 92 "Witch's Kaleidoscope" 15 Strange Puppet...

The passage of time cannot be seen in the copy.

Zhu Ci felt a little tired. He looked sideways and found that Xu An had fallen asleep without knowing when. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, like a puppet without breathing.

He held a round object in his hands.

Zhu Ci looked at the puppet and squatted down to examine it for a while.

It is actually a bit strange that Xu An appears in this copy.

There were many newcomers who met the competition requirements, but only a double-digit number entered the competition. Many people, such as Mo Anan, did not participate.

Logically speaking, those who participate in this game are either fans of Little Red Riding Hood or experts who are very confident in themselves.

Xu An doesn't seem to fit either of the two criteria.

And up to now, he has not found Xu An's token.

This puppet...

Zhuci observed it and found that the puppet had no facial features and looked very rough. It didn't even have a piece of clothing that fit it properly. It was obviously the work of a beginner.

Xu An obviously knew what the puppet was used for, which was why he held it so tightly.

Zhuci thought for a moment, and suddenly a strange feeling came into his mind, and he turned around.

There were a bunch of keepsakes from the players on the table, and at this moment a strange feeling seemed to tell him that someone was about to enter his world.

The story is interrupted at the moment he leaves his copy, so if they re-enter, what node will it be, and will they continue to interfere with the original plot?

This should be good news, but before he could express his joy, he heard a gurgling sound as if something had fallen to the ground.

“…”

He lowered his head and found that the puppet in Xu An's hand had rolled to the floor.

Zhu Ci didn't want to care at first, but facial features appeared on that rough wooden face.

The lifelike facial features make people subconsciously ignore the roughness of the puppet itself. Under the dim light, everything looks weird.

There was still a very realistic light in those eyes. Zhu Ci took a step back and frowned.

"You mean... Zhuci?" The puppet's limbs seemed unable to move, but the sound was still clear.

Zhu Ci opened the live broadcast room and took a look. He closed it only after seeing the audience screaming, but his expression relaxed a little.

"Yes," he said.

"You are fun, but be careful who you surround yourself with and the journey ahead."

Surprisingly, the first thing the puppet said was a reminder like this.

Who was the person beside him referring to? Zhu Ci glanced at Xu An. He was sleeping soundly. Or maybe, he was not asleep, but was possessed by a nightmare.

He asked, "Why are you helping me?"

The puppet's voice floated over: "Do you like reading fairy tales?"

Zhu Ci frowned. He watched with his own eyes as the puppet's facial features gradually disappeared, turning it into an ordinary wooden puppet.

…

Xu An woke up from his dream, seeming to be extremely frightened. His eyes bulged and he gasped heavily.

"Save me, save me! I don't want to die!"

"You're awake. Are you okay?"

Xu An turned his head and met Zhu Ci's dark eyes.

His calm look was like a reassurance, which made Xu An slowly calm down.

"Brother... I..." Xu An slowly got up. Suddenly he saw the puppet on the ground, then looked at Zhu Ci. Seeing that he didn't do anything, he went over to take it.

"It's okay, as long as you wake up." Zhu Ci said.

"I……"

"You must have been pulled into a strange illusion by that puppet." Zhu Ci said. He saw a flash of panic in Xu An's eyes.

"Puppet, I don't know, did he say anything?"

"Hmm? What?" Zhu Ci hesitated for a moment.

"It's OK."

[“Hmm? Does this player have any secrets?”

"Don't worry about it for now. The anchor's points...are too good. They are simply going crazy."

"What's going on in that dungeon? It's easy to get in, but impossible to get out. And there's a particularly powerful ghost."

"Hahahaha, so funny, a bunch of anchors were waiting to find him, but in the end the anchor wasn't there at all."]

The situation of those players was within his expectations, and Zhu Ci did not feel proud. Logically, these players should be able to come and go freely, unless they were gathered together and one player killed many people and prevented others from leaving.

But his points shouldn't have increased so quickly, they still continued to grow.

It was as if someone was torturing them on purpose.

…

"Brother, can we go now?" Xu An asked absentmindedly.

Zhuci nodded: "Let's go."

They pushed the door open and went out, and there was another door outside.

Zhu Ci glanced at the game console.

There is only one protagonist left in the center of the game console, and the prompt for the next level has not yet arrived.

If it were real, there would be more than just a few levels in this game, and it might even be endless.

Only by pushing open this door can they come to the next world.

Xu An put his hand on the door, and it loosened a little bit.

"Brother Ci, this copy seems endless."

His grip loosened a little, and he looked at Zhu Ci: "Don't you want to leave?"

"No." Zhu Ci said.

[“Hahaha, the host didn’t hesitate at all.”

"What has become of the streamer's own world? How can he dare to go back? Now some players have discovered that they have been cheated and are looking for him everywhere!"

"Zhu Ci: After thinking about it, it is still safer here."】

"That……"

"I'll be leaving soon and going to other players' worlds. You'd better give up this competition and wait for it to end naturally." Zhu Ci looked at him.

“It won’t end.”

The door was pushed open, and the space inside was unexpectedly warm and bright.

Beautiful room, a big warming fire, comfy sofas, like a set up lounge area.

Zhuci discovered that there was another door next to this room.

"It's a cycle." Xu thought secretly, "In fact, it started from this room."

He looked at the fire and tightened his grip on the puppet.

"Brother Ci, can you stay with me?"

Zhuci shook his head: "No."

"Okay." Xu An looked at the stove in front of him, "Is there any hint in the game console?"

Zhu Ci picked it up and took a look. The game console was running out of energy, but the ending screen stopped at two options.

"Go back" or "stay".

When these two options appear, it is impossible for the speech to press the "Back" button.

"A steadfast tin soldier, born a defective product, but unexpectedly had a heart. Even so, he could not escape the fate of being burned."

Not a tin soldier, but a puppet.

Xu An came to the floor-to-ceiling window of the room and looked out.

"Brother, look."

He walked over with a congratulatory speech.

The view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was set from the beginning, with blue sky, white clouds, and long-lost sunshine.

Xu An took out a prop.

The illusion outside disappeared, and outside the window, there was a red and yellow light. Looking outside, the temperature in the house seemed to rise.

"It must be a very uncomfortable feeling to be roasted over a fire all the time, what do you think?" He looked at Zhu Ci.

"General." Zhu Ci said.

Xu An was stunned for a moment, then smiled again: "When I'm with you, the temperature can be lowered a little. So, how did you find your partner?"

"He pursued me." Zhu Ci said, "So, what do you want to say?"

"I don't want to say anything, but actually, as soon as the dungeon started, I knew you would come to save me, from the first time I saw you. From the last dungeon. So, thank you very much." Xu An's smile was sunny and non-aggressive.

Zhu Ci looked at him quietly and said nothing.

He didn't think deeply about every word Xu An said, including this one.

His silence makes people anxious, and his attitude is even more unpredictable.

Do you know or not, do you care or not, are you happy or sad.

Xu An sighed deeply, a little depressed: "Brother, please say something, I'm scared if you don't say anything."

"I don't know what to say."

"If you are like this, your sister-in-law will definitely feel insecure."

[“Hahaha, this is so funny. Even though I didn’t understand a word he said, the host is such a cold-blooded man.”

"Please have someone translate it for me."

"It's obviously Xu An. His talent is prophecy. I knew he would save me the first time I saw the host."

"It still feels weird."】

Zhuci looked at him and said, "In fact, the reason I stayed until now is because I am a little curious about you."

"But you may not tell me what I want to know. But if I'm not mistaken, the puppet is your token in this world, and the reason you are so nervous is because the puppet is related to you."

Facing Xu An's silent face, he continued: "The reason why I couldn't find you when searching for player information is because you are an NPC?"

This conjecture is a bit outrageous.

Xu An smiled softly: "Why do you think so?"

"Games are games, and we need to make bold guesses. It's not a rare story for an NPC to run away, but judging from your reaction, it shouldn't be." Zhu Ci said, "But there is one thing I'm curious about. Since you don't want to tell me, but you deliberately show me your nervousness, are you trying to gain sympathy or to attract me to discover it myself?"

"Is it that obvious?" Xu An's smile remained unchanged.

"Well, so I've followed you here, and it seems this is your final destination?"

"The starting point is also the end. I'm indeed tired and want to get your attention." Xu An sat on the sofa. The fire in the stove was very strong, and the heat made his slightly yellow face.

At this moment, he seemed to have taken off his disguise, but also seemed to have put on a heavier vest.

He walked over with a congratulatory speech.

Xu An raised his head and looked at him: "There is really no need to go the rest of the way. With your intelligence, you should know how to win this game."

"Here, and my props, you can take them away."

A puppet was delivered, along with a "prop transfer request".

Congratulations: "..."

【“Ah? I never expected it to develop like this.”

"Wait, does he not want to live anymore?"】

"No need." Zhu Ci refused directly. So far, the basic items sold by the system are enough. If he relies too much on advanced items, it might reduce his ability.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with these. Besides, there are my secrets inside the puppet. Maybe it can satisfy your curiosity about me." Xu An raised his eyes.

"I did it voluntarily. Moreover, since I can foresee that you will come to save me, I can also foresee my own end." Seeing that Zhu Ci refused to move, he added.

"End?" Zhuci asked.

"Yes, being burned in the fire like Xi Bing is my destiny. Haven't you noticed that the temperature is getting higher and higher?" Xu An did not use the word "death", but just used the word "end". There was a hint of attachment in his eyes when he looked at Zhu Ci, as if he was a little reluctant.

He seemed to be sincere.