Chapter 68 Playing dirty tricks?
"I don't know much more." Gu Nanqiu focused his gaze on a building not far away, which had an elaborate marble gate in the style of Western architecture.
The door is carved with lifelike animals.
Strangely, these things all had a red string hanging from their eyes, which made them look rather comical.
Gu Nanqiu took Yue Yiyue's hand: "That looks like the sculpture museum we're looking for. Yiyue, shall we go take a look over there together?"
Following the direction Gu Nanqiu pointed, Yue Yiyue saw a small fountain at the entrance, with a mermaid king holding a large water bottle on it.
Yue Yiyue looked up at the mermaid king. His appearance seemed somewhat familiar, especially the freckles carved on it.
Yue Yiyue placed his hand on his own face: "That one also has freckles on its face, interesting."
“Yes, this sculpture was made by the owner of this place for her beloved.” Gu Nanqiu looked at the sculpture beside her with gentle eyes: “It is a great work of art.”
“I once stopped here for this.”
Meeting Yue Yiyue's puzzled gaze, Gu Nanqiu suddenly came to her senses. She looked at Yue Yiyue apologetically and explained, "I'm sorry, I only remembered that I had been here before when I saw this sculpture."
“I was just too young then.” Gu Nanqiu turned around, a gentle breeze blowing through her hair, making it dance in the air, her gaze filled with a hint of nostalgia: “When I saw Yi Yue before, I also thought of this sculpture, but Yi Yue, you are more vivid and more dazzling than this one.”
“I think if this sculpture had a prototype, it would probably be based on your appearance, but it doesn’t capture even a tenth of your beauty.”
Hearing Gu Nanqiu's words, Yue Yiyue looked up at the sculpture: "..."
Alright, Gu Nanqiu is a very kind person, she just needs to accept it silently.
"Come in first." Yue Yiyue walked to the door. The heavy door sensed his arrival and made a soft beep before opening.
The air was hot, but not stuffy.
A beautiful warm-toned printed carpet, and many photos hanging on the white walls. Yue Yiyue glanced at them; they seemed to be about the owner's life.
The receptionist, dressed in casual work attire, heard the voice and smiled at the two guests at the door: "Hello, do you have an appointment?"
When her gaze swept over Gu Nanqiu, she paused for a moment, then returned to her usual demeanor: "You're a hotel guest, right? Then you don't need a reservation. Hello, the sculpture gallery is to the left. Do you need a guided tour?"
"No need," Yue Yiyue said before Gu Nanqiu could speak. "Thank you, we can just do a self-guided tour here. Is there anything we should be aware of?"
The receptionist handed over the booklet: "There is no red door in this sculpture museum. If you see a door, please let us know via walkie-talkie and a professional staff member will handle it."
"Staff will only wear uniform casual work clothes, and there will never be skirts or high heels or other clothing that is not suitable for work. If you see such clothing, please be wary of being deceived."
"All the sculptures in this sculpture gallery are intact. If you find any sculptures with damaged eyes, please contact our staff."
The receptionist outlined the three most important points: "The rest generally won't appear."
"By the way, sometimes when the owner is in a bad mood, she comes here to visit. The exhibit at the very back contains a 'lover' she sculpted herself. Please don't disturb the owner unless there's something else going on."
Yue Yiyue carefully wrote all of this down: "Thank you."
The room was quite warm, so Yue Yiyue took off his coat. The receptionist then took out a coat bag and said, "Please leave it here and come back for it when you come out."
————
Since entering this place, Gu Nanqiu has become quieter. She stood in front of a work called Eve, looking up and carefully admiring the muscular sculpture.
Her hair was as black as silk, and her white sweater softened the contours of her face. She appeared calm, but her eyes, full of emotion, were focused on Eve, as if she were looking at a beloved lover.
At that moment, Yue Yiyue felt a surge of envy, a feeling she often had when reading books.
To be watched by Gu Nanqiu like this.
I'm so envious.
At that moment, they didn't seem to be searching for some mystery in this sculpture museum; they seemed more like two ordinary tourists, simply admiring the sculptures.
Yue Yiyue stood still, staring intently at Gu Nanqiu.
She thought that person was right; she was indeed selfish.
At this moment, she was actually happy that this place was by reservation only, so there weren't many people.
And thankfully, Gu Nanqiu wore a mask when she came out; if she had been seen like that, even more people would have gathered around...
She wouldn't allow it.
This is a trip that belongs only to them.
“Yi Yue, this piece also has freckles on it. I guess it was sculpted by the owner here.” Gu Nanqiu’s voice interrupted Yi Yue’s thoughts.
Hearing Gu Nanqiu's words, she rubbed her face, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts. Following Gu Nanqiu's pointing finger, she saw a line engraved below: "When I forget you, I always go mad—"
"If that's true, then the story between the owner here and her lover must be very torturous."
"But they must have loved each other deeply."
After all, only those who have loved can pour their emotions onto cold plaster.
They meticulously crafted their lover's image with their own hands, eventually building an exhibition hall to showcase a part of their love story.
Gu Nanqiu didn't respond; she simply walked into the exhibition hall.
Yue Yiyue turned around and looked around to make sure there were no missed clues before giving chase.
He also saw many other sculptors' works of art, but Yue Yiyue's favorite was a statue of a martial god.
The God of War was wearing armor, which had many scratches on it, presumably to give it an aged look.
She looked firmly across the street, her sword pointing at the window in front of her.
Behind her stood her soldiers, each one with a solemn and strong expression, inspiring confidence.
Yue Yiyue curiously went over to take a look and saw the accident site, Keyu Center.
Turning his head, he saw the statue of the God of War again, and Yue Yiyue felt as if something was connected.
The president of Keyu Center also does sculpture, but he doesn't seem to be very skilled.
After all, the sculptures in that picture all look crudely made and can't compare to those here.
In a trance, Yue Yiyue sensed that she was about to grasp something, just a moment away from connecting the clues. She saw a red light flash somewhere on the opposite building.
Rubbing his eyes, Yue Yiyue looked around again, but there was nothing there.
It was as if Yue Yiyue's eyes were playing tricks on him.
In that moment of distraction, Yue Yiyue turned his head and found that Gu Nanqiu, who had been walking ahead just moments before, had vanished.
She quickened her pace and walked forward a few steps, and a red door appeared before Yue Yiyue's eyes.
Upon seeing this door, Yue Yiyue recalled the time he met the forensic doctor, when the door almost drove him to a minor frenzy.
"Hello, I'm a tourist. I saw a red door near the God of War area. Could you please come and handle it?"
After a buzzing sound from the walkie-talkie, a staff member's voice quickly came through: "Okay, excuse me, please sit down and rest in the chair next to the Martial God. Burn... in a bit... staff... burn... come... burn... come—"
The hissing sound eventually turned into a sharp sonic wave, and Yue Yiyue subconsciously pulled the walkie-talkie open.
The voice on the other end changed, stretched out, and finally settled into calm. A light female voice came through: "Excuse me, there was a small problem with our temporary staff here. It's in the Martial God District, right? Please stand aside and wait."
"Remember, there are no chairs next to the God of War. If you see a chair, it's just because a temporary employee was negligent. Don't sit down."
"Okay, received."
Seeing herself in this state, Yue Yiyue realized she couldn't go find Gu Nanqiu for the time being, so she returned to where she was.
Looking around, the spot next to the God of War, which had been empty just moments before, now had a small stool and a pastry placed beside it.
Yue Yiyue stood beneath the statue of the God of War, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
She stood still and sent a message to Gu Nanqiu, saying that she would come to find her later and asked her to wait.
Then she stood still and looked up at the God of War.
Upon closer inspection, Yue Yiyue noticed something was amiss; the Martial God's expression seemed even more serious.
It was as if they sensed something approaching.
As if hearing Yue Yiyue's thoughts, a slight sound came from the window the next moment.
A very soft, extremely subtle sound.
If it weren't for the fact that the exhibition hall was exceptionally quiet, virtually no one would have been able to hear the sound.
Yue Yiyue immediately became alert.
A series of cracking sounds rang out, followed by the glass shattering into pieces, which then turned and hurtled towards Yue Yiyue.
The God of War stepped forward, blocking Yue Yiyue's path. The glass shards tore through his white plaster armor, revealing a white liquid that resembled human blood.
Different clattering sounds rang out from all around.
Yue Yiyue turned his head and saw that the sculptures around him... had come to life?
They had a clear division of labor; some of the sculptures kicked over chairs and punctured them.
Some of them aimed at the window and swatted back the unknown round ball that was trying to rush in.
The Goddess of War looked down to make sure the humans beneath her were alright. She pointed towards the red hut, and they stood ready for the enemy behind the door.
With a click, the door opened, and countless computer heads rushed in.
There is only one instruction on the screen—Clear.
Soon, a fierce fight broke out in the room.
Yue Yiyue wasn't idle either; she flipped her wrist, pulled out a dagger, and joined the battle.
When she touched the enemy, Yue Yiyue always felt a strange tingling sensation, but her mind became increasingly excited.
It's like being given an excessive amount of alcohol.
His steps became lighter and lighter, and his hand movements became faster and faster.
He casually smashed the screen head in front of him, then ran to the Martial God and kicked the computer head that had ambushed him.
He slapped the other person twice more to confirm that the other person was not human and had no possibility of being human, and then Yue Yiyue smashed another one.
Yue Yiyue moved nimbly through the room, kicking away the computer head that tried to sneak up on him several times.
Occasionally, they would also help soldiers in plaster casts who were nearly pushed off windows.
This fierce battle ignited Yue Yiyue's most primal wildness, making her increasingly excited and her movements faster and faster.
The space distorted for a moment, and a computer head appeared at the red doorway. She stood there, looking at Yue Yiyue with some confusion.
Even the "clear" option on her screen changed to ?
Yue Yiyue barely managed to regain a sliver of rationality, forcing herself to calmly look at the words on the computer screen.
Why? Isn't it because you're tired? Want to slack off? Want to give up on life?
"Do you have any way to break free from this situation? I... still want to... live."
In that instant, a computer-generated head suddenly rushed out from the corner, its sword blade thrusting towards Yi Yue—
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