Volume 6: Days of Being Zapped in the Lab
Flash-Blind
Everyone get out of this young lady’s way!
As the elevator doors opened, the white light grew stronger. Finally, the doors slid fully open, and a vast expanse of white light poured down from the ceiling onto everyone’s faces, bringing expressions of joy, even ecstasy, to all present.
It was actually white light!!
White light could represent an exit! This light seemed to be coming from upstairs, but it was enough to prove their efforts were heading in the right direction. As long as they continued upward, there would eventually be a way out.
The second floor was extremely quiet. The corridor was empty, without a single monster in sight. The light of the exit was right before them, yet the people in the elevator hesitated, not daring to take a step forward.
290 hesitated for a moment, decided to be the one to stick his neck out, and lifted his foot to step out of the elevator.
A predator in the darkness opened its eyes and lunged forward like lightning, the sound of its flapping wings like the Grim Reaper sounding the horn of death.
With quick reflexes, Shen Maomao yanked him back just as a dense black mass of things rushed towards the elevator.
300 and another woman let out a scream. Lou Jingmo quickly pressed the button for the elevator doors, but it was already too late. Several people behind instinctively covered their eyes, unwilling to witness the scene of bats tearing into their own bodies and those of other players.
Thud! They collectively slammed into the elevator door’s transparent barrier, scattering with loud chirps (jijizhacha) and quickly disappearing from everyone’s sight.
In that brief instant, the group had gotten a clear look at the bats—they were entirely grayish-black, with only a single, huge red eye and two long, sharp fangs in their mouths. They looked exceptionally terrifying, undoubtedly capable of easily tearing through a human throat.
Having survived the close call, 290 thanked Shen Maomao with lingering fear, “Thank you. If it weren’t for you just now, I’m afraid I…”
Shen Maomao waved it off dismissively. “It’s nothing. Don’t be so wishy-washy, you’re a grown man.”
290: “…”
Behind them, 300 urged, “Stop wasting time here exchanging thanks! How are we supposed to get out? Hurry up and think of something!”
Shen Maomao rolled her eyes at her.
300, completely oblivious to how annoying she was, continued, “Does anyone have a flashlight or something? Bats are afraid of strong light, and the light here isn’t strong enough…”
Eh?
Shen Maomao couldn’t help but look at Lou Jingmo.
Lou Jingmo nodded at her.
Who knew 300 could actually be useful?
The group huddled in the elevator looked at each other blankly, no one moving, everyone waiting for someone else to come up with a plan.
290 rummaged through his props and said dejectedly, “I don’t have that kind of prop…”
Shen Maomao looked eagerly at Lou Jingmo.
“Don’t rush, I’m looking.” Lou Jingmo stared at a point in empty space, clearly searching for something.
After searching for a while, she suddenly held something up. Instantly, a blinding flash erupted, nearly blinding everyone present.
Shen Maomao quickly covered her eyes, only to find she still felt the glare, then remembered she now had more than one pair of eyes.
A hand reached over from the side, covering her already opened second pair of eyes. “You’ll get used to it.”
Shen Maomao asked, “What is this thing, Lou-jie?”
Lou Jingmo replied, “It’s called 【Flash-Blind】.”
Shen Maomao: “…” What a literal name.
290, covering his eyes, said, “Do you need me to take it out and try?”
300 retorted, “What if you take it and run off?”
“You…” 290 was almost speechless.
Shen Maomao patted Lou Jingmo’s arm, letting her shield her eyes, while verbally attacking 300, “Don’t judge noble motives with your petty mind. Why don’t you take it out for a stroll and make sure you don’t run off?”
300 said matter-of-factly, “How could you ask a girl like me to do something so dangerous?”
Everyone present wore a speechless expression.
290 still took the prop. “Forget it, I’ll go out.” He glanced at Shen Maomao. “If things go wrong, I’ll have to trouble you to pull me back again.”
Shen Maomao nodded, making a gesture like she was ready to grab someone. “Don’t worry.”
290 held the prop securely and stepped out of the elevator, his entire being like a mobile light source.
Shen Maomao’s vision dimmed for a moment, then quickly readjusted to the darkness.
A swarm of black, mist-like bats flew over (jijizhizhi), circling unwillingly at a distance from 290, not daring to advance further.
290 exclaimed in pleasant surprise, “It works!”
Just then, a sudden change occurred—
The bats, which had only been struggling outside the light moments before, suddenly braked collectively and fled frantically in one direction, quickly disappearing from view.
A ripple seemed to spread through the air. Shen Maomao froze, then suddenly shouted, “Come back!” while simultaneously reaching out to grab him.
A tentacle shot out from the end of the corridor, lunging violently towards his body.
Thud! 290 made it back successfully. The tentacle slammed against the invisible barrier, the force so great that the entire elevator trembled twice, eliciting gasps of alarm from the players.
A massive bat appeared before them. It had two huge bat wings and a face bearing thirteen eyes, identical to Little Ancestor’s, making one suspect some kind of familial relationship between them.
It had no legs; beneath it were several writhing tentacles, giving it an indescribably bizarre and disgusting appearance.
It seemed the small bats were just appetizers; this thing, equipped with both red eyes and tentacles, was the main boss of this floor.
The big boss flapped its wings continuously, maintaining its airborne state. It seemed to have realized there was something on the elevator door blocking its path, so it waited patiently right outside, expecting the food inside to come out voluntarily.
290 tried using the prop to flash its eyes, but it had no effect. He could only return the prop to Lou Jingmo. “Looks like this won’t work anymore.”
Lou Jingmo put the prop away and took out a dagger. “There’s no avoiding it. Let’s confront it head-on.”
300 cried out, “You have a weapon, we don’t!”
Lou Jingmo’s face was grim. She turned and handed the dagger to her. “Weapon.”
300 yelled again, “You wish! I do all the work myself while you guys wait here to reap the benefits?”
Lou Jingmo’s No. 1 bootlicker1, Shen Maomao, couldn’t stand it anymore. She grabbed 300’s arm, spun around, and with a heave, flung her straight out of the elevator. “Off you go!”
300 let out a continuous, high-pitched shriek like a marmot2, her legs gave out, and she plopped onto the ground.
Lou Jingmo gave Shen Maomao a mental thumbs-up, then followed 300 out of the elevator. Shen Maomao quickly followed suit.
Seeing that the two girls had voluntarily left the protected area, 290 quickly said to the remaining people, “At least one person stay here, make sure the elevator door doesn’t close. The rest of you, fend for yourselves.” After speaking, he also charged out.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the three of them felt varying degrees of discomfort.
The bat boss’s gaping bloody maw was constantly open, but their ears couldn’t capture any sound, yet their heads were buzzing loudly.
Lou Jingmo tossed a dagger backhanded to 290 and charged forward, enduring the discomfort.
The large bat increased the force of its wing flaps, tilted its head back, and let out a long screech. The movements of everyone outside paused, as if some mental shackle had suddenly broken. A piercing, chittering sound (jijigugu) filled their ears, causing splitting headaches.
300 stopped screaming and clutched her head, rolling on the ground. “What’s happening?! Why can we hear ultrasound?! My head hurts so much, wuwuwuwu, hurry up and think of something!”
Lou Jingmo frowned, dodging an incoming tentacle, and turned her head sideways to Shen Maomao. “Rabbit, sing!”
Shen Maomao took a deep breath and started howling at the top of her lungs.
300’s expression on the ground cracked for a moment. She covered her ears and rolled back into the elevator. The few people too scared to leave quickly made way for her.
Back in the safe zone, 300 lay on the floor like a salted fish3, completely motionless.
290’s movements also faltered for a few seconds before he quickly regained focus and assisted Lou Jingmo in attacking.
Only Lou Jingmo remained expressionless, perhaps having developed immunity to Shen Maomao’s singing?
In any case, although Shen Maomao’s singing was terrible, it was effective. The group clearly felt the sense of heavy, stagnant air caused by the ultrasound weaken significantly.
The monster noticed this too and immediately diverted a tentacle to attack Shen Maomao.
Shen Maomao ran while singing, nimble as a slippery eel, and dodged right back into the elevator.
The monster’s attack missed. Having another tentacle chopped off by Lou Jingmo, it vented all its fury on the two little insects outside.
The pressure on Lou Jingmo and 290 instantly multiplied. They switched from offense to passive defense, forced back repeatedly by the attacks.
Shen Maomao felt anxious but didn’t dare stop singing. She resorted to trying to drag the people inside the elevator out, hoping they would help.
But these people seemed rooted to the spot inside the elevator, clinging desperately to the handrails, refusing to let go. They struggled against her, pleading, “We can’t do it… We don’t have the ability… Going out means death… Please, don’t make things difficult for us…”
Shen Maomao felt a chill in her heart.
—You’ll die if you go out, but Lou Jingmo won’t?
She had let Lou Jingmo lead them all this time, assuming everyone was in the player camp and could fight the monsters together. But in the end, it still came down to one or two people fighting single-handedly…
Had she been wrong to save them?
300 scrambled up from the floor, cursing and muttering, “Just shut up already! Stop singing, it’s horrible!”
Shen Maomao was so angry she wanted to fight her.
300 pushed her aside and, to Shen Maomao’s astonished expression, walked out of the elevator.
Shen Maomao froze for a second, stopped singing, and quickly followed her out. “What are you trying to do?!”
300 roared, “Everyone get out of this young lady’s way!!”
Lou Jingmo and 290 dodged to either side. A tentacle reached for her. She raised her hand, a small silver handgun appearing in it, aimed it at the monster’s head, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! A muffled shot echoed. A silver bullet shot out of the barrel, heading straight for the monster’s head.
The massive recoil pushed 300 back two steps. Shen Maomao, behind her, quickly caught her.
A flower of blood burst on the monster’s head. The incoming tentacle went limp for an instant. 300 raised her hand again and fired a second shot.
The author has something to say:
300’s identity isn’t that complicated!!
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