Chapter 217: Eye Contact

Chen Ling clearly remembered that the last time the audience intervened in the performance, he could still barely push his hand through the curtain. Although the process was incredibly difficult back then, at least his hand could still move within the grand curtain. This time, however, when his hand touched the grand curtain, it felt like hitting an incredibly hard wall. Even with all his strength, he could only push in less than half a finger.

Last time he tried to reclaim his body, the audience's expectation level only dropped to 14, but this time, it fell below the bottom line to 13. Even though it was only a change of one, the difficulty of passing through the grand curtain increased significantly.

Chen Ling watched the increasingly rampaging blood-red manor behind the grand curtain, a sense of urgency rising in his heart. He saw hundreds of figures being devoured, and even the Puppeteer was torn to shreds by the biting of two buildings. If this continued, the commotion here would eventually attract high-ranking enforcers.

"Is there no one in the Constellation Merchant Guild who can stand up?" Chen Ling couldn't help but complain. "Someone needs to at least hold it back a little!" As he spoke, he began to frantically grip the corner of the crack with both hands, trying to expand it little by little with tearing force until an arm could pass through. Even if this process was incredibly difficult, he had to push through. If he couldn't pass through this layer of the grand curtain, he would be truly dead. He could only pray that someone would come and contend with the red paper monster, slowing the decrease in the audience's expectation level. If it eventually dropped to 12, he would have no chance of reclaiming his body.

The crack in the grand curtain gradually widened with Chen Ling's efforts, but it was still too small for an arm to pass through. Underneath his large red opera robe, Chen Ling was already drenched in sweat.

***

Constellation Merchant Guild.

Dungeon.

Boom—!!

Successive explosions reverberated from above, and large amounts of debris began to fall. The underground space seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

At this point, the guards who were originally stationed in the dungeon had all gone to the surface, some dead, some fled. The empty underground was left with only Jian Changsheng, confined alone in his cell, anxiously pacing back and forth.

"Damn it, what's going on up there?"

"Is no one going to pay attention to me?!"

There was a ventilation window in the center of the cell's ceiling. Jian Changsheng could hear the continuous wails and roars from outside. He knew something major was happening, yet he was confined alone here, as if forgotten by the world.

"So no one cares, huh?" A fierce glint flashed in Jian Changsheng's eyes. He bit his tongue directly, forcefully spitting a mouthful of blood outside the cell! As the blood splattered, his figure instantly vanished from his spot, reappearing outside the cell door the next second.

Since all the guards had left, no one cared about Jian Changsheng's escape. He made his way back to the surface, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of the utterly chaotic and frenzied manor before him.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Jian Changsheng sharply turned sideways, dodging two bricks flying wildly through the air, and only then did he regain his senses.

He dabbed a fingertip on his bleeding tongue, picking up a drop of blood, and flung it forcefully into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he had shifted over a hundred meters away. The next moment, his previous location was lashed by more than a dozen willow branches, sending stone debris flying.

"What is this? A circus?" Jian Changsheng exclaimed in shock as he frantically fled through the absurd manor. If he couldn't still feel the pain from his tongue, Jian Changsheng would have even suspected he was dreaming. Otherwise, what were all these chaotic things? Crawling buildings, swaying trees, freely flying bricks... He even saw the servant's quarters where he once lived transform into a giant crab, rampaging through the manor.

Everything before him was so unreal, and when Jian Changsheng instinctively looked up, he saw the source of all that unreality... Above the swirling red clouds, a hollow eye, like a sun, was gazing down upon the land.

The moment Jian Changsheng looked up at it, the eye seemed to sense something. It rotated slightly, also fixing its gaze on the fleeing Jian Changsheng. At that instant, their eyes met.

Jian Changsheng's heart skipped a beat.

He had only looked up once, not expecting the eye to look back at him. A spine-chilling sensation flooded Jian Changsheng's mind!

The next moment, the red clouds supporting the eye churned violently. Dense red paper strips, like tentacles, descended from the sky, rushing rapidly towards Jian Changsheng's location! At the same time, the colossal architectural beasts roaming throughout the manor seemed to receive a command, simultaneously changing direction and converging to surround Jian Changsheng. With just one exchange of glances, Jian Changsheng became the target of the entire chaotic manor!

Jian Changsheng felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He stared, wide-eyed and incredulous, his face exceptionally pale.

"Why are they all coming for me???"

Jian Changsheng felt like dying. He picked up a short sword from the ground, forcefully cut his palm, and using a Blood Drip Movement technique, began to desperately flee through the manor. He didn't understand. He had only exchanged glances with that eye; he hadn't broken any divine laws. Why had he suddenly become the target of everything? Earlier, while escaping, he had also seen a man in a woolen coat and silver-rimmed glasses frantically fleeing just like him. There were still other people alive elsewhere, so why did that thing suddenly attack him without warning?

As a large number of non-human entities shifted their targets, Chu Muyun, who had been maneuvering through the manor, could finally stop and rest for a moment. He looked at Jian Changsheng, who was continuously teleporting away, with eyes full of surprise.

Who was that person?

Facing the red paper monster, which had already reached the sixth stage, Chu Muyun knew he was no match. So, even if he wanted to help Chen Ling, he couldn't; he could only barely maneuver within the manor. All he could do was send out a distress signal, hoping that high-ranking members of the Twilight Society currently lurking in Aurora City would receive it and come to their aid.

But strangely... his distress signal failed to send. It was as if something within the manor had completely blocked communication with the outside world. Chu Muyun initially suspected the red paper monster was responsible, but after careful inspection, he realized it wasn't. Even stranger, given the massive commotion caused by the red paper monster, Aurora City should have noticed long ago, and a large number of high-ranking enforcers should have already arrived. Yet, so far, not a single enforcer was in sight.

"Could it be..." Chu Muyun pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses, his gaze sweeping around as he pondered something.