Chapter 442 – Palpitations from That World – Is It a Real Illusion? (09)
Only now did Li Tefeng finally put away that inexplicable confidence he’d had whenever he saw Wen Junnan. He glanced at him; Wen Junnan gave a slight nod in return, and a trace of fear surfaced in Li Tefeng’s eyes.
“Don’t be afraid. The more afraid you are, the more likely something will go wrong.” Although Bai Tang had been sent by the bandaged man to monitor Ning Sitong, Ning Sitong wasn’t a fool. He couldn’t let her notice that he knew anything, nor let her suspect any connection between him and the bandaged man. Before A Nan found the bandaged man’s weakness, it was best not to draw his attention to A Nan. It wouldn’t be a good thing for the male and female leads to fall out now.
Bai Tang gave Li Tefeng a subtle reminder. It wasn’t something that would attract attention, but when people are afraid, their behavior becomes frantic. And once panic sets in, reason is lost—along with judgment. That’s when accidents happen.
The players proceeded in order of their room numbers. The first was Wen Junnan—the one under the greatest pressure. No one knew what would happen upon stepping onto the thirteenth stair. All the players fixed their eyes on him, hoping to prepare themselves when it was their turn.
Wen Junnan lightly kissed Bai Tang on the forehead. “Tang Tang, don’t be afraid. I’ll go first.”
Bai Tang held his hand and slipped something into his palm. “Be careful.”
Without changing his expression, Wen Junnan walked toward the staircase. Though he had walked it several times before, the moment he stepped on it, the surrounding walls seemed to grow even more dilapidated.
“1, 2, 3…”
He walked neither fast nor slow. The people below were tense to the point of suffocation, yet he looked as though he were on a casual outing.
In his hand, Wen Junnan held the small jade pendant Bai Tang had given him. Bai Tang had infused it with power—it could block three attacks. No matter what Wen Junnan encountered, he would have a chance to escape.
“10, 11, 12, 13.”
It wasn’t just Wen Junnan counting—Li Tefeng was counting below as well. The staircase should have ended at twelve steps, but just as Wen Junnan was about to reach the end, an extra step appeared.
Cold sweat broke out among the players. It had already begun with the first player. They couldn’t escape. None of them could escape.
After stepping onto the thirteenth stair, Wen Junnan vanished into thin air before everyone’s eyes.
The purpose of the game was to instill fear in the players. The other-dimensional space at the thirtieth stair would reflect the deepest fears within each player’s heart.
When Wen Junnan entered the alternate space, he did not encounter the demons and monsters most people subconsciously feared. Instead, he found himself in a place filled with birdsong and blooming flowers, bathed in bright sunlight—brimming with life and joy.
Even though he knew it was fake, he still strolled leisurely through the grass, admiring the pristine scenery.
In nature, animals are never scarce. Before long, a yellow-brown squirrel clutching a small pine cone darted past him, leaping from one tree to another.
That color and pattern—it was unmistakably Tang Tang’s original form.
Wen Junnan felt a surge of joy. He approached quietly, but the little squirrel was extremely sensitive. When Wen Junnan came within a meter, the squirrel suddenly turned its head, startled, and scurried up a higher branch.
“Tang Tang…”
The young man’s gentle voice carried a hint of worry. Perched high above, the little squirrel looked down at the human in confusion. Was he calling me? How does he know my name?
A strange sense of familiarity rose in his heart. Bai · little squirrel · Tang didn’t rashly approach. Instead, he simply observed the handsome man from above.
He’s so good-looking~
The little squirrel and Wen Junnan locked eyes, both momentarily lost in the other’s gaze.
Bai Tang’s face turned red. Thankfully, he was a squirrel—otherwise, this would be too embarrassing. Being charmed by a human? That would be ridiculous. Grandpa Pine Tree had said that humans’ appearances were deceptive; if you weren’t careful, you’d be fooled.
Suppressing that odd feeling in his heart, the little squirrel quickly finished his pine cone and turned to run.
Tang Tang was too lively. Wen Junnan felt both delighted and helpless. Delighted, because being energetic meant he was healthy; helpless, because there was no way two human legs could outrun a squirrel.
After running for a while, Wen Junnan still hadn’t caught up to Bai Tang—and ended up getting lost in the forest.
Hidden among dense leaves, the little squirrel secretly watched from above. He saw Wen Junnan stop beneath a tree. Suddenly, a sound came from the right, and he ran in that direction—only to be tripped by vines hidden among the grass and fallen leaves.
The young man fell to the ground and didn’t get up.
The little squirrel’s heart jolted, and he dashed down like a bolt of lightning.
“Squeak squeak squeak—” Are you okay?
The squirrel circled around him anxiously. Wen Junnan’s hand moved slightly. Taking advantage of the squirrel’s distraction, he suddenly reached out and grabbed him.
“Tang Tang.”
The handsome face he lifted showed no trace of weakness. His eyes were full of laughter, reflecting the fluffy yellow-brown creature.
“Squeak squeak squeak—” You tricked me!
Caught in his grasp, the little squirrel wriggled its round body from side to side, but couldn’t break free.
“Tang Tang, do you want some pine nuts?” Wen Junnan produced several pine nuts from his pocket as if by magic.
The little squirrel immediately stopped struggling and happily hugged the pine nuts, nibbling away. This human was good-looking—and kind-hearted too.
Bai Tang didn’t realize at all that he had defected over a few pine nuts. Filled with affection, Wen Junnan gently stroked the squirrel’s back. “Eat slowly. If it’s not enough, I’ll pick more for you.”
The squirrel’s cheeks puffed up as he ate, his cheek pouches filled with stored food—it felt wonderful. This human didn’t seem as bad as Grandpa Pine Tree had said, after all.
Just like that, Wen Junnan bribed the little squirrel with pine nuts from the forest. Relying on his knowledge, he even found many kinds of food the squirrel had never tried before.
“Squeak squeak squeak—” So tasty, so tasty!
Bai Tang sat on Wen Junnan’s shoulder while eating, and Wen Junnan—the tool man—was in charge of finding food for him.
Those blissful days almost made Wen Junnan forget that he was inside a horror game.
That day, a rumbling sound came from the distance. In less than a quarter of an hour, the deafening noise reached the forest.
Wen Junnan was jolted awake. Animals fled in panic, scattering in all directions, while the little squirrel shrank tightly into his arms.
“Tang Tang, don’t be afraid. I’ll go check what’s happening.” He placed the squirrel into a tree hollow to hide, then leapt down from the trunk and ran toward the source of the noise.
Several logging trucks and bulldozers had entered the forest. A few burly men were methodically cutting down trees.
“Where are Qiangzi and the others?”
“They’ve gone to the west side to cut trees. We’re keeping the middle section of the forest— the amusement park needs some natural woodland. We’ll clear the outer areas, so there’s no need to plant new trees…”
“Heh, saving Boss Zhang some money, huh? Not bad…”
Their conversation reached Wen Junnan’s ears.
The west side—
Not good. Tang Tang was still over there.
Wen Junnan rushed back at full speed, the relentless sounds of logging closing in behind him.
By the time he reached the tree where Tang Tang lived, it was already being cut down. Wen Junnan shouted hoarsely, “Don’t—!”
The foreman, Qiangzi, was startled. He hadn’t expected anyone to be here. Without time to think, he grabbed Wen Junnan tightly to stop him from rushing forward.
The machines were merciless. They were under orders to cut down trees—they didn’t want a human life on their hands.
Wen Junnan’s eyes split with fury as he watched the massive tree collapse. A yellow-brown figure fell out from the hollow.
The roaring noise drowned out the squirrel’s terrified cries. To maximize Wen Junnan’s fear, the game seemed to cheat—slowing the squirrel’s fall to ten times slower in his eyes. The small, fluffy body tumbled along with the falling branches, landing directly toward the sharp blades of the logging machine.
“Tang Tang—!!”
The dense branches obscured the bloody scene. Wen Junnan did not witness the squirrel’s death directly, but he saw every moment leading up to it.
Hearing Wen Junnan’s heart-wrenching scream, Qiangzi revealed a strange smile. Several bandages crept up from the ground, coiling around Wen Junnan’s legs.
What Qiangzi didn’t notice was the faint black aura rising behind Wen Junnan. His half-lowered eyes were filled with bloodshot red, which quickly darkened into black.
“You deserve to die.”
Qiangzi’s greedy expression froze on his face. His body swelled like an overinflated balloon—until, at its limit, it burst with a loud bang.
The entire forest was soon engulfed in raging flames. The sound of logging mixed with screams, echoing into the sky.
The young man was covered in blood. With every step he took, fragments of memories he had never experienced flashed through his mind.
Tang Tang, wait for me.
Inside the small building, Wen Junnan appeared at the stairway on the second floor. Bai Tang and Li Tefeng ran up in delight, but the latter was grabbed by the arm by Ning Sitong.
“Don’t go. Something’s wrong with him.”
Wen Junnan’s face was smeared with blood. The slight upward curve of his lips carried a dangerous aura, and his unfathomable eyes were like a pool of stagnant water—deep enough to make one sink into them without escape.
Ning Sitong managed to hold Li Tefeng back, but she couldn’t stop Bai Tang.
Taking the steps two at a time, Bai Tang rushed upstairs. He pulled out a wet wipe from his pocket and began cleaning the dirt from Wen Junnan’s face. “How did you end up in such a mess? Are you hurt…?”
Everyone could tell something was off about Wen Junnan. Watching the boy approach him so closely, their hearts rose into their throats: had Wen Junnan gone mad, or was this the calm before a storm of madness?
No one knew. Even with the distance between the first and second floors, they had already prepared themselves to run at any moment.
But Bai Tang was completely unaware that others were pitying him. His small mouth chattered on, full of concern. Soon, the handsome face was wiped clean—there were no wounds on it, and Bai Tang broke into a bright smile.
“It’s good that you’re not hurt~”
Wen Junnan suddenly pulled Bai Tang into his arms, holding him tightly as if he wanted to fuse him into his very bones.
“Tang Tang, I missed you so much.”
After holding him for a long time, Wen Junnan finally voiced the words buried deep in his heart, his voice hoarse.
“I missed you too~” Bai Tang hugged him back, resting his head on the other’s shoulder. But in the next second, the smell coming from Wen Junnan made him pull away. “A Nan, you smell awful! Now that you’re back safe, go take a shower—quick, go~”
The boy wrinkled his nose, his face full of disgust, yet his eyes were filled with concern.
Wen Junnan understood the meaning beneath Bai Tang’s words: Go wash up, clean yourself properly, and let me check if you’re hurt.
A little squirrel’s sense of smell was the sharpest—bad odors were both a physical and mental assault to him.
“Alright, I’ll go shower.” Wen Junnan instinctively raised his hand to ruffle the boy’s hair, but when his gaze fell on the blood staining his palm, he stopped himself in time—those people’s filthy blood didn’t deserve to touch Tang Tang.
As the first player to complete the game unscathed, Wen Junnan undoubtedly set a strong example for the others. At the very least, they now knew that the thirteenth step was not a dead end—if Wen Junnan could make it out alive, then so could they.