Vol. 1 - Ch. 11 - Judgment

At the moment these words fell, Han Meng pulled the trigger.Click—

The mechanism clicked, but no bullet was fired. However, at the same time, the ground in front of Han Meng instantly disintegrated, soil and rubble vanishing into nothingness, as if an invisible bullet had completely shattered the material at the molecular level!

And this "deconstructive" bullet flashed before the red paper monster in a fraction of a second!

Under this invisible force of deconstruction, the floating red paper tentacles were forcibly torn open, creating a gap in the air. Then, a circular wound with a radius of one meter pierced through the monster's body completely! Sᴇaʀᴄh the NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Through that huge circular wound, Han Meng could even see the streets of the Third Zone in the distance. This shot directly obliterated two-thirds of its body.

Just as Han Meng was about to retract his gun, a mutation occurred!

The red paper monster, with a gaping hole in its center, did not die. Instead, it continued to extend red paper as if nothing had happened.

It crazily spread outwards, and within two seconds, not only did it repair the hole in the center, but its size also increased more than threefold!

Now, it resembled a giant red sun made of paper, with countless pieces of paper twisting and hanging in the air over the wilderness.

【Audience Expectation -1】

【Current Expectation: 14%】

Han Meng's pupils contracted slightly!

He immediately aimed the gun upwards and pulled the trigger three times in a row, breaking three large gaps in the red sun with the power of deconstruction.

Fine rain drifted down from the three openings, falling on Han Meng's solemn face, chilling him to the bone.

Swish—

Countless paper pieces swarmed down like a red rain, turning the entire wilderness into a hornet's nest in an instant. Han Meng frantically fired his gun, only managing to tear open a gap in this red rain to save his life.

"Oh no..." Han Meng's back was already soaked in sweat.

He could feel that he was no match for this calamity!

For some reason, the opponent's aura seemed to have surged again, from the initial entry into Level 5, to the top of Level 5, just a hair's breadth away from stepping into the terrifying realm of Level 6!

Just then, a hand wearing a theatrical robe emerged from the paper monster, lightly and precisely pressing against the top of Han Meng's head!

"Hehe."

The light laughter echoed in Han Meng's ears, and the next moment, his whole body was pushed down by a palm, his head heavily hitting the ground!

Boom—!!

The earth cracked open, and Han Meng, at the central point of impact, spurted out a mouthful of blood, lying motionless like rotten mud.

The battle was over, with the red paper scattering back to the monster's main body, and a misty rain covering the devastated land.

As the red paper monster was about to leave, the theatrical arm that had emerged suddenly grabbed hold of the red paper body, forcefully tearing at it, as if something was about to burst out from within...

Five minutes ago.

"Are the audience starting to intervene in the performance?" Chen Ling saw the last line and felt a chill in his heart. He looked up suddenly towards the front of the stage.

Countless crimson pupils were still staring at him in the darkness, but in the corner of the audience seats, some of the wooden chairs were already empty... Some of the audience had disappeared.

Thud—thud—thud!!

The shadows in the audience seats continued to stomp their feet on the theater floor, emitting a steady and muffled sound. In the cramped space, this sound was like continuous thunder, their crimson pupils locked onto Chen Ling, filled with anger and questioning!

Thud—thud—thud!!!

Under their synchronized stomping, Chen Ling felt even the stage shaking. The overhead spotlight trembled slightly, as if it couldn't hold on much longer.

Chen Ling grasped the situation. In reality, because he was killed by an axe, abruptly halting the "performance" on stage. This disruption made the audience extremely angry, but they couldn't communicate directly with Chen Ling, so they could only express their dissatisfaction and threats in this way!

"So... I'm not actually dead?" Chen Ling stared blankly at his hands. "But if my consciousness is here... then who is controlling my body now?"

Chen Ling seemed to realize something, he turned around and saw a large black curtain covering the back half of the stage. He forcefully pulled open a corner, and a series of images flooded into his mind! He saw himself turning a kitchen knife into paper, frightening Li Xiuchun and Chen Tan, and fighting with the two enforcers...

It felt very strange, as if he was sitting in front of a big screen, watching his own actions from a third-person perspective... Of course, at this moment, the "protagonist" was no longer him, but the "audience" who had taken over his body!

The audience was intervening in the performance.

【Audience Expectation -1】

Chen Ling's peripheral vision caught sight of the characters flickering on the screen, and in the next moment, another group of figures disappeared from the audience seats without a trace.

"The lower the expectation, the more audience members intervene in the performance..." Chen Ling said, raising his hands. He saw his body gradually becoming transparent. "At the same time... will my existence also be gradually erased?"

Indeed, if the audience completely becomes the "protagonist," what use is there for him?

Chen Ling's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. He knew he had to do something.

Standing in front of the curtain, Chen Ling took a deep breath and tentatively reached out his palm towards the shimmering "scene" behind it...

Either reclaim his body and become the "protagonist" again;

Or die.

Chen Ling's fingertips pierced through the curtain, encountering a barrier that forced him to slow down.

This barrier was not incredibly hard; instead, it resembled some kind of "membrane," soft, yet incredibly resilient. Chen Ling tried a few times and finally managed to pass through with one finger.

"There's a chance!" Chen Ling's eyes lit up slightly.

He exerted all his strength, pushing his palm through the barrier, followed by his forearm, elbow joint...

Just then, the characters on the screen flickered again:

【Audience Expectation -1】

As the expectation dropped to 14%, another group of audience members disappeared, and Chen Ling felt the barrier becoming even harder. He saw his body becoming slightly more transparent, and a thought flashed through his mind.

It wasn't that the barrier became stronger... it was that his body was becoming weaker.

Chen Ling clenched his teeth but could only inch his arm through the curtain, much slower than before, his heart filled with anxiety.

With the current resistance, he estimated that if the expectation dropped to around 10%, he wouldn't be able to pass through this curtain anymore.

Finally, through his relentless efforts, one arm successfully passed through the curtain.

He saw Han Meng struggling under the red rain in the image. After hesitating for a moment, he slapped him on the forehead, using the power of the red paper monster to knock him unconscious on the ground.

This way, no one would witness him passing through the curtain and returning to the scene of reality.

He reached from the reality side with his arm, holding the curtain upside down, then forcefully pulled it, tearing open a narrow gap.

The second hand stretched out from the gap, forcibly prying it open until it was wide enough for his body to pass through. Chen Ling took a deep breath and plunged in!