Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 63

…The diary stopped abruptly at the mention of the “ceremony.”

It seemed this so-called ceremony was the culprit that had turned Si Xiaoxiao into an unconscious monster.

A slick, cold sensation brushed against her fingertips—it was the most intimate of the tentacles, rubbing against her wrist again like a puppy clinging to its owner.

Ever since she guessed the monster might be Si Xiaoxiao, the primal fear in Li Ting’s heart had vanished, replaced by a heavy, sour ache and an indescribably peculiar feeling.

This tentacle… was just too clingy.

It was completely different from the prickly, arrogant, and tsundere Si Xiaoxiao she remembered.

Its unreserved dependence and demands, driven by a nearly primal instinct, gave Li Ting a subtle sense of “taking advantage of someone in trouble,” yet she also felt like she was the one getting an undeserved benefit.

With a hint of resignation and playful retaliation, she gently squeezed the slick wrist-like appendage. Li Ting thought helplessly, if this guy ever returned to human form and remembered the “dark history” of being a tentacle, with Si Xiaoxiao’s face-saving personality, wouldn’t she be so ashamed she’d get furious and sulk forever?

Yet, just imagining Si Xiaoxiao with a flushed face, eyes darting away but stubbornly pretending to be fierce, Li Ting felt a little maliciously expectant.

It was also because of this diary that the strange R20 System finally showed up.

The electronic voice rang out in her mind without warning, as before.

[A world-critical item has been detected. Host mission is now activated. The host must complete the mission before being able to leave together: 1. Rescue the island villagers, 2. Defeat the evil false god, 3. Uncover the truth.]

The mission this time surprisingly had nothing to do with Si Xiaoxiao, which was quite unlike the R20 System’s usual style—it was serious for once.

Moreover, it hadn’t forcibly demanded that they maintain a certain persona and inject memories into them?

[Because the System has been upgraded.] The electronic voice actually offered an explanation: [Previously, I couldn’t fully control a small world, so you had to maintain your personas to avoid being rejected.]

[Please note, this instance is extremely dangerous. It is recommended not to die easily, or there will be very severe punishment.]

This guy who inexplicably bound her and acted like a tyrant was actually explaining patiently?

What was going on?

Tsk, tsk, had it perhaps realized that the previous script world had forced her into developing a split personality?

Was it feeling a little guilty now?

Li Ting had complex feelings about the System that had inexplicably caused a second personality to emerge.

Although it had brought trouble, it undeniably helped repair some of her relationship with Si Xiaoxiao, allowing them to at least interact as friends instead of the mutual hatred where every meeting involved trying to kill each other.

In any case, not having to maintain a certain persona was definitely a good thing, but the troubling part was that even the System had certified the difficulty… the pressure suddenly intensified.

“The immediate priority is completing the mission…” Li Ting muttered to herself, her gaze sharply scanning the gloomy walls of the secret room, preparing to search carefully again to see if she could find more clues about the ceremony or the false god.

Tap… tap… tap…

Clear footsteps, coming from far away and gradually getting closer, unhurried yet carrying a chilling, rhythmic regularity, abruptly shattered the dead silence of the secret room.

The sound came from the doorway; someone was approaching this hidden iron door.

Was it that doctor?

He was back!

All of Li Ting’s muscles instantly tensed, like a powerful bow drawn to its limit.

She quickly flipped the light off with a snap, and the secret room was instantly swallowed by thick darkness.

Then, she held her breath, pressing her body tightly against the cold, damp wall that reeked of sea and rust, shrinking into the folds of the shadows as much as possible.

The tentacle coiled around her wrist also seemed to sense the approaching danger—a hostile presence that was familiar yet malevolent. It stopped rubbing affectionately and suddenly tightened, conveying a silent, trembling alertness, and even a hint of imperceptible… fear?

“Are you okay? Can he sense your presence? Can he control you?” Li Ting urgently whispered in a nearly inaudible breath, her fingertips gently patting the tentacle’s cold surface in a soothing gesture.

The emotional fluctuation transmitted by the tentacle became more intense. It tightly coiled around Li Ting’s wrist, conveying a sense of almost pleading dependence, as if fearing being captured and warped by that power again.

So there was an effect!

Li Ting’s heart instantly leaped into her throat.

Si Xiaoxiao in her tentacle form was her only reliance, her absolute combat power, in dealing with the island’s evil presence and the villagers. But if the doctor who held the core of the ceremony could easily manipulate or even strip Si Xiaoxiao’s consciousness, then her only ally would instantly become her most fatal enemy.

The situation could be reversed in a flash and spiral into an irreversible disaster.

She absolutely couldn’t let them meet head-on. At least until a countermeasure was found, Xiaoxiao had to stay hidden.

“Listen, Xiaoxiao.” Li Ting made a swift decision, her voice fast, clear, and utterly resolute: “You have a special ability; you can merge into shadows, and moving freely out of this secret room is no problem. You go first, leave here immediately! I’ll deal with him.”

She didn’t believe the System would set up an absolute death trap for them.

When the gap in strength between the two sides was so vast, there must be a crucial turning point. She couldn’t possibly be expected, as a singer who relied on her voice, to suddenly start casting spells, exorcising evil, and saving the day, could she?

Furthermore, the people on this island seemed to be planning to sacrifice her, so they certainly wouldn’t hurt her. Interacting with the opponent might actually be the optimal solution for cracking the truth.

Si Xiaoxiao was responsible for the combat, and she for the decryption; this was a fair division of labor. Before all the mysteries were solved, the BOSS would surely not enter its second phase.

However, the tentacle didn’t move an inch. Instead, it coiled around her even tighter, its appendage even taking on an ominous black-red hue, conveying intense resistance and… a sense of resentment at being abandoned. It held Li Ting fast, the force causing her slight pain.

“I’m not abandoning you!” Li Ting was anxious; the sound of the key turning in the lock was faintly audible. She swiftly changed her strategy, her tone carrying an unprecedented solemnity and a subtle hint of persuasion: “I need you to conserve your strength! I’m staying here to find the key to lift his control over you! When I find the method, cut off his restraints on you, then—”

She paused deliberately to give her words more weight: “My life, whether we can leave together, whether we can completely end this decade-long sacrifice, all hinges on you! You are the only hope!”

These words precisely struck the core of the tentacle’s simple mindset: protecting Li Ting.

Given its current estimated intelligence of no more than three years old, plus its true identity as Si Xiaoxiao, it was still quite easy to coax.

The feeling of being needed caused the black-red hue of resentment to recede like a tide, replaced by a sense of resolute, slightly tragic determination that came with being entrusted with a great responsibility.

It rubbed affectionately and heavily against Li Ting’s wrist, leaving a cold, wet streak, then, like ink dripping into deep water, it silently melted into the dense shadows in the corner, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

A tender, childish voice rang in Li Ting’s mind, its timbre identical to Si Xiaoxiao’s as a child.

[I have a way to fight his control, you must wait for me to come back.]

It seemed the little tentacle had evolved somewhat compared to its initial completely unconscious state, likely due to some effort by Si Xiaoxiao herself.

While Li Ting was pondering this—

The metallic scraping of the key in the lock sounded exceptionally harsh in the dead silence, and the footsteps were also closing in.

Click.

The lock turned.

The heavy iron door was slowly pushed open just a crack. The dim, yellow light from the hallway outside shone in like a searchlight, accompanied by the smell of antiseptic mixed with a deeper, stagnant stench, and… the figure of the man in the white coat, his glasses reflecting a cold gleam in the faint light.

Li Ting was hidden in an inconspicuous corner, concealed by various items, which effectively masked her figure. She gripped the knife she had sneaked away from Lin Xiu, but ultimately found it difficult to initiate an attack.

After all, as a law-abiding citizen, actively attacking someone required significant mental preparation, even if the opponent was deeply wicked.

[Hand over the body to me. Back when I ran the prison, I got plenty of blood on my hands, and I know many methods of torture. I’ve seen plenty of scum like this.]

In the depths of her mind, the cold voice, tinged with rust and blood, spoke again, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

Li Ting’s heart sank slightly. Her other personality was extreme and perverse, always seeing herself as the warden of the Rose Kingdom. She absolutely could not hand over her body.

[Wouldn’t handing it over to me make everything much simpler?]

The Warden’s voice was mocking.

[It’s clearly just a fake world… and the ones you kill are just people created by the System… Besides, he has blood on his hands and deserves to face justice!]

But…

Li Ting, while distracted by the internal dialogue with herself, gripped the knife tighter, actually feeling hesitation at this moment.

The sword of Damocles still hung over Li Ting’s head. The doctor seemed to sense a presence, suddenly halted, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on the corner where Li Ting was hidden.

She’d been discovered!!!

He was coming!

[Rush out, turn left, raise your hand, now, swing the knife.]

Li Ting’s body, against her will, followed the instructions of the second personality, actively launching an attack on the doctor. With a single, clean stroke, the knife sliced open the doctor’s neck.

The doctor’s eyes widened in horror. He seemed not to have expected such a sudden and decisive attack. He instinctively grabbed his neck, and his eyes once again became the vacant, hollow gaze Li Ting remembered.

Though blood was still gushing from the wound, a bizarre and twisted smile spread across his face.

“So, you were hiding here…” His voice was like a rusty piece of metal scraping against bone, hollow, yet carrying a chilling, undeniable pronouncement: “The lost sacrifice…”

As expected, they weren’t two identical people—this doctor really was the priest who presided over the sacrifice!!!

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