Judgment

The instant those words fell, Han Meng pulled the trigger.

Click—

The mechanism struck, but no bullet was fired.

Yet at the same time, the ground before Han Meng instantly collapsed. Soil and rubble vanished into nothingness, as if an invisible bullet had shattered matter down to the molecular level!

And that "Deconstruction" bullet flashed before the Red-Paper Monster in a thousandth of a second!

Under that invisible force of Deconstruction, the red-paper tentacles drifting through the air were forcibly blasted open, followed by a circular wound a full meter in radius that completely pierced the monster's body!

Through that enormous circular wound, Han Meng could even see the streets of the Third District in the distance. That shot had annihilated two-thirds of its body.

Just as Han Meng was about to lower his gun, a sudden change occurred!

The Red-Paper Monster, with a huge hole blasted through its center, did not die. Instead, as though nothing had happened, it continued extending sheets of red paper.

It spread wildly in every direction. In barely two seconds, not only had the hollow in its center been repaired, but its size had swelled to more than triple what it had been!

It now resembled a gigantic red sun made of paper effigies, countless scraps of paper twisting around it as it hung over the wilderness.

[Audience Expectation -1]

[Current Expectation Value: 14%]

Han Meng's pupils contracted slightly!

He immediately raised his gun toward the sky and pulled the trigger three times in succession. The power of Deconstruction tore three enormous holes through that red sun.

A fine rain drifted down through the three openings, pattering against Han Meng's grave face, icy to the bone.

Whoosh—

Dense sheets of paper swarmed down like a scarlet rain flooding the sky. In an instant, they riddled the entire wilderness like a beehive. Han Meng fired wildly, but could only barely tear open a gap in that red rain and preserve his life.

"This is bad..." Han Meng's back was already soaked with sweat.

He could feel it. He was no match for this Calamity!

For some reason, the other's aura seemed to have surged again. It had leapt from barely entering Level Five to the peak of Level Five, just a hair away from the terrifying threshold of Level Six!

At that moment, a palm clad in a theatrical robe reached out from the paper monster and lightly, precisely pressed down on Han Meng's head!

"Hehe."

A soft laugh echoed beside Han Meng's ear. The next instant, his entire body was slammed down by that palm, his head smashing heavily into the ground!

Boom—!!

The ground cracked apart. At the center of the impact, Han Meng violently spat out a mouthful of blood, then lay motionless like a heap of mud.

The fighting had ended. The red paper filling the sky returned to the monster's main body, while a misty drizzle fell over the ravaged earth.

Just as the Red-Paper Monster was about to leave, the arm in the theatrical robe that had emerged from it suddenly hooked backward around the red-paper body and tore at it with force, as though something were trying to crawl out from within...

Five minutes earlier.

"The Audience is starting to intervene in the performance?"

When Chen Ling saw the final line of text, his heart turned cold. He abruptly looked up toward the front of the stage.

Countless crimson pupils were still watching him from the darkness, but in the corners of the seating area, rows of wooden chairs already stood empty...

Some of the Audience had disappeared.

Thump—thump—thump!!

The shadows in the seats continuously stomped their feet against the Theater floor, producing a synchronized, dull sound.

Within the confined space, the sound rolled on like unending thunder. Their crimson eyes locked onto Chen Ling, filled with anger and questioning!

Thump—thump—thump!!!

With their synchronized stomping, Chen Ling could even feel the stage shaking. The spotlight overhead trembled slightly, as if it would not hold on much longer.

Chen Ling more or less understood.

Because he had been killed by an axe in reality, the "performance" on the stage had come to an abrupt halt.

The performance had been interrupted, and the Audience was furious. But they had no way to communicate directly with Chen Ling, so they could only use this method to express their dissatisfaction and threat!

"So... I didn't actually die?" Chen Ling stared blankly at his hands.

"But if my consciousness is here... then who is controlling my body right now?"

As if realizing something, Chen Ling turned around. A vast black curtain covered the rear half of the stage. He forcefully pulled open one corner, and a series of images flooded into his mind!

He saw himself turn the dining knife into scraps of paper, frighten Li Xiuchun and Chen Tan unconscious, and fight two Enforcers...

The feeling was strange, as if he were sitting before a giant screen and watching his own actions from a third-person perspective... Of course, the "protagonist" was no longer him now, but the "Audience" that had seized his body!

The Audience was intervening in the performance.

[Audience Expectation -1]

Chen Ling caught sight of the characters flickering on the screen from the corner of his eye. The next moment, another group of figures in the seating area disappeared without a trace.

"The lower the Expectation Value falls, the more Audience members will intervene in the performance..." Chen Ling spoke as he raised his hands. He saw his body gradually becoming transparent.

"At the same time... my existence will gradually be erased too?"

That made sense. If the Audience completely became the "protagonist," what use would there be for him?

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

Standing before the curtain, Chen Ling took a deep breath and tentatively reached out toward the flickering "images" beyond it...

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

Or die.

Chen Ling's fingertips passed through the curtain, as though they had touched a barrier, and were forced to slow down.

The barrier was not incomparably hard. Instead, it resembled some kind of "membrane"—soft, yet extraordinarily resilient. After several attempts, Chen Ling finally managed to force a single finger through.

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

He used all his strength to push his palm through the barrier, followed by his forearm, then his elbow...

Just then, the characters on the screen flickered once more:

[Audience Expectation -1]

As the Expectation Value dropped to 14%, another group of Audience members disappeared. Chen Ling felt the barrier growing increasingly solid. Looking at his body, now a little more transparent, a thought flashed through his mind.

It was not that the barrier had become stronger... His body had grown weaker.

Chen Ling clenched his teeth, but could only inch his arm through the curtain bit by bit, moving several times slower than before. Anxiety filled his heart.

With the current resistance, he estimated that once the Expectation Value fell to around 10%, he would no longer be able to pass through this curtain.

At last, through his unrelenting effort, one entire arm passed through the curtain.

He saw Han Meng struggling beneath the red rain in the image. After hesitating for a moment, he casually pressed a palm against Han Meng's forehead and, borrowing the Red-Paper Monster's power, knocked him unconscious onto the ground.

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

From the reality side, he hooked the curtain with his arm and then gave it a hard yank, tearing open a narrow gap.

His second hand reached through the opening and forcibly pried it wider until it was large enough for his body to pass through. Chen Ling took a deep breath and plunged himself inside!