Out of Running Tricks

"What?"

A colleague sharply realized something was wrong and stepped forward, grabbing the police officer.

"No, explain yourself. When did our leader go out?"

"Xiao Guan just said that the leader stayed here the whole time, always on the train!"

He turned his head to look at the Doppelganger and asked, "Leader, what Director Liu?"

The Doppelganger's brain was drifting.

It was so hungry that its stomach felt hollow; it didn't want to think about anything but food.

Director Liu, it knew, was Liu Mingli.

That very attractive and powerful Doppelganger had asked about him!

But what did that have to do with it?

It couldn't figure it out anyway!

The Doppelganger stared blankly in the direction Guan En had run, then lifted its legs and followed.

"What Director Liu?"

It dropped these words, leaving the two guards staring at each other in shock.

"I don't know any Director Liu. You guys figure it out yourselves!"

Treading on the soft carpet, the Doppelganger quickly disappeared at the end of the business class cabin, its uniformed back looking indescribably stiff.

The guarding officer and the colleague exchanged a glance; all three of them looked grim.

Two seconds later, the three spoke in unison.

"Didn't the leader just go out a moment ago?"

"The leader told us Director Liu was coming!"

"Who did you let out?"

As the colleague spoke, he instantly got the answer.

He suddenly understood, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Damn it!

Zhu Yan!

A minute or two ago, Guan En was just telling him that Zhu Yan had no reason to leave the carriage and must still be here.

Now look at this, he felt embarrassed for Guan En!

"Guan En! Come back!"

The colleague gritted his teeth and sprinted after him.

On the other side, Zhu Yan could barely lift his legs.

But he didn't dare stop running, his forehead already covered in sweat.

His ribs hurt even more; every breath irritated his body.

His lungs felt like they had knives embedded in them, carving into him until his face turned deathly pale, making it almost impossible to draw in air.

Fortunately, the finish line was close at hand—

It looked to be only 50 meters away!

Zhu Yan gritted his teeth, suppressing his physical discomfort.

He simply held his breath and sped up again.

He didn't participate in this instance just to die!

...

Guan En reviewed the surveillance footage frame by frame. The more he watched, the heavier the chill down his spine became.

The footage was intact; Zhu Yan hadn't tampered with a single frame.

It was Guan En's own problem.

He had been underestimating a high school student who seemingly lacked any social experience!

At four o'clock in the morning, Zhu Yan came to Carriage 15 and struck up a conversation with Zhang Li.

Fifty minutes later, a new "Zhang Li" boldly stood at the entrance of Carriage 7, calmly waiting for their arrival.

Then, he himself was sent away by "Zhang Li" like an idiot.

During the process, "Zhang Li" blatantly manipulated the Doppelganger right under his nose!

And then, Zhu Yan turned into the leader, swaggering out the train doors and disappearing from the surveillance monitors.

"Fuck!"

Guan En cursed, the hairs on his body standing up one by one.

Zhu Yan's reaction was too fast—

But the broadcast hadn't sounded yet. Did that mean the other party hadn't reached the finish line?

There was still a chance!

He still had a chance to win the game and survive!

Time no longer allowed Guan En to think further.

He turned around without hesitation, coming face-to-face with the drooling, lunging Doppelganger!

Guan En dodged sideways, not even having time to use his abilities.

He frantically pushed past his guarding colleague and rushed out of the train, the wind in his ears carrying his colleague's anxious shouts.

"Guan En!! He lied about Director Liu coming!! Hey, wait for us—"

Guan En didn't look back.

He rushed down the descending staircase, and his colleague's voice abruptly faded behind him.

"Holy shit, he runs that fast?"

The colleague cursed, his hands not idle either.

"Quick, some of you stay here, and the rest chase after him." He decisively commanded the other police officers. After they rushed out with the police dogs, he turned back to the Doppelganger, who had already stood back up in the monitoring room.

"Leader, we need to—"

He couldn't finish his sentence because the leader in front of him tore open its mouth in a way that surpassed human limits.

The originally normal-sized mouth split the head straight down the middle, revealing rows of sharp fangs dripping with saliva inside.

The Doppelganger was starving. The muscles around its eyes contracted tightly, pressing down on those stagnant, lifeless eyes.

Food.

It needed food, even if it wasn't a player!

The colleague's eyes widened, his heartbeat briefly stopping.

Screams from passengers erupted around them. The people who realized what was happening began to flee in all directions, turning into a chaotic mess.

In the split second the colleague was stunned, the Doppelganger viciously bit down on his neck!

Crimson exploded like fireworks.

...

Guan En couldn't hear the commotion behind him.

This underground passage wasn't long. He sprinted with all his might, vaulting over the ticket gates in just a dozen seconds and arriving at the waiting hall.

The hall was filled with an eerie silence.

All the equipment was running normally, and the slightly old billboards were brightly lit.

But there was no one here—

Except for a figure running desperately toward the exit!

"Zhu Yan!!" Guan En roared furiously, sprinting over recklessly.

In Guan En's eyes, Zhu Yan was already very, very close to the exit.

Just one step, maybe two, absolutely no more than five steps—

20 meters.

Zhu Yan heard that out-of-control roar. He knew it was Guan En, but he didn't look back.

If Guan En was facing the same distance as he was, it would be impossible for him to arrive this fast.

His guess was confirmed.

The damn Carnival Paradise had specifically increased the distance Zhu Yan personally needed to cover.

Zhu Yan clenched his teeth, ignoring everything as he accelerated again, his heart feeling like it could fly out of his chest at any moment.

Damn it.

If he hadn't run two extra laps, if he had recklessly used his Complain or Humiliate abilities to go out, making the police station quickly realize something was wrong...

Given the speed difference between the two sides, he would have been completely dead long ago!

10 meters...

5 meters!

Guan En's footsteps were getting closer and closer, almost right behind him.

To Guan En, Zhu Yan was so slow he was nearly at a standstill.

Almost there!

Guan En reached out his hand, trying to grab the back hem of Zhu Yan's clothes.

However, at this crucial final moment, he failed.

Zhu Yan finally dashed across the last two meters, stepping into the faint morning sunlight.

He turned around, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily, observing Guan En, who seemed to be separated by a barrier.

To him, it was pitch black behind Guan En—

There was no empty station, nor were there any flowing crowds.

Sweat trickled down Zhu Yan's face. He raised his eyes, the slightly upturned corners carrying a hint of disdain, and flashed a smile at the equally heavily panting Guan En.

Guan En still wanted to reach out and touch him, but a solid force blocked his fingers. It was as if a layer of glass separated him and Zhu Yan.

They could clearly hear each other's voices, and they were clearly only ten centimeters apart!

Guan En stared at Zhu Yan's face, feeling a wave of immense despair.

Mission failed.

Was he going to die?

Zhu Yan was still smiling.

"Nice job, man," he said between ragged breaths. "You owe your life to me."

Guan En furrowed his brow, failing to grasp the meaning behind Zhu Yan's words for a moment.

The very next second.

That pleasant female voice echoed in his mind like an explosion, announcing the final outcome of the instance.

"Instance [Cat and Mouse Game] has concluded."

"Congratulations, Guan En. You have successfully completed the mission and cleared the beginner instance."

...What?

Cleared it?

He actually... survived?

Guan En looked at Zhu Yan in sheer astonishment, but the scenery before his eyes was already shifting.

He was no longer in the station; he was back inside Train G3075.

At the same time.

Zhu Yan also heard the broadcast, which brought him an immense sense of relief.

Pleasure washed over him like warm amniotic fluid, rising past his calves and slowly creeping upward, soothing his overexerted muscles and aching organs.

His body no longer hurt, and a genuine, profound joy welled up from within him.