Really Can't Stand Old Self

"Congratulations, Account Deleted."

Damn it.

For the first time, Zhu Yan felt that he had chosen a terrible nickname. He had actually been startled by it even after clearing the game.

"Using an ingenious method, you have completed your mission and carried your companion to victory, successfully clearing the instance Cat and Mouse Game!"

"You have returned to the real world."

"Rewards will be distributed in ten minutes. Carnival Paradise looks forward to your next visit."

In just the blink of an eye, the scene before Zhu Yan's eyes completely changed.

Guan En and that pitch-black darkness were gone, replaced by a bustling train station in the early hours of the morning.

Zhu Yan slowly straightened his body. A middle-aged woman was hurriedly rushing past him, her heels clicking crisply against the ground.

She suddenly lowered her head, then quickly looked back at Zhu Yan.

"You dropped your bag, young man!"

Zhu Yan felt as if a lifetime had passed.

He looked down. A black backpack was lying quietly by his feet; it was the exact same one he had left on the train when he was escaping.

The faint red glow from a billboard reflected off the black backpack.

Zhu Yan picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, noticing the festive glow of a liquor advertisement diagonally above him.

The aroma of food drifted from the breakfast stalls on both sides, and the fragmented yet fulfilling sounds of life filled the entire world.

Zhu Yan stretched his muscles and slowly walked into the sunlight.

The morning sun was not harsh; it felt like a warm tide, comfortable and soothing.

Zhu Yan enjoyed it briefly before deciding to find another place as soon as possible.

Currently, he was still a target of police pursuit. Staying here was not a wise choice.

With this in mind, he paid close attention to the female voice broadcasting in his ear as he walked.

He could feel that the mode of this instance was distinctly different from his previous novice instance.

In Zhu Yan's novice instance, there were only players and doppelgangers.

But this time, there were many non-player entities in the instance.

Did Carnival Paradise pull innocent people into the instance, or were those just NPC illusions created by Carnival Paradise?

Zhu Yan walked in the sunlight, wanting to absorb a bit more warmth.

Just what kind of existence was this Carnival Paradise?

"Your companion was incredibly capable, single-handedly carrying you to complete the mission."

In Guan En's mind, the female voice broadcasted ruthlessly.

He heard it, but an emotion far stronger than the joy of clearing the game gripped his entire heart.

His colleague was lying on the ground, missing his head and nearly half of his flesh.

Dark red liquid had soaked the carpet, and the mangled body looked like a medical anatomical model.

The doppelganger responsible for all this had vanished without a trace. The original passengers in the carriage had been evacuated, leaving behind a dozen or so people on duty, standing in a grim circle.

They all had varying degrees of injuries, and some looked sternly at Guan En, who had appeared suddenly, defying all logic.

"Little Guan, what exactly is going on here?"

"What happened to your captain? We all saw it."

"He..."

Guan En bit his lip until it turned pale.

This morning, he had made far too many mistakes.

This tragic scene revealed a bloody reality: he had gotten the Cat and Mouse factions wrong from the very beginning.

His companion referred to his own kind, not his stance as a police officer!

And Zhu Yan, whom he thought was sinister and cunning, had seen through this from the very start.

Just as Zhu Yan had said, if it weren't for him, Guan En would have lost his life.

But his colleague was innocent; his colleague wasn't even a player.

Because Guan En himself misunderstood the mission and was too anxious to use his abilities to suppress the doppelganger, his colleague had died!

"Guan En, what exactly happened last night?"

"Who exactly is that Zhu Yan?"

"Is all this because of him?"

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, the female voice and his colleagues' questions sounded simultaneously.

"You have returned to the real world."

"Rewards will be distributed in ten minutes. Carnival Paradise looks forward to your next visit."

In previous instances, only players would die.

Then, would his colleague survive?

Guan En's heart hung tightly in the air, only to crash heavily to the ground in the next second.

The sky outside the window was slightly bright, and passengers waiting to board suddenly appeared on the platform.

However, inside the carriage, everything remained the same.

His colleague didn't even have the chance to resurrect after ten minutes.

He lay sprawled on the floor, maintaining his original gruesome state of death, causing the passengers outside the window who saw it clearly to let out screams of terror!

"We are very sorry," the female voice sounded quite humanized. "We are merciful, but only towards the players of Carnival Paradise."

Zhu Yan, of course, knew none of this.

Prolonged, intense running left him feeling exhausted and hungry.

Although he hadn't yet recovered from the tension of clearing two instances within 24 hours, he bought a fragrant savory crepe and a bag of soy milk, forcing himself to eat to replenish some energy.

Anwu City was huge.

Zhu Yan took out his phone to search and quickly locked onto an old district nearby.

The map showed that the area was undergoing demolition. Although the facilities were old, there were still some surveillance blind spots.

He wasn't sure what the situation was like inside train G3075 right now, let alone whether the doppelganger had eaten anyone.

Zhu Yan also didn't dare to gamble on the rewards given by Carnival Paradise.

If he could reach the old district before the police reacted, he would at least have time to prepare in case things went south.

Zhu Yan stood up and scanned the surrounding cameras.

He walked toward the exit at a tricky angle, passing by a corner under the stairs.

An old man was resting in the corner.

Zhu Yan observed him carefully for a few glances. When he emerged again, he was an old, hunched, and frail man.

He quickly got into a taxi by the road, watching the train station get further and further away, involuntarily clutching the hem of his clothes!

Five minutes later.

The female voice rang out as promised. Zhu Yan looked at the morning sunlit streets outside the car window, nervously focusing his attention.

He prayed he would get some useful items.

"Congratulations once again, Account Deleted. We are tired of saying praises, so let's get straight to the point."

"The overall results for the Cat and Mouse Game instance are as follows."

"Total number of players: two. Players cleared: two. Ordinary citizens deceased: one."

"During the police evacuation, several people were driven into the non-real world, resulting in multiple disappearances."

One person died, and multiple people went missing?

Zhu Yan's train of thought paused. The image of the doppelganger running into the pitch-black stairwell at the end of the previous instance rushed into his mind.

When the police evacuated the area, Carnival Paradise hadn't teleported the platform back yet, so after the crowd left, they went missing?

It seemed that this instance had pulled innocent people into Carnival Paradise!

And one person died.

Did the doppelganger eat an ordinary citizen since it couldn't eat Guan En?

The tragic image of his younger brother flooded his mind again, and Zhu Yan's face involuntarily scrunched up.

"Among them, you ranked first with the highest score. The basic rewards are as follows."

"Rest days: ten days."

"Your two rest day rewards can be stacked, totaling 20 days."

"You may choose to enter the dungeon early."

Well, that didn't matter.

He was going to be arrested by the police if he stayed around to rest anyway.

"Dungeon clearance reward: 40,000 yuan."

Not bad.

With enough money, he could go to the Hall of Mourning to exchange a portion of it, keeping just enough to cover his tuition and living expenses.

But then again, did he really still have a chance to go back to school?

"In addition, taking into account the predicament you face in real life, we have issued you a special item."

Zhu Yan's eyes lit up.

A subtle wave of euphoria swept over him. He felt that familiar thrill of addiction once again, instinctively wanting to cling to the sensation.

A special item—what a pleasant surprise!

He slowly sat up straight.

Regardless of what it was, it had to be better than nothing.

"Congratulations on obtaining the single-use item: Concealed Intent."

"The item's usage instructions are as follows."

"Please remain patient, player, and listen to the entire broadcast..."