Chapter 89.1 Crimson Sunset Expedition
It was a warm and sunny afternoon when an hour of massage came to an end.
The gold-tier masseur helped Wen Shi sit up by gently lifting him and handed over a glass of cold tea. He said, “Have a great afternoon.”
Wen Shi nodded politely, finished the tea, stood up, and gave his neck a little twist, feeling comfortable. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl in a white dress and a man wearing a mask standing by the door. Both of them had unusually dark eyes that stared right at him.
How did they come here, and why were they looking at him in that way?
Wen Shi courteously gestured and got ready to approach for a chat.
But even before he could start walking, Yu Xingzhou shook his head and turned around, already leaving.
When Wen Shi walked to the door, feeling puzzled, he could only catch sight of the retreating back. “What’s happening?”
Yu Xingzhou was a pretty logical person, so there had to be a reason for his sudden visit.
The benefit of having a travel badge was that players or shadows were easily identifiable. For example, on Wen Shi’s badge, it was written: Aaron 666; for the shadow: Aaron 999. The travel agency distinguished individuals based on their incoming train number, so the recently arrived one was Yu Xingzhou himself.
The girl was also about to leave, getting ready to continue handing out flyers.
Wen Shi called out to her, “Let’s chat, what’s the point of handing out flyers?”
The girl didn’t want to chat.
Wen Shi took out a few bills from his pocket, “Hiring you for an hour.”
Looking at the full wallet, the flyers in her hand crumpled. Facing the rich, she suddenly felt her struggles were meaningless.
…Really wanted to snatch them.
Remembering her dear grandson’s advice, she forced herself to hold back.
While she was struggling, Wen Shi stood steadily on a stone pedestal outside the door. Amidst the hustle and bustle, his gaze swept around, and he spotted the movie theatre sign in the distance.
“Hmm, there’s Royal Cinema. Let’s go, buy some movie tickets.”
For the first time in her life, she experienced the evils of capitalism. The girl finally couldn’t resist and silently tossed the flyers into the trash.
Wen Shi casually glanced at the title on the flyer: “Enchanting Beauty Clinic, Grand Opening Celebration!” Across the street, there were also small cosmetic clinics. As far as his eyes could see, there were many small clinics along the bustling commercial street.
Seeing that, he smiled, “Cosmetic surgery is quite developed in Sunset Town.”
While walking towards the cinema, Wen Shi bought two ice creams. The girl was about to throw one away, but Wen Shi skillfully caught it. “My Grandma might not have had one before.”
It smelled fragrant and sweet. She hadn’t really eaten something so sweet and sticky before. If she ate it, it would be a small victory for her. With a bite, she took off the tip of the ice cream.
Wen Shi let out a soft sigh. This was also the reason he hesitated to be forceful. Every time he saw this girl and the teenager together, a thought automatically crossed his mind: mindless and unhappy.
He cleared his throat, shaking off disrespectful thoughts. After all, she was his own Grandma’s shadow. Wen Shi’s expression turned serious again, “Where did the scarecrow’s shadow go?”
“Don’t know.” The girl adopted a rather unique way of eating: gnawing on the ice cream.
Judging from her behavior, she didn’t seem to be intentionally messing with him. It appeared she genuinely didn’t know.
The girl: “That damn shadow didn’t get off the train. It’d be best if it died at the end of the world.”
Detecting the frustration in her words, Wen Shi used a guiding question, “Did he hurt you guys?”
The girl fell silent. “It doesn’t count as hurting.”
She was already suppressed before she could even make a move, but if she had a kitchen knife, she might be able to put up some resistance.
Wen Shi slightly furrowed his brow, reading her subtle expression. It seemed that the scarecrow’s shadow was quite formidable.
This posed a bit of a problem. The old lady might not be able to fight off that strength. However, the old lady was much shrewder than the girl. She wouldn’t rush in without preparation.
The ice cream in Wen Shi’s hand was melting fast. He ate a bite expressionlessly. Jian Qingrong probably didn’t possess such a strong shadow. It seemed he needed to ask in detail later about where the other party had acquired such a large dark eyeball.
The two people have two different thoughts. The girl worried about the teenager, “I wonder how my dear grandson is doing now?”
Wen Shi unlocked his phone, the screen displaying the webpage about Sunset Town Museum he had previously searched. There was nothing special reported, just one line: “A treasure trove for collecting and displaying the history of evolution.”
Looking at the museum’s location, Wen Shi also checked the time. “The little guy should be here by now.”
After speaking, he looked sidelong at the girl and said, “Let’s establish a pact for the sake of your grandson.”
Upon hearing the word “grandson,” the girl’s eyes held a kind of legendary innocence, and she took the bait automatically, “What kind of pact?”
…
While Wen Shi and the girl were outlining their conditions, the teenager who had been on her mind just arrived outside the museum.
Wangjing Road was too long. With his nearly empty wallet, the teenager gave up on taking a taxi and relied on map apps and asking for directions. Eventually, he managed to reach the distant museum entrance.
Looking around, the tightly packed long stairs stacked layer by layer. The museum was built on more than a hundred levels of steps. As the teenager ascended, there was only the cool breeze swirling around the empty space.
At the museum entrance, there were no traditional stone lions or mythical creatures. Instead, there were two stone sculptures on the left and right.
One male and one female, carved as ordinary young adults, devoid of any mythological touch. The teenager observed closely, noticing they weren’t entirely devoid of uniqueness. The sculptures’ eyeballs were placed separately, movable upon touch. Even the ears seemed like they were stuck on. On the whole, lacking the smoothness of regular sculptures, they looked more like assembled building blocks.
On the side, there was a sign related to opening hours.
The museum’s morning hours ran until 12:30, closing for two hours at noon, and reopening in the afternoon until 4:00. Among the notable visiting guidelines were:
1. Full-price ticket (300 yuan) grants access to all areas, while half-price ticket (150 yuan) only covers the South Zone.
2. Under no circumstances should garbage be concealed within the museum premises. Consumption in any form is strictly prohibited inside the museum, particularly in the exhibition halls. Loud noises by visitors are also prohibited.
3. Free audio guides are provided in the museum. They can be obtained on the right side upon entry. They will provide you with professional explanations.
The teenager noted down the guidelines and continued forward.
The entrance wasn’t designed to rotate. It took some effort to push it open. Upon opening, a faint smell hit his face.
The door closed again, and the system’s prompt sounded:
“You’ve arrived at the must-visit Land Museum. Before closing, please visit at least two exhibition halls. You can choose whether to visit the third one. After finishing the visit, proceed to the sixth floor to get your stamp from a staff member.”
“The themes of the three exhibition halls are Evolution, Transplantation, and Perfect Specimens. Inside each hall, you should spend a minimum of fifteen minutes.”
“Reminder: If you haven’t obtained the stamp by closing time, you will lose something important.”
The teenager checked his phone. It was already 11:15. He had less than an hour left. The museum’s opening hours were at most an hour and a half. He didn’t want to wait until the afternoon.
Prepared for the worst, the teenager activated his transformation and then proceeded to pick up the audio guide.
Following the sign’s instructions, he looked to his right. There was a red box in the shape of a coffin, with an opening in the center of the lid for the arm to reach in and retrieve something. On the coffin lid, it read: Audio Guide. Beneath it were two lines of small text:
Please close your eyes and make a selection. Each visitor can only take one audio guide.
If you’re unlucky, blind selection is not recommended. You can go to the vending machine fifty meters ahead and pay fifty coins.
“Talking about luck with me…” The teenager seemed to hear a joke. He looked into the dark space below the small opening on top. Unable to see anything, he closed his eyes and confidently grabbed one at random.
As he took it out, the surface of the audio guide suddenly felt strange. Lowering his head for a look, he saw a lifelike snake depicted on the otherwise flat surface of the audio guide.
The audio guide started automatically, emitting a hissing sound, “Congratulations on selecting the serpent-themed exhibition. Please proceed to Exhibit Hall No. 6 on the first floor.”
Inheriting Wen Shi’s aversion to snakes, the teenager couldn’t help but curse out a dirty word. He quickly realized why he got the snake-themed audio guide. He was currently using the transformation of a cat, which theoretically had a restraining effect on snakes.
“……” However, that was only in normal circumstances. In the game, such restrictions could be ignored.
The corner of the teenager’s mouth twitched. What use did he have for this luck?!
Head aching, he located the guidepost and proceeded to walk towards the direction of the South Zone, observing his surroundings the whole time, especially above his head. He hadn’t spotted any surveillance cameras yet.
Except for him, the entire museum seemed devoid of any other person.
The ticket from the tour guide didn’t reveal if it was full price or half price, but considering her character, it was undoubtedly the latter. The windows in the South Zone were half as numerous as those in the North Zone. The dim lighting and the source of the foul smell made it evidently more dangerous.
Following the map, he walked deep into the corridor. Faintly, he could see a large “6” posted ahead. Right beside it was the entrance to Exhibit Hall No. 6. The door was small and low, with no lights inside. It was pitch-black like a hole, radiating a sense of eeriness.
The teenager approached cautiously, his height now limited. Even so, he had to crouch to fit through the door, squeezing in sideways.
The entire exhibit hall had only one transparent display case. The damp and gloomy air was incredibly uncomfortable.
The teenager turned on his flashlight to illuminate the surroundings. The walls around him had irregular holes numbering in the hundreds. Due to excessive moisture, small water droplets would occasionally condense and fall. The foul-smelling water hit the glass, revealing a massive coiled snake skeleton inside.
Upon entering the game, Wen Shi’s tolerance for snakes had improved significantly, which in turn increased the teenager’s acceptance. However, it didn’t mean he could endure being inside a snake hole.
“I don’t remember what my name is.” A sharp and thin voice suddenly sounded.
The audio guide in the teenager’s hand vibrated, and the voice came too abruptly. He almost threw it away in surprise.
“I only remember that my hometown suffered from famine when I was young. My whole family survived by gnawing on tree bark. Later, our lives improved, and through hard work, I built up a career.” The unpleasant voice echoed in the empty exhibition hall, and the audio guide exuded a damp and cold breath, as if a beautiful snake was coiling around his ear and speaking. “But my stomach was ruined by hunger when I was young. If I ate even a bit more, it would hurt terribly. But I really wanted to eat something, only constant eating could make me forget the hunger that enveloped me.
“That kind of hunger prevented me from concentrating on anything. Introduced by someone, I decided to go to the Gold Tower Kingdom. I heard people there could undergo a second evolution. I chose to evolve into a snakekin.”
From the densely packed holes on the wall, through the flashlight’s beam, he could vaguely see something long wriggling out. The soft, undulating snake head finally emerged from the hole. A shiver ran down the teenager’s spine. If it weren’t for the mandatory time requirement in each exhibition hall, he would have already fled.
Half of the snake’s body emerged from the hollow. The snake head had a human face.
The pungent odor grew stronger, and the surface of the audio guide became smooth and cold.
“Being a snake feels so good. I can swallow a huge prey whole in one go, and savor the wonderful taste as it slowly digests in my body. I can even go a month without eating and still feel full.” The audio guide pressed tightly against his skin, impossible to remove.
The movements inside the hole grew louder, the feeling of hunger seemed to be continuously surging into his body through the audio guide, and the teenager’s stomach contracted, experiencing spasms of pain.
He was now consumed by an intense desire to feed.
“A snake is a treasure in every inch of its body, snake liver, snake gallbladder, snake blood…” The audio guide seemed as if it wanted to merge with him. With each word it spoke, the teenager had an illusion that the forked tongue of a venomous snake was constantly brushing against his palm. “Among them, only one is non-venomous and can alleviate your hunger.”
The teenager clutched his convulsing stomach. “And then I become like you, a snakekin?”
During the evolution of wormkin, besides undergoing a psychological transformation, they also needed the viscous substance found in the mouths of worms, similar to a virus transmission.
His health points hadn’t decreased, but the prompt indicated that Yin energy entered his body. He was feeling a bit dizzy now. The teenager looked at the holes. Not every one of them held a snake. Every so often, there were empty openings, with discarded snake skins from the snake holes.
There were two relatively safe options: snake skin and snake bones.
Snake skin might have snake secretions on it. The snake bones in the display case were long dried out, leaving only fragile skeletons. He approached the display case. Gathering all his strength in his cat tail, he swung it forcefully, shattering the delicate glass.
The voice from the audio guide sounded slightly frantic. “What do you intend to do with my bones?”
The teenager’s eyes were turning a shade of green. He took a deep breath and didn’t take the snake bones. Instead, he gripped the end of the tree trunk entwined with the snake bones.
In the audio guide’s story, the protagonist survived childhood famine by eating tree bark. The true non-venomous thing wasn’t the snake itself, but this piece of wooden stump. The audio guide had been trying to mislead him into eating the snake. It pretended to be angry, but the concealed excitement couldn’t escape the teenager’s notice. Clearly, the other party wanted him to swallow the bones.
He knew that eating the snake bones would lead to something bad.
The tree trunk wasn’t too heavy, but given the teenager’s current state, moving it was a bit of a struggle. His right hand was stuck to the audio guide, so he curled his arm around the tree trunk and slowly shifted it. After a short distance, the tree trunk fell heavily to the ground, leaning against the display case.
The rough bark chafed against his skin through his clothes, and chewing it was even harder. However, in a state of hunger, there was nothing he wouldn’t eat. The dry tree trunk right in front of him seemed like a golden loaf of bread.
The teenager knocked on his head, feeling like he had forgotten something important. The combination of Yin energy and hunger was affecting his brain’s ability to think clearly. He was in a daze, muttering to himself, “What did I forget?”
The audio guide’s constant chatter disrupted his thoughts. The foul odor wafted to his ears, seemingly flowing into his brain through his ears, numbing his entire body.
The cat tail smashed the snake bones to pieces, treating them like trash and scattering them on the ground. The teenager occupied the stump, hugging it like a koala while pondering the issue.
The audio guide was genuinely getting frustrated. It released a continuous stream of cold air.
The teenager remained unfazed. He tried hard to conjure up an infuriating face in his mind. His damned original self was probably doing something completely unrelated right now, definitely not munching on tree bark.
Anger sometimes helped maintain clarity. Fueled by his anger towards Wen Shi, the teenager managed to regain a hint of focus. He vaguely remembered something important.
“Food.”
Outside the door, the guidelines clearly stated that consumption in any form inside the museum was prohibited. His hands hung weakly at his sides as the teenager muttered against the tree bark, “Nearly went brain-dead from hunger.”
Emitting an unmistakable cold aura, the audio guide attracted some of the snakes out of their holes, slithering towards the teenager.
However, the teenager remained motionless, doing nothing. He decided to bide his time. If the game had included a segment tempting players to eat snake skin, the chances of these snakes attacking out of nowhere seemed slim.
Being surrounded by a dozen or so snakes was far from comfortable. The teenager slightly bent his body, his nails, now sharpened, lightly scraping against the tree bark. It was as if he was ready to hunt at any moment.
In reality, his face bore a look of utter hopelessness, and he once again questioned his luck: What good was his luck value?
The audio guide whispered enticingly, “By consuming my bones, you’ll gain the ability to command snakes.”
Just one minute left.
Time seemed to drag on for the teenager. His stomach felt like it was on fire, and he could only alleviate the pain by constantly swallowing saliva. To divert his attention, he drew circles on the tree stump, cursing Wen Shi with every stroke.
When he reached the tenth circle, a notification sound chimed in his ear, “Congratulations on completing Exhibit 6.”
Weighed down, the teenager slumped off the tree stump and exited the agonizing evolution-themed exhibit.
The audio guide’s exterior transformed into snake skin, with a subtle graininess that occasionally seemed to pulsate. The teenager realized that entering the exhibit was just one danger. When the audio guide fully metamorphosed into a snake, there would likely be another wave of trouble.
“Please proceed to Exhibit 6 for Transplantation theme,” the audio guide suppressed its anger and provided the next guidance.
The staircase was artistically designed, with winding curves that reminded the teenager of snakes once again.
Upon reaching the exhibit, he paused outside for a few seconds to observe. Inside was a large showcase of deformities–snake-headed humans with ears, two-headed snakes, and rattlesnakes with an extra eye on their foreheads. Once the teenager entered, the audio guide spoke again:
“I was initially quite happy, until some time after becoming a snakekin. Gradually, I acquired most of the snake’s characteristics. No hearing, extremely poor vision, and a distaste for human contact…”
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