Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 97 Part 2

Chapter 97.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition

It wasn’t an illusion. Those were the heavy footsteps distinctive to the night shift security guard. Wen Shi grabbed the octopus and ran.

While he strained to hear every sound around him, he activated the【Howeward Bound】skill, preparing to head to the elevator as fast as possible.

The dim corridor oddly brought Wen Shi a sense of security now, as if he had donned a cloak of night, allowing him to move undetected in the darkness.

After dashing a distance, Wen Shi suddenly came to a halt. He heard the footsteps of the night shift security guard ahead. The steps were lingering, without any sign of moving away.

According to his memory of the route, he wasn’t far from the elevator now. If he risked running over, he’d inevitably clash head-on with the night shift security guard, and with【One Strike Flattens All】sealed, Wen Shi didn’t have any confidence in defeating the goat-headed security guard.

“Strange.” He sensed that something wasn’t right. Clearly, when he had descended earlier, there hadn’t been any security guards patrolling nearby.

•

The train station.

The turtleguy that had recently finished cleaning its claws was now forced to lie on the platform, staring intently at every movement within the water curtain.

In their regressed state, the already simple-minded turtleguy didn’t ponder why the water curtain displayed everything or who the captors were. Its mind held only one thought: bad luck!

“Your lucky little kitten has lost its way.” The true spirit seemed indifferent to whether he understood or not, calmly pointing at the water curtain. “He thought rushing through would lead to good fortune, but the maze is alive. Every move shifts the direction of the path.”

Rushing over wouldn’t lead to an elevator. Only a dead end awaits.

What Wen Shi would do and what abilities he possessed were all within the true spirit’s expectations.

“Cats are quite vigilant creatures,” the true spirit muttered to himself as he watched Wen Shi’s tense back in the water curtain, fixated on what lay ahead, “He sensed something amiss, but no matter…”

The opponent wouldn’t have time for careful consideration.

Like a prophetic deity, his words materialized instantly. In the very moment his voice faded, another figure appeared in the water curtain.

A gap emerged in the cream-colored ceiling, and the old lady descended from above, in person this time.

The words of the chameleon weren’t entirely false. The entire first underground floor was like an isolated space. Inside the ceiling’s pipes flowed corrosive solution, with leaks here and there. Each time a quest began, a barrier enveloped the outside. Shielded by a dual defense of viruses and spatial barriers, ordinary people couldn’t enter.

The old lady wasn’t ordinary, but the gap in the spatial barrier that she found was exactly what the true spirit had intentionally left behind.

Her appearance was bound to alert the night shift security guards.

The paths of fate could be orchestrated, as long as one was powerful enough. For example, in the current situation, the true spirit left them a way out, but each path led the opponent towards a dead end.

Wen Shi could have relied on the chameleon to guide him, but due to time constraints and the need to prevent the chameleon from tricking him at the last moment, he chose to use a skill.

“This is the beginning of his path to a point of no return,” the true spirit smiled, “The kitten is close to unraveling my scheme. But once he gets into a fight between the ‘grandma’ he’s calling and the night shift security, he’ll be forced into a passive role. He’ll have to seize the last opportunity and dash forward.”

The result would be not only a failure to find the elevator but also alerting more security guards.

The true spirit had a faintly frivolous smile. Behind his thick turtle shell, the turtleguy felt a chilling sense of dread, instinctively lowering itself even further.

…

The moment the elevator doors exhibited an anomaly, the old lady sensed fluctuations in the space below. Then the entire space closed off like the elevator doors.

She hesitated about whether to go down. Based on some prior incidents, the old lady believed that the more her dear grandson relied on her power in this game, whether actively or passively, the more unexpected situations might arise.

This was why she had suggested taking the scarecrow with her at the inn, implying that Wen Shi should rely on himself for everything.

Nevertheless, the foul presence from below grew stronger. In the end, the old lady decided to go see for herself.

Before heading there, she wasn’t unprepared. The old lady had caught the teenager, who had just completed a task in the infirmary and managed to steal a wristband. Remembering that Wen Shi had a surgery at eleven o’clock sharp, she carefully instructed him, “Wait outside the elevator for my dear grandson.”

The teenager held a steel pipe, expressionlessly asked, “For what?”

“If by nine minutes my grandson hasn’t come up from the elevator, you go outside and start a fire or cause some other chaos, like taking out the surgeon temporarily to delay the time.”

The night was cool as water, her tone even colder. The teenager thought in silence: Killing and arson might be a latent penchant in this family.

With this plan set, the old lady officially intruded into that space.

In this very moment, just as she successfully entered the first underground floor, the old lady locked eyes with the sideways pupils of the goat-headed security guard.

The unique pupils made the goat-headed security guard appear to have naturally narrowed eyes. In reality, his field of vision was quite broad, far surpassing humans. He could easily scan the surroundings without even turning his head.

The goat-headed security guard seemed to discern the strength of individuals. Facing this unexpected guest, he directly pulled the iron chain from his waist and swung it towards the old lady.

The rusty iron chain, like the old lady’s kitchen knife, seemed alive. Even if it missed its first strike, it could swiftly change direction and entangle its prey.

The swinging chain hit a nearby door, and in the next moment, an experimental subject rushed out.

The deformed experimental subject didn’t dare attack the night shift security guard. It immediately sensed the scent of a living person and rushed towards the area where Wen Shi was.

Wen Shi realized his position was exposed. The old lady ahead calmly grabbed a section of the iron chain and simultaneously said to him, “Give me the kitchen knife, you go ahead.”

When she asked for the knife, there was only one possibility–she was ready to go on a killing spree.

Wen Shi directly threw the knife over. He knew the old lady could control the knife from a distance. As expected, the kitchen knife, previously swung aimlessly in his hand, was manipulated by the old lady from a distance and severed the monster’s head.

The monster was slain, the goat-headed guard was held back, and the path was clear.

Wen Shi knew he should dash forward decisively, but the lingering unease surrounding him made his tail almost bristle.

With less than five minutes remaining, Wen Shi had no other choice but to take a quick look ahead. The elevator wasn’t too far from where he remembered, and if things went awry, he could retreat in under thirty seconds.

By some strange impulse, just as Wen Shi was about to sprint, he looked up at the ceiling, feeling an unprecedented intensity from being watched.

…

The clarity of the pair of mandarin duck eyes could clearly be sensed even through the water curtain.

What bright eyes.

They seemed very auspicious. The turtleguy almost couldn’t resist taking a step forward to get a better look.

His little movement didn’t escape the true spirit’ notice. The deity ruling over this world felt a rare hint of puzzlement.

“Your options are almost exhausted, and you still want to take a step forward?”

The turtle’s shell trembled slightly. It found itself unable to lie in front of this person–its mouth unconsciously spoke its thought, “Good luck and prosperity.”

In contrast to everything behind the water curtain, the turtle’s words seemed illogical and foolish. If it were the tour guide here, she would definitely have mocked him. But the true spirit didn’t. He was exceptionally approachable. A thought flickered through his mind: Wise men think ahead, and are prepared for one misstep.

Did his arrangements indeed contain that one misstep?

The true spirit’s thoughts raced at an extraordinary speed. In just a moment, he reviewed all his setups, ensuring he had considered all potential actions and devised different strategies accordingly.

Regardless of how the child would behave, there would be a corresponding plan.

…

The hospital, underground floor.

Just as Wen Shi was about to dash forward, the mini octopus in his pocket suddenly spoke, “Step back.”

Simultaneously, he told the old lady, “Mechanical cat.”

With two abrupt words, the old lady reacted swiftly and promptly tossed something. It was an item no larger than half a fist, a shrunken mechanical cat.

The mechanical cat was a fallback left by Jian Qingrong for himself. It was meant to prevent the scarecrow from getting damaged in special situations. It could temporarily take over the host. This semi-finished experiment not only served as a mouthpiece, but it was also a small robot that could expand and contract. Most importantly, it had a crucial ability: smoke bombs.

Initially, Jian Qingrong had considered creating a bomb. However, during his experiments, he found that the scarecrow couldn’t carry powerful weapons capable of causing destruction across dimensions. So he opted for an alternative.

Because he had transformed into an octopus, it was inconvenient for him to carry this device. Thus, he entrusted it to the old lady and briefly explained its usage.

The red button was pressed, releasing a choking thick smoke that condensed into a smokescreen.

They were too close. Within the visual obstruction caused by the smokescreen intended for the goat-headed security guard, Wen Shi and the others were enveloped in a large cloud of smoke.

“Continue backing up and turn left,” the mini octopus directed methodically. “The elevator is to the south, and we’re to the north. The path you’re on now isn’t the correct route to the elevator.”

While accelerating his run, Wen Shi was amazed by its ability to maintain a sense of direction in this situation.

“I left a contaminant near the elevator exit earlier.”

Since the mini octopus could cross multiple instances to find him through the pendant it gave to Wen Shi, it naturally could locate the elevator entrance.

Wen Shi blinked in surprise. Did this mean the other party had been prepared all along?

“When you mentioned the true spirit to me, I became more cautious,” the mini octopus explained, understanding his unspoken question. “Not giving you the correct path earlier was to avoid the possibility that we were still under the true spirit’s observation. The more time we have, the easier it is for the true spirit to come up with emergency plans.”

With less than five minutes remaining, even a god couldn’t change the situation.

As they neared the elevator, a magnetic voice that didn’t quite match the octopus’s size gently advised Wen Shi, “Once you reach the elevator, go for the surgery first. The old lady and I will explore the first underground floor.”

“You…”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve already memorized all the layouts and routes of thr first underground floor from the surveillance. The information from that blueprint is in my memory as well.”

“You…”

“Beastkin possess unique abilities. My ability as an octopus is good memory. Coupled with the contaminant increasing my adaptability, I now have hypermnesia.”

“You’ve got a brain now!” Wen Shi finally managed to say the sentence while running.

At the same time, the old lady let out an almost strangled exclamation. For someone who usually spoke softly, she was practically in a state of vocal cord breakage.

Although the mini octopus’ voice was a bit enchanting, as it calmly stated a fact, there was an inexplicable touch of coldness in its tone. “Of course.”

After completing its evolution, its initial act of cuteness was just to better cling to Wen Shi and exploit people’s caring for the intellectually challenged. Upon hearing about the true spirit, it knew it had to keep up the act. Everything Wen Shi possessed was exposed to others, making it all the more necessary for him to have a special trump card.

If the true spirit had a scheme, it might involve Wen Shi’s shadow, family, or even those teammates, but it would never encompass an intellectually challenged person, let alone the abilities that come with it.

Whatever the mini octopus said afterward, Wen Shi didn’t quite register it. His mind was fixated on one thought: It’s got a brain now, it’s got a brain now…

•

Under the same silent night sky.

The true spirit, who had been casually sitting on the platform, suddenly stood up. It was no exaggeration to say that the fact the mini octopus had gained intelligence had shocked him beyond belief.

The true spirit could gather all information from its duplicate’s eye. The memory of the scene where the mini scarecrow was knocked away by the train was still vivid. An entity that used to only dabble in jealousy and pettiness had somehow gained intelligence.

What kind of world was this, and how terrifyingly unpredictable humans could be!

“I underestimated it…”

The true spirit knew that Big Eye was extraordinary, but ultimately, it was just an eyeball. It didn’t even possess the will of a deity and was a lower being than its duplicate.

A strange ripple swept through the world. The true spirit realized that even the game’s omnipotent will seemed to be surprised by this.

The true spirit had only seen the mini octopus for less than three days, yet he had already concluded that it was intellectually challenged. But the game had witnessed Big Eye’s performance in the previous two instances.

To call it intellectually challenged would be an understatement.

Take this instance, for example. At the beginning, the scarecrow that came knocking almost caused nine suns to appear in the sky. Even after the game gave it a few slaps, the other party still hadn’t understood the hints. It stubbornly continued trying to cross the barrier, as if it was defying the entire world.

That’s right, this brainless fool, it actually succeeded in evolving!

The game, which had been quietly observing and learning human culture and behavior, was now left with only six ancient words in all of its will: “This Grandpa’s youthful days are over.”

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))