Eldritch Horror Theatre

No wonder looking down from above was so addictive.

Fu Qian savored the sensation of standing above the masses as the elevator slowly ascended, riding it all the way to the top floor.

The entire top floor of the White Tower was Bai Jinting’s private domain, housing his extravagantly luxurious office.

However, when Fu Qian stepped out of the elevator, a constant racket echoed from within, sounding like a troop of gorillas wrestling.

Fu Qian kicked open the already deformed doors. A sudden gust of wind rushed out, and a black shadow instantly charged at him.

Fu Qian neither dodged nor retreated. Striking later but landing first, he kicked the shadow right back inside.

A shrill, miserable shriek rang out, and a long white snake sprawled motionless on the floor.

Where the snake’s head should have been sat the standard face of a long-haired woman.

Its tail connected to a massive, tangled ball of serpents, from which a dozen other heads extended and retracted, tearing wildly through the office.

This image of a beautiful snake-woman pushed the boundaries of imagination.Judging by the clothes scattered everywhere across the floor, this cluster was most likely Bai Jinting’s secretaries.

The shriek clearly caught the thrashing snake cluster’s attention. Every movement stopped in an instant, and over a dozen human faces turned to stare in his direction.

A moment later, all those heads lunged over to bite him in unison.

Fu Qian didn’t hold back. He blasted them away with an Air Bullet, then began surveying his surroundings.

Bai Jinting’s office was vast and luxurious, but the snake cluster had clearly been rampaging through it for a while. Right now, the place looked as if a category-twelve hurricane had swept through—desks were overturned, chairs flipped, and everything lay in ruins.

At this moment, the most eye-catching thing in the room was a Black Stone Screen sitting right in the center.

Amidst the widespread devastation, this screen stood perfectly upright, entirely intact.

The surface of the screen was densely packed with text from top to bottom. The words were shining brightly right now, faintly sharing some wondrous connection with the surroundings.

This was...

Fu Qian had a good memory and instantly recognized the contents. It was the widely circulated White Tower Codex.

It was said to be Bai Jinting’s proudest work. He had personally written every single rule, and anyone who entered the Archipelago had to follow them strictly, including himself.

Putting this thing in his office felt a bit like performance art, but it was understandable.

However, with everything else smashed and toppled, the fact that this object stood so perfectly made it stand out far too much.

Fu Qian thought for a moment, then tried firing off an Air Bullet.

Silently, the Air Bullet dissipated the instant it touched the screen. The object didn’t change at all.

No wonder it remained intact under the snake cluster’s rampage. This thing’s existence was abnormal.

”...In the unfettered freedom, a regression to bestiality exists alongside an audience with divinity. Yet, the corners outside the rules often must rely on even stricter rules to exist.”

Fu Qian recalled the introduction from when he first entered this place; it seemed to heavily emphasize rules.

Speaking of which, if there was anything truly distinct about Bai Jinting, it was the fact that he was the creator of the Ring Archipelago.

He built this place and personally authored the White Tower Codex as its code of conduct.

It was precisely these incredibly broad rules that ultimately created the Ring Archipelago.

Could this be the reason Bai Jinting had been noticed?

It was like walking down a road; a person would normally ignore the ants.

But if those ants lined up to form the five Olympic rings, it was inevitable that someone would take an interest, snap a photo, or toss them a piece of candy.

Unrestrained, rampant desire paired with a codex that everyone had to obey had formed precisely this kind of special symbol.

And to the entity that had created this dream, this was something capable of drawing its attention.

So, it didn’t matter who the King of the White Tower was. As long as this remained, there would always be a King of the White Tower.

Then, did that mean as long as he destroyed this thing, it was possible to make the entity behind all this look away and let the dream return to reality?

Although this idea was quite a leap in logic, without any other leads, it was worth a try.

Boldly hypothesize, carefully verify!

However, he had just proven that the object couldn’t be damaged. Direct destruction wouldn’t work.

Was it possible to add new content and create a logical contradiction?

Fu Qian quickly thought of an idea.

He picked up a pen from the floor, tested it on the screen, and found that he could leave a mark.

So, mimicking the format above, he tried adding a rule at the end: Littering on the beach is permitted.

Yet, the instant he finished writing, it was as if an invisible eraser wiped the line of text completely clean.

Content that contradicted the existing rules would be rejected and couldn’t be written down at all?

In that case, the method of creating a conflict wouldn’t work either.

Fu Qian thought about it, then switched to a non-conflicting but trivial regulation.

This one actually stayed on the surface, but the dream remained as stable as ever.

It seemed minor additions like this couldn’t shake its fundamental nature at all.

Was there any way to change this thing’s fundamental nature?

Fu Qian’s mind raced, and then a flash of inspiration hit him.

Swish, swish, swish. He raised his pen and added one more line at the very bottom: All rights of interpretation for the above clauses belong to the White Tower Company.

Almost instantaneously, Fu Qian felt something rapidly peeling away from his body.

Immediately after, the space began to violently tremble. A few seconds later, everything before his eyes shattered with a deafening crash.

The scenery shifted. Fu Qian found himself back in the viewing stands where Bai Jinting had been. Scattered at his feet were severed limbs and mutilated corpses, all completely devoid of life.

[Mission complete. Containment of 2-088 successful.]

The notification chime finally rang in his ears.

’That actually worked?’

Just as Fu Qian was marveling at this, a surging wave of lightning enveloped him.

Demigod Yibu had finally arrived. Upon discovering Bai Jinting’s death, he immediately attacked in a fit of rage.

However, this terrifying wave of lightning ultimately failed to land on Fu Qian’s head.

The next moment, Fu Qian’s body vanished from the White Tower, returning once more to the Warehouse.

[Containment Successful]

[Mission Rating: bending a hundred times without breaking]

[During the annual competitive festival, an assassin disguised as a contestant assassinated Bai Jinting, the chief executive officer of the White Tower Company. Demigod Yibu temporarily took over the management of the Ring Archipelago.

Under the demigod’s deterrence, the Ring Archipelago quickly restored order.

However, he was far stricter than the original executive officer, no longer tolerating certain behaviors. This caused the Archipelago to lose some of its vitality, gradually becoming mediocre.

The unrestrained indulgence beneath the ironclad laws had formed a symbol of special significance, possessing the potential to attract certain special entities.

Bai Jinting, the creator of all this, would frequently receive revelations in his dreams, further perfecting them over time.

Yet, your borderline blasphemous actions caused it to fall from the sublime straight into The Abyss.

The immortal King of the White Tower has vanished. All that remains is an empty title, no longer possessing any special power.]

[Kills: Bai Jinting, Mutants ×9, Referee, Mou Yong, Taboo Crocodile Demon]

[Special Achievement: One-Life Clear (Containment completed on the first attempt)]

[Rewards: SAN Value +37; inspiration +5; Mythical Form]

[Special Achievement Reward: Transcendence]

[Current SAN Value: 95, Current inspiration: 31]

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