Chapter 488 Trying to Alter the Plot

Chapter 488: Attempting to Alter the Plot

"If you encounter a water source that hasn't been stained red by blood, it means there's something in that water that the Blood Ghosts would never, ever dare to go near!" Su Bai's voice was calm, yet each word seemed to carry a dangerous warning, like a hidden riptide just below the calm surface—impossible to ignore.

Ning Yi's hand, poised to test the water, froze and she instantly pulled it back. Her expression changed slightly, as if the seemingly placid lake had suddenly turned into a bottomless abyss. Her breathing became slightly rapid, and she even subconsciously took a few steps back, afraid she might accidentally fall in.

All the excitement drained from her eyes, replaced by wary caution.

Su Bai glanced at the other players who had also stepped back. His expression remained impassive, but the warning in his words was undiminished. "I don't know what's hiding in this lake either, but I'm certain it's nothing friendly."

Huo Lang noticed Ning Yi's pale face and stepped forward to gently pat her shoulder, forcing a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," he said softly, trying to soothe her. "We've already come up with plenty of safer methods we can set up, one by one; there's no need to take risks."

After speaking, Huo Lang turned and nodded to Su Bai, his expression carrying a hint of sincerity and gratitude. "Brother Su, thank you for the warning."

Su Bai gave a slight nod, a faint smile curling his lips, neither confirming nor denying.

Huo Lang's gaze then fell on Lian Xiangyu, who was standing not far away, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes. "Mr. Lian, do you know Brother Su? It seems you trust him quite a bit."

Lian Xiangyu was momentarily stunned, then his expression subtly shifted. Finally, he lowered his head and spoke half-truthfully, "It's nothing. We played in a game together once. He's... really something."

His tone was vague, clearly unwilling to elaborate.

But memories flooded his mind, those awkward moments from the Luolimasi Grand Hotel flashing before him like a revolving lantern. Lian Xiangyu recalled how the unidentified Su Bai back then had triggered the danger warning from his Beast Form ability, but he had mistakenly interpreted that warning as some kind of heart-pounding attraction. Even though his Beast Form ability was telling him Su Bai was dangerous, he'd mistaken it for falling for Su Bai at first sight, who was wearing a maid's outfit at the time.

What seemed even worse to Lian Xiangyu was that even after learning the other was a man, he still felt an indescribable jealousy when he saw a mysterious cloaked man with his arm around Su Bai.

"The cloaked man..."

This vague figure suddenly became clear in Lian Xiangyu's recollection, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to Wu Hang standing on the other side.

Wu Hang stood there quietly, completely concealed by his cloak, yet his posture felt inexplicably familiar to Lian Xiangyu with his animal intuition. What puzzled him more was that his Beast Form intuition didn't issue any warning, indicating Wu Hang posed no direct threat.

Lian Xiangyu trusted his intuition, but a deeper instinct made him feel things weren't that simple.

He was almost getting himself tangled up in confusion.

However, time was pressing. Huo Lang and the others didn't dwell on these complex emotions any longer and quickly sprang into action. After eliminating the "entering the water" option, they immediately began implementing a new plan. The paper and pens they had found in the villa came in handy. Everyone wrote down the secrets of their bodies, their true selves, and the truth about the script on pieces of paper, clenching them tightly in their fists. They hoped that later, when they became puppets, noticing these notes might make the script's progression less boring.

Huo Lang then used his ability—following his will, various plants from the villa's outer flowerbeds rapidly climbed over the villa's doors and windows. The plant stems squirmed like live snakes, weaving into a massive net that sealed the villa's front door and windows. Huo Lang's intention was clear: he wanted to prevent them from easily returning to the villa, thereby disrupting the script's rhythm.

Lian Xiangyu's hands also trembled slightly, the skin on his arms instantly covered in coarse beast-like fur. His bones emitted faint cracking sounds as his palms transformed into a pair of sharp tiger claws, each talon gleaming coldly under the moonlight. He looked down at his hands, hoping that when the script's control descended again, these unusual claws would become a key for his script-controlled self to realize something was wrong.

Su Bai and Feng Ling also joined the action. They helped Huo Lang firmly tie Lian Xiangyu, Ning Yi, and Shen Donger together. Thick ropes wound around their bodies, sturdy as an inescapable net. Ning Yi bit her lip, a flicker of unease in her eyes, but she didn't resist, seemingly accepting this absurd arrangement.

A tense atmosphere slowly settled over them, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl under this strange ambiance. If not for the limited time, perhaps they would have made more attempts to alter the script.

Suddenly, a low, heavy bell tolled from within the villa. The sound was drawn-out, as if from another world. Even through the thick vines, the bell's chime clearly reached their ears, like a silent command.

"Please note, everyone, today's audition is about to begin."

An eerie wind blew from across the lake, carrying a cold dampness in the air. Su Bai, Wu Hang, and Feng Ling held their breath, but they clearly saw the vacant, dazed look rapidly taking over the eyes of those four, as if reason was slowly draining from their gazes.

As the script took hold, when Lian Xiangyu, Ning Yi, and Shen Donger were tightly bound together by the vines, as the clarity faded from Lian Xiangyu's eyes, he almost lost control over the Beast Form ability within him. Before he could realize something was wrong, his tiger claws instantly reverted to ordinary hands.

The three main characters who had entered the script struggled briefly. Finding themselves tightly bound by the vines, they immediately shot angry looks towards the equally bewildered Huo Lang beside them.

"Butler Huo, why have you tied us together?" Lian Xiangyu stared at Huo Lang with anger in his eyes, clearly unable to find any other suspect.

"Me?" Huo Lang, also under the script's control, looked utterly confused. "What happened? Young Master? Miss Shen? How..."

Although Butler Huo didn't know what had happened, he immediately stepped forward and began trying to tear the vines apart.

These plants Huo Lang had accelerated should have been quite resilient, but perhaps because Huo Lang's ability, like Lian Xiangyu's Beast Form, had lost control, the vines had become ordinary. While they were tough when tangled together, breaking them one by one wasn't difficult.

The moment he was freed, Lian Xiangyu worked his wrist, snorted coldly, but his gaze held a dangerous sense of scrutiny.

Seeing the script "returning," Feng Ling couldn't help but speak up to remind them. "Everyone, perhaps you should look at the notes in your hands."