Love NPC in Nightmare Game - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Mirror World 10

The moment Zhou Zhou stepped into the mirror, everything within his sight was engulfed in darkness. His night vision ability seemed to have failed, and he couldn’t see anything around him. He only felt that the place he was in was vast and boundless.

He didn’t hear any sound either, as if the entire world only had himself in it, silent and still.

Yes, it was only him here. He had always been alone, no matter how much he searched or called out, no one else would come…

Zhou Zhou stood motionless, his expression blank and his pupils somewhat unfocused.

Suddenly, a feeble white light flashed before his eyes, as if something had suddenly darted past him. This slight difference in color made the dazed Zhou Zhou snap back to his senses. He wasn’t alone, he had come to find Al!

In an instant, countless cracks spread from beneath Zhou Zhou’s feet, continuously extending outwards. Numerous white lights broke through the shackles of darkness, sending their radiance into the entire space from the crevices.

The darkness was torn apart by the daylight and vanished without a trace.

Zhou Zhou could finally see his surroundings clearly again.

In the pure white space, countless mirrors were arranged, a dazzling sight, many times more than the mirrors in the corridor. Every single mirror had a different style, like a mirror exhibition hall.

Zhou Zhou slowly walked up to a mirror and found that it displayed a dynamic scene. The background was a blooming rose field, with fiery red roses adorning the verdant branches, their rich and vibrant colors taking one’s breath away.

Zhou Zhou’s gaze, however, was focused on the two figures in the foreground. Based on their height and physique, they appeared to be a tall and a short person, likely an adult and a child. They seemed to be saying something, but Zhou Zhou couldn’t hear any sound, nor could he discern who these two people were. Their silhouettes were very blurred, and even their genders were indistinguishable.

The next mirror showed a lavishly decorated house, with many people dressed in white clothes coming and going. Similarly, he couldn’t make out their figures or appearances.

The third mirror displayed a desolate wasteland, with many blurred figures lying on the ground, some even piled up together in a heap of indistinct bodies.

The fourth mirror…

The fifth mirror…

The scenes appearing in each mirror were different, and since the people were blurred out, Zhou Zhou couldn’t comprehend what was happening in them. He had never seen any of these scenes before.

Moreover, his purpose for coming here was to find Al. Where was he now?

The pure white space seemed to have only him, but earlier in the darkness, he thought he had seen a white shadow. Was that Al?

“Al?” Zhou Zhou called out softly.

There was no response in the space. Zhou Zhou sidestepped past the mirror in front of him, continuing to search in this mirror-filled space.

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed past Zhou Zhou’s side again. Compared to the blindingly bright white space, that white shadow appeared softer and purer.

“Al, is that you?” Zhou Zhou walked towards the direction where the silhouette had passed. The mirrors here were too densely packed, he didn’t want to break any more mirrors, so he had to carefully navigate through them.

When Zhou Zhou reached an ornate vanity mirror, he saw a small figure hiding behind the oval-shaped mirror with a golden frame.

It wasn’t Al. Zhou Zhou was a little disappointed, but he was still curious about who this child was and why they were here.

“Hello, my name is Zhou Zhou,” Zhou Zhou greeted the child crouching behind the mirror without approaching further.

The child, dressed in white, slowly stood up and turned towards Zhou Zhou.

With fair skin, deep blue eyes, and an incredibly cute appearance, the boy looked to be around ten years old.

The moment their eyes met, Zhou Zhou could only see endless desolation in those deep blue eyes. Although they were exceptionally beautiful eyes, they held no sparkle, only profound wariness and vigilance.

“Who are you?” The black-haired, blue-eyed child asked impassively, not waiting for Zhou Zhou’s reply before continuing, “You’re with those people.”

His tone was very assertive.

“Who?” Zhou Zhou asked, puzzled. Who was he with?

“Those people who all look the same. You have a similar scent.”

Scent? Zhou Zhou sniffed his sleeve.

Ah, the smell of roasted meat.

Was he referring to the driver?

Zhou Zhou blinked, suddenly understanding something, and looked at the other party in astonishment. “Are you Al? Little Al?”

The child stared at him impassively. Although his appearance was adorable, cuter than any child Zhou Zhou had ever seen, even countless times cuter than the little angel Xiao Jin, his expression was like that of a robot, unchanging since the moment Zhou Zhou had laid eyes on him.

His gaze was also quite unsettling, fixated on Zhou Zhou’s neck and chest, as if he might attack those vital areas at any moment. This behavior was completely unlike that of a normal child. Upon hearing Zhou Zhou’s question, he coldly said, “Are you here to find someone? I’m not Al, my name is Alvia!”

He emphasized the last sentence, as if asserting his identity, but Zhou Zhou didn’t understand the significance of this name. He only assumed that Alvia might be Al’s full name, and since this child in Al’s illusion had similar eyes and hair to Al, and the driver had been looking for him, it must be Al.

“Al, you’re not as good-looking when you grow up,” Zhou Zhou remarked honestly as he examined the miniaturized Al.

The child looked at Zhou Zhou fiercely, his wolf-like eyes gazing as if at prey about to die. If it were an adult’s appearance, it might have posed a certain threat. But since it was a child’s behavior, Zhou Zhou only found Little Al truly adorable, even his glare was cute.

“Al, come with me and let’s get out of here. This is your illusion.” Not only had Al become smaller, but he had also lost his memories and didn’t remember Zhou Zhou. However, once they left this place, he should return to normal.

The little boy glanced at Zhou Zhou’s outstretched hand, his fist clenched tightly at his side. He had been prepared to beat this person and drive them out of here, but he couldn’t bring himself to act without hesitation like he had with those others. Why? Was it because this person looked better than them?

Looking at Zhou Zhou’s appearance, he did look quite good-looking. But Alvia knew that these were all tricks to deceive him. Beneath the beautiful exterior lurked deadly poison. He couldn’t trust anyone!

With this thought, Alvia suddenly moved, not punching Zhou Zhou but instead turning and running towards a mirror.

Seeing Al run, Zhou Zhou immediately gave chase, following him into that mirror.

With a blur before his eyes, Zhou Zhou found himself entering a garden from the pure white space, the very rose field he had seen in the mirror earlier. Although Zhou Zhou usually enjoyed such flowers, he didn’t take the time to admire these roses. He seemed to have lost Little Al, he had clearly followed him in, but now there was no sign of the small white figure anywhere.

“Al, where are you?” Zhou Zhou called out while searching in all directions.

Yet he couldn’t find that small white figure anywhere, and the mirror he had come through had vanished without a trace, making it impossible for him to return to that pure white space.

Zhou Zhou recalled the scene he had seen in the mirror before, where two indistinct figures, one very short like a child, were at the edge of the rose field. Could the short one be Al?

He was currently in the center of the rose field and didn’t know the exact position of those two figures at the time, so he could only search along the edge.

As he reached the edge of the rose field, he heard voices coming from somewhere.

Zhou Zhou immediately followed the voices and saw Little Al, dressed in white clothes that made him appear even smaller than before, with his head lowered as he listened to a man speaking.

The man’s appearance was still indistinct, but Zhou Zhou could see his mouth moving as if speaking, though his expression seemed exaggeratedly grotesque despite the blurred features.

Although Zhou Zhou could hear the man talking, the words sounded muffled, as if heard through a barrier, garbled like an old radio with static and interruptions.

As Zhou Zhou approached them, Al seemed to sense something and glanced sideways at him before lowering his head again.

Zhou Zhou knew Al must have noticed him just then, but his gaze was utterly unfamiliar, like looking at a complete stranger with no interest whatsoever.

The moment Al lowered his head, the man’s voice suddenly became clear, streaming steadily into Zhou Zhou’s ears.

“You should understand your place. In this world, no one cares whether you live or die. If it weren’t for your spiritual power still being somewhat useful, do you think you’d still be alive today?”

“Obey and cooperate with the doctor’s examination. If they discover the secrets of spiritual power, it could change all of humanity.”

“Don’t fantasize about things you shouldn’t. Don’t think about escaping, or you know what will happen. Actually, looking at your dead expression, I doubt you’ll be obedient in the future.” The man with the blurred face took something out of his pocket.

“These are the latest shackles. After they’re put on your wrists, they’ll automatically bind and allow us to track your location at all times. If you move too far from the central control point, it’ll generate an electric current, and the farther you go, the stronger the current. If you try to leave the planet, you’ll turn into a charred corpse. And once they’re on, there’s no way to remove them.

“These are fresh from the prison, never tested on inmates before. I had them make a smaller size, just right for you.”

The man seemed to chuckle, then approached Al with two small black rings.

“Thump!”

At the sound, Al looked over, his lifeless blue eyes widening in surprise for the first time.

The man who had just been threatening and intimidating him lay on the ground, and behind him stood a youth holding a wooden board, the same one who had emerged from the rose field.

Al didn’t recognize him and didn’t know why the man called Soter remained unmoved by this sudden person’s appearance. It had nothing to do with him, but he was still surprised by the other’s actions. Could this be one of Soter’s enemies?

Earlier, Zhou Zhou had broken off a wooden board from a fence near the garden and, seizing the opportunity, struck the back of the man’s head while he was distracted and couldn’t see Zhou Zhou.

It was Zhou Zhou’s first time hitting someone. He wasn’t very skilled, but this man who kept threatening Al couldn’t see him, which made it easier. Not knowing if the man would wake up soon, Zhou Zhou hit him again, harder with the board.

Zhou Zhou panicked a little. This was his first time doing something like this. What if he had killed the man?

Oh well, he’d worry about that later. He dropped the board, grabbed Al’s hand, and ran.

“Run!”