Why?
This was the shared question in everyone's hearts. Why was the controller ineffective? Why would the man who called himself a father risk everything to save this little girl?
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't make sense of it either. But at this moment, his full attention was fixed on the voice coming from the robot's chest speaker.
"Demon Lord?" It had just said Demon Lord?!
Suddenly, he recalled the message left by Bing Ge.
Could it be that the thing Bing Ge told him to find was this very Transformer? His heart jolted in surprise.
Bang bang…
The Red Dancing Shoes delivered two swift kicks, knocking the Transformer sideways by half a meter.
Zhang Yuanqing instantly snapped awake and shouted, "Quick, get back into the car!"
Without waiting for his prompt, Xishi, Huomo, and the Great Sage Sun Wukong had already opened the car doors and were preparing to dive inside for shelter.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Xie Lingxi's blank stare, lifted her up, then tucked the upper half of the "father" figure under his arm, and hurried into another car.
Bang!
The car door slammed shut, blocking the danger outside.
Zhang Yuanqing let out a silent sigh of relief, then looked at the two companions beside him. The man who called himself a father was still alive, his vitality stubborn, but it was only a matter of time.
Xie Lingxi came out of her daze, looking at the middle-aged man with complicated eyes, and softly asked:
"Why?"
Why risk your life to save me?
Facing the girl's question, the man's face was pale and gray, but his tone was surprisingly calm. He countered:
"Does saving someone need a reason?"
Xie Lingxi was stunned.
This doesn't sound like something that uncle would say… Zhang Yuanqing thought with mixed feelings.
For a moment, this simple, sincere answer touched his heart.
The man said lightly, "You don't need to be grateful, nor feel guilty. I saved you, but it has little to do with you. People like me—death might be a relief. If you knew what I've done in the past, you wouldn't pity me. Of course, I don't need pity."
His voice was weak and intermittent. "Wang Tai…"
"You want to say…"
"I want to ask a favor. If you manage to leave the amusement park alive, find a man for me, and deliver a message. In return, I will tell you something about the mission."
Why me? Zhang Yuanqing looked up in confusion, glancing at Xie Lingxi.
The man's face grew even paler, voice weaker: "She is an official…."
Xie Lingxi knew the strategy, so the man suspected the little girl was from the authorities? His matters must not be known by them? Zhang Yuanqing's mind flickered. He nodded:
"Alright, I promise. Provided I can leave the amusement park alive."
"The person I want you to find is called 'Master Wuhen'. Deliver my message to him…" The man paused, his eyes flickering with confusion, hatred, and sorrow, "I'm sorry. To this day, I don't know whether the fault lies with me or this world."
Zhang Yuanqing was stunned for a moment. "I'll remember."
The man nodded in satisfaction. "I'll give you an address, and the information as compensation. Come closer…"
Zhang Yuanqing bent down, putting his ear near him. After a few seconds, he raised his head and whispered:
"Alright. In exchange, I'll take care of it."
The man showed relief, no longer forcing himself. The last spark in his eyes went out.
Xie Lingxi's eyes reddened; tears rolled down her cheeks.
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't tell if she was genuinely crying or faking it. After a moment's thought, he said:
"He's a corrupt profession user. He just told me himself. I don't know why he saved you, but maybe it really has nothing to do with you. You don't have to feel guilty."
Evil professions often come with their own stories.
Xie Lingxi sniffled and nodded obediently. "I know. There's a strong killing aura on him. I knew early on he was evil… What do we do next?"
She knew the "father" was an evil profession user… Zhang Yuanqing's eyes darkened as he recalled her every move and word from start to finish. Then, he looked outside through the car window. The Red Dancing Shoes were fiercely fighting the Transformer.
According to their observations, the Transformer would chase the spiritual realm wanderers for five minutes every time it appeared.
But the time was up, and this iron monster still hadn't left.
Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept from the battle to a car diagonally behind. He saw Xishi knocking on the window, sending urgent looks this way, as if calling for help.
Behind her, Huomo and the Great Sage were arguing fiercely.
The sudden turn of events caused infighting between them. Xishi probably wanted to ask for help but was too far away to communicate.
If this keeps up, we'll be trapped in the cars forever. I guess they're not just afraid of the Transformer—they're also afraid of the Red Dancing Shoes. Because the hour is almost up… Zhang Yuanqing looked at the delicate young girl beside him and said:
"You saw what's going on outside. Any thoughts?"
Whether the girl was genuinely fragile or just pretending, if she made it into this amusement park, she certainly wasn't stupid. A competent leader knows to seek advice.
Xie Lingxi, still looking delicate, sobbed:
"To solve this crisis, we must first understand the problem. We need to figure out why the Transformer is breaking all the rules."
Right, this Transformer is ruthless—cheating and ambushing… Zhang Yuanqing nodded: "Go on."
"I pressed the controller just now. It really stopped. That means the controller works, the Transformer can't be tricking us. So actually, we already disabled it once." Xie Lingxi said:
"I noticed after it regained power, its words changed. Is it possible its control system has changed? Maybe we need to disable it again."
Disable it again… Zhang Yuanqing silently mulled over this. No further questions—Xie Lingxi wouldn't know more. But her analysis sparked enough inspiration.
The Transformer must be related to the information Bing Ge left me. To understand Bing Ge's disappearance and the Demon Lord, I have to control the Transformer.
After entering Jinshui Amusement Park, he hadn't forgotten Bing Ge's clues but hadn't deliberately searched, because at S-rank difficulty, just clearing the level was lucky. Random searching might get you killed faster. Bing Ge's clues depended on fate.
This situation was actually good. The mission and the clue were dealt with simultaneously—if he could survive the crisis, of course.
Bing Ge's info contained only the spiritual realm number and one sentence: "One lifetime, two brothers." Disable it again… I think I know how to use this phrase… Zhang Yuanqing decided to try and opened the car door.
"You…" Xie Lingxi was startled and called out sharply.
From a nearby car, Xishi froze; the Great Sage and Huomo stopped arguing.
Why is Wang Tai coming out? Is he retrieving the shoes?
Zhang Yuanqing closed the car door and approached the Transformer, stopping five or six meters away. He took a deep breath and shouted:
"One lifetime, two brothers!"
The voice echoed in the underground parking lot. Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded—the once furious and violent Transformer suddenly shut down as if out of power.
Then, the speaker on its chest sounded:
"Correct command!"
The steel armor covering its chest 'clacked' open, splitting to both sides, revealing wires and a black square box inside.
Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and picked up the box.
Its casing was made of black metal composite. On its front were a speaker and two buttons. Judging by appearance, it looked like a pocket-sized speaker.
About half a palm in size.
At that moment, a message appeared in Zhang Yuanqing's vision:
[Name: Cat King Speaker]
[Type: Audio device]
[Function: Play audio]
[Description: Long ago, a cat king who loved music arrogantly challenged the God of Light. The God punished the cat, sealing its soul into an instrument. Over the years, the cat king lived alone inside the instrument until an Eastern musician found it and turned it into a speaker.]
[Note 1: Drumbeat — When the drumbeat sounds, you gain unparalleled fighting spirit, and your enemies will be intimidated.]
[Note 2: Suona (Chinese horn) — When the suona plays, you become invincible, but you must finish the battle within three minutes; otherwise, the suona will be used for another purpose.]
[Note 3: Meow, meow meow, meow meow meow! (Whoever locks me up again, I'll scratch their face.)]
[Note 4: I sing loudly whenever I want.]
An item, a cost-type item. Is this what Bing Ge left me? According to notes, it contains two audios: drumbeat and suona. The drumbeat boosts fighting power and intimidates enemies.
The suona is easy to understand—you have three minutes to end the fight, or else it triggers a different effect…
But how does this relate to Bing Ge's "leave everything there"? And notes 3 and 4, what do they mean? Zhang Yuanqing examined the speaker curiously.
Overall, it was a decent item, an auxiliary one with a cost. The effects of the suona and drumbeat hadn't been tested yet, so it was hard to judge. But Bing Ge must have carefully hidden it for a reason.
What exactly he hid inside would need further study.
At that moment, seeing the Transformer really down and not reviving, Xishi and others finally climbed out of the cars.
"Finally cleared the underground parking lot. Wang Tai, thanks to you." The Great Sage
Sun Wukong gave a thumbs up.
Zhang Yuanqing put the Cat King Speaker in his pocket, wiped sweat from his forehead, and said:
"Let's keep moving."
Xie Lingxi still looked pale and exhausted, but her expression grew firmer.
"I want to know the truth about why Wang Tai saved me."
The once seemingly invincible Transformer was now completely silent, its towering frame motionless like a lifeless statue.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced around. The others had gathered, still catching their breath, but their eyes held a mixture of relief and lingering fear.
Xishi approached cautiously and said, "Wang Tai, what exactly is that thing? And this… speaker?"
Zhang Yuanqing took the Cat King Speaker from his pocket and examined it. "From what I can tell, this speaker was controlling the Transformer. When I spoke the phrase 'One lifetime, two brothers,' it triggered a shutdown protocol."
Xie Lingxi looked intrigued. "Is that phrase a kind of password?"
"Looks like it," Zhang Yuanqing answered. "It's likely connected to Bing Ge's clue. He said, 'One lifetime, two brothers' and 'leave everything there.' This speaker might be the key to controlling or neutralizing the Demon Lord's forces inside this park."
The Great Sage scratched his head. "Sounds complicated. But the important thing is it's down. For now."
Huomo narrowed his eyes. "We can't afford to celebrate yet. Who knows what else is lurking in the amusement park? This was just one of the Demon Lord's machines."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded grimly. "Right. We need to keep moving. Xie Lingxi, are you okay to continue?"
The girl swallowed hard but nodded. "Yes. I need to know why that man saved me. And what the Demon Lord's real plan is."
Zhang Yuanqing put the speaker carefully in his bag. "Let's get out of here and find out more."
Outside, the night was still thick with danger. The amusement park's neon lights flickered faintly, as if mocking their fragile hope.
But for now, they had a weapon — a mysterious speaker, a phrase that could stop a killing machine, and a mission that might finally reveal the truth behind the chaos.
"Why?" The question still echoed in their minds.
Why did a man who was clearly corrupt and at the brink of death risk his life for a child he barely knew?
The answer might not come easily.
But for Zhang Yuanqing, one thing was certain:
In this deadly game, only those who dared to understand the darkness could hope to survive — and change their fate.