Today’s first passerby still provided negative feedback.
As he watched the girls run away, their faces pale with fright, Mu Ran sighed dejectedly in his heart.
*What on earth is happening to this world? The few protagonists I’ve met seemed normal enough!*
Because genuine kindness was so rare, the occasional positive interaction left Mu Ran feeling quite overwhelmed. For instance, the two little girls he had accidentally saved. He had been wearing the unfinished cyan bracelet they gave him as a small gift ever since.
Of course, he had no way of knowing that the bored users on the forums were obsessing over this slightly out-of-place item on his wrist, concocting all sorts of theories involving legendary anecdotes and hidden personality traits.
【System: …?】
【Mu Ran: What is it? Is someone coming this time?】
After a brief pause, the System replied in a very perplexed tone.
【System: It seems… there are quite a few people this time.】
Mu Ran didn't think much of it. It wasn't until he finished his "performance," watched the System lead the way off, and then saw eight people suddenly emerge from the forest that he froze.
【Mu Ran: Eh?】
*Why were you able to bring so many people here?*
"Hi, baby~" The masked woman in the center smiled and waved at him.
Mu Ran suppressed his emotions, waiting for her to extend an invitation so he could reject it. But to his surprise, this woman didn't follow the script at all.
Silver bell bracelets adorned her slender wrists. With a gentle shake, the people surrounding her suddenly moved, lunging toward Mu Ran. Their once vibrant and agile eyes instantly grew dim, and purple butterfly marks flashed within their pupils.
Mu Ran: !!
Startled by their movements, he instantly flashed ten meters away from his original spot. However, in the next second, he felt a tugging sensation at his feet.
A pair of small hands reached out from the ground, firmly gripping his ankles. A small figure slowly emerged from the earth—a thin, frail child. His pale eyelashes were wet as if soaked by tears, and his eyes were tightly shut. His youthful face carried an inherent sense of grievance and confusion.
Mu Ran: ?!
Strangely, he felt he had enough strength to break free from this grip, but the moment he exerted force, the hands on his ankles would stiffen and then suddenly tighten with even greater intensity. Simultaneously, the child in the ground would let out a cry of pain, his cheek corroding by an inch and dissolving into points of light.
The child whimpered softly, "It hurts... Xiao Song hurts so much..." Blood seeped from the corners of his delicate eyes.
Even so, he did not let go.
Mu Ran froze. He felt that if he truly forced his way out, this child might vanish on the spot.
This reaction made the masked woman nod with satisfaction. "Mhm, I think we can have a proper conversation now."
*Could you not have spoken properly before?!*
Mu Ran’s pupils shook. At the same time, he quickly realized one of the reasons why the experimental results in this world were so poor. These people surrounding the masked woman were clearly being controlled by her.
"Well... let's just follow the procedure." The masked woman walked up to Mu Ran step by step, tilted his chin up, and whispered, "You’re very beautiful~ Although you’re still a bit lacking compared to my Lord He... but since he rarely speaks to me, you should just come back with me."
She spoke softly and gently, "Think carefully before you answer. This little fellow's life depends entirely on you."
Her sharp heel kicked the child's forehead, causing him to shake his head in terror.
"Don't go, don't go..."
The hands trapping Mu Ran couldn't help but tighten their grip. The child desperately rubbed his face against Mu Ran’s calf, like a small animal begging for mercy.
【Mu Ran: Help!!】
【System: I’ve brought a group of people; maybe they can help.】
The System's voice was somewhat tense in their mental link, but its words comforted Mu Ran. Now, he just needed to stall for a little time.
"What did you do to them?" he asked coldly.
The masked woman tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her crimson lips curling slightly. "Why care so much? They’re insignificant anyway."
"Insignificant?"
Accompanied by a low tiger's roar, another group of people appeared from the other side of the forest.
"Who are you?" The masked woman narrowed her eyes, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see the faces beneath those black robes.
The six people beside her received an order and engaged with the newcomers, but they quickly fell into a disadvantage.
*Even Soul Manifests enhanced by the secret formula can't beat them?!*
She immediately decided to abandon the operation, opening a teleportation array to flee. One of the black-robed figures noticed her movement, abandoned his opponent, and chased after her. Seeing that he couldn't catch up, he threw a dagger straight toward her heart.
In that critical moment, the command to protect overrode everything else.
The pupils of the child nearest to her dilated. Mu Ran felt the restraint on his feet suddenly vanish. The small figure lunged toward the sharp blade, using his body to block the threat. The impact of the blade sent him rolling on the ground, but fortunately, it didn't wound him.
The masked woman stepped into the teleportation array without a moment's pause. As the teleportation began, she decisively severed her connection with the seven Soul Manifests on the scene.
"Ugh..." The joy of surviving the ordeal had barely surfaced in the child's eyes before it froze. He only had time to whimper a few times before his body stiffened and he collapsed.
Then, he turned into a tiny squirrel.
At the same time, the others who had been fighting the black-robed figures also collapsed stiffly, turning into various small animals.
Mu Ran: ...Holy crap.
He heard several of the black-robed figures curse under their breath. Then, the one closest to him lowered his hood.
"...What a surprise. I thought our formal meeting would be a bit more friendly and harmonious."
The dark-haired young man beneath the robe spoke. His features were noble and elegant, with mysterious crimson markings at the corners of his eyes. Following his lead, the others also silently lowered their hoods to reveal their true faces.
Mu Ran looked at them one by one, confusion gradually clouding his eyes.
*...Why do these people feel so strangely off?*
He had seen many of them beside the previous masked individuals; he understood they were supposed to be certain characters from the game. However, these black-robed people always had details that didn't match his memory.
For example, that blonde, blue-eyed girl shouldn't have an eyepatch over her left eye. That young boy with cat ears should have blue hair. And these goat horns...
His gaze fixed on the goat horns of a tall, curly-haired, dark-skinned youth, causing the other to glare back uncomfortably.
"What are you looking at!" The curly-haired youth bristled.
After a moment of silence, Mu Ran spoke softly: "Your horns... the paint is peeling."
"!" The youth hurriedly pulled his hood back on. The two pointed horns propped up the black fabric into two triangles, making him look like he had cat ears at first glance.
"Ahem..." The dark-haired young man who spoke first cleared his throat to change the subject. "Well... I imagine that incident just now must have frightened you."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qi Mo, the Lord of Lost Island. I might be a bit different from the 'me' you've seen before." He held out his hand, and a mysterious scale pattern shimmered in his palm. His purple eyes shifted, and for a moment, it seemed as if stars were falling within them.
Mu Ran: "...Mu Ran, a wanderer."
Looking at the others whose appearances were clearly abnormal, he couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen to you all?"
The others looked toward Qi Mo in silence.
"Just some insignificant past events," he replied with a light smile, avoiding the question. Then, he extended an invitation to Mu Ran. "Would you like to come and see our island?"
Mu Ran’s first instinct was to refuse, but he was gently interrupted by Qi Mo, who had sensed his intent.
"Don't be nervous. We just want to give you some small pieces of advice."
"...?"
*Advice? Regarding what just happened?*
Mu Ran was completely bewildered and quite hesitant. But in Qi Mo's eyes, this hesitation meant something else. He spoke understandingly, "Don't worry about what will happen if you aren't found here by them. A Mimic will take your place here for a few days."
As he spoke, a silent black-robed figure stepped forward. His lifeless eyes stared at Mu Ran for a long time before he closed them. To Mu Ran's astonishment, the figure's form began to shift.
A slender, white-haired youth—exactly how Mu Ran looked in this world.
"In the coming days, more Star Sovereigns like her will come. The Mimic can deal with them in your stead. They won't think to track a Mimic's aura, so they won't be able to accurately appear before him to issue invitations."
"Avoid this period first. Afterward... if you still wish to return here, their enthusiasm will likely have faded quite a bit."
Mu Ran was tempted.
What just happened had indeed exceeded his expectations. He and the System were already used to the usual disturbances from the protagonist groups, but this new masked woman's methods were far too much. The information gap made them very passive.
【Mu Ran: And I feel like I can take this chance to gather some information... what do you think?】
Unlike those masked people, Qi Mo only invited him to see the island; he didn't try to take him away directly like the former.
The System, which had been dragging its tiger shell far away after leading the way, was now rushing back in its white fox shell. After witnessing the series of confrontations and hearing Mu Ran's question, it stopped in its tracks.
【System: That works. I’ll stay here for a few days to keep an eye on this fellow.】
"Alright."
Qi Mo waited patiently and finally heard the youth's response. "I'll go with you."
He let out an imperceptible sigh of relief and gave the floating scales in his palm a gentle push. The pattern, shimmering with mysterious light, drifted slowly toward Mu Ran.
"A pass. Make sure to keep a close eye on it."
Looking at the small animals lying on the ground, Mu Ran couldn't help but ask one more thing: "What about them?"
"I will... take them... home."
The blonde, blue-eyed girl answered in a soft, thin voice. She jogged a few steps and crouched beside the unconscious squirrel, carefully cradling the small animal in her arms with a dejected expression.
*Oh...*
Mu Ran actually wanted to ask about the condition of these small animals, but the current atmosphere didn't seem suitable.
"Let's go."
Qi Mo's voice made Mu Ran abandon the thought. He followed behind the silent black-robed figures as they vanished into the forest.
The Mimic remained in place. In the next second, he immediately stripped off the black robe and threw it far away. Then, he instantly adjusted his expression to face a group of people who had suddenly appeared.
"Oh boy, who was hogging the channel for so long... did they succeed?" Seeing the white-haired youth, the newcomer breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, he's still here. Good, good."
The green eyes simulated by the Mimic were slightly colder than Mu Ran's real eyes, resembling a decaying, ghastly green. The innocent Star Sovereign felt a bit flustered by his gaze and asked tentatively, "Are you in a bad mood, baby?"
"Speak."
"Huh? Speak... speak about what?" The Star Sovereign was startled by his tone, almost thinking the youth had told him to "get lost."
The Mimic said nothing, only staring at him. Those beautiful eyes, praised by countless Star Sovereigns on the forums, were staring at him without blinking. Combined with the youth's unusual attitude this time, a strange excitement rose within the Star Sovereign's heart.
*What! He’s being so special toward me! Could I be the one he’s chosen?!*
At the thought of the value of bringing this ultimate rare Soul Manifest back to Penglai, he didn't even care about the long speech he had prepared. He threw out the invitation directly: "Then, then are you willing to accept my invitation?"
"I refuse."
"...Eh? Ehhh??" The Star Sovereign froze for two seconds before reacting, his voice nearly cracking in surprise.
*Damn, then why were you being so fierce with me! QAQ I’m not leaving unless you give me a reason!!*
Seeing the youth's furrowed brows, he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
A reason... the Mimic's empty head was too lazy to think. Seeing the white clothes of the female Soul Manifest beside the Star Sovereign, he immediately thought of the white fox the youth often carried.
"The fox is lost," he said expressionlessly.
Hiding in the shadows, the System's fur stood on end as it stared at the Mimic in disbelief.
*Ehhh?? Lost? Can a bonded partner even be lost?*
*No, wait, maybe that’s what makes him special! Otherwise, he wouldn't use the word 'lost' for a normal fox!*
The Star Sovereign had a sudden realization.
"Then, then I'll help you find it!" Connecting this to the youth's recent drop in appearance rate... so this was the Central Island's way of rationalizing the plot... but this was too much for the boy!
With an explanation, the Star Sovereign felt he understood everything.
The Mimic turned away irritably. "I'm sad. I want to be alone."
The Star Sovereign didn't dare to peek at the youth's expression, but having been brainwashed by forum analyses, he had already imagined a look of hidden strength amidst sorrow in those emerald eyes. He was instantly filled with pity, and even the slight dissatisfaction from being treated coldly earlier vanished.
But the System, facing the Mimic directly, saw clearly—there was no sadness. The Mimic was so bored he had even started shifting the features of that face.
Changing faces. It was too uncanny. His fox fur was about to explode.
"Alright, alright." The Star Sovereign's fatherly heart didn't let him suspect further. He only gave a few lingering instructions, "Don't be sad... we'll all help you look for it."
The Mimic gave an irritable grunt. It was still a cold tone, but the Star Sovereign somehow felt he heard a hint of grievance in it. He immediately decided to rush to the forums and call on everyone to find the fox.
"Then I'm leaving?"
"Mhm."
*Look at that, his treatment was still good! In the previous live-stream threads, the youth would just teleport away after refusing! But he actually got a response!*
The Mimic, who simply didn't know how to teleport: "..."
*Just get lost already.*
The Star Sovereign left reluctantly. The Mimic stood in place for a moment, thinking, and reached a conclusion.
"I have to catch that fox and kill it."
Otherwise, if it was actually found, he would be forced to keep acting.
System: ...?
He felt that with this guy around, his fur would never be smooth again.
But then the Mimic remembered something and irritably contradicted himself: "No. I'll get scolded."
"Then I'll catch it and lock it up."
He reluctantly came up with a compromise and curled his lips into a smile. His face distorted for a moment before shifting back into Mu Ran's face.
"Fox..."
"Come out."
He called out softly. His ghastly green pupils flickered like ghost fires. His voice was clear and cold, his tone drawn out.
The System, huddled in the nearby grass: ...
*Excuse me, is this a horror movie set?*
***
