Acai's Sky

Chapter 990: Embers of Night Corridor: Ghosts on the Stage 5

The space and time in the locker room were distorted like boiling mercury, and Liu Fengqi stumbled forward among the flying red light balls and torn data streams.

The fragments of the costume turned into sharp silk blades that scraped across his shoulder armor, leaving winding burn marks on the silver-gray armor.

When his fingertips touched the bloodstained Zhengdan costume, it was as if he had grasped a piece of thousand-year-old ice. The biting cold exploded along his nerve endings, dragging his consciousness into a bottomless vortex of memories.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed, and the century-old Nishang Theater was reconstructed in the flood of data.

Liu Rushuang's figure with fluttering sleeves shone under the spotlight. She was about to sing the classic passage from "The Hate of Life and Death" with her red lips slightly opened, but saw three dignitaries in black python robes rushing into the backstage.

The leader overturned the jade bottle in his hand, and dark purple dark energy drilled into her throat like a living snake - it was not a mute potion at all, but a dark poisonous fog that condensed a hundred years of resentment!

Liu Rushuang struggled to grab the edge of her costume, and the blood seeping from between her fingers stained the silk into a strange mandala pattern.

The rope that strangled her turned into a distorted data stream in her memory, and every line flashed with energy fluctuations of red light balls.

Liu Fengqi was shocked to realize that the Night Pearl Crown had been carrying a dual mission since its creation: it was not only the core of the star track that protected the Cangming Realm, but also a soul-calming magic weapon that suppressed out-of-control energy.

When Liu Rushuang died with hatred in her heart, her resentful soul resonated with the red ball of light, completely breaking the seal set by the ancient civilization.

"Captain! Your vital signs are plummeting!" He Youxing's exclamation exploded from the team's internal tactical channel.

In reality, Liu Fengqi was standing stiffly in the center of the stage. The blood-stained costume was wrapped around him as if it had life, and the black air seeping from the gaps in the silk penetrated into his body through his pores.

The dome of the stage suddenly lit up with a pale light, and countless red codes fell like raindrops, piecing together a holographic projection of Liu Rushuang being strangled in the air.

"Go! This is a memory cage!"

Wang Changming swung the flaming mace at the projection, but saw more chains formed from resentment emerging from the flying sparks.

Qi Kai's two swords burst out with lightning, splitting the approaching chains into data streams, but in the blink of an eye, they formed an impenetrable prison net on the stage.

He Xin's electromagnetic rifle fired wildly. The bullets penetrated the shadow and blasted honeycomb-shaped holes in the wall, but they could never hurt the core.

Liu Fengqi's consciousness jumped back and forth between reality and memory, and he couldn't help but sing in his throat.

At first it was just intermittent sobbing, which gradually turned into the most tragic aria in "The Love of Life and Death".

His voice stirred up waves of sound in the theater. Every drawn-out note carried Liu Rushuang's century-long resentment, causing the opera scripts on the beams to peel off and turn into black butterflies circling above everyone's heads.

The phantom of the night pearl crown on the dome of the stage suddenly burst out with a dazzling red light, and countless chains composed of red light balls stretched out from the void, binding the phantoms of Liu Fengqi and Liu Rushuang at the same time.

Liu Rushuang's face was twisted and distorted by resentment, and her originally gentle costume turned into a dark armor covered with spikes. What gushed out of her empty eye sockets was no longer tears, but the corrosive Netherworld flame.

"She wants to assimilate the captain!"

He Youxing's detector emitted a long, shrill beep, and Liu Fengqi's vital signs on the holographic map were disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Liu Jialiang immediately deployed an energy shield, the heavy rune light trembling in the black flames: "The energy connection must be cut off! But how..."

"Use hell money!"

He Xin suddenly opened his tactical backpack and poured out all the ghost money and gold and silver ingots.

These props have demonstrated special power in the locker room, and at this moment, they may become the key to breaking the game.

The ghostly banknotes, emitting a faint blue fluorescence, automatically arranged themselves into an ancient soul-calming formation in the air. The runes flowing on the surface of the gold ingots resonated with the chains on Liu Rushuang, emitting dazzling golden sparks.

Liu Rushuang's attack paused for a moment, her shadow trembled violently in the golden light, and her facial expression switched repeatedly between resentment and confusion.

Liu Fengqi seized this fleeting opportunity and screamed through the tactical channel with difficulty: "Pour all your energy into me!"

He Youxing activated the team's energy sharing device without hesitation. Wang Changming's flames, Qi Kai's lightning, Liu Jialiang's defensive stance, all the power poured into his body like a surging tide.

A beam of light shot up into the sky from the center of the stage, and gold and blood collided violently in mid-air.

Liu Fengqi's singing reached its climax, and his figure gradually overlapped with Liu Rushuang's shadow, turning into a blurred light and shadow.

The moment the last note faded away, the phantom of the Night Pearl Crown burst into brilliant starlight, and the chains composed of all the red light balls collapsed inch by inch, and the uncontrolled energy was sucked into the core of the crown like a receding tide.

Liu Rushuang's shadow revealed a relieved smile in the starlight, and her costume returned to the gentle look she had when they first met. Her sleeves fluttered gently, casting countless golden spots of light.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was like a candle in the wind, but it was clearly heard by everyone, "Finally... I can be free..."

As the words fell, her figure turned into specks of light and merged into the light of the night pearl crown.

A deafening roar was heard outside the theater, and the battlefield shrouded in red light was like a bloody curtain being lifted.

In the dark sky, the core of the star track reappeared, and the light of countless stars penetrated the clouds, illuminating the devastated earth.

[Ding, enemy defense system collapse detected! ]

[Ding, the Silver Wolf team has completed the Embers Corridor (Nightmare 3) dungeon mission. The rewards have been distributed!]

The system prompt sounded like a loud bell, and a dazzling reward interface popped up on Liu Fengqi's retina.

The "Star Track Core" emits a mysterious blue light in the backpack, and when activated, it will grant a legion-level protective shield;

"Evidence of the Drama Soul" shimmers with ancient runes, permanently increasing the team's mental resistance;

The most eye-catching "Order from the Underworld" indicates that they will have special authority to trade with the underworld forces in their future adventures.

On the way back to their rest cabin, the moonlight cast a silver gauze over everyone.

Wang Changming played with the newly acquired light ball controller, and the metal parts made crisp collision sounds between his fingers: "To be honest, if it weren't for these glowing paper money, we might be puppets on some stage right now!" His ridicule eased the tense atmosphere a little.

He Xin pushed his smart glasses, and a complex data stream danced on the lenses: "I just analyzed the residual energy samples. These red light balls are essentially the runaway form of the ancient star track system. And the ghost money and gold ingots..."

He pulled up historical documents for comparison. "Their materials contain special psychic resonance substances, like keys that can unlock certain ancient agreements."

Qi Kai wiped his two swords, the blades reflecting the cool moonlight: "Next time I encounter a copy like this, I'll have to open a 'hell supply store'."

His joke drew a chuckle. Liu Jialiang scratched his head innocently, "Honestly, we were able to survive this time thanks to everyone's cooperation. Especially the captain..."

His voice suddenly choked, "If it weren't for Captain Liu trying to dissipate his consciousness..."

Liu Fengqi looked at the fragment of the glowing night pearl crown in his hand. The lines flowing on the surface of the fragment seemed to be telling the vicissitudes of thousands of years.

He Youxing pulled up the holographic map, and several flashing dangerous area markers flickered on the screen. "Captain, a new energy anomaly has been discovered in the northwest. According to my speculation..."

Liu Fengqi interrupted him, his eyes sweeping over the tired yet resolute faces of each of his comrades. "We need to rest and replenish our supplies—especially our ghost money and gold ingots. Who knows what kind of 'creditors' we'll encounter on our next adventure?"

The laughter of the crowd mixed with the system prompt sound, echoing for a long time above the post-war ruins.