Deceitful Game

Chapter 127 Entering the Palace

"So... you also think this might be a trap?"

Gao Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

It was as if his escape would become reasonable once he received Mingpo's approval.

It's not "possible," it's "certain."

Mingpo said with great certainty, "Otherwise, why would it have taken him a full ten years to advance to the Zhou Zhi Qing Qian level? And why hasn't he continued to advance since then?"

"While there are also those charlatans who find it difficult to advance—after all, advancing as a charlatan is actually quite difficult...—surviving in the charlatan game for more than a decade is perhaps even more challenging."

As Mingpo spoke, he stood in front of the tightly closed company gate.

As if sensing something, the transparent doors opened automatically to both sides.

"I can only think of one answer right now..."

Mingpo said slowly, "He's waiting for you."

As Mingpo walked into the company, an unusual feeling quickly enveloped him.

He thought of the short tubes used to blow bubbles.

The tip was coated with soapy water, and a gentle blow would send out colorful bubbles. The air would be enveloped by the soapy water, coated with an ethereal film. The moment Mingpo stepped into the company building, she felt as if she were surrounded by such a strange film. The world around her instantly became colorful, and then in the next instant, it seemed to return to its previous state.

The company was completely empty.

It was so deserted it felt like another world.

However, it's not dark at all; on the contrary, it's very bright.

It was even so bright that it seemed somewhat alien.

White walls, white floors, white ceilings, white tables and chairs—no other colored decorations whatsoever. If it weren't for the discernible design elements, one might even mistake it for a bare-bones apartment.

No matter where you look, the company's lighting feels excessively bright and glaring.

Like an overly bright screen, or a vast expanse of white snow that could trigger snow blindness, it made one involuntarily squint. Mingpo subconsciously reached out and touched the white wall.

It doesn't feel cold, and there's not much tactile sensation.

My fingertips felt numb, like I was wearing thick gloves, or like I was dreaming… but in the dream, the corresponding item textures weren't loaded. "Is this… a palace?"

Mingpo murmured, "It's simpler than I thought. I thought there would be all sorts of traps and monsters inside..." An inexplicable sense of tension suddenly gripped Mingpo's heart.

That feeling...

It's like when a child is playing and accidentally kicks a ball into someone else's yard, and the back gate of that yard happens to be open, and people inside can hear that someone is there.

In this situation, not wanting to be scolded, he barged in, intending to pick up the ball that had fallen in the yard while the homeowner wasn't looking.

Every moment, I live in constant fear, wondering what I'll do if someone hears me and suddenly opens the gate to see me. I tiptoe around, always on edge.

If they manage to sneak out, they will probably run as fast as they can, only breathing a sigh of relief after they have run far away, laughing and playing with their pounding hearts.

That was a clear awareness of the taboo that "this territory does not belong to you."

Children may be better able to understand this "taboo" than numb and rational adults.

However, Mingpo experienced a kind of excitement from her fear—like the feeling of exploring a haunted house.

The "real haunted house" he had explored with Ai Shiping before only made Mingpo feel a little bored... but now, he belatedly realized that he was experiencing a similar thrill to the "haunted house".

Since becoming a conman...

This was the first time Mingpo had truly felt the taste of danger and fear.

It wasn't the thrill of deliberately risking one's life... but rather the exhilarating feeling of stepping into completely unknown territory, a slight tingling sensation in every pore. This wonderful feeling made his heart beat faster and faster.

"...Is your company's interior design style this wild?"

To distract herself, Mingpo subconsciously complained.

"How is that possible...?"

Gao Fan retorted in a low voice, "The styles are indeed similar, but the colors are definitely not like this... If you worked in a company with this kind of color, the employees would all have mental problems."

He also felt that chilling sensation—the very reason he dared not approach this place. But compared to the faint "smell" leaking out from outside, this place was a concentrated version.

It was an unusual feeling that with every step I took, I felt danger enveloping me.

Gao Fan's instincts even prevented him from finding the "right path".

Or rather... in his "Survivor" passive effect, the only "way out" is behind him.

There was no other way out but to turn around and leave.

As they continued forward, the allure of this "only path to survival" rapidly diminished. It was like removing a magnet that had attracted metal; once the distance exceeded a certain threshold, the stickiness vanished. Gao Fan was completely engulfed by this deep-sea-like terror. At that moment, Ming Po, who was closely following him, became the only light in that deep sea.

He couldn't help but move closer.

This gave Gao Fan a fleeting, surreal feeling...

He recalled a memory that had long since faded.

When he was a child... around three or four years old, he had a similar feeling when he first went to a temple fair with his father.

That was the first time he had ever been to a place with so many people.

The loud sounds of gongs and drums at the Longhua Temple Fair, along with the strangers coming and going, made Xiao Gaofan nervous, curious, and afraid. He looked around repeatedly, taking in everything around him.

His father held his hand as they walked through the crowd.

At that time, Gao Fan was very clingy.

Seemingly to cultivate his ability to leave his parents, his father let go of his hand at some point. At the time, he was looking at the people on the roadside and didn't realize it immediately.

After realizing that his father had left him, Gao Fan was terrified.

He cried out loudly, wailing in anguish. He stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

At that moment, a fear as intense as falling into the deep sea gripped his heart.

Actually, his father was watching him from nearby the whole time.

According to Gao Fan's father, he initially just wanted to see what his child would do if he were separated from him—would he be braver or more timid? Would he run around or stay put? Would he seek help from others or trust strangers and be taken away? He wanted to determine his child's instinctive reaction before providing targeted education and telling him why he couldn't do that.

But to be honest, Gao Fan has completely forgotten the subsequent educational part.

He only remembered the fear. And how he approached his father when he finally emerged from the crowd, trying to ease his fear. It was like bringing his cold body close to a fireplace in winter.

Even today, Gao Fan still feels apprehensive about temple fairs with their gongs and drums, fearing the presence of too many strangers around him.

This may be a remnant of that period.

But now, he felt that feeling again.

For some reason, Gao Fan always felt that he had forgotten something important.

Only now, when this sense of fear arises, has such a concept vaguely surfaced in his mind, yet he still cannot recall what he has forgotten.