Two "Protagonists"
Master's sudden attack made Jian Changsheng freeze for a moment, and then violently retreat backwards!
But on second thought, he felt something was wrong... This "Chen Ling" was still wearing the White Paper Shackles, and his power was sealed. How could a fight still break out?
He saw Master sweep his sleeve, and the Optical Disc turned into endless light and shadow, swallowing "Chen Ling" within it like a tide, but it didn't cause him the slightest harm. That Great Crimson Theatrical Robe staggered and stood amidst the waves of light and shadow, his expression incredibly hideous!
"Old Fella!! You cheated! If you have the ability, then kill me!!"
"Come on! Even if my power is locked and I stand here letting you kill me, can you kill me?!"
"I don't need to kill you." Master spoke calmly. "I only need to awaken another person... the person who should be standing on the Stage."
"Chen Ling"'s eyes widened. Hidden within the surrounding tide of light and shadow were all sorts of scenes... It was like a compressed movie, playing at accelerated speed before his eyes.
That was an invitation card signed [Nameless Actor]; that was a performance of "Deflecting the Chariots" in the Wilderness of the Red Dust; that was his shocked expression walking through countless movie Optical Discs; that was the scene of him pushing open that door for the first time and seeing the starry sky, the grassland, and the house with colorful flags...
"Hahaha, dream on!!"
Seeing these scenes, "Chen Ling" naturally guessed what Master wanted to do, and immediately sneered, "He has already fallen Off Stage. Right now, I am the protagonist of this Stage! He won't be awakened by your things at all. Even if he wakes up, he is just an 'Audience'!
Like all 'Audiences', he cannot cross The Fourth Wall between the audience seats and the Stage. It's fundamentally impossible for him to affect me! Even more impossible to return to the Stage!"
Master's eyebrows rose slightly, and he spoke unhurriedly:
"... Is that so?"
...
The Theater.
[Audience Expectation Value -1]
[Current Expectation Value: 20%]
Familiar scenes flickered on the Stage once again, like a massive Recap, instantly making many "Audiences" lose their interest, and the Expectation Value dropped to freezing point.
But in the dark audience seats, there was a pair of eyes that was out of tune with the other Audiences.
It was an intoxicated pair of eyes. He blankly watched those past events flow by, like a dying old man looking back at the past, recalling his entire life... Those scenes seemed to possess some kind of power, tugging at the deepest part of his heart. It was as if something was about to awaken.
He seemed to want to murmur something, but his face already had no facial features, leaving only a face as pitch-black as an abyss and a pair of scarlet eyes... But even so, he didn't give up. As that emotion deep in his heart grew increasingly intense, his body in the audience seat was trembling from exerting force!
Creak— Creak—
Bursts of soft sounds transmitted from the chair beneath him.
At this moment, all the "Audiences" seemed to have sensed something. They violently turned their heads to look at the unique figure among them. Pairs of scarlet pupils were like an ocean, almost drowning that figure...
No one paid attention to the Stage of the Recap anymore, or rather... in the eyes of the "Audiences", a second, even more wonderful Stage had appeared.
The scarlet in that figure's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a wisp of Bewilderment. He didn't realize at all that he had become the focus of everyone at this moment. He was still intoxicated in the past on the Stage, and a question slowly surfaced in his mind.
"Who... am I?"
The next moment, a familiar voice abruptly rang out from the scene:
"Chen Ling! What are you still waiting for?!"
This sentence was like an exploding thunder, echoing in his ears, and the Bewilderment in his heart was mostly dispersed... He suddenly remembered that he hadn't always been sitting here. He was different from all the other Audiences.
He had a name, and he had a face that belonged to himself.
"I am... Chen Ling?"
The pitch-black face gradually faded. Under the gaze of the "Audiences", a touch of color was slowly drawn out from the corner of that figure's eye...
That was a touch of apricot red.
The last safety measure Chen Ling left behind before completely releasing the [Mockery] Calamity took effect.
The moment this face appeared, he completely separated from the other Audiences. He possessed his own memories, possessed his own joy and anger, possessed a face that belonged to himself, and even his pupils gradually returned to a human appearance...
At the same time, those past memories frantically surged into his mind. Like just waking up from a nightmare with a start, his pale face was full of fear and astonishment!
"This is..."
Chen Ling looked at his palm that was still pitch-black like a shadow, as well as the dense crowd of Audiences close at hand around him. His forehead was covered in sweat.
It was too close... Ever since entering the Theater for the first time until now, Chen Ling had always stood On Stage, looking down at these Audiences. But at this moment, he was actually sitting together with the Audiences. Endless scarlet pupils enveloping him like a tide, menacing and eerie.
Chen Ling carefully recalled. Although he knew everything that happened after he shot himself to commit suicide, that feeling was like sitting in the audience seats watching a wonderful movie... But during this process, his own ability to think seemed to have been blinded. He only followed the development of the plot and felt different emotional feedback, like a dull puppet.
"Is this what it feels like to become an Audience..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.
One suicide dropped the Expectation Value to 5%...
The good news was that the [Mockery] Calamity almost slaughtered its way through; the bad news was that he himself became an Audience.
So, how should he go back?
Chen Ling's gaze fell on the Stage. He only saw a black shadow wearing a Theatrical Robe standing at the position that originally belonged to him, confronting Master and Jian Changsheng.
"Master." A sharp glint flashed across Chen Ling's eyes. He didn't hesitate to take steps, walking down from the audience seats.
As he advanced, those Audiences watching the show began to automatically part to both sides, making way for him to a path leading to the Stage... Although Chen Ling was wary of them in his heart, this was not the time to pay attention to them. His eyes stared straight at the shadow draped in a Theatrical Robe On Stage, his eyes full of determination.
Since he had woken up, it was naturally impossible for him to be willing to continue being an "Audience"... He wanted to take back what belonged to him.
Perhaps the Audiences felt that the protagonist On Stage was too boring, or perhaps they were still full of curiosity towards Chen Ling.
The next moment, a line of characters floated out from above Chen Ling's head:
[Audience Expectation Value +1]
In one Theater, On Stage and Off Stage, there were two "protagonists" who could pull at the Audience Expectation Value... In the perspective of the Audiences, a wonderful Performance taking place right beside them was about to be staged!