Chapter 21: 021. Survive until Dawn_1
Translator: 549690339
The charred traces at the back of the stage twisted, casting indifferent words into Lu Ban's vision.
[Find the performer: 1/1]
Clearly, this was the person Lu Ban needed to find for his task.
However, if the task were only this, it would be better.
Another line of text hesitantly appeared below it.
[Survive until dawn: 05:51:16]
There were more than five hours left, but now every second was agonizing for Lu Ban.
That charred, tailcoated "person" was also immersed in their own melody, a melody that was eerie and ever-changing, with each note seemingly having its own will, leaping from the keyboard, flowing into Lu Ban's ears, beating against his eardrums.
Lu Ban felt his thinking slowing down again, as if stuck in some kind of semi-solid gel, making it hard to even have a thought.
This situation made Lu Ban think of the Suona.
When he was playing the Suona, he seemed to fall into a similar state.
Did those who listened to his Suona feel the same as Lu Ban did now?
"...!"
Lu Ban thought about his previous condition, and his mind suddenly became clear.
The piano sound he was hearing now was not just ordinary music.
It was some sort of extraordinary power, capable of interfering with human consciousness.
Du Danping... did he also possess a similar power?
The System informed him that he was the 233rd Chosen by the Gods, which meant there might have been more than two hundred before him?
Was Du Danping one of them?
"...I see."
In his sluggish thought process, Lu Ban understood everything.
"Du Danping had some kind of talent or obtained the qualifications to enter the Land of Silence... obtaining extraordinary... powers, just like me. He might have... chosen... [Musician]? "
"Using his extraordinary powers, Du Danping... enchanted everyone in the theater with his piano sound. That's why... even though the fire had spread, these people remained... unmoved, because their consciousness was... disrupted!"
"But if... all this was... caused by Du Danping, and he truly... possessed these powers, why... did he die here?"
Lu Ban's thoughts struggled to break through the barriers of the piano sound, trying to regain control of his body.
But no matter how hard he tried, he became more and more like a puppet, even the light in his eyes starting to fade.
"...I must break free from control... Music... playing... Only... music can... defeat... music..."
His thoughts plodded on, and Lu Ban caught a flash of inspiration.
The melody was obviously affecting people through auditory means, so perhaps destroying one's hearing would lead to freedom?
Without further consideration, a silver revolver materialized in Lu Ban's right hand.
In his mind, the revolver's cylinder spun, and a silver-gray bullet aligned with the chamber.
In the realm of illusion, the revolver was pointed at Lu Ban's head.
Bang—
A silent gunshot rang by Lu Ban's ears.
The bullet easily pierced Lu Ban's skin, burrowed into his brain, accompanied by an invisible void. Some sort of force beyond reason began to ravage, altering Lu Ban's vocal structures.
From his gaping mouth, a melody emerged.
"Good Fortune Comes wishing you good fortune, bringing joy and love, Good Fortune Comes to us, facing good luck and prospering across the seas..."
The rousing chorus of "Good Fortune Comes" echoed in the theater hall, intertwining with the piano sound to create a bizarre harmony.
The melody in his ears was disrupted, and Lu Ban felt all his strength returning. He continued to sing in a high-pitched female voice, repeating "Good Fortune Comes." For a moment, in the elegant theater hall, the bewitching piano tune clashed with the cheerful popular song, creating a strange atmosphere.
While singing "Good Fortune Comes," Lu Ban ran towards the stage, gripping a crowbar tightly in his hand.
As long as he could take care of Du Danping's ghost, the piano sound would stop.
The next moment, several mannequins abruptly appeared.
These mannequins dressed in tattered formal wear had a pair of eerie, peculiar eyes painted on them. Their movements, slow and awkward, appeared as though they were being manipulated by someone pulling strings, almost blocking Lu Ban's path to the stage.
With stiff and ice-cold palms, hard yet creepily silky to the touch, the mannequins reached out toward Lu Ban, ready to grasp his body.
"Good Fortune Comes, I wish you good fortune comes..."
Lu Ban didn't stop singing while swinging the crowbar in his hand.
Crack—
Some web-like light, yet dense substance covered his brain, making Lu Ban wield the crowbar with precision and skill as if he was born with a crowbar in his bones.
With the utmost force, the most accurate angle, and the most perfect direction, the crowbar struck at the mannequin standing before him.
The mannequin's head instantly flew off, soaring high without touching the ground; Lu Ban then swung another blow, smashing open another mannequin's forehead.
"Good fortune brings joy and love..."
The cheerful song still played from Lu Ban's mouth, and amidst the festive melody, another mannequin was struck down by the crowbar.
Like a war god, Lu Ban took two steps in place of three, arriving beside the piano.
At this moment, the melody of the piano reached its climax, containing some ancient, monumental, yet aloof and cold force within it.
The crowbar followed in succession.
Crack—
The charred, decomposed, and fragmented performer was struck by the solid crowbar. It shattered without much resistance.
The music ceased abruptly.
The movements of the mannequins stopped instantly, freezing into frames of thrilling and terrifying images.
"That's it?"
Lu Ban waited for a few dozen seconds before he stopped the repetitive singing voice and returned to his normal self.
Looking at the body which had turned to ashes and dispersed with the wind, Lu Ban felt something was amiss.
If he didn't have the "Testament," then after hearing the melody, he would have almost no room to resist and would lose control of his body and even consciousness, becoming at the mercy of others.
If he didn't have the [Sword of Physics], even if he could break free from the control, it would still be extremely difficult to break through the barriers of the mannequins and kill the ghost of Du Danping.
In such a scenario, how could this task still be considered [Mortal] difficulty, just like [Under-bed Friend]?
Was there a problem with the evaluation of the task, or did some deviation occur with Lu Ban?
Thinking this, Lu Ban looked around him—Silence.
The moonlight had become dim without notice.
He looked up.
Beyond the shattered dome was the deep night sky.
The moon had already passed the gap, with only stars visible in the wilderness shining through.
Among those stars, one shone the brightest. Its light fell through the opening right now.
As the starlight shone down, Lu Ban's brain, wrapped with that thick web-like knowledge, was filled with a certain message.
A certain knowledge transmitted through the now vanished melody.
He knew that this bright star was one of the most dazzling stars in the sky throughout the year.
A certain call was coming from the star, crossing time and space.
With this light, a grand, aloof, and absolute power began to fill the entire theater hall.
At last, Lu Ban knew the full picture of the matter.
He understood what exactly Du Danping had been fighting against until his death and even beyond.
He watched that spot.
At this moment, in Lu Ban's eyes, Aldebaran was clearly visible.
*
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