"So, what's the plan?" I asked Jiu.
"Originally, I was gonna use you as bait, but now that's off the table," Jiu suddenly said.
"Off the table? Why? Did the plan change?" I asked, totally confused.
Jiu had been all mysterious, about to spill his plan, but now he'd suddenly changed his mind, leaving me scratching my head.
Jiu shrugged and said, "Nah, the plan didn't change. Someone's already taken care of the jammer outpost for us. No need to do it again."
Then Jiu looked in a certain direction and said, "Check it out, that's the guy."
I followed Jiu's gaze and saw a young dude walking towards me.
He saw me, nodded, and said, "Hey. We only met briefly before. I'm Huicang, a truth adjudicator of the Eye of Argus."
I looked at the guy in front of me, shocked. He was the same dude I'd seen playing against Jiu earlier. I thought he was just a regular player, but now I realized he was a total beast. He'd single-handedly wiped out the jammer outpost.
As Huicang got closer, I could feel the nuclear energy radiating from him. But why hadn't I sensed it when we first met?
I wanted to ask Jiu, but it wasn't the right time. I saw that Jiu was eyeing Huicang with a hostile look, ready to throw down any second.
"You guys from the Eye of Argus are such a pain. No matter what we do, you always show up," Jiu said slowly.
Then Jiu shrugged and taunted, "Why didn't you follow us in level 9, which was at danger level 5? Now that we're in the Rock Pizza at danger level 1, you show up. Scared much?"
Huicang rolled his eyes and replied, "We had people tailing you in level 9, but you didn't notice."
"Really? Then why didn't you show up when we were attacked by the 'Crusher'?" Jiu asked.
Huicang suddenly turned to look at me, then back at Jiu and said, "That was your own mess. What does it have to do with us? We wouldn't be dumb enough to jump out and get ourselves killed."
"Then what does this have to do with you wiping out the jammer outpost?" Jiu asked indifferently.
"The jammer outpost was already on our hit list. It just happened to coincide with you guys," Huicang said.
"Since that's the case, thanks for the assist. If there's nothing else, I'm outta here," Jiu waved his hand and clearly didn't want to chat with Huicang any longer.
"I actually came to see you for a reason," Huicang suddenly said seriously.
"What's up?" Jiu asked.
"If you keep up your research in level 283, the Eye of Argus will take drastic measures to stop you," Huicang said seriously.
Jiu smiled and said, "I can't make that call. If you want to issue an ultimatum, you'd better talk to the folks from the Witch God Research Institute..."
"Also..." Jiu paused and continued, "If you really want to take drastic measures to stop it, bring it on. I'm not a fan of that research either."
With that, Jiu turned to me and said, "Let's bounce."
Then he pulled me away without looking back, leaving Huicang standing there, stunned.
He stood there for a while, then smiled and said to himself, "Honestly, a wanderer like Jiu doesn't belong in the Unrestrained Explorers' Alliance. He'd fit right in with the Eye of Argus..."
Of course, we didn't hear that. After walking for a bit, I noticed Jiu was quiet and asked him, "What's the deal with this Argos Eye the dude mentioned?"
Jiu thought for a moment and replied, "It's an organization that hates evil with a passion. But because of that, they've become the law enforcement of the Backrooms. They judge any evil, and every Argos Eye Truth Judge is a total nutjob."
"So, the relationship between your Unbound Explorers Alliance and their organization isn't great?" I thought for a moment and asked again.
Jiu nodded and said, "The Unbound Explorers Alliance is considered top-tier evil in their eyes. All our activities are under their watch, and when necessary, they'll shut us down."
I stopped and was kinda surprised. In my mind, the Unbound Explorers Alliance seemed like a pretty chill organization. Why would it be labeled as top-tier evil by such a righteous group like the Argos Eye?
Jiu noticed my confusion and sighed, saying, "Every organization, from the moment it's born, is headed towards corruption. The Unbound Explorers Alliance was legit at the start, but now it's gone downhill..."
After saying that, Jiu went quiet, and I didn't press him. After all, this was their internal drama.
At this point, I asked Jiu, "Why didn't I feel the nuclear energy in Huicang's body when I first saw him?"
Jiu grinned and said, "Not my call, buddy. If you're gonna throw down an ultimatum, you better chat with the Witch God Research Institute folks..."
"Also..." Jiu paused, then added, "If you're dead set on pulling out the big guns to stop this, go for it. I'm not a fan of that research either."
With that, Jiu turned to me and said, "Let's bounce."
Then he dragged me away without a second glance, leaving Huicang standing there, totally dumbfounded.
He stood there for a good while, then chuckled to himself, "Honestly, a wanderer like Jiu doesn't fit in with the Unrestrained Explorers' Alliance. He'd be better off with the Eye of Argus..."
Of course, we didn't catch that. After walking a bit, I noticed Jiu was quiet, so I asked, "What's the deal with this Argos Eye the guy mentioned?"
Jiu thought for a sec and said, "They're an organization that's all about hating evil. But because of that, they've become the law enforcers of the Backrooms. They judge any evil, and every Argos Eye Truth Judge is a total nutjob."
"So, your Unbound Explorers Alliance and them don't get along?" I asked after a moment.
Jiu nodded, "Yep, they see us as top-tier evil. They keep tabs on all our activities, and when they feel like it, they shut us down."
I stopped, kinda shocked. In my mind, the Unbound Explorers Alliance seemed pretty chill. Why would a supposedly just organization like the Argos Eye label them as high-level evil?
Jiu noticed my confusion and sighed, "Every organization, from the get-go, is destined to go corrupt. The Unbound Explorers Alliance was legit at first, but now it's a mess..."
After that, Jiu went quiet, and I didn't push it. After all, it's their internal drama.
Then I asked Jiu, "Why didn't I sense any nuclear energy in Huicang when I first saw him?"
Jiu smiled at the question and said, "Remember what I told you? When you enter a new level, you can switch up the nuclear energy you're wearing. Or just take it off. When it's all 'unworn,' no one can sense it."
I nodded, finally getting it.
At that moment, Jiu's frown eased, and he said with a grin, "Let's hit up some games to chill. Not many levels in the Backrooms have games, so let's make the most of it."
With that, he headed to a game console and told me, "Except for 'Starflare Admiral,' which is risky, all the other games are safe."
I thought to myself, even games here are dangerous... Then I found a console and started playing.
I'd been in the Backrooms so long, I started missing some Front Room games.
For some reason, all the games on the console in front of me were animal-themed.
I randomly picked a game called "Animal Keeper" to play.
But as soon as I clicked on it, I heard Jiu from the other side, "Oh, right, I forgot. There's also 'Animal Keeper.' Don't play that. It's not dangerous, but it'll send you to Level 81..."
Hearing this, I froze and asked, "The 'Animal Keeper' you mentioned, is it this one...?"
Jiu also froze on the other side. Maybe he didn't expect me to land on this special game on my first try in Level 40.
He quickly said, "Don't click on that yet. Let me check..."
At that moment, I was looking at the screen in front of me. The game "Animal Keeper" had already loaded...
I said with a wince, "Too late, it's already loaded..."
Before I could finish, I felt a sudden drop...
Just as Jiu came over and heard me say "Too late...", I vanished right in front of him.
Jiu slapped his head in frustration and muttered, "Why's this kid so unlucky?" First, he didn't even make it to level 9, and now, just by randomly playing a game, he lands on 'Animal Keeper.' The odds are so slim, and yet he hits it. If this were in the main hall, I'd drag him to buy lottery tickets every day..."
After muttering, Jiu looked at the game console hesitantly, wondering if he should go find me.
After a long think, Jiu sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll go find this kid. Anyway, I've got the level 3 hierarchy key, so I can bounce back anytime."
Saying that, Jiu clicked on the 'Animal Keeper' game and entered level 81.
Level 81, Animal Office Building
Survival Difficulty:
Level 2
• Unsafe
• Stable
• Small number of entities