Chapter 32: At Dawn, the Final Crisis!

Time passed second by second in the world of the strange tales.

Zhang Yangqing sat comfortably on the sofa in the security room, carefully observing the items inside the box.

Occasional noises drifted in from outside the door, likely the remnants of the lingering anomalies.

The goblin security guard pushed the door open and cursed loudly, "All of you, get back! My big brother is resting inside. If anyone makes another sound, I'll break you!"

It had to be said that this guy was a veteran guard and possessed a certain level of intimidation.

To curry favor with Zhang Yangqing, he was doing his absolute best.

With his roar, the noises outside quieted down significantly.

After reprimanding the eerie wax statues, the goblin security guard returned to the security room.

He stood straight by the door, as motionless as a statue, not daring to move an inch.

This thoroughly amused the viewers from the Dragon Kingdom.

This goblin security guard is too funny. Why does he feel like a comedic character with zero actual ability?

He only acts like this in front of Celestial Master Zhang. He once killed a professional sprinter from the neighboring country with one hand; he's a ruthless killer who kills without blinking.

Brother, don't have such dangerous thoughts. If you were the one in there, you'd still need to be careful. Looking at his face, this goblin security guard is clearly no saint.

I just woke up, so let me ask: why do the Chosen Ones from other countries look like they're fighting for survival, while our country's Chosen Ones look like they're on vacation?

Because the one who entered randomly in our country is a transcendent being—a Celestial Master!

Holy crap, a Celestial Master? Did I miss something? I need to watch the replay!

In contrast to Zhang Yangqing's ease, the other seven Chosen Ones were exceptionally tense.

They knew that they had struggled so hard to make it this far; any single mistake could mean death, so it was better to play it safe.

After staying in 3-2 for half an hour, some of the Chosen Ones' hair had even begun to freeze.

However, for those with better physical fitness, this was nothing to worry about.

The survival probability in a two-star strange tale instance was very low.

They were well aware of this and were gritting their teeth to endure.

Soon, it turned seven o'clock, and the Chosen Ones seemed to hear the sound of the constant temperature system being turned on.

The footsteps outside the door gradually diminished until they vanished entirely.

The ice wax statue remained lying in the freezing rest pod, without even greeting the Chosen Ones.

It seemed the words in the letter meant the ice wax statue should try its best not to harm the Chosen Ones.

However, if a Chosen One dared to attack the ice wax statue, it was best to deliver a killing blow; otherwise, the creature would eliminate the Chosen One.

But no one was going to test if that was the case.

Rahman, a Chosen One from the Pyramid Country, stretched his body and looked around the cat's eyes; there were no longer any figures outside the door.

Only then did he cautiously open the door, feeling a hint of warmth.

Because it was so cold in 3-2, his body had become somewhat uncomfortable.

Even after surviving this anomaly riot, Rahman did not relax.

He knew that the time was not yet up and that anything could happen.

First, no one left the door of 3-2 directly; there was no guarantee that the anomalies wouldn't stage a sudden ambush, and being knocked over would be bad.

The constant temperature system had only just been turned on; it might not have reached the level of cooling—or "sealing"—yet.

Therefore, most people decided to wait by the door; if an accident occurred, they could still duck inside.

As long as they could survive, these people were being extremely cautious.

Secondly, and most crucially, was the warm-up.

They needed to quickly restore their bodies to their best state.

Because Rule 10 stated: "At 8:00 AM, someone will come to change shifts."

This meant that at 8:00 AM, the Chosen Ones needed to open the door to change shifts.

It did not mean the ordeal ended at 8:00 AM; they had to reach a designated location.

Everyone could guess that this location was the main gate.

Many previous Chosen Ones had died during this final stage.

From the third floor to the main gate, it would take between five to eight minutes if moving quickly.

During this time, they might encounter danger, requiring agile movements to dodge.

Though these matters seemed trivial, they had survived this long by relying on such details.

Rahman was the most cautious; even though he had reward items, he didn't dare to be reckless.

His understanding of reward items was that they were meant to help him recover from a mistake during a "normal clear," not to be used for reckless behavior.

Up to this point, besides Zhang Yangqing, none of the other seven were considering whether to open the staff lounge to search for hidden treasures.

As time slowly passed, everyone's bodies returned to their optimal state.

The constant temperature system was operating normally.

Rahman began to head downstairs, using his phone to illuminate corners to ensure there were no ambushes before moving.

Upon reaching the second floor, he did not rush; he felt the lobby or similar areas might contain traps.

So, he first entered the second-floor monitoring room to check all the surveillance.

He indeed discovered that the positions of some wax statues had changed.

After recording these positions, he waited for the appointed time.

During this period, the goblin security guard outside the door called multiple times, urging the Chosen Ones to open the door, but most did not answer.

Even those who did answer only offered various excuses; no one dared to provoke the goblin security guard.

Under the surveillance cameras, it could be seen that the goblin security guard outside was becoming impatient.

His expression was fierce and as ugly as it could be.

He looked as if he wanted to swallow the Chosen Ones alive.

This stood in stark contrast to the humble goblin security guard beside Zhang Yangqing.

At 7:40, two more people appeared outside the wax museum.

These two were wearing security uniforms, similar to the Chosen Ones' uniforms.

Furthermore, they looked like normal people—the kind so ordinary they wouldn't attract attention walking down the street.

As soon as the two saw the goblin security guard, they began to argue with him, and eventually, a conflict broke out.

It must be said, the Chosen Ones and the viewers thought these two would soon be killed by the goblin security guard.

Unexpectedly, these two seemed to be stronger; within a few minutes, they had beaten the goblin security guard away.

At 7:45, these two guards called the Chosen Ones.

Their meaning was that the danger had been cleared and it was time for the shift change, so they requested the Chosen Ones to open the door.

These words sounded very normal, the tone was normal, and the two people looked very normal.

But Rahman remembered clearly that the rules stated to open the door for the shift change at eight o'clock.

Rules are absolute; eight o'clock means eight o'clock.

Not a moment earlier.

He declined politely, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, I have some trouble to handle here and cannot step away for the moment. Please wait a bit longer; I will open the door for you at eight."

The person on the other end asked warmly, "What kind of trouble? Do you need our help?"

Rahman replied, "Thank you, gentlemen, but it's not necessary. I will handle it myself."

His attitude was also excellent; after speaking, he hung up the phone.

Rahman recalled the legends his ancestors had told him: some creatures are extremely ferocious during specific time periods, but once that period passes, they become very gentle.

The two guards at the door might look normal now, but there was no guarantee it wasn't a trap.

Regardless, to ensure he did not violate the rules, Rahman would absolutely not open the door before eight o'clock.

On the other side, Zhang Yangqing also hung up the phone. He then looked at the goblin security guard standing by the door of the security room and said quite casually, "Do you think I should open it, or not?"

This sentence caused the goblin security guard to break into a cold sweat.

He knew that if he said even one wrong word, it would be death!

(End of Chapter)