"Xiao Wei, your life is bleak, devoid of color. What's the point of you living like this? Come, be with Mom and Dad, just like before..."

Shen Wei's mother, her neck more than half severed, wore a doting smile. She held out a rope with a hangman's knot, placing it around Shen Wei's neck.

At the same time, within a gloomy and bizarre cavern, hundreds of mysterious figures clad in black cloaks stood silently. They lowered their heads, concealing their faces in shadow, and continuously chanted some unknown language, as if in prayer or reciting a eulogy.

The bonfire lit around them cast an orange glow across the entire cavern. All the mysterious figures in black hoods simultaneously raised their heads, staring with fervent eyes at a massive altar at the far end of the cavern.

On the altar was a stone platform, and on the platform lay a mysterious book with a black-winged cover.

Then, a crying blonde girl was forcibly dragged onto the altar by two mysterious figures in black hooded cloaks.

"Father, Mother, I'm scared. Can't I not summon the gods?..."

The blonde girl said with a sob.

"Angie, be good. The gods will be with you. They will grant you eternal life..."

"Angie, be obedient and summon the supreme god to descend. Transform this filthy, deceitful world into a beautiful divine kingdom. Remember, this is your supreme glory..."

The blonde girl's parents had fanatic and excited looks in their eyes. They used their pale hands to firmly grasp the girl's arms, afraid she would turn and run away.

The blonde girl looked at her parents' morbidly insane, twisted faces, feeling an unprecedented sense of alienation.

"No, don't, Angie is scared, Mom, Dad, please let me go..."

The blonde girl pleaded bitterly, but it failed to earn her parents' pity. Her father lifted her onto the altar, and her mother drew a sharp knife from behind and sliced open her wrist.

Crimson blood flowed onto the book with the black wings and was quickly absorbed.

As she lost blood, the blonde girl's consciousness began to blur. But then the black book suddenly erupted with a bloody, turbid light that pierced through the mountain and shot into the sky.

"The gods are descending..."

"The gods are descending..."

The eerie whispers and strange mumblings sounded once again.

...

Shen Wei's mother, her severed neck askew, tightened the knot. His father, covered in blood, threaded the rope through the chandelier, trying to hang him. But no matter how hard his father, with his intestines spilling out, tried, he couldn't lift Shen Wei's child-like body. It was as if he were a ten-thousand-ton boulder, indestructible and unshakeable.

The tattered corpses of Shen Wei's parents looked at Shen Wei with a hint of terror and fear in their eyes!

Shen Wei slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the corpses of his tragically deceased parents:

"My life is bleak and meaningless? Sorry, I can't agree with that. My parents taught me that the weak are easily discouraged, while the strong turn adversity into opportunity. The more desperate the situation, the more unstoppable you must be. So, you things that only live in the dark side of people's hearts, be destroyed..."

"You will go to hell..."

"We'll be waiting for you to return in hell..."

The already dead Shen Wei's parents emitted shrill wails and curses.

The child-like Shen Wei's eyes shone brightly. Everything terrifying around him froze in that instant, then shattered into ashes.

When Shen Wei opened his eyes again, he was back in the passage leading to the 4th exhibition hall.

Standing in front of him was the blonde nun, trembling all over, her face pale, her body swaying.

"Kid, you're finally awake. I can't do anything about this illusion that specifically digs into the deepest fears of the human heart. I can only cheer you on from the sidelines..."

Shen Wei's strange right hand shamelessly said.

"Tap tap tap..."

The sound of footsteps, always close behind, echoed again from the darkness behind him.

"It, mentioned in the Curiosities Museum Guide, has been attracted by fear again..."

A hint of apprehension appeared in Shen Wei's eyes.

"Hurry!"

The strange right hand stretched forward, pulling Shen Wei's body forward. As he passed the blonde nun, Shen Wei hesitated for a moment, then continued running.

But recalling how the blonde nun had resolutely chosen to stay with him in the third exhibition hall to prevent him from falling into the illusion, Shen Wei's expression softened slightly. He stopped, turned back, hoisted the blonde nun onto his shoulder, and ran towards the exit.

"Hmph! You're a madman, carrying this woman who's trapped in fear. Are you sure you can safely reach the next exhibition hall?"

"I repay kindness and avenge wrongs. That's my code. As for whether I can escape, how would I know without trying?"

Shen Wei's tone was tinged with a touch of mad confidence. He ran towards the exit with all his might, sweat soaking his shirt and hair. But he still didn't give up.

"Clang clang clang..."

The monkey doll in Shen Wei's pocket began banging frantically on the cymbals.

An inexplicable danger was approaching, and Shen Wei's stamina was steadily being depleted.

"Huff, huff..."

Shen Wei's breathing became labored, and his speed was no longer as fast as before. The strange footsteps were already behind him, as if they would catch up in the next moment.

"Can you do it or not? Weakling..."

Shen Wei's strange right hand couldn't help but mock him.

Shen Wei's anger rose from his heart: "You must be Fiora, hitting my weak spots four times in one second..."

Suddenly, Shen Wei saw several familiar figures ahead. It was the colorful-haired loli girl and the hitman uncle carrying flowers. Not far ahead of them were the twin-tailed girl, Liu Sheng Rumeng, and the Oni samurai. Clearly, they had only recently escaped the illusion as well.

The group looked at Shen Wei carrying the blonde nun as if they had seen a ghost, and ran even faster.

Just as Shen Wei, covered in sweat, was feeling puzzled, he suddenly felt an icy hand on his shoulder. Instantly, half of his body went numb.

"Buzz"

A golden halo spread out from Shen Wei, and the feeling of numbness suddenly disappeared!

"The monkey doll's protection ability has been triggered..."

Shen Wei breathed a sigh of relief and gritted his teeth, continuing to rush forward.

"Rogue, put me down!"

The blonde nun had woken up at some point. Her face was slightly red, and she said to Shen Wei in a voice as soft as a mosquito's.

"Grandma, were you awake the whole time, hitching a ride?..."

The blonde nun glared at him with her beautiful eyes and said with a pout, "No, I wasn't!"

Breathing heavily, Shen Wei became increasingly annoyed and simply threw the blonde nun off his shoulder.

The blonde nun was as light as a swallow, performing a somersault and landing steadily on the ground.