Chapter 74: Best Friend's Doodle |
Bai Mu watched as the candle tumbled onto the table, its flame catching the tablecloth and casting a bright glow across the entire room.
The wooden dining table and chairs caught fire, followed quickly by the floorboards. The blaze spread rapidly, tongues of flame dancing wildly as the entire living room transformed into a sea of fire.
Yet, the two figures on the sofa made no attempt to flee. They held each other tightly, inseparable, as the roaring inferno swallowed their silhouettes.
The faint melody of a nursery rhyme drifted on the wind, accompanied by drifting embers that floated upward into the starry night sky.
A girl's laughter chimed through the air like silver bells before his vision finally faded to black.
'It is for the best. It beats rotting away in this house, and the military will not bother them anymore,' Bai Mu thought.
He did not know if this could be considered a good ending, but it was exactly what Lucy had wanted.
However, just as Bai Mu assumed the Script had ended, a groggy voice echoed from the darkness.
The scene shifted back to that cozy little house. Bai Mu heard the patter of tiny footsteps—pitter-patter—as bare feet scurried across the floorboards toward one of the rooms.
"What is wrong, sweetheart? Did you have a nightmare?"
A man's voice rang out from the shadows.
"Lucy, you still have school tomorrow."
A woman's voice chimed in, carrying a hint of groggy annoyance at being woken up.
The air fell silent for a moment. It was easy to imagine a woman with a bedhead exchanging glances with a child leaning against the bed.
"You are ten years old now, Lucy."
"..."
"It is okay, come on up, sweetheart."
"You always spoil her. At this rate, she will graduate without ever learning how to sleep alone!"
"..."
"Fine, the two of you are in cahoots. But I swear, this is the last time. Starting tomorrow, Lucy, you have to sleep in your own bed."
'Could this be a world without the mutant virus?' Bai Mu pondered, piecing together the scarce information from these fleeting glimpses.
In this world, it seemed Lucy's parents had never separated. The mutant virus had never broken out, and she was living a happy, fulfilling life with her loving family.
'But what is the point of showing this scene at the end?'
Bai Mu was a little confused. Even if a peaceful world truly existed, the Lucy in that world was not the Lucy he knew. They should have absolutely no connection to each other.
'Is it purely to show the Players another possibility?' Bai Mu thought. 'But that is completely meaningless. They are not even the same person. They do not even qualify as parallel variants of each other.'
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the scene shifted. Night turned to dawn. Out in the yard, that dark yellow pickup truck pulled up to the front door, and the man and woman shouted toward the second floor of the house.
"If you do not hurry, you will be late, Lucy!"
"Coming!" a voice replied from upstairs.
The perspective drifted through the second-floor window. Bai Mu only caught a glimpse of a small back hurrying out the bedroom door.
The scene finally froze on the desk, focusing on an open diary. On the very last page of the notebook, a doodle had been drawn in colorful crayons.
It depicted a man in a black trench coat. A Baseball Bat was tucked into his waist, his left hand held a pistol, and his right hand supported a flower pot growing two bright red cherries.
Beside the man sat boxed roast chicken, pizza, french fries, and cola. A mountain of candies spilled out of his trench coat pockets.
Opposite the man lay several stick figures sprawled on the ground. A few quick, messy strokes vividly captured their dead, defeated expressions, making it surprisingly expressive.
Bai Mu could not help but chuckle. Was this drawing not just him?
At the very bottom of the page, a single line was written: "To My Best Friend."
To my best friend.
[The Script narrative has concluded. You have completed this Script and will be automatically teleported back to the community.]
This was the final image the Script left for Bai Mu. The perspective lingered on the doodle for a few seconds before he was whisked away, teleporting back to his room in the community.
[Script "Lucy's Wish" has been completed. Tallying personal rewards.]
[Detected that Hidden Quest "Save Mom" is complete. Rating increased. Gained Roulette Draw x1.]
[Detected that Hidden Quest "Clear the Building" is complete. Rating increased. Gained Roulette Draw x1.]
[Detected that the Player has achieved the ending: "My Best Friend". Ending reward: "Best Friend's Doodle" x1.]
[Current Script completion rate: 100%]
[Items/Equipment acquired: "Best Friend's Doodle" x1.]
[Skills acquired: None.]
[Bloodlines acquired: None.]
[Titles acquired: None.]
[Your overall personal Script rating is: S.]
[Tally complete.]
It was an S-grade rating once again. However, since an Adventure Script did not reward Points or Community Time, the true value of an S-grade rating primarily lay in the evaluation rewards unlocked in the corresponding Adventure Script shop.
But before clearing out the shop, Bai Mu first inspected the sole item he had obtained from the Script.
The last time he cleared "Dave's Backyard," he had received a full five items. Getting only one this time seemed a bit underwhelming, but upon seeing its effects, Bai Mu was pleasantly surprised. It was actually a "Unique" tier item.
In Paradise, the "Unique" quality meant there was only one of its kind in existence; no other Player would ever obtain a duplicate. "Unique" did not necessarily guarantee exceptional power, only absolute rarity. But after reading its effects, Bai Mu felt this item was at least on par with a Perfect-grade artifact, and an exclusive Perfect-grade artifact at that—one only he could use.
[Name: Best Friend's Doodle]
[Type: Special Item]
[Quality: Unique]
[Effect: When Player K8107 holds this item, they gain the active skill "Best Friend's Help".]
[Note: Lucy had a very, very long dream. She dreamt she was abandoned in a dark place, lonely and desolate. It was a sad, terrifying dream, until someone took her hand and helped her find inner peace. She also dreamt that this person took her on a thrilling adventure. When she woke up, she drew her friend on paper. Although it was just a dream to her, she knew that he was her best friend.]
[Skill Name: Best Friend's Help]
[Skill Type: Active Skill]
[Effect: You can seek help from Lucy or the Witch.
When you choose Lucy, she will appear by your side in a soul state, carrying her doll backpack. You can obtain random consumable supplies from her backpack. Lucy will act according to your instructions. Each time you summon her, you can make at most one request. Regardless of whether she can accomplish it or not, she will disappear after attempting to fulfill your request.
When you choose the Witch, the Witch will appear as your Summon and obey your commands. She will disappear when her Health is fully depleted or when you actively cancel the skill.
The skill will enter cooldown after Lucy or the Witch disappears. Cooldown time is 24 hours.]
[Cost: None]
[Note: Friends should always help each other.]
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