Chapter 226: I'll Play the Demon King! |
[You have encountered an NPC]
[Little Girl ??? (lv. ???)]
[Health: ???]
[Description: A little girl who seems to have gotten separated from her family in the zoo. Please proceed with caution.]
Guan Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he silently complained to himself, "If she's just a lost little girl, why would I need to be cautious?"
In a zoo filled with monsters, a normal-looking little girl was anything but normal!
If she were truly a helpless little girl, she would have been torn apart by the escaped rabbits long ago. Moreover, the intense fight between Guan Shan and the BOSS had left the entire underwater tunnel in shambles, as if it had been ravaged by a tsunami.
Yet this little girl acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, showing no fear and instead asking, "What are you doing?"
This wasn't innocence; it was deliberate ignorance!
She had no human ears.
Guan Shan heightened his vigilance, lowering his blade to the unconscious fishman BOSS's throat, ready to strike the final blow. He coughed twice, carefully asking in a gentle tone, "Little girl, where did you come from? Did you get separated from your family?"
Thankfully, his journalistic professionalism remained intact, allowing him to control his emotions and sound even gentler than a kindergarten teacher.
Simultaneously, Guan Shan's gaze subtly shifted downward, spotting dark red, sticky blood on the girl's otherwise pale and delicate feet.
In the dim light, it wasn't very clear, but Guan Shan was too familiar with blood...
The blood was slowly spreading in the puddle on the floor.
It was easy to imagine what areas this little girl had traversed…
The girl bit her finger, thought for a moment, then pointed down the corridor: "I came from over there."
Guan Shan looked in that direction. The corridor ended in darkness, with a window around the corner. Through the fog outside, he could faintly see a building with flashing red lights and hear distant alarms.
He mentally compared the layout and realized it matched the lion enclosure marked on the map.
Guan Shan's expression stiffened. If she came from one of the enclosures, she was likely an animal in the zoo. Considering her appearance, she might be a "lion."
But she wasn't classified as a monster, rather an NPC, meaning she didn't harbor ill intent towards Guan Shan… at least not yet.
The girl continued, "I'm looking for my family. Many strange adults tried to stop me, but Feifei wasn't afraid. She defeated them all."
As she spoke, she earnestly waved her small fists, looking harmlessly adorable.
It wasn't "defeated"; she must have killed them all...
Guan Shan swallowed hard, giving an awkward but polite smile: "So your name is Feifei…"
The girl nodded, then looked down at the dying fishman, asking, "So, big brother, are you looking for your family too? Why did you do this to the fish?"
Cold sweat formed on Guan Shan's back. He felt that a wrong answer might lead to him being "defeated" like those strange adults.
He glanced at his health bar, seeing it had recovered less than half… no chance of winning.
With most of his items and skills on cooldown, even using time-stop would only buy him a few seconds to escape, with no chance to turn the tide.
After a moment's thought, Guan Shan forced a smile and said, "Yes, I'm looking for my family too. We're playing house. I'm playing the hero, and the fish is the demon king, so I have to defeat the demon king."
The girl looked up at him, her voice soft, "Can I play too?"
Guan Shan: "..."
Can I refuse?
No, refusing might lead straight to a bad ending.
Taking a deep breath, Guan Shan said, "Of course you can."
The girl's eyes lit up, and she cheered, "Then I want to be the demon king!"
Guan Shan's smile froze.
Danger! He felt like a red warning sign was flashing above his head.
MMP! Why does it feel like I'm about to lose from the start?
The girl seemed to sense Guan Shan's hesitation and disappointment, her tone saddened, "Big brother doesn't like Feifei either? Just like other adults who don't like playing with kids. I thought you'd be different..."
Guan Shan quickly responded, "No, no, I really like Feifei. We can play. We can play any game."
The girl skeptically asked, "Really?"
"Really!" Guan Shan nodded vigorously, then coughed and added, "I really want to play with Feifei, but every game has rules, right? Feifei knows, only good kids follow the rules…"
The girl nodded obediently: "Feifei is a good kid."
Seeing the conversation was back on track, Guan Shan sighed in relief and continued, "Playing house is a complete game with a storyline. You can't suddenly add a new character. It has to make sense, right? Just like Feifei wouldn't want to find her parents only to discover they've divorced, and dad married an evil stepmother."
The girl's face showed serious agreement, "Yes! That can't happen!"
Guan Shan pressed on, "So the hero vs. demon king story is almost over. Adding a new demon king's grandpa, who defeats the hero and takes his harem, would upset the audience, right?"
The girl looked confused, "Why would that upset them? I think it's fun…"
Guan Shan pretended not to hear, "Anyway, the story needs to be complete and satisfying, so no new characters can be added now."
The girl bit her finger, blinking, "Then what should we do?"
Guan Shan, seeing a way out, pulled out a Toy Bear from behind, speaking softly, "So, Feifei can play a different story, like Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Gray… Bear. You can be the demon king Little Red Riding Hood, and the bear can be the hero."
That's right, he remembered the expensive [Toy Bear] item, the key to saving himself!
The girl took the Toy Bear, gently stroked its fur, leaned her head on it, and her expression darkened momentarily. But she quickly smiled, "Yay! Thank you, big brother!"