Puzzle Madness

Chapter 120 Asphalt Stage Play

There is a small courtyard inside the Provincial Library. Even though it is exposed to direct sunlight all year round, it is still damp and overgrown with weeds.

There were round stone benches and tables, as well as wooden grape racks placed on the grass; but they were already moldy and covered with black spots.

Further up the corridor are exhibition halls, conference rooms and staff offices - there is also an elevator here that goes directly to the children's reading room and academic library on the upper floors, but few people pass by here today.

Zizizizi--
The corner of the eaves extending into the courtyard suddenly appeared a circle of shiny black liquid with bubbles rising from it.

If readers pass by, they will smell the pungent burnt smell that fills their noses, like a pot of boiling sugar water, scalding, burning, and greasy.

Slip!

Sidney landed lightly from the rolling asphalt; she crossed her arms over her chest as if the asphalt were actually a swimming lane in a water park.
"Hey, listen up! It's done, it's done!"

"Haha! I finally found it!!"

Sidney spun like a dancer, stopping from time to time to put his body into difficult and weird shapes, and then continued to spin.

She had clearly fallen out of boiling asphalt, but her white gauze dress was spotless.

Sizzle. Sizzle
More asphalt puddles gushed out of the ground, covering the grass in clumps. Grass leaves, dead branches, and even crawling insects and ants sank into them silently.

Suddenly—
A voice came from the twisting and tumbling mass of asphalt, sounding muffled and dull, as if a ball of cotton was stuffed in one's ears:

"Oh. Boss, is he the protagonist you mentioned?"

Hearing the sound in the asphalt, Sidney stopped moving, covered his mouth, and his green eyes shone:
"Huh? How is that possible, idiot? If I don't say that, what if he kills me on the spot? Who among you can keep up with his reaction speed?"

“This Dou Dou is definitely…”

"He's absolutely, absolutely the biggest villain! He's 100% the main villain of this story! The kind of guy who only dies at the very end, the kind that the plot continues to develop towards the very end! Like the boss at the very end of the story."

She danced and jumped, tapping the ground with her heels alternately, doing a tap dance:
"It's just that we're still young and a student right now. Maybe we're still before the storyline officially begins? Or even in the background. Never mind, it doesn't matter!"

"That's great, even before the story even begins! I can still live for a long time! My character will continue to exist! Hehehe!"

The clattering sound of the soles of the shoes was so harsh that it made one's head itch.

Another, raspier voice came from the asphalt ball, with a strange gurgling sound like someone about to drown:

"Then - can we come out now? It's so stuffy in here, I can't breathe due to lack of oxygen, and I'm dizzy and I need to go to the bathroom."

Sidney bit his nails and waved his other hand impatiently:

"What's the rush?! I've said it many times before, the sense of mystery and anticipation is very important - don't wander around if you have nothing to do; you won't die if you stay a little longer."

"If you really can't do it, just do it in the passage. There's no camera there to film you anyway—"

As she spoke, she suddenly raised her brows and listened to the whistling hot wind blowing through the courtyard:
"--Shut up! I feel the camera coming!"

Sidney suddenly turned around, facing the empty backside and the wall made of colorful tiles.

She adjusted the crown of bottle caps on her head, coughed twice, and spoke:

"My foolish subordinates don't understand the significance of this moment."

“After ten years away from Dublin and all that traveling – I finally got my first big role in this hot, boring city!”

"What will happen next? Where will the future lead? What role will our mysterious superpower elite organization [Story Club] play in this chaos? Please stay tuned."

Sidney turned his head to the right and spoke to the empty end of the corridor:
"And I'm a useful character! I'll keep the plot going, keep the story moving: I'll make everything more dramatic! Please let me live!"

A low whisper rose from the asphalt, sometimes far away, sometimes near.

There were at least three or four different voices alternating among them, talking to each other:
"What's going on? Why is the president going crazy again?"

"Hmm, she thinks the camera angles and positions, or even the comic panel layouts, should be there, explaining things to the audience. That's called character design, right?" "Is she talking to the audience or the author? Last time she said she was talking to the author. Oh well, whatever makes the boss happy."

"How long will it take for it to come out? My stomach really hurts and I need to go to the toilet. I really need to poop."

"Doesn't she think that the camera usually focuses on the side of the face--"
-
Sidney turned sideways and glanced toward the center of the courtyard. All the expression that had been brought about by the movement of his facial muscles disappeared, leaving only a mannequin-like face and an icy gaze:

"Hey, why is someone talking while I'm explaining the plot? Is it because they're on stage for too long?"

The bubbling, pitch-like shadow fell silent; no more talking arose.

I don't know how long I kept nagging at the wall, until the mosaic wall made of colorful tiles was even covered with saliva.
Sidney stepped out into the midday sun, stepping between the asphalt and the grass.

She raised her head and stared at the scorching sky for a long time. Until her eyes turned red, tears kept slipping from the corners of her eyes and falling between her lips.
Sidney covered his face and lowered his head, but his voice was even louder than before:

"Ha! There's nothing in the sky. Even after being in close contact with Doudou for so long, I haven't been induced to go crazy."

"I told you all before—I'm not crazy or delusional! I was right, we're in a comic book! Well, or a TV show or a movie, it's almost the same."

Gululu.
The only response was the sound of bubbles bubbling in the asphalt: it seemed that the warning they had received before made no one dare to speak again.

clap clap!

Sydney patted her cheeks and stood up again. Apart from the redness of her eyes, she was no different from a moment ago.

She adjusted her flower crown and gauze skirt in front of the mirror on the corridor pillar, and only nodded with satisfaction after smoothing out every wrinkle.

Then he turned suddenly, facing the churning asphalt in the courtyard; stroking his chin, his eyes rolled thoughtfully:

"Alright, my dear brothers and sisters. Time to continue the storyline: Are the Asia-Europe Post workers almost finished building the test area? Give them a hand."

"First—stir the waters again. Take out everyone's spies, whether it's the Eurasian Post Office, the Human Cataloging Center, or those cyber-promoters! Destroy every intelligence system, leaving nothing behind."

"I want Mong Cai City to become a black zone, and everyone must be blind and deaf. Characters need room to grow. We can't let these organizations monitor us and intervene. We need to make things more wild, and the environment more complex."

"How can so many people be so focused on the villain? Without mystery, it's doomed! We finally found an important character."

Sidney snapped his fingers a few times and pointed towards the center of the courtyard:

"Remember to clean up your looks and stop dressing like little minions. Characters without any memorable moments will be gone soon! We'll be the only ones crying and feeling sad when they die; who in the audience will care about minor supporting roles like you?"

"Of course—don't dress too fancy or complicated; it should be a bit classy and not lower the image of our storytelling club!"

"Didn't I hire a costume consultant for you? Go design them yourself to make the characters more cohesive and enhance their fascination."

"No copying each other's outfits! There has to be distinction, there has to be differences. Everyone, practice your slogans a few more times!"

"These past few days, it's just been personnel exchanges, exchanging some agents, but soon, the frenzied battles will begin. Everyone, be careful and don't get caught in a ditch."

"Also: be careful when killing people—help those who can suddenly become stronger, help those who can be resurrected after death, and help those who are easily excited."

"If those who look useless aren't dead yet, try to save their lives; maybe they're actually quite capable."

"Maybe we can find the true protagonist this time. Neutral, remain neutral! Neutral organizations can survive longer."

Click!

The moldy grape trellis was exposed to the sun for a long time and made a crisp sound like it was cracking.

Hearing the sudden sound, Sidney suddenly looked around cautiously, like a frightened animal:

".Huh? Is this a plot hint?"

"Wait! Everyone, come out first. Let's do a group pose first. Maybe the screen will cut to the introduction of our organization--"

(End of this chapter)