Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Lin Yu followed the excited elephant leader into its office.

The office interior was decorated in a similarly "gentlemanly" style, but all the furniture was enormous.

The elephant leader squeezed himself into a specially made, huge sofa with difficulty, and gestured for Lin Yu to sit in a chair opposite him that looked like a bar stool to him.

It cleared its throat, trying to regain some of its leader's authority: "Ahem, sir, while your ideas are very insightful, I still need to understand your specific... understanding of the position of 'Joyful Clown'?"

After all, to be honest, the clowns who have been applying for jobs lately haven't been performing very well... well, they haven't been very good, and they haven't been able to really get the audience emotionally involved.

Lin Yu appeared casual, leaning back slightly: "Understanding? It's simple. Forget all the fancy formalities and get straight to the point—as long as these idle guests in the circus can truly feel happy, excited, and crazy, isn't that enough? Isn't that what you like? Just like those guys outside."

Besides, since you don't have any other suitable candidates right now, why not let me give it a try? The worst outcome can't be worse than this lifeless scene, right?

The elephant leader stroked his chin (if elephants have chins), carefully pondering Lin Yu's words.

Indeed, the situation is bad enough as it is now; how much worse can it get? This human is right; the attraction of humans to monsters is undeniable. Perhaps... it really can bring a surprise?

"That's true... but I have to correct you. We're not like those guys outside." The elephant leader nodded, rubbed his massive forelegs, and gave what he thought was a friendly smile. "Well then, I think we can talk about compensation. What do you hope for...?"

Lin Yu interrupted it: "Let me make it clear first, this is just a part-time job. I won't do it for too long. I'm still essentially a food delivery driver."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" the elephant ringmaster hurriedly said. "As long as you can successfully play the 'Joyful Clown' once, bringing back the long-lost, genuine joy to the audience still in the circus, and turning around our circus's reputation, that's all that matters! As for the payment..."

It paused for a moment, then said, "How about I give you an item that you humans would usually like, an item imbued with power?"

The moment the elephant leader finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Lin Yu's mind:

[The player has accepted an NPC recruitment request, activating the hidden in-game quest "Joyful Clown." Do you accept?]

Lin Yu was not surprised by this, after all, a similar situation had occurred with the Faceless Dancer before.

He immediately checked the mission details:

Hidden Quest: The Joyful Clown

[Task Description: Successfully apply for the position of clown in a circus and gain the approval of at least 80% of the current circus audience during a performance (based on the lively atmosphere and the ringmaster's evaluation).]

"Accept," Lin Yu silently thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the elephant troupe leader in reality seemed to sense the fulfillment of some kind of contract, and his smile widened even further: "Great! Mr. Human, welcome to the Happy Circus on a temporary basis! May your performance bring us... joy!"

Suddenly, Lin Yu thought of something and asked, "Ringmaster, now that I'm the clown, does that mean that within the circus, I'm allowed to do anything to bring 'joy' to the audience?"

The elephant troupe leader paused for a moment, thought about it carefully, and then nodded: "In principle... yes, we encourage clowns to please the audience in any way they can, as long as the end result is 'joy'."

"Very good." Lin Yu stood up. "In that case, I'll go and make the preparations."

He was pressed for time.

The elephant leader quickly stood up and shouted, "Hey! Sir! Wait a minute! You at least need to put on some makeup and change your clothes! Your current deliveryman outfit is nothing like a clown!"

It pointed with its long nose to a tent next to the office that had a sign that read "Powdering Room".

Lin Yu scoffed, but still quickly walked into the dressing room.

In the dressing room, a zombie makeup artist with a pale face, heavy makeup, a dark green wig, and a faint smell of decay was fiddling with various oil paints in front of the mirror.

Seeing Lin Yu come in, it habitually picked up the powder puff and brush and came over.

Lin Yu waved his hand, directly refusing its assistance.

His gaze swept over the strangely colored paint on the dressing table, some of which was even slightly wriggling. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed a handful of the pale, lime-like paint, smeared it directly on his face, and roughly spread it evenly.

The zombie makeup artist let out a dissatisfied roar.

Lin Yu ignored him, grabbed a handful of scarlet paint that looked like congealed blood, and smeared it around his mouth to create a huge, wide, exaggerated, and irregular smile.

He glanced at his face in the mirror, which looked like it had been soaked in water and then haphazardly smeared with makeup, and frowned: "It seems like something's missing..."

After thinking for a moment, he scooped up a lump of pitch-black, asphalt-like paint and pressed it heavily around his eyes, leaving two asymmetrical dark circles that looked like he had been punched.

Looking at the chaotic, crazed face in the mirror, with a strange, mocking quality, Lin Yu whistled: "Cool~ No wonder it's a classic look."

The zombie makeup artist next to him was trembling with rage, baring his teeth at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu turned to look at it, his exaggerated red lips curving into an even more eerie smile: "Why so serious?"

After saying that, he took a step forward and, to the zombie makeup artist's astonishment, ripped off the dark green wig from its head and casually put it on his own. Then, ignoring the angry zombie, he turned around and strode out of the makeup room.

The elephant leader was pacing anxiously outside. When it saw Lin Yu come out, its little eyes widened instantly.

The human before them had a face smeared with white, red, and black, his expression crazed and distorted. He wore an incongruous dark green wig, and was dressed in a vest stained with paint that read "Starving Takeout" and the [Bio-Armor: Blood Vine]. The dark red [Heavenly Cloak] on his back moved without wind.

This extreme chaos and disharmony creates an indescribable visual impact.

"This...this is truly...a subversive clown image..." the elephant leader muttered to himself, unsure whether he was in awe or speechless.

Lin Yu looked at it and suddenly asked in a seductive tone, "Do you like chaos, Mr. Commander? Do you like the most primal and pure joy that bursts forth from disorder?"

The elephant leader was taken aback by Lin Yu's question, a hint of confusion flashing in his huge elephant eyes.

But a few seconds later, a long-suppressed longing appeared in its eyes, and it murmured, "Of course... order... is too boring..."

Hearing its reply, Lin Yu's smile grew even brighter and more dangerous: "Then you should understand what kind of 'stage' and 'atmosphere' a truly spectacular performance, one that can ignite the emotions of the entire audience, requires, right?"

Looking into Lin Yu's eyes, which shone brightly under the black paint, the elephant leader seemed to be struck by lightning! It seemed to understand what this human clown wanted to do.

It then remembered the question Lin Yu had just asked.

Do you like chaos and disorder?

For them, the answer to this question is naturally yes.

After all, whether it's the creature itself, the performers in the circus, or the guys who seem to be "tourists," they are all essentially monsters.

This can be seen from the uncontrollable greed on their faces when they saw Lin Yu.

No matter how "civilized" they pretend to be, their inner desires cannot be concealed.

As monsters in the game world, they are born worshippers of chaos, disorder, and slaughter.

The moment the elephant troupe leader figured these things out, it was as if a string in his head snapped. The wildness that had been suppressed for so long by the rules of the circus and the so-called "civilized performance" was completely ignited at this moment.

"roar--!!!"

The elephant leader's narrow, small eyes instantly became bloodshot.

A terrifying aura emanated from it, and it suddenly raised its head and let out a roar like a prehistoric beast.

At the same time, its body began to expand wildly at a visible speed! The expensive gentleman's suit on its body was instantly stretched and torn apart.

At the same time, its eyes were fixed on Lin Yu.

"It's strange that, as a monster, I actually need a human to tell me what the joy of a monster is."

Looking at the elephant leader's enormous body and the disgusting tumors on its body, Lin Yu shrugged and replied, "That's normal. We humans have a saying: 'Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly.'"

"That makes a lot of sense, and I've learned a lot from it. Thank you for telling me."

The elephant troupe leader grinned menacingly and continued, "As a reward, I'll create the stage you need!"

……

Outside the office, in the circus's common area.

The monster tourists continued to wander aimlessly between the tents, watching the same old, unoriginal bloody performances, yawning and grumbling in dissatisfaction.

"How boring..."

"The Happy Circus is becoming less and less worthy of its name."

"All they do is saw bones and spray out internal organs... there's absolutely no skill involved!"

"I won't come here next time. I'll just go to the slaughterhouse instead; at least it's more direct there..."

Complaints were constant.

For them, these boring performances are not even as exciting as admiring their own deformed bodies.

They've all almost forgotten what happiness feels like.

However, at this moment—

Boom!!!

A loud bang came from the backstage area, and then, in the center of the circus, the huge tent roof of the ringmaster's office was blown off by a terrifying force.

Countless pieces of torn canvas and wood flew through the air.

Amidst the astonished gazes of all the monsters, a terrifying colossal elephant, its body swollen to nearly ten meters in length, its muscles bulging, its skin a wild gray-black, and its long trunk waving like a giant python, stood upright.

It roared to the sky, its voice deafening.

Its huge, long trunk suddenly rose up, pointing towards the sky above the circus.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!

Thick, sulfurous black mist gushed wildly from its nostrils, quickly spreading out like a giant lid, enveloping the entire circus.

The light dimmed rapidly, as if dusk had arrived early. At the same time, as darkness descended, the monster inexplicably felt a sense of oppression and excitement spreading within it.

All the performances stopped, and all the monster tourists were stunned, staring blankly at this sudden turn of events.

In this eerie darkness and silence—

A figure appeared like a ghost at the top of the tallest flagpole in the central Blood Spring Square, where the circus flag was hanging.

His face was covered in messy clown paint, he wore a ridiculous green wig, and he was dressed in a hideous deliveryman's armor and cape.

He looked down at the horde of monsters that had fallen into a daze.

Suddenly, he opened his arms and let out an extremely exaggerated laugh.

"Hahahahaha—!!!!!"

The laughter seemed to possess some kind of magic, piercing through the black mist and clearly reaching the ears of every monster.

Many monsters felt inexplicably irritated.

The clown laughed so hard he was breathless. He pointed at the dark mass of monsters below, his voice echoing throughout the arena: "Look at you! Look at your ridiculous state!"

"They are clearly a group of monsters whose very bones are etched with killing intent, who crave blood and screams."

"Yet you insist on clumsily putting on clothes, sitting here like humans, watching those lousy actors on stage perform the bloody dramas you've been tired of playing for thousands of years."

"What are you expecting? Are you expecting them to put on a spectacular show? Are you expecting those fake screams and tomato-sauce-like blood to give you any thrills?"

"Stop fooling yourselves! Look at the eyes of your companions! There's boredom in them! There's weariness! But even more so... there's hunger! A longing for real chaos and a feast!"

"Aren't you feeling repressed? Aren't you in pain? Aren't you tired of pretending? Compared to this orderly, fake civilization, disorder and chaos are the source of your happiness."

You bunch of actors... pretending to be the audience! You're more ridiculous than me, this temporary clown!

The clown's words seemed to be a trigger, and the monsters below stirred, some falling into deep thought, their eyes flashing red.

Some flew into a rage, letting out threatening growls, but many more... seemed to have been set on fire, bursting into maniacal, approving laughter! Yes! Stop pretending! Have we all forgotten what we were really like?

Looking at the horde of monsters below, which was beginning to boil over, Lin Yu knew that the time was right and it was time to ignite this powder keg completely.

He suddenly drew the Demon Sword and, without hesitation, slashed a deep gash in his arm.

laugh--!

Warm, bright red blood, exuding an incredibly alluring fragrance, gushed out instantly, dripping down his arm. The pure life force of humanity, like the most potent stimulant, instantly filled the air.

"Can you smell it?! This is what you really want! Isn't it?!"

Lin Yu raised his bleeding arm high, like a mad preacher, his voice hoarse yet seductive: "I am the new clown of joy! I don't perform! I only provide the stage and... the fuse!"

"Now! Tell me! Can this long-awaited human flesh and blood! This unrestrained, chaotic slaughter! Bring you true joy?!"

……

Lin Yu's blood splattered out.

They've gone mad! Utterly gone mad!

The fragrance of human blood, like a drop of boiling oil, instantly ignited the entire venue!

The last shred of order and pretense was utterly shattered! All the monsters—tourists and staff alike—had their eyes turn bloodshot in an instant! Reason was consumed by primal desire!

"roar--!"

"kill!!!"

"Eat him!"

The monsters roared and shrieked, no longer distinguishing between themselves, and attacked everything living around them in a frenzy.

Some monsters surged toward the flagpole like a tide, their target Lin Yu.

Teeth, claws, tentacles, acid, bone spurs... everything became a weapon.

The circus instantly transformed into the bloodiest and most chaotic killing spree, which was exactly what these monsters wanted.

"That's more like it! If you're a monster, just go berserk and kill! Stop pretending to be civilized! I'm not used to this!"

Looking at the scene before him, so familiar yet so chaotic, just like the ruins of the city, Lin Yu chuckled, the cracked paint on his face peeling off, making him look even more ferocious.

He leaped directly from the tall flagpole! In mid-air, the Azure Rose was already spewing out blazing flames!

boom!boom!boom!boom!

The bullets accurately struck the heads of several flying monsters that pounced at them, instantly blasting them apart with demonic power.

Upon landing, the [Demon Sword] swept out, swirling with black ghostly energy, cleaving the two approaching werewolf monsters in half at the waist.

"Come out!"

With a thought, Lin Yu's [Evil Ghost Sword] shone brightly, and twenty ghosts of various shapes screech out, obeying Lin Yu's command and rushing towards the surrounding monsters.

At the same time, an even more powerful and icy aura erupted from the sword.

The long-unseen sword spirit Liu Xiangxiang appeared. She was no longer the delicate female ghost, but had transformed into a ten-meter-tall evil spirit with a blue face, fangs, and long hair that danced like black venomous snakes.

"Roar—!" The evil spirit Liu Xiangxiang let out a silent yet soul-shaking roar. With a wave of her huge ghostly claw, she swept away a group of monsters like garbage. Wherever she passed, the life force quickly dissipated.

Lin Yu himself held a gun in one hand and fired shots while slashing with his sword in the other. His [Heavenly Cloak] was like a living tentacle, sometimes protecting his body and sometimes suddenly pulling out to knock the attacker away.

He weaved, spun, and leaped through the chaotic horde of monsters, his eyes closed!

Gunshots, explosions, monster roars, screams, and maniacal laughter... all intertwined into a chaotic symphony.

The elephant leader, at this moment, had completely let loose. Its massive body rampaged across the field, its trunk crushing several monsters with a single sweep, and its giant feet turning them into a bloody pulp with a single stomp.

It laughed maniacally, its voice like thunder: "This is it! This is it! I haven't felt this pure revelry in far too long! Audience! Get hyped! Let's kill! Chaos! Disorder! Death! This is the true essence of our circus! Hahahaha!"

The entire circus was completely transformed into a massive, bloody, and insane vortex.

Every monster caught in this chaos, whether initially willing or forced, is now immersed in the "joy" brought about by this extreme chaos.

Lin Yu wielded a Han sword in one hand and a revolver in the other, wielding them with deadly skill amidst the chaotic horde of monsters.

He glanced at the monster beside him, seemingly not quite satisfied. He put away his two weapons, took out the Rising Sun Bow, and then used the Heavenly Cloak to fly himself into the air.

Infuse with a large amount of mana.

【Rising Sun】

An arrow was fired, and the golden arrow struck the spot with the highest number of monsters.

boom!

Instantly, blinding solar fire erupted, engulfing a large number of monsters.

……

This extremely chaotic and bloody "performance" lasted for a full fifteen minutes.

After the last roaring monster was smashed into a pulp by the evil spirit Liu Xiangxiang, the entire Blood Spring Square fell into an eerie silence.

The intense smell of blood and burning was almost tangible, and the ground was covered with the remains of various monsters and viscous liquid.

The liquid gushing from that so-called "blood spring" now seemed dull and lifeless.

Lin Yu sat on the edge of the blood spring, breathing slightly heavily.

The [Hun Tian Cloak] was covered in filth, but it was still slowly wriggling, seemingly enjoying the environment.

He drank a small bottle of healing potion and a bottle of mana potion.

The intense battle just now took a toll on my health.

To his surprise, the prompts for gaining experience were almost flooding his mind, and his experience bar was already overflowing. He only needed one [Upgrade Card] to immediately reach level 7.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any upgrade cards. Fortunately, the excess experience wouldn't dissipate but would be stored in the experience bar, so it wouldn't be wasted.

Just then, a series of heavy footsteps sounded.

Lin Yu turned his head and saw the elephant leader slowly walking over.

It had reverted to its previous human form, dressed in tattered gentleman's clothes, but was covered in blood and bits of flesh. Its gaze, filled with complex emotions, swept over the devastated, empty circus, and it murmured, "Gone...all gone...the audience...the performers...all gone..."

Its voice carried a hint of relief, a hint of bewilderment, and a barely perceptible...satisfaction?

Lin Yu grinned, the dried paint on his face cracking open even more: "At least, they were truly happy in the last moments of their lives, weren't they?"

Besides, you seemed quite happy just now.

The elephant leader glanced at him, offering no rebuttal, but instead rubbing his forehead with his trunk and sighing, "Indeed... compared to you humans, our attempts to establish order seem so ridiculous and futile."

It seemed to have realized something.

Lin Yu casually ripped off the crooked dark green wig from his head and threw it disdainfully into the blood pool next to him, saying, "Isn't it obvious? Desire needs to be guided and released, not suppressed."

Suppressing yourself too much can lead to...psychopathy.

He was implying something.

......