Chapter 35.1 ?

To be honest, Xu Ming’s modification was not out of politeness.

It was purely out of caution.

Because, just like using a “second-level basis,” “second-level substitution” also requires a price to be paid. However, this price is variable. According to the original description, “the smaller the difference between the replacement word and the original word, the lower the cost.”

But what exactly constitutes the “difference,” the rulebook didn’t specify, so Xu Ming could only speculate. After thinking it over, it seemed that she could only consider aspects like part of speech, meaning, and category; and comparatively, “Bichon” to “butterfly” is obviously closer than “stupid” to “beautiful.”

At least they are both animals.

The fact proved that her judgment was correct—now that the replacement was complete, she didn’t feel any discomfort. Only her shoulder was still in pain, but that was from using the “second-level basis” earlier.

It seemed that “second-level substitution” was easier to use than “second-level basis”; as long as the words were chosen well, it could achieve seamless modifications. The only trouble was the high requirement for a word bank…

Xu Ming thought silently, finally unlocking the door chain in front of her. As she opened the door, she heard Qiu Yufei gasp.

Xu Ming didn’t see anything, but instinctively gasped as well, turning nervously while pulling her forward, “What’s wrong? What did you see again?”

“A lot of people…” Qiu Yufei obediently followed her, unable to see clearly because of the sunglasses, “Has the corridor in front of us widened? It seems like there are many more doors. And the lighting has changed too, red lights flashing, a lot of paper pasted on the walls, and a lot of people walking around…”

A lot of people?

Xu Ming frowned slightly, hearing a rustling sound, the blubberman peeked out from the edge of the bag, sneaking a look outside. Then a sincere exclamation sounded in her mind:

“Wow, so many Minotaurs!”

Xu Ming: …Shut up!

“What a time to say such strange things!” she couldn’t help but retort in her consciousness.

Blubberman: …

At this moment, Gu Yunshu, who had been following behind, also walked out and visibly paused upon seeing the corridor.

Then she sighed softly:

“Ah, so many Minotaurs.”

Xu Ming: …

Sorry, I overthought it.

But, Minotaurs?

Xu Ming’s heart stirred, suddenly recalling Tang Menglong’s report on the fourth round—and the sentence, “My hooves are so beautiful.”

“…All Minotaurs?” After a pause, she asked softly, while carefully guiding the group along the wall.

Xu Ming’s room was at the end of the corridor, and a few steps deeper was the staircase. However, at this moment, the scene seen by Qiu Yufei and the others was clearly different from Xu Ming’s, each step was taken hesitantly, as if they couldn’t see the way.

The urgent task was still to get Qiu Yufei and the others downstairs first. At least to meet up with the staff of the Magic Cube Mansion.

Almost the moment she stepped onto the stairs, the blubberman’s voice sounded again in her mind: “Not just Minotaurs, there are also Goatmen, Catmen, Monkeymen … all sorts of animal features, it’s like a furry paradise.”

Xu Ming: …

It wasn’t just her imagination, right? It did say something strange, didn’t it!

“Got it, zoo style.” She tried to correct the blubberman’s wording, glancing around as best she could. Maybe it was just her illusion, but after leaving the room, the oppressive feeling didn’t seem as heavy, “Do they have any aggressive intent?”

“No. They seem to be quite stupid.” The blubberman said, “They just keep wandering in the same area, like they’re trapped by invisible walls.”

…Got it, a zoo filled with stereotypical behaviors.

This did match Tang Menglong’s description of the fourth round—the suddenly appearing, incomprehensible, and self-absorbed strange guests…

So where were they now? In the Butterfly Mansion? Or had the two buildings merged, and she, being an idiot, could conveniently ignore everything related to the Butterfly Mansion?

“Anything else?” Xu Ming pursed her lips slightly, asking again, “What else is there?”

“Butterflies flying around. And strange decorations.” The blubberman replied in her mind, “Dim red lights, winding corridors, murals that can roll their eyes … Oh right, and lots of little advertisements.”

Xu Ming: …?

“They’re papers stuck on the walls, everywhere.” The blubberman explained, “All with weird writings on them.”

“What do they say? ‘The butterflies here are so beautiful’?” Xu Ming guessed, already leading Qiu Yufei and Gu Yunshu to the second floor landing.

“Not just that,” the blubberman said, “there are all sorts of crazy talk.”

“For example, there’s a note on the handrail beside you—it says, ‘The stairs are wriggling intestines, the elevator is a mouth that eats people.'”

Xu Ming: “…”

“I strongly advise you not to let your friends see it,” the blubberman continued, “although it’s uncertain…”

“But I think this kind of thing messes with people’s minds.”

At the same time.

At the other end of the second-floor corridor.

As Ling Guang anxiously waited, the elevator finally made a “ding” sound.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he couldn’t help but step back.

Fang Xueqing, standing beside him, hastily pulled him back, observing his suddenly pale face and frowning:

“Are you okay? What did you see that scared you like this?”

“…” Ling Guang didn’t answer immediately, instead, he cautiously looked at the elevator again. With just one glance, he quickly withdrew his gaze, his throat nervously moving.

After two seconds, she heard him say softly, “It’s a mouth.”

“?” Fang Xueqing looked baffled, glancing at the normal elevator car beside her, “What?”

“The elevator I saw was a mouth,” Ling Guang said, still shaken, “I don’t know if it’s an illusion or… no matter how I look at it, it’s just a wide-open mouth…”

Red, two meters high lips, with interlaced sharp teeth below, and bits of meat hanging between the teeth.

And at this moment, that mouth was wide open, standing vertically, like a carnivorous flower waiting for its prey.

Fang Xueqing listened, growing more and more confused. After a moment, she remembered that just a short while ago, when they realized something was wrong and hurried to run out, Ling Guang had picked up a piece of paper from under the door crack.

The paper had some nonsensical words on it, exactly saying “The stairs are wriggling intestines, the elevator is a mouth that eats people.”

“Damn, you can’t be influenced by that sentence,” Fang Xueqing’s face changed instantly, “You only took a quick look…”

“Maybe it’s because I seriously thought about what that sentence meant at the time,” Ling Guang said, half-turned, not daring to look at the elevator, feeling a pang of regret, “I was careless, I didn’t expect the words to have such a strong effect.”

“Just a strong brainwashing effect. Try giving yourself some strong suggestions? Or just dive in?” Fang Xueqing tried to suggest, “Or just go in directly, if it’s an illusion, an illusion won’t…!”

Before she could finish her sentence, she unintentionally glanced to the side, and her whole body froze.

—There was no elevator in sight.

Only a giant abyssal mouth made of filthy flesh, surrounded by inverted sharp teeth, perched where the elevator should be, its suction cup-like orifice constantly expanding and contracting.

Fang Xueqing: “…”

Alright, it seems her mind isn’t clean either.