Chapter 1 Randy's Close-Up

When Randy ran back to the bus, his wife started yelling, "What the [bleep] do you think you're doing?"

Randy, panting, replied earnestly, "I got a great shot, honey."

Before he finished speaking, the entire bus began to rock violently. Apparently, the two giant guinea pigs clinging to the vehicle had lost patience.

Ta-ta-ta—

The sound of a submachine gun erupted as Feng Bujue pulled out Miss Moxxi's Bad Touch and began firing.

Before the first magazine was empty, the gun's fire attribute was triggered, igniting the brownish-yellow guinea pig. The monster immediately clambered off the bus roof, rolling on the street in an attempt to extinguish the flames on its back.

"As expected… something from outside this world can have some effect on these guinea pigs," Feng Bujue muttered, as he brought out the Death Poker. He fanned the light cards in his hand, sending a five-card flush flying out.

This psionic weapon could automatically track targets, and now that Feng Bujue possessed Soul Intent, he could precisely control where the light cards struck.

With a hissing, tearing sound, the Death Poker plunged into the other guinea pig's eye. The monster, hit, ran off painfully to the side, away from the bus.

Seeing that this method worked, Feng Bujue felt a surge of hope. At least he had found a way to drive back these monsters without expending too much energy.

"Anyone hurt?" Feng Bujue rushed onto the bus, asking the family of three. Without waiting for an answer, he immediately added, "Let's get out of here, follow me."

The three didn't waste words. Seeing the monsters had temporarily stopped attacking, they quickly got off the bus and followed Brother Jue.

Under Feng Bujue's lead, the four ran towards the shopping center.

"Where are we going?" Randy, following behind, didn't forget to keep filming and commentating with his portable camera.

"Shopping center," Feng Bujue replied.

"Why there?" Randy asked again.

"Because the walls there are thick, and there are enough supplies inside to ensure the survivors can live," Feng Bujue replied. Of course, he couldn't answer… because my mission requires me to bring you there.

"Oh, right! We should be able to find other survivors there, maybe someone will know what's going on," Randy added.

Feng Bujue didn't respond because he knew exactly what was going on. This disaster would last at least a whole night, and the person who ended it would defeat the monsters' leader, the Secretary of Homeland Security, at dawn.

As long as they waited until tomorrow morning, the monster in human form would be exposed, the imprisoned Peruvian panpipe band would be released, and the crisis would be resolved.

In other words, this single-player Nightmare scenario had at least ten more hours…

…………

At the same time, in the jungles of Peru.

The mustached man and the tall man were leading the way with a map, followed by five children.

"I don't get it, Remsky, there's nothing marked about this place on the map," the tall man at the front said, looking at the map. So the mustached pilot's name was Remsky.

"This entire canyon is strange," Remsky replied, looking uneasy. "Look… the fruit here is so big…"

It was no wonder he was a little apprehensive. In this place they were in, only the size of the trees was normal; everything else was incredibly large.

On the damp grass were giant apples as tall as people; from the high vines hung peaches the size of water vats; in the distance, they could vaguely see spiderwebs the size of soccer fields, spread diagonally in the air…

"Look at this," the tall man shouted.

Pushing aside the trees in front, they saw a massive wall.

"This looks like some kind of giant… beehive?" the tall man said.

"My God…" Remsky exclaimed.

Walking closer, they could see that the beehive was incredibly magnificent, its height like a cliff face. Standing beneath the hive wall, they couldn't even see the sky.

"I say, guys, what exactly is this place?" Stan, who was following behind them, asked.

Remsky and the tall copilot were clearly stunned by the sight before them. The former stared blankly, his mouth half-open, and replied woodenly, "This seems to be… an unknown realm, a corner forgotten by time… Look, everything here is incredibly large."

Craig began his deadpan commentary: "This is so exciting…" He paused for a second, then added, "I followed you guys, and you led me to a giant lost world."

Stan replied unhappily, "Craig, it's not our fault! Stop acting like we did it on purpose, we didn't have a choice."

Kyle chimed in, "Yeah, it just happened."

"It just happened?" Craig repeated in a flat tone.

"Yeah!" Kyle replied, frowning.

"And what 'just happened' is… you were sent by the government to raid Lima, and ended up in a lost world," Craig said.

"That's right," Cartman agreed.

"Do you know what most kids have to deal with?" Craig asked, using an example to complain, "Falling off their bikes, arguing with their parents, getting their birthday money stolen…"

Remsky interrupted the children's conversation, "No matter where we are, I suggest we keep moving, I feel like this place is a little…"

Suddenly, Kenny ran forward, pointing behind the two pilots and shouting in his muffled, unintelligible voice, "Hey! Watch out!"

His warning came too late. In that instant, two globs of viscous yellow substance fell from the sky, drenching Remsky and the tall man. Then, huge tentacles emerged from the hive wall, quickly dismembering the two men and dragging them into the hive.

Watching the severed limbs fall to the ground, the children screamed and ran back into the forest…

The five ran in panic, not knowing how long they ran for, until they were too tired to continue. After catching their breath for a while, none of them could find the way they came.

But giving up was certainly not an option, and the children had plenty of energy anyway, not needing much rest. Therefore, they soon resumed their exploration.

The surrounding forest was darker and denser than before, and the moonlight was no longer enough for them to see the path ahead. But these kids were quite capable; they worked together to make a torch, which Stan held, leading the way.

To be honest… they didn't even know where they were going.

"I think we're going deeper into the mountains," Kyle said, looking around after walking for about half an hour.

"Maybe we should try that way," Cartman suggested, randomly pointing in a direction.

Kenny seemed a little angry and frustrated, and said in his mumbling voice, "I think we're doomed."

Just then, Kyle suddenly saw something, and pointed to their right, shouting, "Hey! Look over there!"

The others turned to look, and saw… in the distance, next to a patch of overgrown, swampy ground, was a large shadow. Getting closer, they saw that it was a building made of stone.

The structure looked like the entrance to some kind of ruin, pieced together from large stones. It was just over three meters tall, and shaped like a trapezoid. There was a door on the front, and on either side of the entrance stood a stone totem statue of unknown significance.

"What is that?" Cartman asked.

"I don't know, looks pretty old," Kyle replied.

Stan then said, "Let's go inside and take a look."

This sentence undoubtedly triggered Craig's commentary again. He said coldly, "Go inside and take a look…" He paused for a moment. "That's why… you guys ended up in this situation. Because when you guys see a creepy, old ruin, you casually say, 'Let's go inside and take a look.'"

"This could be a way out, Craig!" Stan shouted.

Cartman agreed, "Yeah, yeah, you complainer."

A few minutes later, the five had entered in single file, holding the torch.

The interior of the ruins was well-preserved, with no damage to the statues or murals. The floor was also paved with stones, which were engraved with strange patterns.

"Wow, I bet no one's discovered this place for centuries," Kyle said, looking around in amazement.

"Yeah, definitely," Kenny said.

"Hey, guys, come look at this," Stan, holding the torch, shouted from in front of a mural, indicating he had found something.

The friends gathered around, standing in front of a wall.

"These are ancient murals, right?" Stan said, looking at the wall.

"Look! It's a panpipe band!" Kyle pointed to the first picture on the wall.

The picture depicted four people holding instruments and playing music.

"I know, look there!" Stan said, pointing to the second picture next to it.

That picture showed four small people holding instruments, and two giant guinea pigs. Many wavy lines were drawn around the small people, and the guinea pigs seemed to be fleeing from those waves.

"It seems like… panpipe music can drive away guinea pigs?" Stan read hesitantly.

"Oh! No way! Look at that!" Kyle found something else on the mural, pointing to the other side.

The third picture showed the panpipe band from the first picture, but there was a cage drawn around the band.

"The panpipe band is imprisoned!" Kyle said, "Just like what's happening in the outside world."

Stan's torch slowly moved to the fourth picture. "Then… the guinea pigs start devouring humans…"

That fourth picture showed guinea pigs attacking humans and destroying houses.

"And finally…" everyone said, moving their gaze to the last picture.

Silence descended for a few seconds.

The main quartet stared at the picture in disbelief.

Cartman was the first to speak. "Guys! That's Craig!"

Craig hadn't wanted to pay attention to these four bastards, so he was sullenly playing dead in the shadows in the back. Unexpectedly, he suddenly heard his name.

"Huh?" Craig was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked over.

He pushed past the four, squeezed to the front, and saw the last mural.

The picture showed a small person who looked exactly like Craig, like a god, surrounded by light, and holding a spear, aiming it at a strangely shaped giant guinea pig.

"Holy crap… that really is Craig!" Kyle exclaimed.

Even the usually calm Craig was a little at a loss. He just stared in amazement at the mural, which had been left in this ruin for hundreds or thousands of years.

"Dude, what's going on?" Cartman asked.

"I don't know," Craig replied truthfully.

"Your image is engraved on the walls of ancient Incan civilization, don't you have anything to explain?" Cartman asked again.

"No…"

…………

On the other side, in the office of the Secretary of Homeland Security in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"According to the latest reports, the guinea pig crisis in the U.S. and Canada is further deteriorating," a staff member reported, holding a form. "Messages from Europe and China state that… casualties are already in the tens of thousands."

The Secretary of Homeland Security was still striking his Gendo Ikari pose, sitting there and saying, "So… how is the situation being controlled?"

"It's terrible, sir," the staff member replied. "Currently, it seems that we cannot stop these monsters at all, the situation is completely out of control…"

"Oh hahaha… ah hahaha…" The Secretary of Homeland Security raised his arms, stood up straight, and laughed wildly at the sky.

"Uh… sir?" Everyone else in the office looked at him in shock.

"Hmm…" The Secretary of Homeland Security sat back in his chair, suppressing his laughter. "Oh, sorry, I just thought of a very funny joke."

The dimwits in front of the desk paused for a few seconds and believed him…

"Oh, haha, is that so," they replied.

The Secretary of Homeland Security immediately changed the subject, "Okay, back to business." He ordered, "Prepare a private jet for me, I need to go to Machu Picchu (Peruvian Inca ruins)."

"Huh? Machu Picchu?" A soldier asked, a little baffled.

"Yes, send me to Machu Picchu immediately! Are you deaf?" The Secretary of Homeland Security shouted sharply.

A staff member in a blue suit asked, "But… sir, what's the point of going to Machu Picchu?"

"Who's in charge here!" The Secretary of Homeland Security roared, "Is it… still up to me!"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise, but no one objected…

…………

Having used up most of his deck of cards along the way, Feng Bujue finally brought Stan's parents and sister to the parking lot in front of the shopping center.

But the shopping center's electronic rolling doors had all been lowered, indicating that the people hiding inside had sealed off the entrance.

"Are there any other entrances to this place?" Feng Bujue asked as he ran. "Like a back door, side door, underground entrance, anything." He couldn't just break down the door, because that would be like letting the monsters in.

"There is, but the back door is far from here, you have to go around three streets," Sharon replied.

Feng Bujue raised his eyes and looked at the surrounding situation. It wasn't optimistic… there were quite a few guinea pigs nearby, five or six within sight. And choosing to detour here would likely attract even more of the surrounding monsters to the shopping center's walls.

"No choice, go to the rooftop." Feng Bujue said, swallowing a bottle of Survival Value Supplement, bringing his Survival Value back to around 65%. Then, he activated Spiritual Consciousness Gathering Technique.

Without explaining, he grabbed Randy and dashed forward.

The shopping center was a five-story building, but its floor height was definitely higher than an average apartment building. The rooftop was more than ten meters off the ground.

But Feng Bujue was confident. After a running start, he leaped up, stepping on a few shallow window ledges and protrusions on the outer wall, using his hands and feet, repeatedly borrowing strength, and quickly climbed up with Randy.

Randy screamed throughout the entire process, but after reaching the rooftop and standing firm, he immediately commented to the camera, "Oh! God, [bleep] brought me up here, hey, dude, wave at the camera, will you."

Feng Bujue didn't bother with him, quickly threw down the backpack on his back, propped himself up with one arm, and flipped over the edge of the rooftop.

He used his right hand's Spider Silk Gloves to caress the outer wall, coordinating with a unique posture, sliding down the vertical wall, suffering almost no fall damage when he landed.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Feng Bujue shouted at Sharon and Shelly, who were looking at him in horror, because a guinea pig was approaching behind them.

"Ah—" Sharon also realized the situation, and screamed as she pulled her daughter and ran forward.

Feng Bujue knew that he had to bring both of them up at once, or the one left on the ground would die.

The side mission was for him to bring Stan's parents and sister to the shopping center, and obviously, none of them could be missing, otherwise the mission would have been declared complete when Randy was brought to the rooftop.

If any of these three NPCs died here, Feng Bujue would have wasted all his efforts.

"This is gonna kill me…" Feng Bujue sighed.

He put one on each of his shoulders, then quickly turned around, facing the shopping center.

"It was already troublesome carrying one person, and I could only use my hands and feet in coordination to climb. And now there are two…" Feng Bujue thought. "I only have one chance…"

Thinking of this, Brother Jue suddenly exerted force under his feet.

This jump was even more astonishing than his previous jump directly to the fourth floor. The ground suddenly cracked at the moment he jumped.

Feng Bujue had already used Soul Intent to predict the result of this jump. He knew that there would be no problem sending these two NPCs up, but as for himself…

Three seconds later, with two people on his shoulders, Feng Bujue rose to the edge of the rooftop, but the height was still not enough, and he had nowhere to borrow strength. Therefore, he forcibly used the strength of his arms to throw the two upwards.

When Sharon and Shelly flipped over the edge of the rooftop and landed, the system prompt sounded: [Side mission completed]

"Hahahahahaha…" Feng Bujue laughed loudly in mid-air.

But at this moment, there was really no time to be happy. Because he was falling from a height of nearly twenty meters in a freefall state, and there was a giant monster waiting for him on the ground.