Chapter 273 - 38: The Clown’s Exit

Bypassing the square where a fierce battle was raging, Duan Fei sprinted into the factory, making a break for the roof.

The moment he entered, he heard something slice through the air. The passive [Crisis Reaction] from his Mechanical Bracelet activated, allowing Duan Fei to block the attack from behind with his crowbar. He even seized the opportunity to swing it around and bring it down hard on his assailant.

With a muffled grunt, the Clown Gang member who had ambushed Duan Fei let his left arm hang limp—it was clearly broken.

Strangely, however, this clown didn’t flee. Instead, he broke into a vicious laugh.

He seemed to feel no pain as he reached for Duan Fei with his right hand, looking as if he wanted to grab him and crush him to pieces.

Duan Fei stepped back, raised his crowbar once more, and smashed it into the man’s chin, finally knocking him unconscious.

Placing a hand on the man’s neck, Duan Fei activated his [Medical Skill]. He found the man’s heart rate was dangerously fast, and a panel appeared, informing him that this person was also poisoned.

Unlike the neurotoxin mixed into the food, this poison eliminated all sense of pain and fear of death. It was a highly effective anesthetic, yet it was being used for this purpose here.

Just as Duan Fei was about to leave, the Clown Gang member—unconscious just a moment ago—suddenly lashed out, gripping his arm in a death-like hold.

This close, Duan Fei could clearly see the thick makeup on the man’s face, and his cold, blood-flecked smile.

His eyes, as frenzied as a wild beast’s, glared at Duan Fei, as if he was about to launch into a fight to the death.

Just as Duan Fei was preparing to finish him off, a somewhat high-pitched voice called out from above.

"Let him go. Let him come up."

Looking up, Duan Fei saw the player known as clown standing on the stairs to the second floor, holding a dim gas lamp.

He then waved his hand, addressing the figures lurking in the darkness. "All of you, stay back. I have a few things to discuss with him alone. Duan Someone, come on up."

’This feels like a trap,’ Duan Fei thought. But clown had already reached the second floor and was about to vanish into the darkness.

After a moment of thought, pinching his chin, Duan Fei started up the stairs, ready to activate his Spiritual Armor at a moment’s notice.

Yet even as he reached the second floor, the Clown Gang members hidden in the darkness made no move.

The second floor of the old factory had been converted into a military bunker. Thick, reinforced steel plates made the area impregnable, leaving only narrow firing slits for the Clown Gang.

’If they had been prepared,’ Duan Fei mused, ’our group might not have had such an easy time of it.’

Even under attack, clown could have summoned his men here to mount a defense.

But now, the place was completely empty.

From these details, Duan Fei deduced that even if clown wasn’t an ally, he was at least someone who held a grudge against the Magician.

clown invited Duan Fei to sit opposite him. Bathed in the glow of the gas lamp, Duan Fei took the chance to study him carefully.

He didn’t look very old, maybe around twenty. In the dim light, clown looked utterly exhausted, as if he could collapse at any moment.

Raising a hand, clown signaled for Duan Fei to remain silent. He then fumbled in the dark, produced a mirror, and began tinkering with the gas lamp in front of it.

The gas lamp had to be one of the items clown had brought with him. Each time he adjusted it, it made a sharp, crisp sound.

CLICK.

With each click, the surrounding light would vanish, only to return with the next one.

For some unknown reason, every time clown tinkered with the lamp, Duan Fei felt the environment grow more illusory, and the darkness gain more weight.

After a few more clicks, the gas lamp flared to life again. Duan Fei realized they were no longer on the second floor of the factory, but inside a dilapidated wooden cabin.

The cabin’s windows were boarded up, and a large cabinet blocked the door.

A fierce wind howled outside. The door rattled with an intermittent KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, making it impossible to tell whether it was the roar of the wind or a disturbance from Necromancy.

Taking a seat at the cabin’s only wooden table, clown finally spoke. "It’s not safe out there. Your every move is being watched."

"By whom? Little Fatty? How could Little Fatty do that?"

"It’s related to the Magician. The items they brought in are extremely powerful. There are two Golden Legend Level items. One is the [Nameless Mini Factory]—the neurotoxin in the food was produced by it. The clowns in the factory who don’t feel pain are also a result of some of its previous formulas. The Magician has that item."

"What’s the other one?" Duan Fei asked.

"The [Saint’s Shroud]. It temporarily grants a player the power and corresponding skills of Level 40 for the duration of a dungeon, but each use costs a huge amount of Abyss Coins. Little Fatty was stuffed into the [Saint’s Shroud], which is how he’s able to monitor the entire city."

High-quality items might be able to turn the tide of battle, but most require Abyss Coins to activate.

Legendary items like Duan Fei’s, which take effect simply by being worn, were exceptionally rare.

Now that he understood their trump cards, Duan Fei looked at clown. "Aren’t you with the Madhouse? Why are you helping us?"

"I am, but I joined the Madhouse with an ulterior motive. Gale, Yu Bo, and the Divination Master all think highly of you, so I know I can trust you. I’m a Quasi-Manager, and my promotion mission is to join the Madhouse and investigate the background of every ’attending physician’."

Listening to clown’s explanation, Duan Fei finally began to understand a little about the administrative group.

As a semi-official organization, its administrators were divided into five ranks: Intern, Quasi-Manager, Official Employee, Supervisor, and President.

Interns were rookies who had just joined the group. Quasi-Managers were those who had completed some training and reached a certain level and capability.

After becoming a Quasi-Manager, they had to fulfill a series of conditions to be promoted to official status. For clown, that condition was joining the Madhouse.

Only by completing this condition could he become an Official Employee and gain the corresponding clearance.

After finishing his explanation, clown said, "Alright, now you know who I am and why I joined the Madhouse. Do you have any other questions?"

"What’s the Magician’s goal?"

"To have fun. In essence, he just wants to have his fun, so don’t worry about his schemes. Just brute-force your way through."

"Where is Little Fatty?"

"The Grand Theater. I suggest you head out now."

"Anyone else I need to watch out for?"

"The Acrobat. That one’s a nasty piece of work, too."

Having asked all his questions, Duan Fei nodded slowly. "What are your plans now?"

"I’ve already been granted entry into the Madhouse, so I’ll just make my allegiance clear after this. You hold onto my gas lamp for now; you can return it next time we meet. Figure out how to use it on your own. That’s everything. Send me on my way. And... don’t tell anyone who I am. I’m trusting you."

"Okay."

Raising his crowbar, Duan Fei decisively ended the clown’s life, and returned to reality.