【Xinglong Entertainment City】 Escape

Ren Yi raised an eyebrow, feeling a hint of surprise in his heart.

He hadn't expected the Battle-Damaged Guy to have thought of this layer.

Indeed, according to the rules, the Battle-Damaged Guy belonged to him now; he was his "property."

But the Entertainment City had stated long ago that even if Ren Yi converted stowaways into his property, he couldn't turn them into NPCs and take them out of the city.

In other words, the Entertainment City's "zonal restrictions" were only related to its own rules and weren't limited by so-called "ownership."

"You cannot leave without meeting the conditions." Conversely, this meant "If you meet the conditions, you can certainly leave."

Ren Yi himself wasn't bound by any of the Entertainment City's rules, nor had he used other rules to restrict his "property."

Aside from being able to use his abilities directly on the Battle-Damaged Guy, he was no different from any other "customer."

However, under the influence of 【Time Stop】, Ren Yi couldn't weave illusions within that time slice where he himself was unable to move.

Even if the time the Battle-Damaged Guy could act during 【Time Stop】 was limited, as long as he kept using the ability, he could break free from the illusion's influence within a space where only he could move.

So, theoretically, Ren Yi really couldn't stop him.

"Could I ask one more thing?"

Ren Yi didn't seem to care much about that; instead, he spoke quite earnestly.

"Could you tell me, how much of what you just said was intended to make your 'persona' more believable?"

Unfortunately, he was destined to receive no answer.

Because in the next instant, the Battle-Damaged Guy's figure vanished from before him, as if erased into thin air.

Ren Yi immediately turned his head, using the seed he had planted in the Battle-Damaged Guy to quickly sense his position.

He soon caught sight of the man's back.

But in the blink of an eye, that back disappeared again, as if it had never been there.

Ren Yi knew in his heart that this was 【Time Stop】.

One Time Stop after another, one teleport-like movement after another.

Although the Battle-Damaged Guy's 【Time Stop】 had a time limit each time and couldn't stay frozen forever.

But right now, he was focused solely on escaping, constantly activating his ability at an astonishing speed.

Even if Ren Yi wanted to give chase, it was already too late.

"Do you need me to try and delay him for you?"

The waiter nearby finally spoke up.

"Though I probably can't delay him for long. As long as he returns the chips and the invitation according to the conditions, I have to let him pass."

"It's fine, no need."

Ren Yi shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of regret that his curiosity hadn't been satisfied.

"He won't make it that far."

...

On the other side, the Battle-Damaged Guy was running swiftly through a silent, gray space.

This was the world after 【Time Stop】 was activated.

Everything around him was like a frozen black-and-white photograph—no sound, no color, only dead silence.

In the decorative fountains of the Entertainment City, individual droplets of water were visible in the air; tossed chips hung suspended in mid-air; the surrounding customers remained in their original poses, like a collection of lifelike statues.

In a space where time no longer flowed, the scenery was eerie and fascinating, but the Battle-Damaged Guy had no mind to appreciate it.

Just then, he suddenly let out a muffled groan.

Then, the surrounding gray quickly receded, as if someone had forcibly dialed up the saturation.

Color rushed back in a frenzy, and everything that had been frozen instantly resumed its flow. The clamor of the Entertainment City, the clatter of gambling equipment, and the sound of people talking exploded once more.

This instance of 【Time Stop】 had reached its limit.

Unsurprised, the Battle-Damaged Guy gritted his teeth and activated his talent again.

But just before the gray could completely spread, he suddenly heard someone nearby say something in a confused tone.

"Did you feel like... that chip just stopped in mid-air for a second?"

"Idiot, chips don't fly."

"I mean, could someone be cheating with the chips? Wait, no, chips aren't even gambling equipment..."

The world lost its color once more, falling into stillness.

But this time, the hair on the Battle-Damaged Guy's body stood on end, and an inexplicable chill crept up his spine.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on the two humans frozen in the middle of their conversation.

From their attire, the Battle-Damaged Guy, who had traveled far and wide for years, could roughly deduce that they came from a low-magic world without many extraordinary abilities.

But they... had actually noticed the traces of 【Time Stop】 just now?

Impossible.

His talent had never been directly detected, even when facing Anomalies far stronger than himself.

At most, it would be deduced afterward through various clues.

No, no, don't scare yourself.

Be optimistic; it was just a coincidence.

Perhaps that person's eyes just played tricks on them.

Hesitation lingered in his mind for only a second before he hurried forward again.

As the wielder of the 【Time Stop】 talent, he understood the value of time better than anyone.

The current priority was to leave this permanent Instance before the Anomalies behind him caught up.

He couldn't stop time while returning the chips, and it would be bad if he were cornered then.

Still, the Battle-Damaged Guy felt his luck had been quite good.

When he arrived, he had been prepared to die, even going so far as to perform self-hypnosis to prevent the God of Gamblers' 【Luck】 talent from influencing his judgment.

But he hadn't expected the outcome to be so optimistic—he was actually going to leave this Instance alive.

Crack—Thud!

A crisp, ear-piercing sound of bone snapping rang out, followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.

Sound naturally couldn't travel within a time-stopped space, unless that sound came from himself, whose time was unaffected.

The Battle-Damaged Guy's body suddenly sagged, and he fell heavily to the ground amidst the frozen time.

Stunned, he propped himself up and looked back at his right leg.

He had long since grown accustomed to the pain from the wounds caused by his talent's backlash.

By his judgment, his injuries had remained within a controllable range, enough to support him as he ran to the entrance during the time stop to make a smooth exit.

But now, the wound on his right leg, which was already deep enough to see bone, had completely split open.

His fragile bone had just become completely overwhelmed, no longer able to support his weight, causing his knee to slam into the floor.

How was this possible?

The talent's backlash clearly wasn't this severe; it shouldn't have rendered him immobile!

Was it just bad luck? Had all the backlash concentrated on his leg?

No...

Had his estimation of his own injuries been... too optimistic?

At that moment, the surrounding black and gray were once again rapidly covered by color, and the frozen time began to flow once more.

The nearby customers noticed this blood-drenched man who had suddenly appeared on the floor and cried out in shock.

The Battle-Damaged Guy propped up his upper body with one hand, his face drenched in cold sweat, his expression turning twisted from intense pain and indignation.

Blind optimism?

I shouldn't have made such a mistake.

I... was influenced by something.