If we turn back time a little, to before the explosion occurred, during the time Xu Lin and Carmen entered the building. They didn't proceed immediately but instead took out syringes filled with the blue liquid and injected them into their muscles.

“This ‘magic’ is ridiculously expensive—one injection costs 180 survival points. ‘Fragments’ are things you can buy but can hardly afford to use!”

“There’s nothing cheap and effective in Ghost Space. Whether it's the Sacrificial Blades, Shadow Beasts, or Fragment Magic, each comes with inherent flaws or requires a significant cost to use…” Xu Lin sighed with a wry smile. “I still have three vials of magic serum. How many do you have left?”

“Less than you—only two bottles left, and they’re from what I earned in the last script world. But I still have over 700 survival points, and using Fragments doesn’t consume them. My Past Sight can let me reuse the magic effect until it’s depleted with just one vial!”

Honestly, despite its costs, Fragment Magic is quite useful. For example, Carmen’s “Singing Bones” allows him to view scenes using the spell three times per vial, effectively engaging it without pause.

The only thing to watch out for is the usage time, roughly twenty minutes. After that, whether or not you use it, the magic effect dissipates.

After injecting the serum, Carmen began to activate Past Sight by focusing on the building, which allowed him to trace the whereabouts of Roland and the others.

“They were indeed taken into this building; we need to get inside quickly…”

“Alright!”

The two quickly moved, darting through the doors into the interior of the building.

Inside, there were two elevators leading directly to the top floor. Carmen activated his magic again, unraveling the traces of past events, which replayed themselves before his eyes.

“Seventeenth floor. From the lip movements in the conversations I saw, it seems they were moved to a place resembling a detention cell…”

To augment this ability, Carmen had learned some basic lip-reading, only managing to grasp partial conversations. They ventured into the elevator, checking it carefully before ascending.

“Remember the last script world we crossed, the one based on ‘Hellraiser’?”

Xu Lin pulled out an odd-looking puzzle box from his pocket—a cubic contraption with a box-like shape.

“If you can solve it correctly, Hell’s Gate will open for you, and the last person to open this puzzle box was me…”

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“The Lament Configuration!”

Carmen drew a sharp breath, recalling their previous harrowing experiences in the script world based on ‘Hellraiser,’ involving a crucial prop.

‘Hellraiser’ tells the story of the mysterious “Lament Configuration” box, which, when opened, drags individuals into hell to suffer horrific tortures and transformations by Cenobites.

They barely escaped with their lives from that script, and Carmen never imagined Xu Lin managed to bring the Lament Configuration back from that world.

“In different versions, the Lament Configuration exhibits varied capabilities, sometimes revealing astonishing powers, like resurrecting the dead…”

...or more precisely, not a resurrection of the dead, but those entrapped within the box’s hellish domain—a living purgatory of endless bloody torment dealt by the Cenobites.

“Remember how this box’s power once demonstrated the ability to resurrect a soul tormented within it? Though, resurrection demands a sacrifice…”

This was one of the script world’s unique rules regarding the Lament Configuration.

“You mean…” Carmen asked, puzzled.

“Exactly as you think. Should I perish, perhaps that’s when it will be useful!” Xu Lin replied cryptically.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, revealing the seventeenth floor.

The hallway was eerily silent, with not a whisper of light. However, a familiar voice echoed from a short distance away—Janet’s voice.

In the darkness, numerous undefined shadows stirred, producing a flute-like “Tekeli-li” sound.

“It’s been a while, gentlemen—about nine hours and twenty minutes, to be exact…” Janet sat in the shadows, perched on a chair with legs crossed, wearing an odd mask.

“Janet, what kind of game are you playing?” Xu Lin demanded loudly, sensing something strange about Janet. He whispered to Carmen, “Use Past Sight to figure out what trick he’s up to!”

Without hesitation, Carmen employed his Past Sight, his trump card. Quickly, he frowned and spoke, “There shouldn’t be anything wrong; Past Sight didn’t reveal any flaws…”

“Forget it. Let’s just capture Janet first…” Xu Lin felt a twinge of unease but maintained confidence in his abilities.

After injecting the magic serum, his powers reached their peak, allowing him to combat the weaker creatures of this world effectively.

“Don’t misunderstand, gentlemen. This is merely a small game to test if you can survive this death trial…”

Janet made no movements, but the lurking creatures charged at them.

They were miniaturized Shoggoths, aberrant organisms crafted by the ancients, resembling tar-like amoebas, each no bigger than a cat. These creatures sported glowing eyes, looking like a blend of viscera and soft body tissues.

“Janet, I’m giving you one last chance. Tell us where Linda and the others are, or don’t blame me for what happens next!”

Both Xu Lin and Carmen had closed their eyes, not directly observing the sanity-fraying forms of the creatures.

Janet kept silent, sneering continuously.

“So stubborn!” Xu Lin scoffed, opening his palm to unleash his Fragment.

—Curse of the Stone Eye: Turandot, activate!

An exotic rune materialized in his palm, rotating slowly, emitting a blinding radiance.

This petrifying light held immense power with the Fragment known as “Turandot,” boasting magical forces capable of turning objects to stone.

In an instant, all the small Shoggoths solidified, freezing into stone blocks.

This was Xu Lin’s true ace; his heart, like Carmen’s, had been transformed into a book form, acting as a magic furnace. Once the blue-liquid magic serum was injected, it activated the stored Fragments.

Fragments are phenomena modeled after tales, prophecies, and stories. When a strategist wields a Fragment, their mind plays incantations that boil their brain matter, unleashing various supernatural abilities with a wave of their hand.