"To the dock!" Alexander moved swiftly without hesitation, first retrieving the box from Linda's hands.

"This dangerous thing will be handled by us." Alexander took back the box, and Xu Lin gave him a meaningful look.

The group quickly retraced their steps, using the ventilation shaft to enter the sewers.

"The original paths have collapsed; there’s no way back. We can only slip through the flood discharge opening to get to the dock..."

Pete and the others suggested this, and they had no choice but to continue forward, planning to escape through the sewer outlet.

At that moment, a huge stone block fell from above, and suddenly, Deep One Roland shouted, blocking the massive rock.

"You... go quickly, I can't hold it for long!"

Deep One Roland struggled to support the boulder, and everyone could see he was having a hard time.

"Roland, I won’t leave..." Linda cried, insisting on staying.

Pete sighed, quickly knocking Linda out with a blow.

"Sorry for knocking her out. We’ll get her out safely..."

Deep One Roland didn’t say much, giving the group a solemn look, nodding for them to leave quickly.

In this life-or-death moment, there was no time for sentiment. The group hurried away, hearing a huge collapse behind them.

Without stopping, they escaped from the crumbling sewers and eventually found a fishing boat at the dock that could take them out to sea.

...

On the boat, Xu Lin fiddled with the Lament Configuration, glancing at Alexander with a peculiar smile.

"What were you doing?"

"I gave the Nemesis tape to Pete and the others and instructed them to be cautious and never to try listening to it..."

The celestial sounds on the Nemesis tape weren’t meant for human ears; they were like an apocalyptic siren wailing a destructive symphony from the evil gods.

"Heh, when did you switch it and produce a fake? No, rather, where did you get the fake tape!"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Xu Lin pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Of course, I figured you’d notice. I took it from an old car’s radio. I suspect the Nemesis tape has a special use, so I couldn’t help but swap it."

Alexander shrugged. The Nemesis tape was a world-destroying item; he had his reasons for keeping it and not handing it to Spain or Pete.

"Can items from this world be taken into the Spectral Realm?"

Alexander's thoughts were prompted by the existence of the Lament Configuration.

"Yes, but each strategist is strictly limited to carrying one special item related to the storyline—others can be stored in the Covenant space if they fit."

Xu Lin crossed his arms, speaking softly: "And remember, all items are weakened upon entering the Spectral Realm, and their use might be limited in other worlds. Don’t overestimate their significance."

"For example, my Lament Configuration, which originally opened the gates of hell to summon Cenobites, has become a resurrection tool in this script world."

"Moreover, many items can be sold to the Spectral Realm. Your tape won’t be very useful later; trading it for a significant amount of survival points would be more practical."

He offered his advice readily.

"You could ask Carmen about the details when you return to the Spectral Realm. He knows more about it than I do."

"What do you mean by that?" Alexander felt uneasy.

"Nothing, I just hate owing people favors, especially several times over."

Xu Lin summoned his sacrificial blade, handing the flail to Alexander.

"Soon, I’ll open the Lament Configuration to summon Carmen back; then you'll help me smash the box, ending this cursed cycle..."

"Wait, if you do that, what will happen to you?"

"I’m 80% sure that when the box is broken, I’ll disappear with it and won’t return to that world to be tormented by the Cenobites."

He lifted part of the bandages covering his severely burned and tortured body.

"On the other hand, Carmen could return alive, no longer suffering in that world."

"I can’t do that!" Alexander shook his head.

"You will, because that’s who you are." Xu Lin looked directly into his eyes.

"You’re more suited to this script world than Carmen or I. Maybe you’ll have a chance to earn enough survival points to leave this world truly."

Leaving the Spectral Realm required 100,000 survival points!

Xu Lin's words revealed an important piece of information.

"This is just some of what we know about the Spectral Realm. It holds many mysteries waiting for people to explore and solve..."

He didn’t elaborate, simply adjusting the Lament Configuration into position and vanishing from Alexander's sight.

But his final words echoed in Alexander's ears.

"Of course, you could do nothing. The sacrificial blade capable of destroying the box will only last a few more seconds after I disappear. Once Carmen revives, this vicious cycle will continue—you decide!"

Alexander closed his eyes, raising the flail left by Xu Lin.

"Crash!"

He smashed the Lament Configuration, and as it broke, the flail in his hands vanished too, as if it never existed.

Simultaneously, Pinocchio's voice resounded in his mind.

"Transmission commencing..."

In the next moment, he realized his legs were disappearing—the transmission had begun!

...

As Alexander left this world, in a secret meeting room on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., thousands of miles away from Massachusetts,

A tall, slender black man stood with his hands on a large circular conference table. Behind him was a massive 3D projection map.

"Gentlemen, the terrorist biochemical attack has erupted in the town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, affecting several nearby towns. This is war, an act of aggression against our nation, aimed at the Federation. I urge you to cast your crucial vote for Plan B..."