The flames on the chain ball lasted only a few seconds before extinguishing automatically. Xu Lin's expression remained unchanged as he calculated his remaining life points.

"The enchantment effect of the Sacrificial Blade roughly consumes about 20 life points each time it’s used for a round..."

Although there is no cooldown time for the skill, Xu Lin still carefully calculated his life points... He currently had more than 2,400 life points, but he couldn't afford to waste them recklessly, as they were only in the second act of the story.

There could potentially be two more acts to come, and wasting too many life points now might make it extremely difficult to complete later stages.

He calmly assessed the situation, maintaining distance from the deep ones while swinging the heavy chain ball again.

Without activating the enchantment effect, he simply smashed the chain ball into a hybrid's face, causing the creature's features to shatter. Then, he yanked the chain, spun it around, and tossed the entire chain ball along with the chain.

Boom! The chain ball flew over ten meters, targeting a lurking hybrid. Designed as a throwing weapon, it was effective over short to medium distances.

In an instant, the enchantment effect triggered, turning the skull chain ball into a burning skull. It nearly smashed the head of the command-giving man lurking in the shadows.

Fortunately, a deep one hybrid stepped in front, and the enchanted blue flames instantly consumed it. The chain ball pierced through its chest and landed at Dr. Madara's feet, whose face was pale and visible in the flickering firelight.

"So it is Madara!"

Xu Lin wasn't surprised. He drew a police handgun, fired several shots, then deftly maneuvered around the enemies, hiding in the arbor forest. As he turned, he threw a flashbang; boom! The blinding light made the pursuers scream and growl in fury.

Taking advantage of this, Xu Lin escaped effortlessly, driving away from the Mash Refinery in a borrowed car.

...

Alexander was drawn into a dream—no, the "dream" infiltrated his deepest consciousness. He was invaded by a nightmare chaotic and devoid of logic.

The dream seemed like the deep sea, perhaps even an alien hell, or perhaps heaven and hell combined. Everywhere he looked lay a grand city made of immense stones and bricks, its walls covered in moss and sludge, every inch of soil imbued with an underlying sense of danger.

This massive city resided in a black abyss, brimming with countless pillars. Deep within these damp, slippery, moss-laden regions, he sensed something incredibly terrifying lurking, something he dared not gaze upon directly.

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A colossal stone door, pyramid-sized, stood hidden in the shadows, with mist-like vapors trying to burst from an ancient cage.

In Alexander’s mind, a scene unfolded: a membranous creature, pulsing and writhing, curled behind the door in that eternal black domain. From the void, a nauseating sound echoed, reminiscent of countless voices whispering.

—A sound akin to singing, chanting, or perhaps a ritualistic hum, endlessly resonating in his ears!

"When it emerges from its deep-sea kingdom, the tides bend to its will, and the shores tremble at its presence."

The voice was like a child's chant, an old man's whisper, or a mature woman's sly laughter.

"It slumbers at low tide. It devours at high tide."

In the depths of darkness, there seemed to be an ancient door, occupied by a wrathful spirit, ceaselessly howling.

"In R’lyeh's abode, Cthulhu waits dreaming for you to enter..."

Unnameable terror seized Alexander; in an instant, he felt his soul nearly shatter.

—The door was about to open, and that green demon from the stars was waking from its slumber. The mere thought twisted his face in horror. Even within a dream, he was drenched in cold sweat, gripped by an indescribable fear.

He shut his eyes, refusing to look upon that dark door, knowing that to continue would drive him insane and lead to death.

Yet, even with eyes closed, the deep, ancient madness and horror of that extreme darkness etched into his mind, sinking deep into his soul...

...

"Alexander, Alexander, wake up..."

Suddenly, Alexander opened his eyes to find Carmen shaking his face.

"What kind of nightmare were you having to look so disturbed?"

"Nothing! Just a nightmare..."

Upon waking, Alexander forgot everything from the dream, yet the lingering "post-nightmare feeling" enveloped every cell with a sense of survival.

For ordinary people, such a feeling might be dismissed, as forgotten nightmares seldom provoke much thought. However, Alexander was no ordinary person; he was a strategist well-versed in the Cthulhu mythos. Though it didn’t occur to him immediately, he realized a few seconds later what had transpired.

"Damn, the worst-case scenario has happened. I might have formed a dream connection with 'Mr. C' of R'lyeh, leading to a complete SAN drain!"

Cthulhu, one of the Great Old Ones, could be sealed in the city of R'lyeh, a grand temple deep in the ocean, home of the evil god and his city. "Mr. C" slumbered within.

In the twisted worldview of the Cthulhu mythos, both Outer Gods and Great Old Ones surpass human comprehension. Mere glimpses of them can drive humans mad, destroy sanity, or even cause death or blindness from brain overload.

This interpretation by the original author, Lovecraft, amplifies the idea found in Christianity that seeing the true form of God is fatal: Exodus 33:20 states, "But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

The cosmic horror gods magnify this infinitely; it isn’t just seeing them—accidentally touching their statues, reading a play or grimoire, or even dreaming of them might draw their wrath.

In this twisted world, countless people suffer bizarre disappearances, deaths, or mutilations after inadvertently encountering such divine "miracles," with incidents happening too frequently to count...

"It seems the part in the script where I die in the second act wasn’t a joke. This is a death flag. If I don’t find a way to counteract it, I may not avoid this outcome..."

According to Carmen and Xu Lin's analysis, the script world leads to a Bad End, with all characters meeting a fatal end. The evil spirit space aims to toy with them in these script worlds until they die.

However, these death flags aren’t unavoidable side plots, as they don’t affect the main storyline. This means if you can find a way to escape certain death, you can survive.

But... avoidance isn’t enough; these death flags aren’t unsolvable. There are often overlooked details or hidden paths for survival, and understanding these secrets is your chance to escape.

"If I start from the main plot, why would I die so early..." he began attempting to deduce the reason.