While the shark-gorilla hybrid was rampaging through the mountains, terrified screams erupted from the woods. Out slithered a monstrous python—straight out of a disaster movie, but even bigger—with three pairs of insect-like jointed legs, as if a giant mantis had donated its sexy limbs to the cause.
"Oh my god, look at that—it's a mutant!" Ear Double, the chubby commentator, shouted in the livestream: "While our contestant is racking up double points, a super-powered mutant just crashed the stage! Is this some kind of secret boss level?"
Ear Double's tough-guy co-host immediately roared back, "I say the priority now is to get inside the Sunspire Pyramid, find the final room, and finish the game! Her score is already historic!"
"But I think it's going to be tough. Both mutants are crazy strong—they've locked down every route to the Sunspire Pyramid. Right now, just escaping their pursuit is already..."
Ear Double never got to say "impossible," because Jill Young suddenly leapt off a thirty-meter slope. She slid down, sprinted a few steps, then sprang into the air—machine gun blazing all the while. Bullets peppered the shark skin, leaving only tiny bloody dots, but a shot straight to the eyeball was a game-changer. Midair, Jill spun a full 720 degrees, channeling all that momentum into a flying kick—smashing right into the gorilla-arm’s elbow.
Crunch! The gorilla-arm’s joint twisted the wrong way, flipping from hyperextended to bent forward. Effectively, this shark was now limping.
What can a limping shark do on dry land? Jill jammed her shotgun into its mouth: "So this is what passes for mutant wildlife in Steelbull City? Not impressed. Hope there’s enough of you freaks to help me level up, otherwise it’s a waste of ammo." Boom—the shark was toast. Jill slapped her right hand down.
Right then, a sharp, catty broadcast blared: "Mutant eliminated! Kill points +2000!"
Moments later, the sexy-legged python met the same fate. It barely put up a fight before Jill harvested another two thousand points. As she collected mutant blood and muscle, alarms wailed overhead, red lights flashing like an air raid was about to hit.
"Warning, warning! Player score exceeds ten thousand—new record! Entering the ultimate secret stage: Reliable Adventure Bankruptcy! Extreme Mode unlocked: The Brink of Bankruptcy!"
For a moment, Ear Double, the tough-guy host, and every viewer in front of their TV were stunned. Even Jill Young was frozen, because suddenly the soundtrack from an old-school robot anime blasted through the speakers—epic and totally goofy, the kind of beat you’d hear at a plaza dance-off. Then, a chorus of catty voices erupted, singing in a rhythm that sounded like a slapstick folk tune:
Reliable Adventure, meow, win fame and cash!
How many points you score, meow, I’ll pay that much cash!
Score three thousand points, meow, strike a pose for the camera!
Score six thousand points, meow, bite down and sign your name!
Hit ten thousand points? Meow—now you’re bankrupting me, you rascal!
You want me bankrupt, meow, I’ll send you straight to the underworld!
You want me bankrupt, meow, Reliable Adventure will send—you—to—heaven~~~
This three-part cat chorus was so intense, it swept over everyone like a tidal wave—leaving the crowd absolutely stunned. Meanwhile, as the song played, bubbles started rising in the swamp at the center of the arena, like a monk making his entrance. From the mud emerged a robot, looking just like a StarCraft 2 power armor trooper. Two and a half meters tall, thick arms and legs, and a huge head half-buried in its shoulders.
As the cat chorus hit its finale, the helmet’s glass visor turned clear—and inside was a cat, plastered with Reliable Adventure talismans! That giant feline head was way too big for the helmet, squished and twisted like a pillow stuffed into a fish tank, its big face pressed against the glass, grinning creepily.
Bang! Jill fired, bullets sparking off the power armor’s helmet—completely unscathed.
Whirr—Mr. Reckless raised both arms. Each of the power suit’s ten fingers flipped open a gun barrel, and in the next instant, a hailstorm of bullets shredded the spot Jill had just been standing on, blasting it into rubble.
Jill didn’t hesitate—she turned and bolted, diving into the jungle toward the Sunspire Pyramid. Mr. Reckless stomped after her, heavy footsteps booming as he crashed into the forest.
"Whoa, what a wild plot twist! Tonight’s Reliable Adventure is really frying my brain cells." Ear Double started ranting: "Just when I thought the Reliable Minions were unbeatable, she wiped them out. When I thought she’d win easy, mutants showed up. When I thought she was going to run, she took down the mutants. When I thought she could finally sip some tea and find the exit, Mr. Reckless himself shows up! Full of spite, armored to the teeth—Mr. Reckless has entered the arena!"
The tough-guy co-host snapped back to the action: "Look, the player’s reached the Sunspire Pyramid. She’s tearing through the woods—already inside! But Mr. Reckless is fast too, smashing trees in a straight line, guns blazing, brute force unstoppable. She’s gotta find the exit before he catches up—oh! Mr. Reckless is inside the pyramid now!"
Ear Double continued: "But as far as I know, the final stretch of Reliable Adventure is packed with traps. This pyramid’s probably loaded with high-voltage shocks, flamethrowers, and more. And inside, it’s a maze—fifty or sixty meters tall, a 3D labyrinth. Dodge traps, escape a killer, and find the exit—and don’t forget, there’s only ten minutes left."
"Looks like this challenger’s in deep trouble. She set a new all-time Reliable Adventure high score, but if she fails, I’ve only got one thing to say: losers are losers, and losers aren’t worth a dime, so I won’t feel sorry for her." The tough-guy co-host waved dismissively. "Let’s check the pyramid cams."
The feed switched: every monitor showed jets of flame and crackling arcs of electricity, danger practically leaking through the screen. But Jill was nowhere in sight—nor was Mr. Reckless’s robot.
"Huh? Where’d they go?" The director kept switching cameras, catching only fleeting glimpses of Jill dashing by—no clear shot. The hosts couldn’t let the show stall, so they cracked dirty jokes and riffed until, after a few minutes, the tough guy checked his watch: "One minute left. No news of the contestant dying, but no victory either. Looks like she spent too much time in this deathmatch with Mr. Reckless—the best outcome might just be survival... Wait, hold up! Look, on the pyramid’s high platform—Mr. Reckless appears!"
Forty meters up, a balcony-like opening jutted from the pyramid. Mr. Reckless emerged from the dark, standing motionless in the entrance. "Looks like his power armor is... seriously trashed," Ear Double muttered, puzzled. "What happened in there? Did Mr. Reckless just get hammered by his own traps?"
Next, with every viewer holding their breath, the camera zoomed in—Mr. Reckless’s mech wobbled, then crashed forward with a bang, scattering parts everywhere. The cat-man inside clawed his way out, crawling desperately. But from the shadows, a long leg stretched out, stomping down on Mr. Reckless’s back, pinning him in place.