Chapter 39: Farewell, My Friend

Although Qian Cangyi could not believe it, when he looked at Master Mind nod, he had no choice but to believe it.

"Was it at that time? Your injuries were too severe, and you received no treatment, which caused them to worsen?" Qian Cangyi wanted to confirm.

"That's right. Although the emergency spray has healing effects, my injuries at the time were internal. Coupled with the intense physical exertion that followed, it made the injuries worse. However, I lost consciousness twice in between. Which time it was exactly, I'm not too sure; it was probably the latter time?" Master Mind chuckled softly.

By this time, Master Mind had run to the clearing in the dense forest. However, there were no tents in the clearing anymore; the original tents had been moved by Master Mind to the spiral staircase to serve as stepping stones.

Master Mind continued:

"The thoughts of ordinary people would surely be perceived by the Moon God, including you all—you should have made wishes as well. But why only me? There is only one possible explanation: at that time, I was dead, and I died right here on Howang Island."

"My wish was heard by the Moon God, and he granted it. Furthermore, he inflicted the Moon Shadow Curse upon me."

"The funny thing is, I don't even know what wish I made myself. Was it to save everyone? Or to escape the reincarnation of Hell Movie forever? Or perhaps both."

"No matter what, the trade was completed just like that."

With that, Master Mind's eyes suddenly grew moist.

"Could it be that you will never be able to leave Howang Island?" Qian Cangyi asked, then shook his head. "There must be a way. Please don't give up. We can go back to the Moon God Altar, and you can ask the Moon God to take back the wish."

"It's useless." Master Mind slowly shook his head. "If I take back the wish, I will die anyway; I am already a dead person. Besides, if I take back the wish, you—currently left with only a head—will certainly not be able to leave Howang Island. You will die along with me."

"Is there really no other way?" Qian Cangyi's emotions ran high.

"There are many things for which there is no way out. For instance, the dead cannot be resurrected." Master Mind nodded heavily.

In that instant, Qian Cangyi felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss.

The headless giant followed closely behind. Master Mind glanced back and ran toward the beach.

As the distance to the sandy shore grew shorter, Master Mind's breathing became heavier and his movements more sluggish.

"Do you feel it, Cangyi? This is the power of the Moon Shadow Curse. It is preventing me from leaving Howang Island. I might not be able to deliver you all the way to the sightseeing boat, so when the time comes, I'll just throw you out like a shot put." Master Mind said softly.

"Do it." Qian Cangyi's voice was choked with tears.

Ahead, the view suddenly opened up, and a salty sea breeze blew past.

The two had reached the beach of Howang Island, and the sightseeing boat that had brought the actors to Howang Island was waiting quietly by the pier.

On the deck of the sightseeing boat, Ning Jing was looking toward the entrance of the dense forest. Upon seeing the two, she raised both hands and waved them from side to side.

Master Mind ran forward a few steps and said at the same time:

"Cangyi, I'm reaching my limit. You'll have to push forward on your own from here on out!"

"Also, there is a favor I'd like to ask of you. If any of your teammates ever find themselves trapped in a desperate situation, I hope you can lend them a hand. This is my final, tiny request..."

Having said that, he stopped running, grabbed Qian Cangyi's head with both hands, placed his left foot forward and his right foot back, and struck a pose as if preparing to throw a ball.

"Well then, farewell, Cangyi!"

About ten meters away from the sightseeing boat, Master Mind hurled Qian Cangyi's head toward the vessel.

Qian Cangyi felt the world spinning wildly around him as if the entire universe were rotating. After tracing a parabolic arc through the sky, he plummeted toward the deck of the sightseeing boat.

Seeing this, Ning Jing calculated Qian Cangyi's landing point, rushed forward to catch him, and then took a few steps back to absorb the momentum.

"I thought you were dead..." Ning Jing said, somewhat surprised.

No sooner had she spoken than she was pushed aside by a gentle force. Immediately after, a burst of black mist rose on the sightseeing boat, enveloping Qian Cangyi completely. Anyone on the outside could no longer see what was happening within the mist.

After about five seconds, the black mist gradually dissipated. Qian Cangyi's body was restored to its original state, even his clothes were fully repaired along with him.

Hell Movie had completely healed him.

As soon as Qian Cangyi realized he could move, without even checking his body, he rushed to the deck railing. Following that, he saw Master Mind waving at him, looking very relaxed with a gentle smile on his face, as if he were simply bidding farewell to a friend.

"Hurry up and come aboard!" Qian Cangyi cried out hoarsely, his hands gripping the railing.

Just as he finished shouting, Master Mind on the beach suddenly froze. Then, without any warning, the head on his neck abruptly dropped to the ground.

The pursuing headless giant completely ignored Master Mind's existence and charged straight toward the sightseeing boat, seemingly intent on grabbing the two people standing on the deck.

The engine of the sightseeing boat roared to life, slowly pulling away from the pier.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Qian Cangyi screamed at the top of his lungs, slowly sinking to his knees.

As the sightseeing boat pulled away, the headless giant stopped at the shore, equally unable to leave Howang Island.

"Cangyi." Ning Jing walked over to Qian Cangyi, extended her right hand, and placed it on his shoulder. "Master Mind... is already dead."

"Yeah, he's dead..." Qian Cangyi slowly turned his head, his pitch-black eyes devoid of the slightest emotion.

Ning Jing took two steps back, bit her lower lip, and said:

"I did leave you behind just now, and I apologize to you, but I had no other choice. If those creatures hadn't appeared, I definitely would have brought you straight back to the sightseeing boat."

"I won't claim to be a good person, but I am definitely not a bad person!"

Qian Cangyi stood up and turned to look at Ning Jing. "I never blamed you. I only blame myself for being useless."

With that, he walked back into the cabin and sat down in a seat. The moment he sat down, he felt tears welling up in his eyes, completely beyond his control.

Ning Jing also chose a seat and sat down. She looked at Qian Cangyi and asked softly:

"Did Master Mind die because of the Moon Shadow Curse? The curse on him was never lifted, likely because the role he was playing was Zhang Sisbo, and Zhang Sisbo had already died before coming to the island."

"Perhaps this is just fate..."

With a sigh, Ning Jing fell silent.

The cabin instantly plunged into silence.

"It has nothing to do with Zhang Sisbo," Qian Cangyi remarked.

"Then why did it happen?" Ning Jing asked with a puzzled expression.

"Actually, Master Mind had already died while he was unconscious. However, he made a wish to the Moon God—he wanted to save everyone—and that's why he was able to stand up again." Qian Cangyi raised his head, his eye sockets red.

Hearing this, Ning Jing froze in place, then averted her gaze to stare at the floor. "So that's how it was. He is the only person I truly admire."

At that, she turned her head to look outside the cabin, gazing absently at the beach of Howang Island.

Suddenly, a different sound of a motor drifted into her ears.

Qian Cangyi and Ning Jing exchanged a glance and looked out through the cabin window.

Not far away, a vessel identical to their sightseeing boat was slowly making its way toward Howang Island. A dozen seconds later, the two sightseeing boats were about to cross paths.

As the two boats drew close, Qian Cangyi noticed that on the deck of the other sightseeing boat stood three men and two women—none other than the five of them, identical in both appearance and attire.

However, the five people acted as if they could not see them at all. Even as the two sightseeing boats brushed past each other, the five showed no reaction whatsoever.

Before Qian Cangyi could utter a word, a towering wave dozens of meters high crashed down, overturning the sightseeing boat.

Qian Cangyi sank into the sea, feeling a mysterious force pulling him down toward the ocean floor until he completely lost consciousness.