Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 105: Crater Hotel
The station is not too far from the Krat Hotel, and it takes about half an hour to walk there.

But the journey was not easy, because the hotel was built along the river bank, and in front of the hotel was an amusement park full of dolls.

The Kratt Hotel once issued a commission, and after several rounds of clearing by the trackers, most of the puppets in the amusement park have been eliminated. However, there is still a giant puppet named "Parade Master" whose whereabouts are uncertain and has never been completely eliminated.

The reason why the Kratt Hotel can become one of the few safe bases surrounded by puppets is that there is a rare device invented by an alchemist in the hotel - the "Astronomy Table".

This device can drive away most of the ego elements, making the puppet subconsciously unwilling to approach the hotel.

Under the night sky, the colorful lights in the amusement park were incomplete, with only a few beads still flashing.

The giant Ferris wheel had stopped turning, leaving only its broken skeleton standing. The roller coaster track was littered with broken planks and twisted metal, looking like it had been through a fierce battle.

At the entrance of the amusement park, the remains of several puppets lay on the ground in a mess, their metal limbs twisted and deformed, and the strange red light in their eyes had long been extinguished.

Not far away, a huge carousel stood there quietly. The horse statues were covered with cracks, and some had even been destroyed, leaving only wreckage.

The air was filled with a strong smell of engine oil and burning things, making people feel suffocated.

Occasionally, you can hear the sound of metal colliding and machinery running coming from the darkness in the distance, as if there are some puppets lurking in the dark.

Pinocchio followed Li Nanke closely, looking around vigilantly.

Suddenly, he sensed the presence of Egosu and discovered a puppet in the darkness that seemed to be playing dead, trying to hide itself.

Pinocchio immediately became alert. The gears on his metal left arm turned with a click, and the chain hook flew out quickly and hooked the puppet accurately.

"Father, there is a puppet here!" Pinocchio reminded.

The hooked puppet struggled to escape, but the short Pinocchio pulled the hook hard, and the puppet was pulled in front of him with a swish.

"Boom!"

Li Nanke swung his hammer, the air exploded, and the puppet was blasted into a discus.

With the death of the puppet, Li Nan Ke gains source energy, while Pinocchio absorbs ego element.

"Well done." His praise brought a proud smile to the boy's face.

Such sporadic fighting has occurred many times over the course of several blocks.

As the saying goes, brothers fight together in war, and fathers and sons fight together in battle. With each battle, Pinocchio trusts him more and more.

If summoned creatures have favorability and loyalty, then Pinocchio's attitude towards him is gradually changing from friendly to respectful.

Moreover, he discovered that Pinocchio's excellent growth was not only reflected in the absorption of self-element. After a few simple battles, his combat experience and combat intuition also grew and improved rapidly.

Look at Pinocchio's properties again.

[Puppet P——Pinocchio]

[Type: Summoned/Growable]

[Quality: inferior → normal]

[Rating: 13/100]

【Details: ……】

Its quality rating has been upgraded from 95 points in the inferior grade to 13 points in the ordinary grade, surpassing the inferior + grade.

Each time Pinocchio absorbs a large amount of ego elements, his score will increase. When the score reaches 100, absorbing ego elements again will improve his quality.

The most intuitive feeling brought by increasing the score and improving the quality is that Pinocchio's combat power soars.

However, at present, Pinocchio's metal left arm can only be transformed into a hook, and its auxiliary function is greater than its actual combat function.

Absorbing the ego elements of ordinary dolls does not seem to allow them to comprehend special abilities again. It is estimated that it will need to absorb the ego elements of some special dolls.

"I have to find a way to make this puppet recognize its master. Otherwise, if I help him level up but he still can't recognize me, even if he recognizes me as his father, he can only play a role in this forbidden dream at best. In the end, it will be all in vain."

Li Nanke pondered secretly. The two of them walked through most of the amusement park, and the outline of the Carat Hotel was already in front of them.

This is a grand hotel building with a strong Gothic style.

The hotel consists of multiple floors with pointed towers and intricate arched windows, multiple balconies and overhangs, and covered bridges connecting different areas.

The whole building is brightly lit at night, illuminating the surroundings, and the hotel entrance has a large porch with a giant sign with old-fashioned lamps surrounding the words 'Hotel Krat'.

The mysterious and luxurious Carat Hotel reminds people of ancient European castles or aristocratic mansions.

The two quickened their pace and arrived at the hotel, but they did not encounter the rumored 'Parade Master'.

In front of the hotel is a square with a small garden. Dead mechanical dolls can be seen everywhere. The remains scattered on the ground look particularly desolate.

Li Nanke looked at the closed metal door of the hotel, suddenly stopped and said loudly:

"Black Cat, if you don't do anything, I'm going to go into the hotel."

The voice echoed in the square, and the only response was the whistling evening breeze.

Li Nanke sneered, patted the tense Pinocchio, and signaled the boy to relax.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

He strode towards the hotel gate, and just as he stepped onto the stairs, a figure jumped out from the green flowers on the side.

The sharp sword with a cold glow went straight for Li Nanke's throat. Stars of blue light fell as the sword stabbed towards him, and the speed was so fast that it was difficult to react.

Li Nanke was prepared and blocked the sharp sword with his hammer.

At the same time, Pinocchio reacted quickly, and the chain hook flew out, trying to hook the man's ankle, but the enemy dodged it.

He saw the figure clearly, it was a man wearing a black cat mask.

Under the two round lenses of the hood's eyes are a pair of red eyes filled with hatred.

The Black Cat failed in his attack and realized that he had lost his only chance to kill the enemy, so he turned around and fled.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Nanke snapped his fingers, a graceful figure slowly walked out of the darkness in the direction of retreat.

The woman wearing a rabbit mask, holding two rapiers, had blocked his only way of escape.

Seeing this, a trace of despair flashed in the Black Cat's eyes. He knew that he was in a desperate situation and there was no possibility of survival.

He said to Pinocchio, "What do you call Black Rabbit? Father?"

"That's ridiculous! How can a puppet like you have parents? Your creator is the alchemist Geppetto. If anyone wants to call someone father, you should call Geppetto father!"

As he said this, he leaped forward suddenly, trying to rush through between Li Nanke and Pinocchio.

Faced with the fierce sweep of the warhammer, Black Cat dodged by turning sideways, but was still hit by the edge of the warhammer and was blown away.

He fell to the ground, only being grazed by the sharp thorns on the hammer, but he let out a heart-wrenching howl of pain and rolled back and forth on the ground.

The war hammer seemed to be the weapon of the god of pain. Just a touch of it on the flesh would bring unbearable pain.

The cunning rabbit quickly stepped forward and kicked the black cat's wrist. The sword flew out of his hand and stuck in the ground not far away.

Black Cat thought that his words would wake Doll P up from his dream, and even better, cause a quarrel between the two of them, creating a chance for him to escape.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Pinocchio threw the hook at him again, tied him up tightly, and pulled him in front of Li Nanke:

"Father, he is the bad guy who wants to take me away, right?"

Li Nanke touched the boy's head and said, "That's right, dear son, turn your head away. The following scene is not suitable for children."

(End of this chapter)