Volume Three, Chapter Nine: The Theater's Final Showdown

Zhang Xiaowai stood before the dilapidated stage of Ulong City's abandoned theater, clutching the crumpled paper he'd retrieved from the Clock Tower. The note, now softened by his nervous grip, bore a stark declaration: "Theater, Phantom Sound Base, Final Showdown." The eerie, persistent melody of the Sound of Ulong still churned in his mind, an unwelcome resident that had taken up permanent residency in his thoughts. Phantom Sound's lingering, oppressive presence, coupled with the unnerving image of his missing colleagues transformed into silent, vacant-eyed puppets, left him feeling more utterly devastated than an unsalted bowl of instant noodles. His Ulong Halo hummed a low, mocking tune, a constant, irritating reminder that his dream of a quiet, unassuming life as a salaryman was a tragically misplaced fantasy.

Beside him, Liu Piaopiao stood, her sequined wig, usually a vibrant beacon of disco-era defiance, now slightly askew and dull in the dim light, resembling a rain-soaked disco ball. Her magnifying glass was held aloft, poised as if she were directing a climactic scene in a suspense thriller. "Phantom Sound's lair!" she declared, her voice sharp with a thrilling conviction that cut through the oppressive stillness of the abandoned theater. "A detective on the job, this time we'll bag him!" Her confidence, Zhang Xiaowai noted with a mixture of exasperation and grudging admiration, was truly boundless.

Trailing behind her, Tang Xiaotang had her phone camera fixed squarely on the stage, her fingers already dancing across the screen as she adjusted settings. She muttered excitedly, lost in her own world of digital triumph: "Theater showdown, villain revealed—this video is going to break a hundred million views!" Her eyes gleamed with the pure, unadulterated joy of a journalist on the cusp of a groundbreaking exposé.

DJ Xiao K, ever the flamboyant showman, twirled his floral shirt with a flourish, humming a spontaneous, wildly off-key rendition of "Ulong Electro." He strutted onto the stage, striking a pose worthy of a stadium rock concert. "Xiaowai bro, give me this stage, and I'll mix you the ultimate BGM for the finale!" he proclaimed, his voice echoing theatrically in the cavernous space. His infectious enthusiasm, while often jarring, was oddly comforting in the face of their grim mission.

Wang Dazhuang, bringing up the rear, thumped his chest heroically with his police baton slung over his shoulder, a veritable one-man army. "The person of destiny's got your backs!" he boomed, his voice reverberating through the dusty theater. "What's a mere theater? I'll smash Phantom Sound out of it with one swing!" His bravado, though well-intentioned, often preceded more chaos than actual results.

Zhang Xiaowai rolled his eyes, a profound weariness settling over him. He felt his teammates were even more outlandish than the theater's resident stray cats. "Can you guys please stop always thinking about smashing things?" he protested in a low, exasperated voice, the memory of their previous exploits still fresh in his mind. "My ears are still ringing from you almost shaking the Clock Tower down last time!" But Liu Piaopiao was impervious to his pleas. She grabbed him by the arm, her grip surprisingly firm, and pulled him deeper into the stage area. "Zhang Xiaowai, your Ulong Halo is a soundwave nemesis; activate it quickly! Tonight, we are going to expose Phantom Sound!" Her determination was unwavering, her focus absolute.

Tang Xiaotang chuckled meaningfully, a knowing glint in her eye as she kept her camera rolling. "Xiaowai bro, your Ulong Halo has completely messed up Phantom Sound's plan. He's probably going to come at you with everything he's got!" Her words, though playful, hinted at a deeper, more personal conflict brewing between Zhang Xiaowai and their elusive adversary.

The theater's interior was a symphony of decay:阴冷 damp and bone-chillingly cold, the air thick with the accumulated dust of decades. The stage itself, a vast expanse of splintered wood, was coated in a thick, oppressive layer of grime. Tattered old velvet curtains hung like ghostly shrouds, their once-vibrant colors long faded into a uniform, mournful grey. The beam of their flashlights swept across the space, briefly illuminating walls etched with intricate, unsettling musical note symbols. A low, haunting hum of the Sound of Ulong permeated the air, growing stronger with every step, like a sinister siren song, an almost palpable invitation to succumb to its insidious power.

Liu Piaopiao led the way, her movements swift and purposeful, heading directly for what she presumed to be the entrance to the underground sound chamber. She muttered to herself, her voice a low incantation in the echoing space: "The note said Phantom Sound's base is here; there must be a major mechanism!" She began to tap the floorboards, her hammer striking the old wood in a rhythmic search for hidden clues. Her efforts, however, only succeeded in raising clouds of fine, ancient dust, sending her into a prolonged fit of coughs. Zhang Xiaowai cowered behind them, his heart pounding with dread. "This place isn't going to lock us in again, is it? Phantom Sound is really too good at playing these games!" he whispered, a tremor in his voice. The thought of being trapped in this eerie, crumbling structure filled him with profound unease.

DJ Xiao K, ever the audacious performer, let out a booming laugh, leaping onto the stage and striking a dramatic rock star pose, his chest puffed out with mock bravado. "What's there to be scared of! With the Soundwave Master protecting you, Phantom Sound will have to kneel!" He cleared his throat with a flourish and launched into a wildly off-key electronic song, his voice straining against the high notes. His performance, however, only succeeded in startling the theater's resident stray cats, sending them scattering with furious, indignant meows, and almost making him tumble off the stage. Tang Xiaotang laughed so hard her phone vibrated in her hand. "Xiao K, your voice is definitely worthy of 'Ulong's Got Talent'!" she quipped, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Wang Dazhuang, not to be outdone by the budding rock star, swung his police baton and thwacked a curtain rod with a resounding clang. "Power of destiny, open for me!" he boomed, a theatrical flourish in his voice. "Come on, bring on a cold joke to set the mood—Why is Phantom Sound afraid of the theater? Because he can't withstand my destiny attack! Hahahaha!" As the terrible joke landed, Zhang Xiaowai buried his face in his hands, feeling that his teammate was even more torturous than the Sound of Ulong itself. The sheer absurdity of their situation was almost overwhelming.

Suddenly, Liu Piaopiao let out a sharp, triumphant "Ah!" She pointed a trembling finger at a dimly lit, almost imperceptible dark door beneath the stage, partially obscured by shadow and debris. "Here! Phantom Sound's lair!" Her voice resonated with unbridled excitement, the culmination of their arduous search. With renewed vigor, she pried open the concealed door, revealing a narrow, uneven stone staircase leading down into the subterranean gloom of what could only be the underground sound chamber. From below, the Sound of Ulong pulsed with an even greater clarity and intensity, its insidious melody now a palpable, almost suffocating presence.

The team descended cautiously into the twisting depths, their flashlights cutting feeble paths through the oppressive darkness. They found themselves in a massive, cavernous sound chamber, its air thick with a musty, metallic scent. In the very center of the expansive space stood a complex, grotesque musical device, a bizarre fusion of an antique music box and a dilapidated gramophone, its intricate gears and wires humming with a faint, malevolent energy. Beside it, a tall, slender figure stood with his back to them, dressed in a sweeping black trench coat. He chuckled softly, a low, guttural sound that sent shivers down Zhang Xiaowai's spine. "Zhang Xiaowai, your Ulong Halo truly is annoying." His voice, though calm, was laced with an undeniable undercurrent of malice. He slowly turned around, revealing a familiar face—it was Lin, the former intern from their company!

"Lin?! You're Phantom Sound?!" Zhang Xiaowai was dumbfounded, feeling as though Wang Dazhuang's police baton had just struck his head. The revelation was a dizzying blow, completely shattering his preconceived notions of their elusive adversary. Liu Piaopiao, recovering quickly from her surprise, held up her magnifying glass, her eyes narrowing. "I knew it! There had to be something fishy in the company!" Her deductive reasoning, it seemed, had been validated. Tang Xiaotang paused, then quickly adjusted her camera, a professional glint in her eye despite the shock. "This twist is explosive! Headline secured!" she muttered excitedly. Xiao K, twirling his sunglasses with exaggerated flair, feigned disappointment. "An intern? I thought Phantom Sound was some big boss, this is so lame!" His casual dismissal, however, masked a hint of genuine surprise.

Lin merely sneered, a chilling, contemptuous expression twisting his features. "Lame? You bunch of useless fools are merely pawns in my plan! The Sound of Ulong can control people's minds; I'll use it to turn Ulong City upside down!" His voice, though still tinged with the familiar cadence of their former intern, now carried a chilling authority, a testament to his transformed identity.

Liu Piaopiao roared, her voice echoing fiercely in the chamber, "Don`t think about it! Not on my watch! The detective's on the job, you're toast!" She flung her magnifying glass at Lin with surprising force, a desperate act of defiance. But Lin, with a swift, almost supernatural agility, sidestepped the projectile effortlessly. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the musical device. The Sound of Ulong instantly amplified, its low hum swelling into a ferocious, deafening wave that slammed into the team, sending them reeling, dizzy and disoriented. Zhang Xiaowai felt his mind being overwhelmed by the relentless melody, his legs moving uncontrollably, drawn by an unseen force towards the pulsating device. DJ Xiao K, ever the resilient one, attempted to counter with his "soundwaves," launching into an off-key electronic song, but the overwhelming frequency proved too much. He was the first to collapse, dizzy from his own performance. Wang Dazhuang swung his police baton wildly, shouting, "Destiny attack!" But in his desperate flailing, the baton got hopelessly wedged in the device's intricate gears, refusing to budge despite his frantic efforts.

Just then, Zhang Xiaowai's Ulong Halo, unwilling to be ignored, decided to act up. In his frantic attempts to regain his balance amidst the overwhelming sonic assault, he stumbled awkwardly and collided with the colossal musical device. The machine sputtered with a loud "zzz" and short-circuited. The Sound of Ulong abruptly ceased, its oppressive melody silenced, and the team instantly regained their senses, blinking in sudden clarity. Liu Piaopiao, seizing the opportunity, pounced, whacking Lin's head with her magnifying glass. "Detective strike!" she cried triumphantly. Xiao K clambered to his feet, twirling his floral shirt and delivering a finishing blow. "Soundwave Master, KO!" Lin was finally pinned to the ground, subdued, but even in defeat, his defiance remained. He continued to curse, his voice muffled by the dust and debris. "Zhang Xiaowai! You and your halo ruined my grand plan!"

But Zhang Xiaowai's Ulong Halo wasn't finished. It flared once more, a powerful burst of chaotic energy. In his continuing disoriented state, he accidentally kicked over a nearby wooden box. The box tumbled, striking the device's core with a resounding thud. The machine "boomed" violently, then裂开, splitting apart with a deafening crack, and the sound chamber's ceiling began to collapse in a shower of ancient rubble.

"Run!" Liu Piaopiao screamed, grabbing Zhang Xiaowai and pulling him frantically towards the exit. The rest of the team followed, scrambling out of the collapsing sound chamber, a billowing cloud of dust and debris pursuing them. Lin was buried under the rapidly falling ruins, his voice muffled but defiant as he shouted, "I'll be back!" Tang Xiaotang, undeterred by the danger, filmed the entire chaotic scene, grinning from ear to ear. "This footage is explosive! Xiaowai bro, you deserve a detective Oscar!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with unbridled glee. Wang Dazhuang, ever the theatrical one, swung his police baton heroically, proclaiming, "Person of destiny, invincible! Here's a cold joke to celebrate—Why did Phantom Sound lose so badly? Because he couldn't withstand the Ulong Halo! Hahahaha!"

Zhang Xiaowai, completely drained, slumped to the ground outside the theater, panting, his heart pounding like the frantic rhythm of the night market drums. He felt a strange mix of relief and unease. The secret of the Sound of Ulong had been unveiled, he believed, but Lin's parting words, like a burning ember, foretold even greater trouble. His Ulong Halo buzzed relentlessly, as if mocking his perpetual inability to escape this tangled mess. Deep within the theater's darkness, he felt as though another pair of eyes was still watching, patiently waiting for Ulong City's next inevitable storm. The final act, it seemed, was merely the beginning of another, larger symphony of chaos.