Chapter 72: Fortunate Guest Inn (Part Seven)

Chapter 72: Fortunate Guest Inn (Part Seven)

After leaving the small courtyard, Xie Yutong and Xu Hanrui quickly entered a nearby room.

They weren't seasoned players, lacking skills and items. Asking them to fight the monsters would be nothing short of a suicide mission.

The only things the novices could probably do were gather clues and analyze the storyline, tasks presumably not favored by the likes of Jie Fangcheng.

It wasn't that Xie Yutong looked down on anyone, but with his current power level, how could he dare to?

However, Jie Fangcheng and Nie Shuangshuang obviously belonged to the same category, those too powerful to bother with intricate strategies and convoluted plots.

While the veterans might afford to not ponder, it would be wise for novices like Xie Yutong to think things through.

The duo navigated cautiously through the city lord's mansion, luckily not encountering any monsters along the way.

They could hear the sounds of battle not far off, likely the veteran players engaging the monsters, so they deliberately avoided those noisy areas.

The city lord's mansion was vast, but their random entries into a couple of rooms yielded no results.

Xie Yutong gritted his teeth, saying, "If we're going, let's head to the most valuable place."

In this city lord's mansion, the most valuable location was evidently the dwelling of the city lord himself.

Finding the room was easy, situated on the western side of the mansion, the first house Jie Fangcheng dismantled.

The only issue was that the mansion harbored more than just monsters.

Servants, musicians, stewards... The numerous human NPCs, including the guards who had been sent flying by Jie Fangcheng, were now hiding due to the appearance of the monsters.

Xie Yutong and their group had been constantly on the eastern side, where none of these guards could now be seen, apparently having fled to the western area.

The two exchanged glances.

While the veteran players could hold their ground against the monsters, they, as novices, should be able to deceive human NPCs, right?

Shortly, two "servants" dressed in NPC attire were ready. Hunched over, they stealthily entered the western half of the city lord's mansion.

Compared to the east, the west should have been more luxurious, given that it housed the city lord and other VIPs. Unfortunately, Jie Fangcheng not only demolished the city lord's residence but also had no regard for the valuable items within during his NPC chases, nor for the structural integrity of the walls.

Sometimes, losing sight of a rapidly fleeing NPC, Jie Fangcheng would reflexively assume it had taken cover.

Why hesitate at all? Simply smash everything in the vicinity, and surely the NPC would be revealed, right?

Therefore, upon reaching the west, Xie Yutong and Xu Hanrui's first impression was that the place looked like it had been bombed.

One house had completely collapsed, and from afar, the remaining four or five had holes sporadically puncturing their walls.

At that time, Nie Shuangshuang also chased NPCs along with Jie Fangcheng. She didn't hold back at all, setting ablaze wherever she went. Several buildings had charred exteriors, and given their wooden structure, had they not been produced by the system, the city lord's mansion would have been reduced to ashes by now.

Upon their arrival, Xie Yutong and his companion stuck to the walls and first entered a building that still resembled a room.

They paused momentarily as they stepped inside.

Four or five people inside the room turned their trembling heads towards them at the sound of the door opening.

An NPC resembling a steward stared at them, somewhat startled, "Where did you come from??"

The duo had aligned their stories beforehand. At this moment, Xie Yutong spoke, "We were busy working when we heard several loud noises. We didn't dare to move until the sounds ceased, only then did we venture here."

The steward NPC scrutinized them suspiciously, feeling that their faces seemed exceptionally unfamiliar.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on such matters. The steward hastily waved them over, "Come quickly, close the door."

The two of them quickly squatted down beside the group of NPCs after closing the door.

These NPCs were dressed in various garments. Just based on their clothing, two were attired quite glamorously, either the city lord's concubines or musicians residing in the mansion. Additionally, there were two guards, one lying unconscious on the ground with his fate unknown, while the other sat dazed on the ground, his expression stunned, seemingly having been knocked silly by Jie Fangcheng.

Stealthily, the steward cracked open a window, peering outside.

Although nothing could be seen outside, the faint sounds of battle that were audible earlier had now completely disappeared.

"What's going on? Why did the celestial master release the lady of the house at this time?" The steward murmured with a furrowed brow.

The lady of the house.

Xie Yutong seized upon this phrase, his mind racing at a swift pace.

If the celestial master and the city lord were in cahoots, the original lady of the house could very well be the monster that had been pursuing them earlier.

Judging from the steward's demeanor, this wasn't the first time the "lady of the house" had been released.

Xie Yutong's eyes darted around, surveying the surrounding environment.

The room was modestly decorated, possibly being the dwelling of the musicians.

It was unlikely that this kind of place harbored any clues, they needed to continue their search...

At that moment, the steward suddenly turned around, "You two."

Xie Yutong was taken aback before hurriedly responding, "Yes."

"Go, check outside to see what the current situation is."

The sudden silence outside left the steward uncertain whether the ordeal was already over.

If it hasn't ended, and the lady of the house was still feeding, venturing outside might lead to a dangerous encounter.

At this juncture, sending such lowly servants to inspect the situation couldn't be more appropriate. After all, if these servants die, they die; they are nothing but replaceable livestock, initially just reserved as the lady's emergency provisions.

Xie Yutong quickly realized that this NPC regarded the lives of “servants” like him as utterly insignificant.

However, this was exactly what he wanted at the moment.

The two swiftly exited the room, promptly and silently entering another.

This room, fortunately, didn't house any other NPCs. Just as Xie Yutong let out a sigh of relief, Xu Hanrui suddenly spoke up.

"Players...are they quite similar to these NPCs?"

Xie Yutong paused for a moment.

The steward disregarded the lives of the servants, sending them to their deaths without a second thought.

Earlier, some of the physically stronger novice players also showed no regard for others' lives, pushing others towards death.

On some levels...the resemblance was indeed uncanny.

The two remained silent until Xie Yutong broke the oppressive atmosphere.

"It's not just those people, though. There are also individuals like Brother Jie, Sister Shuangshuang, and Auntie Li."

Xu Hanrui nodded in agreement.

However, both were well aware that based on the actions and reactions of the other veteran players, using newcomers...or rather, using those weaker than oneself as stepping stones, and pushing the "weak" to their deaths was a frequent occurrence in this game.

Even if they managed to survive this level by the skin of their teeth, could they truly adapt to the overall ambiance of this game?

Was there a genuine necessity to continue struggling in this despair-inducing game?

While these thoughts occupied their minds, their hands never ceased their actions.

Soon, Xu Hanrui found a ledger.

"It seems this was the residence of the mansion's chief accountant!"

The two huddled together, flipping through the ledger.

Most entries in the ledger were of little interest to them, noting mundane matters like who gifted what to the city lord or what some musician purchased—tedious accounts filled mainly with such dull entries.

However, it wasn't long before they stumbled upon a new discovery.

"Here! At Han, the store manager's place in the eastern part of the city, four units of wax oil were purchased for the city lord's mansion?!"

The two exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is the city lord selling oil??"

Xie Yutong promptly rolled up the ledger and tucked it into his bosom, "No matter, there's no time to ponder this now. Let's take it with us; when we return, everyone can examine it together—there might be other discoveries to be made."

The two of them once again rummaged through the room. Once certain nothing else was present, they quickly moved to the exit, poised to leave.

Just at that moment, Xie Yutong caught something in the corner of his eye at the window... there, a shadow stood quietly, and it was unclear how long it had been there.

Xie Yutong's heart sank abruptly as his gaze flickered.

Naturally a person with little courage and a homebody, he had countless times contemplated giving up since joining this game. However, the innate human survival instinct prevented him from willingly meeting his end.

But now... it was truly terrifying.

Be it the grotesquely shaped monster, or this shadow that had stood for an unknown amount of time.

Xie Yutong quickly grabbed Xu Hanrui, covering her mouth and pointing at the shadow.

Xu Hanrui’s eyes widened as she followed his gesture, both retreating to a corner of the room.

The figure outside the window resembled a human, garbed in a long robe with a hair crown atop his head.

Sensing something, he turned around.

Shortly, Xie Yutong heard conversations emanating from outside the door.

"Where is the lady?" the figure owning the shadow inquired.

"Still feeding," responded a feminine voice, seemingly very close with the shadow figure, "The lady was just slashed across the stomach a while ago, quite furious, she went after the perpetrator."

"Was the stomach cut open? Are the children alright?"

"Rest assured, they are fine."

"That's good to hear," the person remarked with a cold snicker, "Those two who appeared out of nowhere have some decent abilities, but lack brains."

"Nothing but flies and rodents seeking their own death. By now, they must have been drowned, I presume?"

"Qingqing indeed had foresight, utilizing the waters of the western city lake for our benefit. But speaking of the likes of flies and rodents—there are still two in this house, aren't there?"

A shudder ran through Xie Yutong, and abruptly, he pushed Xu Hanrui out—not towards the direction of the speakers.

This room had previously been visited by Xie Fangcheng, leaving a hole in the wall. Although narrow, a slim person could barely squeeze through.

For someone slightly plumper like Xu Hanrui, a forceful push from Xie Yutong managed to get her through.

The rough edges of the wall tore at Xu Hanrui's skin, yet she bit down hard, not uttering a sound. Once outside, she immediately reached out to Xie Yutong in distress.

But Xie Yutong only smiled at her, handing over the ledger he was holding.

Run.

He mouthed silently.

This game was not meant for him.

Truly not suited for him.

Even though he wanted to survive, he had no choice; he could already anticipate the cruelty that this game entailed.

If he were to continue living in this atmosphere of mutual slaughter... perhaps, it would be better not to start at all in the beginning.

Xie Yutong quickly scanned the surroundings, reluctantly picking up an old, discarded stick from a corner, clutching it tightly in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, he puffed out his chest, stepped up to the doorway, and fiercely flung the door open.

Outside, a city lord and a celestial master, both donned in lavish garments, stood there. As they looked at Xie Yutong, their gazes resembled those examining insignificant insects, ants that could be crushed at will, rather than looking at a human being.

How utterly detestable!

Xie Yutong's fingers trembled slightly, yet he gripped even tighter.

Forcing a smile onto his face, the corner of his mouth curled upwards.

——This smile served like a switch, granting Xie Yutong an endless surge of courage at this moment.

"You bunch of primitives who've never even seen a computer, have no idea what a 'high-level player' is, do you?" Xie Yutong raised the stick in his hand abruptly, striking it down towards the city lord in front of him.

"Damn it! I was the third place champion in the Dou Dizhu tournament in the China region, alright!!"

.

Yue Qin landed on the ground with a "thud".

He swiftly gulped down another bottle of potion. However, even if the system's potion could restore his health rapidly, it couldn't match the speed of the monster before him.

He had fled quite quickly just now, utilizing the time that Lu Tong and the others had bought for him, Yue Qin even swiftly found another veteran player.

This veteran player had vanished after leaving the courtyard where the newcomers gathered, constantly changing locations, fearing encountering a monster.

Seeing Yue Qin, the player froze for a moment, then noticed the old lady, Li Shen, carried on Yue Qin's shoulder.

What a nuisance.

Could this Yue Qin be an idiot? Trotting all over the place with such a burden on his back; didn't he realize that abandoning this encumbrance would surely enhance his capabilities?

Seeing Yue Qin seemingly heading in his direction, the veteran player immediately turned his head, intending to continue fleeing solo.

He had figured it out; these players were no good. Only those two bosses had strong abilities.

The rest of these players were merely bait, mere fodder for the monsters.

As long as they could hold out until those two bosses returned, there still existed a glimmer of hope for completing this instance.

He couldn't afford to be entangled by Yue Qin!

Yue Qin called out to him from behind: "Wait! If you leave now, when Shuangshuang sister and Jie Ge arrive, I'll definitely tell them that you were willing to abandon Li Shen to die!"

Upon hearing these words, the veteran player hesitated before turning around.

The close relationship between Li Shen and Nie Shuangshuang was evident to anyone.

In this type of instance, one couldn't afford to offend those two big shots... Damn it! Was he really about to be entwined with this person??

Yue Qin gently placed Li Shen on the ground.

"I know what you're thinking. I will lure the monster away; you just need to escape with Li Shen!"

Only then did the veteran player agree to come over and take Li Shen away.

Yue Qin took a deep breath.

He could sense that the monster had already targeted him.

Although Lu Tonghe was quite capable, he couldn't even defeat the celestial master in a one-on-one fight, let alone handle a two-on-one situation.

He was running on fumes now, and sooner or later, that monster would come looking for him.

He had to distract it.

Grinding his teeth, Yue Qin headed in the opposite direction of where the veteran player had departed.

——His assumption was not wrong.

Soon, Yue Qin's personal skill, "Dandelion in the Air," alerted him to the approaching monster.

Leveraging his speed advantage, Yue Qin managed to catch a brief respite at first, but soon, he realized... the monster had called upon a swarm of minions to assist it.

These were resentful infants that seemed to have been unearthed from somewhere.

If it had been just one, given time, he could have coped, but... there were too many.

Shortly, Yue Qin was caught by the monster. Instead of devouring him immediately, the monster toyed with him like a cat with a caught mouse, pulling at the mouse's tail — in Yue Qin's case, grabbing his leg, continuously ripping open his abdomen, then slamming him to the ground.

Yue Qin desperately clung to his last breath.

He didn't even know where this surge of strong willpower came from. Had it been any other instance, might he have given up already?

But he just couldn't bear the thought of dying such a humiliating death at the hands of this monster!!

As his abdomen was slashed open time and again, Yue Qin frantically gulped down one potion after another, still struggling valiantly.

The monster before him showed no signs of fatigue, but Yue Qin's points were quickly running out.

When he reflexively reached for another potion, a system notification made him pause momentarily.

I can't go on like this.

Yue Qin managed a bitter smile.

This damn instance...

The monster plunged its elongated claws into his abdomen once again, stirring violently inside.

But this time, the wound didn't heal as rapidly as before, his entrails hanging from the creature's claws.

The "Lady" spread its lips wide, revealing a smile.

"I've won, I've won!" it exclaimed, its voice as innocent as that of a child.

Yue Qin's consciousness was fading, and only now did he realize that his desperate struggle was nothing more than a game for the monster in front of him—

It was truly disheartening—

Yue Qin forcefully spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, glaring at the monster: "Have you... really won?"

【Personal Skill: Human Bomb (Fragment 1/4)·Rare】

【Description: ??】

【Warning: Fragmented skill. Complete collection required for activation. Forced usage may lead to irreversible consequences. Proceed with caution.】

【Effect: Let it explode! Artistry!】

"Boom"————

A blast that seemed to shake the entire city lord's mansion resonated.

Yue Qin lacked powerful offensive skills and didn't possess any significant items.

All he had was this almost unusable skill that would drag both him and his enemy to hell.

Before his death, Yue Qin genuinely offered the creature in front of him his final smile.

——You creatures aren't that formidable, are you!

Look, even a waste like me, a cannon fodder human... can still inflict damage upon you!

.

In the far west of the city lord's mansion... no, they were already outside of it.

Hearing the explosion, Nie Shuangshuang leapt out, cursing immediately: "Damn it! We're this far away?!"

Being tossed around underground left them disoriented, they hadn't anticipated that the underground area would be even more vast than the city lord's mansion, and that they had emerged outside of it.

Soon, Jie Fangcheng also jumped out following her.

Nie Shuangshuang had already sprinted out. She leaped gracefully from her spot, clearing the walls of the City Lord's Mansion with ease before landing gently on the ground.

The western part of the City Lord's Mansion looked largely unchanged from when they had left... To be honest, she couldn't discern any differences, as it had already adopted a war-torn style of decor when they departed, and it appeared just as chaotic upon their return.

"Hey, jump in quickly!"

No sooner had Nie Shuangshuang spoken, than a loud "bang" resounded as a hole appeared in the wall before her.

Jie Fangcheng emerged through the hole, clutching his baseball bat.

Nie Shuangshuang: "......"

She inquired, "Big brother, can't you jump? You could easily clear a great height in a single leap, couldn't you?"

"Can't be bothered to jump," Jie Fangcheng replied, proceeding to lean his arm against the baseball bat, his gaze drifting into the distance before suddenly freezing.

Nie Shuangshuang followed his gaze, quickly spotting the figure of Lu Tonghe in the distance.

"Huh?" Nie Shuangshuang was faster, sprinting swiftly towards Lu Tonghe.

Not far away, Lu Tonghe was squatting down, seemingly engrossed in something on the ground.

Why wasn't this young fellow mingling with the new players? What was he doing here admiring the scenery on his own??

Nie Shuangshuang couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Known for her fiery temper, she couldn't help but voice her concerns as she sprinted towards him.

"Xiao Lu, what are you doing here? Where is everyone else? You're the strongest among them, why aren't you with them? What if something happened..."

Nie Shuangshuang's voice abruptly halted.

She stood silently beside the "squatting" Lu Tonghe.

Soon after, Jie Fangcheng, who was slower, also arrived.

He gazed solemnly at Lu Tonghe.

Due to the initial obstruction from the bushes, Nie Shuangshuang had assumed that Lu Tonghe was squatting down to examine the ground. However, upon reaching his side, the gruesome sight revealed that his lower body had been smashed into a pulp, his upper body flayed open, and his entrails consumed.

Yet even in death, he clutched his weapon tightly, remaining in a combative stance, his eyes wide open in defiance.

Nie Shuangshuang raised her hand, gently closing his unyielding eyes, before snapping her fingers.

At her fingertips, flickering crimson flames surged forth, rapidly engulfing Lu Tonghe's body.

The warm red flames consumed his corpse, leaving not a trace of ashes behind.

Most players harbored no fondness for the dungeons, naturally desiring not to be buried within them post-mortem.

At the very least, the flames would purify their remains.

Having done all this, Nie Shuangshuang lifted her head once again.

Her ears twitched slightly.

"Let's go," Nie Shuangshuang said, pulling a fan from her backpack, "there are people over there!"

With that, Nie Shuangshuang dashed forward.

Jie Fangcheng followed closely behind her.

The pair entered from the western wall, but the first person they encountered wasn't the nearby Xu Hanrui. After being pushed out of the cave by Xie Yutong, Xu Hanrui, clutching a ledger whose utility she couldn't ascertain, expended all her energy to run forward frantically.

She didn't know her destination, but she knew that if she didn't run, Xie Yutong's death... would have been a farce.

Why?

Why create such a dungeon, such a game?!

They hadn't committed any wrongdoings while alive, weren't there supposed to be a heaven and hell, a netherworld to judge them?

Why did they have to struggle within this game even in death?!

As Xu Hanrui ran, she stumbled and fell, but quickly picked herself up, only to be met with an NPC dressed as a guard.

The NPC wielded a spear, and thrust it downwards without hesitation.

Xu Hanrui was impaled in the abdomen by the spear, and just as the guard prepared to strike again, a deafening explosion resonated in the vicinity.

The NPC's expression shifted, and without delivering the final blow, retreated at last.

Xu Hanrui leaned against the wall, silently breaking into an almost frantic sob.

Soon, she finally... heard the voice she had desperately hoped for.

"...so you're saying Yue Qin managed to lure away that monster?"

"Yes." The veteran players who had fled believed that "the most dangerous place is the safest," and had thus escaped to the west with Li Sheng.

Upon entering, Jie Fangcheng and his companion first rendezvoused with the veteran player who had brought Li Sheng with him.

Li Sheng had fainted from overexerting her skills, and even the system potion Nie Shuangshuang administered couldn't revive her.

The veteran player, in a bid to avoid invoking any ill-will and to appropriate Yue Qin's heroic acts for himself, began, "It was all thanks to Yue Qin. I don't know what he was trying to prove, but we had managed to shake off that monster with Li Sheng. He insisted on confronting the monster, which then fixated on him."

The veteran player paused to take a couple of heavy breaths, portraying an image of extreme exhaustion coupled with lingering fear.

"That monster focused on him, but he refused to part ways with us, endangering us in the process. I had no choice, especially with Li Sheng in my care, so I had to flee with her first. I'm sorry, but I couldn't save him."

Yue Qin was already dead, with no one to attest to the truth. Wasn't this narration at the speaker's discretion?

In any case, none of these players would ever know the true circumstances of his death.

The veteran player also shifted his gaze towards Lu Tonghe.

What a pair of fools.

What good does helping the newcomers do? It's far better to be like him, uttering pretty words to gain the trust of the influential players during times like this.

This is what a clever person ought to do, after all...

There was a sudden "thud".

Before the veteran player could react, he was sent sprawling to the ground by a powerful blow from a stick.

Jie Fangcheng looked at him coldly: "Sun Yan, do you even comprehend the words coming out of your mouth?"

Sun Yan cried out "ahhh!" in agony, clutching his struck arm as he writhed on the ground.

The blow felt not like a mere hit from a stick, but as if a substantial portion of his flesh had been brutally gouged out. The pain seared deep into his bone marrow, leaving him pale and sweaty in a matter of moments.

Yet, he still attempted to retaliate verbally: "You... you may be powerful, but that doesn't give you the right to attack anyone you please, right? I saved Li Sheng, after all!"

"Did you really save Li Sheng?" Jie Fangcheng questioned.

As those dark pupils fixated on him, Sun Yan felt a sudden jolt in his heart, accompanied by an eerie sensation of being seen through.

Could this man possess some kind of skill that allowed him to discern lies?

"I... I..."

He found himself lost for words.

At that moment, the trio heard a weeping voice not far away, "Jie ge! Shuang jie!"

Nie Shuangshuang rushed over without hesitation.

Upon seeing her, Xu Hanrui immediately burst into loud sobs.

"Shuang jie... Did you see Xie Yutong anywhere? Have you found him?"

Nie Shuangshuang paused momentarily, then swiftly spread open her hand, releasing countless flaming butterflies that flew rapidly in all directions.

Soon, one of the butterflies returned.

Nie Shuangshuang hastily moved towards the direction indicated by the returning butterfly. She returned shortly thereafter, her face marked with a gloomy expression.

Xie Yutong... she had a faint memory of him as someone not particularly brave. She couldn't fathom what he had gone through before his death, as it appeared to have been a violently cruel end.

Seeing her expression, Xu Hanrui immediately understood the grim reality.

Tears streaming down her face, she handed over the ledger to Nie Shuangshuang.

Nie Shuangshuang accepted the ledger.

"We... We initially intended to search for clues in the city lord's room, possibly finding something by the time you guys returned... But we were caught by the city lord and the heavenly master. He told me to flee first with the ledger..."

Xu Hanrui asked, "Is what he found useful?"

"Yes," Nie Shuangshuang quickly replied.

In truth, they were all well aware that this thick stack of ledgers was unlikely to contain the vital clue.

Nevertheless, Xu Hanrui nodded, appearing to be content.

She was a newcomer in the game, not like the veteran players who could recover quickly from injuries due to system-enhanced physiques.

Blood continuously flowed from the wound in her abdomen; the blood loss alone could be lethal, let alone the damage to her organs.

Nie Shuangshuang pulled out the bottle of medicine she had previously taken from Jie Fangcheng from her backpack, intending to administer it to Xu Hanrui.

However, Xu Hanrui simply shook her head.

She asked despairingly, "Sister Shuangshuang, why? Lu ge, Xie Yutong, they were all good people. Lu ge and Li Sheng saved us newcomers. Lu ge died for our sake. Xie Yutong... although he wasn't very strong, he saved me at the time... Isn't there supposed to be good karma for good deeds?"

Xu Hanrui genuinely couldn't comprehend.

She turned her gaze towards the veteran player standing beside them.

Initially, there were six veteran players when they entered the instance; now only this one and the unconscious Li Sheng remained.

Although Yue Qin seemed indifferent at first, he ultimately sacrificed himself to distract the monsters, drawing their attention away.

The same went for Li Sheng, who wouldn't have fallen into a coma had she not ventured out to save others, directly confronting those creatures.

"Why have all the good people died in this instance?! They are all dead! Yet this person next to you, he fled when the monsters arrived, and we never saw him again! Why is he still alive?"

Sun Yan's face froze, his mouth agape as if to defend himself. However, upon glancing at Jie Fangcheng standing beside him, he chose to remain silent.

Xu Hanrui continued her vehement accusation: "The ones who survived in the courtyard... do you know? Earlier, when the monsters were knocking at the door, they were planning to push out the weaker individuals! But they too survived! Why do such individuals live while Lu ge, Yue Qin, and Xie Yutong, who were so kind-hearted, couldn't survive? I don't want to be in this game... Sister Shuangshuang, don't save me... I'm just a normal person, I truly can't accept a place where evil thrives and the good suffer such terrible fates..."

Nie Shuangshuang didn't withdraw her hand holding the bottle, but at that moment, she too remained silently listening.

Stories like these were far too common.

The good failing to survive while the evil flourished.

Especially in this game, it seemed that those with a kinder nature were more prone to death, whereas the less honorable, the more deceitful managed to live well.

Just like the vice president of the Chaoyang Guild, Nie Shuangshuang had heard rumors about him — he was no upright individual, yet he held the highest clearance record, ranking fourth on the points leaderboard.

Just like... her own guild leader.

Everyone knew he was a good person, yet his death remains shrouded in mystery. Up till now, nobody knows exactly what transpired before the guild leader died or why so many bestowed their skills upon him, including the transfer of a formidable seventh-ranked core skill. Yet, despite these efforts, he still met his end.

Despite the efforts of many, they could not save him.

This question haunted Nie Shuangshuang numerous times, but it always remained unanswered.

Just then, Nie Shuangshuang noticed a subtle dimming in her peripheral vision.

Xie Fangcheng squatted down, exchanging for a new bottle of potion before handing it to the girl in front of him, Xu Hanrui.

"Drink it," Xie Fangcheng said tersely. "If you die now, you won't be able to witness the demise of the monsters who deserve to die."

Xu Hanrui hesitated, momentarily transfixed.

Xie Fangcheng encouraged her, "Isn't the one who killed Xie Yutong still alive? Don't you want revenge? Moreover, why die in this instance? To keep the NPCs company?"

Nie Shuangshuang couldn't contain herself any longer, "Hey!"

But Xu Hanrui, who was in front of her, looked at him, then lowered her gaze to the potion in his hand.

Finally, with gritted teeth, she accepted the potion and drained it in one gulp.

Xie Fangcheng stood up, saying, "Let's go. We need to find the other surviving players before they meet their fate too."

"Those people! Is there any point in saving them?" Xu Hanrui asked, teeth clenched in anger.

Xie Fangcheng spoke calmly, "Those who suggested sacrificing others deserve to die, but there are still some who have retained their humanity. They might be weak and mediocre, even selfish, but these are not reasons for them to be tormented and killed by evil spirits."

The group fell into a stunned silence.

Xie Fangcheng once again hoisted his staff onto his shoulder.

Turning his head, he said to Nie Shuangshuang, "Shuang, lead the way."

Nie Shuangshuang studied his expression.

Although she had grown accustomed to the cycle of life and death, the departure of good people still filled her with profound sorrow each time.

But the man before her, how could he maintain such a natural demeanor, as if nothing had happened?

Inside, Nie Shuangshuang felt a disquiet, but she also recognized the truth in his words.

The primary concern at this moment was not to dwell on this, but to swiftly locate the players who were still alive.

Surely, not everyone among them was wicked.

Nie Shuangshuang flexed her palm open, and butterflies began to dance around her.

Quickly, she identified the correct direction.

"Over there!"

She and Xie Fangcheng were walking ahead. Sun Yan, knowing he was at fault, tried to put on a show of aiding Xu Hanrui in a bid to demonstrate his remaining shred of humanity, only to have his hand swatted away. The pair trailed behind them.

Nie Shuangshuang cast a subtle glance back and then turned her head again, finding the Xie Fangcheng before her somewhat unfamiliar now.

"Hey, you don't seem to be saddened at all! You even had a conversation with Xie Yutong before, don't you feel any remorse over his death?"

Xie Fangcheng maintained his composed demeanor, "Life and death are natural occurrences. Strictly speaking, you all are technically already deceased; death is just a fact."

A lump formed in Nie Shuangshuang's throat as she felt a growing unease watching him.

"So, should we just give up now, go straight to the city master, clean our necks and wait for him to slaughter us one by one?" Nie Shuangshuang said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hearing her words, Xie Fangcheng shook his head, "No, to fear death and to accept it is to respect life."

But—

Xie Fangcheng looked up at the sky of the instance.

The sky was a dull, grey expanse, as if covered by a shadow of some sort.

It was a shadow of immense malice, something that should not have clouded the spirits of the deceased.

Someone was watching from above, taking pleasure in the desperate struggles of people who might have once been law-abiding, gentle souls, but now fought hysterically for survival, their pitiful state providing entertainment, as they were deceived with the false promise of "resurrection".

"Death is a part of nature, a reality. But life and death are serious matters; anyone who mocks death must pay a price!"