Chapter 18: “He’s dead!”

Chapter 18: "He’s dead!"

The voices in the temple were intermittent, punctuated by occasional emotional breakdowns of players stressed by the game.

They hadn’t yet experienced it firsthand, but the feeling of their lives hanging by a thread... was terrifying enough.

Soon, Erhu and Ji Xing, who went out scouting, really brought back a person, and the three old players outside immediately followed them in, closing the temple door.

"This guy was wandering around outside even though it's almost evening, so I just brought him back with me."

Erhu said matter-of-factly, "Let's question him first, see how much he knows."

Fu Changxun took a closer look and realized that this unfortunate soul was none other than Cheng En, whom he had interrogated not long ago.

Fu Changxun: “...”

Dong Zi: “...”

The two, in perfect unison and without prior agreement, lowered their heads to avoid being recognized.

Cheng En's mouth had been gagged. Initially struggling when he was captured, he now froze in place upon seeing the room full of people—how could he, a frail scholar, fight against a dozen or so men?

Better think of another plan, stall these people for now.

Sister Zhao asked, "What's your name, where are you from, and how much do you know about the secrets of the capital?"

Cheng En intended to make up a lie, but upon scanning the room, he noticed Fu Changxun and another in the corner.

Why bother lying? It would surely be exposed! But why is Brother Fu mingling with these people?

Confused, Cheng En hesitated for a while. Fu Changxun, realizing he'd been spotted, made a silent gesture for secrecy.

Brother Fu must be threatened by these people!

Realizing the situation, Cheng En bolstered his courage, imagining himself in a heroic rescue. He shouted defiantly, "What are you doing? When I report this to the authorities, none of you will escape! The imperial court will capture you all!"

Fu Changxun: "..."

Despite the warning to remain silent... Cheng En’s foolishness knew no bounds. Beyond saving now.

Before Sister Zhao could react, Erhu, ever the most proactive, kicked Cheng En, who was unprepared and toppled to the ground, wailing in pain, unable to get up.

"Enough, don't hit him anymore," Sister Zhao sighed in resignation. "Our thinking is not the same as these ancient folks, especially these scholars who have read themselves stupid."

She didn't order harsh punishment, instructing Erhu to tie Cheng En up and leave him in the forest behind the temple to fend for himself.

Erhu, still not understanding, protested, "He's just an NPC, why not just kill him?"

Sister Zhao replied, "The more you do, the more mistakes you make. Just follow my instructions."

Erhu grudgingly complied, taking Cheng En away. However, when he returned, there was a faint smell of blood on him.

Fu Changxun, detecting the scent, couldn’t help but look somber.

Sister Zhao distributed silver coins to the new players without points, instructing everyone to split up and reconvene here tomorrow.

She explained, "Moving in a large group draws too much attention and gathers little information. I suggest forming trios, with at least one experienced player in each group, and avoiding being alone to maximize NPC interactions."

The newcomers were fearful but agreed.

— This meant each trio would likely include at least one veteran player.

"Meow."

Just then, the black cat returned.

It meowed softly, avoiding everyone’s gaze, and perched on the wall outside the temple.

Even seated, Dong Xin's height was noticeable. He saw the black cat and whispered something to Fu Changxun, who then pretended to be surprised and exclaimed, "Wow, a little cat!"

The players glanced sideways, bewildered by his carefree behavior amidst the game.

Fu Changxun, maintaining his persona of the naïve flower vase, happily reached out to pet the cat.

Meanwhile, he murmured, "Little Black, run to the back of the temple, then lead me there."

Black Cat: "…Meow wow."

Got it, but why all the acting…

Next, the cat meowed twice, swiftly darted away from Fu Changxun’s hand, stopped a little farther away, and turned back to give a soft call.

— "Humans, come here."

One lively girl among the new players gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment: “This cat is such a tease! If it weren’t for the game, I’d have gone to pet it. Are the cats in the game this smart?”

A companion lamented, "Why does it have to be in the game? I've wanted to adopt a cat for so long."

A male player quickly blocked them, warning, “Don’t go there, what if it’s some kind of cat demon…”

“He’s going after it!”

As Fu Changxun chased after the cat, the others thought to intervene, but Dong Xin was already swiftly following him, with Xu Zhengyi carrying Xiao Xiao behind. The four disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The players exchanged glances, none daring to follow. Sister Zhao frowned deeply, finally sighing, “Let them be, they are responsible for their own lives.”

Chasing the black cat into the woods, Fu Changxun’s curious and delighted expression faded.

The cat had reached a pile of fallen leaves and meowed at him, pretending to dig.

Dong Xin stepped forward to clear the leaf pile for it.

The sight underneath made Xu Zhengyi curse loudly before hurriedly covering Xiao Xiao’s eyes, not letting her see: “Damn it… Are they insane?!”

Beneath lay Cheng En's corpse, his face frozen in fear, seemingly unaware of why he had died. Clearly, "Erhu" had not followed Zhao Sister's instructions to let him fend for himself but had directly killed him—after all, in his view, this NPC was an unstable factor.

Fu Changxun stared at the body for a while, murmuring, “Let’s bury him properly.”

He hadn't expected Cheng En to actually die; he had hoped to rescue him while extracting some more information…

But now the man was dead.

Dong Xin stood beside him, softly saying, “It’s not your fault, Changxun. You did nothing wrong.”

Fu Changxun: “…Yeah, thanks.”

The three adults dug a shallow grave and buried the body.

Xiao Xiao watched the entire process, picking a few flowers from the bushes and placing them in front of the small mound, earnestly advising, “Brother, don’t go out alone at night next time.”

The adults thought she didn't understand, but she knew everything.

The black cat meowed, circling around Xiao Xiao a few times, rubbing against her ankle.

*

Although they were told to act freely and seek NPCs for clues, Fu Changxun had already completed this task ahead of time. So, unlike the others, the four returned to the inn to dine and rest.

That night, except for Xu Zhengyi, who tossed and turned after witnessing the dead body, the other three slept well.

The next morning, Xu Zhengyi appeared with two huge dark circles under his eyes, resembling some rare animal.

The four of them deliberated for a while, deciding on what needed to be done today and what to avoid. Then, they headed out together to meet with the other players at the dilapidated temple.

As they reached the entrance, they noticed everyone gathered outside.

"Why isn’t anyone going in?"

Xu Zhengyi was about to push through the crowd to see for himself when a terrifying scream halted him.

“Aaah!!” Zhi Xing screamed in terror, tumbling and scrambling out of the temple.

His face was ashen as he gasped, “Erhu...”

“He's... he's dead!”