Chapter 62: Shut Your Mouth

Chapter 62: Shut Your Mouth

The scene in the kitchen left the exiles, who followed with various thoughts, with complex expressions, feeling a subtly painful sensation as if both their bodies and spirits were wounded.

Although seeing the beautiful Sweet Sister force the chefs to taste their own medicine was satisfying, the thought that this uncompromising, fiery Sweet Sister might very well be their target mission made it hard to laugh.

However, after last night's ordeal, the mentality of the exiles present was exceptionally stable.

Today is only the second day; there are five more days for them to kill.

Sometimes, you don't need to constantly watch something; just a push at the crucial moment can achieve the goal.

All that's needed now is to make the target lower their guard.

Even if he is cautious, he can't possibly be alert every moment, right?

"Miss, you did wonderfully. You really spoke for us."

Blonde Alan praised Sweet Sister Jin with a charming and gentle smile while holding up a sign.

Beside him, Linna flirtatiously held up a sign: "Sister, I just love your straightforward personality!"

Chen Shijin, seeing these two showing goodwill towards him, shyly smiled, but his hands quickly started writing on the writing board:

"Ah, you've all noticed my wonderful qualities! It's really nothing special~ Just that I'm someone who eats anything but never takes a loss."

The Sweet Sister continued to smile as she added another line: "Also, I'm someone with a really good temper who doesn't hold grudges~ Once we get out of here, let's all dine together!"

Everyone: ...

No, no, no, either we exclude you in celebration or you survive on your own, dining together is absolutely impossible.

But not holding grudges is good, as it means acting without reservations.

At this moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkwardly silent, thankfully broken by the timely appearance of the tailcoat butler, smiling and holding up a sign.

"Have you all finished breakfast? If so, we can proceed to the Plum Garden to admire the snowy scenery and take a stroll."

By then, Chen Shijin had already finished the delicious dumplings and drunk a glass of milk, contentedly patting his stomach and nodding.

The others nodded in agreement to leave as well. As they were leaving, Chen Shijin, walking last, glanced at the eight chefs who were still covering their necks in pain, tears streaming down their faces, and tugged at the corner of his mouth.

These eight chefs were not transformed from monsters.

Because they were uniformly weak, incapable of resisting even when being force-fed dumplings.

The expressions and actions of the eight chefs being force-fed were almost identical, like clones, which seemed very unreal. But that was exactly right.

So, 100 minus 8.

But personally checking is too slow.

And he couldn't possibly have a legitimate chance to test the rest of the servants in the estate as he did with these eight chefs.

So, the monster disguised as a servant must have some conspicuous yet hard-to-detect characteristic.

Finding this trait would differentiate the real servants from the actual monsters.

If there is no such characteristic?

Sweet Sister revealed a cold smile.

Then, don't blame him for directly looking up the answer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, although there's no wind outside, the snowflakes are rather large. We've prepared warm fur cloaks for our guests," the tailcoat butler said with a smile. "You can rest assured that these fur cloaks are made from premium animal fur, offering great warmth without the risk of catching a cold."

Initially, the exiles were reluctant to wear the fur cloaks, sensing something fishy at first glance.

However, the last sentence on the butler's writing board sent a shiver down everyone's spine—if one were to catch a cold outside, a fever, headache, or runny nose wouldn't be a big deal. But what if one started coughing?

After all, there are three things in this world that can never be concealed.

Among them is the most dreadful cough!

Otherwise, pitfalls are everywhere in this manor.

Realizing this, Chen Shijin looked around and finally chose a pure white, luxurious cloak.

The sweet and lively girl looked even more beautiful with her little face buried in the fluffy collar.

Le Zi Jin, cooperating perfectly, chose a black overcoat and stood next to Sweet Sister Jin.

The handsome man and beautiful woman looked exceptionally well-matched.

Chen Shijin, expressionless, while Le Zi Jin silently took out his phone and started snapping away photos of him and Sweet Sister Jin.

Just when Chen Shijin could no longer stand it, Le Zi Jin finally stopped, but the reason for stopping was—the lazy woman with long hair had actually positioned herself behind them in a green fur cloak, flashing a V-sign.

That photo nearly blinded Le Zi Jin.

He turned with a fierce glare, only to see the woman in the green fur cloak smiling obliviously.

"Ah, aren't we taking a group photo? I thought I looked pretty good in this."

Le Feng: ...

Chen Shijin: ...

Chen Shijin suddenly felt uplifted.

He reached out and grabbed the arm of the beauty in the green fur cloak, pulling her along with him towards the garden exit.

This sister seemed like someone with a very stable temperament.

She must be especially reliable in critical moments!

Most importantly, as long as she, in her green fur cloak, was by his side, Le Zi Jin wouldn't be able to harass him with peace of mind!

She truly was a great person!

Green Fur Cloak Sister: ...?

Why has this girl suddenly become so enthusiastic?

Never mind, probably after last night's several incidents, she's become scared too.

Crunch, crunch.

The bluestone path from the villa to the plum garden was already covered with a layer of white snow.

The layer of snow was about five centimeters thick, producing a soft crunching noise when stepped on.

Not particularly melodious, but it brings a sense of joy and relief.

[The Plum Garden in the Quiet Villa has been around for a hundred years, so the plum trees are very lush. Every winter, the red plums of the Quiet Villa vie to bloom, bringing a strong fragrance of plum blossoms. And when it snows, the sight of snow on the red plums is another spectacular view.]

The tailcoat butler continued to dutifully introduce the Red Plum Garden, quickly changing the content on his clipboard.

[When admiring the plum blossoms, guests must be careful not to break the branches or pick the flowers. Anyone damaging the plum trees will be relentlessly pursued by the gardeners of the Plum Garden.

Our gardeners are not known for their good temper.]

[Additionally, it's best for guests to memorize the paths upon entering the Plum Garden. The Plum Garden of the Quiet Villa is vast, occupying the entire western side of the villa. The combination of red plums and white snow can easily lead to getting lost, so please don’t wander too far and find yourself unable to return.]

Raising the last clipboard, the tailcoat butler stopped.

Behind him lay the vibrant red plums against the white snow, stretching as far as the eye could see, truly a beautiful and stunning sight.

Seeing the exiles' awestruck expressions, the tailcoat butler proudly lifted his chin, then bowed slightly and extended his right hand, inviting the seventeen surviving exiles to enter the Plum Garden.

"Wishing you all a pleasant time admiring the plum blossoms and the snow."

Seeing the snow and red plums before him, Chen Shijin blinked and was the first to hop out excitedly, even pulling along the sister in the green fur cloak.

He possessed an infallible artifact against getting lost and could take many photos of the snowy landscape and red plums.

Not to mention, it's rare to witness such a magnificent scene elsewhere.

Seeing Sweet Sister venture in, others also exchanged glances and followed into the Plum Garden in succession.

Since everyone remembered their purpose, they closely followed the trio of Chen Shijin.

They hoped to find a moment when their guard was down, possibly seizing the chance to strike a lethal blow.

However, while the imagination was pleasant, reality promptly shattered their plans.

Wu Ying was a member of the Godmaking Squad.

He was a special speed assassin who moved without a trace and had reached the peak energy level of a Level 4 hunter.

But rather than an assassin, Wu Ying felt more akin to an assassin.

Once he locked onto his target, he would strike with lightning speed, harvesting their life with his deadly poisoned dagger, leaving no one able to escape.

Last night, he hadn't made a move, instead seriously observing the walking characteristics and behavioral habits of the curly-haired Sweet Sister, the man with Chen Shijin's face, and the green-haired woman.

Then, Wu Ying felt somewhat speechless.

When he noticed that some of Sweet Sister's actions seemed masculine, his eyes sparkled, thinking this might very well be Chen Shijin in disguise.

Upon observing that some of Chen Shijin's behaviors didn't seem human, he was full of question marks but also suspected it might be a deliberate attempt to confuse.

Then, when he noticed the laid-back, long-haired woman somehow resembled a listless man, he suddenly felt a bit foolish.

Observe what?

He found none of the three pleasing to the eye.

Although his power had not yet reached the dominion level, he had killed exiles of that level.

So, why not just kill all three and be done with it, regardless of which one was Chen Shijin?

But waiting last night allowed him to gain some understanding of the trio's strength.

Pick the softest persimmon first.

The man seemed the strongest, even giving him a very dangerous feeling. He wouldn't act unless absolutely necessary.

The long-haired woman appeared to have strong defense, making her not so easy to kill.

So, the curly-haired Sweet Sister was the easiest target.

Even if her storage ring contained many energy items, he was utterly confident that his own direct attack would be faster than any energy attack, not giving the woman a second to use her items.

Once the target was locked, Wu Ying followed behind the trio of Chen Shijin with assurance.

He originally thought it would be difficult to make a move with the three together, but soon saw them inexplicably split up.

Opportunity!

Without a word, Wu Ying followed silently, his steps so light that even on the snow, they left hardly any noticeable traces.

It seemed he was only a step away from "leaving no footprints in the snow."

But soon, Wu Ying encountered a problem—his target was right in front of his eyes, so why did they disappear as he followed?

He was certain he had followed every step taken by Sweet Sister, they were no more than five meters apart, how could he possibly lose them?!

Wu Ying realized there might be something amiss with this red plum grove.

He stood under a plum tree, scanning his surroundings, on high alert.

However, he didn't find anything unusual.

Yet not ready to give up, he quickly glanced at the tall plum tree, thought for a moment, and then leaped onto it, standing high to look around.

This look made his pupils shrink dramatically—

Just about ten meters diagonally in front of him, a member of the Swindler Squad was struggling forward, bloodied, with his legs bitten down to the knees. Behind him, a majestic tiger left deep paw prints in the snow with every step.

The swindler's blood left traces on the snow even more glaring than the red plums.

The man's expression was twisted in fear; his mouth wide open, as if he wanted to scream out his pain and fear, yet he remembered deeply that one must not make noise in this place.

Thus, a scene of unspeakable horror unfolded.

Wu Ying frowned slightly but showed no other emotion, with no intention of jumping down from the tree to rescue.

What did the life or death of others have to do with him?

Besides, something seemed off... How could a tiger appear in the snow? Although it's normal for any species to appear in the Devouring World, and their attack power far exceeds that of ordinary animals.

But there always has to be a reason.

Suddenly, Wu Ying's gaze fixed on a blood-stained cloak scattered not far from the man. He was shocked!

That cloak looked exactly like the tiger's fur!

Recalling how the sinister butler insisted they wear the cloaks, Wu Ying quickly looked down at his own cloak.

To better blend in with the snow and conceal himself, he had chosen a pure white fur cloak!

A pure white fur cloak, what kind of animal could it be from? A fox, or perhaps a marten?

Just as he thought of this, Wu Ying suddenly felt the large tree he was crouching in begin to shake violently.

Looking down, he saw something even larger and more formidable than the tiger... a polar bear!

That's not right, polar bear fur is supposed to be colorless,

Wu Ying had only begun to consider this when he had to divert his attention because the polar bear had started climbing the tree, its eyes filled with a ferocious intent to kill and eat him.

Damn it! Knew there was something off with this cloak!

But he wouldn't just throw away the cloak.

Wu Ying coldly curled his lips.

Throwing away the cloak would surely lead to catching a cold, inevitably resulting in uncontrollable coughing.

Instead, the best outcome would be—

Wu Ying's dagger traced a blur of afterimages as his body shot out like an arrow!

Killing it would solve everything!

During his process of killing the polar bear, he also heard uncontrollable screams and cries for help coming from other directions in the plum garden.

Wu Ying sneered internally.

The weak have no right to survive!

Boom—

Although the process was difficult, and he was wounded by a couple of claws and bled, he still silently killed this polar sovereign.

Wu Ying flicked the fresh blood off his dagger.

He disappeared into a scatter of fallen plum blossoms in just a few movements.

These plum blossoms were not knocked down by him, but by the bear.

He is a very cautious person.

Then, the exceedingly cautious Wu Ying climbed a tree again, observing the surrounding red plums, in search of his target.

Suddenly, his gaze darkened—found it!

Then, the corners of his mouth curled up again.

There was no need to rush into killing; a polar bear, larger than the one he had killed, was charging towards the suspicious Sweet Sister, raising its bear paw high!

Wu Ying waited to see Sweet Sister either getting smacked flying or her skull crushed by that bear paw!

This woman's storage space should contain quite a few defensive items, so she would probably pull out a protective shield, right?

But he had just personally fought that polar bear; though an animal, it's not an ordinary animal from the normal world but could be called a "beast" here.

That paw's strength was at least 300+, comparable to a Level 4 power-type hunter.

With that paw coming down, even yesterday's energy shield would shatter. It seems, if he's lucky, he might not even need to intervene—wait, what?!

What's with that polar bear! It was clearly standing up with its powerful paws raised, how could it suddenly lie down!!

Wait, what's with its head moving up and down repeatedly?

Hiss!!

That's the motion of licking!

For a moment, Wu Ying's pupils dilated in shock, his mind filled with [Shock! How did the polar sovereign turn into a licking bear in a second?!]

Then Wu Ying seemed to see the girl in the white fur coat holding... a large box of honey.

Wu Ying: ...

Now the girl is cautiously trying to pet the polar bear's head.

She succeeded.

Wu Ying: …………

The girl is getting bolder! She starts petting the polar bear's thick neck and its back fur!

Isn't it scratching her?! Where's the bear's dignity?!

The bear is happily licking the honey.

When Sweet Sister begins trying to climb onto the polar bear's back, Wu Ying really couldn't stand it anymore!

Grinding his teeth, he jumped down from the tree and rushed towards Sweet Sister and the polar bear, only twenty or thirty meters away from him, like the wind.

He had exerted so much effort, got fiercely scratched twice, and used two recovery potions just to kill one bear.

Why should the Sweet Sister, who chose the same as him, manage to handle the bear with just a box of honey?!

Wu Ying silently sneered, finding another reason to kill Sweet Sister.

And now was the best opportunity to kill her—

Sweet Sister was busy trying to climb the bear; how could she realize someone was silently advancing in this snowy, red plum environment, preparing to kill her.

Wu Ying pushed his ability [Shadow Assassin] to the limit.

His body really became like a thin, long, and fast shadow, skimming through the snowflakes, almost invisible to the naked eye.

20 meters.

10 meters.

5 meters.

3、2、

Huh?!

The girl, who was trying hard to pat the big polar bear's back as if she wanted to climb onto it, suddenly turned around and precisely threw something at his location!

Wu Ying was shocked!

How could anyone detect his [Shadow Assassin]? He was at the peak of Level 4 hunters!

However, after a moment of astonishment, Wu Ying quickly covered his face with his hands and rapidly retreated.

Then, as he retreated, his expression turned even uglier—damn it! The woman had thrown honey in his face!!

She wanted to lure the polar bear to kill him!

Wu Ying felt a chill in his heart, an extremely terrifying sense of crisis as if all his actions had been seen through.

His instincts screamed at him to leave quickly, or he might very well die here!

Without a second thought, Wu Ying activated his ability with all his might, but this time not to attack, but to retreat and leave like a shadow!

Then, Wu Ying was shocked to find that he couldn't move!

He abruptly looked up, only to see the sweet and beautiful woman slowly putting down the writing board in her hand, her face bearing an indescribable smile.

And on that writing board was a word against a white background in black—

"Freeze!"

In the second before his skull was crushed by the polar bear's massive paw, the Shadow Assassin from the Godmaking Squad, ranked among the top three in strength among human exiles, confirmed that his target was the girl smirking at him, not just any girl.

No, it was the most cunning and deceitful exile, the number one wanted criminal hiding under the guise of that girl—Chen Shijin!

But what he never understood until his death was why he couldn't move in the final moment, as if he was truly bound by the word written on the writing board.

Wasn't Chen Shijin's special ability supposed to be "Word Spirit"?!

Whether it was trash-talking, cursing, praying, or even enhancing himself and his companions with special skills, it was all thanks to his "Word Spirit" technique!

Then why, in this world where speaking was impossible, could he still possess such an ability that left him completely immobilized?!

Before his consciousness faded, Wu Ying regretted not being able to send out a message and felt a premonition of death that they would not complete their mission this time.

Chen Shijin watched the man, like an assassin, gradually being devoured from head to tail by the polar bear, turned emotionlessly, and walked away.

He looked down at his phone, where a new app called "Unscrupulous Navigation" that appeared after the upgrade of his golden gemstone phone was displaying a map of the Plum Garden.

And the green dot that had been rapidly approaching him on the map had now vanished.

Currently, there are thirty moving dots on the map.

Green represents exiles like him, with thirteen remaining. Four have disappeared in a short amount of time.

Red denotes animals wearing fur similar to theirs. The number has decreased from the original seventeen to fourteen.

The overall numbers still hold an advantage.

Besides, there are three small yellow dots.

They are... rapidly approaching his location.

Chen Shijin: ...

Being pursued once was enough; he didn't want to be stealthily chased and assassinated a second or third time!

The beautiful Sweet Sister looked around, the snow-covered Plum Garden was empty and quiet, no other eyes watching him.

He calmly took out his writing board and began to write.

"Vanish, I"

As he wrote each character, his body became more transparent, and by the time those three yellow dots rushed to the spot, Chen Shijin, having written all the words, had completely vanished into the plum forest.

No one could find a trace of him.

Watching the three ferocious figures wielding gardening shears searching around, towering and fierce gardeners.

The vanished Chen Shijin put away the writing board, slowly curling his lips into a smile.

Who said the "word" in "Word Spirit" had to be spoken out loud?

At least for him, "Word Spirit" could be manifested in any form.

For instance, written.