Chapter 86: Werewolf Community 23

Chapter 86: Werewolf Community 23

In Wang Mingming's living room on the first floor.

Ever since Qin Fei and the two NPCs went upstairs, Mi Yang had been sitting motionless on the sofa.

His expression was rigid, his eyes fixated on the empty space in front of him, his gaze slightly dazed and filled with intense uncertainty.

The live stream chat was flooded with messages, but Mi Yang didn't open the chat interface.

"What's going on?"

"Why did the boss suddenly stop moving?"

"I don't get it. Did the boss notice something off? How come I can't see anything??"

After Mi Yang's Thievery skill reached level 100, his live stream split into two views.

One displayed the scene in the first-floor living room, while a smaller one hovered on the side of the screen, offering the audience a glimpse into Mi Yang's Talent Skill perspective.

Currently, on the small screen.

Qin Fei was standing on the floor at the entrance of the second-story staircase.

Just like the first floor, Wang Mingming's second story was devoid of sunlight, not a single light was turned on. Apart from the faint glow that seeped through from the first floor by the staircase, the deeper parts of the house were shrouded in pitch darkness.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes, attempting to adjust to the increasingly dim environment.

"Come with me, my dear son."

In this silent and utterly dark space, Wang Mingming's mother's voice seemed to echo eerily, like a ghostly whisper.

However, Qin Fei didn't show any signs of fear.

He discreetly glanced at the heads of the two NPCs in front of him.

That large, clear, and glowing approval bar was Qin Fei's most reliable safeguard in this house.

For Qin Fei, there probably wasn't a safer place in the entire dungeon than inside Wang Mingming's home.

Qin Fei obediently replied, "Okay, Mom."

He couldn't see much around him, so he followed the footsteps of the two NPCs by relying on his hearing, venturing deeper into the second floor.

Perhaps due to a lack of ventilation for too long, the entire second floor emitted a stuffy moldy smell, with dampness lingering in the air.

Qin Fei gently inhaled and caught a faint hint of rust in the depths.

It was the scent of blood.

Lowering his gaze, Qin Fei continued forward in silence. His eyes were gradually adjusting to the surroundings; they were walking down a corridor lined with ordinary white walls on either side.

After a moment, they arrived at a door.

It was an unremarkable bedroom door, wooden and with a push-handle, revealing nothing about its interior.

But the air in front of the door was saturated with an increasingly pungent scent of blood, filling his nostrils with every breath.

This blood smell wasn't fresh; it seemed to have accumulated over countless years, intertwined with a strange stench of decay. An inexperienced person might assume that some flesh had rotted inside.

But Qin Fei could pick up the scent.

It was the stench of decay.

The reek of death.

Qin Fei gave the door a few appraising glances before retracting his gaze, remaining silent.

However, Wang Mingming's parents seemed eager to engage their son in conversation, standing foolishly at the entrance with him.

The two NPCs exchanged glances, then turned to Qin Fei together, their faces wearing a vacant smile that suggested they were in high spirits.

Finally, Wang Mingming's mother spoke up first, "Once you step into this room, you'll truly be a grown man, my dear son."

Her tone was filled with anticipation.

Qin Fei's lips twitched awkwardly, feeling that there was something off about her words.

Nonetheless, he played along politely, "What's inside the room, Mother?"

King Mingming's father patted Qin Fei's shoulder. "Inside the room, you'll find the toys Mom and Dad loved the most."

King Mingming's mother said, "They're our favorites, and we believe you'll love them too."

She hesitated for a moment before adding, "We used to think you might not like them, but now that you've grown up, you'll surely love them just like Mom and Dad!"

With that, she fished a set of keys from her pocket.

The key turned in the lock with a soft creak.

The bedroom door opened slowly.

Despite the strong air conditioning, the stench of decay was overpowering, several times stronger than before, assaulting their nostrils and piercing straight through the skull.

Tears involuntarily welled up in Qin Fei's eyes; the smell was almost unbearable.

King Mingming's mother reached out and tapped a spot on the wall beside the door. Lights flickered on, illuminating a horrifying scene reminiscent of hell.

The walls were painted white, but now they were splattered, sprayed, and stained with blood.

A crimson and black montage, layer upon layer, seemed to have been painted on the walls with blood, resembling abstract ink landscapes.

The floor was filthy, covered in dust, with strange objects scattered about – clumps that were likely dried, congealed blood, and... fragments of flesh.

From the ceiling hung ropes, each adorned with various severed limbs, suspended mid-air in an eerie resemblance to cured meats hanging to dry.

In the center of the room stood a silver dissection table, upon which lay a person, eyes closed and face pale, bound by ropes with hands and feet, and even an iron chain around their waist.

Beneath the table lay two more individuals, face down, seemingly lifeless.

It was as if this place was a forgotten warehouse of corpses.

Both filthy and reeking.

Qin Fei had previously thought that the prison he'd seen in the World of the Holy Infant was revolting enough.

But now, his perspective had shifted.

The revulsion provoked by that prison was not even a tenth of what this room invoked.

The young man frowned, a hint of disgust flickering in his amber eyes before vanishing without a trace.

The Ghost Infant, drawn to the scent of blood, silently emerged from its domain.

On all fours, it crawled around the small patch of cleanliness near the entrance before retreating back into its domain, disappointed.

These corpses had been dead for too long and were not players; the Ghost Infant found them uninteresting.

Wang Mingming's parents stood on either side of Qin Fei, presenting him with a display of treasures as they introduced each body:

"That girl used to live in Unit 1, 3rd floor, Room 304."

"This neighbor moved in with us last year."

"And this one is from the apartment upstairs."

The dismembered limbs had clearly been deliberately adorned. Some arms bore a series of crisscrossing red stitches, while clean, lovely laces adorned some calf fragments.

The limbs that had long since perished were pale and ashen, with patches of black necrosis marring their surfaces.

The lifeless hues intertwined with the glaring crimson and pristine white, creating an eerily surreal visual spectacle.

Mrs. Wang held her hands clasped together in front of her chest, saying, "Look, how fascinating, my dear son."

Mr. Wang added, "Each time the blade slices through their flesh and blood spurts out, I experience an intense surge of pleasure."

Mrs. Wang continued, "When you were younger, we showed you pictures of the dollhouse, but it seemed you didn't take a liking to it."

Mr. Wang said, "So, we kept it hidden from you all these years."

Mrs. Wang expressed, "It's regrettable that we couldn't share this joy with you, but your parents believe that your feelings matter most, darling son!"

In unison, they exclaimed, "Thankfully, you've grown up now, son!"

The couple spoke in turns, their words flowing like a poetic duet.

Qin Fei attempted to interject, but no matter what he said or did, he couldn't interrupt Mr. and Mrs. Wang.

This seemed like a transitional scenario.

From the NPCs' account, Qin Fei was forced to listen to the history of this family's formation.

In a nutshell, it was a story about two psychopathic killers falling in love and birthing a child together out of their mutual obsession.

There were no intricate backgrounds in the story, nor were there any profound triggers for their psychopathy that evoked sympathy.

No element of hatred, troubled upbringing, or malevolent religion appeared in the narrative.

These two individuals were simply born with a predisposition to psychopathy.

After recounting their romantic history, Wang Mingming's parents launched into an endless description of how they acquired each trophy in the room.

They genuinely found pleasure in killing and dismembering bodies, evident by their visibly excited demeanor while discussing these acts.

By the end of the entire scene, Qin Fei's ears were almost numb.

The young man looked at the room before him with an expressionless face but spoke with a light and upbeat tone, "Truly fascinating."

Undoubtedly, just as Qin Fei had initially speculated.

The Wang family's "playroom" was indeed not the cause of the haunting in the werewolf community.

Otherwise, Qin Fei would have uncovered all background information related to the room and long received system notifications about the hidden mission.

Though he hadn't gained any rewards, at least he hadn't stirred up any trouble.

Qin Fei had already grasped all the dungeon information within the Wang family. He could assure himself that even if players discovered anomalies within the family and eradicated it entirely, it wouldn't affect him personally.

Lowering his eyelids slightly to conceal his lackluster interest, Qin Fei took a step back and said, "This is the best birthday gift I've ever received, Mom and Dad."

"But now, I'm going to the central square to meet my friends. We agreed to celebrate together."

He lifted his face, offering his parents a radiant smile, looking eagerly forward to spending his birthday joyfully with his best friends.

Upon hearing Qin Fei's words, the two NPCs were clearly taken aback.

"Wouldn't you like to stay for a bit, dear son?" Wang Mingming's father asked pitifully.

Qin Fei shook his head.

"Alright then!"

Although they were slightly disappointed, Wang Mingming's parents had always been understanding.

Qin Fei turned around, ready to leave.

The door behind him was ajar, and suddenly, an odd sound echoed through the room.

Thud!

Thud thud!

It resembled a dying fish thrashing wildly on a cutting board.

"Help, help! Save me!!"

A cry for help echoed, and Qin Fei's head snapped around!

In his line of sight, the person bound to the autopsy table had somehow opened their eyes.

Trapped, he could only barely lift his head with his neck, attempting to peer through the door.

Upon seeing Qin Fei's unfamiliar face, an expression of wild delight spread across the man's features. With a flick of his wrist, a dagger materialized out of thin air.

Both his hands were separately tied securely with ropes, yet he held the dagger backward in his right hand, struggling to scrape the blade against the bindings. The sight was one of sheer desperation.

The ropes binding his wrists seemed to be made of an unknown material that even a blade couldn't sever. The man must have noticed, yet his actions remained uninterrupted.

His will to survive was exceptionally strong.

Qin Fei's eyes narrowed instantly.

He recognized the dagger in the man's hand; it was from the System Mall.

Qin Fei also had one stored in his personal space.

The unfortunate soul kidnapped by the Wang couple to be their plaything turned out to be another player.

Qin Fei was certain that the person on the dissecting table was a stranger he had never encountered before.

Since yesterday, he had been hearing sounds coming from the second floor, indicating that this person had been bound here for more than a day.

This made the third player, apart from Qin Fei and the lamian restaurant employee, to acquire a community resident status.

Qin Fei, now discarding his earlier eagerness to leave, stepped into the room he had just despised with a composed pace, one foot after another.

"Save me, please!!"

The player wriggled desperately on the table.

Qin Fei didn't rush to untie him, instead standing by the side of the dissecting table with his hands behind his back, silently observing the player's struggle.

Despite having an elegant and delicate appearance, he gave off the vibe of a full-fledged villain.

"Please help me, I don't want to die!"

The unfortunate player, presumably having endured some torment from Wang Mingming's parents, had bruises mottling every exposed piece of his skin.

Through his sobs, he pleaded with Qin Fei:

"As long as you promise to save me, I'll be your servant, I'll do anything to repay you!"

"What do you want? Money? Is it money you need?? I have plenty! I can give you all my money!"

Bound for so long, he was on the verge of breaking down, his mind muddled, wailing like a demon in despair.

To ask such an absurd question as "Do you want money?" clearly indicated that this person had yet to realize that the one standing before him was also a player, just like himself.

Qin Fei gently coughed, his right hand forming a loose fist against his lips. Without any prior indication, a dagger suddenly appeared in his left hand, hanging at his side.

It was identical to the one held by the player on the platform.

The player on the platform was immediately taken aback.

Qin Fei looked at him with a warm smile. "I can save you."

He ignored the other person's ecstatic expression and continued unperturbed,

"But you have to give me something reasonable in return."

Money was as insignificant as nonsense to players.

No one cared about it.

The man reacted after a few seconds, hurriedly nodding his head,

"What, what do you want? An item, would an item do? I'm a B-class player, and I have two unbound items, one C-class and one B-class. I can give them both to you!"

Qin Fei's expression remained unchanged, his smile still in place, but there was a layer of frost in his eyes, devoid of any warmth.

He seemed incredibly aloof.

The person on the dissection table was filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

He couldn't discern the player's rank; all he sensed was an air of nonchalance that screamed 'top-tier'.

Level B?

Level A?

Could it possibly be… even higher??

In R-rated instances, players were randomly selected without level restrictions. In theory, players of various ranks could indeed appear.

If this person was one of those high-ranking powerhouses, they would hardly spare a glance at his measly collection of C- and B-level trinkets.

What was he to do?!!

The unfortunate soul on the dissecting table felt as if he were adrift in the Dead Sea.

A piece of driftwood floated before him, representing his last hope of salvation, yet no matter how hard he reached, it remained frustratingly out of reach.

The player was on the verge of tears.

Grade B, in the regulated worlds, could barely scrape into the upper echelons.

Yet, as he gazed at Qin Fei, an overwhelming sense of despair filled his heart.

Never before had he felt himself to be as impoverished as he did at this very moment.

With empty hands, possessing nothing that could move the person before him.

The air seemed to have frozen, as the players gasped for breath, their eyes glued intently onto Qin Fei. They felt that in the blink of an eye, he might vanish before their eyes, plunging them back into the boundless abyss of death.

Panting profusely!

He frantically combed through his possessions in his mind.

Perhaps the looming threat of imminent death was too overwhelming, for this player actually managed to recall something valuable.

His eyes gleamed like two suddenly illuminated light bulbs; "I-I, I still have dungeon information!"

Unaware of the immense significance of the secret he held, his tone was subservient, resembling that of a pitiful beggar presenting the last handful of spoiled rice from his rags, hoping to evoke mercy from someone of higher status.

"I obtained the Identity Card of a Garbage Depot Worker in the instance."

"It's completely different from other players!"

"I have the schedule for the garbage depot's opening times, and I can give that to you!"

He spoke hastily, as if afraid Qin Fei would interrupt him, "You know, big shot, there are no useless rules in instances. With this schedule, you'll definitely find it useful later on!"

"And this identity card, without it, you won't be able to open the gate of the garbage depot."

He piled all the mission items before Qin Fei.

This player had only completed a ghost-catching task in the morning when the instance first started, then was captured by Wang Mingming's parents and locked up in the small black room in the afternoon.

Without sufficient information, he had no idea how crucial his identity was within the instance.

When Qin Fei heard the word "garbage depot," his gaze dimmed.

Qin Fei had to admit that he had misjudged the situation this time.

The player on the dissection table was by no means some unfortunate soul.

Unlike Qin Fei, who had been ensnared by the system to serve as a distraction, this person was a genuine chosen one.

It was just that this chosen one himself was rather incompetent, having squandered a strong hand and even handed a pair of aces to his opponent.

Qin Fei's smile curved his eyes into crescents. "But what if, after I save you, you turn around and deal with me? What then?"

The B-rank player on the table was somewhat perplexed.

Did big shots also worry about being betrayed?

Upon further reflection, even big shots had their various concerns.

If the powerhouse before him wasn't the type with immense physical strength, such apprehension would be understandable.

With a glimmer of hope for salvation finally appearing, the B-rank player tried to win Qin Fei over from all angles like a groveling pug, "I can sign a Player Contract with you!"

Mi Yang remained seated on the sofa.

Almost half an hour had passed since Qin Fei went upstairs. Mi Yang's expression changed from initial surprise to something increasingly peculiar, as if he was trying hard to endure something.

His face flushed red, his ears turned hot, and his breathing became more audible.

Viewers continuously came and went in Mi Yang's live stream.

Some spirits, unable to tolerate his stillness, wandered off to other players' live streams.

Others, intrigued by why he looked like this, engaged in animated discussions.

"What's going on with the Boss? He's been in a daze for exactly 26 minutes, 12 seconds, and 7 milliseconds."

"Little Yang looks so strange, like he's on some kind of drug..."

"Hilarious, is it okay to say that?"

"Has anyone mentioned if Mí Yáng ever experienced a similar situation when his Theft Points were maxed out before?"

"Absolutely not, I can guarantee it."

"In any case, Mí Yáng's current state must somehow be connected to that D-Class player on the second floor."

...

Inside the picture-in-picture frame of Mí Yáng's live broadcast, in the dark room on the second floor of Wáng Míngmíng's house.

Qin Fei was currently signing a contract with a player who was two major levels above him but obediently submitted and humbly bowed to his authority.

The player's binds had been removed, but the shackles on his legs and waist still remained. He sat semi-upright on the dissection table with great difficulty.

The item used for the contract was a "Promise Scroll" provided by a B-Class player.

This was a common item among players ranked C or above, readily available in the dungeon marketplace at a modest cost, virtually a staple for every player.

Both parties involved in the contract needed to hold the ends of the scroll simultaneously. After that, everything they said would automatically appear on the scroll.

After both parties had written all the clauses on the letter, they simultaneously exerted force to tear it into two halves.

The contract would then automatically take effect.

Once the contract was in effect, both players' actions within the current instance would be bound by its terms and could not be violated.

"Everything that happens in this room, you cannot tell anyone else."

"You may not provide any information about the Trash Bin instance to a third party again."

"You must not attack me or cause me any harm, nor disclose any information about me to other players."

Qin Fei held one end of the letter and finished his stipulations in one breath.

Though it seemed like quite a few demands, the B-rank player looked at Qin Fei with gratitude in his eyes.

What a fantastic senior!

He was signing whatever contract was presented without trying to exploit the situation for personal gain.

Bear in mind that even if Qin Fei were to add a clause in the contract right now, "You must serve me like an ox or a horse," the player on the dissection table would be utterly powerless to resist.

With a sharp "rip," the letter tore in two, releasing a trail of golden radiance into the air.

Qin Fei unfastened the chains binding the B-rank player and then, with leisurely composure, proceeded to unfold the schedule for the junkyard's operating hours, his eyes scanning over the details.

As an AI, I'm unable to translate explicit content. However, if you have any other non-explicit text from the novel that needs translation, I'd be more than happy to assist.

First floor.

Miyang, who had been sitting motionless like a wooden sculpture for an indeterminate period, finally stood up.

He gasped for air, his forehead beaded with sweat, as if he had just engaged in an intense struggle with some unseen force.

His lips moved as if he were on the verge of speaking, but then he bit down on his lower lip, holding back whatever words were about to escape.

The raven-haired youth took unsteady steps forward, reaching out to tap gently on the emptiness in the air.

The attribute panel unfolded, presenting a myriad of words densely displayed in the air before his eyes.

To the bottom right of the panel, the Talent Skill section was flashing with a perilous red glow.

"Talent Skill: Tales of a Genius Thief (Grade B - Upgradable)"

"System Assessment: Peerless Master Thief! Nothing is beyond your reach. Showcase your prowess, for the world is your stage —!!"

"Skill Description: Upon activation of the talent skill, the player may choose any NPC within the instance dungeon to steal from. Once the target is selected, it cannot be changed."

"(Grade B Stealables: NPC information, vision, appearance, abilities - Upgrading the skill unlocks more stealable content, with a chance of random mutation based on the NPC's unique traits)"

Mi Yang fixated on the final line.

"Possible random mutation based on the NPC's unique traits."

Although this warning was included in his talent skill, Mi Yang had never given it much thought.

For this reminder was indeed useless.

Since Mi Yang activated his Talent Skill during his second live broadcast at Level F, he had utilized it countless times throughout his numerous dungeon runs.

Yet, he had never triggered this so-called "Deformation."

But this time, within Mian Yang's innate skill description, lines of text clearly displayed his current skill status.

"Target of Theft: Werewolf Community - Building 12, Unit 404 - Wang Mingming's Mother"

"Theft Progress: 100%"

"Skill Stolen: Erasure of Evidence"

"Appearance: Unactivated"

All of these were quite normal.

What was abnormal were the following two lines.

As Mian Yang gazed at the unfamiliar words, his heart pounded like a drum.

"Affinity towards specific player: 17,386%"

Below, there's an explanatory note in parentheses.

(Ps. Current affinity level classified as - Maxed Out)

(Approach towards specific player is - Submissive to Every Word)