Chapter 90: Werewolf Community 27

Chapter 90: Werewolf Community 27

"My Butterfly, why did you crush the Heart of the Faction like that?!"

A piercing wail echoed through the A-grade live broadcast hall.

The camera maliciously zoomed in on Butterfly's hand, clearly showing the fragments of the shattered prop stone, revealing an undeniable truth:

Butterfly, the puppet master who had always been invincible in dungeons, seemed to be narrowing their path this time around.

"Quick, bet your gold coins!"

Red-eyed gamblers roamed outside various live broadcast halls.

"There are only thirty minutes left for betting!"

This was the biggest betting pool of the match, wagering on which player would emerge as the ultimate victor.

Until just a few hours ago, both the Butterfly and the Mythical Sheep had been neck and neck, competing fiercely with each other.

But as of now, a new dark horse had emerged on the scene, truly astonishing everyone!

While Qin Fei, a male character, was indeed an up-and-coming player under close scrutiny, his special identity acquired in a dungeon had further intensified this attention.

However, he was still just a middling D-class player, hovering at the lower end of the spectrum.

Moreover, he was a novice rookie who had only participated in three live streaming events so far.

This was a player with minimal initial popularity, someone inconspicuous, a newcomer covered in dust.

Yet, within a few short hours, he had surpassed the previously third-ranked player, Xue Qijī, in betting odds.

Then, with incredible momentum, he overtook both the Mythical Sheep and the Butterfly.

And now, he stood alone at the top, creating a significant gap to the rest!

"Xiao Qin!"

"Princess!!"

"Wife!!!"

A cacophony of peculiar cheers erupted, surging like waves.

In Butterfly's live stream, the stable viewer count began to fluctuate.

Butterfly was oblivious to this commotion.

He stood silently behind the puppet, quietly observing the scene downstairs.

Qin Fei and the others had run too swiftly, taking the lead, so Butterfly didn't manage to catch a clear glimpse of them. He merely assumed that the monsters were rushing aimlessly forward.

Recalling the request made by the NPCs on the fourth floor, Butterfly couldn't help but furrow his noble brows.

They had asked for their assistance in finding a "suitable candidate," a request that was rather intricate.

Preference for the young.

Physically fit, with an evenly proportioned build.

And a clear, handsome countenance is required.

Is this a beauty pageant?

Butterfly lowered his gaze and slightly turned his face. "Let's go."

They were off to find someone who would satisfy those two NPCs' preferences.

Then, they would conclude the instance dungeon.

Without any surprises or dangers, he would become the MVP, just as in every other instance he had participated in before.

An R-rated combat tournament.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

...

The countdown in the void dissipated into particles, and the ghosts behind them suddenly seemed to have lost their target.

The last ghost in the group came to a bewildered halt, gradually dispersing in all directions.

The pursuing ghosts grew fewer and fewer until, as the players turned the corner and darted into the bushes behind the kindergarten, they finally managed to shake off their pursuers completely.

Ghost Fire panted, "No way... damn it, do we have to go through this five more times?!!"

There were six altars in total, and the first one had nearly taken his life.

Despite barely sustaining any injuries, the sensation of narrowly escaping death was something he would rather not recall.

Grinning wryly, Phantom Fire scratched the back of his head. "Why do I feel like I've been encountering chase scenes way too often lately?"

It had been the same in both the Holy Infant Orphanage and the Werewolf Community.

To repeatedly face pursuit battles within the same instance was like being deliberately targeted by the scenario itself.

He had played through so many instances before, and the number of times he encountered chase sequences in all those combined was still fewer than these two instances alone.

Qin Fei coughed slightly, feeling a bit guilty.

The sky transformed from a pinkish purple to a deep blue, then gradually grew darker. The stars shimmering in the celestial expanse brightened, and the moon hung high, erasing all traces of daylight.

"It's night," Qin Fei murmured softly.

In the next instant, all players heard the system announcement simultaneously.

"Attention all players, the nighttime game has officially begun!"

"Due to the instance's progress being ahead of schedule, the second phase of the nighttime game will be introduced earlier for everyone!"

A slightly colder system notification followed. "The following are the rules for the second phase of the nighttime game."

"1. Nights are perilous. To better ensure player safety, during this period, the system will randomly provide an undetermined number of safe zones within the instance community."

"2. Within the Safe Zones, players are completely immune to any harm inflicted by NPCs from the dungeons."

"3. The number, location, and appearance time of Safe Zones are unpredictable, and the maximum capacity for each is variable."

"4. The maximum duration of a single Safe Zone is three hours, while the minimum is fifteen minutes."

"5. Safe Zones are indicated on the map with green markers. Five minutes before their appearance, a yellow highlight will appear on the map; five minutes before their disappearance, a red highlight will be shown. Players are advised to pay attention to these cues."

A series of system announcements left all dungeon-type players utterly bewildered.

Everyone had been prepared to play a game of Werewolf with ghosts at night, but who could have predicted that the rules would change so drastically after just one day??

A colossal luminous map once again appeared in the sky, identical to the one from the previous night.

However, the map's indicators were entirely different.

No longer were there individual dots representing players; instead, a large hollow yellow circle was displayed, with its edges continuously radiating an aura of light.

The circle was situated right where the players had established their base – the community activity center!

A large number 18 was circled prominently.

"Damn it!"

Mi Yang studied the map intently for a moment before he couldn't help but curse.

This damned gameplay was essentially forcing players to run from the shrinking zone.

The safe zones would appear and disappear at unpredictable times and locations.

That could be tolerated.

But each safe zone had a different player capacity??

It was foreseeable that players would find it difficult to maintain the harmony of the previous night.

Qin Fei's reaction was swift. While Lin Ye and the others were still in a daze, he quickly stood up.

"Head back to the Activity Center as soon as possible."

The young man brushed off imaginary grass from his clothes with remarkable composure and instructed them calmly.

"We? What about you?"

Tao Zheng, his devoted sidekick, couldn't help but ask.

Qin Fei blinked.

He couldn't return to the Activity Center with them.

His disguise as an NPC hadn't been exposed yet; naturally, he wanted to keep up the facade for as long as possible.

Under the moonlight, the young man's fair face was bathed in a chilly glow, and his clear amber eyes showed no trace of tension.

He spoke with an extraordinary ease, as if he completely disregarded the impending danger:

"Me? Of course, I'm going—home."

He was, after all, someone with a home to return to.

They were completely different from these homeless drifters.

Building 12 was not within the safe zone this time, but Qin Fei had great confidence in the combat capabilities of his beloved parents.

Even with monsters rampaging through the community, Apartment 404 would always be Wang Mingming's warm and tidy home.

In fact, if it weren't for the fear that Wang Mingming's parents might go berserk and tear his friends apart when Qin Fei wasn't paying attention, Qin Fei would have even invited the five people beside him to seek refuge at his place.

"That's a good idea," Mi Yang glanced at Qin Fei sourly, his eyes reddening to the point of bleeding.

Why did some players have such good luck?

After being envious for just a second, Mi Yang quickly turned his head back.

No, no, he must always remember never to look directly into Princess Feifei's eyes!

—This guy was simply toxic!

The moment Qin Fei saw Mi Yang starting to chatter, he knew that the latter's somewhat abnormal brain was definitely concocting some perverted thoughts again.

Qin Fei shot Mi Yang a reproachful glance before turning towards Building 12.

However, the system announcement was not yet over.

That brief pause seemed to have been solely for the players to digest the information.

The final statement echoed through the night sky, the calm tone veiling a madness and anticipation that sent shivers down their spines.

"When life and death hang in the balance, on the Night of Undead Resurrection, unleash your prowess in the most thrilling battles live on Werewolf Community!"

Night of Undead Resurrection.

This rather grim reminder made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

"How exactly will they resurrect?" Lin Ye asked, confusion etched on his face.

San Tu Path pondered, "Could it be referring to those ghosts that spawned after we destroyed the altar earlier?"

Mi Yang mused for a moment, "I don't think so. The ghosts chasing us are connected to the hidden quest. The night game missions and hidden quests are two separate modules; it's unlikely that they share the same batch of NPCs entirely."

The number of ghosts emerging after the altar's destruction was fixed.

Though their simultaneous pursuit of players was terrifying, they had gradually scattered throughout the neighborhood, lurking in every dark corner.

The monster density was now incredibly low.

In such a sparse group of monsters, the safe zones were virtually useless.

As long as the players were cautious, there was no fear of being trapped by the creatures.

Lin Ye said, "Before dawn, we'll explore two more garbage stations, but with the rules of the night game in place, it actually seems to work in our favor."

If they found new altars at those garbage stations, the players only needed to dash into the safe zone as quickly as possible after smashing them to completely avoid danger.

This was much less stressful and more efficient than being relentlessly chased by monsters for ten minutes.

Upon this realization, everyone felt even more convinced that the "undead resurrection" mentioned in the night game referred to something other than the monsters.

How could a dungeon be so merciful?

They even offered them an easier way to clear the levels!

This was absolutely impossible.

So, what did "Undead" refer to?

...

At this moment, Lin Ye wasn't the only one with such doubts.

Whether it was Butterfly and her group at the central square beneath Building 12, the Surprising Xue team who were on a mission elsewhere in the community, or the few solo players wandering in the dungeons, they all pondered over the matter simultaneously.

"How many of these Undead are there?" A player in Surprising Xue's team couldn't help but ask.

Surprising Xue led the way at the front, carefully observing their surroundings.

With the announcement of the start of the night game, a group of wandering monsters had somehow appeared in the community.

Though not numerous, they were like the lurking cockroaches hiding in the crevices of damp, rainy streets, impossible to guard against fully.

At the slightest oversight, they would rush out from some hidden corner, dealing heavy blows to the players.

Just ten minutes ago, two monsters with green faces and fangs, resembling zombies, had scattered the team led by Xue Jingqi. The players had scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

The player who had just asked the question was Liu Jing. Xue Jingqi had saved him from the monster's jaws at the cost of half his arm being mangled.

Despite the special medicine restoring the wound, the pain from the injury lingered for a while.

Xue Jingqi's face was ashen, but he refused to abandon any of his teammates, even under such circumstances.

He directed the other players to regroup and led them toward the central activity area.

Liu Jing was on tenterhooks throughout this process.

Xue Jingqi had been injured because of him. There were some die-hard supporters of the team leader, like the girl with twin ponytails, who had shot him a look of extreme dissatisfaction.

Yet, Xue Jingqi never showed any sign of blaming Liu Jing from start to finish.

This couldn't help but deeply move Liu Jing.

After the unexpected incident, the players became collectively more cautious, and no further mishaps occurred on their journey.

However, the time spent searching for people earlier had been a significant loss.

When they finally arrived at the Activity Center with great difficulty, they were stopped at the entrance.

"Stop."

Two individuals stood guard at the entrance to the Activity Center. One was the troublemaker who had clashed with Xue Qijing the day before, and the other seemed to be a puppet under the Butterfly's control, as they hadn't been seen mingling with the other players and thus appeared unfamiliar.

Xue Qijing furrowed his brow and halted in his steps.

Through the glass doors of the Activity Center, he could see that quite a number of players had already gathered inside.

"One, two, three, four..."

Though he found Xue Jiqing unpleasant, the Rebellious One didn't give him a hard time at this moment. He merely counted the heads in a businesslike manner.

"One more," the Rebellious One said coldly, seemingly not keen on having much interaction with Xue Jiqing.

He stepped back slightly, making room for the puppet player to step forward. "Mr. Butterfly is in charge here now. You can speak with Teacher Xue."

The puppet turned its head to glance at Butterfly before approaching.

"Mr. Xue," it addressed politely. "You're a little late. There are already twelve people in the Activity Center."

Including himself, Xue Jiqing's group consisted of seven individuals.

The Activity Center, as a safe zone, had a maximum capacity of eighteen—just one more than their current number.

Upon hearing this, the amiable middle-aged man instantly wore a troubled expression.

This was a huge problem.

Actually, there were likely more than nineteen players still alive in the instance dungeon, but perhaps they were occupied by monsters in the community, and a small number of them hadn't appeared here yet.

If they were smart, they wouldn't rush over either.

They had lingered too long and were destined to find no place in the center of the event.

"What... what should we do?"

The players behind Qijie Xue looked at each other, their expressions grim.

In any situation, there was always a first come, first served rule, especially in a life-or-death moment like this. Nobody would willingly yield their spot.

And they were the ones who came later.

Qijie Xue hesitantly began, "Is it possible to... discuss this—"

He didn't finish his sentence because he himself knew very well that there was no room for negotiation in this matter.

"Let's all go in together, then."

A player whispered behind Xue Qimai, "Anyway, the Activity Center is so spacious. It shouldn't make much of a difference if one more person enters, right?"

This comment was like a spark that ignited the already tense atmosphere within the Activity Center.

With a bang, flames burst forth.

Crossing his arms, the troublemaker leaned against the door and sneered, "What kind of joke are you trying to pull?"

"The rule states that only 18 people can stay inside the Activity Center."

The troublemaker narrowed his eyes at the player behind Xue Qimai, as if looking at a dead man.

This provocative gaze made the player extremely unhappy. "Why are you like this? What's wrong with giving it a try? The Activity Center is huge; if the 19th person can't enter, we can always deal with it then."

"How do you know that the Activity Center's protective abilities won't be compromised after having 19 people inside?"

The rebel wasn't fooled by the player's argument at all.

"You... You're just twisting the facts, aren't you?"

Indeed, the rules were strict, but how could they be strict to such an extent?

"Teacher Xue, this person is clearly taking out his personal grudge on us!" The player angrily shouted back.

Xue Qimai's face displayed a hint of awkwardness.

He didn't think that the rebel was settling a personal score. In fact, what the rebel said made perfect sense.

Xue Qimai sighed softly. "Let's not talk about it."

It wouldn't benefit them in any way to oppose the players in the Activity Center at a time like this.

However, the foolish person behind them failed to read the atmosphere and kept on nagging, "Even though you have more people, we're not exactly few either. It'd be best if you don't—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the rebel suddenly stepped forward aggressively at the entrance, nearly poking the player in the face with his nose.

"Skip the nonsense."

As he spoke, his right hand made a grasping motion, and a Tang sword materialized out of thin air in his palm.

The blade was pitch black, and on the scabbard, faint traces of dark golden luster flowed, indicating its extraordinary quality at first glance.

It is by no means comparable to ordinary items that can be purchased in any commercial marketplace.

This is Thorns' innate weapon.

He's actually an offensive-type player!

"I will abso-lute-ly not let you in," the rebel said, emphasizing each word.

The player's face turned pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he fell silent, too scared to speak further.

However, the issue remained unresolved, and Xue Qijī was still standing outside the hall.

The fluorescent map above their heads began to flash frenziedly with yellow circles.

Seconds later, the circles turned completely red.

Behind a glass door, the players on both sides of it simultaneously paled!

"Maybe..."

The girl with twin braids hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Should we... choose one person to step forward?"

She glanced first at the fool who had just argued with Spiky Hair, then at Liu Jing.

Both men felt their hair stand on end under the girl's gaze.

Despite being a newcomer to the instance dungeon and having no special abilities, the twin-braided girl had followed Xia Jiqing's every word since the beginning, becoming an invaluable aide to him.

If they were indeed forced to abandon someone from the team, the girl with twin braids would certainly not be the one left behind.

Instead, it would likely be the two of them.

Two players who had just landed themselves in trouble realized the impending disaster, their lips moving as they turned to seek help from Xue Jiqing.

Xue Jiqing was now in a dilemma.

If he didn't abandon anyone, they wouldn't be allowed into the Activity Center for sure. But if he did have to abandon someone, who should it be?

With all that had happened tonight, the team was already showing signs of instability.

If he personally chose someone to be sacrificed, they might gain temporary safety, but it would inevitably lead to a loss of team cohesion.

Xue Jiqing's breathing grew heavier.

And yet, more troubles were piling up.

Liu Jing and another player were actually arguing with the girl with twin tails!

"What are you looking at?"

The person who had just argued was both startled and enraged.

He was already more impulsive than Liu Jing, and with a few encouraging glances from him, how could he hold back?

He blurted out in anger.

"Something seems to be coming!"

A player in the activity center exclaimed.

The player who spoke held a telescope, an item commonly found among scout players in C-level malls within dungeons.

It had a high exchange score but was also very practical, allowing one to see everything within a few kilometers.

Standing by the window on the second floor, this person was approached from behind by Mi Yang, who rather rudely reached out.

"Let me take a look."

"?" Who are you?

The player was about to retort, but when he turned back and met Mian Yang's pitch-black, emotionless gaze, he suddenly found himself unable to speak.

"…Here you go."

This player keenly sensed that the person before him was not someone to be trifled with.

Mian Yang took the binoculars and pushed the player aside.

After observing outside the window for a moment, he said with a menacing expression, "There are more of them."

The other players in the hallway didn't understand, but Lin Ye and the others who had followed quickly grasped the situation.

No one knew better than they did how many monsters originally roamed the community.

Yet now, the thunderous footsteps, despite being distant, could still intermittently reach the players' ears.

Mian Yang felt a headache coming on.

All the monsters were rushing towards the safe zone. Although the players were currently safe, the safe zone wouldn't last forever.

Once the safe zone vanished, wouldn't they be left with no choice but to wait for the monsters to ensnare them like sitting ducks?

But staying within the safe zone wasn't an option either.

They were outnumbered and outmatched in strength. No one could maintain the stamina to sprint through the neighborhood all night until dawn.

The air, which was originally stuffy on a summer night, turned chilly, carrying an eerie scent from afar.

The silhouettes of the fastest monsters were already vaguely discernible.

Players on the first floor began to panic, "Close the door quickly!"

Yet, outside the community center's entrance, the group led by Xue Qijing was still deadlocked in competition.

Liu Jing continued arguing loudly with another player, while the girl with twin ponytails was embroiled in a heated debate with them.

Xue Qijing stood awkwardly between the three, unsure how to react.

"Come on, stop dawdling!" The troublemaker at the door scowled so fiercely that it seemed he could crush a fly with his furrowed brows.

With monsters incoming, why are you still putting on this moral drama?

"Here's what we'll do. You all go in," Zhi Qi suddenly spoke up, raising his voice.

The trio immediately turned their attention to him.

"You all go in," Zhi Qi smiled and repeated. "I'm the highest-level player in our team. I have the ability to protect myself."

What did that mean?

All the players who heard Zhi Qi were taken aback.

Then, they watched as he stepped back slowly, until he reached the very back of the crowd.

"If I'm still alive when a safe zone appears, I hope there will be a chance for us to team up again," he said, turning around as if to leave.

"Damn it!"

Phantom Fire was perched on the second-floor railing, watching the commotion downstairs, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"He must be a reincarnation of the Le Shan Buddha, right??"

It was hard to imagine that there would be such a "I'll descend into hell if no one else will" Bodhisattva figure in a dungeon.

How did he survive to become a B-Rank??

Phantom Fire felt a bit sorry for him.

Someone with such a kind heart was rare even in the real world, let alone in a dungeon where people's intentions were unpredictable.

It was unnecessary for him to sacrifice himself for a temporary team like that.

Mi Yang chuckled upon hearing this. "If you listen to my advice, it's best to keep your distance from that guy."

Phantom Fire was taken aback. "Why?"

Despite not being on the same level as the renowned Butterfly Yi, Xu Jiqing was still a recognizable player within Central City.

Due to his overly affectionate behavior in dungeons, some players jokingly referred to his playstyle as the "Holy Father Approach."

His main focus was redemption, sparing no scraps of trash.

Lowering his gaze, Yi Mi's long eyelashes concealed the uncertainty in his dark pupils. "This person seems rather peculiar."

Based on Yi Mi's personal speculation, Xu Jiqing should be a control-type player similar to Butterfly Yi.

"I suspect that his personal abilities are somehow linked to the trust and favorability he garners from other players."

There had to be a motive behind his relentless absorption of every drop of blood he could in the dungeons.

"And," Yi Mi narrowed his eyes.

"I've been in the same dungeon with him before."

The details of what happened in the instance are not mentioned for now, but in short, Xue Qijing found himself facing an immense crisis as the instance was coming to a close.

At that time, he and his six teammates were trapped inside a cave within a cursed mountain.

It was a virtually inescapable deadlock.

However, somehow, Xue Qijing managed to pull through and escape.

"But all six of his teammates died in that cave."

"Shivers." Phantom Flame shuddered.

On the first floor.

The commotion did not die down because of Xue Qijing's voluntary offer; instead, it intensified.

Among the players gathered by the entrance, several more stood up to express their disagreement.

Even some players in the activity hall couldn't help but show pangs of sympathy on their faces.

"How can you do this?"

"Have you any conscience at all? After being under Teacher Xue's protection for so long, are you going to repay him by causing his death now?"

In the midst of the commotion, Butterfly, standing in the first-floor hall of the Activity Center, grew increasingly grim.

He suddenly raised his hand, then put it down.

After that, he strode decisively towards the entrance.

With a fierce kick!

He aimed at the player who had triggered the entire dispute, standing beside Liu Jing.

The player was sent flying more than ten meters away, crashing onto the ground with a look of astonishment, unable to get up for a while.

"Scram in here," Butterfly said in a low, icy tone.

Only then did the crowd at the entrance realize what was happening and hurriedly squeezed in, all flustered.

In an unseen corner of shadows.

Xue Qimai suddenly let out a sigh of relief.