Miyamoto Satoshi continued, “I see now… After several sacrifices, His power would be restored, and then He would destroy Haizhu Village.”
“But what He wanted was never obtained, so He kept waiting in this place.” Gu Zhan frowned and said, “But who is the client? Why would they want us to come back here and attempt to awaken Him?”
Nakano Asaka showed a look of despair and said, “That’s not the main point. The main point is how do we leave this place? The client said we can’t leave…”
Gu Zhan didn’t respond.
He didn’t think it was unimportant.
All the information in the instance was crucial; they needed to piece together all the elements to find a way out.
It was just that there was currently no clear direction, making these clues rather useless.
As for being unable to leave this village… Gu Zhan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go out and take a look tomorrow, maybe explore the outskirts.”
“Alright, let’s do that then,” Miyamoto Satoshi said. “Should we go back to rest now? Do we need to split up into different rooms?”
They were definitely already targeted by that evil god, and the jar could appear in anyone's room.
Nakano Asaka said, “Let’s not split up. We might not even see the sun tomorrow… It’s better to stay together in case of any accidents.”
“Okay.” This time, Miyamoto Satoshi didn’t object.
They decided not to return to their rooms, moving all their luggage and bedding to the living room, where they all made makeshift beds on the floor.
Being together helped stabilize Takagawa Ayaka’s emotions quite a bit. She chose a spot against the wall, right next to Gu Zhan.
He had helped her before and had also rejected her pleas for help.
Yet for some reason, Takagawa Ayaka found him very reliable; being beside him made her feel less threatened.
After a quick meal to replenish their energy and a simple wash-up, everyone began to rest.
As soon as Gu Zhan lay down, he heard the sound of the waves…
He knew that thing had come again.
He closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into the endless sound of the sea.
…
…
He didn’t know how long it had been, but Gu Zhan suddenly awoke to find himself standing on an endless sea.
The waves gently surged beneath his feet, feeling almost solid, as if he could walk on the water as if it were ground.
Above him hung a bright moon, its silvery light spilling over the surface of the sea…
Deep in the ocean, something was calling out to him…
Come home…
Hurry home…
“Gu Zhan!”
“Gu Zhan!! Wake up!”
A faint voice reached his ears. Gu Zhan abruptly opened his eyes, realizing he was standing next to a cliff, surrounded by his anxious companions.
Nakano Asaka was gripping his shoulders, Takagawa Ayaka was holding his arm, and Miyamoto Satoshi was calling out his name repeatedly…
Seeing him wake up, Nakano Ayaka seemed to collapse, sitting on the ground. “You finally woke up! We thought you were about to jump into the sea!”
As he spoke, Gu Zhan heard a regretful and dissatisfied voice from the depths of the sea: “Tch!”
Then, the pulsating sensation in his right hand drew his attention.
He lifted his hand to look, and the glowing scale was firmly gripped in his hand.
Compared to when he was in the cave, it seemed to shine even brighter now.
It sparkled like a heartbeat, eager to return to a warm chest.
Beside him, his startled companion couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to you?”
Gu Zhan knew they had saved him, so he first thanked them, then shook his head. “I don’t know. I had a dream where I was standing on the surface of the sea, just walking forward…”
As he spoke, he suddenly paused.
He recalled that on the first night Takagawa Ayaka placed the jar in his room, he had that dream.
He was also on this kind of sea, and someone was calling his name.
Deep down, there was a strong impulse to respond, but he suppressed it.
Thus, he and that voice in the sea had a standoff throughout the night until someone said it was too late… and then dawn broke, and he awoke.
After waking up, he forgot everything that happened in the dream, only recalling a few fragmented words.
Next to him, Miyamoto Satoshi’s expression turned serious. “It seems Morinaga Shizuko and Takagawa Ayaka both died this way.”
As soon as Takagawa Ayaka heard the word "death," she became frightened. The jar first appeared in their rooms, and now the other two were dead; maybe she was next!
She trembled and asked, “But they both died in their rooms. Why would Akiyama end up here?”
They had followed Gu Zhan the whole way; along the way, Gu Zhan had his eyes closed and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much they called him, almost like he was sleepwalking.
If they hadn’t desperately pulled him, he would have fallen!
But back then, Morinaga Shizuko died without a word, giving them no chance to save her.
Gu Zhan looked at the scale in his hand.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, “It’s probably because of this scale. What is this scale exactly…”
Gu Zhan replied, “It’s strange… Shall we head back?”
Miyamoto Satoshi smiled bitterly. “If we go back now, it might give you a shock.”
But standing by the cliff wasn’t a solution either.
The ocean lay beneath them; even though the weather was calm, the waves were turbulent, as if they could swallow everyone at any moment.
Just looking at it was enough to send chills down their spines.
Moreover, who knew what was lurking beneath the surface, eavesdropping on them?
Gu Zhan said, “Let’s go back after all.”
---
The group turned and walked back toward the village. Gu Zhan noticed that the village seemed somewhat different from before.
The houses were still dilapidated, but the sky appeared more oppressive, the wind blowing continuously, yet the air felt stagnant, carrying a musty odor that seemed to linger in the tightly locked houses for many years.
On both sides of the road, the lush plants had withered, and the entire village seemed to be covered with a layer of gray filter.
As they walked, subtle sounds continually emanated from the surroundings.
Rustling sounds, as if from some small rodent.
Gu Zhan was very concerned, continually looking towards the source of the sound.
Miyamoto Satoshi noticed his unease and walked over, whispering, “You noticed it too?”
Gu Zhan replied, “It’s not a mouse. What is that thing?”
Miyamoto Satoshi said, “We don’t know either. It’s been following us since yesterday... and it’s becoming increasingly brazen.”
Nakano Asaka finally found an opportunity to chime in, “This thing seems to be the same as the one that knocked on our door before. Did it come from the Haizhu Village?”
Asaka was probably referring to the Haizhu Village where there were still living people.
Gu Zhan slowly shook his head.
That’s unlikely.
The two different Haizhu Villages they had visited should only be strange in terms of their timelines. Moreover, the past Haizhu Village was indeed destroyed... This meant that although they had returned to the past, it was not the real past.
Since these things existed in the past, it wasn’t strange that they existed now as well.
They hadn’t noticed them before because they were hiding and had not been discovered.
The Haizhu Village wasn’t large, and they soon returned to the village chief’s house.
At the entrance of the village chief’s house, Gu Zhan noticed some marks on the ground, as if something had crawled over.
He squatted down to observe carefully, and after a while, he reached a conclusion: “The sound of knocking on the door wasn’t an illusion…”
“Huh?” Miyamoto Satoshi was surprised. “Why do you say that?”
Gu Zhan said, “There’s an evil god here, and there are two different timelines. Seeing illusions or ghosts is quite normal, but leaving marks on the ground means it has a physical presence... at the very least, it’s not a ghost.”
“Ah!” Nakano Ayasa suddenly understood, “Right, you’re right.”
Gu Zhan looked at other places. The brick-and-tile walls didn’t easily leave marks, but the wooden doors and the gaps in the roof tiles still had traces…
They discovered some small holes in the wooden door, and Gu Zhan pulled out some transparent shards from these holes.
“What is this…”
A group of people gathered around to look at the shards for a while.
Suddenly, Takagawa Ayaka screamed, “It’s human fingernails!”
She was instantly terrified and shouted, “There are people everywhere! Those who crawled onto the roof! They’re all people!!”
“There are people everywhere here; there are many people… we can’t see them! We can’t see them!!”
Miyamoto Satoshi immediately frowned, “Quick, restrain her!”
The three of them quickly intervened and managed to control the frantically screaming Takagawa Ayaka. However, after this scare, Ayaka’s condition became just like that of Chishima Kei—dazed, teetering on the brink of madness.
Miyamoto Satoshi felt somewhat irritable. A teammate like this was not only unhelpful but also a liability.
But soon, he realized that this mindset wasn’t good.
Irritation was a breeding ground for negative emotions. The situation in the dungeon was becoming increasingly bizarre, and he didn’t know when he would end up like Chishima Kei and Takagawa Ayaka.
At that moment, Miyamoto Satoshi's gaze uncontrollably fell on Gu Zhan.
It was strange. Throughout this journey, Gu Zhan had encountered many events, yet he seemed completely unfazed. Even when he nearly fell into the sea, he remained extremely calm after waking up.
A person like that must have had very little fluctuation in their sanity value, right?
“Let’s go inside first.” Gu Zhan opened the door and let Nakano Asaka take Takagawa Ayaka inside.
Once they entered the house, Gu Zhan immediately spotted the black wooden box sitting on the table.
The box had already been opened, and the scale was currently in Gu Zhan's hand.
Throughout their journey, Gu Zhan could feel that this scale was very restless.
It seemed eager to escape his control. Gu Zhan had come to the cliff while dreaming, and it surely had something to do with this scale.
However, strangely, after it had caused so much trouble while he was asleep, it obediently stayed in Gu Zhan’s hand once he woke up, seemingly unable to break free from Gu Zhan's grasp.
Gu Zhan placed the scale back into the box. This time, to be on the safe side, they took another locked box from their backpacks and placed the wooden box inside, locking it securely.
The key was put in a place that was not easily accessible, so even if someone was tempted to retrieve the scale next time, it would take some time.
After taking care of the scale, Nakano Asaka returned after settling Takagawa Ayaka.
The three of them sat in a circle, and Miyamoto Satoshi asked, “How is she?”
Nakano Ayaka shook her head, “Once her sanity value drops, it probably won’t rise again. The longer it takes, the worse her condition will get. She’ll likely soon be like Chishima Kei.”
“…”
Although Miyamoto Satoshi didn’t have much attachment to them, they were players just like him.
Watching fellow players being swallowed by the dungeon made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
But soon, he shook off this low mood and looked up at Gu Zhan, asking, “Why don’t you tell us in detail what you saw last night?”
Gu Zhan then recounted the things he had seen in his dream the previous night.
There wasn’t much content, and he finished speaking quickly.
However, Miyamoto Satoshi fell into deep thought because of it.
Gu Zhan remained silent, and the two appeared to be lost in thought.
Nakano Ayasa waited for a while without anyone speaking and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking? Did you come up with something? Can you share it with me?”
Miyamoto Satoshi smiled faintly, “Don’t you have thoughts of your own? Why do you have to ask us? It makes you seem foolish.”
“I do, but not many.” Nakano Ayasa replied, “When you two don’t talk, I feel a bit scared.”
Miyamoto Satoshi’s expression became serious.
At this point, it seemed that aside from Gu Zhan, everyone was struggling with the dire situation to some extent, and there were vague signs of fluctuation in their sanity values.
This is not good news.
In a place filled with unknown monsters or evil gods, if humans go insane one by one... the feeling of despair will only grow heavier.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, "Since Nakano has mentioned it, Akiyama, why don't you share your thoughts?"
Gu Zhan tapped the table, slightly organizing his thoughts. "We already know this place has a tradition of worshiping evil gods. The destruction of the sea villages is indisputable, but it seems the evil god has left something behind in the sea village... and one person managed to escape."
"Wait, someone escaped?" Miyamoto's reaction was quick. "Are you saying..."
"Yes, that person who commissioned us, the one who sent us to the sea village the day it was destroyed by the evil god, surely he didn't let anyone survive."
"But the commissioner knows the sea village well; he must be from there. We've met Akiko, the only one who left the sea village... is Masaki Taro."
Nakano finally caught up with Gu Zhan's train of thought and couldn't help but say, "But looking at the destruction of these houses, the village must have been slaughtered by the evil god at least decades ago. Is Masaki Taro still alive?"
"Decades ago, he could still be alive; after all, people can live over a hundred years." Miyamoto Satoshi replied. "However, I lean towards believing he is not dead."
"Exactly," Gu Zhan said. "Anyone who left the sea village likely bears a curse; he won't die, and he can't die."
"Ah..." Nakano mulled over this for a moment and finally grasped the meaning behind Gu Zhan's "won't die."
The first "won't die" means he won't be killed by the evil god.
So he is still alive and can send commissions to Chishima Kei.
The second "won't die" means he can't die... Sometimes, being alive can be worse than death. Even if he escaped, the evil god couldn't kill him, but many methods could make his life worse than death.
"What was his purpose in issuing the commission? Did he want us to summon the evil god..." Nakano couldn't quite grasp it.
"I don't know," Gu Zhan replied straightforwardly. "Our information is still insufficient, but... I have an idea. The evil god clearly desires that scale; should we try it with Masaki Taro?"
"Sure." Miyamoto agreed, "After all, we currently have no leads."
Gu Zhan went to the room to fetch the phone used to contact the commissioner. Their chat record still showed their conversation from yesterday when he sent a video.
"We found something very strange; it seems to have a special ability, constantly tempting us to enter the sea. What is truly beneath the sea of the sea village? Why did you bring us here, and what do you want?"
These words matched their current predicament.
It was originally meant to probe the commissioner; no answer would be fine, but a reply would be even better.
Perhaps it really was the scale at work, as the commissioner's response quickly came: "What have you discovered?"
Gu Zhan didn't immediately reveal that it was a scale but instead asked, "What was your purpose in bringing us here?"
"Do you really think there are gods in this world?"
Perhaps the last sentence angered the commissioner, as he grew agitated again: "What do you know! You young, arrogant living beings! If there are no gods in this world, then I...￥%……&%&……"
The latter part gradually turned into gibberish.
It was unclear what kind of tantrum the commissioner threw on the other end, but a few minutes later, he calmed down, and his message returned to normal: "Do you want to leave the Haizhu village? If so, just show me the thing you have in your hand, and I will let you go."
Everyone exchanged glances; indeed, he cared greatly for that scale.
Gu Zhan continued typing: "You say you will let us go, so we can just leave? If all of this is truly the will of the gods, how could a mere mortal like you influence their will?"
"Are you questioning me? If I could bring you here, then I can certainly bring you back... Otherwise, why do you think no one has ever wandered into the Haizhu village in all these years?"
Gu Zhan's fishing technique was indeed somewhat effective. At least they now knew that this place was completely isolated from the outside world.
Miyamoto asked, "What should we do? Should we send it out?"
Things definitely wouldn't be that simple. This "commissioner" had such strong abilities; if they really sent it out, they might face complete annihilation.
But staying in the sea village wouldn't be easy either; the evil god was not something to be trifled with.
At least for now, this evil god showed no regard for human life, killing people as easily as squashing ants.
Gu Zhan thought for a moment and continued typing in the chat: "We cannot leave; the evil god has sealed this place. If you want that thing, come and get it yourself."
The commissioner exploded immediately: "Are you threatening me?"
"I'm not; I'm just stating facts. The ones who want to leave this place the most are us! But we cannot..." Gu Zhan sent this and, emulating the commissioner, sent a bit of gibberish.
Nakano Asaka hadn't expected this kind of operation.
Was he acting with the commissioner through the screen?
Two minutes later, the commissioner finally replied: "Fine, I'll go to the Haizhu village. You better have that thing ready; don't let it fall into the sea!"
The commissioner was really coming!
Nakano Asaka stared in astonishment and gave Gu Zhan a thumbs-up.
Incredible, truly incredible.
Miyamoto frowned. "Why did you bring him here?"
Gu Zhan replied, "Since we can't escape, his arrival might stir things up. After all, he seems to be at odds with that evil god."
"..."
The enemy's enemy is a friend.
Even if they weren't friends, there might be a way to use him.
Miyamoto instinctively felt something was off.
But they couldn’t articulate it.
Looking at Gu Zhan's calm face... maybe this is a very normal, very ordinary thing?
【They were directly brainwashed by Gu Zhan】
【The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It sounds good, but both this "enemy" and the "enemy's friend" are at maximum danger; can they really be mixed together?】
"Fine," in the end, Miyamoto Satoshi still compromised.
After all, they currently had no good alternatives.
Gu Zhan put down his phone and said, "Now that the matter with the client is resolved, the remaining issues are this scale and the unknown evil god being worshiped."
"First, we know that this evil god is definitely related to the sea, and it can’t come ashore."
Nakano Asaka asked, "How can you be sure?"
Gu Zhan replied, "This scale is right by the seaside. If it wanted this thing so badly, would it keep it in a cave on land if it could come ashore?"
"That makes sense." Miyamoto Satoshi nodded.
Nakano Asaka continued, "But what about the villagers? They don't go to sea, right? Yet they can kill at will?"
Gu Zhan said, "I suspect they might have signed some kind of contract. At the start, it was probably voluntary, and the reason for their killings is also related to that contract, allowing it to cross oceans and continents to kill."
Nakano Asaka said, "If that's the case, what about Morinaga Shizuko and Chishima Kei? Is that also a contract? They just arrived here."
Miyamoto Satoshi suddenly called a halt: "Listen, something seems off."
"What?" Nakano Asaka hadn’t realized yet.
Gu Zhan had always felt something was wrong, but things kept happening one after another, leaving him no time to think.
After Miyamoto Satoshi called to stop, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.
Right... if it’s like this, it makes sense.
The two of them simultaneously showed a look of realization, leaving only Nakano Asaka still in the dark.
"Wait, what do you two mean by that expression?"
On Gu Zhan's usually calm face, a hint of turbulence finally appeared, as his emotions were stirred by the truth he had uncovered, feeling a vague sense of excitement.
"We've overlooked something."
"What is it?"
"The evil god can kill, but it's not just the evil god doing the killing."
"Ah?" Nakano Asaka couldn’t help but exclaim, "What kind of tongue twister are you saying?"
Gu Zhan said, "Don’t you think the deaths of Morinaga Shizuko and Chishima Kei seem more like a ritual?"
"..."
Miyamoto Satoshi continued, "Didn't we just confirm? Those villagers who were killed have all turned into monsters, remaining in this village."
Nakano Asaka's hair stood on end as he finally understood what Gu Zhan and Miyamoto Satoshi meant.
Those villagers have remained in the village! Still carrying out the rituals from back then.
Anyone who accidentally wandered into this place must have been killed by them!
Gu Zhan further analyzed, "The contract with the evil god may still be voluntary, but as monsters, they have many means to get Chishima Kei and Morinaga Shizuko to agree to the contract."
After all, Morinaga Shizuko was the first to die, and at that time, everyone was still unclear about what was going on here.
And by the time Chishima Kei died, her mental state had completely collapsed.
The reason Gu Zhan avoided calamity was likely that when they asked him if he was willing to enter into a contract, he had firmly refused.
After Gu Zhan finished speaking, the room fell into silence.
After a while, Nakano Asaka hesitated, "If that's the case, then what about Takagawa Ayaka..."
Even if they kept her within their line of sight, closely monitoring her, it would be hard to prevent her from unwittingly entering into a contract with the evil god in her sleep.
Gu Zhan shook his head.
He was interested in strange monsters and rules, in danger and crises, but not particularly in killing.
Especially not when it came to someone like Takagawa Ayaka, who had no abilities whatsoever.
If he could keep her alive, he would definitely find a way.
But in the current situation, aside from Takagawa Ayaka herself, no one could help her.
"Eh..." Nakano Asaka sighed, not saying much about the matter.
After all, losing teammates and facing death had already become their norm in this mission.
"I have an idea." While Nakano Asaka was lamenting for Takagawa Ayaka, Miyamoto Satoshi suddenly changed the subject. He showed no emotion about Takagawa Ayaka's fate; he was even colder than Gu Zhan.
"Should we try leaving Haizhu Village... or at least move farther away from the seaside?"
If the evil god can't come ashore, then the farther they stay from the seaside, the safer they will be.
Even if they couldn't leave Haizhu Village, it would still be beneficial for them.
Gu Zhan nodded and said, "Alright, before the client arrives, let’s try to move away from the seaside."
They acted on the decision immediately; after a short rest, they began packing up their things and moved up the mountain.
They didn't bring much, so it was easy to pack up.
The only troublesome thing was Takagawa Ayaka.
Fortunately, she seemed stronger than Chishima Kei; after resting for a while, her emotions improved significantly.
After hearing Gu Zhan's analysis, she probably saw hope in breaking through the mission and became much calmer, moving with the others.
They followed the route they remembered and quickly reached the camping site they had set up at the beginning near the village.
Originally, this place was by the sea, and the location was quite good.
The group intended to set up camp here and wait for the client's arrival.
But unexpectedly, shortly after they set down their luggage, dark clouds rolled in from all sides.
As they lingered longer in the campsite, the unsettling noises around them grew louder.
The path up the mountain was blocked.
Gu Zhan and Miyamoto Satoshi stood by the cliff, their expressions grave as they looked toward the sea... The ocean was still, not indicating the evil god's wrath.
Miyamoto Satoshi let out a helpless laugh, “It seems that the copy… or rather, other elements in the copy, don’t allow us to come here.”
The plan to move away from the sea had failed. To avoid disturbing those "things," they had no choice but to return to the village.
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