Jiang Yan turned around instantly without a moment's hesitation, not even giving a glance to the goat-headed figure behind him.
His long green cloak dragged through the snow as Jiang Yan lazily responded to the "Hunter," saying, "I will do my best to complete the task you gave me."
Seeing his master’s order being rejected, the "Butcher" immediately changed his expression. He looked at the "Hunter," waiting for a command to twist the little sheep's head off!
However, his master merely watched the departing back of the little lamb with a mixture of fondness and helplessness, saying, "Yanyan can be quite headstrong sometimes, especially about trivial matters."
Originally prepared to go on a killing spree, the "Butcher" felt his muscles tense and was forced to suppress his murderous intent, awkwardly nodding.
At that moment, the game forum became lively again:
[Protest!! Why can the BOSS flirt with NPCs but we can’t?]
[Protest! The main system is acting up again!!]
[If I were Li Qingbai, I would be furious!]
[Just because he said Jiang Yan is his wife? That can’t be right! Is our horror game forum going to ban this kind of talk?]
[It’s probably just the main system acting up again.]
[Honestly, I'm starting to doubt if the rumor that Jiang Yan is the main god's illegitimate child is true.]
Jiang Yan dragged his cloak and held the sickle as he walked over to the players. The "Hunter" chuckled and waved at him: "Good luck, Yanyan! I’ll come pick you up at dusk."
With that, a strong wind blew, swirling snow everywhere, and the "Hunter" and the "Butcher" disappeared into the storm before everyone’s eyes.
After the "Hunter" and the "Butcher" left, six people stood in the snow, staring at each other.
“Should we… start looking for the ‘Rose’?” the young girl, Lei Li, broke the silence first.
Jiang Yan shook his head: “The forest is so big. I’ll help find the rose for the master with the corpse-driver. You can try to see if you can escape. If you can complete the master’s game, he will be very happy.”
The implication was clear: “The ‘Rose’ can’t be found. It’s better to think about how to get out.”
The players pondered this, seemingly understanding the logic.
The forest was vast; searching for a rose that might not even exist? What if that “rose” turned out to be a stone or a twig? How could they possibly find it?
As for the thief who stole the rose... analyzing it wasn’t impossible, but without finding the “flower,” all analysis would merely be speculation. If they were wrong, everything would be over!
It was better to focus on how to get out of this forest. After all, they didn’t know where the “rose” was, but the exit wouldn’t change.
On their first day in, the main system had stated that this wooden cabin and the clearing around it were located at the center of the entire dark wood forest. As long as they moved in one direction, no matter which way, they would find an exit.
However, of the ten players, six had already died trying to escape.
Five had become "Hounds," and one had been killed by a "Bear." What dangers lay on that path, no one could say for sure.
For the sake of just wanting to "escape," they had no conflicting interests among themselves; this was their common goal.
Thus, instead of searching for that rose, which they didn’t even know the location of, it would be better for everyone to work together to find a way out.
“Why should we believe you? Right now, you’re just the ‘Hunter’s’ lackey.” Zhou Hao looked at the golden sickle in Jiang Yan’s hand, which symbolized the “Judge's” authority, clearly dissatisfied.
“Zhou Hao…” Lei Li gently tugged at Zhou Hao's sleeve.
She and Zhou Hao were classmates, and in this terrifying game world, he was the only one she could trust.
However, Zhou Hao could be a bit too impulsive at times, and this was not the moment to clash with the NPC before them.
“I’m not asking you to trust me,” Jiang Yan replied indifferently. “On the contrary, I need to avoid being misled by you.”
He was not interested in the provocation from the “spirited” young man in front of him; he was currently having a headache.
“Rabbit” and “Magpie,” the “Rabbit” forgot that he was a "Rabbit," while the "Magpie" always remembered it was a "Magpie."
Two-thirds.
What did that two-thirds mean? Was it merely the ratio between “Lambs” and “Elves”?
Jiang Yan looked at the golden sickle in his hand and only wanted to chop off the "Hunter's" goat head.
Jiang Yan suddenly asked 663, “I remember you once said that some extreme players choose to destroy the dungeon or directly kill the BOSS when faced with difficulties? What are the chances of me taking down the ‘Hunter’ now?”
663 was silent for a moment before responding, “Let’s not mention that one of the main tasks for real NPCs is to maintain the normal operation of system NPCs and dungeons. Intentionally harming a system NPC would lead to being erased by the main system. Here’s a piece of data: the ‘Hunter’ is 251 cm tall, while you are 178 cm.”
178 isn’t short by any means; he usually measures around 180 with shoes on.
But Jiang Yan thought of how effortlessly the other party could pick him up like a child, and he quietly scrapped the plan.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yan had been lazy his whole life, and it was rare for him to feel the urge to be passionate, only to have it snuffed out in its infancy.
-
A group of people decided to venture deeper into the Ebony Forest, choosing a single direction to follow. There were no paths in the forest; the trees crowded together, appearing to leap toward the people's eyes, creating a dazzling sight.
A trail of footprints was left on the snow, and the wind whipped snow particles against their faces, causing sharp stings with every step. Each movement was a struggle.
Jiang Yan took off his velvet cloak and draped it over the two girls. In such harsh weather, they couldn’t possibly go out dressed in their thin, tattered clothes.
A few players walked ahead, while Jiang Yan and Ding Wanyu lagged behind.
Although the players had unanimously decided to search for an exit, Ding Wanyu hadn’t given up on looking for the “thief,” as this was crucial for his points. Earlier that morning, he had lost 100 points due to a system glitch.
In this game, everyone cared about their points.
Ding Wanyu glanced sideways at Jiang Yan, who was moving leisurely, and thought about what he had said last night about not caring about points. How could that be true?
A smirk of disdain appeared on Ding Wanyu’s lips.
Just then, the sounds of the "hounds" echoed in the distance, causing the players to tense up. They all stopped in their tracks, not daring to breathe.
The howls of the "hounds" always accompanied the raging blizzard, and the fierce wind made it hard to stand upright.
“Everyone, huddle together!” Ding Wanyu shouted.
The six of them stumbled together into a group, and at that moment, Wang Yu raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A large tent descended over them, blocking the wind and snow.
Everyone stared in surprise for a moment and turned to Wang Yu.
Feeling embarrassed, he pushed his glasses up his nose and said, “This is my item.”
“A tent?” Jiang Yan asked.
“No, it’s an ‘infinite item,’” Wang Yu replied shyly.
[Wow! I've heard of this! It can transform any item without "special powers" at will. The larger the item can change in size, the stronger the user's mental power.]
[I remember there was a big shot who had an item like this. In a “Survival in the Wilderness” instance, while everyone else was living like wild men, he looked like he was on vacation.]
[Wasn’t that Xue Dun also someone with an “item”?]
[Do only two players and one NPC have items? In a ten-player instance, there should be more than that, right?]
“No wonder your girlfriend could run so far in this weather,” Zhou Yun said.
Wang Yu lowered his head and fell silent.
What did it matter how far she ran if she ultimately couldn’t escape? Could they really get out of here?
“There’s something I haven’t been able to figure out since yesterday,” Wang Yu murmured.
“When Xiao Xue escaped from the basement, I gave her this tent. Not only can it completely block the wind and snow, but it can also hide from any wild beasts.”
Wang Yu paused, “But why was she still…”
As he spoke, his voice choked, and he bowed his head, fogging up his glasses.
“Because the ‘hounds’ are not wild beasts; they are people who have been contaminated,” Ding Wanyu explained.
“This forest has a strong contaminating power over humans, so you all need to remember who you are.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Yu silently clenched his fists.
Jiang Yan looked at the man in front of him, who was sobbing quietly, and asked 663 in confusion, “I don’t really understand how these couples and friends managed to invite each other into the game and draw the same instance.”
“I remember this game requires players to have a wish worth sacrificing their life for.”
“Yes,” 663 replied. “I found out that Li Xue’s wish was for her terminally ill parents and sister to get better, while Wang Yu’s wish was to fulfill Li Xue’s wish.”
Jiang Yan was somewhat surprised. “Her family was terminally ill all at the same time?”
“That’s very sad, but coincidences often have such tragic outcomes,” 663 answered.
Jiang Yan fell silent. “Coincidences of fate” can sometimes leave people feeling powerless, like when all of a person’s loved ones simultaneously disappear in an unexpected car accident.
As the howls of the “hounds” faded into the distance, the wind and snow also subsided.
Wang Yu packed up the tent, and the group set off again.
Under the dark sky, the group advanced toward the endless sea of trees, surrounded by withered branches and thick layers of snow on the ground, making every step laborious.
Jiang Yan frowned tighter and tighter. He thought that if he kept walking like this for another half an hour, he wouldn’t need to let the “hunter” punish him; he could just hang himself from a dead tree with his belt.
At that moment, a glimpse of red appeared far away among the dark, dead trees.
“What’s that?” Zhou Hao, being younger and with keen eyesight, spotted the red at once.
Just then, the flash of red seemed to notice them and started moving swiftly toward them.
As the red figure drew closer, the group gradually saw its outline.
It was a woman, wearing a red coat, crawling on all fours toward them, her head dangling from her neck by only a thin strip of skin.
With her running, her head swayed dangerously, as if the tiny strip of skin connecting her neck might tear off at any moment, causing her head to roll into the snow.
“Ghost!! Run!!” Lei Li screamed.
Ding Wanyu quickly raised his hand. “Don’t panic.”
He stood in front of the group in his long robe, exuding a cold and eerie aura. The group then remembered that this man was the “corpse driver.”
Ding Wanyu pulled out his spirit-retrieving banner and waved it through the wind and snow, commanding, “Freeze!”
The wind and snow slammed against the woman crawling on all fours, and then nothing happened.
"...."
Ding Wanyu turned back with a blank expression. “Alright, now you can run.”
“Run—!”
With Wang Yu’s startled shout, the group turned and began to flee.
Jiang Yan, who rarely exercised, ran sluggishly. To prevent him from becoming the next meal for the red-dressed woman behind them, Ding Wanyu reached out, grabbed Jiang Yan by the collar, and pulled him along as they ran!
They had no idea how long they ran until they could no longer see the woman behind them. Only then did they come to a halt.
Jiang Yan leaned against a nearby dead tree and plopped down onto the ground, tears welling up in his eyes from exhaustion.
I’m so tired! I’m so exhausted!
The longest distance he had ever run was a thousand meters during a physical test at school; he had never experienced such a life-threatening sprint before. At one point, he even thought that it might be better to let that woman eat him.
“Young people need to exercise more; look, you’ve run for a bit, and your complexion has improved,” 663 said gleefully. “You better not think about letting her eat you, or you’ll regret being reborn as a human.”
“Why?”
“She only eats the living,” 663 replied.
Jiang Yan blurted out instinctively, “Like a bear?”
“What?” Ding Wanyu looked at the boy, who had previously seemed on the verge of collapse but suddenly spoke up.
“Have you seen this corpse in the forest before?” Jiang Yan asked Ding Wanyu.
Ding Wanyu shook his head.
“Could she be the ‘bear’ that killed Xu Dun?” Jiang Yan speculated.
Ding Wanyu furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before nodding seriously. “That’s certainly a possibility, but…”
“Did someone lose something?” the young girl Lei Li asked, panting.
“Hmm? What’s missing?”
The group followed her pointing finger and saw a road that hadn’t been there before. A horrible stench hit them, making them instinctively shut their eyes.
Upon closer inspection, they found the path was piled with corpses—those were the corpses of the six of them, but not just six; there were countless duplicates of “them” filling the entire woodland path.
The degree of decay varied from body to body; the further they went, the more decomposed they became, as if indicating that they had traversed this road countless times, all ending in the same conclusion.
At that moment, three severely decayed “Lei Lis” sat up along the path, struggling to move their faces, covered in maggots and foul liquid, and eerily asked, “Who lost something??”
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