The light laughter of the “Hunter” echoed through the woods, and the woman in the red dress behind the tree had a hint of cruel innocence reflected in her snow-white pupils.
Jiang Yan's hand around the “Hunter’s” neck stiffened as he looked at him in disbelief. “You want me to dance with her? But she just tried to eat me!”
“Really? Then why don’t you guess whether she really wants to eat you or not?” The “Hunter” spoke in a tone as if coaxing a child who refused to take medicine.
“If you don’t want to dance with her, that’s fine too,” he said, shifting his words.
Jiang Yan looked at him expectantly.
In his green, pupil-less eyes, a hint of a smile emerged: “Do you remember the kiss you refused to give me? If you’re willing to give me a kiss now, you won’t have to dance with her.”
[????? I really find this BOSS’s behavior confusing. Did the main system really give it this line?]
[No... I think it’s perverted.]
[If it weren't perverted, it wouldn’t be normal! Which BOSS in this game isn’t perverted?]
[It’s really strange. If it wants to kiss, it will kiss; can Jiang Yan even resist? Didn’t he lose points before for not kissing the BOSS?]
[Yes, but it could also be a bug in the main system. After all, this is a horror survival game, not a dating game.]
“I refuse,” Jiang Yan answered without hesitation.
As soon as he said that, everyone was shocked.
[...What’s there to refuse?]
[Everyone has different limits.]
[His life is almost gone; what does he care about limits? Two guys kissing won’t kill anyone.]
[Exactly! I can’t stand this kind of fake high-mindedness! Typical self-destruction!]
[He’s just preserving his self-respect and refusing to bow to power! What? Are you proud of having no principles?]
[No way? Is there really anyone who agrees with Jiang Yan’s idiotic behavior?]
[What’s wrong with agreeing? Not everyone survives by selling their principles.]
[Oh! Impressive! High-minded! Jiang Yan is about to be torn to pieces by the “Bear.” Let’s see how he ends up pretending to be high-minded.]
“What would happen if you just kissed him?” In response, 663 looked puzzled. “Look, even actors have to film kissing scenes!”
Jiang Yan was too lazy to respond to 663's nonsense.
“Do you really like your ‘second spring’ that much?” 663 asked.
As soon as 663’s words fell, the air in the forest seemed to freeze for a moment, and the smile in the “Hunter’s” eyes disappeared.
“Why is that? Yan Yan?” The “Hunter” raised Jiang Yan’s chin again, tightening his arm around his waist. The pressure seemed like he wanted to crush him into his body while struggling to suppress his urge to tear him apart.
Jiang Yan winced in pain, and the “Hunter” spoke with a tone of anger mixed with grievance, like a child denied candy.
He looked at the pale, fragile yet stubborn little sheep in his arms and asked in confusion, “Why? Do I not even have the right to ask for a kiss from you, Yan Yan?”
“I don’t like kissing people,” Jiang Yan said, frowning from the pressure at his waist.
This was indeed true; he didn’t like kissing people, but it wasn’t due to being a germophobe. He simply found the entanglement of tongues uninteresting and unsanitary.
It was only later, when he met that person, that he realized there were those who longed for kisses. That person loved to hold him entirely in their embrace, kissing from his hair to his toes.
Without any trace of desire, just pure affection in the kisses.
From that moment on, kissing became strangely more heart-stirring and precious to Jiang Yan than any physical contact.
Jiang Yan looked at the monster before him, with its sharp goat horns and cold blue eyes filled with indifference.
How could he give such cherished kisses to a monster made of data?
Looking at the little sheep in his arms, who seemed to be holding on to something, the “Hunter’s” eyes flashed with ruthlessness: “You should receive some punishment, my Yan Yan.”
Saying this, the “Hunter” set the little sheep back on the snowy ground, causing Jiang Yan to stumble as his feet sank into the thick snow.
The “Hunter” took a half-step back and asked Jiang Yan, “Has Yan Yan changed his mind now?”
Jiang Yan maintained a cold expression and didn’t respond.
Seeing this, the “Hunter” sighed regretfully: “If that’s the case, then Yan Yan can continue this boring game!”
With that, he glanced at the sun in the sky, his tone laced with an inaudible excitement: “Dusk is approaching.”
Dusk.
The few people present felt a tightness in their hearts as they looked at the hidden golden light on the western horizon, a wave of oppressive despair rising within them.
The game-ending time for each person was approaching, but the NPCs had yet to find the thief, and the players hadn’t discovered a way out. Everything seemed to be at a standstill, yet this “game” was about to end.
Based on the current situation, it seemed humanity had no chance of winning.
[Hiss... It feels like this dungeon could wipe us all out!]
[Not necessarily. Ding Wanyu should be able to survive for now, though with fewer points; Jiang Yan and the remaining players are in a tough spot.]
[Do you think Leili is still considered alive in her current state?]
[Yes! As long as the system hasn’t announced her death, she isn’t dead.]
[Right now, Jiang Yan is probably under the most pressure! It’s clear that Lei Li has a problem, but as for whether she's a "rabbit" or a "magpie," there’s not a clue. And now he has to dance with that "bear."]
[Are we really dancing?]
[What else? This morning, I was still praising him as a lucky fish, and who knew by the afternoon he would pull this.]
[Unlucky fish—Jiang Yan.]
Jiang Yan stood in the snow, looking at Ding Wanyu, Wang Yu, and Zhong Yun, who were casting worried glances at him. He also glanced at Lei Li, who was kneeling on the ground with a bewildered expression, staring at her own corpse, and the shabby "bear" hiding behind a tree.
Finally, he focused on the "Hunter."
The "Hunter" met Jiang Yan's gaze and asked, "Yan Yan, do you regret it?"
Jiang Yan shook his head.
The "Hunter" fell silent.
At this moment, the howls of the "Hounds" gradually approached. In a few seconds, they all appeared beside the "Hunter," surrounding him and howling joyfully, as if sensing that their master’s hunting moment was about to arrive.
Wang Yu looked at Li Xue among the "Hounds," his eyes filled with an indescribable attachment. Li Xue still had that cute strawberry hairband on her wrist.
That was the only splash of color between the black wood and white snow.
"Then go and dance with her, Yan Yan," the "Hunter" said. "No one has ever invited her to dance. You’d better be the gentleman you should be; otherwise, she might eat you."
"Just a reminder, the 'bear' likes to eat live prey."
Bears are beasts that prefer to eat live animals, especially mother bears with cubs. They often practice hunting with their prey.
As soon as the "Hunter" finished speaking, the woman in the red dress carrying an axe began to crawl slowly toward Jiang Yan.
The organs in her belly dragged a long trail of blood across the snow, and the axe in her hand made a rustling sound as it brushed against the thick snow.
The hair on Jiang Yan's body stood on end at the sound.
He struggled to suppress the urge to retreat and quietly watched as the woman crawled with her axe and organs until she was in front of him.
He had to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor; otherwise, he would be eaten.
Recalling the "Hunter's" words, Jiang Yan frowned. He felt like he had heard this phrase somewhere before.
But now was not the time to dwell on that. He looked at the tattered woman in red before him, suppressing his instinctive fear, and extended his hand, "May I invite you to dance with me?"
The woman froze. She stood up, cradling her belly, and looked warily at the clean and handsome boy in front of her, her posture resembling a "bear" preparing to attack.
"May I invite you to dance with me?" Cold sweat trickled down Jiang Yan's cheek, but he understood that at this moment, he could not show a hint of fear; otherwise, the "bear" in front of him would tear open his belly.
The woman took a half-step back, and the atmosphere grew tense.
[It’s over! The pretty little kitty is going to die.]
[Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s made it this far; it’s about time.]
[No! I won’t allow it! The pretty little kitty I just set my eyes on absolutely cannot die like this!]
“Perhaps my sudden invitation has offended you, for that, I apologize for my rashness and impulsiveness.” Seeing the woman had no intention of responding, Jiang Yan forced himself to continue, “May I invite you to dance with me?”
The woman lowered her hands from her belly, and a glimmer of confusion appeared on her face, which was rotten and covered with maggots. “Are you… sure you want to invite me?”
She struggled to make a sound, her voice hoarse like that of a strong man tugging at a bellows.
Jiang Yan let out a sigh of relief and pressed on, “Yes, do you mind?”
The woman shook her head, a bit dazed. “But… I don’t know how to dance.”
She said this, yet she still placed her decaying hand, which had already exposed bone, on Jiang Yan’s outstretched hand.
The moment Jiang Yan grasped the woman’s hand, the hair on his back stood on end; her flesh was far too soft. He could feel that if he exerted just a bit of force, the remaining flesh on her hand would detach from the bone.
Even now, as he was careful, a patch of skin fell off her hand onto Jiang Yan’s, accompanied by yellowish-green mucus and a maggot.
“It’s okay; I can teach you.”
Jiang Yan fought against the urge to vomit, striving to ignore the abnormality of her flesh, and began to lead the woman in a dance.
In fact, Jiang Yan wasn’t very good at dancing himself. The way he danced was taught by someone else, but back then, the person had taught him in a rather unorthodox manner.
“Why are your feet so unsteady? Why don’t you step on my feet?”
“You dance so well! A kiss as a reward!”
“Just dancing is so boring; how about we take off our clothes while we dance? What do you think, Yan Yan?”
“Do you really want to refuse me? But you dance like you just had your feet bound, stiff and flustered, as if you’re about to fall.”
“…”
And now, with steps resembling someone who had “just had their feet bound,” he not only had to lead a person who couldn’t dance at all but also had to be careful not to step on the organs she dragged on the ground.
The woman’s liver, which had green mold and was swollen to the point of bursting, barely grazed Jiang Yan’s foot, nearly causing him to jump in fright.
“I’m so sorry; I should have kept it in,” the woman said, bending down to pick up her liver and stuff it back into her belly.
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