Jiang Yan regained consciousness to find himself bound to a soft bed, his eyes covered by a black cloth, leaving him blind to his surroundings.
When sight is taken away, other senses heighten. He could hear the crackling of a fire, smell the lingering scent of roasted chestnuts mixed with a faint trace of roses—and beneath it all, a hint of blood.
“What are you planning to do...?”
Jiang Yan knew the "Hunter," his punisher, was nearby. He tried to free his hands and feet, but predictably, his struggles were futile. His limbs were tightly secured to the bed, not painfully, but firmly, likely bound by silk or something similar.
A teasing chuckle broke the silence, and the next moment, a solid weight pressed down on him—it was the "Hunter." Jiang Yan had spent enough time in the man’s grasp to recognize his scent instantly.
“You lost, Yan Yan.”
The "Hunter's" voice was right by his ear, and Jiang Yan could feel the amusement in his faintly trembling chest. “The loser must face a cruel punishment, remember?”
A bead of sweat trickled down Jiang Yan’s temple, soaking into the white shirt the "Hunter" had personally dressed him in earlier that morning. He couldn’t tell whether the heat came from the roaring fire in the hearth, the "Hunter’s" body heat, or his own cold sweat born of fear.
“Are you going to eat me?” Jiang Yan’s throat bobbed slightly.
He recalled Xue Dun, Zhou Hao, and the real NPCs that had been made into human dumplings in front of him. Would his fate be the same? Would his head be severed and turned into a "basket" for the next sacrificial lamb? Would his flesh be diced and served as the "Hunter’s" dinner, his remains torn apart by ravenous hounds?
Blind and immersed in darkness, Jiang Yan could only hear the "Hunter’s" sinister amusement. He realized with growing dread that his death might truly be imminent.
“Could you at least make it quick?” he pleaded in a low voice.
“I won’t let Yan Yan suffer,” the "Hunter" murmured, excitement thick in his voice as he gazed down at his helpless prey.
His hands moved to undo the buttons of Jiang Yan's shirt—the very shirt he had personally dressed him in that morning. Now, he was taking it off with his own hands.
The "Hunter’s" long fingers slowly undid each button, and as Jiang Yan’s youthful, lithe body was gradually revealed, the "Hunter’s" excitement grew, as though he were unwrapping a long-awaited gift.
As the cool air hit his exposed skin, Jiang Yan’s body reacted involuntarily, the hair on his arms standing on end. He braced himself for the searing pain of having his abdomen sliced open.
He only wished for the process to be swift, for unconsciousness to take him quickly, sparing him from prolonged agony.
The "Hunter's" hand settled on Jiang Yan’s waist, causing him to instinctively arch his body.
The "Hunter’s" gaze darkened as he looked at the figure beneath him, blindfolded and restrained. There was no longer any attempt to hide the madness and pleasure in his eyes.
“Are you ready? I’m going to start devouring you now.”
—
The sky was dyed a brilliant red, reflecting through the ebony forest, casting a blood-red hue on the pitch-black, withered branches.
Ding Wanyu, dressed in a black robe, held a soul-calling banner in his hand as he slowly advanced through the snow-covered ebony forest.
At this moment, he resembled a soul-reaper by the side of the King of the Underworld, a guide for the departed on their journey to the afterlife.
For the players, the instance of The Sheep’s Forest had already ended, but as a real NPC who had not "broken the rules," Ding Wanyu had to stay behind to handle the aftermath of the instance.
For example, checking the condition of other system NPCs. If any system NPCs had been subjected to violent destruction by extreme players, he needed to report it to the main system for repair.
There was also the task of registering players who had turned into system NPCs, such as those who had been corrupted and turned into "Hounds" during the instance.
As the "Corpse Driver," Ding Wanyu also had the responsibility of sorting out the excess bodies left in the instance.
He first approached the remains of Xue Dun. Gazing at the mangled and incomplete corpse on the ground, he didn’t even furrow his brow, coldly observing everything before him.
The reason he came to Xue Dun first was because he couldn’t understand why Li Xue had transformed into Wang Yu in the end.
"Li Xue" was the name of Xue Dun’s wife, and it was also the name of Wang Yu’s girlfriend.
Li Xue was the "bear," and Li Xue was also the "magpie."
But why was that?
Additionally, there was the result of a side quest that the main system had not revealed at the end—who was the "Thief"?
The main system didn’t reveal the identity of the "Thief." Could it be because the thief was already dead, either Xue Dun or Zhou Hao?
Thinking of this, Ding Wanyu waved the soul-calling banner in his hand. The tool of a "Corpse Driver" was this very soul-calling banner—it could control the dead and recall their memories.
He knew that the memory of Xue Dun’s life would give him the answer—
He quickly skimmed through the first half of Xue Dun’s life, then saw the scene where Xue Dun, after killing his wife, was arrested by the police.
The court’s sentence was a suspended death sentence. After various reductions, he only had to serve thirty years in prison.
Wearing a prison uniform, Xue Dun numbly cut buttons in the prison.
He didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He had merely killed his wife and child.
That was his wife, the one he had married, and the child was his own. He had killed them, so what was wrong with that?
Did he regret it? Yes, he regretted it.
He regretted being drunk and acting impulsively when he did it. He should have done it when he was sober.
That woman ate his food, used his money, and just because she bore him a few daughters, she acted as if she had suffered some great injustice!
She had caused him to lose his only son! She had caused him to be imprisoned and lose his whole life!
She deserved to die!
Xue Dun had been in prison for twenty years, living a dull and numb life day after day. Occasionally, his mother would visit him.
Her old face was always filled with a mix of pity and malice. She would comfort him, telling him how she had gone to make trouble at that "bitch’s" house again.
She had poured black dog blood at their doorstep. She had seen that "little bitch" the "bitch" had given birth to. She had gone to the child’s school, causing such a scene that the child couldn’t even attend classes.
They didn’t even refer to Li Xue by name, calling her only "that bitch."
And this wasn’t a label given to Li Xue after her death—she had been called a "bitch" ever since she gave birth to their eldest daughter.
And that little brat must be the daughter born to Li Xue, who luckily escaped on the day of the accident. She is their second daughter.
After twenty years, Xue Dun has long forgotten her name and appearance, only remembering that her nickname is “Ruirui.”
“Huahua” and “Ruirui”—these are the nicknames of his eldest and second daughters. He still remembers the excited expression on that bitch’s face when she chose those names.
He didn’t understand what was so exciting about having two little girls.
The day-to-day life in prison had suppressed Xue Dun’s resentment to a breaking point. He constantly thought about how successful he could have been if he hadn’t ended up in prison.
By now, he would surely be a top figure in his industry, with countless lovers and sons. If that bitch couldn’t give birth to a son, surely someone else could!
Unfortunately! Unfortunately! Everything was ruined by that bitch!
Day after day, Xue Dun suppressed his inner anger and hatred. He hated that bitch for ruining him and also hated the unfairness of heaven.
Finally, one day, it seemed that heaven had heard his plea, and he entered a game called “Jian.”
In this place, he could realize all his wishes.
Ding Wanyu frowned and sped up Xue Dun’s “Corpse Memory.”
He saw the scene from that afternoon.
Xue Dun carefully crawled to the back of a small house, but the cold temperature outside froze him in place. At that moment, he felt someone following him.
Xue Dun thought it was the “Hound” chasing him, and he quickly turned around, pulling out his tool—a survival knife.
“Who’s there!”
“It’s me, uncle.” Wang Yu stood behind him, raising his hands with an innocent look.
Seeing the pale, thin, and unarmed boy in front of him, Xue Dun let out a sigh of relief.
He scrutinized the boy before him, his cautious gaze filled with disdain: “What do you want? Aren’t you going to look for Hua? If you can’t find her tonight, you might end up as a human meat bun.”
He remembered that the boy’s girlfriend was also named Li Xue, and she resembled that bitch a bit.
When he first saw her, he was startled! He thought that bitch had come back to life.
However, they were all just bitches! So young, hugging and cuddling with boys—heaven has eyes, and they deserved to die!
“Do you want to go outside?” Wang Yu asked the man in front of him.
“Of course! What flowers could possibly be in this room? It would be better to escape directly.” Xue Dun glanced at the blizzard outside, looking troubled.
“I have a tool that I can lend you.” Saying this, Wang Yu took out a tattered cotton jacket and handed it to Xue Dun.
Xue Dun didn’t reach for the jacket but looked suspiciously at the boy in front of him: “Why do you want to help me?”
The boy smiled brightly at him, causing Xue Dun’s eyes to widen in shock.
He watched as the boy peeled back his own scalp, revealing a familiar, delicate face beneath the yellowish-white fat—Li Xue!
“Y-You…!” Xue Dun stumbled back in fright, thinking he had seen a ghost!
Regardless of which Li Xue it was, he had indeed seen a ghost!
“Have you forgotten? I’m Ruirui!”
Li Xue, in front of him, smiled softly and called out, “Daddy.”
“It’s… it’s you?!”
“Corpse Memory” analyzed the tool information—[Player: Wang Yu, Tool: Ghost Face].
Ding Wanyu was somewhat surprised; no wonder the BOSS hadn’t asked him to clean up Xue Dun’s body!
But he could guess what happened next.
“Magpie” has nothing to do with Zhou Hao; “Magpie” is “Xiong’s” child.
“Magpie” has always known she is “Magpie,” and Li Xue has always known she is Li Xue.
Wang Yu’s tool showed signs of use, but the traces of this tool’s usage were not from the space tool they had seen but from the [Ghost Face]!
In other words, when “Li Xue” stepped out of the basement, they had already exchanged identities.
But why?
Why did Wang Yu do this?
He could guess that Li Xue entered the game to seek revenge for her mother and sisters. But what about Wang Yu?
What was his reason for entering the game? Li Xue?
He didn’t believe that someone would enter the game for a mysterious and unrelated lover, risking their own life.
As a “corpse driver,” he understood that life is the most precious thing for everyone.
At this moment, he thought of that blue-eyed boy. That night, he even told him that he entered the game for no reason.
There were no people in this game without any “obsession.”
Ding Wanyu picked up one of Xue Dun’s fingers and threw it to the little ghost baby hiding nearby. Next to the little ghost baby stood a “Hound” with a strawberry hairband on its wrist.
He needed to deal with Zhou Hao’s corpse now. Speaking of which, he was quite curious about what role Zhong Yun played in this “revenge slaughter.”
As for Jiang Yan, he should be down in the same place as Xue Dun now, right…
—
At this moment, Jiang Yan was enduring the cruel punishment of the "Hunter."
Compared to the approach of death, what was most terrifying and tormenting was the moment right before it.
The "Hunter" was an excellent predator, knowing how to make the fallen lamb suffer more than death itself.
Jiang Yan trembled all over, waiting for the intense pain of having his abdomen sliced open, his intestines pulled out, and his heart dug out.
He wasn't particularly afraid of death; he instinctively feared pain.
However, the "Hunter" didn't seem inclined to let him die easily. The Hunter lifted his beautiful chin, observing the physiological tears that overflowed from Jiang Yan due to fear, soaking the black satin ribbon. He gently caressed Jiang Yan's cheek and asked:
“What part does Yan Yan want to be eaten first?”
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