In a warm room filled with the scent of roses and roasted chestnuts, a tall monster firmly held the little sheep beneath him in his arms. His crystalline green eyes were full of laughter.
“Have you decided?” the hunter “threatened,”
“Where does Yan Yan want me to eat first?”
Jiang Yan’s body trembled. The instinctive fear of death blocked his throat, making him unable to utter a single sound.
“Not speaking?” The hunter’s tone was light and teasing, but in front of someone near death, using such a tone undoubtedly deepened the other’s despair.
Jiang Yan had thought he was unafraid of death. Unexpectedly, when the moment arrived, he felt an instinctive coldness and trembling.
Perhaps everyone recalls their life before death. The faint aroma of roasted chestnuts at the tip of his nose reminded him of the times his grandmother roasted chestnuts for him when he was young.
A kind, silver-haired old woman sat in front of the fireplace, peeling freshly roasted chestnuts for him.
Jiang Yan’s grandmother had passed away long ago—so long that Jiang Yan had already forgotten her appearance. Yet, on the brink of death, he could see her once again.
“Yan Yan?” His grandmother lovingly called out to him.
Some people don’t just exist in memory; they are etched deep into one’s soul. The fading of memories is merely the brain deceiving itself.
“Yan Yan? What is Yan Yan thinking about?”
Jiang Yan was dazed. The figure in front of the fireplace turned into a tall man.
The man had black hair, green eyes, and delicate features tinged with youthful charm. Those emerald-green eyes gazed deeply at Jiang Yan.
Those eyes were divine yet deadly, like the apples in the Garden of Eden, exuding forbidden and alluring fragrances.
No one could help but admire his stunning appearance. Even gods would be overshadowed in his presence, yet he also evoked a chill that ran deep.
He was breathtakingly beautiful—so beautiful it was eerie, so beautiful it seemed inhuman.
Jiang Yan smiled faintly. “So... I can still see you once more before I die?”
The hunter looked at the “little sheep” in his arms, crying uncontrollably and gasping for breath. The inability to peek into the other’s mental world made him especially irritable.
His emerald-green eyes darkened slightly as he unhappily opened his mouth: “663!”
“What?”
The personal system, which was supposed to belong to a real NPC, was instead summoned by this NPC.
If this “punishment” were to be posted on the gaming forums, players would undoubtedly be dumbfounded by the scene.
The system NPC, in a commanding tone, said to the personal system: “What is Yan Yan thinking about right now?”
663, equally impatient, replied. Strictly speaking, once the instance was over, and his “host” was not in the game lobby, it wasn’t his working hours anymore.
Hating overtime was a human instinct—and even real systems weren’t exempt.
“How would I know? He’s not in the instance right now, so I can’t fully access his mindscape,” 663 replied, speaking bluntly.
“What can you see? Tell me.” The hunter commanded.
663 had no choice but to act like a lackey, attempting to peek into Jiang Yan’s mental scene.
What he saw was a cozy, vintage-style room where two men were kissing by the fireplace...
663 couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise. One of them was undoubtedly Jiang Yan, but the other’s face was unclear.
Who would’ve thought that Jiang Yan, who usually appeared so pure and detached, would indulge in such a romantic scene on the brink of death?
Indeed, people can’t be judged by appearances!
“What is he doing?” The hunter, seeing 663 remain silent for so long, urged impatiently.
“He’s... kissing someone.”
“......”
The fire in the fireplace instantly went out, and the entire room turned as cold as an ice cellar.
“Kissing whom?”
“I don’t know; it’s not clear.” 663 thought for a moment before adding, “Probably his second love.”
The hunter tightened his grip on Jiang Yan’s waist, causing Jiang Yan to cry out in pain.
Hugging the trembling, snow-white little sheep in his arms, the hunter’s eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light—a glimmer akin to a viper ready to strike its prey.
---
The voice of the main system echoed in the grand hall:
[Instance: Sheep's Forest, Instance Progress: 100%]
The players paying attention to this instance all stopped to listen to the main system's announcement. Inside the instance, while cleaning up Zhou Hao's corpse, Ding Wanyu, watching Zhou Hao's "corpse memories," looked up at the sky, which had turned rose red.
[Polluted Players: Qin Wu, Qin Yang, Shang Gong Fang, Fu Lei, Wang Yu]
[Killed Players: Zhou Hao, Xue Dun]
[Main System Reminder: Killed players will die in the real world in unexpected ways, which will not affect the real-world progress. Polluted players are temporarily taken in by the main system.]
In the hall, the players muttered in surprise. To think that so many people died in a B-rank instance.
Admittedly, there were bugs in the main system, and some players were unfamiliar with the game rules, but for a B-rank instance to have only three delicate women survive in the end was indeed rare.
Ding Wanyu looked at the incomplete body of Zhou Hao on the ground, and was not too surprised by this outcome.
He recalled Zhou Hao's memory, where he had dragged Lei Li into a dark alley and ultimately turned the girl into a broken doll.
He felt guilty, but it was normal for young men to act impulsively. However, he had never expected that after entering this game, he would see Lei Li again, along with the makeup artist who had worked on her.
Zhong Yun protected Lei Li behind her and said to him: "My wish... is to be fulfilled. Do you want to know what her wish is?"
The proud young man lost interest in the girl after discovering that she had lost her memory. He was no longer concerned about any wish she might have. He only needed to focus on his own wish.
He would win the game and become a powerful, admired figure in it!
He was meant to be that kind of figure.
Ding Wanyu took a small step back and accidentally crushed Zhou Hao’s discarded eyeball.
He frowned in disdain but didn’t mind much.
What concerned him more at this moment was the blue-eyed boy.
Not only Ding Wanyu, but most of the players watching the “Sheep's Forest” instance were eagerly awaiting the “judgment” result for Jiang Yan.
After all, so many unexpected things had happened to Jiang Yan in this instance, so many that there were more than one bug in the main system, as if the bugs were specifically created for him.
Yet, despite such good fortune, Jiang Yan’s task had still failed.
Many players' evaluation of him was “a worthless mess!”
They summarized Jiang Yan’s performance in the instance, concluding that he was too passive in the game.
In no time, the game forums began discussing how they would have cleared the instance if they had been in Jiang Yan’s position.
Certainly, there are people who speak well of Jiang Yan, after all such a beautiful NPC is about to be turned into minced meat, which is truly regrettable.
Everyone eagerly awaited the main system's broadcast, which would conclude with a summary of the successful players' task completion and their points acquisition, followed by a report on how NPCs would be handled.
【Real NPC: Ding Wanyu】
【Main Quest ‘Corpse Driver’: No abnormal character settings found】
【Side Quest ‘Hunter’ retrieves stolen ‘Rose’: Task failed】
【Points gained: +500】
【Real NPC: Jiang Yan】
Ding Wanyu, watching the burning sky, nervously waited for the system's verdict. He didn't even know why he was nervous.
Perhaps it was because it was rare to see such a slow-moving lazy person in this game, so it felt like a pity for them to die?
Ding Wanyu couldn't help but wonder would he be afraid of death?
Would he kneel and beg for mercy like others, crying and trembling, reducing himself to a pathetic mess, ultimately becoming a heap of minced meat, a specimen in a lab?
Afraid of death?
Jiang Yan had thought he wasn't afraid, but when faced with death, he discovered he could feel fear and even faint.
When Jiang Yan regained consciousness, the black satin band covering his eyes had been removed.
He found himself lying in a spacious and luxurious room, his hands and feet bound to a large, soft bed. In front of him sat the "Hunter" at the bedside.
The small cabin in the woods was still too cramped for the "Hunter"; this excessively large room made the "Hunter" appear even more imposing.
The golden chandelier on the ceiling made Jiang Yan's eyes ache. He looked at the goat-headed monster in front of him and felt that the next second, it might bite his head off.
Was he still alive?
Jiang Yan didn't feel grateful to be alive; instead, he felt even more hopeless.
Was this person planning to torture him to death?
"You're awake?" The "Hunter's" voice carried a cold tone.
Jiang Yan remained silent, only tears welling up in his eyes as he stared blankly at the "Hunter."
"I thought about it, if Yan Yan died, I would be very lonely," the "Hunter" spoke.
Jiang Yan incredulously looked at the monster in front of him.
What... does this mean?
The "Hunter" revealed a bloodthirsty smile in his eyes. "So, shall we let someone else die in place of Yan Yan?"
"You can bite off my head right now," Jiang Yan said without hesitation.
"Stubborn little sheep." The "Hunter" chuckled softly. "You still don’t understand, do you? The rules of the game are set by me, not you."
Jiang Yan felt that the system NPC in front of him was very strange. The rules were supposed to be set by the main system, and his mission failure should have led to his death at the hands of the system NPC acting as the dungeon boss.
Jiang Yan had seen system NPCs kill human NPCs before, but the "Hunter" in front of him was completely different from those NPCs!
He seemed to have a great deal of autonomy.
"Now, let's find a scapegoat to die for Yan Yan."
The "Hunter" sounded quite pleased. "There are three candidates: your father, your mother, and your husband."
Jiang Yan panicked. "That’s my ex-husband, we’re already divorced."
The "Hunter": "...."
"Doesn't matter!" The "Hunter" lightly waved his hand, and a white mist appeared in front of Jiang Yan. In the mist stood the three people closest to him in life, staring at him.
"Choose, Yan Yan, who will you let die?"
The "Hunter" sat cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand, watching with interest as the little sheep was pushed to the edge of despair.
Tears streamed down Jiang Yan's face. "You said... you would kill me."
"I’ve changed my mind now, Yan Yan, hurry up and choose." Seeing Jiang Yan willing to die for himself, the "Hunter's" tone was filled with delight.
"I'll count to three. If Yan Yan doesn't make a choice, I'll kill them all."
"Three!"
"Two"
The crystalline tears slid down Jiang Yan's water-blue eyes. Before the final number left the monster's mouth, he trembled and said, "I choose Yu Xiu."
The smile in the "Hunter's" eyes froze. "…You chose someone who's already dead, not someone who’s still alive."
"Yes." Jiang Yan closed his eyes, letting the tears roll down.
"….."
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Jiang Yan waited for a long time but didn’t hear the death sentence for Yu Xiu.
He hazily opened his eyes, only to see that the "Hunter" in front of him displayed an expression close to despair.
Jiang Yan felt that it must be his current dazed state that caused him to see things incorrectly.
The "Hunter" stared at him with that inexplicably desperate look for a long time, then slowly smiled and said: "... I know, Yan Yan, you're just being coy I’ll give you one more chance."
"No... I really chose him."
"….."