The broadcast from the main system echoed throughout the instance. In the pitch-black snowy night, accompanied by the eerie howling wind of the ebony forest, Jiang Yan felt utterly disoriented.
The "Hunter" in front of him couldnβt hear the main systemβs intrusive voice and was still waiting for his "little sheep" to kiss him.
However, Jiang Yan simply reached out, gently touched the demon-like ram horns of the "Hunter," and then unhesitatingly pulled the blanket over his head.
Hunter: "...So disobedient."
Soon after, a kiss landed softly on the top of Jiang Yan's head. A pair of long, broad hands rested on his waist as the "Hunter" drifted into slumber.
Meanwhile, the game forumβs players erupted into an explosive celebration:
[Iβm dying of laughter! What kind of penalty is this?? Itβs my first time hearing such a ridiculous deduction reason!]
[βPlease immediately kiss the BOSS.β What the heck? Hahaha...]
[This will go down in history! This has to be the first-ever completely unserious penalty in this game, right?]
[LOL...sounds like workplace coercion.]
[It feels like the main system got fed up with him just lying around for ten days and deliberately found a reason to deduct his points. Hahaha...]
[Even though itβs funny, I kind of get it. Refusing the BOSSβs kiss request technically violates his character setting. A little sheep should be obedient, no?]
[Yeah, itβs out of character. But still, 100 points isnβt that much.]
[But itβs so hilarious. Iβve never heard of such an absurd penalty reason before.]
While the game forumβs players were reveling in joy, Jiang Yan was huddled under the blanket, arguing with 663.
He rarely got emotional, but this nonsensical deduction reason was too much for him to accept.
Although 100 points wasnβt a lot. An ordinary NPC typically earned 500 points per instance, and players doubled thatβJiang Yanβs overly laid-back work ethic meant he only had a total of 200 points, including 50 starting points granted by the system.
For both players and real NPCs, having less than 50 points would result in the system forcibly terminating them.
With only 200 points total, Jiang Yan was furious about losing 100 points for such an absurd reason.
Jiang Yan: "What does this mean? Is your main system bugged? In what way did I violate my character setting?"
Jiang Yan: "The character script says Iβm supposed to be as obedient as a cat. Have you ever seen a cat willingly kiss someone?! Is your game even professional? Do you have any life experience?"
Jiang Yan: "This is a horror survival game! BOSS and NPCs kissing each other? And Zhou Hao is a minor! Are you trying to corrupt the kids?"
Jiang Yan rarely got angry, and even when he did, his voice remained soft and velvety, making it hard for anyone to actually feel upset with him.
The "Hunter," who was holding him, seemed to be having a sweet dream. He chuckled lightly in his sleep and pulled the little sheep in his arms even closer.
663, on the other hand, was at a loss. He had no idea the main system would suddenly deduct Jiang Yan's points.
"This... maybe the main system feels the instance is progressing too slowly, and you haven't said your key phrase yet. So, itβs trying to push you along?" 663 speculated, trying to comfort him.
"How about this? Why not just kiss the Hunter now? Maybe the main system will even give you your points back," he suggested.
Jiang Yan felt the Hunter's grip on him tighten slightly. Without hesitation, Jiang Yan rejected the idea: "Impossible."
Still, what 663 said wasnβt entirely unreasonable. Perhaps the main system did feel the instance was dragging?
In any case, Jiang Yan, who usually didnβt care about his points, now had a reason to worry.
A loss of 100 points was dangerous. With just 200 points to his name, he needed every single one to maintain his laid-back lifestyle.
It was like back in high school, where he would consistently score exactly 550 on examsβa middling score that was just enough to get into an average college but far from outstanding.
His teachers would often complain to his parents: "This kid looks diligent, but his mind isnβt on studying. If he put in a little more effort, he could easily get into a top university."
Jiang Yan's attitude toward his in-game points mirrored his attitude toward those exams. He didnβt have any burning desires or unfulfilled wishes. As long as he kept his points at 200, he could theoretically stay in the game forever, and that was fine by him.
But now, with his points down to 100, the risk was too high. He had to take action.
In the middle of the night, after the Hunter had fallen asleep, Jiang Yan opened his strikingly blue eyes. Reluctantly, he slipped out of bed.
[Whoa? Heβs moving?]
[Whatβs he doing? Going to the bathroom?]
[Wow, itβs rare to see him actually get out of bed. His character design is amazing. heβs literally lying his way through the whole copy.]
However, Jiang Yan wasnβt getting up for a bathroom break. He wrapped himself in the blue swan-down blanket from the bed, grabbed a few chestnuts from the bedside table, and silently opened the door to leave the room.
[Heβs leaving??]
[What is he doing in the middle of the night?]
[Maybe the point deduction pressured him into helping the players out?]
[His ankles are so pale and delicate. They look like theyβd feel amazing to touch.]
[????]
[????? Youβre out of line, commenter above.]
"Are you finally determined to go to the basement and help out the players?" 663 asked with satisfaction, sounding like a proud parent watching their piglet finally approach the cabbage.
Whether or not he actually helps isnβt important he stood up! He finally stood up!
Jiang Yan whispered, "I only know two key pieces of information, and neither seems remotely useful right now. With how incompetent these players are, do you think any hint I give them will actually work?"
He carefully descended the stairs, still wrapped in the blanket.
The staircase was wooden, and in the stillness of the night, his footsteps were clearly audible, an unavoidable noise.
However, in order to minimize the sound of his footsteps as much as possible, Jiang Yan decided to head out wearing only a pair of cashmere socks.
The sky-blue cashmere socks, provided by the "Hunter," accentuated Jiang Yan's delicate ankles and made his pale calves look even more luminous under the dim light, exuding a kind of cold, ethereal allure in the dark.
"Then why are you even up?" 663 asked in confusion.
It was still snowing outside the cabin. While the fireplace inside kept the place warm, Jiang Yan walking barefoot in cashmere socks on the wooden floor with only a blanket for cover was still far from comfortable.
Wasn't this the same guy who would grumble if the mattress wasnβt soft enough?
Jiang Yan reached the ground floor of the cabin. Earlier that evening, the Hunter had carried him down to the basement, so he hadnβt had the chance to look around the first floor.
Now, stepping across the first floor in his socks, illuminated faintly by the fireplace, he noticed dried bloodstains on the floorboards, bits of flesh stuck in the rugβs seams, and a thick layer of grease whether human or animal coating the surfaces.
Through the floorboards, faint sounds of the playersβ sobbing and the ghostly howls of the "Hunting Dogs" echoed from the basement, making the darkness even more eerie.
Yet Jiang Yanβs expression didnβt change in the slightest, nor did he answer 663βs question.
Standing in the middle of the living room, he looked around thoughtfully. He vaguely remembered that the "Corpse Driver" was supposed to be in the room on the left.
With that in mind, he walked through a narrow hallway to the farthest end of the left side of the cabin.
Accompanied by the spectral howls of the Hunting Dogs, Jiang Yan slowly pushed open the door.
βAhhh...β
The moment the door opened, the thick stench of blood hit his nose. The room before him was pitch black, and nothing was visible.
Tightening the blanket around his shoulders, Jiang Yan boldly stepped inside.
βDing Wangyu? Are you here?β he called softly.
Ding Wangyu was the name of the "Corpse Driver."
At this, 663 finally realized what Jiang Yan was doing. "Youβre looking for the Corpse Driver?"
[Why is he looking for the Corpse Driver in the middle of the night?]
[Probably to consolidate the key clues he has and give the players some hints to improve his performance score and raise his points, right?]
[Huh? Is he stupid? What kind of NPC would willingly exchange their key clues with another NPC?]
[Exactly! An NPCβs key clues are tied to their own performance score, which determines their final evaluation. If their key clues are revealed to players by another NPC, their evaluation score will be halved. Doesnβt he know that?]
[Ugh! What a useless beauty.]
[Whatβs the use of being beautiful? Useless people wonβt survive in this game.]
[Honestly, I think heβs just a pretty face with slightly unusual eye color.]
[If he keeps this up, the Hunter might find out. And if the Hunter realizes that the Corpse Driver has "touched" what belongs to him, the Corpse Driver will be instantly eliminated by the main system, right?]
[Hahaha⦠No way? A B-level instance wiping out all the players and taking down an NPC too? What kind of chaos is this?]
Inside the room, the overwhelming stench of blood made Jiang Yan feel physically uncomfortable.
He mustered his courage and called out again in a low voice, βDing Wangyu? Are you there?β
Could it be that he went out to collect corpses? After all, nighttime is the Corpse Driverβs active period.
While Jiang Yan was pondering, he suddenly felt something tap the top of his head.
Startled, he instinctively looked up, and in that instant, an eerie green flame illuminated the entire room, revealing what had tapped him, a human leg.
A bare human leg, suspended from an iron hook like a pigβs leg at the butcherβs, dangled above Jiang Yanβs head. The skin was pale, almost purplish, riddled with rotting wounds that oozed yellowish fluid, and small white maggots squirmed in the decayed holes.
The leg swayed silently, its swollen toes occasionally brushing against Jiang Yanβs head.
Jiang Yan inhaled sharply, stepping back out of the room immediately.
Standing in the doorway, the green flames revealed the room in its entiretyβhuman limbs, organs, and flesh were scattered everywhere.
Directly opposite the door, two figures had been made into "blood eagles." Their ribcages were split open and splayed out like wings, suspended against the wall.
One wall was lined with shelves filled with jars of preserved organs.
On the opposite side, a large butcherβs table sat in front of a window. On it lay the lower half of a human torso.
The upper half was on the floor, surrounded by dried blood, suggesting the person had died some time ago.
Before their death, they had desperately tried to crawl toward the door, their wide-open eyes filled with despair and fear, the blood vessels now darkened.
βDonβt be scared! Donβt be scared!β 663 quickly comforted him. βGet out! Leave quickly!β
He thought Jiang Yan was scared stiff. However, Jiang Yan let out a sigh of relief:
βOh, I almost got scared. So, itβs just a specimen room.β
663: ββ¦β
His reaction made the players watching the instance live on the game forum explode once again:
[What??!!! Isnβt he scared? That leg just now made me scream!]
[No way?? A normal person seeing such a bloody room would let out a sigh of relief and show a "thank goodness" expression?? Is something wrong with him?]
[Fun fact: Anyone who enters this game is already messed up if they arenβt messed up.]
[See? I told you, thereβs no way someone who just lays around in the game can pass the evaluation.]
[But he passed his last two instances by lying down, which made me stop following his live streams altogether.]
Jiang Yan calmly closed the door, then continued down the hallway toward the living room.
βI remember this specimen room being on the right side of the living room. Which room is the Corpse Driver in?β Jiang Yan asked 663 as he walked.
βHeβs on the left now,β 663 answered.
βTo be honest, instead of sneaking out in the middle of the night looking for the Corpse Driver, you might as well just go back and kiss the Hunter,β 663 advised earnestly. βYouβre both men, so whatβs the harm in kissing him?β
βIβm gay,β Jiang Yan said, peeling a chestnut he had grabbed from the bedroom.
βThen that is even better!β 663 persisted, fulfilling his duty to persuade. βThe Hunter isβ¦ uhβ¦ quite a handsome man.β
βIβm not interested in non-humans,β Jiang Yan replied, popping the chestnut into his mouth.
As he passed by the living room fireplace, he stretched out his feet to warm them. Walking barefoot in wool socks on the wooden floor in the snowy night was really quite cold.
βHmm, young man, your thoughts are problematic,β 663 said in a wise, old voice. βLove should be a bond between souls! If gender and race arenβt issues, then species shouldnβt be an issue either.β
What bs??
Never mind the fact that the Hunter was just the boss of an instance, what did love have to do with him at all?
And on top of that, 663βs logic was downright bizarre.
Jiang Yan couldnβt be bothered to argue against 663βs twisted reasoning and said directly, βIβm already married.β
βDidnβt you get divorced?β 663 asked.
Feeling a bit impatient, Jiang Yan switched to warming his other foot in front of the fireplace. βAm I not allowed to have a second Spring?β
663: ββ¦ Are youβ¦ sure youβll have a second Spring?β
At that moment, the main systemβs broadcast echoed once again through the dense forest:
[Instance: βThe Sheepβs Forest.β Instance progress: 20%.]
[Player: Jiang Yan. Punished for discussing unrealistic and harmful information with their personal system: Public reprimand across all servers.]
βThud!β
Jiang Yan unbalanced on one foot fell to the ground.