The voice of the main system echoed throughout the copy, as the dark snowy night was accompanied by the ghostly howling of the wind in the ebony forest. Jiang Yan felt like he was getting lost in the wind.
The "hunter" in front of him could not hear the main system's announcements. He was still waiting for his "little sheep" to kiss him.
However, Jiang Yan gently reached out to stroke his devil-like horns, then unhesitatingly covered his head with the blanket.
"Hunter": "… You’re really not obedient."
Then, a kiss fell into Jiang Yan's hair, and a pair of long, wide hands rested on Jiang Yan's waist. The "hunter" fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, players on the game forum began to erupt in joy:
[LMAO! What kind of punishment is this?? This is the first time I’ve heard such a ridiculous reason for point deduction!]
[Please kiss the BOSS immediately, what the hell? Hahahaha...]
[It should go down in history! This must be the first such indecent reason for point deduction since this game launched, right?]
[Hahaha... Sounds like workplace rules. ]
[It feels like the main system couldn't bear to see him lying around for ten days, so it deliberately found a reason to deduct his points, hahahaha...]
[Though this reason is funny, it’s understandable. Refusing the BOSS’s request for a kiss is a breach of character, right? The little lamb should be obedient.]
[Yeah, it’s a breach of character, but losing 100 points isn’t too much.]
[But it’s still hilarious; it’s the first time I’ve heard such a ridiculous reason.]
As players on the game forum were celebrating, Jiang Yan was huddled under the blanket, debating with 663.
He rarely got emotionally worked up, but this absurd point deduction really bothered him.
While 100 points wasn't a lot, normally a regular NPC would earn about 500 points for completing a copy, with player points doubling.
However, Jiang Yan was too laid-back about his ambitions, so he only had 200 points total, with 50 points given by the system as initial points.
Whether player or human NPC, if points fall below 50, the game would directly erase them.
Jiang Yan had 200 points, but now, because of such a ridiculous reason, he lost 100! Naturally, he couldn’t stand it.
"What does this mean? Is your main system malfunctioning? Where did I breach character?"
"The character script says 'obedient like a cat.' Have you ever seen a cat that kisses its owner actively?! Is your game legitimate at all? Do you have any common sense?"
"A horror game where the BOSS and NPC are kissing each other? Zhou Hao is still underage! Are you trying to lead the kids astray?!"
Jiang Yan rarely got angry, and when he did, his voice was soft and gentle, making it hard for people to be mad at him.
The "hunter," who was sleeping next to him, seemed to be having a pleasant dream, chuckling softly as he held the little lamb closer.
663 was also helpless; he had no idea why the main system suddenly deducted Jiang Yan's points.
"Well... it’s probably because the main system thinks the progress of the copy is too slow and that you haven’t said your keywords yet, so it decided to motivate you this way?" 663 advised.
"Maybe if you kiss the 'hunter' now, the main system will restore your points," he explained.
Jiang Yan felt the hand resting on his waist from the "hunter" tighten a little.
Without hesitation, Jiang Yan rejected: "No way."
He thought for a moment; 663 might have a point. Maybe the main system was just seeing the progress of the copy was too slow?
In any case, Jiang Yan, who initially had no anxiety about his points, now had it.
100 points was still too dangerous. Two hundred points were just enough for him to lie flat.
It was like in high school; he would always keep his score at that awkward 550 mark. If it fell below that, getting into an ordinary university would be a bit risky, but Jiang Yan was also unwilling to make an effort to push higher.
His teachers often complained to Jiang Yan's parents: "This kid seems pretty grounded, but he never puts his mind into studying. If he did, he could definitely get into a key university."
After entering the game, Jiang Yan’s attitude towards game points was the same as his attitude towards exam scores. He had no unattainable desires. As long as his points stayed at 200, he could live in the game forever without any issues.
However, points dropping below 200 posed a risk for Jiang Yan, and he had to do something.
So, after the "hunter" fell asleep at midnight, he opened his beautiful water-blue eyes and reluctantly got out of bed.
[Oh? He moved?]
[What is he going to do? Go to the bathroom?]
[It’s rare to see him get out of bed!]
[By the way, this character really does look nice! Just lying around, completing the whole script.]
However, Jiang Yan was not getting out of bed to use the restroom; he wrapped a blue velvet blanket around himself, casually grabbed a few chestnuts from the bedside, and quietly left the room.
[He went out??]
[What is he doing in the middle of the night?]
[It’s probably because the main system deducted his points, so he felt pressured and decided to give the players a hint?]
[I think his ankles look so white and delicate, they seem so nice to touch.]
[??????]
[?????? Are you okay upstairs?]
"Are you determined to go to the basement and give the players a hint?" 663 said with satisfaction, feeling like his pig finally stood up to the cabbage.
Whether he’s ramming or not isn’t important anymore; at least he stood up!! He stood up!
"I knew two key pieces of information are currently useless. With the quality of these players, would it be useful for me to go and give them hints now?" Jiang Yan cautiously walked down the stairs, wrapped in the blanket.
The stairs were wooden, and in the silence of the night, the sound of his footsteps was particularly clear. There was no way to avoid it.
But to minimize the sound, Jiang Yan chose to wear only a pair of cashmere socks when he went out.
The light blue cashmere socks prepared by the "hunter" made Jiang Yan's ankles appear slender, and his calves looked even whiter against the dark backdrop, giving them a chilling allure in the night.
"Then why did you come out?" 663 asked in confusion.
It was still snowing outside the wooden house. Although there was a fire burning in the fireplace inside, it was still quite cold for Jiang Yan to walk on the wooden floor without shoes, just wrapped in a blanket.
Wasn't he the type to whine if the mattress wasn’t soft enough?
Jiang Yan reached the first floor of the wooden house. He had entered the basement earlier that evening, being carried down by the hunter, and didn’t have time to observe the first floor.
Now, wearing cashmere socks, he stepped onto the floor on the first floor. With the firelight from the fireplace, he clearly saw the dried blood on the floor and the bits of meat in the carpet seams, along with a thick layer of what seemed like fat, either human or animal, smeared on it.
From the floor, he could still hear the players in the basement sobbing, as well as the ghostly howling of the "hounds," sounding particularly eerie in the dark.
However, Jiang Yan didn’t furrow his brows even once. He didn’t answer 663's question.
Standing in the middle of the living room, he looked around. He remembered that the "corpse driver" seemed to be in the room to the left?
He thought as he walked through a narrow hallway, reaching the far left end of the wooden house.
Amid the ghostly howls of the “hounds,” he slowly pushed open the door to the room.
“Creeeak—”
The door swung open, releasing a strong smell of blood, but everything was pitch black; he could see nothing.
Jiang Yan tightened the blanket around him and bravely took a step inside.
“Ding Wanyu? Are you here?” Jiang Yan whispered.
Ding Wanyu was the name of the “corpse driver”
At that moment, 663 finally came to his senses: “Are you looking for the corpse driver?”
[What does he need a corpse driver for in the middle of the night?]
[He must be trying to piece together crucial clues to report to the players, thus improving his performance and boosting his score, right?]
[Ha? Is he an idiot? How could an NPC be willing to share their crucial clues with another NPC?]
[Exactly! An NPC’s key clues are tied to their performance and ultimately decide their final score. Doesn’t he know that if his clues are given to another NPC, his score evaluation will be halved?]
[Tsk tsk! Useless beauty.]
[What’s the use of beauty? Uselessness won’t help him survive in this game.]
[Honestly, I think he just looks like that! Just with special-colored eyes.]
[If he keeps this up, he might be discovered by the “hunters.” If they find out he’s involved with the corpse driver, he could be wiped out by the main system in an instant!]
[Hahaha… No way? A B-level dungeon could wipe out all the players and eliminate a real NPC too?]
Inside the room, the overpowering smell of blood made Jiang Yan feel queasy.
He gathered his courage and called out again, “Ding Wanyu? Are you here?”
Could he be out dragging bodies? After all, nighttime was when the “corpse driver” was active.
As Jiang Yan pondered, he suddenly felt a tap on his head.
Instinctively, he looked up, and a moment later, eerie green flames illuminated the entire room, revealing what was above him—a human leg.
The bare leg dangled from a hook like a pork leg at a butcher shop, its pale skin marred with deep, festering wounds. He could see tiny white maggots wriggling in the rotting flesh, oozing with yellowish fluid.
The leg hung silently above Jiang Yan, the swollen toes occasionally brushing against his head.
Jiang Yan gasped and quickly backed out of the room.
Standing at the doorway, the eerie green flames allowed him to see the entire room—
Inside, there were human limbs, organs, and flesh scattered everywhere.
On the wall directly across from him hung two human bodies turned into “blood eagles,” their rib cages torn open and suspended like wings.
A shelf lined one wall, filled with jars of organs.
On the floor, facing the window, lay a massive butcher’s table, upon which rested the lower half of a human body.
The upper half lay on the ground, with blood long dried, indicating the person had been dead for some time.
Before dying, they must have been trying to crawl toward the door, their eyes wide open, filled with red streaks of unwillingness and fear, now darkened.
“Don’t be scared! Don’t be scared!” 663 hurriedly comforted him. “Let’s get out of here quickly!”
He thought Jiang Yan had been frightened into silence, but Jiang Yan let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad it’s just a specimen room.”
663: “…”
His reaction sent the players watching the dungeon on the game forum into a frenzy:
[What the hell?!!! He’s not scared?! That leg freaked me out so much I screamed!]
[No way?? How can a normal person see such a bloody room and still sigh with relief, as if to say “thank goodness”? This guy must be crazy!]
[Fun fact: anyone who enters “the lamb” who isn’t crazy is the most insane one.]
[I told you, if he’s just here to play dead, how could he possibly pass the game assessment?]
[But his previous two dungeons were just him lying around, making me not want to watch his dungeon livestream anymore.]
Jiang Yan calmly closed the door and walked down the hallway toward the living room.
“I remember the specimen room was supposed to be on the right side of the living room. Where’s the corpse driver?” Jiang Yan asked 663 as he walked.
“It’s now on the left,” 663 replied.
“If you ask me, instead of wasting so much effort coming out here to find the ‘corpse driver’ in the middle of the night, you’d be better off giving the ‘hunter’ a kiss,” 663 urged. “After all, you’re both men. You wouldn’t lose anything!”
“I’m gay,” Jiang Yan said as he peeled a chestnut he had taken from the bedroom.
“That makes it even better!” 663 insisted. “The ‘hunter’ is… well, let’s just say he’s a very handsome goat man.”
“I’m not interested in things that aren’t human,” Jiang Yan said, stuffing the chestnut into his mouth.
As he passed by the living room fireplace, he stretched his feet toward the fire to warm them up; walking barefoot on the freezing floor during the snowy night was quite uncomfortable.
“Hmm, young man, you have some strange ideas,” 663 said gravely. “This love should be a bond of souls! Since gender and species aren’t issues, then neither should be the species!”
What the hell??
Let’s not forget that the “hunter” is just the BOSS of a dungeon—what does love have to do with either of them?
Moreover, 663’s statement was just bizarre.
Jiang Yan was too lazy to entertain 663’s weird theories and bluntly replied, “I’m a married man.”
“You’re divorced, right?” 663 countered.
Jiang Yan felt a bit impatient as he lifted one foot toward the fireplace. “Can’t I have a second spring?”
663: “... Are you sure you have a second spring?”
Just then, the main system’s announcement echoed through the dense forest:
【Dungeon: “Sheep's Forest,” Dungeon Progress: 20%】
【Player: Jiang Yan, due to discussing harmful and unrealistic information with the personal system, a penalty has been issued: public criticism throughout the entire server.】
“Thud!”
Jiang Yan lost his balance and fell to the ground.
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