Ding Wanyu looked at the beautiful young man in front of him with some surprise. The young man's light blue eyes drooped slightly, giving off an impression of complete lack of motivation.
Not only Ding Wanyu, but the players in the game forum were also somewhat shocked:
[Huh? He actually said something like this? Surprising!]
[I’m surprised too! It’s not that the idea is so rare, but rather that he actually thought of it?!]
[The above reaction is biased. Think about it—after all, Jiang Yan has independently cleared two instances. No matter what, he couldn’t possibly be a complete waste.]
[+1 to the comment above. In this game, there are more "hidden tigers pretending to be pigs" than actual "tigers."]
[Aaaah!! A serious Yan Yan is also so beautiful!]
[Is Yan Yan starting to have ambition now? Starting to think? Wuwuwu...]
[The above is overreacting, right? Proposing this idea doesn’t exactly require a genius. Anyone who thinks for a moment could come up with it!]
At this moment, Jiang Yan had no idea that the players in the game forum were having a heated discussion about him. Right now, he just wanted to figure out what the card in his pocket was.
"663!" Jiang Yan called the system. "What’s in my pocket?"
"A card," 663 replied. "More precisely, a photograph."
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. "A photo of the flower?"
"No, a photo of the clouds," 663 said. "Clouds bathed in the glow of sunlight."
Jiang Yan couldn’t figure it out. This piece of clothing was personally put on him by the "Hunter" this morning. During the day, the "Hunter" had personally taken it off once, and at that time, the photo wasn’t there.
In other words, this photo appeared in his pocket within the few hours he was asleep, and 663 didn’t notify him about obtaining an in-game item, meaning this wasn’t an item at all.
Since a flower doesn’t necessarily have to be a flower, why does a thief necessarily have to be a thief?
Jiang Yan was starting to feel uneasy. Because a flower isn’t necessarily a flower, he couldn’t be sure if the photo in his pocket was indeed the "flower."
If it was the "flower," what could a photo of clouds have to do with the "flower"?
If it wasn’t, then what did it mean for a photo, clearly not an in-game item, to suddenly appear in the pocket of an NPC like him?
Or, was it that the main system just messed up and accidentally pulled an item from another instance into his pocket?
At that moment, the broadcast from 663 in his ear shattered Jiang Yan’s wishful thinking:
[Instance: "Sheep’s Forest," Instance Progress: 55%, Side Quest Progress: 40%]
[NPC: Jiang Yan, New Identity Acquired: Thief]
[Mission Hint: You have acquired the identity of the "Thief Who Stole the Rose." Please ensure you are not identified by the "detectives" at dusk.]
Jiang Yan: “...Why me?”
663 gloated, “The main system is giving you more screentime. Your performance score for this round will probably double. It’s likely compensating you for the 100 points you lost yesterday. Other NPCs would love to have this opportunity!”
Jiang Yan responded coldly, “Thank it for me, and by the way, wish its whole family good health.”
“It’s just a system; it doesn’t have a family,” 663 replied.
“Then I’ll wish your main god’s entire family good health,” Jiang Yan said.
663: “...”
Xue Dun was dead, killed by the "Bear."
The "flower" still hadn’t been found, and already one player had died. This undoubtedly increased the pressure on the remaining four players.
After the main system announced Xue Dun’s death, the four players returned one by one to the first floor of the wooden house.
“Why did Xue Dun encounter something different in the forest than what other players saw?” Lei Li asked, trembling.
“Because this is a forest belonging to the gods,” Ding Wanyu replied.
[Instance: "Sheep’s Forest," Keyword: Forest of the Gods]
The four players standing around the fireplace were momentarily stunned before realizing that this was critical information provided by the "Corpse Driver."
But… what exactly is a "Forest of the Gods"?
Earlier, they had actually gone for a walk in the forest, but the wind and snow outside were simply too strong, and their thin clothing couldn’t withstand it. Coupled with Xue Dun’s unusual death announcement, they had no choice but to return to the wooden house.
The Forest of the Gods? Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. Either way, the more chaos he stirred up now, the better.
Then, quite abruptly, Jiang Yan exclaimed, “Two-thirds!”
Everyone: “????”
Ding Wanyu: “!!!!”
“Huh? What do you mean? The Forest of the Gods, two-thirds? Does this mean two-thirds of the forest belongs to the gods?” Wang Yu adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and timidly asked.
Jiang Yan shrugged and didn’t say another word.
What did two-thirds mean? How would he know? The critical clue he had received was just this single number.
Ding Wanyu stared at Jiang Yan in utter shock. The "critical clue" this person had shared with him last night was actually correct?
But why?
Why would he share his "critical clue" with him?
If he truly didn’t care about points, that reason was absurdly ridiculous. Anyone who entered this game—whether a player or an NPC—would have a reason so important they were willing to risk their life for it.
And points were the only means to achieve that reason.
No one would not care about points.
Ding Wanyu’s gaze at Jiang Yan grew more scrutinizing. What was this person’s reason for entering the game?
[Instance: Sheep’s Forest, Instance Progress: 67%]
[NPC: Ding Wanyu, currently thinking unhealthy thoughts. A server-wide warning has been issued.]
The main system's broadcast sounded abruptly, catching everyone off guard.
In an instant, the gazes of those warming themselves by the fireplace shifted toward Ding Wanyu, their expressions becoming indescribable.
[Wow! Unhealthy thoughts? I didn’t expect you to be such a "Corpse Driver."]
[Hahaha! Did the main system have another malfunction?]
[What the heck? Another server-wide report and criticism? What the hell!]]
[Isn’t this main system going to fix itself? Is the main god around? Please fix the system!]]
[Unhealthy thoughts? What does that mean? It seems like I know…]
[Did he just look at Jiang Yan in that way? Could it have something to do with Jiang Yan?]
Receiving the long, meaningful glances from everyone, Ding Wanyu really wanted to argue!
He wasn’t! He didn’t!! What was he thinking?! He wasn’t thinking anything at all! Where was the unhealthy part?!
What he had been thinking just now… Jiang Yan?
Was thinking about Jiang Yan considered unhealthy?
Ding Wanyu was extremely confused. He thought that the main system had really gone a bit too crazy lately.
He couldn’t help but glance at the young man beside him again. His intuition told him that this Jiang Yan was a little strange.
After being warned, Ding Wanyu quickly pulled his thoughts back.
Currently, there were no clues about the "flower" or the "thief." However, at least he and Jiang Yan had shared their "critical clues" with the players. Even if they couldn’t complete the side quest, they could still successfully finish the main quest and complete this instance.
The problem was that these players were really lacking initiative.
At this moment, the four players were all deep in thought, trying to figure out what to say next.
Outside the kitchen, the butcher was holding the cracked long knife, eyeing the six people gathered around the fireplace with a predatory gaze. Everything seemed to have reached a stalemate.
The players had low initiative, and Ding Wanyu had just been inexplicably warned by the main system. Jiang Yan, helpless, could only take the initiative himself.
He turned and gave the butcher standing at the kitchen door a pure, sweet smile. “Excuse me, do you know what two-thirds of this forest represents?”
At these words, the whole room was stunned!
This sentence was completely inappropriate and reckless. An NPC saying something like this was practically a death wish.
[What did he do?? No! What is he doing again??]
[If someone wants to die, you can’t stop them. The only reason he survived before was because of luck! After this brainless sentence, how can he not die?!]
[If he doesn’t die this time, there’s only one possibility—he’s the main god’s illegitimate child.]
Everyone was waiting for the butcher’s knife to sever Jiang Yan’s beautiful neck in the next second.
However, an even more unbelievable scene unfolded.
The butcher’s ferocious gaze stayed fixed on Jiang Yan for a long while. Then, slowly, he put down the cleaver in his hand and, in a rough, hoarse voice, asked, “Would you like a cup of hot cocoa, little cat?”
Everyone: “....”
“Please don’t make it too hot, thank you!” Jiang Yan responded quite naturally.
Afterward, to everyone’s astonishment, the butcher made Jiang Yan a cup of hot cocoa. He stood before them, his towering, muscular frame resembling a small mountain.
The butcher scanned the others and then said to Jiang Yan, “I won’t tell anyone else, but I can tell you.”
“Why?” Perhaps the rebellious spirit of adolescence kicked in, as Zhou Hao stood up with the typical "newborn calf doesn't fear the tiger" attitude, confronting the butcher.
After asking, he was a bit scared himself, but the butcher didn’t seem angry. Instead, he answered seriously, “Because he’s the master’s little cat.”
Ding Wanyu shot a glance at Jiang Yan. He realized that Jiang Yan’s status with the "Hunter" was much higher than he had initially thought.
However, when he had reviewed the instance script before, it hadn’t clearly indicated anything like this.
Looking at Jiang Yan, who was sipping his hot cocoa in small, cautious sips, and the butcher standing beside him, behaving as docile as a "sheep," Ding Wanyu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but he couldn’t quite place what caused the discomfort.
“Can you tell me now?” Jiang Yan asked the butcher.
“I can,” the butcher replied respectfully. “This is a forest of the gods, inhabited by one-third elves and two-thirds sheep.”
“The elves live in the north, the sheep in the south, and the ‘dogs’ are the guardians of the forest. They protect the elves from the sheep’s encroachment. Every day, they patrol the entire forest, catching any sheep who try to offend the elves.”
“What about the bear?” Wang Yu asked, trembling.
The butcher gave him a cold, dismissive glance and said, “There are three ‘elves’—‘Bear,’ ‘Rabbit,’ and ‘Magpie.’”
He added, “The bear is pregnant, carrying many babies, so she often hunts in the forest. The rabbit has forgotten that she’s a rabbit, while the magpie is very clear about its identity—it always knows it’s a magpie.”
With that, he casually left, returning to his position at the kitchen door, standing guard with his broken cleaver.
Jiang Yan hugged his cup and looked at the others nearby. “Did you understand any of that? I didn’t catch a single word.”
At that moment, the ghostly howls of the "Hunting dogs" echoed outside the window. They had just finished patrolling the "elves" and were heading toward the direction where the "sheep" were located.
“Can’t you understand?” The usually quiet Zhong Yun spoke up, “What this means is that there may be a traitor among us, and not just one.”
“How do you figure that?” Zhou Hao asked.
“The bear is pregnant and will hunt in the forest. The rabbit has forgotten that it’s a rabbit. We’re all positioned as sheep in this instance.” Zhong Yun’s voice was cold and clear, like a teacher lecturing.
“Since a flower isn’t necessarily a flower, and a thief doesn’t necessarily have stolen goods, why can’t the rabbit be a ‘sheep’?”
“Bullshit!” Zhou Hao interrupted bluntly. “We, along with these two NPCs, all received the same identity tags from the main system!”
“Correction,” Zhong Yun replied, “We all received identity tags, but whether those tags are accurate or not is another matter.”
“I agree,” Wang Yu said, timidly raising his hand. “The butcher just said that the rabbit forgot it was a rabbit, so even if we all have the same identity tags, it’s entirely possible that one of them is wrong. What we think is a sheep might actually be a rabbit.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan and Ding Wanyu both exchanged an appreciative glance. They hadn’t expected this quiet girl to be so calm.
With someone leading the conversation, the instance seemed like it might finally move forward.
Jiang Yan casually sipped his hot cocoa. He needed to keep his “thief” identity a secret, and the further people’s conversations stayed from discussing the “stolen flower,” the better.
He silently thanked Zhong Yun for redirecting their focus.
“Currently, you have two choices,” Ding Wanyu said, making an effort to maintain his composure. His robes gave off an air of serenity and solemnity, a deathly aura.
“One is to find a way to avoid the Hunter’ pollution in these last few hours, escape this forest, and leave my master.”
“The other is to use these remaining hours to carry out the task of stealing the flower.”
“Why can’t we do both at the same time?” Jiang Yan asked.
“I think multitasking might end up failing to meet the master’s demands on either side,” Ding Wanyu explained.
“I think it’s possible to handle both,” Zhong Yun said, “After all, it’s always better not to put all your eggs in one basket.”
“I agree with this ‘sheep’ sister’s point,” Jiang Yan said.
Everyone couldn’t help but twitch their mouths. What’s a “sheep sister”?
Jiang Yan was about to say something when he noticed the expressions of the people around him suddenly change.
The players’ faces turned pale, silently retreating into a corner, while Ding Wanyu’s expression, though slightly better, wasn’t much improved.
They looked as if they had seen the devil himself even more so than when facing the “Hunter.”
“Hm? What’s going on?” Jiang Yan asked, confused.
When Jiang Yan spoke, he felt his cheeks getting wet. He slightly tilted his head, and his head collided with another.
To be precise, it was only half a head—the skull was cracked open, and Jiang Yan could see the inside of the head was empty, with only a white skeletal frame remaining, along with a face that had been gnawed on and was in tatters.
The torn face was covered in blood, one eyeball crushed, and the other fell out of its socket, dropping into the air.
When Jiang Yan turned around, that head was quietly pressed against his face. The eyeball that had fallen into mid-air was still spinning frantically.
Jiang Yan froze in place, too scared to move.
It wasn’t just Jiang Yan—Ding Wanyu, who had the ability to control low-level undead and corpses, was also too stunned to make a move.
After all, this wasn’t just a broken body or an undead—it was only half a head.
At this moment, Zhong Yun recognized the head: “Xue... Xue Dun.”
“He... He...” Zhou Hao wanted to say that he thought Xue Dun was dead.
But now, looking at the head suspended in mid-air, pressed against Jiang Yan’s face, no one could question Xue Dun’s death.
Jiang Yan could feel the sticky blood on the face against his own, and the eyeball that had fallen from the socket seemed to stretch out like a snail’s eye. It slowly turned to face Jiang Yan, staring at him.
Jiang Yan was forced to make eye contact with the blood-soaked eye.
He didn’t scream or cry out, but he began to tremble, his body stiffening, his skin covered in cold sweat.
He tried to convince himself to stay calm. After all, his family’s specimen room had many human limbs turned into wax figures that could easily trick even medical friends at first glance.
But he had never been scared of them. In fact, he had once even been intimate with someone in that specimen room.
However, he couldn’t convince himself to treat this head, pressed against his face with the snail-like eye staring at him, as just another wax figure in his family’s specimen room!
After all, a wax figure is just a wax figure—it doesn’t move, and it isn’t made up of real human body structures.
After a moment of hesitation, that head suddenly moved!
Jiang Yan gasped and closed his eyes, too afraid to look, his cold sweat dripping from his forehead down to his chin, like a tear.
The four players huddled together. The timid and younger Lei Li could barely hold back her scream.
Ding Wanyu quickly rolled up his sleeves, preparing to test whether his “tools” could control this terrifying and unfathomable head before him.
However, just as the head turned around, the towering figure of the “Hunter” appeared out of nowhere behind Jiang Yan.
He held the strange head in one hand and wrapped the other around Jiang Yan's waist. Placing the massive goat's head on Jiang Yan’s shoulder, he shook the head in his hand, speaking with a hint of excitement.
"Yan Yan, look what I found in the forest! Isn’t it bright?!"
"How about we use it to make a chestnut basket? Then you can put chestnuts inside and carry this eye around when you go out to play."