Npc 100

Jiang Yan sat on the ground, clearly able to see every sharp tooth in the giant rat’s open mouth, and he could even smell the stench of the sticky, foul mucus between its teeth.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp—!”

The giant rat roared and lunged towards him.

“Yan Yan—!!”

In the nick of time, a strong white bandage suddenly appeared around Jiang Yan’s waist.

The bandage pulled him back, and the giant rat’s sharp-toothed mouth closed just in time, missing its target.

Jiang Yan tightly held the severed remains of Yu Xiu in his arms, and the bandage lifted him into the air, before he began to fall again.

Just as he thought he would crash headfirst into the ground, someone caught him in their arms.

“Are you alright??” Cao Yufeng’s voice came from behind him.

Jiang Yan, still disoriented from nearly being bitten by the giant rat and then being lifted into the air by the bandage, took a deep breath and shook his head obediently.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Cao Yufeng held Jiang Yan’s waist and turned slightly to look at him, smiling as he said, “No need to thank me! By the way, you… Ah!! Damn!!”

Before Cao Yufeng could finish speaking, he suddenly released his grip.

Jiang Yan turned back in confusion, only to see the black tentacle that had previously been under his clothes had somehow appeared. It was now pressed against Cao Yufeng’s forehead, screeching sharply at him.

“Damn, damn, damn!!” Cao Yufeng quickly backed away, loosening his hold on Jiang Yan.

The black tentacle followed him relentlessly.

Just as the tentacle opened its petal-like mouth towards Cao Yufeng, Jiang Yan grabbed the tentacle's body, which was covered in green eyes, and yanked it back.

“Come back!”

The tentacle’s petal-like mouth sputtered and released two puffs of green smoke, then, with a whimper, it shrank back into Jiang Yan’s clothes.

The white bandage had wrapped around Cao Yufeng’s body. While he straightened his bandage, he pointed at the tentacle that had just disappeared into Jiang Yan’s clothing.

“Hey! You didn’t know where it was a second ago, but now it comes out and attacks me?! Look closely! I just saved Jiang Yan!!”

“Enough!” Jian Hou said, wrapping his arm around Cao Yufeng’s shoulder and giving him a gentle pat. “It’s always petty. It’s probably upset about you hugging Yan Yan earlier, didn’t like it.”

“What the hell is that thing?” Cao Yufeng asked.

Jian Hou shook his head. “No idea, you’d have to ask your main system! Even Yan Yan doesn’t know! Right, Yan Yan?”

Cao Yufeng and Tao Shi exchanged a meaningful look, and then their gazes both landed on Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan quietly stared at the severed limb in his arms, his blue eyes calm, with no expression on his face.

“Yan Yan?” Jian Hou asked. “Are you scared?”

Jiang Yan silently shook his head.

Scared? Ha.

He was the kind of person whose emotions were usually thin and fleeting, but now, for once, his emotions were really starting to churn.

However, the emotion churning inside wasn’t fear; it was—anger.

Yes, though it didn’t show on his face, he was really angry.

It wasn’t just because of Lu Sha kicking him out earlier.

To be honest, in Jiang Yan's worldview, that wall of fire was something Lu Sha drew with his own device. Lu Sha hated him, so he didn’t want to offer protection in a dangerous situation. Kicking him out wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

But what made Jiang Yan truly angry was—he ran a side quest!

What kind of stupid instance was this?

After sitting in the car for so long to reach this weird little town, then walking around for a long time looking for “Jiekhe,” and then being kicked out by his teammates to face the giant rat, chased around, tripping and falling into the dirt!

He had lived for twenty-five years!

Aside from being in bed with Yu Xiu, there had never been a time he had felt this exhausted before.

Under Jiang Yan's calm, indifferent blue eyes, anger was surging inside him.

Even as Jiekhe, who was circling around the central fountain, shouting towards them, ran another lap and was closing in on them, Jiang Yan didn’t move.

He simply stared at the severed limb in his arms, silently wondering if he could just quit right now and let the main system turn him into a meat bun in the giant rat's mouth since his "character broke."

“Calm down, host!” The voice of 663 urged Jiang Yan, but it only made him more irritated.

“Host! Think about your family!”

Jiang Yan thought about his parents. They weren’t lacking in anything, and even though they had him at an older age, now, they could adopt and raise a child if they wanted. Even if they didn’t plan on doing that, they would still receive exceptional care in their old age because of their wealth.

“Think about your friends!”

Jiang Yan glanced at Jian Hou in front of him. Jian Hou had a good relationship with Tao Shi, and with Tao Shi protecting him in this game, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

"Think about your lover, host!! You shouldn't be so determined to give up!!"

Lover?

He and Yu Xiu had already divorced, so they shouldn’t be considered lovers, right?

Even if... there’s a possibility of remarriage in the future...

Jiang Yan expressionlessly looked at the severed limb in his arms.

Its real form had turned into some unknown black mass, scattered around in the game.

The genes had been cloned multiple times; some were used as specimens in hospitals, some were buried in coffins, some were dismembered and used for house blocks... This guy was clearly enjoying it now!

After thinking all of this through, Jiang Yan silently responded to 663:

"Tell my husband to come to this instance and find me. I think he’s very interested in my corpse."

663: "--? !!!"

"Zzzzz......"

There was a crackling sound from the personal system, as if it had short-circuited.

Soon, 663's voice reappeared in Jiang Yan's mind, desperately shouting: "Host!! Host, don't give up so easily!! You only ran a couple more laps!!"

"I'm tired." Jiang Yan coldly spoke these two words.

663: "... How about you find something to vent your frustration on?"

Jiang Yan slightly raised an eyebrow. That didn’t seem like a bad idea.

"!!!"

"Zzzzz!!"

At this moment, Jiekhe, with his short legs, quickly ran towards the four. As he ran, he kindly shouted to them.

The giant rat was closely following behind him, and the small mice swarming on its body kept squeaking.

"Shit!! Don’t come this way!!" Jian Hou screamed at Jiekhe.

However, Jiekhe didn’t care at all and directly led the giant rat towards Jiang Yan and the others.

Cao Youfeng quickly pulled the stunned Jiang Yan behind him. His white medical bandage started flying: "Go directly!!"

"Clink!"

[Item: Medical Bandage]

"Hey—beep—beep—"

In an instant, several white bandages flew towards the giant rat.

"Clink!"

[Item: Divine Staff]

A golden divine staff appeared in Tao Shi’s hands, and holy light immediately enveloped the center of the town. The glaring light of the divine staff made everyone, except Tao Shi, including the giant rat and Jiekhe, close their eyes.

However...

"T—!"

In the holy light, Tao Shi's pupils instantly constricted. He stared at the scene in front of him, disbelief in his eyes.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

The giant rat did not stop moving. The white bandages Cao Youfeng launched were bitten through by the little mice on the giant rat, unable to bind it at all. The holy light from the divine staff, while enough to blind the decaying giant rat, didn’t stop it. It twitched its nose, sniffing the air and continued to move forward.

Although its speed was significantly slower, it was still enough to catch up to Jiekhe, who was also struggling to keep his eyes shut because of the blinding light.

"Shit!! What the hell is going on?!" Jiekhe, eyes closed as he ran, yelled in panic, "This giant rat is the most powerful curse left in the town by the evil god! Ordinary magic doesn’t work on it!!"

"Shit!! You could’ve said that earlier!!"

Tao Shi immediately put away the divine staff. As the giant rat was about to catch up, he quickly pulled Jiang Yan and the others to run.

Jiang Yan was almost dragged forward. While running, he gasped for breath, "I can’t run anymore... I really can’t run anymore!!"

Jiekhe, running beside him, asked, "Why didn’t you stay behind the fire wall with your teammates?"

"This... This... does this thing fear fire?" Jiang Yan gasped and asked.

"Squeak, squeak..."

"No! I fear fire! This thing will just keep chasing me until it eats me!" Jiekhe answered.

Jiang Yan suddenly thought of something and asked, "So, are you saying... the fire wall doesn’t work on this giant? It can’t stop it??"

"Squeak, squeak..."

"Yes! But it works on me! It can stop me!" Jiekhe replied.

As Jiekhe spoke, a thought flashed in Jiang Yan's mind. He then asked Jiekhe, "One last question, did you see my husband’s body parts?"

Jiekhe, still running, answered, "I saw him last night. He was wandering around that fountain, but this morning he disappeared! I think... I think... I’m too focused on being chased by this thing to remember!!!"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

"Tao Shi... Tao Shi!! Can you use that magic you used to pass through the fire wall again?? I want to go in!" Jiang Yan, panting, asked Tao Shi, while Jian Hou pulled him along.

"Just leave this man behind??" Tao Shi asked while running. "But we still haven’t found your husband's body! Let him think about the exact location of your husband! Or should we figure out how to deal with this giant?"

"No! Let him go!" Jiang Yan replied.

Tao Shi didn’t understand, but in the end, he still set up the Adam Ring near the fire wall.

"Clink!"

[Item: Adam Ring]

The moment the item sound was heard, Jiang Yan suddenly pulled the short Jiekhe into his arms.

Tao Shi: "???"

Cao Youfeng: "???"

Jian Hou: "???"

Jiekhe: "…? Although you’re very attractive, I’m happy to go on a date with you, but don’t you think this isn’t the right time for flirting?"

Jiang Yan smiled faintly: "You misunderstood."

"Misunderstood??"

A cruel glint flashed in Jiang Yan's blue eyes: "I just need someone to vent my frustration."

"What—?"

Before Jiekhe could finish speaking, Jiang Yan hugged him and jumped directly into the Adam Ring by the fire wall.

The giant rat, which had been running, suddenly stopped.

It glanced at them and then turned to chase after Jiang Yan and Jiekhe, disappearing from Tao Shi, Cao Youfeng, and Jian Hou's view.

Tao Shi: "...fck"

Cao Youfeng: "...Huh???"

Jian Hou paused for a second, then immediately followed: "Yan Yan!! Wait for me!!!"

—

At this time, the new players inside the fire wall heard the sounds of fighting and the giant rat’s increasingly frantic squeals from outside, causing them to tremble in fear.

"Jiang... Jiang Yan... He’s not dead, right?" The boy with the braided hair bit his lip, despite how his father tried to signal him with his eyes or tugged at his clothes, he still asked.

"From the sounds outside, it seems he’s not dead." Yu Jia leaned against the wall, smoking, and chuckled lightly.

Lu Sha glanced at the boy with the braids and said, "I’ve noticed, you really like him."

Immediately, all eyes locked onto the boy with the braids.

The boy raised his chin and said, "So what?"

His father slapped the back of his head, scolding, "What nonsense are you saying?!"

He quickly turned to Lu Sha and Yu Jia, smiling awkwardly, "The kid is just talking nonsense! He just thinks that guy looks good!"

It was obvious that Lu Sha and Yu Jia were not on good terms with Jiang Yan.

The middle-aged man, however, stood with his son, seemingly planning to throw the other two out.

Lu Sha just sneered and didn’t even bother responding to this father and son pair.

He turned to Yu Jia and asked, "Is Jiang Yan good-looking?"

Yu Jia took a deep drag from his cigarette, remained silent for a while, and finally said two words: "Tempting."

Good-looking?

It seemed that everyone in the game thought Jiang Yan was beautiful.

But to be honest, in terms of delicate looks, even Cao Youfeng, Tao Shi, and even Lu Sha, who was standing right there, were more exquisite than Jiang Yan.

Not to mention the NPCs who relied on their faces to survive!

As for their leader, "The Best Actor," he had been at the top of the game’s "Beauty Ranking" ever since entering and had never fallen from the top.

In terms of refinement, Jiang Yan didn’t even rank in the game.

But... this guy just had something inexplicably attractive about him.

His white, translucent skin, his slender figure, paired with those blue eyes that were sometimes indifferent and sometimes pitiful, made people unconsciously want to possess him.

Thinking about this, Yu Jia took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Damn! This must be the so-called "atmosphere"!

Lu Sha laughed, "Heh! Tempting? That’s a word used to describe trash."

[Damn... Lu Sha’s words are practically on the verge of destroying his character. It seems like he really has something against Jiang Yan!]

[He’s not wrong, right? Jiang Yan... does he really look like someone useful?]

[Yeah! They’ve been praising him this whole time and I really don’t get it... I’ve been too afraid to speak up... Jiang Yan, how should I put it? It’s hard to judge.]

[What’s so hard to judge? He’s just trash! The only thing the highlights from the first two dungeons prove is that he’s not a ‘pure trash’... but that doesn’t mean he’s useful! Just look at his stats! They’re terrible!]

[No argument here, this is the first time I’ve had such a direct sense of Jiang Yan’s physical stats, and damn, they really are awful...]

[Heh! Yeah! It felt like they almost turned Jiang Yan into an "Best Actor" in the dungeon livestream!]

[Him? He thinks he’s on the same level as "Best Actor"? Ridiculous!]

Yu Jia, smoking, turned to Lu Sha and said, "Trash? I’ve seen people on the game forums comparing him to my boss!"

[He doesn’t deserve it!!]

[Is he really trying to latch onto "Best Actor’s" name? Can it get any worse??]

Lu Sha mocked, but due to his character design, he could only say, "For someone like Jiang Yan, who’s both mentally and physically incompetent, being eaten by that giant rat is the best end for him!"

[Well said! I just saw Jiang Yan almost being eaten alive by that rat!!]

[Really??! I’m going to watch him get eaten by that giant rat!!]

[Perfect!! As a fan of the 'Best Actor,' I’ve had enough of him!! Hahaha, I’m going to record it!]

However, just as Lu Sha finished speaking, a "thud" sounded.

Jiang Yan suddenly appeared in front of everyone, holding a short man.

"Ugh, you nearly killed me!" Jiekhe complained.

Jiang Yan calmly stood up and said, "Just now, you said I’d be eaten by the rat? Well, now I brought the rat here."

Without a word, Jiang Yan single-handedly threw Jiekhe in front of Lu Sha and the others.

"Chirp chirp chirp—!!"

The rotting giant rat instantly rushed into the fire wall, charging straight toward Lu Sha and the others!

Everyone: "??!!!"

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