Npc 65

Fang Rui would never forget the most difficult winter he had ever endured.

The survival mission in the dungeon was supposed to last ten days, but by the third day, their supplies had already run out.

The only remaining supplies were in the place where the castle’s master resided—the most magnificent spire of the castle.

But the castle’s master had long since passed away.

Unable to let go of his wife, he dragged his pale, broken body through the graveyard, returning to the castle, where he stayed by her side ever since.

Now a reanimated count, he needed to drink human blood daily to maintain his appearance. The area surrounding the spire was filled with "ghost puppets" that helped him capture the living, making it impossible to approach.

At first, everyone was hesitant to disturb this terrifying vampire count, but as their supplies dwindled, they had no choice. Without more resources, they would all perish.

He meticulously tracked the vampire’s movements. On every full moon, the count would return to his coffin to sleep, providing them their only opportunity to approach the spire.

Yet, the spire was surrounded by ghostly spirits and blue mist. The count had placed numerous ghost puppets around it to protect himself.

Both the ghost puppets and the mist could easily take their lives.

In the end, only he and Xiao Ling survived to open the gates of the spire. Everyone else had perished.

Xiao Ling held his hand, trembling, unable to speak—whether from fear, hunger, or the cold, he couldn't tell.

At last, they stepped over the bodies of their fallen comrades and pushed open the door to what seemed like "paradise."

As the door opened, they were greeted by the sight of the count sitting on a luxurious silk carpet, his pale, handsome face illuminated in the warm light. The "countess," who was actually a man, Jiang Yan, sat beside him, draped in a blue velvet blanket, holding a delicate dessert. The room was filled with priceless jewels and delicious food. Upon noticing their arrival, Jiang Yan’s blue eyes gleamed with surprise.

It was only when the system notification sounded that they realized this was the real NPC they had never encountered—the one and only Jiang Yan.

While they fought to survive, Jiang Yan had remained in this tower, surrounded by jewels, silk, and food, living in warmth and comfort while they endured a hellish ten days.

Despite his envy, he couldn’t help but despise Jiang Yan.

His bitterness toward Jiang Yan grew when Jiang Yan shared food with them and casually asked if anyone else was still alive outside.

Sitting on the velvet blanket, he smiled faintly at them, saying, "I never expected anyone would manage to break into this tower."

In that instant, Fang Rui was overwhelmed by a deep, indescribable jealousy and resentment.

Why hadn’t Jiang Yan opened the door from the beginning?

Although, according to the rules of the game, Jiang Yan had been trapped in the tower, why hadn’t he at least provided them with some supplies through the windows or other means?

He had done nothing at all!

He lay comfortably in the warm, luxurious spire, leisurely completing the entire dungeon.

While he stuffed food into his mouth, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jiang Yan, sitting elegantly beside him.

At that moment, he felt like a rat in a sewer, peeking at a beautiful doll in a shop window, with only one thought in his mind—he wanted to pull Jiang Yan down from his high pedestal!

After Fang Rui finished recounting his story with Xiao Ling and Jiang Yan, everyone fell silent for a moment.

[Sigh! You can't blame Fang Rui and the others. If it were me, my mindset would have crumbled too]

[What can you do? Jiang Yan is clearly the favorite of the main system!]

[Sometimes it’s really frustrating. Why do people with connections always have an advantage, both in real life and in this game?!]

[Jiang Yan is nothing without the main god]

“I’ve seen the replay of Bloodstained Castle,” Yu Jia spoke up.

He was fidgeting, his cigarette cravings flaring up as he rubbed his fingers together. He looked at Fang Rui and asked, “Did you watch the replay?”

Fang Rui gritted his teeth. “That’s a memory I don’t even want to recall. How could I watch the replay?”

“You should have,” Yu Jia replied. “The replay shows the perspective of other players and NPCs.”

“It’s true that Jiang Yan spent the entire dungeon in that spire, and compared to you all, he was lucky enough to seem like he was cheating, but that’s not the whole story.”

“But he didn’t want to withhold food from you all,” Yu Jia continued. “He was trapped in that place, unable to open the door or windows. Those ghosts weren’t just stopping you from getting close to the spire; they were also keeping Jiang Yan from reaching the outside world.”

Yu Jia’s next words stunned Fang Rui.

“By the way, didn’t you find it strange that the doors to the spire opened so easily? No locks, no obstacles? Doesn’t that seem odd?” Yu Jia said.

Fang Rui froze, then listened closely as Yu Jia continued explaining.

“It was Jiang Yan who unlocked the door. At the time, he was just a newbie, with all his stats at the bottom. Still, he was an actual NPC, and his abilities were far greater than a player’s. The only thing he could do was find a way to open the door and help you overcome the final obstacle.”

Fang Rui tightened his grip on his sleeve, realizing the misunderstanding.

[So it was a huge misunderstanding]

[Jiang Yan was a newbie back then! Every day, he performed under the boss’s watch, and still managed to unlock the door—he did his best]

[Earlier, someone said Jiang Yan was nothing without the main god! But that door lock, was that opened by the main god? Wasn’t it Jiang Yan who tricked everyone in the last dungeon when he told them the main god had blinded Tao and the others]

[But still, he’s got special treatment! Why is he the only one who gets such privileges]

Then, Cao Youfeng sighed. “But this guy’s luck is just unbelievable! He got a character that could lie down and finish the dungeon without any effort.”

“Luck?” Yu Jia gave him a meaningful look. “Wait until this dungeon ends. After you have your internal meeting in the Dawn Guild, you’ll have a different opinion.”

Cao Youfeng was puzzled.

Tao Shi, with a deep gaze, still couldn’t understand. What huge secret did Jiang Yan hide that even he wasn’t allowed to know about?

Suddenly, a figure wearing a shark plushie head popped into his mind—before entering the game, that person had seriously warned him: “The situation with the gods is complicated, don’t get involved.”

Could it be?

Tao Shi abruptly looked up at Jia. Could Jiang Yan still be involved in this?

At that moment, Cao Youfeng’s attention shifted to the person behind him. “What about you, Teacher Jian? What’s your history with Jiang Yan?”

“Huh? Me?” Jian Hou, who was suddenly called out, was caught off guard.

[Well, this isn’t a rest stop, this is more like a Jiang Yan roast session]

[Haha! It feels like a Jiang Yan roast party]

“Seriously, weren’t you childhood friends?” Tao Shi asked in confusion. “According to our research, Jiang Yan’s data shows you’re his only friend. So why did you suddenly betray him and team up with Yu Jia?”

“Of course, it’s for the future!”

Yu Jia quickly interrupted, “Our Puppet Workshop has more than enough benefits to tempt someone.”

Cao Youfeng shot Yu Jia an irritated glance, then turned to Jian Hou, “Teacher Jian, the Puppet Workshop doesn’t offer basic benefits like insurance. You’d be better off joining the Dawn Guild—we provide insurance, meal stipends, and housing allowances…”

“Stop poaching my people!” Yu Jia threw a stick of grass at Cao Youfeng in annoyance.

Then he clapped his hands and turned to Jian Hou. “But, I’m surprised to hear your animosity toward Jiang Yan stems from jealousy.”

“Speaking of which, Jiang Yan's accomplishments in the real world are far from impressive. Compared to you, Teacher Jian, he's quite lacking.”

“Why are you jealous of him?”

Not only was Yu Jia surprised, but even Jian Hou himself was taken aback!

He had grown up with Jiang Yan, yet he never realized that the hostility he felt toward Jiang Yan was actually jealousy?

But was he really jealous of Jiang Yan?

Jian Hou’s mind flashed through memories of his childhood with Jiang Yan—from kindergarten to elementary school, from middle school to high school, and eventually to university, and then Jiang Yan’s marriage and divorce.

He remembered being dressed as a little girl by their mothers in sailor suits during kindergarten, Jiang Yan and he wearing blue and white school uniforms in middle school and walking home together every day, both of them growing taller on the way. In college, they would bunk in the dorms, skipping classes while playing games with headphones on. The scenes flashed by like a moving lantern in his mind.

When had he ever been jealous of Jiang Yan? How had he not realized it?

"Teacher Jian?"

Seeing him lost in thought, Cao Youfeng called out to him.

"Hm?" Jian Hou looked up instinctively, then smiled at everyone. "I honestly don’t know."

Just as Cao Youfeng was about to speak, a loud, piercing cry of a baby suddenly rang out from the nearby bushes.

“Waaah!”

Everyone jumped in shock!

The baby’s cry was so penetrating, echoing through the thick bushes, sounding incredibly miserable.

Along with the baby’s cry, the next moment, strange calls began to fill the air:

“Girl... hahahaha... girl…”

“Sister... hahaha, girl—!”

The tragic wails and twisted laughter alternated, accompanied by the heart-wrenching cry of the baby, sending chills down their spines.

“What’s going on?!”

The players jumped to their feet, and Tao Shi quickly pulled Jian Hou behind him.

The Divine Staff hovered in mid-air, radiating a glow like sunlight.

Following the light from the Divine Staff, the players noticed, hidden behind the dense, dark green shrubbery, faces covered in red spots, all showing their terrifying white teeth, grinning wildly at them.

"G... ghosts?!"

—

Jiang Yan slept until the sun was already setting, and he finally woke up.

He rolled around in bed, shifting from one "Yu Xiu's" embrace to the other.

Eventually, he was held tightly from behind, unable to move.

"Yan Yan, are you awake?" Yu Xiu leaned close to his ear, teasingly rubbing against his ear.

"I'm hungry," Jiang Yan said indifferently. "Is there anything to eat? Get me something."

Yu Xiu took Jiang Yan's hand, gently nibbling on his slender fingers, and smiled. "Yes! Yan Yan can eat me up if you want, we..."

Slap!

Without changing his expression, Jiang Yan swatted his hand, cutting off his "the little brother's" unsavory words before they could be finished.

Yu Xiu wasn't offended. He pulled Jiang Yan’s hand toward him and gently kissed his palm, laughing. "Sister-in-law, you're so fierce!"

Jiang Yan was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

Knock knock knock

The mayor's voice, as creaky as an old piece of wood, came from outside. "Yan Yan, the townspeople want to talk to you."

Jiang Yan's expression darkened. "Looks like my guests have arrived."

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