Npc 98

Jiang Yan held the long severed arm of his giant husband and stepped down from the carriage with the other players.

The sight of the “town” before him left him astonished!

At this moment, he and the players were standing beneath a massive stone archway that towered tens of meters high — it appeared to be the entrance to the town.

Through the stone arch, they could see that every building in the town was shockingly enormous!

Even larger than the Giant’s Castle, the scale of the town made him and the other players look like tiny mice entering a giant’s city.

“This...

Jiang Yan wanted to ask the coachman if this was Jack He’s little town.

How could it be so massive?

Just as he turned his head, the coachman had already fled, leaving a trail of dust as he disappeared into the distant forest.

Jiang Yan: “...”

At that moment, Lu Sha chuckled and explained, “This is a town cursed by an ancient evil god. None of the races on the continent would allow their kin to approach this place. However, some fugitives manage to find their way here, but without exception, they eventually fall victim to the town’s curse.”

As soon as Lu Sha finished speaking, a chilly wind carrying the stench of rot swept down the street, causing everyone’s hair to stand on end.

“A-a town’s curse?” the girl with glasses asked, trembling. “D-do we still have to go in?”

“I must find my husband!”

Jiang Yan clutched the giant’s severed arm tightly, his delicate yet resolute expression unwavering as he stepped through the stone archway. Behind him, the veteran players and the braided-haired boy followed.

The girl with glasses instinctively glanced at the buzz-cut boy beside her. As he walked along with the others, he shook his head at her.

Seeing this, the girl bit her lip, her eyes flickering hesitantly, but in the end, she still followed the group.

The town was eerily quiet.

Aside from everything being extraordinarily massive, it wasn’t too different from a normal town. The only unique feature was that at the base of every brightly-colored, pointed-roof house, there was a small door.

These small doors, resembling holes made for mice, were perfectly suited for the normal-sized Jiang Yan and the others to pass through.

The group walked along the central street of the town for quite a while. Apart from the wind and the rows of houses around them, they didn’t encounter anyone.

“Yu Xiu... ahem, the king’s corpse — could it be hidden in one of these houses? Are we supposed to push open each door to search?” Jian Hou asked.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly as he looked at the severed limb in his arms.

According to the usual logic of a horror game, wouldn’t the severed parts be able to sense each other? Shouldn’t Yu Xiu’s severed limb guide them through the town?

Jiang Yan shook the severed arm in his hands, but it still didn’t react.

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him: Since this guy’s body parts could jump off buildings to escape, why did this arm remain here? Why wasn’t it responding?

Thinking this, Jiang Yan shook the severed arm more vigorously.

Suddenly, an absurd idea flashed through his mind.

Could this arm not belong to Yu Xiu at all? Could it belong to the murderer instead?

As this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yan quickly examined the severed arm in his arms.

As if to dispel his doubts, the previously motionless arm suddenly opened its palm and gave his waist a pat.

Jiang Yan: “...”

“What’s wrong, Yan Yan?” Jian Hou asked.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly at the arm in his arms. “It’s nothing.”

Satisfied with the response, Jian Hou didn’t press further. He reached out and slung an arm around Jiang Yan’s shoulders, complaining, “By the way, where do you think Jiekhe is? Are we just going to keep wandering around the street like this? How long will we—”

“Creak—”

“Brother—”

Two shadows, one large and one small, flickered across the wide street ahead, instantly cutting off Jian Hou’s complaints.

The players immediately stopped in their tracks.

Clearly, everyone had seen it.

The smaller shadow was about the size of a human, but the larger one appeared to be several stories tall.

The group instinctively held their breath.

Accompanied by a gust of damp, foul-smelling wind, the two shadows—one large, one small—once again darted past the street corner ahead.

The players' hairs stood on end, a chill spreading down their spines.

“W-what... was that just now?” Jian Hou’s voice trembled slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two shadows appeared again, darting to the same street corner ahead.

But this time, they didn’t vanish. Instead, they stopped at the street corner.

“This…”

Jian Hou had barely opened his mouth when a shrill, blood-curdling scream rang out from the corner:

“AHHH—!!!”

Along with the scream, the enormous shadow that had blotted out the sky suddenly opened its slender mouth, swallowing the smaller shadow whole in one bite.

The next moment, both shadows vanished at the corner.

“...”

Another gust of damp, foul-smelling wind blew past. The players stood frozen in place, none daring to take another step forward.

“Just now…” Jian Hou hesitated for a moment, confirming that nothing else had appeared before continuing, “What was that??”

“It looked like…” Jiang Yan frowned and hugged the severed arm tighter. “The big one looked like a rat, and the small one… like a person??”

“A p-person?!” Jian Hou exclaimed in shock.

“AHHH—!!”

The same shriek rang out again!

“AHHH—!!!”

Once more, the two shadows darted over, stopping at the street corner ahead.

This time, however, the group got a clear look at the two figures.

Jiang Yan had been right. The smaller one was indeed a person—a man in a tattered brown suit.

The man was standing in the middle of the street, running on the spot in an oddly comical manner. As he mimicked the act of fleeing, his face was filled with terror as he kept looking behind him, screaming shrilly.

Behind him, the enormous shadow leisurely closed the distance.

At last, its full appearance was revealed: a giant gray rat with a sharp snout!

The giant rat’s slick, oily fur was crawling with countless small rats. Layer upon layer of them scurried and darted between its fur like living parasites, emitting a constant chorus of sharp “squeak squeak” sounds that made everyone’s skin crawl and their hair stand on end.

The enormous rat extended its paw slowly toward the middle-aged man, who was futilely running in place. It moved deliberately, as if taunting its prey.

“AHHH—!!”

The man screamed shrilly, his entire body drenched in sweat. His running movements grew increasingly exaggerated, but he remained rooted to the same spot, making him appear comically helpless.

The giant rat retracted its paw and let out two piercing “squeak squeak” calls, as though mocking the man in front of it.

The next moment, the rat opened its massive jaws and bent down toward its prey.

“AHHH—!!!”

The man’s terrified screams echoed as the rat swallowed him whole in a single bite.

“Squeak squeak squeak…”

“Squeak squeak squeak squeak…”

The smaller rats on the giant rat’s body grew even more frenzied, their squealing louder than ever, as if celebrating their host’s latest kill.

A chilling, damp wind swept through the street, and the enormous rat—along with the cacophony of squeals—vanished into thin air.

“…”

“Thud.”

The bespectacled girl collapsed to the ground in terror.

“Careful! Are you okay?”

The buzz-cut boy next to her helped her up.

The girl was too frightened to speak. Her legs trembled so much she couldn’t stand.

Just as the group began to breathe a sigh of relief, the middle-aged man’s screams rang out once again. The giant rat and the man reappeared at the same street corner.

“AHHH—!!”

“Squeak squeak squeak…”

The man screamed and flailed comically in place, the rat mocked him, and the smaller rats squealed in excitement—all of it replayed as if stuck in a loop.

Once again, the scene ended with the giant rat swallowing the man whole and disappearing into the damp, cold wind.

Yet, within less than a minute, the man and the giant rat reappeared at the corner, repeating the same grotesque cycle.

“Should… we keep moving forward?” Jian Hou asked, his voice trembling.

“Maybe… we could try another route?

But as if in direct response to that words, the buildings and streets around them began to twist and warp like distorted rubber. In mere seconds, all paths to their left, right, and behind them were blocked by massive buildings.

The only remaining path was the one ahead—where the giant rat and the man awaited.

Jiang Yan: “...Great, now we’re out of options. Should we send my husband up to ask for directions?"

The other players: “...”

At that moment, the giant rat swallowed the man again.

But this time, it didn’t disappear with the cold, putrid wind. Instead, it turned around suddenly, fixing its glowing green, greedy, and terrifying eyes directly on Jiang Yan and the others.

“It… it’s staring at us, isn’t it?” Jian Hou asked, trembling.

“No way, right? It should disappear and reappear with the man again like before…” Cao Yufeng replied.

Based on the pattern from earlier, that should’ve been the case.

The players stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, but the giant rat didn’t vanish. Instead, it slowly and cautiously lifted one of its paws and began creeping toward them.

“What… what’s going on?” Jian Hou grabbed Jiang Yan’s arm tightly.

The two of them, along with the other players, started backing away slowly.

“It… it’s not trying to eat us, is it?” the bespectacled girl whimpered, her legs trembling so much she could barely stand. She leaned heavily on the buzz-cut boy for support as they retreated with the group.

The boy with braided hair swallowed nervously, his voice shaking as he said, “But… according to the usual logic of horror movies and games, shouldn’t this giant rat just be an illusion? What we’re seeing should be something that happened here a long time ago.”

“Otherwise, how do we explain what just happened—the rat and the man repeatedly disappearing and reappearing at the same spot?”

Hearing this, Cao Yufeng and Tao Shi exchanged glances and glanced briefly at the boy with the braids.

[You know, if this braided guy weren’t such a loose cannon, he might actually be pretty decent.]

[Agreed! Among the new players, he seems to have some solid qualities.]

[Too bad his thoughts are focused in all the wrong places.]

[If he snaps out of his obsession with Jiang Yan, there might still be hope for him.]

“You’re not wrong!” Tao Shi turned his gaze back to the giant rat, which was now steadily advancing toward them. His eyes darkened. “But clearly, something must’ve happened just now that caused our timeline or space to overlap with the rat’s.”

“So what do we do now?!” Jian Hou shouted, his eyes darting toward the path behind them, which was completely blocked by towering, pointed-roof buildings.

“There’s only one option left…” Tao Shi’s expression turned grim.

“Fight!”

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

The giant rat suddenly let out a frenzied screech, roaring as it charged at the group. With their retreat completely cut off, they had no choice but to prepare for battle.

“Xiaofeng!!” Tao Shi shouted loudly.

“Ding!”

【Item: Adam’s Ring】

“Ding!”

【Item: Medical Bandage】

The giant rat opened its elongated, razor-filled mouth, forcing the players into a corner.

At the critical moment, white bandages suddenly wrapped around the giant rat. A flash of white light blinded everyone momentarily!

When they came to their senses, they found themselves at the very spot where the man and the rat had just been. A silver-glowing Adam’s Ring spun above them, while the rat had bitten into the solid wall of a nearby building.

“Oh my god…” Jian Hou slumped against Jiang Yan, trembling with lingering fear.

The bespectacled girl was so terrified that her body went limp; she couldn’t stand on her own anymore.

“I almost died... Goodness... I’m really going to die from fright…” the boy with braided hair stammered, shivering as his father protectively pulled him behind him.

The giant rat, realizing it had missed its mark, turned its head toward the players—now inexplicably farther away. Its anger was palpable as it shook its massive head and let out a high-pitched howl.

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

The tiny rats scurrying across its fur like parasites became even more agitated, squealing along with their enraged host.

The rat’s glowing green eyes fixed menacingly on the group at the crossroads. It suddenly charged at them again!

“Run!!” Tao Shi yelled.

Snapping back to their senses, the group darted toward the path ahead.

But they hadn’t run far when the entire town twisted like clay, accompanied by a deafening rumble. The layout flipped again!

The path they had been running toward was now blocked by buildings, while the one they had left behind reappeared—this time directly behind the giant rat.

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

The giant rat let out an almost gleeful series of squeals, as if mocking them.

“What do we do?! What do we do now?!” the bespectacled girl wailed as she watched the rat charge toward them.

“Damn it! This thing is such a pain!” Tao Shi cursed under his breath.

“Let’s just take it down!” Cao Yufeng declared, white bandages swirling around him.

“Ding!”

【Item: Puppet String】

Yu Jia remained silent but activated his item. Transparent threads spread out like a spider’s web, forming a barrier in front of the group.

The giant rat squealed with excitement as it lunged at the players. The moment it leaped forward, its massive body collided with the dense web of transparent threads, instantly slicing it into dozens of pieces!

Splat—

A nauseating stench filled the air as foul blood splattered everywhere.

“Holy crap!!”

Tao Shi acted quickly, placing Adam’s Ring in front of the group. The silver glow of the ring deflected the rat's flying blood, redirecting it to splatter harmlessly onto the distant crossroads.

Thanks to this, the players avoided being drenched in the grotesque liquid.

Thud, thud…

Chunks of the giant rat's body hit the ground.

The parasitic, worm-like baby rats that had been crawling through its fur scattered. Some were shredded along with the main body by the threads, while the remaining ones scurried frantically through the rancid, sticky blood.

Fortunately, Adam’s Ring stood between them and the chaos.

The players watched in horror as the swarm of tiny rats squeaked incessantly, dashing into the barrier of the ring. Each time they disappeared into the silver glow, they reappeared back at the crossroads, only to repeat the cycle endlessly. This went on until their gray fur was completely stained a dark brown by the blood.

“Can’t you send them further away?!” Jian Hou shouted into Tao Shi’s ear, his voice barely audible over the deafening squeaks.

“I wish I could!” Tao Shi yelled back. “But this town is weird! Adam’s Ring can’t lock onto any location except the crossroads! I’ve tried several times already!”

Frustrated, Tao Shi turned to Lu Sha, who had been casually observing the chaos from the sidelines. “Don’t you have a fire-related item? Just burn these things to ashes already so we can wrap this dungeon up and go home!”

“Huh? What did you say?” Lu Sha asked, momentarily deafened by the incessant squeaking.

“You’re not Jiang Yan! You don’t have some fragile, delicate persona to maintain! Stop pretending and burn these pests! The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can leave!” Tao Shi raised his voice, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Lu Sha: “...”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan, who was cradling his husband’s severed arm, looked pitiful with teary eyes, clearly trying hard to maintain a gentle and vulnerable demeanor: “...”

Jiang Yan, bound by his character persona, could only retort sarcastically, "Are all you humans this rude?"

With that, Lu Sha opened his personal panel.

Ding!

[Item: Flame Sword]

In the next moment, a blazing longsword, its blade flickering with crimson flames, appeared in Lu Sha's hands.

“Wow!” Jian Hou, still leaning on Jiang Yan for support, exclaimed with brightened eyes.

The golden-haired, golden-eyed half-elf wielded the sword with a flourish. With a single swing toward the mass of scurrying rats, the flames on the blade erupted into a fiery serpent, lunging at the swarm.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak...”

The tiny rats let out agonized shrieks as they scattered in panic. The entire town was soon filled with an eerie, charred aroma, a grotesque hint of roasted meat.

Lu Sha sheathed his Flame Sword, and Tao Shi retrieved the Adam’s Ring.

The group stood silently, watching as the rats writhed and burned. After what felt like an eternity, the countless worm-like rats were reduced to nothing but charred remains.

Only when the "squeak" sounds ceased entirely did the players finally exhale in relief.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Yan said flatly.

“Where to?” Jian Hou asked hesitantly.

Jiang Yan glanced around, then shot Jian Hou a look of disbelief as if he were addressing an idiot. “Are there any other paths left?”

With that, Jiang Yan cradled the severed limb in his arms and began walking forward on his own. Jian Hou quickly followed behind.

The remaining players, along with NPC Lu Sha, trailed after them.

The path ahead was littered with the burnt remains of rats, many of which retained their rodent-like forms. With each step, the players’ feet crunched down, turning the corpses into blackened ash.

As they tread forward, the horrifying events they had just experienced left several new players still trembling with unease.

“Do we really have to keep going forward? What if… we run into more rats like before?” the bespectacled girl asked, her voice quivering with a hint of tears.

“No worries,” Cao Yufeng reassured her. “If it happens again, we’ll just have Lu over there burn them to a crisp.”

“Am I a boiler operator now?” Lu Sha muttered, his eye twitching in irritation.

Just then, the man in the tattered dark-brown suit reappeared at the crossroads ahead.

The group immediately froze.

Surveying the scorched remains of rats littering the ground, the man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He looked at the players, his voice trembling. “Did you… kill it?”

Standing at the front, Jiang Yan, holding the severed limb, nodded slightly. "My friend killed it."

As he spoke, a flicker of excitement appeared in the man's seemingly lifeless eyes, but it vanished almost immediately, and his expression once again became one of emptiness.

He let out a long sigh, his gaze lost as he stared at the scorched ground, mumbling, "No... you didn't kill it... this is all the curse... the curse cannot be killed... it's all the curse, the curse of the evil god... everything... it's all the curse..."

"Sir?" Jiang Yan called out tentatively.

But the man seemed not to hear, continuing to mutter, "This is the curse... the curse... the curse cannot be killed... this is the ancestral curse... the ancestral curse can be killed..."

"The chasing curse cannot be killed..."

"..."

The man kept repeating the same phrases, trapped in his own loop, just as before.

"Sir?" Jiang Yan called out once more, this time with more urgency.

The man seemed to snap out of his trance, suddenly looking up with his bloodshot, weary eyes fixed on Jiang Yan. He yelled, "The curse cannot be killed!!!"

Jiang Yan took a step back in surprise, and Jian Hou quickly moved to stand in front of him.

After the man’s outburst, he seemed to come to his senses, taking deep breaths as he looked at the chaotic scene around him. His gaze shifted to the group of players.

He then sighed deeply, guilt spreading across his fatigued face. "I’m sorry... it's my fault. I shouldn’t have yelled at you."

Jiang Yan, still behind Jian Hou, shook his head. "It’s fine..."

Jian Hou hesitated before speaking carefully, "What’s going on here? This strange town, the huge rat, those countless little rats... and... and what happened between you and that rat...?"

Jian Hou continued cautiously, "Do you know what’s really going on here?"

The man dusted off his grayish brown suit and gave a bitter smile. "I know! I know! My house is not far from here. Why don't you come to my place, and I’ll slowly explain everything."

The players exchanged glances, and finally, Tao Shi nodded. "Then we’ll bother you."

So, the group followed the man to his house. During the walk, the town twisted and reshaped like clay several times, with the roads changing repeatedly. Strangely, the man seemed to always find the right path to his home.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a large red house. The man opened a small door under the foundation, which resembled a rat hole, and the players entered one by one.

Jiang Yan, holding Yu Xiu's severed arm, sat on the sofa, observing the house. The layout was no different from an ordinary duplex, but it seemed much smaller inside compared to its grand exterior. Jiang Yan suspected there might be more floors hidden above, but he couldn’t tell.

The man changed into clean clothes and brought the group hot red tea. Seeing Jiang Yan staring at the stairs, he seemed to understand and spoke while handing out the tea, "Don't bother looking. There's only two floors. The second floor is about the same size as the one we're on."

Jiang Yan paused. "Only two floors?"

"Yes," the man replied, "The house looks big on the outside, but it’s just two floors."

The group was confused.

"You saw the two doors outside, right?" The man continued. "One large, one small. The big one is clearly not for humans."

"Not for humans? Who's it for then?" Jian Hou asked.

"The rats," the man answered.

"Rats?" The group was baffled.

The man sipped his tea and sighed, then explained, "In the outside world, rats live in human homes. But in this town, humans live in the rats' homes—this town is really ruled by rats, just like the one you saw earlier."

"This place is called Jiekhe Town. Is Jiekhe a rat?" Jian Hou exclaimed.

The man shook his head. "Jiekhe is human. This town exists because of him."

"What does that mean?" Cao Yufeng asked, still confused.

The man looked at them, then asked, "When you arrived, did anyone tell you this town was cursed?"

Jiang Yan nodded and said, “The coachman who brought us here mentioned that this is a cursed town, but… he wasn’t clear on the specific ancestral curse.”

The man sighed again and said, “The one cursed is none other than Jiekhe. The specific curse is that he will be swallowed by the giant rat over and over again… and then spit out again… just like what happened to me earlier.”

“Why?” Jiang Yan frowned, asking in confusion.

The man shook his head and said, “No one knows why. All we know is that he’s been cursed like this… And anyone who enters this town is cursed along with him. No one knows why he was cursed, but… what I do know is that he was cursed by an evil god!”

“Evil god?!”

Immediately, all the players’ gazes turned to Jiang Yan.

“Evil god? What’s going on here?” Jiang Yan asked.

The man shook his head, “Who knows how he angered that god? But this town is built on the rats’ territory, and anyone who enters this town and gets eaten by the rats….”

As the man spoke, he began to tremble. “...will experience the same fate I did… just like Jiekhe and every other resident of this town. They will relive the same process of being eaten by the rats every day, over and over, until dawn… or until someone like you kills the giant rat.”

“Once we kill the giant rat, can we break the curse?” The player with braided hair asked.

The man sighed, “The curse can’t be killed. Killing the giant rat will only stop the curse for today. Tomorrow… it will appear again.”

“So, tomorrow at this time, the rat will appear again, and I’ll be swallowed by it again… Tomorrow, you’ll probably be gone… and no one will come to save me… hehe.” The man gave a bitter smile.

"..."

The players fell silent.

The man took a sip of his tea and looked at the group. “Still, I have to thank you. It’s been years since I’ve escaped that rat in advance.”

The players exchanged glances, still silent. At times like this, saying "you’re welcome" felt a little awkward.

“By the way, what crime did you commit to end up in this town?” the man asked curiously.

He looked at a few of the players and then at Jiang Yan sitting in front of him. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what crime a group like theirs could have committed.

Then, he noticed Jiang Yan holding Yu Xiu’s severed arm. He hesitated and asked, “Dissection?”

To his surprise, the young man looked so well-behaved, but… he never expected someone like him to be involved in… well, truly, people can’t be judged by appearances!

“No, no, no! It’s not like that!” Jian Hou quickly denied. “We haven’t committed any crimes! We’re here to find someone.”

“No crimes?” The man gave them a strange look. “That’s impossible!”

“Really! We’re looking for someone! My friend’s husband!” Jian Hou explained.

“That’s absolutely impossible!” The man denied again. “Dissection is just dissection! It’s no big deal. Everyone in this town is a criminal! I ended up here because of a crime I committed myself!”

“Everyone... committed a crime?” Jian Hou asked, a bit confused.

“Yeah! Didn’t I just tell you? This is a town cursed by that evil god. How could an ordinary person come to a cursed town? Only those who’ve committed crimes are cursed.” The man explained.

“So, what crime did you commit?” Jiang Yan asked curiously.

The man was silent for a moment before replying, “I accidentally killed a woman while driving a carriage, and then I fled the scene. I didn’t know she was pregnant at the time. Later, when her husband found out, he committed suicide. So... I killed three people. Or rather, I destroyed a family that should’ve been happy.”

“...”

The smoke from the red tea rose in wisps, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

“So, what about you? Did you commit dissection?” The man continued, asking Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan shook his head and said, “No, we really came to look for my husband. It’s just... he’s been turned into pieces.”

The man paused, “…Isn’t that the same as dissection?”

“So, you turned him into pieces, and that’s why you were exiled here?” The man asked.

“No,” Jiang Yan shook his head, his wings behind him quivering slightly, looking unusually docile.

Jian Hou quickly cut in, “It’s not that. He was turned into pieces by someone, and we’re investigating the matter. We need to put him back together first. Last night, someone saw his body parts heading in this direction, so we came here to find them... his body parts.”

“...”

That certainly sounded strange.

The man’s expression turned serious. He set his teacup down and said, “Impossible! No innocent person can enter this town.”

With sharp eyes, he scanned Jiang Yan and the group before slowly speaking again, “Even if what you’re saying is true, and you didn’t commit any crimes against that young man who was dismembered... you all must have committed a crime! Innocent people cannot enter this town.”

As soon as the man finished speaking, everyone’s expression, including Jiang Yan’s, changed in unison.

Jiang Yan furrowed his brows slightly. A crime?

According to the storyline, his crime might be related to the evil species. If his crime were related to the NPC Lu Sha, it could be connected to the murder case at the God Tribe Academy that happened years ago. However, Jian Hou and the others were just guests at a banquet. The script clearly stated they were just guests with no special identity or background!

So, there’s no way they could have committed any crimes within the scenario.

If their crime wasn’t within the scenario... then it must be something from the real world. But what crime could they have committed in reality?

Jiang Yan glanced around. Two high school students, two middle-aged people, and a very simple-looking cook. None of them looked like criminals, so what crime could they have committed?

Jiang Yan was puzzled.

Could he be overthinking it?

His gaze landed on Jian Hou.

After all, Jian Hou definitely had no crimes. He had known him since they were babies, and just like him, Jian Hou had never made life difficult for the adults. Of course! If skipping college classes, failing exams, arguing with parents, or rejecting arranged dates and jobs counted as crimes, then that’s a different story. But... such a severe punishment shouldn’t apply to such things, right?

Jiang Yan’s gaze moved to the group with colorful braids.

So, what crimes could these people have committed?

Tao Shi... Yufeng??

They were just a bunch of young kids. What could they have done?

At that moment, the game forum exploded:

[Crime... It’s been so long since anyone mentioned this topic!]

[Yeah! Tao Da’s face looks awful!]

[Good thing it was a system NPC who brought it up, or Tao Da might have chopped him!]

[Is that really the case? I didn’t hear anything sensitive, though]

[Really? You didn’t see what happened a few years ago when anyone dared to mention this topic in front of Tao Da? You still want to test what happens if you touch a sensitive spot?]

[Can’t deny that Tao Da’s temper has gotten a lot better these past few years!]

[Yeah! Especially after going through a few scenarios with Jiang Yan. He seems like a normal person now!]

[Ah? Wasn’t Tao Da always approachable? I’ve seen him interact with other new players, and with Jiang Yan and Teacher Jian. He seems really friendly!]

[Approachable? Friendly? Haha!]

[You’re a new player! You joined the game late! You haven’t seen how the big shots used to be, rebellious and anti-social!]

[Let’s just say enjoy it while you can! Recently... the higher-ups haven’t been sounding very good.]

[I heard the other day all the personal systems had a meeting. When my personal system came back, it was speaking all awkwardly. Could it be related to what you’re saying?]

[Watch out! If you don’t want your account banned, better keep quiet!]

[...]

The group fell silent for a long time.

Finally, it was Cao Yufeng who broke the silence with a smile. “Uncle! We’re just here to find someone. By the way, do you know where Jiekhe is?”

Upon hearing this, the man’s sharp gaze softened, and his expression became more amiable. “He should be in the center of the town. If you really are looking for... this...” He glanced at the severed arm of the giant in Jiang Yan’s arms, his mouth twitching slightly. “If you really are looking for this... body part, you can ask him. He knows everything about this town. It’s his town, he knows all the details!”

He glanced at the giant's severed arm in Jiang Yan's arms, his mouth twitching slightly. "If you’re really looking for this... body part, you can ask him. He definitely knows! This is his town, and he knows everything that happens here!"

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up. "Where exactly is the center of the town?"

"The town center, just follow the road from my front door," the man replied with a smile.

"The road..." Jiang Yan hesitated. "When we were walking earlier, the roads seemed to be changing."

"Oh, that’s because you didn’t wear hats," the man said with a smile.

"Hats?" Jian Hou asked in confusion.

"If you don’t wear hats, your mind becomes unclear. A person with an unclear mind can’t see the road in front of them!" the man explained with a chuckle.

"Is that so?" Jiang Yan asked. "So, if we want to go to the town center to find Jiekhe, we all need to wear a hat?"

"That’s right!" the man confirmed.

"But... where can we find hats now?" Jian Hou asked, looking troubled.

"This isn’t difficult! I’ll give each of you a hat! It’s a thank you for helping me escape from that terrifying rat earlier!" The man stood up, turned, and went upstairs to retrieve a pile of black, round-top hats. He handed one to each of them.

Jiang Yan and the others took the hats and thanked him.

"If you really are here to find someone, you’d better hurry and go to the town center to find Jiekhe. It won’t be good once it gets dark," the man advised.

"Once it gets dark, will Jiekhe leave the town center?" Jiang Yan asked curiously.

"No! He’s under the curse, so he will always stay in the center of the town," the man replied.

Jiang Yan tilted his head in confusion.

The man continued to explain, "It’s just that, if you don’t leave the town before dark, then you too will remain here forever."

A tight feeling gripped everyone’s hearts.

The cook trembled and asked, "So, what you're saying is, we have to leave the town before dark, even if we can’t find anyone, or we’ll never be able to leave? And we’ll end up like... like you...?"

"Like me, repeating being swallowed by the giant rat," the man finished for him.

The others' faces instantly turned grim.

The man’s voice grew low. "If you don’t leave the town before dark, or if you’re swallowed by the giant rat, you’ll be stuck here forever. That’s the curse, a curse on everyone who’s here."

"..."

"Ding!

[Instance Level: S, Instance Progress: 15%]

[Players: 10, Real NPCs: 3 + 1]

[System NPCs: Several]

[Main Quest: Help the Elf Prince reassemble his husband within seven days and find the murderer who killed the Giant King.]

[Side Quest: Vote for a 'murderer' every night at midnight and eliminate them.]"

Previous Chapter NPC 97 Next Chapter NPC 99