After leaving the man’s house, Jiang Yan and the group put on their hats and followed the path in front of the man’s house as he had instructed.
As they walked, the scenery of the town continued to shift and change like clay being stretched. With each loud “boom” sound, the road ahead, the surrounding houses, and the entire town changed again and again.
However, this time, no matter how the road and scenery shifted, there was always a clear path ahead. Unlike before, the road was no longer blocked by buildings.
Thus, Jiang Yan and the others moved through the town, which seemed to be pulled like clay, step by step, until they reached the center of the town.
Once they reached the town center, the scenery finally returned to normal.
At the heart of the town stood a massive angel fountain carved from white marble, with clear, fresh water sparkling in the sunlight, radiating golden hues. It resembled the spring under the elven mother tree — pure and radiant.
There was no sign that this was the cursed place the man had mentioned.
“It’s quite beautiful here!” Jiang Yan said, holding the severed limb in her arms.
“But... where is Jiekhe?” Jian Hou looked around. The area was silent; there were no people in sight, nor any rats.
“Chirp, chirp... chirp…”
“You hear that?” Cao Youfeng suddenly spoke up.
Everyone held their breath and listened carefully.
“Chirp, chirp…”
“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”
“It’s... the sound of rats!” the girl with glasses said in terror, her tears already welling up from the fear of everything that had happened.
“It really is the sound of rats, but… where are they?” Jian Hou looked around. The surrounding white marble tiles and the giant fountain looked incredibly clean and holy.
The houses surrounding the fountain formed a small square in front of it.
Under the sunlight, the entire square looked extremely delicate and clean, with no sign of any rats in sight.
“Chirp, chirp... chirp...”
But the sound of rats still lingered in everyone's ears.
“Chirp, chirp... chirp...”
“Where could they be?” Jian Hou wondered aloud.
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud "creak" sounded, and the door of the house beside him was pushed open!
A massive rat, covered in small rats like a swarm of insects, charged out of the house and appeared in front of the group!
“No way?! Again?!!” Jian Hou yelled.
“My God!!” The girl with glasses almost fainted from fear!
Jiang Yan, holding the severed limb in her arms, looked at the giant rat that had suddenly appeared.
The giant rat before them was even larger and more terrifying than the one they had seen earlier!!
Its sharp teeth grew from its elongated mouth, and even when its mouth was closed, the horrifying fangs were still visible!
Compared to the shiny-furred rat they had seen earlier, this one had scruffy, torn fur, and there were several bloody holes in its body. Some yellowish, sticky liquid oozed from these holes, mixed with decaying flesh.
A swarm of tiny rats scurried across its fur and through the rotten flesh holes, looking like a real swarm of parasites.
A swarm of dense gray pests.
Along with the giant rat, a short man wearing a gentleman's hat rushed out.
“Ahhhh!!!”
The short man shouted at the group!
With his shout, the entire central square once again distorted, like clay being pulled.
“Boom!”
With a loud boom, all the roads were blocked by houses.
Massive buildings surrounded the entire central square.
This time, even though everyone was wearing hats, they couldn’t find any way out. The entire central square had turned into a strange and eerie prison.
“What do we do now?!”
The boy with braided hair instinctively looked at Lu Sha.
Lu Sha, however, didn’t react much, and instead, turned to Yu Jia and said, “This man should be Jiekhe.”
“Sir!! Are you Jiekhe?!!” Jiang Yan shouted loudly.
“Jiekhe my foot!! You still haven’t run? What are you staring at?!!” The short man, who had rushed over, yelled anxiously.
“Chirp!!!”
The rotten giant rat opened its long, sharp mouth and, following its steps, lunged at the group!
Seeing this, Tao Shi reached out and patted Lu Sha on the shoulder: “Bro! Can you burn it again?”
Lu Sha: “…Can’t you just chop it first?”
Tao Shi: “Wouldn’t it be faster if you did it?”
Lu Sha: “…”
[Haha, Lu Sha’s not happy at all!]
[It’s definitely not pleasant to have the rival guild freeloading!]
[On the other hand, Lu Sha’s personal task is to solve the case! Otherwise, he would’ve probably given up by now.]
[You know what? Jiang Yan hasn’t really given up in this dungeon.]
[What can he do? He’s the key NPC! This time, Cang Rou and Ding Wanyu have it easier, one’s a queen, the other’s a commander, they don’t even need to participate in the main quest.]
[They probably didn’t skip out on it though. It’s just that their character settings allow them to avoid it.]
[If I were those two, I’d be so happy right now! Damn it! Finally, Jiang Yan is working again!]
[Hahahaha...]
While the players were discussing, suddenly one player exclaimed, “What the hell?!”
[What’s going on?!!]
[Ah????!!]
[6666. Why is it always at times like this??]
[Sure enough, they [Vallen Church] have some weirdos!!]
[Oh my god?! What should we do?!!]
[Lu Sha is too much!!]
[...]
At that moment, Lu Sha drew his [Flame Sword] and kicked Jiang Yan in the back.
Jiang Yan was kicked forward by Lu Sha’s foot. Fortunately, the severed limb of Yu Xiu he was holding in his arms cushioned the fall, so he didn’t slam face-first into the ground.
However, when he straightened up, a wall of fire appeared behind him.
Jiang Yan: “…”
“Damn it?! Where did this fire come from?!!” The short man screamed while running.
Jiang Yan looked at the cut on Yu Xiu’s severed limb, frowning slightly.
Will there be a scar??
Yu Xiu’s body had always been perfect. Although that guy often wanted to use a scalpel to carve some cuts into his own body, because Jiang Yan was extremely fond of his perfect form, Yu Xiu never went as far as to do it.
In fact, because Jiang Yan liked it, Yu Xiu took great care of his body.
Last night, when he saw Yu Xiu’s body after he had transformed into a giant, it was still just as perfect.
Considering the situation, after piecing himself back together, other than the stitches on the limbs, everything else should have been perfect. Yet now, he had a scratch?
Jiang Yan was extremely displeased with this.
Although he didn’t turn around, he knew who had kicked him out.
Lu Sha had kicked him out, and he wasn’t angry about that. But Lu Sha had kicked him and caused Yu Xiu’s severed limb to be scratched, which made him very angry!
Jiang Yan silently made a note of this in his heart.
“What are you still standing there for?! Run!!!” The short man shouted at Jiang Yan as he rushed over.
Before Jiang Yan could snap out of it, the short man grabbed him and started pulling him away.
The two began running in circles around the central fountain, with the rotting rat following closely behind, opening its long mouth and chasing them.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp...”
The small rats on the giant rat’s body, like maggots, screamed continuously, sounding both excited and as though they were cheering the giant rat on!
Jiang Yan was always the type of person who would never stand if he could lie down and never sit if he could stand.
Back in university, he even ran a 1000-meter race in five minutes, which was an impressive time that drew attention from the entire department.
After all, it was rare for a contemporary male college student to run 1000 meters in five minutes; he undeniably failed.
Later, it was only with Yu Xiu and Jian Hou following him around, handing him water, towels, and snacks, that he barely managed to pass the physical test.
After graduating from university and marrying Yu Xiu, even going downstairs to pick up a package became an expedition for Jiang Yan!
In their home, this kind of thing was usually left for Yu Xiu to do.
Fortunately, Jiang Yan had a weak stomach. He ate and then slept, slept and then ate, and ended up getting very thin with a low body fat percentage. Even after two years of being lazy at home with Yu Xiu after graduation, he still had a thin layer of muscle on his belly.
But compared to Yu Xiu’s fit body, his was merely the result of a low body fat percentage.
Putting aside the situation in real life, just looking at the dungeon.
Jiang Yan’s character setup usually required little physical activity. All he needed to do was lie in bed, and the dungeon would pass.
When he first received this character setup, he thought it was a nice change. New bride vibes! He wasn’t a stranger to this!
The physical activity wouldn’t be more than the last dungeon.
Who knew, this time they had to piece together body parts, run from giant rats, and now escape from them while being chased?! This was making Jiang Yan feel terrible! Really terrible!
He was even about to lose his innocent and confused expression, and at that moment, his blue eyes were cold enough to be terrifying.
The short man pulled Jiang Yan along while asking, “I say! Young man! You’re not good with people, huh? Why are your friends hiding behind the fire wall and not taking you with them?!”
Jiang Yan: “...I was kicked out.”
“See! I told you, your social skills are terrible.” The short man panted as he ran, still not forgetting to mock Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan: "..."
Feeling Jiang Yan's near collapse, 663 kept encouraging him: “Host! Hang in there!! This is your shining moment! Hold on!!”
Jiang Yan: "..."
Shining moment, my ass! Shining moment, my foot!!
Jiang Yan gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly. He was so tired he didn’t want to say a word.
“Young man! What crime did you commit to end up here?” The short man asked as he ran, panting heavily. Noticing the severed giant arm in Jiang Yan’s arms, he asked, “Is it a split household?”
Jiang Yan: "..."
663 quickly soothed Jiang Yan, “Host! This must be Jiekhe!! Ask him questions! He definitely knows where your husband's body parts are! Once you find your husband’s pieces, you can go back and sleep!”
Hearing this, Jiang Yan unwillingly gasped for breath as he ran and asked, “Excuse me, are you Jiekhe? I haven’t committed any crime. I’m here to find my husband. Have you seen him?”
“Impossible! A person with no crime can’t end up in this town!” The short man replied.
Jiang Yan: "... I’m just here to find my husband! Are you Jiekhe? If not, let me go!"
“I am, I am!” The short man answered, panting heavily. “So your husband was exiled here for committing a crime? What does he look like?”
“His appearance isn’t important, because he came here piece by piece.” Jiang Yan replied.
“What… piece by piece?” Jiekhe asked, running while still confused.
“Like this!” Jiang Yan said, lifting the severed arm he was holding in one hand.
Jiekhe: "..."
“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”
“Chirp—!!”
While they were talking, their speed inevitably slowed down. The giant rat opened its sharp mouth and almost bit Jiang Yan’s corner.
Luckily, Jiang Yan quickly accelerated, narrowly avoiding the giant rat's sharp-toothed mouth.
[Oh my god!! That was so close!!]
[Wait, did they leave Jiang Yan outside alone?!]
[Oh my god!! His physical stamina is only 15 out of 100!!]
[15?!! Does he have muscle atrophy? He doesn’t look like it! Isn’t he running pretty fast?!]
[No… he’s slowing down…]
Yes, Jiang Yan started running slower and slower.
His stamina has always been poor, and although he might have made a bit of progress compared to his college days, thanks to the training from Yu Xiu, it still falls far short of a normal, healthy adult male's.
He really… can’t run anymore…
—
Lu Sha slashed a fire wall with his sword, separating Jiang Yan and the giant rat from the rest of the group.
“What the hell are you doing?!!” Jian Hou angrily grabbed Lu Sha by the collar.
“Sorry! He deserved it.” Lu Sha leisurely sheathed his sword, raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, and looked at the now red-eyed Jian Hou.
Since Lu Sha’s character was a half-breed of elf and giant, he was much taller than Jian Hou. Jian Hou could only pull his collar down, forcing him to make eye contact.
Lu Sha bent slightly, looking at Jian Hou, and said, “Didn’t you hear what that man said earlier? Only criminals can enter this town! The truth is very clear—Jiang Yan is that criminal! He killed his husband and dismembered the body.”
“You’re talking nonsense!!” Jian Hou shouted angrily, “If only criminals can enter this town, then Jiang Yan must be guilty, right? But what about you?! You entered this town too! Aren’t you a criminal?! You think you’re innocent?! I say, it’s very likely that you killed Yu Xiu! You killed him and then framed Jiang Yan!”
At these words, the smile at the corner of Lu Sha’s mouth instantly disappeared.
He’s also a criminal??
Innocent, huh??
For a moment, images long buried resurfaced in his mind. The woman’s terrified scream and the man’s humble plea echoed in his ears.
His golden eyes darkened.
Jian Hou stared at him fiercely.
Lu Sha once again smiled faintly, “Who is Yu Xiu?”
“...”
Jian Hou angrily let go of his collar, shouting, “Crazy!!”
Lu Sha adjusted his collar and smiled, “Thanks for the compliment.”
Jian Hou, too angry to argue further, turned to charge at the fire wall.
“Teacher Jian!” Tao Shi grabbed him. “What are you doing?!”
“Jiang Yan! Jiang Yan is outside!!” Jian Hou said urgently.
“You can’t go out now either!! This is fire! If you rush out, at the very least, you’ll get second-degree burns, and that rat will just roast you like meat!!” Cao Yufeng quickly explained.
“What should we do now then?!” Jian Hou asked anxiously.
“Of course, we wait for all of us to leave together!” Tao Shi smiled.
He then lightly snapped his fingers, “Snap!”
A silver Adam Ring appeared in front of the fire wall.
Tao Shi gestured for Cao Yufeng and Jian Hou, and with a leap, they jumped into the Adam Ring, passing through the fire wall.
Immediately afterward, the Adam Ring disappeared from the remaining players’ view.
Seeing this, Lu Sha scoffed, “Who’s the crazy one now?”
“... This... This...”
Having seen his beloved young man kicked out, the man with the colorful braids wanted to say something but was immediately grabbed by his father next to him.
The rest, including the girl with glasses, the man with a crew cut, and the chef, all kept silent.
It was clear that this blonde, golden-eyed NPC was not to be trifled with.
If he could set fire to the rats, he could set fire to them as well.
If he could kick Jiang Yan out, he could kick them out too.
Yu Jia pulled out a cigarette, lit it from the fire wall, and after taking a satisfying drag, he exhaled a circle of white smoke.
Finally got a cigarette—he was about to suffocate from the tension!
“You guys from the Valen Church sure are ruthless! Impressive!” Yu Jia grinned and gave Lu Sha a thumbs up.
“Ah!” Lu Sha let out a light laugh but didn’t respond to his words.
As a real NPC, he had to maintain his persona.
His persona was that of a half-elf noble with a complex relationship with the elven prince, Jiang Yan. He absolutely couldn’t say words like “guild” or “game.”
Otherwise, he would’ve sarcastically mocked Yu Jia a few times by now.
Although Jiang Yan's identity couldn’t be fully confirmed, it was more or less semi-public by now!
Otherwise, why did the “Puppet Workshop” movie king react so strongly?
At this point, they should just kill him directly.
Killing a C-level real NPC is nothing—why go through so much trouble?
But because he was stuck in his persona, all he could do was roll his eyes at Yu Jia in response.
Outside the fire wall, Jiang Yan was still struggling to run in circles with Jiekhe around the central angel fountain, dodging the giant rat’s pursuit.
“You... have you seen my husband?” Jiang Yan panted. “He... he turned into pieces...”
“Pieces?” Jiekhe thought for a moment and said, “Last night, I think I saw a severed body part escape into the town.”
“Really?!” Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up as he gasped. “Where is he?!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly tripped over his own feet.
“Thud!” He hit the ground with a loud sound.
When he looked up again, Jiekhe had already run far ahead.
He was now covered by the huge shadow of the terrifying, decayed giant rat. He could even see how the small mice on the rat’s decaying body scurried around inside.
After Tao Shi, Cao Yufeng, and Jian Hou burst through the fire wall, this is the scene they witnessed.
In the next second, the decayed giant rat opened its long, sharp-toothed mouth towards the beautiful young man with black hair and blue eyes in front of it.
“Yan Yan!!!!”
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