I've Changed My Mind

Zhao Ke glanced back at Qi Liang beside him, only to find Qi Liang had fainted. It seemed Zhao Ke's kick earlier had been a bit too forceful, catching Qi Liang off guard and making him hit his head on a tree.

Seeing the steady rise and fall of his chest, Zhao Ke couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, knowing Qi Liang was at least alive.

"You have completed the main quest. Please return to reality space and claim your mission rewards."

"You have completed the main quest. You can choose to remain in this horror space for ten days, and you can return to reality at any time."

At this moment, a cold voice echoed in Zhao Ke's ear, sounding as if someone was speaking right next to him. However, Zhao Ke realized the voice wasn't coming from his ear but from within his own mind.

To confirm this suspicion, Zhao Ke quickly covered his ears. As expected, the voice continued.

"You have completed the internship mission. After returning to reality, please open the package to receive your official Postman brand and stamp album."

After a series of prompts, Zhao Ke's gaze fixed on the two figures at the bottom of the pit before him. One was old, the other young. One of them was the female office worker Zhao Ke had accidentally killed earlier.

She was curled up, lying near the corner of the wall below. She wasn't dead, but she looked close to it. Her left arm had been completely severed, and the wound was only crudely bandaged. Even if it healed, she would be permanently disabled.

The female office worker stared blankly at the bear carcass in front of her, its head pierced through. She opened her mouth, wanting to cry out, then remembered she had no tongue.

She then looked up. When she saw the familiar figure standing at the edge of the pit, her eyes widened, and a chill ran down her spine, making her shiver uncontrollably.

"Ahhh~"

Pointing at Zhao Ke and letting out a series of strange shrieks, the female office worker's figure gradually began to disappear before Zhao Ke. By the time Zhao Ke realized something was wrong, she had vanished completely.

"Is she returning?"

Seeing this, Zhao Ke's heart stirred. He thought, 'Xiong Er is dead, and she's also considered to have completed the main quest and can return to reality. But... how did she get the mission?'

Hunting Xiong Er was a mission they received after killing Xiong Er's mother. The female office worker shouldn't have received such a mission. Yet, her ability to return to reality clearly indicated she had received a similar mission to be able to do so.

'It seems there's more than one way to receive a mission.'

Zhao Ke pondered. If that were the case, he could only say that the female office worker was incredibly lucky. Even after he had crippled her, she managed to leave alive.

In comparison, Chen Jing's psychologist was much more miserable, his head crushed by Xiong Er's paw. This made Zhao Ke sigh inwardly.

Zhao Ke's gaze fell on the other person at the bottom of the pit. It was a middle-aged man, about fifty years old. Judging by his attire, he didn't look like someone from reality.

Like the female office worker, this middle-aged man's left hand had also been cut off. Zhao Ke remembered the large man they had killed earlier had two hands on him. He had wondered why a man's hands were there.

Now, it seemed to make sense. What puzzled Zhao Ke was the identity of that large man and why he had set up such a trap here.

Seeing that the middle-aged man at the bottom of the pit was in a semi-conscious state, Zhao Ke found several thick vines around and twisted them together to make a rope. He slowly climbed down along the edge of the trap.

"Save... save me..."

As if sensing someone approaching, the middle-aged man struggled to lift his head.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Zhao Ke helped him up and examined his injuries. The dismemberment wasn't fatal, but judging by the severity of the wounds, Zhao Ke could tell this person had been trapped here for at least two days.

"I... I'm a farmer from the village below the mountain. Save me, help me get down the mountain."

"A farmer!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ke couldn't help but eye him up and down. A glint of ferocity flashed in the depths of his eyes, and he said with a sly smile, "Alright, but why should I help you?"

If someone else had claimed to be a farmer, he might have believed them, but he didn't believe this middle-aged man.

He had seen the severed hand before, placed on the table, and he had looked at it carefully.

The thick knuckles had irregular scars, especially on the fingertips, where there were hook-shaped calluses. Zhao Ke was very familiar with these calluses; people who frequently climbed had such marks on their fingers.

This alone was enough to prove the man was lying. Moreover, the middle-aged man's attire and his bulging temples made Zhao Ke think he had nothing to do with farming.

"If you take me down the mountain, I'll give you money."

"Money, forget it. What kind of money can a farmer like you give me? You're so badly injured; if you die on the way, I'll be in trouble. Let's just forget it."

Zhao Ke said, then stood up to leave. At this moment, the middle-aged man's expression changed. He suddenly grabbed Zhao Ke's wrist with his other hand and said urgently, "Don't, don't go. Don't worry, the one who harmed me is Hunter Wang, it has nothing to do with you. Take me down the mountain, and I'll tell you a secret."

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, another prompt sounded in Zhao Ke's ear.

[You have obtained an extended mission: Escort the injured down the mountain.]

[Prompt: Extended missions do not conflict with main quests. You can interrupt and return at any time.]

Zhao Ke was surprised that this middle-aged man had an extended mission. He looked at the middle-aged man and nodded, "Okay, I'll take you down the mountain. But first, tell me why Hunter Wang wanted to harm you, and what is this secret?"

"This..."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man hesitated. Seeing this, Zhao Ke's expression turned cold. He shook off his arm and stood up, saying, "If you don't trust me, then stay here and wait to die."

With that, Zhao Ke, looking indignant, prepared to leave. Seeing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed. He couldn't hold back any longer and quickly said, "Don't go, I'll tell you!"

"That's more like it. There should be trust between people."

Zhao Ke stopped and walked back, looking at the middle-aged man. "Speak, but don't lie. If I sense you're deceiving me, I'll leave immediately."

The middle-aged man nodded and said to Zhao Ke, "The one who injured me is Wang Xiaochang, a hunter..."

After his explanation, Zhao Ke suddenly understood. Many of his doubts were cleared up.

It turned out that the middle-aged man before him was Zhou Shun, and the large man Zhao Ke and the others had killed earlier was Wang Xiaochang.

They were both local hunters. It was a time of disaster, with a severe drought causing crop failure, and even the game in the mountains had become scarce.

Later, Wang Xiaochang heard some news from somewhere saying that there was a family on the mountain whose ancestors were officials. They had made a fortune and hidden many treasures in their home.

Wang Xiaochang got an idea. He called his son, along with Zhou Shun and two other hunters, and planned to "borrow" these treasures.

Of course, Zhou Shun was being coy. What did he mean by "borrow"? It was clear they were planning to kill for riches.

Later, they did see a box hidden under the old woman's bed. However, they didn't expect that the old woman and Xiong Er were not human at all.

Two of the hunters were bitten to death by Xiong Er back then, and Wang Xiaochang's son had his throat bitten off by the old woman. Only two of them managed to escape.

After Zhou Shun narrowly escaped death, he stated his intention to go down the mountain. But Wang Xiaochang disagreed; he wanted revenge. After they had a disagreement, Wang Xiaochang, seeing the situation, simply chopped off Zhou Shun's arm with an axe, then set up this trap and threw him in, intending to use him as bait.

It was fortunate that Wang Xiaochang thought that, knowing bears don't like to eat dead bodies, which allowed Zhou Shun to barely survive in there until now.

"Little brother, everything I've said is true, I absolutely wouldn't lie to you. Please take me away quickly."

"Hello... where are you?"

At this moment, Qi Liang's shout came from above. Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow, surprised that this kid woke up so quickly. He looked back at Zhou Shun and pointed above his head, saying, "Perfect, I have another brother up here. I'll pull you up later."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Zhou Shun's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement, feeling a surge of joy in his heart. Zhao Ke walked forward, hooked an arm around his shoulder, and shouted upwards, "I'm here!"

"I'll ask you one more time, you really didn't lie to me?" Zhao Ke suddenly turned his head back to confirm with Zhou Shun again.

When Zhou Shun heard this, he became impatient and nodded repeatedly, "Really, really. If I lied to you, I... whimper!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Ke suddenly covered Zhou Shun's mouth and nose with his hand, pulled Zhou Shun into his arms, and whispered into his ear, "Sorry, I've changed my mind."

As he spoke, Zhao Ke's right hand produced a black dagger, which he aimed at Zhou Shun's heart and plunged in.

I didn't expect so many people to dislike this cover, but it is indeed a bit creepy. The editor said they would help me change it on Thursday, so please wait until Thursday to see. The cover will be changed then.