I've Changed My Mind

Zhao Ke glanced back at Qi Liang beside him and found that Qi Liang had actually fainted. It seemed he had kicked a little too hard just now, catching Qi Liang off guard and causing him to smash into a tree.

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

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

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

At this moment, a cold voice sounded in Zhao Ke's ear. It sounded as if someone was speaking directly into his ear, but Zhao Ke realized the voice wasn't coming from his ear at all, but from within his mind.

To confirm this thought, 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 the official Postman brand and stamp album."

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

She was curled up in a corner of the wall below, not dead, but looking like she was close to it. Her left arm had been completely severed, and the wound had only been crudely bandaged. Even if it healed, she would be permanently disabled.

The female office worker stared blankly at the bear corpse in front of her, its head impaled. She opened her mouth to shout something, then remembered she had no tongue.

She then looked up. Upon seeing 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~"

After pointing at Zhao Ke and letting out a series of strange screams, 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 to himself, "Indeed, Xiong Er is dead, and she has also 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, but 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 still 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 upon the other person at the bottom of the pit. It was a middle-aged man who looked about fifty years old. Judging by his clothing, he didn't seem like someone from reality.

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

Now, it seemed to make sense. What still 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 some thick vines around and twisted them together to make a rope. He then 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 carefully examined his injuries. The dismemberment was not fatal, but judging by the extent of the wounds, Zhao Ke could tell that 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."

"Farmer!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ke couldn't help but glance at him. 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 it were anyone else claiming to be a farmer, he might have believed them. But Zhao Ke didn't believe this middle-aged man.

He had examined the severed hand that was thrown on the table very carefully before.

There were irregular scars on his thick knuckles, especially on his fingertips, where there were hook-shaped calluses. Zhao Ke was very familiar with these calluses; people who climbed often developed such marks on their fingers.

This alone was enough to prove that the man was lying. Moreover, the middle-aged man's attire and his bulging temples made Zhao Ke feel that he had no connection to being a farmer.

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

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

After speaking, Zhao Ke got 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 person who harmed me is Hunter Wang, and it has nothing to do with you. If you take me down the mountain, 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.]

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

Zhao Ke was somewhat 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 turned to leave indignantly. The middle-aged man's expression changed, and he could no longer afford to hesitate. He quickly said, "Don't go, I'll tell you!"

"That's more like it. People need to trust each other."

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 person who injured me is named Wang Xiaochang, and he is 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 named Zhou Shun, and the large man Zhao Ke and the others had killed earlier was Wang Xiaochang.

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

Later, Wang Xiaochang got wind of a rumor that there was a family living on the mountain whose ancestors were high officials. They had amassed a great fortune and hidden many treasures in their home.

Wang Xiaochang took a liking to the idea and gathered his son, along with Zhou Shun and two other hunters, intending to "borrow" these treasures.

Of course, Zhou Shun's description was rather euphemistic. What did he mean by "borrow"? It was clearly a plan to murder for riches.

Later, they did indeed find a box hidden under the old woman's bed. However, they hadn't expected that the old woman and Xiong Er weren't 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 declared his intention to go down the mountain. But Wang Xiaochang disagreed; he wanted revenge. After a disagreement, Wang Xiaochang, seeing this, 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 of this, knowing bears don't like to eat dead bodies, which allowed Zhou Shun to linger in there until now.

"Little brother, everything I've said is true, I promise. I'm not lying to you at all. Please take me away quickly."

"Hey... where are you?"

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

"Good, good, good!"

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

"I'll ask you one more time. Are you really not lying to me?" Zhao Ke suddenly turned his head, confirming with Zhou Shun again.

When Zhou Shun heard this, he became a little impatient and nodded repeatedly, "Really, really. If I'm lying to you, I... whimper!"

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

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

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