Essential Plots in Wuxia Novels

That blurry silhouette took a knife hit, crawling slowly on the ground, then the Butcher hoisted it onto his shoulder and carried it away.

Next, the Butcher placed that person somewhere, as if tied to a pillar or a chair?

Who was captured?

Wang Fugui or the Gold Collar Elite?

Whoever it was, Tang Yuan didn't want to see it happen. The more players on his team, the more the Butcher's attention would be divided. When only he was left, the Butcher would focus solely on finding Tang Yuan.

This was not conducive to Tang Yuan finding the remaining clues.

However, even though that person was captured, they weren't eliminated immediately.

As a deceased person, since they were already dead, it didn't matter if their vital points were pierced. At most, some of their countdown timer would be deducted. However, based on Tang Yuan's experience from the previous round, while it was fine for the deceased to have their vital points occasionally pierced, if their head was repeatedly and extremely damaged, then even the deceased could no longer persist, and their soul would simply dissipate.

The reason the players were currently "alive" was entirely due to the "Prosthetic Bodies" granted by the game system. If the "Prosthetic Bodies" completely collapsed in the game, the players would truly die.

However, the Butcher didn't kill that person immediately. Instead, he stood guard beside them. Perhaps he had some limitations, or perhaps for other reasons, but one thing was certain--

The captured person should be fine for a while, and conversely, they were holding the Butcher back.

Well done, my friend.

Tang Yuan applauded.

"What do we do?" Liu Conghui hesitated, looking at the red silhouette over there, still unsure if she should go rescue him.

"Ah, damn it, a comrade actually made such a sacrifice to buy us time! I won't let your good intentions go to waste!" Tang Yuan clenched his fist.

"You're being too dramatic," Liu Conghui said with a cold expression.

Tang Yuan turned serious: "He's too far away. Instead of going to save him, it's better to take this opportunity to find more voice recordings. As long as we can crack this mission, everyone can pass."

"So, going to save him now isn't cost-effective."

Hang in there, brother! Protect your head, protect your head!

"What?" Liu Conghui was a bit confused. She habitually pushed up her thick glasses. Could something like this be measured by cost-effectiveness?

"We've only found one voice recording so far, which is too disadvantageous for us. If we go now, not only will we waste time, but we'll also easily be wiped out by the Butcher. It's more reliable to find a few more clues and see if this Butcher has any weaknesses before going to save him."

Oh, she understood. That made more sense. She completely agreed with Tang Yuan's view.

While that person was holding back the Butcher, the remaining three should quickly find the secret here to maximize their chances of saving that person.

They navigated through the ruins and quickly found the second radio. Tang Yuan expertly tuned the dial.

"September 11th.

It rained today. I could take shelter in the woods, but I still got soaked. I have rheumatism, and when it rains, my joints feel like they're being gnawed by countless ants.

The steamed buns got wet, but they were still edible. Luckily, due to the heavy rain, a bird's nest fell from a tree, and I managed to find a few bird eggs. This will guarantee my food supply for the next couple of days.

My joints hurt terribly, and there's no painkillers here. Those mushrooms might relieve my pain, but... I'll pass.

I want to go home."

The voice recording played smoothly. Although Tang Yuan felt a tremor in his soul and the sense of being targeted at this moment, the Butcher didn't chase after him like last time. Perhaps he was guarding the captured person.

[Information Acquired: Voice Diary Part 2.] [You have deciphered 20% of the world view.]

Oh? At this rate, if he just found eight more voice recordings, he could decipher 100% of the world view?

Tang Yuan was actually still skeptical.

The two voice diaries didn't contain anything out of the ordinary. They mostly described how a person stranded on this island fought against nature and survived by filling their stomach.

It felt unrelated to the Butcher or the mountains of ruins, at least not yet.

However, both voice diaries mentioned mushrooms, which piqued Tang Yuan's interest.

He took off his outer shirt, tied the sleeves into knots, making a simple bundle. Then, he collected some psilocybin mushrooms and put them in his clothes.

A sudden sense of satisfaction filled him. This was a new ingredient. The ECHO Eye called them psilocybin mushrooms. He wondered what effect they would have if eaten.

Tang Yuan also observed the situation at the Butcher's location. The captured person was still tied to the chair and hadn't suffered any devastating injuries. Of course, the Butcher was faithfully "guarding" him nearby.

Alright, brother, well done, you've bought us more time.

His right eye flashed with blue light as he activated the ECHO Eye. The surrounding situation was analyzed clearly. Tang Yuan quickly found the third radio.

Everything was going smoothly.

Tang Yuan could hardly believe it.

After quickly tuning the dial, the third voice diary was played.

"September 13th.

All the steamed buns are gone. I tried to eat them sparingly, but the day finally came when they ran out. Fortunately, the mountain is humid, and I can collect some dew in the morning, so I won't die of dehydration.

I really hope I get lucky and find some bird eggs again.

I'm so useless. I get winded with just a little exertion, my vision is blurring, and I'm having trouble breathing."

I don't know how long I can hold on, but I have to go back. I have to expose him. He's the one who threw me here. Even if it costs me my life, I can't let him succeed.

This alone is worth living for. I will live. I will leave this place. There's no mistake. I will leave."

[Information Acquired: Voice Diary Part 3.]

[Worldview Deciphered: 30%.]

From this voice recording, Tang Yuan gained a crucial piece of information: the person who left the recording was abandoned here by someone. This transformed a simple case of being stranded in the wilderness into something far more sinister. To put it bluntly, it might even be murder.

The person who threw him here wanted him dead.

This statement also revealed another key detail: the person's health was poor. Otherwise, why would they be gasping for breath after just a few steps? The person who abandoned them must have known this, which is why they left someone in bad health in the middle of nowhere, hoping they would die on this island.

And this person is surely dead by now. Their body might even still be found.

He couldn't accept his fate. Unable to reincarnate, he instead harbored resentment and became a vengeful spirit haunting the ruins at night! However, it's not yet confirmed if the Butcher is this person. Tang Yuan currently lacks definitive proof.

"It's really too strange. Why didn't the Butcher kill him?" Liu Conghui had been watching Tang Yuan as he deciphered the information. "The Butcher attacks us, so they must be hostile. Then why, after catching someone, didn't they just kill them directly, but instead waited in the same spot?"

This doesn't make sense. Waiting there yields no benefit.

By guarding one person, they couldn't pursue the others, and they were wasting time.

"Every action stems from a motive."

Tang Yuan pointed a finger at his own head.

"The Butcher's objective might not be to kill us. When looking at anything, you need to think from the fundamental perspective."