The Town is Strange

Cheng Shaofeng took Forgiveness Hat and Xiao Xiao toward Salt Well Town.

The three of them each carried a Wolf Tooth Club and followed the route Cheng Shaofeng often took.

Just as Cheng Shaofeng had experienced before, there were no Raiders.

Xiao Xiao looked around the world in amazement.

"What a beautiful game setting! Such a gorgeous setting, but I can't record it. What a shame! If my fans found out I was having this much fun gaming every day without making videos, they'd definitely nag me to upload more."

But then Xiao Xiao reconsidered.

"As long as I don't tell them, everyone will think I'm sleeping right now. I can make videos during the day instead. I'll never have to worry about not finishing my videos because I'm gaming again. Wow~ I'm so happy!"

"Besides farming gear in the game from now on, I should come out and look around more. The Game World doesn't seem dangerous at all."

Forgiveness Hat listened to Xiao Xiao talking to herself and said softly, "It's this route that isn't dangerous, because monsters don't spawn here. There are plenty of dangerous places in the game. Today, at the foot of Iron Mine Mountain, upstream from the river where we fetch water, there was a human settlement sacrificing living people! The scene was extremely bloody! If they didn't censor it, this game would never pass review."

"Eek~ That's terrifying. Then I'd better follow the lord whenever I come out to play. This NPC of ours is invincible, right?"

Forgiveness Hat said, "Yeah, that's true. After all, Calamity Base is the foundation of us players. There's only one lord right now. If he died, wouldn't the story just end? So as long as we follow the lord through the plot, safety shouldn't be a problem."

Listening to the two players chatting behind him, Cheng Shaofeng found it rather amusing.

They had treated him like an umbrella.

But I really do have an umbrella: Calamity Base's Defense System.

The first time a Radiated Material had slapped him in the face, it had automatically activated the Defense Shield and blocked the attack for him.

Cheng Shaofeng had already asked Zero about it. As long as the base had energy, its Defense System could provide him with uninterrupted automatic protection around the clock. He would not suddenly get shot while walking around and then GAMEOVER.

But if he was captured, there was nothing he could do. As long as the enemy kept draining his base's energy, the defense would eventually break.

That was also why he had brought the players along. If he got captured, the players could hold them off first while he ran. Once he got back to the base, he would make sure they revived for free!

Of course, the two players had no idea what Cheng Shaofeng was thinking and continued chatting merrily.

Before long, the three arrived outside Salt Well Town.

Looking at the peaceful town, Cheng Shaofeng relaxed as well.

"This is the safest town in the Four Mountains region. It has relatively abundant supplies and can meet most of our current needs."

"Why is it so quiet today? Where are the people at the gate?"

He sniffed and caught the scent of blood.

Just as he was about to look for its source, Wang Qian's voice came from the gate. "Xiao Feng? You're back? How did this trip go?"

Cheng Shaofeng frowned. "How did it go?"

"Oh, pretty well. I found some good stuff and was planning to sell it to the shop."

Wang Wan also walked out through the town gate. "I knew you had it in you, kid. You always come back with something whenever you go out. By the way, who are these two?"

"New friends! Xiao Xiao and Hat. They used to live in some other small place, so I brought them to town to broaden their horizons. By the way, Brother Qian, Brother Wan, are you skinning prey? Why does it smell so bloody?"

Wang Qian paused slightly, then smiled. "Yeah, yeah. We caught a blood deer this morning. We're dealing with its hide so we can make Xiao Hao some clothes. Now that you're back, hurry inside. Come have some meat soup at my place later! Same old rule, bring beans."

Cheng Shaofeng smiled. "Sure! We'll eat before we leave. Come on, let's go in."

The two players behind him could not understand what Cheng Shaofeng was saying. They only saw the lord exchanging pleasantries with the people in town in a language they did not understand.

Xiao Xiao sniffed. "Are all the people in this town skinning prey at the entrance? The smell of blood is seriously strong."

Forgiveness Hat said, "Maybe. Look, the gate splits the sunlight perfectly in half. Go inside, and it becomes overcast; come outside, and it's sunny. The lighting here is better, so maybe it's more convenient for drying things? Honestly, the environmental system in this game is incredibly detailed. It was warm just a moment ago, but the instant we got here, it turned chilly."

Just as Cheng Shaofeng stepped through the gate with his left foot, a hand grabbed him from behind.

"Shaofeng, don't go in! I need to tell you something. Come with me!"

Cheng Shaofeng froze and turned around to see Wu Jie somehow standing behind him, gripping his hand with an anxious look on his face.

"Wu Jie? I came here looking for you, actually. I saw your doll being sold, and I thought something had happened to you. What's going on?"

Wu Jie had been the previous owner's most trusted friend. They had scavenged together for three years.

After inheriting those memories, Cheng Shaofeng naturally regarded Wu Jie as someone dependable. He had planned to bring Wu Jie over to help once things at the base were running smoothly.

Wu Jie frowned. "Come with me first. This isn't a convenient place to talk. I have something to tell you alone."

"Alright. Xiao Xiao, Forgiveness Hat, you two wait here for me. Wander around a bit. I'll be right back."

Cheng Shaofeng followed the mysterious Wu Jie five hundred meters away from the town gate, but the smell of blood continued to linger around his nose.

"What is it?"

Once Wu Jie saw that they were far from the town gate, his expression darkened at once. "I saw Brother Qian and Brother Wan leave this morning with my own eyes. They still haven't returned! Who exactly was talking to you just now? Do you remember the stories the elders told us? The town... has ghosts!"

Cheng Shaofeng jolted, then suddenly looked toward the two players who had already entered the town. The shadows were about to swallow them.

"Not good!"

Wang Qian and Wang Wan at the gate looked strangely at Cheng Shaofeng, who had suddenly left.

"Who was Xiao Feng talking to just now? Why did he leave?"

"Huh? Are you Xiao Feng's new companions? Are you Scavengers too? Where did he go?"

Xiao Xiao asked with a baffled expression, "Didn't he go talk to a friend? Someone named Wu Jie. Don't you know him?"

Forgiveness Hat glanced doubtfully at the lord walking away, then at Wang Qian and Wang Wan, and frowned.

Wang Qian was startled. "Wu Jie? Isn't he dead?"

The two players: "???"

Wang Wan said, "Yeah. The day before yesterday, after Xiao Feng pushed his cart out of Salt Well Town, Wu Jie seemed to be in a bad mood. He smashed things and cursed in his house. That night, there were those sounds from the Town Chief's house again. You know what I mean! Usually quiet and honest, Wu Jie came out and shouted. The sounds stopped, but the Town Chief's guards came over. He argued with them, and the captain shot him dead on the spot. It was horrible. Later, everything he owned was taken away by the Town Chief's people."

Wang Qian asked solemnly, "So... why did you mention Wu Jie? What exactly did Xiao Feng go to do?"

Xiao Xiao asked word by word, "You... really didn't see... someone pull him away?"

Wang Qian and Wang Wan answered in unison, "No!"

Xiao Xiao stiffly turned her head and looked at the lord growing farther and farther away. Beside him... there was no one at all!

Cold sweat immediately broke out all over her body.

"What kind of game is this?"

"Brother Hat... I'm scared."

She instinctively reached for Forgiveness Hat's arm, then froze, her eyes widening in terror.

His arm was cold.

Forgiveness Hat was already dead!