The female ghost in the Red Cloak revealed her body: a pale beauty with an oval face. She was actually rather attractive.
But Cheng Shaofeng had no mood to admire her appearance. He only knew one thing: this was bad.
The female ghost had been sealed here by people from Duoyu Academy, while he had impersonated someone from that supposedly formidable academy and even made up two prospective students. Would this female ghost vent all the anger she had accumulated over years of imprisonment on him?
It was hard to tell.
At this moment, Cheng Shaofeng could only give an awkward laugh. "Ha... haha... Since you're free now, I suddenly remembered I have something to do at home, so I'll be leaving first! Please make way."
The Red-Clad Female Ghost did not move aside. Instead, she blew out a breath. A tangible cloud of smoke rushed toward him, turning into a grayish-white coin when it reached Cheng Shaofeng. A red cloak was engraved on it.
Cheng Shaofeng caught it. "This is...?"
The Red-Clad Female Ghost chuckled. "Hehe~ I said that if you helped me answer that question, you would earn my respect. If you run into trouble around Four Mountains, crush this coin, and I will help you once. Don't look so surprised. Good ghosts keep their word too. Your two little followers... aren't bad, but they're too weak. And you don't have that signature turtle shield from your academy. I'll give them two Phantasmal Weapons for protection."
The female ghost was in an excellent mood and was not stingy with her rewards.
She spread out both hands, and two masses of black energy gathered in her palms, taking the shapes of a crossbow and a sword.
Xiao Xiao and Forgiveness Hat each received a weapon.
"Though they may not be as powerful as the strange things from your Duoyu Academy, my Phantasmal Weapons are more suitable for ordinary people like them."
The Red-Clad Female Ghost moved away from the door, allowing them to leave freely.
Only then did Cheng Shaofeng finally relax.
The ghosts of this world really did keep their promises.
"Before I leave, I have another question. What is your relationship with Salt Well Town? What role do you play here? And what happened to the people in town?"
The Red-Clad Female Ghost floated into the air, her body drifting lazily as if she were savoring the taste of freedom.
"The people in town are merely asleep. Oh, and there are more than fifty unconscious Raiders outside town. Figure out how to deal with them. Don't disturb my rest in Salt Well Town. You humans can live your lives. I only need to play the role of the Town Chief, and everyone can live in peace."
"Then where is the real Town Chief?" Cheng Shaofeng pressed.
"Him... He was the only human in town who knew my identity. Unfortunately... he became too obsessed with the Phantasmal Illusion. Every day, he begged me to send him inside. In the end, he completely lost himself in the illusion and died."
Cheng Shaofeng keenly caught a piece of information.
"You can send people into the Phantasmal Illusion every day?"
"It's my innate ability. I've known how to do it since the first day I became a ghost. What? Do you want to try the Phantasmal Illusion too? Open your protective shield, and I can send you in."
"Uh, I'll pass. But my people may need to train in your illusion. If possible, can you take them into it again?"
The Red-Clad Female Ghost chuckled. "You really are a pushy human. But I'm in a good mood today, so I'll grant your request once."
She waved a hand, drawing in all the grayish-white mist covering Salt Well Town and spreading it across the first floor of the Town Chief's house.
"As long as you open this door, you will enter the Phantasmal Illusion. At most once a day. Otherwise, your people will become like the Town Chief, lost in the illusion until they die. As for what you might encounter in the illusion... even I cannot control it. If your people die inside..."
"It's fine! If they die, it proves they aren't worthy of entering Duoyu Academy."
"Hehe~ Among all the freaks in Duoyu Academy, you're the most refreshingly unconventional one."
The Red-Clad Female Ghost vanished, and the door to the first floor of the Town Chief's house shut tightly.
The town returned to normal. People lay sprawled across the streets and at the entrance, all of them residents of this small town.
Forgiveness Hat: "..."
Xiao Xiao: "..."
After Cheng Shaofeng stopped translating, neither of them could understand what was happening in this world at all.
"But it looks like the crisis has been resolved. We cleared this dungeon, right?"
Xiao Xiao stroked the crossbow in her hand. "The clear rewards were already handed out, so probably."
Forgiveness Hat: "Too bad... I can't see the weapon's stats. We'll identify it after returning to the base."
Xiao Xiao looked somewhat troubled. "Your sword can be used right away, but I still have to make bolts for this crossbow. Otherwise, what am I supposed to shoot? Luckily, Thin Dog and the others got a Mutated Creature—the Titanium Magnesium Chicken. Its feathers are comparable to titanium-magnesium alloy, so we won't lack materials for crossbow bolts."
Cheng Shaofeng called out, "Follow me. Let's kill those Raiders!"
Although he had no idea why so many Raiders had appeared outside Salt Well Town, this was a perfect opportunity!
Those Green Skins whose racial mission was to capture humans all deserved to die! Cheng Shaofeng felt no psychological burden whatsoever as he slaughtered them.
Cheng Shaofeng led the other two toward the Raiders lying outside Salt Well Town, sleeping soundly. Three Wolf Tooth Clubs swung up and down, splashing green blood everywhere.
Golden Critical Hit!
Golden Critical Hit!
Golden Critical Hit!
Against targets lying on the ground, every strike was fatal.
Even the two towering Raider Elites could not withstand having their heads repeatedly smashed by blunt weapons.
Cheng Shaofeng watched thin strands flow from the Raiders' bodies into the players' bodies.
He asked Zero in his mind, "Why can players kill monsters to gain experience while I can't?"
Zero said, "Master, because the bodies of the Clones are not normal human bodies. When their bodies were originally designed, genes allowing evolution through Life Drain were added. Furthermore, the electronic components inside them can store all the genes they evolve, accumulating them until they erupt at a certain stage, producing an effect similar to gaining experience and leveling up."
"And you possess a human body, so you do not have this ability. But likewise, you do not have the limitations of the Clones. Their bodies have innate flaws. Each person can only choose two energy evolution paths, while with the base's assistance, you can absorb energy in any form to strengthen yourself. The heights you can reach are far beyond what Clones can compare to."
Cheng Shaofeng said, "Oh, so that's how it is."
"By the way, speaking of the base, I've never asked you this. Do you know about this Duoyu Academy the Red-Clad Female Ghost mentioned? Were you created by this academy?"
Zero said, "In response to Master, Zero does not know. Most of my database has been sealed by the base. When you charge the base to the next stage, I may be able to unlock more data."
"Fine!"
The AI butler knew nothing when asked, so he could only take things one step at a time.
Cheng Shaofeng felt that the Red-Clad Female Ghost's story was coherent from beginning to end. The base on him was most likely connected to Duoyu Academy.
"To figure out the base's origins... I still need to go to Red City."
He recalled that before the original owner of this body died, the last place he scavenged had been Red City, a city of extreme danger but abundant opportunities.
In Salt Well Town, only he and Wu Jie had gone there several times and returned alive.
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