The Stinky Smell of Annoying Fowl

This horror game wanted to slowly, bit by bit, extinguish humanity's hope.

Once all humans fell into despair and numbness, it would devour the entire Blue Star in one gulp.

If Shen Yu hadn't obtained the system, this would indeed have been Blue Star's fate.

Shen Yu took a deep breath. No matter!

Contain the Weirds, build an organization, play his roles, and now add clearing dungeons to the list—step by step, he had plenty of patience!

His gaze shifted to Bai Zuo's side.

After they triggered the dungeon, white mist appeared on the outskirts of Anyang Island, enveloping the entire island.

Kong Yubo had been wearing headphones to communicate with the outside world. After a burst of static, they went silent.

"Captain, the signal's cut off!"

Kong Yubo checked the equipment on him and found that everything requiring a signal had become useless. It was very similar to the situation at Huayuan Ridge.

But unlike Huayuan Ridge, they had triggered a dungeon.

Kong Yubo initially wanted to have an uninjured teammate try to pass through the white mist, but Ji Wu stopped him.

"It's useless. Rushing in will only get you lost in the mist."

Kong Yubo said, "Then we can only leave after completing the clearance conditions."

Ji Wu looked a bit embarrassed and awkward. "I'm afraid that won't work either."

The others immediately asked in surprise, "Why?"

Ji Wu said, "First clearance condition: the Holy Prince has already taken his seat. Even if we complete the Lamp Mansion Festival, we can't fulfill Yama's requirements."

Because the original purpose of the Lamp Mansion Festival was to offer the Holy Prince to appease Yama.

The Holy Prince was Yama's most satisfactory sacrifice.

But from the moment the Holy Prince grasped authority, he could no longer be a sacrifice.

"Second, becoming a resident of the afterlife—who knows if we can still return to reality?"

This place was a simulation of hell. Yama was its ruler. If they became its residents, who could say whether they'd be assimilated?

Kong Yubo thought for a moment and understood his meaning. "I saw you have strange powers earlier, enough to deal with those monsters. So, can we kill Yama?"

Ji Wu glanced at Bai Zuo, hesitating over whether to reveal the Contract Anomalist identity to an unrelated person.

Bai Zuo propped himself on his arm and said casually, "Say it if you want."

Ji Wu figured that was fair. With the Heart Gu's ability to control minds and alter memories, they could just wipe the other's memory afterward.

"Those two are Contract Anomalists who specialize in handling these Weirds. But Xu Zhou is still a rookie—he can't use his abilities skillfully yet. As for Bai Zuo, his abilities lean more toward support."

"As for this Ghost Domain's boss, we estimate it's definitely a Malignant Curse. Converted to Contract Anomalist ranks, that's B-rank! Taking it down with just Xu Zhou and Bai Zuo is a bit tough."

Kong Yubo hadn't expected Ji Wu to reveal so many secrets to an outsider like him.

Or was it that, relying on the ability to modify memories, he felt so emboldened?

Kong Yubo secretly signaled his teammates while continuing to chat with Ji Wu: "What ranks are Student Xu and this Mr. Bai?"

"Xu Zhou is a C-rank Contract Anomalist. Bai Zuo is S-rank."

"S-rank?" Tian Hua exclaimed. Though he didn't understand the ranking system of this mysterious organization, S-rank sounded like a very high tier.

Kong Yubo said, "Even if Mr. Bai's abilities lean toward support, an S-rank facing a B-rank Weird should still be able to crush it, right?"

"That's true for normal Contract Anomalists, but Bai Zuo's case is special. He needs people controlled by the Heart Gu to exert his power."

"However, people who are too fragile can't withstand high-intensity battles and easily break down mid-fight. So unless we're in a desperate situation, we restrict him from using this ability."

Ji Wu looked at the crowd under Bai Zuo's control. "If that many people die at once, we'd have a headache too!"

Kong Yubo's eye twitched as he listened. He looked at Bai Zuo with a complicated expression. So it wasn't that they couldn't fight—it was that it would come at a huge cost?

And that cost didn't even have to be paid by Bai Zuo himself. If such a terrifying ability was restricted... just how terrifying was the organization behind this man?

Kong Yubo made a decision: "Control us! We've undergone a lot of training. Our physical condition is much better than ordinary people's. We should be able to be of some use, right?"

At that moment, Kong Yubo understood Zhang Lin's choice through empathy.

Tian Hua and the other teammates also fearlessly patted their chests. "Right! Control us!"

Xu Zhou gripped the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in his hand and said with firm eyes, "And me!" As a member of the Contract Anomalists, he had to shoulder his duty.

Even if it meant betting his own life!

Ji Wu saw Xu Zhou's determination, and also the fear he hid well but still faintly revealed in his eyes.

Was there really no other way?

Sending a newcomer who had just joined and hadn't fully mastered his abilities to fight a Weird far stronger than himself?

This was the reality every Contract Anomalist faced. Countless Contract Anomalists had died on the road fighting Weirds.

No one could guarantee they'd return safely from every mission.

Ji Wu sighed with a complicated look. "Then we'll leave it to you."

Ji Wu waited for Bai Zuo to use his ability, but found that Bai Zuo hadn't moved at all.

Come to think of it, Bai Zuo had been staring up at the sky, as if lost in thought?

That didn't quite fit Bai Zuo's usual personality—when did Bai Zuo ever have such quiet moments?

Except when he was brewing some nasty scheme, or in the middle of doing something bad, he was quiet. The rest of the time, he'd never stop saying things that made people's blood pressure spike.

In short, he never let up!

Ji Wu immediately tensed up. "What are you looking at?"

Bai Zuo gazed thoughtfully at the sky.

Ji Wu looked up. In the sky, aside from that enormous Spider, there was nothing unusual.

Bai Zuo suddenly fanned the air in front of his nose, making an exaggerated expression of disgust. "Ew~ I smell the stench of some hateful bird!"

"What bird stench?"

Xu Zhou curiously leaned in, sniffing hard, twisting his head around trying to catch the smell Bai Ge mentioned, a bit like a puppy twitching its nose.

Ji Wu covered his face in exasperation. "Xu Zhou, don't believe everything Bai Zuo says."

But... bird stench?

For Bai Zuo to show such obvious disgust, it couldn't be an ordinary animal. A bird, and one Bai Zuo hated—could it be...

High above, as if hearing Bai Zuo's disdainful words, many white, illusory feathers drifted down.

Kong Yubo and the others also noticed these feathers, all looking up.

"Feathers?"

A clear chirp rang out, and at the same time, a fierce wind rose from the ground!

Everyone was forced to close their eyes by the blast.