Beginner Uninhabited Village (12)

In A-Fei's jumbled memories, Teacher Meng was the gentlest person he had ever met in this world.

Unlike the loud women in the village, Teacher Meng always spoke softly and gently. She never got angry, even with troublemaking children like them.

Teacher Meng taught them arithmetic and reading, showed them how to identify the stars in the sky, and told them how vast the world outside was.

Even Chen Xin would secretly tell him that he wanted to marry a girl like Teacher Meng someday.

Teacher Meng also taught them to treat others with kindness, so when he and Chen Xin came across several lost travelers near the village who were on the verge of starvation, the two children decided to help without a second thought.

"Chen Xin sent A-Fei back to the village for help and stayed behind to look after the travelers. But it was the busy farming season, and all the adults were working in the fields. Only Teacher Meng and her husband were free, so Teacher Meng asked her husband to go with Chen Xin and see what was happening."

They thought they were simply helping people in need. They never imagined they were inviting wolves into their home.

A-Fei was a fast runner, but when he reached the outskirts of the village ahead of the others, he saw something he couldn't understand.

Chen Xin lay facedown on the ground, with one of the travelers crouched over his back. When they saw A-Fei approach, the remaining travelers hurriedly stood in front of Chen Xin, blocking him from view. One of them said anxiously, "Kid, I think your friend has heatstroke!"

It was the height of summer, so A-Fei didn't think much of it. Together with Teacher Meng and her husband, he brought the unconscious Chen Xin and the travelers back to the village.

The strangers claimed they had set off together to find work elsewhere, only to be swindled out of all their money. They wanted to work in the village to earn their fare home. Their earnest words easily won the villagers' trust, and Teacher Meng and her husband even hired them to tend their fields.

The outsiders worked hard and often helped the villagers farm without asking for payment, so they were soon accepted.

But A-Fei noticed something was wrong.

"A-Fei noticed a drastic change in Chen Xin's personality. The older boy who used to laugh, play, and protect him grew increasingly gloomy and withdrawn. Meanwhile, the village children began suffering accidents one after another, and every one of them happened while they were with Chen Xin."

Fang Rui asked, "So did A-Fei discover something?"

Ji Xun nodded, his gaze shifting slightly as he looked at the body on the heated brick bed. "A-Fei was a clever, brave boy. He knew Chen Xin would never admit anything if he confronted him without evidence, so he kept watching him in secret."

Finally, down by the river, he found his evidence.

"When Chen Xin was bathing in the river, A-Fei saw an enormous wound on his back, as though his entire back had been torn open." Ji Xun indicated its length with his hands; it nearly spanned the entire back. "But he didn't notice someone behind him. That person knocked him unconscious, then drowned him together with Chen Xin."

Tang Cha rubbed his arms, still looking shaken. "Oh my god."

Lu Jiancheng knitted his brows. "Chen Xin... is he Uncle Chen?"

Ji Xun nodded, then asked Fang Rui, "Any thoughts?"

Of all the players, Fang Rui had an exceptionally vivid imagination. At a time like this, she might offer them a different perspective.

Fang Rui thought for a moment, then said quietly, "In the real world, I'd assume these strangers were criminals targeting children for their organs. But in this world, I'd guess something-or someone-tore open Chen Xin's back and crawled inside his body."

Ji Xun nodded. "Given that the children's identities were replaced, that's the most reasonable theory we have."

Tang Cha looked from Fang Rui to Ji Xun. "How did you two manage to agree on something this horrifying and absurd?"

Zhou Yang sighed and patted Tang Cha's shoulder. "At this point, I'd believe them even if they said you were an alien."

Tang Cha: ...

"Why do the villagers turn into snakes and scorpions at night?"

That was another thing the players had never been able to figure out.

"Children magnify the things they fear. He thought these people were like venomous snakes and scorpions-that touching them would hurt him. Under the influence of his resentment, those outsiders eventually became physical manifestations of A-Fei's fears."

Snakes over two meters tall. Scorpions with pincers as sharp as steel blades.

He regretted bringing those vicious people into the village, yet even in death, he retained his fear of the outsiders who had killed him.

Tang Cha looked helpless. "Thanks to him, the villagers are now the source of my fears."

"I get it. No wonder there are so many snakes at night." Fang Rui sneered and cursed, "They used this village to grow their own population!"

"They really are monsters!" Lu Jiancheng cursed under his breath. "Does the kid know where the fourth villager is?"

Ji Xun shook his head. A-Fei had been trapped in the river since his death. He didn't even know Teacher Meng and her husband were dead, much less what had happened to the villagers who hadn't been replaced.

Tang Cha said worriedly, "I checked while I was asking around. None of the old people or children in the village count as the villagers we need for the main quest. Tomorrow is the last day. What do we do now?"

Ji Xun stared at him for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "Catch a monster and ask."

Tang Cha's expression froze. Stiffly, he asked, "How do we catch one?"

Ji Xun raised an eyebrow. "Go fishing."

There was an hour left until dawn and only one day until the game ended, but the players weren't nervous in the slightest.

Only the trembling "fish" looked distinctly unhappy.

"Ji Xun! Why do I have to be the bait?" Little Fish Tang whimpered, pouting as his eyes kept straying toward Ji Xun's hiding place.

Fang Rui was hiding behind a nearby tree. Seeing this, she whispered, "Stop looking over here! If the monster notices us, it won't come out!"

Tang Cha was so frightened that even his voice shook. He stammered, "I can't help it-ah!"

A pair of eerily glowing eyes appeared in front of him. The Man-Snake lunged toward Tang Cha, then opened its enormous, bloody maw.

Tang Cha swore this was the first time he had realized a human mouth could open so wide-wide enough to fit his head inside with ease.

He spun around and sprinted toward Ji Xun. There was no way the Man-Snake would let its prey escape. It twisted its heavy body and gave chase.

Ji Xun stepped out of the shadows, and Tang Cha darted behind him. "Come on, keep chasing me if you dare!"

He was like a puppy hiding behind its owner, barking defiantly at a much larger dog.

Tang Cha gave a vivid demonstration of what it meant to borrow someone else's power.

The Man-Snake had narrowly escaped Ji Xun's pursuit before and knew the man in the trench coat was a terror. Without a moment's hesitation, it tried to flee.

But the instant it turned around, a bucket dropped from above and covered its head.

Then came a tremendous crash. The Man-Snake felt even its long-rotted brain rattle. Finally, its body went limp and collapsed, making the ground shudder as it landed.

Lu Jiancheng hefted the hammer in his hand and grinned. "See? I told you this would work!"