Metamorphosis

The dim light shines through the canopy blocked by leaves, like a forgotten world.

The surroundings were so quiet that it was frightening. Peng Ningyu couldn't help but cover her mouth quietly to avoid making any sound.

It was as if her subconscious was telling her not to make a sound.

“Pah.”

The sound of branches being stepped on and broken was heard suddenly. Peng Ningyu was so frightened that her body trembled and she turned her head to look for the source of the sound.

I saw that where I was alone just now, in the blink of an eye, there was a group of people.

Peng Ningyu looked at the group of people who suddenly appeared in doubt and uncertainty. He saw that they were all strong and tall, with fierce looks, so he didn't dare to approach them rashly.

But the group of people saw Peng Ningyu, and they understood what was going on at a glance.

One of them had a bad temper and was the most muscular of the group. He immediately cursed in a hoarse voice, "Damn, why are there new people here?"

There was a man wearing glasses, who looked a little more gentle, "Ni Peng."

Ni Peng shut up, but his expression was still a little angry, "Everyone is here, let's go quickly?"

The man with glasses shook his head and said, "It hasn't been announced yet. Some people haven't arrived yet."

Ni Peng wanted to curse again, but when he saw the man with glasses, he swallowed it back.

The group didn't have to wait long.

But the person who was waiting did not appear out of thin air, but walked out from outside the jungle.

The man had a cheerful temperament and handsome appearance, with deep and bright eyes. He had long hair that reached his shoulder blades and was tied up with a hair rope and hung behind his back. He slowly walked out from the deep mountains and jungles.

Ni Peng scratched his head and looked at the man with glasses, but the other party did not make any obvious movements.

"System announcement: All gamers have entered. Five minutes will be reserved for players to get to know each other as quickly as possible."

Ni Peng spoke first, "Ni Peng."

The man with glasses then said, "Mi Tao."

The five people in their group introduced their names one after another, and then only Peng Ningyu, who acted alone, and the last man were left.

The latter glanced at Peng Ningyu, who was obviously still hesitant and afraid, and smiled before saying anything, "He Lizhou, nice to meet you."

Peng Ningyu then followed closely, "Peng Ningyu."

…

"Congratulations to all players for entering the dungeon "Butterfly Transformation". Please listen carefully to the background story."

"Forty years ago, Wanhua Village was still a beautiful place, isolated from the world, with men farming and women weaving. It was the most beautiful paradise. But from some day on, the village was cursed, the villagers contracted strange diseases, and the population became smaller and smaller..."

"The following is a player mission: Please complete the villagers' commission within five days and find out why the Wanhua Village was cursed. Please be careful not to get yourself infected with strange diseases during the mission."

"Well, good luck to you all."

As soon as the voice broadcast ended, a villager came from the depths. The old man looked at the group critically, pointed at Ni Peng and his group, and said bluntly: "You don't look like a painter at all!"

The moment he put down his hand, He Lizhou saw a thin flash of phosphorescence between the other's fingernails. When he wanted to see more clearly, he found only years of mud there.

Then he squinted his eyes at He Lizhou and Peng Ningyu who had come close to He Lizhou without knowing when, "You two still look like decent people."

After commenting on the player, the old man turned around and left, and the player immediately followed.

The road became narrower and narrower, and could barely accommodate one person. The players had to line up and pass one person at a time. Ni Peng squeezed through the bushes and couldn't help but kick the bushes, earning a look of contempt from the old man.

No matter how careless Ni Peng was, he would not lose his temper at the NPC like a fool, so he glared fiercely at the trembling Peng Ningyu.

He Lizhou noticed his look and calmly let Peng Ningyu walk in front of him, separating her from Ni Peng.

Ni Peng laughed sarcastically, "What time is it, and you're still thinking about flirting with girls?"

He Lizhou was not annoyed, but he didn't say anything either. He just smiled and looked at Mi Tao.

Mi Tao received his gaze and without a word, reached out and pulled Ni Peng. Although he looked very gentle, he actually pulled Ni Peng so hard that he staggered and threw him behind him.

He Lizhou didn't seem to find it strange. He smiled with satisfaction, straightened up and continued on his way.

The current formation has become the old villager, Peng Ningyu, He Lizhou, Mi Tao, Ni Peng, and the other three members of Mi Tao's team.

While on the way, He Lizhou felt Mi Tao tripped once and his back was briefly touched, but he quickly stood up again.

He Lizhou lowered his eyes calmly and glanced at the road he had just walked.

The road was bumpy and indeed not flat enough to save effort, but Peng Ningyu was still able to hold on. How could he, a man who could easily pull away an adult male of Ni Peng's size, be tripped?

The road gradually opened up, and the old man stopped and said, "Village Chief."

The head of Wanhua Village smiled and patted the old man on the shoulder. "Old Hu, you have worked hard. Go back and have a rest. I will take care of the guests."

Old Hu had his back to the crowd, so no one could see his expression. All they could hear was his stagnant voice, "Okay, thank you, village chief."

Lao Hu limped into the village. The players dispersed and only then did he see the situation in the village.

In such a secluded place, the village here is surprisingly magnificently built. If the few people had not personally walked that difficult mountain road, they would almost think they had entered some tourist building in a scenic spot.

The head of Wanhua Village quietly admired everyone's expressions for a while, and said proudly: "Our Wanhua Village is the best village in this mountain. People from other villages can't come in and live here!"

Mi Tao seemed to be amazed and took a step towards the village chief. "Such a nice house must have cost a lot of money to build!"

Taking this opportunity, he immediately glanced at the village chief's fingers, but found that the fingers were clean and there was no trace of farm work.

The village chief smiled and took two steps back. "It's all because of our hard work. I'll show you where we live first."

Mi Tao also took a step back, smiled and nodded.

He Lizhou stood aside, saw what they were doing, and smiled.

Peng Ningyu couldn't help but ask, "Handsome, can I live next door to you tonight?"

He Lizhou was a little surprised. He thought Peng Ningyu was a person who didn't like to trouble others, but she actually took the initiative to find him. However, he thought that a little girl who was forced to be involved in such a weird game must be scared.

"Of course, call me if you need anything in the evening."

Peng Ningyu's tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, her emotions almost out of control, she quickly covered her face with her hands and choked with sobs as she thanked him.

The village chief noticed the commotion here, and his expression suddenly became gloomy and terrifying. A terrifying light jumped out of his old and dim eyes, "Why are you crying?"

He Lizhou immediately felt something was wrong and took a half step forward, "Her hometown is a mountain village. She hasn't been back for a long time. Seeing the scenery here makes me feel a little touched."

The village chief's expression improved and he said proudly, "The scenery in our village is famous for its beauty. Little girl, enjoy it these days."

He Lizhou: "Yes, I have never seen such a beautiful scenery. Can we walk around tomorrow?"

The village chief began to hesitate, and finally looked at Peng Ningyu with tears in her eyes and said, "Don't go to the innermost jungle, you can go anywhere else."

Mi Tao immediately responded with a smile, "Does the village chief have any recommendations for places? We are unfamiliar with the place, and the village chief knows the village best."

The village chief frowned and said, "You have to discover the beautiful scenery yourself. Young people should not think about getting something for nothing every day."

Mi Tao, who was accused of getting something for nothing, scratched his nose.

Finally, the village chief brought the group to a small bamboo building and said, "You can choose any house here. You don't have to worry about food. Someone will deliver it to you every day."

Ni Peng still remembered the mission. "So what do we need to do? Just enjoy the scenery every day?"

The village chief glared at him and warned him: "I didn't invite you here to eat, drink and have fun. The painting must satisfy me!"

The village chief left after saying this. Ni Peng scratched his head in confusion and asked, "What did he say that must satisfy him?"

Mi Tao's tone was quite disappointed, "Draw! Let's draw a picture."

Ni Peng: "I haven't learned this before. Can someone draw a copy for me?"

His gaze slowly shifted to Peng Ningyu, probably because he thought that most girls could draw to some extent.

Before He Lizhou could say anything, Mi Tao patted Ni Peng's broad back and said, "Aren't you afraid that if you didn't draw it yourself, the village chief will find out and kill you?"

Ni Peng's face turned pale, he quietly withdrew his gaze and said nothing.

Mi Tao sighed, "I'm sorry, Xiaoyu, he is just like that. He actually has no problem with you."

Peng Ningyu nodded timidly.

The small bamboo house has three floors. The first floor is the living room and kitchen, the second floor is the guest bedroom, there are exactly five rooms, and the third floor is a large studio.

Although any room could be occupied, no one wanted to live in the room at the stairs, so the group finally decided to play finger-guessing games to see the winner.

Finally, a man from Mi Tao's team moved in. He looked very bad. He Lizhou saw him staring at Mi Tao viciously for a while.

Mi Tao noticed it, so he didn't rush to choose a room. He smiled and watched him enter the room and close the door, then he quickly went into the room he had already locked.

He Lizhou and Peng Ningyu lived next door, and the rooms were now allocated.

The few of them packed up briefly, went downstairs to meet up, and prepared to finalize the itinerary for the next day.

When they arrived at the living room, they found steaming food on the dining table.

The faces of several people changed instantly. They had been playing the game for several years, so their sensitivity was naturally high. However, no one noticed when someone entered the building.

Looking at the sumptuous dinner, several people had different thoughts, but no one dared to take action.

After this incident, the Mitao team, which had originally planned to act collectively, no longer organized players and changed their plan to act freely and look for clues individually.

Ni Peng followed Mi Tao and walked at the back. He waited until everyone went upstairs and entered their rooms before he went into Mi Tao's room.

Ni Peng lowered his voice and asked, "Captain, what do you want from me?"

Mi Tao looked at Ni Peng and couldn't help but sigh, "Be careful with He Lizhou, don't get close to him, and don't mess with the girl next to him."

Ni Peng raised his eyebrows, "I have never met He Lizhou. If he was a powerful character, we would have known it long ago. I am afraid of what he might do."

Mi Tao said seriously: "He is not a player."

"Not a player?" Ni Peng was obviously frightened. He did not doubt Mi Tao because Mi Tao had acquired the ability to view player information.

Mi Tao recalled the scene when he deliberately fell down to check He Lizhou's identity, and his eyes gradually darkened.

His skills were invincible, and even famous players could see that it was a powerful cheating tool. However, he suffered a major setback from He Lizhou.

This person is not a player, could he be a hidden NPC?

Thinking back to when He Lizhou appeared, it was indeed not the system that teleported him, but he walked in from the outside on his own.

Could he be the painter who entered this village in the original plot?

But at the beginning, he also heard it when the system broadcast the exchange of identities.