Chapter 44 Bandit Mission
"Don't worry, we're here to rescue you."
Zhou Ya remembered that Yu Shuling had told them that there wasn't much time left and they had to finish quickly, so she quickly adjusted her mindset and spoke briefly to the bride.
If the bride doesn't cooperate with the next steps, all our efforts will be in vain. Zhou Ya told the bride that they were not villagers from this village, and after gesturing like this, she finally convinced the bride.
The bride was trapped inside; the door was locked, and she couldn't get out. Her eyes were red and swollen, making her look pitiful and heartbreaking. Jiang Wenxi was about to kick the door down when Zhou Ya stopped him, signaling him to carry the bride out through the window.
"Me, Sister Zhou Ya?"
Looking at the girl inside dressed in a red wedding gown, Jiang Wenxi was still a little unsure. Zhou Ya, who had just been observing the surroundings, asked in confusion upon hearing his words:
"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be but me?"
Although Zhou Ya seems to be quite strong, even among women, it just seems incongruous to have a woman who is over 1.6 meters tall pulling another woman out of a window.
Seeing this, Jiang Wenxi stopped talking. As he approached, he realized that the window was actually quite high, and it would be difficult for the bride to climb out. So he made up his mind, stretched out his legs to act as a bridge, and grabbed the bride's wrists with both arms. When the bride managed to climb up the window and stepped onto the stool, he turned her down so that she could stand safely on his legs.
"The people from Dakang Village..."
After a moment of hesitation, the bride finally spoke, her voice hoarse from not speaking for so long. Before she could finish, a clear, crisp cuckoo call filled the long night. Remembering this was the secret signal they had agreed upon with Yu Shuling, Zhou Ya didn't have time to ponder how she had imitated it so perfectly. She grabbed the bride's hand.
"They're coming! Run!"
Those who chose to rescue the bride did not witness the scene firsthand. Darkness enveloped the mountain village; in the heavy, indistinct night, a few red lanterns hung, their colors as alluring as blood.
The villagers, who usually appeared kind and gentle, now picked up knives and hammers. They stood blankly under the lanterns, their faces as if stained with blood, looking exceptionally eerie and terrifying.
Because someone nearby, a fitness instructor, wanted to regain the lost ground, his courage returned. He grabbed the person next to him and shouted "Run!" while he himself went to meet the villagers, showing a strong sense of loyalty and wanting to buy time for his teammates.
But he forgot that this place wasn't governed by the rules of fists like in the outside world. Although the villagers were using paper props, the coach's headset mercilessly broadcast a notification that his health had decreased the moment the hammer touched his arm.
And it actually reduced his health by a full ten points in one go!
"Damn it!" The fitness coach couldn't help but curse. Looking at the group of villagers with their menacing smiles, the fear that had been lurking in his heart surged up. Without time to put on a brave face, the tall man turned and ran away like his teammates.
"Hehe, hehehe..."
The eerie laughter of countless villagers, either through loudspeakers or bursting from their own mouths, formed the only strange background music in the darkness.
Even though the guests realized something was wrong and had already fled, a thin layer of smoke began to dissipate at some point. It was smoke made of dry ice, which wouldn't harm the human body and wasn't very dense.
Small lights were placed everywhere, like faint will-o'-the-wisps, but they also ensured that they wouldn't completely lose their way and fall into dangerous places while they were rushing around.
When someone runs a little slower, or stops because they are too tired from the chase, the broadcast will warn them the moment they are touched by the fog that they are surrounded by "poison". People who are trapped in the "poison fog" will continuously lose health.
As Yu Shuling ran, she realized something was wrong. She felt that her companions had become separated from her. However, since it was an individual battle, she figured that nothing could have happened to the others here. Her only worry now was Kawana, who was heading to the river alone.
When she heard the "poisonous fog" announcement, Yu Shuling realized that this was how the game would unfold.
Before appearing on the show, she had watched some of the more classic episodes of "The Wilderness Secret". No matter what kind of mysterious setting there was at the beginning, it would usually turn into a survival chase later on.
Therefore, no matter how flashy things were at the beginning, Yu Shuling always conserved her energy and waited for the next step to begin.
It seems that now is the time for the show to truly become a classic.
The audience in the live stream was buzzing with anticipation, something Yu Shuling couldn't see. But at the same time, she heard the production team's mechanical announcements through her earpiece:
"Mountain bandits, mountain bandits, please respond."
"Mountain bandits, mountain bandits, please respond."
The "bandits" were the trap they encountered before officially entering the village. Yu Shuling and Jiang Wenxi went down together, and the moment they received the dagger inside, they officially joined the bandits' mission.
Yu Shuling heard the voice coming from her earpiece telling her and Jiang Wenxi to meet under the big banyan tree by the water. The branches of that banyan tree were extremely thick, so it must have been quite old and should be relatively easy to find.
With her exceptional memory, Yu Shuling quickly found the meeting point in the darkness. Under a large banyan tree surrounded by aerial roots, she saw a man dressed in black acting suspiciously, seemingly waiting for someone.
That person wasn't Jiang Wenxi; Jiang Wenxi hadn't arrived yet. Yu Shuling wasn't afraid at all; she calmly and composedly stepped forward to ask him what was wrong.
Darkness permeated the eerie village, and mist shrouded the area, obscuring everything in the distance. The "bandit" had a long, grotesque scar painted on his face, making him look ferocious and grotesque, and his voice was hoarse and rough.
He looked Yu Shuling up and down before asking:
"Is everyone here?"
Thinking of Jiang Wenxi, who was probably still on the road avoiding NPCs, Yu Shuling didn't have high hopes for this male lead. She didn't know how long it would take for him to arrive, and delays could lead to unforeseen circumstances, so she decisively said:
“My younger brother hasn’t arrived yet, but if you need anything, just tell me first. It won’t make much difference whether he comes or not.”
The live stream was at its liveliest in the middle of the night, with countless night owl bloggers active in the chat. Upon hearing Yu Shuling's bold response, the chat was flooded with comments:
[Damn, I need a tutorial on courage!]
Although, what you said seems to make a lot of sense.
From the beginning of the show until now, Yu Shuling has accomplished a remarkable amount in advancing the plot on her own, while Jiang Wenxi, on the other hand, has not played a significant role.
The bandits didn't bother with the whole "human-grass-team spirit" thing. Seeing that she had already said that, they simply stuffed the mission card into Yu Shuling's hand and turned to leave.
Using the dim light of the moon, Yu Shuling glanced at the contents of the document, which instructed her to kill the bride and then frame her teammates.
Tsk.
She knew that the bandits' gold and silver treasures wouldn't be so easy to take.
Since going back would mean facing the villagers' pursuit anyway, Yu Shuling was about to head in another direction when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. She immediately looked around. Finding no place to hide, she climbed up this thick, sturdy banyan tree without hesitation.
Soon after, the villagers carrying the props indeed came running up, and seeing that no one was there, they subconsciously looked up.
The banyan tree was lush and its branches were thick, but in the darkness of night, it was completely obscured. Someone threw a stone at the trunk, which only startled a few small insects out, and nothing else.
"Let's go and look around somewhere else."
Someone called out to the villager who had thrown the stone. There were insects in the tree, and although the old banyan tree appeared to have thick branches, it was actually difficult to find footholds. Even for trained people like them, climbing it wouldn't be easy, let alone at night. The players had just been frightened and were unlikely to attempt to climb it.
After those people left, Yu Shuling slowly climbed down from above.
In the dense bushes at night, mosquitoes are plentiful, so insect repellent is essential. Before coming, Yu Shuling sprayed mosquito repellent all over her exposed skin. She's not afraid of insects, but that doesn't mean she likes these little things. With such modern technology available, she naturally wants to make the most of it and won't compromise her own comfort.
After standing there for a few more minutes, Yu Shuling finally noticed Jiang Wenxi arriving late. She saw her standing under the tree, Jiang Wenxi still looking around.
"Stop looking."
Yu Shuling took the initiative to walk over and hand him the task card. Jiang Wenxi looked down at it and his handsome eyebrows immediately furrowed.
Did you agree?
Yu Shuling neither agreed nor disagreed.
Thinking of how ruthless this woman had been to him before, and based on Jiang Wenxi's impression of Yu Shuling, his first reaction was indeed that she was capable of agreeing to do such a thing.
But then I thought about how she was the one who organized everyone to rescue the bride, so Yu Shuling shouldn't be so cold-blooded and heartless, right?
Although it was a game, the NPCs were all so lifelike and vivid. Jiang Wenxi looked down at Yu Shuling under the moonlight, feeling that he could not see through her beautiful appearance to her true thoughts.
Looking past him to the undulating grass in the distance, and realizing it was only being moved by the wind, Yu Shuling turned her gaze away and slightly raised her eyes to look at the person standing in front of her:
If I said I would do it, would you go?
Jiang Wenxi said firmly: "No!"
That's fine.
Yu Shuling often felt that the male lead's intelligence was truly worrisome, and she didn't know how he could become the darling of the world's luck. She was too lazy to pay attention to the male lead anymore, but she thought of Kawana, who had gone out to gather information. Judging by the time, she should be back by now if nothing had gone wrong.
Thinking of this, Yu Shuling turned and left, leaving him with only a tall and slender silhouette, stretched long by the moonlight.
Jiang Wenxi had never really liked Yu Shuling. At first, she thought Yu was pretentious, but now, experiencing being ignored by her, she felt a strange, inexplicable unease. Watching Yu Shuling turn away without a second thought, Jiang Wenxi wanted to call her back, but ultimately held back and walked in another direction.
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Author's Note: I'm back! I should be updating daily for the next few days. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2024-03-10 19:50:20 and 2024-05-28 10:57:15!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Moyu (1);
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Moyu (5 landmines);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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