“Cough… cough cough…”

Walnut, covered in mud, crawled on the ground, coughing and looking palely at the corpse of the poisonous lizard not far away. Fortunately, she was already dead, otherwise she would have really died by now.

But even if she died, Walnut still felt uncomfortable. The entire bottomless swamp was filled with various human and animal corpses, even excrement and disgusting smelly mud. Walnut was so depressed at the moment that she even urgently wanted to find a place to take a shower and change clothes!

"Now you understand, this is different from the game."

Looking at Hu Tao with amusement, Fang Zheng shook his head.

"You have to know that this is just a low-level mission, and reality is not a game. There is no chance for you to reload the game and start over... How do you feel now?"

"So disgusting... oooh..."

Fortunately, Hu Tao hasn't eaten much during this period, otherwise she would have vomited just by looking at the dirt on her body.

"You should be thankful that this poisonous lizard is just trying to eat you."

Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and the next moment the mud and other filth on Hu Tao's body disappeared instantly, allowing the girl to return to her original radiant appearance.

"If it's a goblin or a goblin, they won't be so kind. They'll pounce on you, take off your armor, and play with your body... Do you need me to describe it in more detail? If necessary, I can use 5,000 words to describe the whole process."

"No, that's fine..."

Hearing this, Hu Tao's face turned pale. Although she was carefree, she was also a girl, so she naturally understood what Fang Zheng meant. However, when she heard Fang Zheng's words, Hu Tao still couldn't believe it.

"Is this world... so dangerous?"

"Of course. How do you think the mercenary you replaced died?"

Fang Zheng pointed at the mercenary nameplate hanging around her neck.

"She went with her companions to encircle and suppress the goblins, but failed and was captured. Then she was used as a toy by the goblins and was played with to death. If other adventurers hadn't gone to clear out the goblins, you probably wouldn't even be able to find her body. This is what mercenaries are like. It's completely different from the game. They work with their heads on the line and have to face all kinds of dangers anytime and anywhere. This is in the wild, from those evil creatures. In addition, you have to face the threat of humans. Mercenaries are scheming against each other, and it's not uncommon for them to stab you in the back. There are also people who sneak into other mercenary groups as undercovers, and then quietly grow stronger. Then, they take the opportunity to kill the leader and take the others to join their original leader..."

Having said that, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

"You still have a chance to think about it, and you have to understand that the living environment in this world is not as good as that in Tiandao Palace. As you can see, most areas here are still in the Middle Ages or the early days of the Industrial Revolution. You don't have the Internet, no TV, and no air conditioning here. And you don't have time to eat dessert with friends, watch concerts, or play games together... This is more dangerous than you think. Even so, do you still want to continue?"

“…”

This time, Hu Tao did not answer immediately like before. Just as Fang Zheng said, as a zombie, she might not be afraid of death. But Hu Tao was still a girl after all. Maybe she was not afraid of death, but thinking about what Fang Zheng said... it was enough to scare Hu Tao.

Originally, Hu Tao was full of confidence in being a mercenary. In Hu Tao's view, she had killed many zombies in the biochemical world and could be considered "seasoned and had seen blood". Being a mercenary should be simple and ordinary. In addition, she was a zombie and would not die, so she was naturally more confident.

But now it seems that the little experience that I was proud of is of no use at all.

Even if she didn't die, there would be no benefit. If Fang Zheng hadn't come to her rescue, Hu Tao would have had to stay in this bottomless swamp for the rest of her life.

"And I have to make one thing clear. When the situation gets critical, you can indeed seek help from the Tiandao Palace, but you must know that I formed this mercenary group as the outer eye of the Tiandao Palace. In other words, there will not be any superficial connection between the Tiandao Palace and this mercenary group. Perhaps I can sponsor some start-up funds, but other than that, you will have to solve all the troubles and difficulties you encounter by yourself. Once the situation is dangerous enough to require the Tiandao Palace to intervene, then this mercenary group will disappear, and you must return to the Tiandao Palace immediately. After all, the Tiandao Palace still has a lot of troubles and enemies. Once your identity is exposed, the other party will focus on you, and it will be even more dangerous at that time."

Fang Zheng had to make these things clear first. The identity of the peripheral spies could not be exposed, and because of the geographical location of the Tiandao Palace, many forces could not reach out to it and could only sigh in despair. However, if they knew that there was an organization of the Tiandao Palace inland, they would definitely try every means to test it. Therefore, Fang Zheng had to ensure that this mercenary group would not expose its relationship with the Tiandao Palace, and if it was exposed, it would immediately evacuate.

If it was just Kuang San, Fang Zheng would be relieved. With Kuang San's ability, there is really no need to worry about these problems. But Hu Tao is different. Even if she has seen blood in the biochemical world, she is just an ordinary high school girl after all. However, the living environment in the main world is much more dangerous than where she originally stayed.

Fang Zheng didn't say it before because he also found that Hu Tao seemed a little dizzy, so he decided to let Hu Tao calm down first, and then make plans... Well, now it seems that being soaked at the bottom of the bottomless swamp for more than ten minutes is indeed enough to calm a person down.

“…”

After listening to Fang Zheng's words, Hu Tao was silent for a long time. Then she gritted her teeth, stood up, and picked up her shovel.

"Don't try to be stubborn."

Fang Zheng glanced at Hu Tao.

"It's not shameful to retreat. This is only part of the dangers in the main world, and it's the lowest level. Otherwise, why don't you let those little girls come here? Do you really think they are weaker than you? Being cautious is the first priority. If you want to hold on for the sake of saving face or because you feel embarrassed, then don't do it. There are only three of us here, and no one will laugh at you."

"No...Brother Fang Zheng, I have made up my mind."

However, facing Fang Zheng's warning, Hu Tao shook his head.

"To be honest, I never knew what I should do. After leaving that world, everyone lived the life they wanted, but I... I didn't know what I should do."

As she spoke, Kurumi looked at her hands.

"I've become a zombie. I'm different from Yuri and the others. Although everyone is very nice to me, they also have their own lives. Miss Reiya is doing very well at 'Fran Xiu Xiu' now, and I also want to find something I can do. But... to be honest, I don't know what I should do."

Having said this, Hu Tao raised her head and looked at Fang Zheng.

"But I want to give it a try, Brother Fang Zheng."

"Well, since you said that, I have nothing to say."

Hearing the girl's answer, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. Hu Tao had upgraded this to the level of a "life goal", so he really didn't know what to say.

"But remember, safety comes first. If you really run into any trouble, you can contact me for help. You can tell others that I am a wandering wizard in the mercenary group, and I am usually doing important commissions. Of course, this is only limited to me. If you really encounter trouble that requires the Tiandao Palace to intervene... you know. Also, listen to Kuang San's ideas more often. She has more experience in this area than you."

"Yes, Brother Fang Zheng!"

Hearing this, Kurumi clenched his fists tightly and nodded.

“I will try my best!”