Midnight, at the village chief's house.
Xiao Jin gently pried open the wooden window latch with her dagger and silently slipped inside. The room was pitch black, with only the flickering candlelight on the altar illuminating the dense array of talismans on the walls.
The others followed suit.
"Usually, places like this have secret rooms or basements or something, right?" Feng Hao said softly.
“I’ve looked at the general layout. There’s no space in the secret room, so it’s most likely a basement.” Shao Siyuan looked down and released a few small ants from his hand.
It's so small you can't see it if you're not paying attention.
"Where is the basement?" Sui Ying asked in a low voice.
Xiao Jin didn't answer, but stared at the talisman on the wall.
Unexpectedly, the system screen suddenly popped up:
[A viewer posted a bounty: Tear down the talisman on the wall. Bounty: 2000 points]
Xiao Jin frowned, and without thinking, pressed the reject button.
What kind of mission is this? She doesn't trust these people at all.
Xiao Jin's actions drew complaints from countless viewers in the live stream, with accusations of "drag and smear" raining down on her.
[Damn it, what's wrong with this streamer? He's ignoring the rewards and tips, completely ignoring us!]
I've unfollowed you, you're welcome.
Ha, you guys think the streamer's a fool. No wonder they don't pay any attention to you.
【**What did you say? You *&￥%#*&……】
Xiao Jin was completely unaware that an argument had broken out in the live stream.
After seeing the bounty posted by the audience, she paid extra attention to the condition of the talisman, and what she saw actually revealed some clues.
Listen carefully, and you can hear a scratching sound coming from behind the talisman, as if something is sealed inside and is desperately trying to get out.
"Don't touch it," Xiao Jin said coldly. "There's something locked up behind here."
During this time, Shao Siyuan had been using a detection device to observe the situation inside the house. When he scanned a spot, he suddenly stopped under the altar: "There is a hidden door here."
Xiao Jin crouched down, feeling his way through the cracks in the floorboards, and quickly found a loose plank. Lifting it, a strong, rotten stench wafted out.
"I'll go down first, you guys cover me." With that, Xiao Jin ducked down and crawled away.
The basement was cramped and damp. Xiao Jin could clearly see that the walls were covered with yellowed documents, including several ID cards, passports, and even a tour group list.
"A tour group from ten years ago?" Sui Ying picked up a list, her brows furrowing. "Could these people be the corpses in the coffins?"
Xiao Jin's gaze fell on the bottom photo—a dozen tourists stood in front of the ancient Xing Village with bright smiles, while behind them stood a blurry black figure, reaching out to put his hand on the shoulder of one of them.
She thought of the photo she found in her notebook, which showed the faces of seven people, and sure enough, they matched the faces in the photo in front of her.
“It should be them,” Xiao Jin replied.
“Let’s take a look now.” Shao Siyuan pondered for a moment: “Guxing Village holds a so-called ‘divine sacrifice’ every year, and many tourists come here from afar.”
But strange things only happened ten years ago, and ten years later, to us.
"Therefore, ten years is an important milestone," Feng Hao added.
Sui Ying had a sudden inspiration: "Could it be that the so-called 'god's' stand-in time has ended?"
Xiao Jin and the others fell into deep thought.
"It is indeed possible. Each substitution ritual can only last for ten years. After that period, a new sacrifice needs to be chosen."
And we players just happened to walk right into the line of fire.
“You’re right…”
Suddenly, the basement door was kicked open!
The village chief stood at the door, the lividity on his neck spreading across his entire face. He grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth: "My esteemed guests... you should get some rest as night falls..."
A commotion arose behind them. Xiao Jin could sense that at least a dozen villagers were gathered outside, carrying lanterns and looking at him with cold eyes.
"Seize them." The village chief grinned maliciously, his true intentions revealed: "I was originally planning to treat you to good food and drink until the last day, but since you're so unruly, there's no need for all that trouble. Just lock them up until the day of the sacrificial ceremony!"
The battle erupted instantly!
The basement is too cramped to be practical.
The group exchanged glances and simultaneously unleashed their skills above their heads.
With a loud 'boom', five figures burst out of the ground one after another, and immediately dispersed in all directions.
"Let's all hide first, and meet up again on the seventh day for the sacrificial ceremony." Everyone understood this without saying a word.
"Run?" The village chief sneered, "Do you think you can escape!"
He then directed all the villagers to split up and chase after them: "Don't let a single one escape."
Yunye's sharp claws swept across, unleashing a burst of bloodthirsty power. Crimson flames ignited between the blades, piercing directly through the villagers blocking his path!
But after the villager was stabbed, he grinned strangely, and countless black hairs gushed out from the wound, wrapping around Yunye's neck!
Upon seeing this, Yunye frowned, activated his weapon, and burned the black hair in front of him to ashes.
On the other side, Xiao Jin was also surrounded.
Xiao Jin drew his longsword, its blade flashing like snow, and instantly severed the black hair before him! But more villagers surged forward, their skin peeling away to reveal the wriggling mycelium inside.
Oh no, I can't let them get to me!
Xiao Jin quickly pulled out several Molotov cocktails and threw them out; the flames soon engulfed the villagers in front of him.
Taking this opportunity, she continued running towards the edge of the village.
It's too late to go back to the guesthouse now; it's safer to go straight into the mountains.
Several other people shared the same thought.
Shao Siyuan threw out a talisman, which exploded with golden light, forcing back several villagers. He turned and ran, sending messages to the others as he ran.
[Shao Siyuan: Watch out for your tails! These villagers can't be killed, but they'll inevitably have tracking methods.]
[Sui Ying: Received, don't worry.]
[Feng Hao: Beep~]
Our attention shifted to the basement of the village chief's house.
From above, the area is now completely reduced to ruins.
However, Xiao Jin and the others who were fleeing for their lives did not know that after they left, the wall covered with talismans began to crack inch by inch.
Amidst the terrified and trembling gazes of countless villagers, a dark shadow emerged from the crack and chased after Xiao Jin and the others.
………………
Time passed slowly, and Xiao Jin and the others were still evading the villagers' pursuit.
It was fine when it was dark, but it soon became light, which made it quite difficult for the players to hide. Xiao Jin and the others were forced to gather together and hide in the ancestral hall.
Xiao Jin kicked open the rotten wooden door of the ancestral hall, and everyone filed in. Sui Feng then used a wooden stick to block the door frame, temporarily blocking the door, and then threw another prop to seal the door.
After doing all this, everyone turned around.
The ancestral hall was cold and damp. The candles on the offering table had long since gone out, leaving only a few wisps of incense lingering in the air.
A faded portrait hanging on the wall, if glanced at unexpectedly, the eyes of the person in the painting seem to be alive, moving as the people move.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
