Xiao Cheng never dreamed that he would actually see an oxcart in the dungeon.
She gained a new understanding of the phrase "limited funding".
"Isn't it a pleasant surprise?" The tour guide twirled the parasol with a particularly girlish air. "The 'Deadly Tour Group's' special event, 'Remembering the Bitter Past and Appreciating the Sweet Present,' is officially underway!"
Xiao Cheng: "..." You said it's because you don't have money!
But they were just poor players; what could they do but follow the guide and climb onto that oxcart that could be retired along with the oxen?
Then a new problem arose.
"Is no one going to catch the bus?" Apart from the unconscious No. 7, the other four looked at the tour guide with blank expressions.
"Hehehe." The tour guide covered his mouth and let out a loud, booming laugh. "What are you thinking, dear tourists? Since it's about remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present, then let's carry it out to the end, shall we?"
Xiao Cheng: "..." You're so flirtatious.
Xu Chu coughed and volunteered, "I'll do it, I know how." Then he tugged on the rope tied to the cow's nose, gave a shout, and the old cow let out a deep moo and began to slowly walk forward.
They walked from afternoon until dark, and with the guide's directions, they turned off the main road and onto a mountain path.
The old ox was struggling more and more, panting heavily. The road was getting steeper and steeper, and the cart creaked and groaned as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Xu Chu stopped the oxcart: "We can't go any further." He pointed to the dark, dense forest ahead, "The ox can't get in. We'll just have to wait here until dawn."
The howling of wolves echoed from the depths of the mountains, and trees cast strange shadows on the scattered rocks. Occasionally, two or three startled birds would fly out.
"No, if we don't get there tonight, we'll miss our chance," the tour guide said mysteriously. "It'll be soon. Once we get over this mountain, the oxcart can't go any further, so we'll have to walk!"
The first rule for tourists is to obey the tour guide.
Since the tour guide had said so, they had no choice but to abandon the oxcart and hike into the mountains.
After absorbing the red-clothed woman, Xu Chu's physical strength and endurance were greatly improved. He carried No. 7, a grown man, up a mountain and walked at night without feeling any strain.
"What kind of weird tourist attraction has to be located deep in the mountains?" Xiao Cheng complained as she walked.
She was exhausted. It was as if she hadn't had a proper rest since the amusement park started, as the continuous high-intensity activities had been draining her energy.
"Whether it's a tourist attraction or not is hard to say." Fang He stood on a large rock, gave her a hard tug, then quickly pulled his hand away. "Are you alright?"
"It's okay, just try not to touch me. I'm not afraid of ice, but aren't you afraid of getting burned?" Xiao Cheng noticed the blisters that had just appeared on his palm.
Fang He smiled indifferently, then changed the subject, saying in a teasing tone, "There might be a group of Smurfs on the other side of the mountain."
Xiao Cheng's lips twitched: "You really have an imagination."
Fortunately, they were lucky; apart from the road being a bit difficult to travel, they did not encounter any snakes or wild animals along the way.
The tour guide used a parasol as a hiking stick and walked at the back, urging, "Hurry up, hurry up! It'll be too late if we wait until dawn!"
As they were nearing the summit, Player 7 finally woke up. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself deep in the mountains and forests. Startled, he tumbled off Xu Chu's back.
"W-what's going on?" He looked around in a panic. "Aren't we in an art museum?"
"You came out a long time ago," Xu Chu said. "You're really lucky; you made it here while you were unconscious the whole way."
"Ah...ah, I..." Player 7 scratched his head, then looked at his wrist as if waking from a dream. "Wait! Where's that female ghost?!"
"What female ghost? There's no such thing as a female ghost! There are no ghosts in this world! They're called NPCs!" Xu Chu corrected him seriously. "She was swallowed by the woman in green."
Then the woman in green was left in the painting.
Player #7 took a while to react, then let out a heavy sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, I swallowed it well..."
Then he noticed the tour guide's warning look, which was half-smiling and half-serious, and quickly changed his tune, saying, "I'm so heartbroken for her!"
After crossing the mountaintop and walking a short distance, you'll reach a valley.
The surrounding vegetation gradually thinned out, and a man-made road ran through the entire valley, extending over a small hillside and connecting to a large flat area behind it.
An old man covered in blue paint and wearing a strange Nuo mask stood on the hillside, leaning on a crooked cane, his whole body glowing with blue light.
"Wow, there really are Smurfs?" Xiao Cheng couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
Then the tour guide slowly walked to the front and said loudly to the old man, "Village Chief Lan, we've arrived."
The old man nodded, then silently retreated to the other side of the hillside, disappearing from everyone's sight without a sound.
Then the tour guide turned around, scanned the crowd, and smiled sweetly as if it were the first time they met: "Dear tourists, after a long journey, welcome to the end of our journey, the Village of Death!"
“You will witness the most traditional rituals here, and you will have the privilege of facing the true God!” Her tone became increasingly fervent.
"For the next three days, you will be accompanied by the kind-hearted villagers. As for me, my mission is complete, so let's say goodbye, dear tourists."
Her figure gradually became ethereal, transforming into countless fluorescent lights that scattered outwards. At the same time, thick fog rose from the mountains and forests, continuously spreading towards the valley.
On the hillside, flickering lights appeared, and dozens of robust villagers, all dressed in blue, came out carrying torches and shouted in unison, "Welcome!"
A barefoot young woman emerged from behind the crowd; even the blue paint couldn't conceal her beauty.
She held a jar of wine high, humming a simple, old-fashioned tune, and slowly poured the wine onto the ground.
Then she smashed the empty wine jar and said softly in an awkward tone, "Dear traveler, welcome to Deadly Village."
Led by the villagers, the players entered the village.
"It's so strange, it feels like we've been abducted," Xiao Cheng said to Fang He in a low voice. "Or maybe we're the ones who willingly want to be abducted."
"On the bright side, at least I can sleep in a bed tonight," Fang He said optimistically.
Xiao Cheng nodded, thinking that what he said made sense, but then she thought about it again and it seemed that something was wrong.
She shook the red string on her wrist, looking somewhat bewildered: "How are we going to sleep?"
Fang He: "..." I forgot about this.
Ahead, the young woman introduced herself to them: "I am the village shaman. The village chief is busy with the ritual, so I will be in charge of entertaining you."
“It’s late today, you can stay at a villager’s house for the time being. So, you two…” She looked at Xiao Cheng and Fang He, blinking in confusion, “Are you going to sleep in the same room?”
Xiao Cheng awkwardly dug out a "Deadly Village" (a metaphor for a village where one can only die), and nodded with a forced smile: "Yes."
"You two have such a wonderful relationship." The priestess smiled with blessing. "The true god will bless you to be together forever."
Xiao Cheng: "..." Thank you, but there's really no need for that.
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