Chapter 9
"How can this be?" The woman in the hoodie was about to refuse without thinking, until a voice coming from the miniature earpiece made her pause.
'Promise him, you're not familiar with this place.'
Xie Xubai noticed that the woman in the hoodie clearly made a gesture of refusal first, but then abruptly changed it halfway through.
Who is directing her from behind the scenes?
Including a seriously wounded accomplice of the attacker, how many of them were there?
With their own agendas, the two searched for stray cats and dogs in the vicinity.
Xie Xubai knew that those poor little creatures had been captured and killed, and some of them were with him.
The woman in the hoodie was quite diligent in her search for clues, knocking on doors and asking around.
Then Xie Xubai discovered another problem: the girl was not familiar with the roads, and if he hadn't been there to remind her, she would have gone around in circles several times.
—She, or they, are not people who live in this neighborhood.
After a busy morning with nothing to show for it, the woman in the sweatshirt was inevitably dejected.
"Ah, thank you!" Seeing Xie Xubai return from the store, she handed over a bottle of water. The woman in the hoodie was somewhat flattered and took it. She was probably very thirsty and gulped down a large mouthful.
—He has little sense of vigilance.
After finishing her drink, the woman in the hoodie asked, somewhat surprised, "Why is it hot?"
"The temperature hasn't risen yet, so some shops will offer hot drinks." Xie Xubai's previous indifference was completely gone. He smiled and looked like a caring older brother. "If you're not feeling well, it's better to drink something warm."
The girl in the hoodie, caught in his gentle, smiling gaze, suddenly realized what he meant, her cheeks flushing red: "How did you know..."
“I have a cousin who gets back pain during her period every month. I’ve noticed you occasionally rub your lower back and clutch your stomach while walking, which sounds a lot like her situation.” Xie Xubai smiled and suggested to her, “I’m a little tired too, shall we take a break?”
Seeing that Xie Xu's face was white and he wasn't out of breath, the woman in the hoodie knew perfectly well that the young man was thinking of her, and immediately showed a grateful expression: "Then let's rest for ten minutes, and continue searching after ten minutes."
The initial fear of Xie Xubai gradually dissipated, and even a bit of trust grew between them.
—He still has a very simple personality.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyes and pondered.
If he hadn't been certain the kitten wouldn't lie to him, he would never have connected the innocent college student before him with the attacker who had disregarded human life yesterday.
This made him suspect the background of the attackers.
—A group of outsiders forced together for a common purpose will naturally be a mixed bag.
—By targeting stray cats and dogs, could these people's ultimate goal be to get close to Ping An? Did they find him to use him to get closer to Ping An?
The woman in the hoodie had no idea that in just half a day, Xie Xubai had already figured out their background as players.
After resting for only a few minutes, the woman in the hoodie suddenly stood up anxiously, because of the roar coming from her earpiece.
"We've encountered a large number of vengeful spirits at the slaughterhouse on the western outskirts of the city. Everyone else, come quickly to help! We're about to collapse!"
Before she could explain further, the woman in the hoodie hurriedly said to Xie Xubai, "Oh no, Brother Xie, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to turn off the gas at home. I'll head back now!"
Before she finished speaking, she dashed out, her speed unexpectedly fast, and disappeared in a few moments.
Xie Xubai naturally chose to follow.
Following the directions of the spirits, they soon arrived at the location of the slaughterhouse in the western suburbs.
This place is even more remote than where Gouzi Ping'an is; it's the real suburbs, deserted and uninhabited, with roads covered in gravel and weeds growing wildly, some reaching half a person's height.
At the end of the road stands a large slaughterhouse, the scale of which clearly indicates its former prosperity.
But now the slaughterhouse has closed down. There is no one at the gate, the walls are yellowed, the red paint is peeling off, and the iron gate is covered with rust. A sense of desolation and ruin comes to mind.
Xie Xubai was drawn by the sounds of a fierce battle inside the slaughterhouse. When he looked up, his pupils froze.
He saw countless dark, vengeful spirits gathered together, all of them canine ghosts, baring their fangs, laughing and howling, almost completely covering half the sky.
A group of strangely dressed people stood in the very center of the vengeful spirits, their expressions solemn. Bright lights shone from their hands, seemingly possessing tangible penetrating power, blasting away the vengeful spirits in front of them with a single blow.
The two sides fought fiercely, each move aimed to kill.
What are those? Talismans? Taoist magic?
Why does the sword emit a bright white aura when it is swung out?
Even the seemingly harmless woman in the hoodie pulled out a stack of yellow talismans and seamlessly joined the battle.
After watching the whole thing, Xie Xubai felt that his worldview had been reshaped once again.
Although the vengeful spirits were numerous, they were no match for the group of strange people and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.
Seeing yet another vengeful spirit being scattered, Xie Xubai subconsciously protected the few wisps of ghostly spirits in his sleeve, frowning and hesitating whether he should continue to stay here.
Suddenly, a stout figure appeared in a corner of the slaughterhouse. The man leaned out, his expression somber, observing the situation in the shadows just like Xie Xubai.
Even though the other person was wearing a mask, Xie Xubai recognized him at a glance from his furtive demeanor; this was the fat man who had followed him before!
How could we possibly run into each other here?
Xie Xubai lowered his eyes, pondering for a long time. He changed his mind about retreating and lowered his voice to the ghosts, saying, 'You stay here and don't let them find you. No matter how badly I'm injured, don't come out.'
The kittens and puppies anticipated that he was about to do something dangerous, and quickly grabbed his clothes.
The young man patted their heads reassuringly.
Our attention shifts to the slaughterhouse.
Looking at the group of people fighting, the woman in the hoodie's technique seemed extremely clumsy. Rather than skill, she relied entirely on the talismans in her hand to successfully repel the vengeful spirit.
But the talisman paper will eventually run out.
Before long, the others noticed her arrival. Seeing the woman in the hoodie struggling, some watched coldly, while others sneered.
The mature-looking, cold-faced man at the head of the group was the only one who was shocked and showed concern.
Seeing a vengeful spirit sneak up behind the woman in the hoodie, its mouth gaping open in a bloody maw, he shouted, "Xu Qingran, get out of the way!"
The woman in the hoodie only had time to look back before sharp fangs were already pressed against her throat.
At the critical moment, an unexpected, slender figure rushed out from the side and shoved Xu Qingran aside!
Xu Qingran recognized her savior and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Xie!"
The newcomer was Xie Xubai. He had blocked an attack for Xu Qingran, and his arm was scraped open by the fangs, leaving a gruesome gash. The gash wasn't deep, and the pain wasn't obvious, but an irresistible chill crept into his internal organs through his bones.
Xie Xubai felt as if he had fallen into a thousand-year-old ice cave, his face turned pale from the cold, and his eyelashes fluttered slightly, forming a few specks of pure white frost!
He looked at the utterly shocked Xu Qingran and forced a relieved smile: "Thank goodness, you're alright..."
Before he could finish speaking, the young man lost consciousness, swayed, and fell heavily to the ground.
"Thank you, Brother Xie!" What was originally just a casual greeting was now spoken with genuine affection.
Xu Qingran hurriedly caught him in her arms, extremely anxious, and looked around at everyone for help: "Does anyone have an exorcism talisman? Quickly, take it out!"
The crowd remained indifferent.
The talismans and props in the shop are very expensive, and the exorcism talisman that can save lives costs 2,000 points each. How could they possibly waste their precious props for an NPC?
Not only did they not help, they also gossiped and mocked Xu Qingran, asking if she had lost her mind.
"What are you thinking about? You're so worried about some insignificant NPC, why don't you care about your other injured teammates?"
"But he's a key NPC!" If she weren't still supporting Xie Xubai, Xu Qingran would have slapped them. "Xiao Yuan was targeted by the vengeful spirits because he attacked him. If something happens to him here, do you think the Ghost King will just take our lives?"
Everyone's face turned deathly pale.
Seeing Xie Xubai's breathing becoming increasingly shallow, she was almost scared out of her wits. Like an ant on a hot pan, she frantically pulled out a talisman: "Why didn't you tell me about something so important sooner, you brat?!"
Several exorcism talismans were quickly stuck to Xie Xubai's body.
They couldn't worry about the cost of the items, since if the mission failed, all their points and items would be wiped out, and they would have to start all over again.
Looking back on my previous gaming experiences, I, a player who believes in self-preservation, have never been so anxious about saving someone, and I have never been so sincerely and earnestly praying for the safety of an NPC as I am now.
In short, under everyone's expectant gaze, Xie Xubai finally woke up slowly.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I was greeted with several people's warm greetings: "Are you alright, comrade? How are you feeling? Do you have any chest tightness or shortness of breath? Would you like to take another energy pill?"
Xie Xubai blinked lightly, seemingly bewildered: "...What pill?"
Xu Qingran ignored them and looked at Xie Xubai with concern and suspicion: "Brother Xie, what are you doing here?"
“You left in a hurry. I felt that you hadn’t just left the gas on, but had encountered some trouble… so I followed you here.” Xie Xubai pursed his lips. “I’m sorry.”
The young man lay weakly on the ground, his arm wounds still visible, revealing dark purple bruises. His face was very pale, and his lips had lost all color, almost becoming transparent.
Xu Qingran felt a pang of sympathy and immediately said, "No, if it weren't for Brother Xie saving me, I would be the one whose fate is unknown right now."
The others remained silent. They were happy to see the possibility of improving their chances of clearing the game by befriending key NPCs, as the rewards for team mode were shared.
As for Xiao Yuan, who attacked Xie Xubai on his own initiative, no one wanted to avenge him; let him go cool off somewhere else.
The fat man appeared just then, as if he had seen a savior, and stammered words of gratitude: "Gentlemen, thank goodness you came to my aid, otherwise my business would have been finished!"
The cold-faced man withdrew his gaze from Xie Xubai and looked at the fat man scrutinizingly: "Who are you?"
“I’m the owner of this slaughterhouse. I’ve been harassed by those ghostly things for a long time.” He said with a bitter face, turning to Xie Xubai with a worried expression. “It involves supernatural and heretical beliefs. Going to the hospital won’t help. Come in and rest, young man.”
In the fat man's mind, Xie Xubai didn't recognize him at all, and he thought that as long as he put on a smiling face, he could deceive the other party.
Little did he know that Xie Xubai had already recognized him, easily seeing that beneath that honest and simple exterior lay a face full of malice and resentment.
"No trouble, I have to go home first, I have to go to work tomorrow..." Before he could finish speaking, Xie Xubai, who had finally managed to stand up, stumbled again.
The other players were terrified and kept advising them: "Is work more important or your life?" "Yes, you should rest well and get back to work." "Medical expenses are much higher than your salary."
"Thank you, this is the first time so many people have cared about me." Xie Xubai feigned gratitude, his words revealing his closeness to them.
The players didn't argue; they all acted very amiably.
The fat man watched in astonishment. He had followed Xie Xubai for a while and knew that Xie had only just met this group of people; he hadn't expected them to have formed such a deep friendship.
This made him, who originally wanted to take direct action against Xie Xubai, suddenly hesitate and become somewhat cautious.
But he couldn't let them get away with it. The fat man's eyes darted around, and he suddenly became enthusiastic: "Gentlemen, you seem to have only recently arrived in this area. I wonder if you have a place to stay? Why don't you all come to my place? It's big enough, and I can provide you with free food, water, and lodging."
Seeing his earnest plea for him to stay, the cold-faced man tried to get information out of him: "Because we helped you get rid of those vengeful spirits?"
"You all helped me solve a huge problem, so I definitely need to thank you properly." The fat man put on a great performance, his fat face jiggling as he forced a wry smile. "Actually, I have another favor to ask."
This kind of talk is usually a harbinger of what's to come. The players immediately perked up: "Tell me about it!"
The fat man said, "I would like to ask you to help me get rid of the evil king who is afflicting all living beings in this area."
Author's Note:
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