When Ji He opened her eyes, she was lying on the ground, which was covered in a gray haze. Not only that, but she could also hear the squeaking of mice. The ground was made of cement.
Outside the wooden window, the sky was a dull gray, so oppressive it felt like even breathing was being suffocated, gloomy and cold.
After Ji He got up from the ground, she realized that this was a place that resembled a woodshed, with a pigsty next to it. Several pigs were making grunting noises, and there was a foul smell.
She couldn't help but frown, her face looking quite grim.
After glancing at Xia Changhong lying on the ground, Ji He's eyes showed a hint of disgust, but she quickly squatted down, patted Xia Changhong, and said worriedly, "Are you awake? Wake up quickly, something's happened."
After a while, Xia Changhong finally got up, grabbed his glasses and put them on. He looked around and then came to his senses.
Based on what just happened, Xia Changhong thought he was going to die.
He asked cautiously, "Where...where is this?"
"Remember the global horror warning?"
Although she disliked the environment, Ji He's eyes were practically shining. She had come specifically for the achievement goal of this dungeon, so she had done a special guide and researched the information.
The side quest "The Story of Fengxian Village: A Global Horror Story" has never been unlocked by anyone. To be precise, no one has ever known that there is a hidden side quest in this instance!
If nothing unexpected happens, this is the key to solving the problem!
Even though she was excited inside, Ji He didn't show it on the surface. Instead, she said to Xia Changhong, "This is a side quest. As soon as Ruan Qing'an brought us here, the side quest was opened. Her identity is probably a bit special. Xia Changhong, we've found the right person."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the serial killer and the murderer of Jiang Shihe should be two different people. No matter which one Ruan Qingan is, we can achieve our goal."
Ji He patiently persuaded him, her eyes still gleaming.
Xia Changhong obviously thought so too, and nodded in agreement with Ji He. Although he understood the situation, his equipment was indeed inferior to that of Ji He, the leaderboard expert.
She must still be hiding something, something she hasn't used yet. Xia Changhong didn't intend to trick Ji He; she just wanted to get through this by taking advantage of the situation.
For a moment, both of them harbored their own thoughts and acted furtively.
After Ji He and Xia Changhong searched the entire woodshed and pigsty, enduring the stench, they finally remembered that they had gotten rid of the two NPCs who were trying to fall in love!
Just then, footsteps came from outside the woodshed.
Immediately afterwards, a gruff male voice rang out: "Honestly, if you had said you were your friends earlier, we would have thought you were thieves."
"I'm sorry, we've caused you trouble, Uncle Zhang."
What rang out again was Jiang Shihe's deep, beautiful voice, as rich as a cello, filled with impeccable gratitude.
When the woodshed door was opened, Ji He and Xia Changhong both turned to look. They saw a middle-aged man leading Ruan Qing'an and Jiang Shihe in. Compared to their disheveled appearance, the two NPCs were much cleaner and more presentable.
Ji He and Xia Changhong: ...Am I even worse off than an NPC?
Meanwhile, Ruan Qing'an glanced at the two without making a sound, his expression subtly scrutinizing them. After arriving here, the players were treated like thieves and arrested, like wrapped-up dumplings, while the two NPCs were unexpectedly treated with courtesy.
After all, NPCs are also characters in the story, and they're all related to each other in some way. However... Ruan Qing'an always felt that she might not be the one who unlocked the Fengxian Village side quest...
By this time, Jiang Shihe had already made the arrangements.
Uncle Zhang spoke politely, then turned to look at Ruan Qing'an, his eyes flashing with a dark light, as if he were confirming something. But he quickly smiled again: "This young girl is pretty. She looks just like Sister-in-law Li next door, very beautiful."
"...Thank you, thank you for the compliment."
Ruan Qingan seemed somewhat apprehensive and replied in a low voice.
Uncle Zhang smiled, but then gave her a strange look a few times. As if to make sure that Ruan Qing'an really didn't have any other special reaction, he turned and left: "Alright, take your friends and go."
"By the way, if you're looking for a place to stay, you can stay in that separate little courtyard. You can tidy it up a bit and move in."
Jiang Shihe nodded and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
Seeing how happy they seemed, Ji He and Xia Changhong even thought for a moment that they were the NPCs...
It wasn't until the four of them went to the small courtyard next to Uncle Zhang's brick house that Ji He finally spoke up and asked, "No, what exactly happened? We woke up in the woodshed."
Ruan Qingan explained, "Actually, we all woke up at the village entrance, but we were separated from you and were a little far away. We just woke up first. After meeting the villagers, Mr. Jiang said that he brought me back to visit relatives."
"Tell them that they used to have a family living in Fengxian Village, and after so long, they came to visit and reconnect with their relatives."
She paused, then said, "I only found out later that you had been arrested."
037: [Hilarious, the two players are worse than the NPCs.]
Jiang Shihe was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, looking down at the scene outside, with a hint of worry in his eyes: "Let's not talk about that for now. This is indeed Fengxian Village, but something doesn't feel right."
"The outside is clearly the most prosperous capital city, so how could this place still maintain such a feudal and traditional appearance, like a village deep in the mountains? Is it because it is isolated from the outside world?"
Hearing this, Ji He said, "It's alright, as long as we find a way to get out again, we can also find out about Miss Ruan's background. Isn't it true that the strangeness here proves there's a problem?"
Most importantly...
There has to be something wrong with this, otherwise how can it be called a side quest?
After a brief exchange of opinions, the group went to clean the small courtyard. It wasn't big and there were no rooms, but Uncle Zhang provided bedding, so they could make do by sleeping on the floor.
As Ji He tidied up, she also made some other arrangements to prevent any accidents. At this moment, she was bent over with her back to the window.
Only after she had tucked in one corner of the blanket did she turn around to put down the pillow, but in that instant—
Ji He's entire body stiffened.
Beneath the paper window, there was a small, dark hole, and something dark was turning around. Then—it met Ji He's gaze, and this… was clearly a human eyeball!
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