Earlier, Zhu Yan had used the ability [Everyone Has Their Fate] to roughly sort out the current situation.
The [Walking Corpse] truly was nothing more than a walking corpse. Its body had been stuffed with another, unknown horror creature.
As for the thoughts Jin Rongxu had read, most of them were probably fake as well.
Whatever was inside the [Walking Corpse] wanted Jin Rongxu and the others to head for the little building “where they could stay far away from the truth,” and confront everything that was wrong.
No.
Judging from what it had said to Jin Rongxu, perhaps it genuinely wanted to keep him at Li Daochang’s house.
The surface logic held together, but underneath it...
Zhu Yan glanced at Jin Rongxu.
What exactly was the manipulator behind this instance trying to accomplish?
What would happen if he separated off a portion of his [Mist], had it take Jin Rongxu’s place, and sent it to the little building where Li Daochang lived in the capacity of a player...?
Zhu Zeyu raised his head.
The curtains on the second floor of the little building were closed, but a gap—not too narrow, not too wide—had been left between them.
Half of a face appeared in that gap. One eye was staring at them coldly.
The instant it met Zhu Zeyu’s gaze, the half-hidden face abruptly vanished back into the shadows behind the curtain.
Oh? Interesting.
A wisp of extremely faint mist quietly split off from behind Zhu Yan and slipped into a crevice beside the little building.
Another part of Zhu Yan hid inside the puppet and asked through Zhu Zeyu’s mouth, “Captain, what do we do now?”
“Do we go into Li Daochang’s house together, or avoid that thing and head over to that... low-level horror creature?”
Jin Rongxu weighed the knife in his hand without speaking.
There were advantages and disadvantages to either choice.
If they continued toward the low-level horror creature, honestly, they might not be able to get any more information out of it.
From the perspective of clearing the instance, that thing was completely useless.
But he could read its inner thoughts.
According to its account, Li Daochang was something that had nearly lost all memory and reason, while the presence inside the house was indeed terrifying beyond measure.
He did not know whether a level-thirteen knife could handle whatever was inside.
If he wanted to prioritize keeping himself alive, then the obvious choice was to follow the low-level horror creature.
Zhu Zeyu looked at Jin Rongxu with an entirely harmless expression, while Zhu Yan’s mind raced with calculations.
He had only asked out of politeness.
How was Jin Rongxu, that cowardly, life-loving bastard, actually considering it seriously?
That wouldn’t do.
If Jin Rongxu really went there, how was he supposed to make his move?
Zhu Zeyu poked Pot Lid, signaling for him to cooperate, while opening his mouth to steer the conversation.
“Captain, to be safe, why don’t we go to that low-level horror creature first?”
“Look, we can handle that thing, and maybe we can get more information about the other villagers out of it.”
Zhu Zeyu opened his mouth and began talking nonsense.
“It’s such a huge village. Someone must have been involved in their trade, right?”
“Maybe we can find this so-called Mother through someone else...”
Jin Rongxu said nothing.
Pot Lid looked at Zhu Zeyu, then hurriedly chimed in, “Captain, I think Zhu Zeyu actually has a point this time.”
Everyone had fought hard just to survive. Who wanted to die?
“Since we might be able to obtain clues in a relatively safe way, why do we have to take such a risk?”
Jin Rongxu looked at Pot Lid and smiled.
“What did you just say? After entering this village, you can’t sense the specific presence of any horror creatures, right?”
Pot Lid looked utterly baffled. A fawning smile was forcibly squeezed onto his pale face.
“That’s right, Captain Jin. I can only sense that there’s a very powerful force and an oppressive gloom here. As for the source of that power...”
Under the overwhelming pressure of the environment, he smoothly came up with a perfect excuse for himself.
“Captain Jin, this might be what we players are ultimately supposed to find—ah!”
Jin Rongxu grabbed his hair, yanked him forward, then shoved him again.
The force was tremendous. Pot Lid had no way to stop himself.
He stumbled several steps, then hit the ground with a splat on the steps in front of Li Daochang’s house. A large patch of skin was scraped from his palm, revealing glistening pink flesh beneath.
“Go on,” Jin Rongxu said, still smiling. “Say that you choose to enter Li Daochang’s house.”
Pot Lid twisted his head around, a terrifying expression appearing on his face.
“...What?”
Jin Rongxu repeated, “Say it.”
Zhu Yan understood.
Jin Rongxu was pushing Pot Lid out to test the waters.
Pot Lid’s ability was useless in this instance.
To Jin Rongxu, he was now the expendable one.
If he was going to use someone as a guinea pig, why would he use the precious Zhu Zeyu instead of Pot Lid?
Pot Lid clenched his teeth. After a long while, he finally stammered in a low voice, “I... I choose Li Daochang’s house.”
“Good.” Jin Rongxu smiled. “Listen. Isn’t the broadcast prompt here already? You’ve made some contribution to us after all.”
It had come, but the female voice was clearly not the legitimate one.
“Hello, players!”
“One member of your team has chosen a dangerous path that does not match their strength.”
That was hilarious.
Not to criticize, but those two lines completely failed to capture the real broadcast’s spirit.
Even if there truly were such a kind-hearted announcement, the legitimate female voice should have been gloating.
Something like: “Congratulations, player! Your choice is full of promise. We look forward to your future performance...”
Rather than plainly telling them their choice was dangerous and, between the lines, urging them to choose another path.
Still, Zhu Yan keenly caught the key phrase in the broadcast.
“Does not match their strength”—was that deliberate emphasis hinting at Jin Rongxu, whose strength did match?
So what sort of secret was hidden inside this house?
Zhu Yan’s [Mist]-form, concealed in the crack in the wall, stirred with anticipation.
He carefully observed Jin Rongxu and found that Jin Rongxu was clearly just as eager.
Perhaps he had also noticed the phrase “strength that matches.” Jin Rongxu looked at the little building with a smile that did not reach his eyes, gently stroking the knife in his hand as though he could not wait to use it.
Meanwhile, the female voice that Zhu Yan found so fake continued in a cheerful tone.
“Of course, as this player has not entered the room, the choice may be withdrawn.”
“Would you like to choose again?”
Pot Lid scrambled to his feet and rolled-crawled back.
“Choose again!” he screamed recklessly. “Choose again, choose again!”
“I don’t want to go in here—I want to go to that old man’s house!”
The moment he finished speaking, the female broadcast sounded again.
“Congratulations, player!”
“You have chosen the correct path. Please proceed to your destination as soon as possible.”
“Other players, please make your choices. Once you step inside the house, nothing can be changed.”
Zhu Yan understood.
The way the female voice put it carried an intense sense of coercion.
It was forcing the players to make a decision immediately. Forcing Jin Rongxu to step into Li Daochang’s house!
Zhu Yan’s heart tightened.
That would not do.
Jin Rongxu absolutely could not be allowed into Li Daochang’s house!
With a thought, [Mist] slipped through the crack beneath the door where Jin Rongxu could not see it, winding into the room in thin strands before swiftly condensing into human form!
Inside the house.
The man, his back to the door as he busied himself arranging the divine shrine, spun around sharply. His gaunt face glared at Zhu Yan.
“Weren’t you outside?! Haven’t you made your choice yet?”
His voice was especially hoarse.
Wearing Jin Rongxu’s face, Zhu Yan kept his features hidden beneath the deep shadows cast by his false cloak, making sure the man could not see him clearly.
Well, wasn’t this man giving himself away the moment he opened his mouth?
A faint, enigmatic smile curved Zhu Yan’s lips as he extended one hand.
“Outside?”
With [Hang] active, Zhu Yan grafted a strand of [Mist] onto his body. Thick mist drifted from his palm like spider silk clinging to his hand.
“Shh—I know you want me to come here too.”
“But do me a favor. The one outside is my puppet double; it wouldn’t be convenient for it to enter openly.”
“Let’s talk, shall we?”
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
