Another Round of Victory Settlement

The vehicle silently merged onto the road.

A few seconds later, the female voice broadcast began playing beside Zhu Yan’s ear again.

“This is the public broadcast channel. We meet again, player.”

“Words of praise are unnecessary. You are all excellent and fascinating players!”

Zhu Yan felt there was a hint of sarcasm in that statement.

“Excellent” was definitely referring to him.

But a synonym for “fascinating” was “comical,” and if anyone qualified as comical, it had to be Jin Rongxu.

Without a word, Zhu Yan glanced at the back of Jin Rongxu’s head in the front row.

“First, a female voice broadcast appeared during the completion of this dungeon.”

“Please note that this broadcast was a counterfeit—possessing form but lacking spirit. We sincerely congratulate all the players on not being affected by it and successfully clearing the dungeon!”

Jin Rongxu inevitably felt ashamed.

Behind him, everything was silent. Zhu Zeyu was breathing softly, saying nothing and thinking of nothing.

Even so, Jin Rongxu constantly felt as though there were thorns pricking his back. The extreme fear he had felt as a child when facing his poker-faced parents came rushing back over him.

“The number of surviving players in this dungeon is five. The number of Hunters is one.”

The female voice continued its sonorous announcement, and Zhu Yan listened with heartfelt gratitude.

How considerate.

By announcing the players and the [Hunter] separately, who would realize that the [Hunter] was actually mixed in among the players?

Zhu Yan glanced at Jin Rongxu in the darkness.

Jin Rongxu remained silent, and no one in the vehicle spoke.

“During the completion of the dungeon, the three players with the IDs Pot Lid, the army medic, and Ma Dong temporarily died.”

“Due to the outstanding performance of the other two players, the three players with the IDs Pot Lid, the army medic, and Ma Dong have been resurrected after the dungeon ended. Their forum accounts can now be logged into normally.”

Good. That lie had been patched up too.

Zhu Yan silently said a prayer of thanks.

Jin Rongxu shifted slightly in the front. He seemed to relax a little and was no longer as tense as before.

“Due to the broadcast interference, the players’ mission for this dungeon was not issued properly.”

“Next, we will announce the true player mission for this dungeon.”

The female voice said, “The true player mission for this dungeon was to find the thing Mother cared about most and destroy it.”

Zhu Yan understood now.

Mother cared about Li Panlong the most.

But Li Panlong was a person, not a thing. If they were talking about an actual object, then Mother probably cared about whether Li Panlong could obtain abilities, coins, and resources.

Zhu Yan had thoroughly ruined that matter. Aside from the deaths of the army medic, Ma Dong, and Pot Lid, Mother had made no other progress.

“Because you completed the mission excellently without knowing the truth, we have decided to grant you an additional reward.”

“The reward is 500 bone coins for each player. Please check that you have received them.”

Zhu Yan soon heard the notification that the bone coins had arrived.

However, compared to 600,000 bone coins, 500 was an extremely small amount.

He glanced at Jin Rongxu in front of him and decided to split off some [Mist] before the vehicle reached the [Human Alliance] and make a trip to [Merry Land] during the night.

He had slept enough during the day anyway.

“Everything special about this dungeon has now been explained. Next, we will switch to the private broadcast channel and announce each player’s personal rewards.”

Zhu Yan leaned back and cracked open the window beside him.

The warm night breeze flowed into the vehicle. Jin Rongxu asked, “Why did you open the window?”

“I get carsick,” Zhu Yan replied.

The dungeon had only just ended, and it was nighttime. No one would notice the thin strands of [Mist] drifting out through the window.

“First, congratulations, player.”

The female voice continued speaking beside Zhu Yan’s ear.

“Your player level has been upgraded to Level Nine. Even within the [Human Alliance], you now possess the power to fight.”

Zhu Yan’s heart jolted.

He carefully controlled the [Mist] as it rose above the trees, while asking inwardly how the female voice knew about the [Human Alliance].

“Of course we know, player.”

The female voice giggled.

“Please continue working hard, player. Level Nine is not the end.”

“Additionally, because this dungeon had a special format and you recognized the false female voice broadcast at the earliest possible moment…”

“We have decided to make an exception and upgrade your ability, [Playacting], to Level Seven.”

That felt pretty good, but it was still two levels below his player level.

“You’ll catch up eventually, player.”

The female voice’s tone was as melodious as an oriole’s.

Zhu Yan remembered that.

He did not think it was meant as reassurance.

The female voice broadcast was merely anthropomorphized. It did not actually possess human nature, so it naturally could not say anything truly human.

This was most likely a warning. There would be special items or dungeons in the future that would allow him to level up more quickly if he entered them.

“Of course, your abilities [Everyone Has Their Own Fate], [Complaints], [Humiliation], [Telekinesis], and [Bringing Glory to One’s Ancestors] have all improved as well.”

“The specific details will not be elaborated on here. You may log into the [Player Forum] later and check them yourself.”

Zhu Yan felt that it had been a long time since he had logged into the [Player Forum] to check his abilities.

Then again, compared with such a trivial matter, dealing with Jin Rongxu’s left hand was more important.

That was 600,000 bone coins.

Six hundred thousand!

After thinking it over, he still focused on the palm of his left hand and checked the [Horror Map].

The [Hunter]’s [Horror Map] specifically marked the shortcuts leading to [Merry Land].

The nearest passage was three kilometers away. At the current speed of the [Mist], it would take roughly thirty minutes to get there.

The [Mist] silently quickened its flow.

“Your reward for clearing this dungeon is 600 bone coins. The reward has been issued. Please check that you have received it,” the female voice said cheerfully.

“Because the [Theater of All Performers] did not open a betting pool, you have no dividends.”

It was fine. Zhu Yan wasn’t picky. Six hundred bone coins were already more than enough.

With 600,000 bone coins in hand, he could afford to have an extremely pleasant temper.

“Additionally, you obtained a volume of the [Nightmare Book] through your own abilities and acquired control authorization over the special horror creature, Mother.”

What was that?

This was new. Zhu Yan’s ears perked up.

Even at the very end of the dungeon, Mother had never truly submitted.

He had tricked Mother by telling her that Li Panlong could be resurrected, and only then had she reluctantly stopped fighting. But submission built on a lie was far too fragile—and false.

“Control authorization” sounded fairly reliable.

Mother’s obsession had been destroyed. Could possessing this authorization make it as though none of that had ever happened?

Could Mother continue to survive without an obsession?

“An obsession is naturally an indispensable part of any horror creature, player.”

Zhu Yan could actually hear the seriousness in the female voice.

“We have decided to open a special passage to the dungeon [Where Is Mother?]. You may enter and leave freely.”

“You possess control authorization, so you are immune to all of Mother’s attacks. She cannot harm you.”