Wish Fulfillment

Qiu Lingfeng had already thought it through while waiting by the door for Zhu Yan.

His BOSS ability was [Wish Fulfillment], and its level was flexible enough to deal with Hunter No. 1.

Besides, [Wish Fulfillment] was an extraordinarily twisted ability to begin with.

No matter what wish Hunter No. 1 made, Qiu Lingfeng could always seize upon a loophole and send him to his death!

If he could take care of this at the very beginning, that would be ideal.

If he couldn’t, but could use [Wish Fulfillment] in the process, that would be just as good!

Zhu Yan’s expression changed. He was pretending.

“I have to make a wish too?”

By the time he finished speaking, they had already climbed the long staircase and arrived at another courtyard.

The place looked extremely run-down. Three short gray stone houses stood around the courtyard, their intricate roof carvings so badly weathered that their shapes had become indistinct. Black residue remained in every groove, impossible to wash away.

The window frames were old, their paint peeling off in strips. Every pane of glass was covered in a thick layer of dust, and some had even been pasted over with old newspapers, making it impossible for Zhu Yan to see his own reflection.

The house directly opposite the stairs stood open. Inside, Zhu Yan could see a strange-looking statue of a deity.

“Don’t be afraid. See that Guanyin statue?”

If he hadn’t come across it online before—and if Qiu Lingfeng hadn’t spoken with such certainty—Zhu Yan would hardly have believed that it was Guanyin.

The statue had two thin, upward-curving mustaches. It was completely naked, with a head of black hair hanging messily around its shoulders. Its forehead and chest were covered in eyes.

Even Zhu Yan, who had seen plenty in his time, was stunned.

“That’s Guanyin?”

“You don’t need to worry,” Qiu Lingfeng said. “The statue only looks terrifying. In reality, it’s just a statue. It has no consciousness, and it isn’t a horror creature.”

That much was true, Zhu Yan thought silently, turning to look at “Qiu Dehai.”

Those words matched the chaotic thoughts in Qiu Lingfeng’s mind perfectly.

On the surface, Qiu Lingfeng really was explaining the statue to him.

But in reality, Zhu Yan had already heard the other man plotting in his mind about how to deal with Hunter No. 1’s flesh.

Two completely different voices flitted through Zhu Yan’s mind, and he found the contrast almost amusing.

“…The [Trembling Pleasure] should be wonderfully rich. Maybe I should send up the head along with the rest and use the opportunity to do him a favor…”

“I’m the one controlling this Guanyin statue, because that’s my mission this time. In other words, whether it can grant this wish—and how it grants it—is up to me.”

“…He’s so tender and fine-skinned. If I cut out the ribs and roast them, they should taste pretty good…”

“I really am counting on you to give me some information so I can support my family. I’ll be honest with you!”

“Qiu Dehai” knitted his brows. At a glance, he was once again a sorrowful old man burdened by untold troubles.

Listening to his thoughts, Zhu Yan asked, “What’s the truth?”

“Your old brother wants to give you something in return. If you’re willing to accept it, that would be an honor for me.”

“…If I marinate it with some additional [Trembling Pleasure]…”

“But times are tough. To tell you the truth, I really don’t have much money on me. I used to do business, but I was drowning in debt. After the dungeon descended, I didn’t manage to exchange for many bone gold coins either.”

Really?

Zhu Yan didn’t believe him.

He could just take a pair of hands to the [Hall of Mourning] later and find out whether he was telling the truth.

“What I mean is, since I can make the deity here grant someone’s wish without any side effects, why don’t you make a wish?”

“You’ll make yours before the others. Consider it a little token of my goodwill… and you can even set a good example for everyone else!”

Zhu Yan stared at “Qiu Dehai’s” face and pondered for a moment, as if weighing his options.

After a long while, he said, “Fine. I believe you won’t harm me. After all, you’ve had so many chances to do it since we met. If you were going to make a move, you would have done so already.”

Qiu Lingfeng was quite perceptive when it came to accepting the opening Zhu Yan deliberately offered him.

“Listen to you. I really do want to be friends. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given you such a generous amount of [Trembling Pleasure]!”

Qiu Lingfeng’s thoughts scraped against Zhu Yan’s eardrums.

“…Even if he makes a wish in the end, I’ll still be able to use my ability!”

As you wish.

Zhu Yan said it silently to himself.

“Fine, I’ll make a wish eventually,” he said. “I’m still worried there might be side effects. I’ll watch what happens to the others who make wishes first.”

Naive.

Qiu Lingfeng sneered inwardly.

This dungeon’s mission was highly unusual. That Buddha statue wanted living offerings.

Under his control, Hunter No. 1 probably wouldn’t let the people who made wishes see themselves die.

“Let’s go.”

Rustling voices came from the other end of the stairs. Qiu Lingxiao hurriedly pulled Zhu Yan into the house.

Zhu Yan heard a voice that was clearly going through the changing stage of adolescence.

“Surely nothing can go wrong with a benefit provided by the [Human Alliance], right?”

“Who cares?” said another voice, its nasal tone heavier and accompanied by a wheezing breath. “My dad paid to send me here. He said all I had to do was offer a few prayers.”

Zhu Yan glanced at the Guanyin statue. It really wasn’t a horror creature. It simply made people uncomfortable to look at.

Behind the Guanyin statue stood a thin wooden box shaped like an upright coffin.

The box wasn’t connected to the statue. Qiu Lingfeng nimbly climbed onto it and tried pulling one side of the wooden wall outward. Sure enough, a narrow space was revealed inside.

“I’ll go in first,” he whispered rapidly to Zhu Yan. “Remember to play along, brother.”

Zhu Yan answered him, then deliberately raised his foot and stepped outside, making sure Qiu Lingfeng could hear him.

Judging from Qiu Lingfeng’s thoughts, the wooden box could hide a person, but it also completely blocked Qiu Lingfeng’s vision!

Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes in delight, activated his ability [Invisibility], and found a corner to sit in while he watched the situation unfold.

At the same time, he separated a strand of [Mist] and slowly sent it drifting back toward the large wooden box where Qiu Lingfeng was hiding.

After a while, the [Mist] would condense into a hand.

Using [Telekinesis] to crush a heart through a layer of leather wasn’t difficult for Zhu Yan.

He couldn’t kill Qiu Lingfeng immediately, because he still had a Hunter mission to complete—and he needed Qiu Lingfeng’s [Wish Fulfillment] to do it.

Qiu Lingfeng’s abilities were all disgusting in their own ways.

Zhu Yan didn’t particularly want to take an ability that vile for himself. He would rather wait and reap the benefits after the others had fought it out.

…

Gradually, the players climbed up onto the open ground one after another.

They were all fairly young. The youngest looked as though he hadn’t even graduated from elementary school, while the oldest seemed to be sixteen or seventeen. None of them looked like adults.

“What should we do?” one of the girls asked.

She pointed at the terrifying Guanyin statue. Although she didn’t dare approach it, her words suggested that she was still thinking rationally.

“Our missions should all be [Make a wish to the Guanyin statue, then leave].”

She nervously took a step back and said, “I can tell that thing isn’t a horror creature, but it isn’t Guanyin either.”

The first two boys to climb up exchanged a glance.

The boy with the nasal voice was fat, and his face wore an air of utter disdain.

“Just make a wish. Then you’ll know.”

He grabbed the shortest, skinniest boy and, ignoring his struggles, flung him toward the Guanyin statue.

“Make your wish, hurry up!” he ordered. “This instance has already been confirmed harmless. Now make your wish!”

The child sobbed.

He knocked his head hard against the floor twice before the statue. At the same moment, the Mist heard Qiu Lingfeng let out a soft chuckle.

Bang!

The next second, a tremendous explosion rang out. Torn organs and a cloud of blood were hurled in every direction.

Zhu Yan, who was invisible, nimbly dodged a steaming length of intestine. Amid the delayed screams, he rose to his feet and looked toward the scene.

“He’s dead!” someone shrieked. “That fat guy is dead!”

The child who had made the wish wiped away his tears and walked out of the room.

“It worked,” he said. “I wished for him to die, and he did. He used to bully me for being small. I had to kill my little brother before, just to stay alive.”