How Dare You Draw Your Sword Against Me

"The Death Train. While it isn't an S-rank difficulty dungeon, an A-rank is still quite the handful for us."

Walking amidst the team, a bearded man tightened his grip on his alloy battle axe, his tone heavy with unconcealed gravity.

"Captain Tian, you're the strongest and most experienced among us. We're relying on you this time." A young player wearing glasses pushed up the lenses that had slid down to the tip of his nose, his eyes filled with dependence.

"The Death Train has a total of three stops. The first station is Silent Hospital."

The woman leading the group carried a longsword on her back that shimmered with a cold, azure glint. Her ink-black hair was tied into a high ponytail, and her calm voice cut clearly through the air filled with the scent of decay.

"I have cleared this dungeon before, but we still need to be cautious. After all, no one knows if the dungeon will undergo a sudden mutation."

"Our Little Tian is a super player ranked in the top twenty, after all. Clearing an A-rank dungeon will definitely be no problem," said Zhang Ya, a girl with twin tails, patting Tian Xiaotian on the shoulder and cheering her on with a smile.

The one carrying the sword was, of course, Tian Xiaotian.

Thirty years had passed. Having practiced the Qingyun Arts, her appearance remained frozen at that of a woman in her early twenties. Her skin was fair as jade, yet her almond eyes held a depth of weariness that did not match her youthful look.

The treasure Ye Chuan had gifted her all those years ago had helped her survive countless life-and-death crises over the years.

"There are entities in A-rank dungeons that are extremely difficult to deal with, unless you are..." Tian Xiaotian’s voice paused. She gazed into the depths of the mist and didn't finish her sentence.

Unless you are that legendary figure, the big shot—Ye Chuan.

Yes, it had been thirty years.

The silhouette of that man in Tian Xiaotian's memory was gradually beginning to blur.

All these years, she had maintained her youth by exchanging points from the dungeon worlds for lifespan. But in this world of endless slaughter and anomalies, death was always just a matter of time.

She often thought of the back of the man who had handed her the jade scroll of cultivation techniques. She wondered what he looked like now.

Had he turned into a balding middle-aged uncle?

Or... had he long since fallen in some high-difficulty dungeon?

Tian Xiaotian lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting faint shadows, seemingly lost in memory.

It wasn't until Zhang Ya gently tugged at her sleeve that she gradually came back to her senses and collected her thoughts.

"I’ve already told you the basic precautions for Silent Hospital. Before the Death Train starts again—that is, within twenty-four hours—we must find the Dean's notes and throw them into the incinerator. At the same time, we need to find the plague records."

"If we don't find them, we won't be able to buy tickets for the next train. We will be trapped here forever, becoming new anomalies within the hospital."

Her added remark made the players' faces turn pale in unison, and they silently etched the precautions into their hearts.

"However, since this is the first stop of the Death Train, the monsters in Silent Hospital aren't overly powerful," Tian Xiaotian continued, trying to ease the tension in the team. "There are basically only three types—"

"Headless Nurses. Their danger level is only B-grade, but there are many of them. They are dangerous when they appear in swarms. Their attack method is mainly injecting syringes filled with the plague."

"Plague Carriers. These are monsters that spread infection. Their bodies are ulcerated and oozing pus. You'll be infected if you touch even a little bit of them, so you must be careful not to let them get close."

"As for the last one, that is the anomaly Dean of Silent Hospital. Leave him to me."

After she finished briefing them on the precautions, someone in the player team suddenly let out a short gasp of surprise and pointed into the distance.

"What... what about that little boy anomaly?!"

Little boy anomaly?

The sentence made Tian Xiaotian's heart sink abruptly. She frowned tight. "I haven't seen one. The dungeon data for Silent Hospital doesn't mention that kind of anomaly at all."

"Over there! At the hospital's main gate!" The person's voice trembled as he pointed again.

Everyone looked in the direction he indicated—

Standing all alone in front of the rusty iron gate of Silent Hospital was a little boy, about five or six years old.

Grey mist swirled around him like a living thing. He wore faded white clothes, his small figure appearing indistinct under the gloomy sky, making his features impossible to see clearly.

"Is that an NPC or an anomaly? Would a dungeon have such a harmless child NPC?" someone muttered softly.

"It's probably an anomaly. Look at the atmosphere, standing there all alone." The bearded man gripped his battle axe, staring warily in that direction.

"Regardless of what it is, let's just chop it down to avoid trouble later!"

An impatient player moved to charge forward but was sternly shouted down by Tian Xiaotian: "Wait! Observe first!"

But it was already too late.

In the next second, the little boy slowly raised his head, revealing a small face so pale it was devoid of blood.

The corners of his mouth split into an extremely exaggerated arc. That grotesque smile seemed ready to tear all the way to his ear roots. Immediately after, he vanished on the spot into the mist, leaving not a single trace behind.

*Boom!*

Tian Xiaotian felt her scalp go numb. Years of life-and-death experience made her instantly realize that this was absolutely no ordinary anomaly. A strong sense of crisis crawled up her spine, and she immediately shouted:

"Everyone, be careful! Full alert!"

At Tian Xiaotian's command, everyone immediately entered a combat state.

The surrounding mist became thicker and more viscous. Amidst the shadows, it felt as though countless eyes were peeping from the dark. The players looked around in trepidation, every nerve pulled taut, terrified that the little boy anomaly would suddenly pop out from some corner.

"Hmm? A little interesting."

A voice, slightly playful yet revealing a hint of surprise, rang out abruptly. The voice was immature, yet it carried a coldness that did not belong to a child, sounding as if it had exploded directly inside everyone's minds.

The next second, the players present felt an invisible, colossal force descend from the sky, firmly suppressing their bodies. Their limbs felt as heavy as if filled with lead; moving even a finger was exceptionally difficult!

"What's happening?! I can't move my body!"

"It's the anomaly's ability! Such strong suppression!"

"This is a BOSS!"

"Captain Tian! What should we do?!"

Terrified cries rose and fell among the players, their faces filled with despair.

Within the mist, at the focal point of everyone's terrified gazes, the figure of the little boy slowly emerged once more.

His feet left the ground as he floated in mid-air, the hem of his clothes fluttering eerily in the windless atmosphere.

Although he was clearly just a little boy who looked five or six years old, his face wore a calm smile completely inconsistent with his age. There was no warmth in that smile, only mockery, giving off a suffocating sense of oppression.

"My body..."

Tian Xiaotian subconsciously tried to grip the hilt of the sword on her back, but she found her body nailed to the spot, unable to move even her fingertips.

Her brain began to spin rapidly, simultaneously searching her spatial backpack for usable items.

"Gua Xiaotian, are you trying to draw your sword on me?"

Gua... Gua Xiaotian?

Hearing that familiar phrase, Tian Xiaotian raised her head in disbelief, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the child before her.

The surrounding mist dispersed slightly, and the child's face no longer looked so deathly pale; his complexion had returned to normal.

"You... you are..."