“Is the starting point also the ending point?” Xin Meng read aloud, filled with excitement. “This is indeed a hint for clearing the level!”
As long as it involved the word “end,” Xin Meng was overjoyed. He eagerly hoped that this game would conclude soon. Their safety was one aspect, but on the other hand, the simple villagers were too pitiful. Every time he saw their tears, Xin Meng felt a deep ache in his heart.
Moreover, up until now, the villagers had not shown any anger towards these outsiders who brought “disaster” upon them. They still spoke kindly and even promised to help take care of Xiong Jiabao, which made Xin Meng feel both touched and guilty. He wanted to end this “disaster” as quickly as possible. Although they were NPCs, the emotions of these people felt so real that Xin Meng simply couldn’t ignore them.
After leaving the half-injured Xiong Jiabao at the village chief’s house, the mountain people rarely ventured out, and there were no anti-inflammatory medicines at home. They could only clean the wounds with clean water and perform simple first aid, which could not prevent infection. If this were the real world, they would probably just have to wait for death. However, it was both fortunate and unfortunate that this was a game; as long as they could clear the level, Xiong Jiabao would return to being a healthy person in the next game.
Xiong Jiabao tightly grasped Xin Meng’s hand, tears streaming down his face. “Brother Xin, I’m counting on you!”
“Don’t worry, we will definitely find a way to clear the level soon,” Xin Meng softly comforted him, patting the back of his hand.
After saying this, Xin Meng bid farewell to the village chief with You Yi, and the two of them climbed the mountain, heading towards the small grove that had triggered all the changes.
The small grove still stood quietly there, with the mountain breeze rustling the leaves. A few fallen leaves danced down, gently landing on the ground without making a sound.
Six stones lay toppled on the ground, with large footprints left by Xiong Jiabao and a few dried yellow leaves scattered around.
Just as Xin Meng was excitedly about to step into the small grove, he was suddenly pulled back by You Yi. Xin Meng looked over in confusion, and You Yi said solemnly, “Be careful, it won’t be that easy.”
The joy of almost clearing the level hit Xin Meng like a bucket of cold water, and his heated mind instantly cooled down. “Are you saying there’s still danger inside?”
You Yi glanced at the six toppled stones, his expression serious, his thin lips pressed together. “Don’t be careless. The closer you get to clearing the level, the more dangerous it becomes. You go support those two stones; I’ll handle the other four.”
He pointed to the two stones closest to the exit, while the other four were deeper inside. If there was danger, it would be hard to get in and out. Xin Meng hesitated, “They’re too far away; I’ll support three instead.”
“You’ll have enough time to support those two stones for me to lift all four,” You Yi shot him a glance, coldly dismissing his concerns.
Xin Meng felt as if he had taken a thousand points of damage. Although he knew what the other person said was true, his heart felt shattered!
He clutched his chest, pretending to be heartbroken, but he didn’t notice the amusement in You Yi’s eyes.
This distraction quickly adjusted Xin Meng’s mindset. He needed to be cautious but not overly tense; he had to remain relaxed and calm to face the unknown dangers ahead.
With You Yi leading the way, he was the first to step into the small grove. Xin Meng followed behind, and once inside, the two of them split up, heading towards their chosen stones.
Until they stood in front of the stones, nothing happened. Xin Meng carefully examined the stone beneath him, only to be astonished to find that the words that had been written on it had disappeared!
Recalling the names that had been on the stones, he realized that this stone had originally had the name Dong Xiu on it, but now the words were gone. Could it be…
He turned to You Yi and asked, “Does your stone still have a name?”
You Yi gently rubbed the surface of his stone with his fingers, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Yes, yours is still there.”
They weren’t very far apart, and Xin Meng could vaguely see a glaring red on the stone in front of You Yi. Was that his own name?
What had once looked bloody and made one want to wipe it away had now become a symbol of their survival, which was quite ironic.
The two had previously agreed that Xin Meng would count to three, and then they would simultaneously lift the first stone.
“Three, two, one!”
Xin Meng focused on the stone in front of him, exerting force in an attempt to lift it all at once, but to his surprise, the stone was exceptionally heavy, as if it were filled with lead. He couldn’t push it up on his first try!
He gathered more strength and pushed again, but the stone didn’t budge at all, as if it had taken root, refusing to leave the ground even a fraction.
The weight was absolutely disproportionate to the size of the stone!
It really wasn’t going to be that easy to clear the level…
Xin Meng was pushing so hard that his face turned red when suddenly, he heard a strange laughter in his ear, the sound coming and going…
It seemed to be coming from the stone in front of him!
He was so startled that he let go of the stone and stumbled back several steps. When he looked closely again, the originally empty stone was now filled with pale, grinning ghosts. They were sitting in groups on the stone, which wasn’t very large; the bottom had only seven or eight of them, while the rest were piled on top of each other like a human tower, grinning with their black eyes, watching Xin Meng with glee.
It was them causing trouble! The stone hadn’t been empty at all; it had been filled with ghosts, but he hadn’t seen them!
Thinking about how close he had just been to these things without realizing it, Xin Meng felt a chill run down his spine, goosebumps rising all over his body!
The grinning ghosts continued to laugh, their unblinking eyes fixed on Xin Meng. Fortunately, none of them lunged at him; they simply remained in place, cackling in various postures, showing no intention of leaving.
Ever since he had experienced being surrounded by countless grinning ghosts in the water, Xin Meng felt that his mental endurance had reached a new height. Even now, with these ghosts only three or four meters away, he didn’t scream or faint. He didn’t even run away immediately; he could calmly think: oh, this must be the final obstacle to clearing the level.
But this obstacle was indeed a real challenge. Even though Xin Meng wasn’t scared enough to run away, it didn’t mean he dared to approach these ghosts. Even if he did get close, with twenty or thirty of them weighing down on him, it would be impossible to move the stone!
He looked at the grinning ghosts and tentatively called out, “Qi Xiaokui?”
The ghosts remained motionless, still staring at him, but the terrifying laughter in his ears faded away. He called out again, but this time the ghosts didn’t react at all.
He turned around, and sure enough, Qi Xiaokui reappeared behind him. The gazes of the grinning ghosts shifted from Xin Meng to Qi Xiaokui.
Qi Xiaokui’s expression remained unchanged as she floated to the side, and the ghosts’ attention followed her. The pressure on Xin Meng immediately lessened. He asked Qi Xiaokui, “Can you make them leave the stone?”
Qi Xiaokui shook her head.
Xin Meng: “…”
“If I push the stone, will they attack me?” Xin Meng asked again.
Qi Xiaokui shook her head once more and pointed to herself.
“If you’re here, they won’t harm me?” Xin Meng guessed at Qi Xiaokui’s meaning.
Qi Xiaokui nodded.
Xin Meng didn’t quite understand the principle behind it, but hearing that the ghosts wouldn’t harm them made him breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to look at You Yi, only to see that the spot where You Yi had been standing was now replaced by an upright stone.
Xin Meng: “…” Didn’t we agree that we were all human?! Did you eat spinach?!
It seemed You Yi had lifted a stone at lightning speed, not even giving the ghosts on top a chance to appear. However, when he reached the second stone, the ghosts had already shown up. The other five stones, except for the one he had lifted, were all piled with ghosts. You Yi didn’t rush in, so while Xin Meng was talking to Qi Xiaokui, he just stood there watching, waiting for the outcome.
Hearing their conversation, You Yi glanced at Xin Meng and walked towards the stone with steady, unwavering steps, his gaze showing no sign of disturbance, as if he couldn’t see the terrifying things on the stone. He walked straight to the stone and then suddenly lifted it. The ghosts on top screamed as they were knocked to the ground, rolling away and disappearing.
Xin Meng watched in astonishment.
So when You Yi repeated this with the other three stones and walked back to him, Xin Meng finally came to his senses, feeling immense admiration for the man as he nervously watched him approach the last stone.
Because he was too concerned about You Yi, he didn’t notice Qi Xiaokui behind him, anxiously gesturing at him, nor did he realize that Qi Xiaokui’s body was gradually disappearing.
By the time You Yi’s hand touched the stone, Qi Xiaokui had completely vanished.
Xin Meng was waiting for him to lift the last stone, thinking that this nightmare would soon end. In fact, he had already relaxed half of his heart, believing that soon, they would leave this place…
But the sudden change occurred without warning. The grinning ghosts suddenly burst into sharp laughter, their bodies writhing, and then they lunged at You Yi!
“Ah!” Xin Meng screamed in fright. You Yi was too close to those ghosts; he would soon be bitten!
However, You Yi remained calm. The military knife was already in his hand, and he swung it fiercely at the leading ghost. The ghost was struck directly, its body splitting in two, but it quickly rejoined, becoming whole again and charging at You Yi once more!
“Run!” Xin Meng couldn’t help but shout. He looked towards where Qi Xiaokui had been and finally realized she was gone. He shouted again, “Qi Xiaokui! Qi Xiaokui!”
But this time, Qi Xiaokui did not reappear.
He clenched his palm tightly, watching You Yi, who was in trouble, surrounded by dozens of grinning ghosts. Although You Yi was skilled, splitting the surrounding ghosts apart and moving slowly during their recovery time, he hadn’t let any of them get close yet. However, the grinning ghosts showed no signs of fatigue, continuously pouring in. It was only a matter of time before he would be bitten.
Xin Meng couldn’t remain calm like he had when watching Dong Xiu or Xiong Jiabao fall into danger. He watched as a ghost was about to bite You Yi’s arm, his mind going blank. A sudden sense of familiarity overwhelmed all his rationality, as if he had seen this scene before…
This man was surrounded by monsters, and then… then…
A sharp pain shot through Xin Meng’s head, and he felt dizzy, almost nauseous. But he forced his eyes to remain open, still reflecting the image of the man in crisis. His nails dug into his palm, drawing blood. Xin Meng shook off those strange feelings, pulled out the military knife that the man had given him for protection, and shouted as he rushed over to help.
But You Yi shouted sternly, “Don’t come over!”
The foot he had just stepped out with halted again. Xin Meng was afraid of making things worse and didn’t dare to move forward, but his heart was filled with confusion and fear, tears welling up in his eyes.
