Ji Heng spread out his hands, and two brooches inlaid with rubies appeared in his palms.
Zhao Sanliang said from the side: "This is probably the only item in the game that you are allowed to take out."
Su Er didn't refute it, but he was sure it wasn't the only one. At least the electric shock device in his hand was a perfect exception. Following Ji Heng's suggestion, Su Er pinned the brooch on his chest. He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but he always felt a burning sensation there.
He soon realized it wasn't an illusion. The warmth from the brooch seemed to pierce through his skin and scorch his heart. Everything around him was still. Zhao Sanliang, who was closest to him, had a smirk on his face. Su Er saw his own shadow gradually disappear. As the scorching waves, flowing with blood, swept through his body, consciousness finally faded completely.
·
The experience after opening his eyes was not pleasant. His whole body was burning with pain. Su Er reluctantly lifted up his sleeve, which was covered with red and swollen scars, as if he had been severely beaten.
And his strength value has dropped to 49.
He realized belatedly that he was kneeling, and there were faint sounds of pain around him. He looked around and saw six other people kneeling like him. They all had badges, so they were obviously players.
Ji Heng was right next to them. Suer originally thought that he would be the first to stand up, but unexpectedly, he knelt very calmly and didn't move at all.
"What's going on?" Someone hissed, stood up, stretched his muscles, and asked, "Has your strength decreased?"
"I lowered it by 10 and didn't say anything, so stop making a fuss."
Another person said: "I also lowered it a bit."
…
Confirming that he was kneeling in a place similar to an ancestral hall, Su Er insisted on not saying a word, and straightened his back, imitating Ji Heng's kneeling style with a very standard posture. From the corner of his eye, he saw two or three other people who were also silent and kept kneeling.
"Ji Heng!"
A player noticed Ji Heng's presence and belatedly called out, but soon realized something was amiss. Quite a few high-ranking figures had arrived this time, including Ji Heng, Wan Yi, and Shen Jiangbei. But they remained silent.
The man who stood up first suddenly changed his expression and tried to kneel down again.
"You don't repent!" An angry voice came unexpectedly.
The door of the ancestral hall was already open, and the visitor stepped over the threshold, his eyes fixed on the standing man.
The whip swung, striking the man with unerring precision. Soul glanced at his badge, which showed a Strength rating of 142, suggesting his reflexes should be far superior to those of an average person. Yet, despite his apparent attempt to dodge, he was still struck hard.
"You still dare to hide?" The man narrowed his eyes and whipped him twice. The man suppressed his body's subconscious movements. With a whoosh, the clothes on his chest were torn, leaving horrifying blood marks.
The visitor was satisfied.
"There are still two left." There was another person standing behind the whipper, but his thin body was mostly hidden. He was seen stretching out his hand and pointing at a row of kneeling heads.
The wind blew past his ears, and Soul resisted turning back as his whip landed on the person to his left. This player had just exchanged a few words about a power reduction, and he hadn't expected to be punished.
After him, someone else was whipped.
The one who was waving the whip stopped, and spoke in a slightly gentler tone: "Everyone, get up."
Ji Heng stood up first, and Suer did not delay and looked at the two of them immediately.
The man wielding the whip was about forty years old, his clothes barely wrinkled, and the fine lines around his eyes betrayed his sternness. The man behind him was a very refined-looking man in a long jacket.
"Don't bring shame to the town." The man with the whip warned them, not even wanting to look at them again. He said to the man in the long jacket, "Thank you for your help."
As the footsteps faded away, the man in the long jacket glanced at the players in the ancestral hall and said with a serious expression, "Welcome everyone to the world of Seven Days and Seven Nights."
The same opening remarks sounded like chanting a mantra when spoken from his mouth.
"I am the host of this event, Mr. Shuhai."
Mr. Shuhai didn't have the same exaggerated desire for performance as Mr. Yueji: "Confirmed the number of players is 7, entering the world of Wudu."
"...Here we uphold order. You are in a peaceful town where everyone adheres to the rules. The annual selection of Guard Chiefs is about to begin. Players who vote correctly will advance."
"How long do we have to make a choice?" Veteran players always ask more pointed questions.
Mr. Shuhai: "Six days. The relevant identification information is in your pocket."
There was one point in which he was surprisingly consistent with the Rose Gentleman: he would hide in the shadows after the introduction. The host seemed to have some kind of weakening attribute. When he was not speaking, he might even ignore their existence.
After reading the information, Su Er was given an identity in this dungeon: he was an orphan in the town, raised in a Yutang. Yutang was like an orphanage, but it was less humane and had stricter rules than outside.
All players have the same identity as orphans, and even their age settings are forced to be unified at 20 years old.
"The one who attacked us just now must be the guard captain," Su Er said to Ji Heng, "His eyesight isn't very good."
Some of the players don't look like they are in their twenties.
Ji Heng: "This kind of thing is very common in games. For example, the natives in the game will subconsciously ignore the player's badge."
As soon as Suer mentioned his badge, he immediately received several waves of unfriendly looks.
"Fifty-nine," someone stared at his badge and said in a sarcastic voice, "That's quite high."
Su Er frowned, and after seeing the other party's charm value of 4, he silently looked away... It's really hard to blame him.
Before being further criticized, he kindly reminded: "You'd better change your dirty clothes first. You just got whipped. What if it affects your charm..."
The man's face changed. Who knows how the charm value is measured? If it drops to 1, wouldn't it be the end?
Everyone walked out of the ancestral hall one after another.
Perhaps it was his long legs, but as Ji Heng walked out, he only took a few steps before he was already a bit further away from the others. As a team member, Su Er naturally followed him, taking in the surroundings. He said, "It's much better than I thought."
He also thought that because of his charm value, he would be openly criticized by many players.
"They are all veteran players. If they have any complaints, they will only try to cheat you when it is convenient." Ji Heng said calmly, "They have to take the achievements of the femme fatale into consideration."
Su Er was thinking about whether to explain or not, and Ji Heng said, "Back then, a player tried to kill everyone else in the game."
Suer nodded, indicating that he remembered that Zhao Sanliang had mentioned this matter.
Ji Heng: "It was a large dungeon with 20 players. He killed the other 19 players, including the final boss, but he didn't get any achievement points."
"…"
It is quite intriguing that a young new player was specifically told by the copy that he was a "venomous" person.
Su Er touched the tip of his nose and decided to take action to change his reputation in this dungeon.
According to the address provided in the information, we finally found a place to stay after going around in circles. Everyone lived in a small, dilapidated courtyard. This was assigned by Yutang, but after the age of 23, they had to leave and find their own place to live.
At this moment, everyone gathered in the yard and sorted out the currently known clues.
To eradicate crime, this world has established strict rules and regulations. The Chief of Guards is responsible for punishment, and any violation will be punished. The town has a unified ancestral hall where the Chief of Guards of all generations are enshrined, and all punishments must be carried out in the hall.
They were whipped simply for secretly drinking a little. According to regulations, to prevent people from losing control after being drunk, the number of drinking quotas each month is limited and must be reported in advance.
One player couldn't help but mutter, "If Li Bai lived here, he would commit suicide."
"It's better to focus on the problem at hand." As soon as the tall man spoke, several players listened to him carefully.
Su Er glanced at the other person's badge: Shen Jiangbei.
Ji Heng explained to him: "Shen Jiangbei is the captain of the team coming out, and next to him is Wanyi. They are all on the same team."
Surdo paid attention to the two of them. Since they were specially pointed out by Ji Heng, they must have great abilities.
Wan Yi added after Shen Jiangbei: "Yes, it will not be easy to survive the remaining few days."
Someone realized something and his face turned slightly pale. According to the information revealed by the host, the result of the selection of the Chief of Health would be announced in at least six days.
"There are only seven days in total," Ge Xuyan, who had just changed his clothes, shuddered. "Doesn't that mean there's no possibility of clearing customs early?"
As we all know, the longer you stay in the game world, the greater the risk.
"Most likely a mid- to high-level dungeon." One of the two female players pursed her lips and said, "My luck is really bad this time."
Another female player, Wen Buyu, was much more practical. She looked at the host in the shadows and asked softly, "Are there any special rules?"
Mr. Shuhai replied in a dull tone: "No."
Su Er was keenly aware of the tense atmosphere after he said this. Ji Heng's expression didn't change much. Although he was taciturn, he fulfilled his responsibilities as captain. When Su Er expressed confusion, he would take the initiative to explain: "No, there's nothing obvious, but don't forget that this town is full of rules."
Even drinking alcohol would result in being sent to the ancestral hall for a flogging, and even slightly more severe cases could be fatal. Comparing the two, Soul suddenly felt how merciful it was to simply ban the novice from leaving the house at night. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but mutter, "I should be nicer to Mr. Rose."
Trillion, who was not far to his left, heard the whisper and looked at Suer with a strange look.
Unlike the others, he didn't have any hidden hostility towards Su Er. Instead, he made a joke: "There are many hosts in this dungeon. Unless something unexpected happens, I'm afraid you are unlikely to meet them again."
Su Er lowered his head and said nothing.
Trillion teased, "What a pity?"
Su Er shook his head and looked somewhere in the shadows: "The falling flowers and the wind and rain make spring even more sad..." As he recited, his hand unconsciously put it in his pocket. The cool shell of the stun gun made him feel strangely at ease, and then he smiled gently: "Why not pity the person in front of you?"
Mr. Shuhai seemed to sense something and looked over here, and suddenly their eyes met in mid-air.