"Meow!" A clear and soft meow broke the silence, shattering the two people's attention that had been drawn to the eerie statue.
The cat rummaged through the pile of yellow talisman paper that had fallen next to the statue, and then poked out a small, dirty bag covered in dirt that was almost invisible under the talisman paper.
"Is this Mom's package?" The newcomer squatted down in confusion, wanting to pick up the bag on the ground, but before she could even reach out, a loud shout suddenly rang out behind her to stop her.
"lay down!"
As soon as the two turned around, they saw the group of other players who had been late finally appear in the town. After three days, quite a few people were still alive, and they came to the town in large groups, dispelling the eerie atmosphere that had permeated the town.
Wang Chan, the leader, glared at the newcomer. He immediately recognized him as the clueless fellow who had previously been antisocial and run away before he could even speak. His voice rose several decibels, carrying a reprimanding tone, "You're a newcomer who doesn't even know what that is and dares to touch it?! Are you looking for death?"
"This is Mom's..."
The newcomer, pale-faced, tried to explain, but before he could finish a single sentence, Zhang Si quickly interrupted him, saying, "How dare you talk to a pro like that! Do you think a pro doesn't know what that is? This pro is just giving you a heads-up because of their experience. Saying you're careless is saying you're careless. Do you know more about dungeons than this pro?"
The two of them flattered each other, truly elevating themselves into arrogant veteran players. Looking at this group of newbies, anyone who didn't listen to them was asking for death in the dungeon.
The newcomer, stunned by the inexplicable scolding, still tried to reach for the bag, but before he could even touch it, Wang Guang kicked him aside. "I told you not to touch it, but you still did. If something happens to you, I definitely won't take care of you. You have no self-awareness at all."
Zhang Si quickly went forward to pick up the bag, and when he looked up, he suddenly noticed that there was a person standing next to him, who was silent and didn't say a word, and had no presence at all, which really startled him.
"And who are you? A newbie who came here early with him?" Zhang Si glared at the indifferent Yin Xiu, giving him a warning beforehand. "I'm a veteran player who has cleared the dungeon three times. Just listen to me, and you'll definitely be able to clear the dungeon smoothly. Don't cause trouble!"
Yin Xiu slightly curled the corners of his lips, a mysterious smile appearing on his usually indifferent face, which made people feel a little scared.
"What are you laughing at? You look like a ghost." Zhang Si quickly turned around and handed the bag to Wang Guang. "Here, Brother Guang, take this. You can see this first."
"Oh dear, is this...is this appropriate?"
"If there's anything inappropriate, you'll definitely understand it better than anyone else once you see it."
The two men chuckled and made excuses, while a large group of new players behind them watched helplessly, none daring to say anything.
Everyone saw that there was only one package for Mom. With so many players, everyone wanted to get first-hand information before others in order to better protect themselves. Now that it had fallen into the hands of these two, they probably wouldn't let anyone else see it. Whatever they researched would be second-hand information passed on to them.
The newcomer, who had been kicked aside, stood aggrievedly next to Yin Xiu. Seeing that Yin Xiu didn't say anything, he silently shut up and stopped arguing with them.
They were quiet and reserved, but the comments section exploded.
"Holy crap, what are these two idiots doing? These players have already cleared the game three times??"
"He's blind to talent! I can't believe he's so good at this. He actually wants Yin Xiu to listen to him."
"It seems like veteran players from other dimensions are all like this; they get incredibly arrogant when they encounter someone newer."
"If this happened in our small town, we'd definitely give them a huge beating. The veteran players in our town are always the ones doing the hard labor for the new players, okay?"
"I watched the live stream all night and haven't slept yet. I'm afraid that this dungeon might have some new tricks that we don't know about, and if we miss the guide, we'll get scolded by that person again."
"Stop talking, I'm getting sleepy right away."
"Hehe... Thank you so much to the veteran commenters, you've worked hard."
"What's so hard about it? Once you become a veteran player, you'll be doing all of this."
"...Fear."
After some back and forth between Wang Guang and Zhang Si, it was finally decided that Wang Guang would open the bag.
"Then I won't be polite." Wang Guang chuckled as he took the bag, preparing to open it and take a look. It didn't look very big, and he wondered what was inside.
Just as the bag was slightly opened, a cool breeze suddenly swept across the square and through the crowd, startling everyone.
"Waaah..." A low, mournful cry of a woman echoed across the square, accompanied by a gust of cold wind and the rising mist.
"What's that sound?!" someone exclaimed in alarm.
"It's foggy... I... I can't see!"
"It's so cold!"
Faced with the crowd's panic, the two leaders shouted loudly in an attempt to calm them down, "Don't panic! Calm down, do you remember the stone tablet we saw at the entrance when we came here?"
"Everyone, remember this: no matter what you hear or see later, pretend you didn't see it!"
"If you're really scared, shut your mouth tight! Don't make a sound!"
But the panic among the newcomers did not subside because of their two voices; instead, it became even more chaotic amidst the unsettling white fog.
"I...I felt like someone touched me!"
"Hair...a piece of hair brushed against the back of my neck...!"
"It's...it's that person, it's that woman—"
"Shut up!! Don't mention it!" Wang Guang shouted, feeling a sense of unease spreading through the crowd. He swallowed hard and moved closer to Zhang Si, knowing that the big boss would definitely step in at this moment.
Zhang Si thought the same way and was waiting for Wang Guang to step up his efforts and lead the team out of danger.
The fog grew thicker and thicker, reducing visibility so low that the players could barely see the people around them. Blurry figures swayed in the white fog, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. The weeping woman's voice grew closer and clearer, as if it were ringing right next to everyone.
"Have you... seen my child?" A leisurely voice sounded beside a player, the cold breath close to his ear.
The player suddenly erupted in anger, screaming and covering his ears as he backed away, "A woman! There's a woman next to me!"
"Shut up!!" Zhang Si cursed angrily. They had clearly told them to look at the stone tablet, be careful not to mention the woman's presence, and pretend they didn't see her, yet some people still screamed in fright.
"Hahaha...you can see me...you...all of you can see me..." The woman's laughter turned low and sinister, "Then come and play hide-and-seek with me, just like my baby."
"I'll count to ten and then I'll come looking for you, so please... please don't let me catch you." Her voice slowly deepened, carrying a chilling amusement, ignoring the players' terror, and she began counting to herself: "One..."
As the woman's voice echoed through the mist, the players immediately scattered, shouting, "Run! Run! We'll be killed if we don't run!!"
But the fog was so thick that they couldn't find their way out of the town.
"two..."
"Hurry! Find somewhere to hide!"
"By the way, the town rules say that if she gets on your mind, you can ask the townspeople for help!"
"Quickly! Find a town resident!"
"three..."
A group of players scattered and fled, rushing towards the nearest house. However, as the fog rolled in and the woman began her hunt, no one in the town dared to open their doors. Instead, they blocked the doors to prevent them from entering, showing no fear whatsoever.
The woman chuckled, her voice a hoarse, deathly whisper escaping from her broken throat, "Four..."
The player group was in complete chaos at this moment, and no matter how Wang Guang and Zhang Si tried to gather the chaotic crowd together, it was to no avail. They simply gave up and began to look for a place to hide, constantly banging on the townspeople's houses.
"Help! Please help us!"
"Open the door and let me in!"
Please, I beg you!!
Amidst a chorus of helpless wails, Yin Xiu stood there, deep in thought.
This woman exists within the town's rules and seems to be of vital importance to the town. Should she be killed?