The poisonous mist had yet to dissipate, but the parents' hearts had already skipped a beat, for a tremendous noise had erupted from the direction of the prison. It sounded like the repeated thuds of heavy impacts.
The screen zoomed back.
They saw the massive prison gates trembling violently.
"Did another contestant come out?"
"Let's check the time. By now, Contestants 005 and 006 should have completed their assessments, right? Whoever it is, they're fierce. Such strong attacks."
"Indeed, but it's also possible that..."
Bang!
The gates were completely smashed open, and a towering shadow appeared behind them.
It was the coffin-bearer, and not just one—there were three of them.
"How could this happen?! If the coffin-bearers have emerged, does that mean the contestants inside..."
The scene shifted. Inside the prison, there was an eerie silence, save for strange, heavy breathing. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the door to Cell 006 was tightly locked, while the occupant of Cell 007 had chosen to lock themselves in with chains, blocking the coffin-bearers from entering. However, there were more people in this prison than the usual 50—many had escaped from other cells.
Naturally, those who hadn't managed to escape met a grim fate—either death or voluntary withdrawal.
After a quick calculation, it seemed that at least eighty contestants had opted to withdraw from these three cells. The elimination rate was sky-high.
Anyway, those who had forfeited had already done so, while the clever ones hid inside the cells. As for the rest... they were lying outside.
The poisonous mist had started to clear. The three fearsome coffin-bearers had approached the unconscious contestants, including the powerful Lin Chengxiu, all of whom were poisoned and completely unaware.
The parents feared that the coffin-bearers would simply beat the poisoned contestants to death. However, they did not—rather, they bent down, scooped up the unconscious bodies, opened their coffins, and tossed the bodies inside as if collecting trash.
As the coffin-bearers were busy gathering the bodies, someone suddenly realized something was amiss.
"Wait, something's wrong. One person is missing."
"Who?"
"Ox! He was here when the poisonous mist appeared, but now he's nowhere to be seen."
"You're right. He hasn't been picked up. Did he escape?"
"No way. With the Big Goose and the poisonous mist, who could have escaped?"
"I'd believe the Big Goose managed to escape, but it certainly couldn't."
As the others discussed, they carefully scanned the remaining bodies for Ox. Meanwhile, the coffin-bearers were still diligently collecting the bodies, eventually moving towards a pile of dead grass.
Inside the invisible coffin, after the earlier chaos, Yao had hidden inside with the Big White Goose. As it was about to squawk, she swiftly pressed it down, covering its mouth and neck.
The Big Goose: "!!!"
Muffled noises...
"Be quiet. You were also poisoned earlier, clearly just a part of the scenario, not working with the Little Skinning Demon, or you would have been immune to the poison. If that's the case, we're allies now. If you keep making noise, I'll ruin this coffin, and you'll either die from the poison or be caught by the Little Skinning Demon!"
The Big Goose, realizing she was right, immediately quieted down, glaring at her with angry, beady eyes.
Yao ignored it, continuing to hold the goose while staying alert to the sounds outside.
The poisonous mist was still thick, and the scarecrow-like figures were still present. She wasn't confident about escaping yet, so she had to hide and wait. Would the scarecrows approach? Would they detect the coffin's disguise?
Logically, they shouldn't—she had used her gene ability, the Eye Technique, to make herself invisible.
This coffin was indeed a useful tool, and it wasn't surprising that the system had rewarded her with this first coffin-bearer kill.
A short while later, Yao didn't encounter the Little Skinning Demon but did see the coffin-bearers. She pressed the Big Goose down even more tightly, controlling her breath.
She wasn't afraid of the coffin-bearers, but she feared that after defeating them, she might draw the Little Skinning Demon's attention.
The coffin-bearers quickly filled their coffins with bodies, but the coffins were too full, unable to contain them all. In front of the watching parents, they performed a macabre task, pushing the bodies into any remaining space with the force of a pickled cabbage jar from Northern Sichuan...
Some fathers watching saw their daughters' faces being crushed, their minds snapping, twisting in agitation, cursing the education department.
"My little angel... If only I had given you stronger genes, you wouldn't have to suffer like this!"
Finally, the coffins were packed, and the three coffin-bearers lifted the coffins and walked away.
Clearly, they hadn't noticed Yao or the coffin.
After they walked for a while, the poisonous mist had mostly dissipated, the storm had passed, and the scarecrows returned to the ground.
The screen split into several sections. One section followed the three coffin-bearers, another stayed in the prison, while the remaining ones scattered in other areas. One part remained by the pile of dead grass.
Zhou Linlang sat cross-legged, contacting her subordinates to handle affairs, all the while observing the screen.
Soon, the coffin became visible, its lid suddenly opening as Ox, holding the Big Goose, jumped out.
"I'll explain first—no matter what, I did save you. You have your responsibilities, and I have mine. Actually, we have no grudges, and I can't beat you, but we all need a sense of morality. So, let's part ways, and you stop annoying me."
Yao was afraid of the Big Goose. If it kept squawking, she would not only lose her disguise but also lose points!
She had already made a deal with it before letting it go.
The Big Goose seemed to understand, pondering for a moment, before nodding.
"Let's swear on the next generation—if we break this oath, we'll never become a parent."
"Agreed."
With their serious vows exchanged, Yao released the goose... but the Big Goose suddenly sprang up and launched an attack towards her.
Swish!
Yao dodged quickly, but three doppelgängers came at her from her arms and abdomen, hitting her hard.
Splash!
Blood gushed from three holes in her body as she dove into the coffin, slamming the lid shut.
Meanwhile, the Big Goose, furious, jumped onto the coffin lid and continued to attack.
Yao was enraged too. "You broke the oath!"
The Big Goose, however, suddenly spoke, "I'm not afraid. I couldn't be a parent anyway, you idiot. I'm a female goose, didn't see that coming, huh? Ha!"
Yao: "…"
"What's wrong with you? I said we have no grudge."
"Who said that? You were pressing me, and for so long! I'm not innocent! Ugh! You filthy duck!"
"?"
Yao fell silent, and the waiting area grew still.
Zhang Ruo pressed the pressure point on her head, feeling a buzzing sensation in her skull.
Yao finally found her voice. "I don't believe you can always watch me. According to the scenario, other high-scoring contestants should be attracted soon, like those from other cities."
It was a frustrating situation. She had lost half her points due to being attacked three times, but she was still in first place.
However, if a blood cow appeared from another city, it meant other powerful players were also out there.
Sure enough, not long after Yao finished speaking, the Big Goose stomped angrily and growled, "Just wait! Don't let me catch you again!"
With that, it jumped off the coffin and waddled away swiftly.
As Yao remained in the coffin, she quickly used a healing potion from her backpack to treat her wounds.
It hurt a lot. The Big Goose's combat power was truly off the charts, but it seemed afraid of poison… its poison resistance was pretty low.
Yao thought to herself, waiting until the Big Goose had left, then scanned her surroundings, realizing that the scarecrows seemed to have entered a dormant state after releasing their poison mist.
"Looks like they can't function after using their big moves."
Yao then killed a scarecrow, finding that its score had dropped to 1.
It had been drained.
Yao continued to follow the footprints of the coffin-bearers, deepening her journey into the heart of the graveyard, occasionally taking out a few remaining scarecrows along the way.
Passing through a previous area, she realized the blood cow had vanished.
Had it escaped?
She thought about it for a moment. The Little Skinning Demon had almost wiped out the entire batch of contestants. Most of the top scorers had already been taken out. So, who had lured the Big Goose away?
"It must have been contestants from other cities," Yao muttered, wary of these people being close. She immediately left, continuing her cautious hunt.
Her skills and tactics relied heavily on mental and elemental power, requiring preparation. She wasn't worried about sustainability, but her defense was weak. If she were overwhelmed in the first encounter, it would all be for nothing.
Thus, she couldn't take on powerful contestants head-on unless she had a clear advantage, like taking out the blood cow in one blow. Nor could she take on opponents who outnumbered her.
More importantly, the Little Skinning Demon was quite formidable—it was a mid-level BOSS.
She
would need to be patient and avoid making too much noise. She continued to hunt down the scarecrows, cautiously and strategically.
Then, it began to rain, and Yao, facing the downpour, noticed a village just outside the dark graveyard.
There were around a hundred houses, not too big or small.
The farmland around it was abandoned, looking strange and eerie.
The village looked dilapidated and gloomy, with only a hint of smoke rising from chimneys, soon obscured by the rain.
Yao inspected it carefully, noting that the coffin-bearers' tracks avoided the village, leading toward a withered forest on the southern edge. Using her keen observation, she spotted a large building at the forest's edge.
It was enormous, with a gate marked "Yizhuang" (a charitable building).
Inside, she could see many coffins. The coffin-bearers must have gone in there.
Yao paused to think. Looking at the increasingly heavy rain, she felt a strange chill, the smell of blood in the air. This rain felt eerily similar to the poisonous mist.
Clearly, this was a large-scale negative BUFF within the scenario. She had to find shelter, either in the building or the village.
"Odd... I'm still in first place? No one else's score has surged?"
Yao pondered, half-suspicious.
Knock, knock, knock.
The wooden door of a house in the southern part of the village was gently knocked. The smoke had just dissipated, and after the knock, the voices inside abruptly stopped, a sense of unease settling in.
Soon, a polite voice came from within.
"Is anyone home? I'm just passing through to escape the rain. I won't disturb you."
Someone slowly moved to the window, peering outside.
A young man, appearing harmless.
After a moment, the door opened, and Yao looked up to see an elderly man with a simple face, accompanied by a woman sitting near the stove.
The couple looked nervous and on edge, but they still opened the door out of kindness.
The door quickly shut behind them.
Upon entering, Yao noticed two pairs of shoes on the rack—worn down, with one pair clearly from a younger person, but the shoes hadn't been used in years, yet they were still there.
"Didn't you encounter those terrifying coffin-bearers?" the old man asked seriously.
Yao nodded. "I saw them. They took my classmates. I followed them here, but then they disappeared. The rain's too heavy, so I had to take shelter. Are you afraid of them?"
The old man and his wife exchanged a glance, then sighed deeply. "How could we not be afraid? Those creatures have taken many lives from our village, leaving us with no descendants."
The old woman's eyes reddened, and she turned her face away, wiping her tears in secret.
Yao scanned the room, spotting photos of young people on the shelves. The photos had blurred with time. She paused, then quickly averted her gaze, apologizing.
It turned out those shoes belonged to their children, who had long since disappeared but whose memory the couple couldn't bear to part with.
"Don't worry, it's not your fault. But you're still young. After resting here tonight, you should leave this terrible place as soon as possible. You can't save those people."
The old woman gently urged. The warmth from the stove illuminated her face, filled with tender affection.
Yao asked, "Is the Yizhuang their stronghold? Is the leader the Little Skinning Demon?"
"Yes, many have been taken there, and no one has come back. The Little Skinning Demon is terrifying."
"Does he avoid coming into the village? Have you all been hiding here?" Yao questioned.
"It seems so. They've never entered in all these years. We secretly suspect there's something in the village that keeps him at bay. Unfortunately, we've searched for years and never found it. Now, all we can do is hide."
When the couple spoke of the Little Skinning Demon, fear gripped them, and they refused to say more. The rice in the pot was ready, but not much. The couple made sure to give Yao a bowl.
Yao, seeing their kindness, politely declined. "Can I have some water? I'm a bit thirsty."
"Of course! You've been out in the rain. It's very dangerous to go outside in this weather. You'll get seriously sick. Go wash up and sleep."
After drinking the water, the couple ushered Yao upstairs to a guest room to bathe.
The room was old but clean enough. After the couple went downstairs to eat, Yao quickly changed into fresh clothes. When she finished, she sat by the fire of the ancient fireplace, soon feeling sleepy.
The rain's effects were beginning to show—more severe than a cold, but it wasn't long before she fell asleep under the warmth of the blankets.
The outside world was dark and stormy. Only a few lights flickered in the village houses.
But the couple's lights downstairs soon went out, and the camera shifted. Beneath the window near the stairway, a shadow appeared, slipping in and crouching, observing the dim lights below.
This scene was chilling. Everyone's hearts raced. Had the Little Skinning Demon entered? Or was it the wandering merchant?
Downstairs, the couple continued their chores, eventually turning off the lights and slowly making their way to their room.
Just as they closed the door, the old man reached for the wardrobe handle… A dark figure emerged from behind the door.
"Ah!" someone screamed, dropping their popcorn. The couple froze in fear, unable to react before two swift slashes severed their throats.
Their eyes widened as they fell to the ground in silent terror. Had they recognized the terrifying face of their assailant?
In the darkness, a hand caught the fallen oil lamp.
It was Ox's face, covered in blood.
Everyone gasped in surprise.
Some had realized by now that the couple had been hiding something.
"Of course, they were hiding something. Their children's photos were so dirty, the mirror hadn't been cleaned in years, and the stove area was covered with fresh meat stains. Yet, there were no other food remnants."
"Plus, they had no crops or livestock, but food still appeared. They couldn't leave, and the couple's cryptic behavior indicated they had been hiding something."
Shen Yunyi found this scenario interesting. This scenario tested the contestants' comprehensive abilities—clearly, it was designed to reject pampered, useless wizards.
At that moment, the couple's bodies began to twitch, inflating wildly, transforming into two monstrous, tall goblins.
Yao opened the wardrobe and found something inside.
Everyone saw what she uncovered—coffin-bearer attire.
A continuous supply of contestants meant a continuous supply of coffin-bearers. The so-called surviving villagers in this village were likely backups.
No wonder Ox had chosen to strike first, eliminating them before they could strike her. No prisoners.
Yao spent half an hour searching the house and found a diary in the room of the couple's youngest daughter.
That day, the sky grew dark, and a rainstorm descended, silencing the once lively village. Everyone went home to collect clothes and cook. From her window, the girl saw a pale, injured boy carrying a small, green goblin. He hesitated at the village entrance, seemingly asking for permission to enter. He looked so pitiful.
The villagers, curious about the rare guest, welcomed him inside and fed him.
He ate politely, much better than the crude boys in the village. He complimented an aunt on her cooking, praising her for preparing the pigskin jelly so well.
Though his praise was strange, the girl thought him to be the most polite person she'd ever met.
Later, he gave the aunt a beautiful red high-heeled shoe. The aunt was so delighted, she spun around, and everyone admired the gift.
But the next day, the aunt was found dead, her skin missing, and bloody high heels on her feet.
The village chief also died that night.
...
The rest of the diary was incomplete. It seems the girl had hidden it beneath the bed before she was killed.
Yao could tell the girl was likely murdered right beside her bed, and in her final moments, she managed to hide the diary.
Yao sat on the edge of the bed, flipping through the fragile diary as she processed the information.
This village had something that could counter the Little Skinning Demon.
The village chief's murder had to be because he knew the village's secrets. After all, the village had remained hidden for many years, and if it could ward off evil spirits, it likely had some form of protection—a powerful method or perhaps a magical formation.
But when the villagers welcomed an outsider in, they unknowingly allowed the Little Skinning Demon entry. He took action swiftly, killing the village chief to eliminate any threats to his presence.
Yao stared at the diary and knew she had to visit the village chief's house.
Where was his house?
Yao looked at the calendar on the wall. It was a gift from the village chief—given annually to the villagers as a token of his affection. It was always given out before New Year's.
She checked the calendar and found the chief's name and address.
"Need help? Ask the village chief" was written, with his address clearly noted.
Yao glanced outside and immediately made her way to the small, simple house on the northern side of the village.
The scene shifted again. The house had long been abandoned, its sparse furnishings in disarray. The goblins hadn't bothered with it—they had left it untouched.
Yao entered and found the place had been thoroughly searched, with furniture destroyed and cobwebs everywhere.
It was clear that
they had searched for something related to the village's protective formation.
"Seems like they've found it already," Yao muttered to herself.
But she wasn't deterred. Since this was a scenario designed by the Education Department, she knew they had to leave her with some hope.
She began her search patiently, sending out her spider silk to explore the gaps in the floorboards.
But after a long while, she found nothing. Strange.
Yao thought for a moment. If she were the first village chief who created this formation, she would have hidden the key in a way that would be hard to find but easy to access in case of emergency.
Where could it be hidden?
She began by examining the spot where the village chief was likely killed. She followed the bloodstains, which led her to a wooden beam.
This beam had to be intact. If it were damaged, the entire house would collapse.
The goblins had avoided destroying it in their frantic search, and Yao figured the chief would have passed by it in a hurry, reaching for something hidden within the beam to activate the protective formation.
But he never got the chance.
Yao stood before the beam, not touching it directly. Instead, she used her energy to activate her ocular powers.
The first sweep yielded no results. The wood seemed stable, but something didn't feel right.
She focused her energy, digging deeper. Then, she saw it—a faint blue glow emanating from within the beam.
Inside, she found a seal.
The seal had ancient symbols and totems, one resembling a hand gesture.
The symbols were written in arcane language, but Yao knew their meaning from her studies.
"This is the guiding seal—it's telling me to make a gesture."
Following the instructions, she placed her hand on the seal and mimicked the gesture.
With a hum, the blue light transferred into her hand.
It was a key—an ice-blue, metallic shield.
A prompt appeared:
"Congratulations! You've obtained the key item for this scenario: Village Protection Formation Key. Do you wish to bind it? Binding requires 10,000 mental points but will ensure the key cannot be dropped if you are killed."
"Of course, I'll bind it," Yao replied without hesitation.
As soon as the key was bound, she sensed something outside. Someone was coming, and they were not alone.
There was the sound of fighting—likely with the goblins. Whoever had arrived had noticed the goblins' tricks.
Yao knew they were not weak, judging by the intensity of the fight. It was a group, and the fighting frequency suggested there were more than one of them.
She had no time to waste. If they realized she had taken the key, they would definitely come after her.
But even with her spiritual powers, she couldn't face them head-on.
She quickly retrieved an item from her backpack, sent it through the spider silk to another part of the house, and quietly left.
Once outside, she saw the battle continuing from a safe distance.
There were over twenty goblins, but they were being dominated by a small four-person team. These people were strong—at least stronger than the ones she had encountered so far.
The sound of fire magic indicated their proficiency with flame spells, making Yao's eyes narrow in recognition.
"Fire magic? Could it be someone from Gaoyang City? They've always been fierce."
Unfortunately for her, these people were definitely from a place far stronger than Jingyang.