Chapter 137

Without a doubt, Elder Hu was the key figure in this Instance.

After sending off the village chief, before Jiang Liu could take action, she was greeted by two more unexpected visitors.

Zhu Ge walked ahead of her brother, her eyes uncontrollably scanning the layout of the room as she walked. When her gaze fell on Zhao Ziyang lying on the floor, there was no surprise. Instead, it was as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. She stood calmly and confidently in front of Jiang Liu.

“You’re curious why they suddenly mobilized, aren’t you?” She spread her hands, alluding to the other players.

Jiang Liu remained noncommittal, asking instead, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

They had only interacted twice, and their conversations were always about the Instance. If there was truly some important reason, Jiang Liu didn’t think this shrewd girl would tell her.

But in reality—

Zhu Ge grinned, and the faint trace of defensiveness she had instantly vanished. “Of course. Our mission has changed.”

As she said this, she couldn’t help but frown, her tone slightly puzzled.

“In the Side Quest, the System specifically instructed us to assist the villagers in completing Zhao Ziming’s burial. The mission reward is—to clear the level.”

The last few words were deliberately emphasized, clearly stressing something.

Jiang Liu was initially unconcerned, but seeing her expression, she suddenly came to her senses, abruptly realizing what “clearing the level” referred to.

Another person also reacted in time. “Leave the game?”

Zhu Ge nodded affirmatively. “That’s right. It promised that as long as we complete the mission, no matter how many Instances we’ve been through before, we can directly clear the level and escape the game.”

For the players, this was undoubtedly a huge temptation.

All they had to do was push one person into the well to succeed. This was much easier than painstakingly figuring out the cause of death.

“To be honest, I was a little tempted myself,” her brother, Zhu Wu, said, shaking his head from the side. He clearly also thought it was a pity to give up such an opportunity so easily.

No one responded to his joke.

Jiang He recalled the muscular man’s relentless demeanor from earlier and muttered to himself, “No wonder, no wonder.”

In a life-or-death Instance like this, only such a temptation could make people act so recklessly.

Jiang Liu and Yang Caisi exchanged a look. Although they hadn’t expected this, they weren’t surprised.

“The System doesn’t allow for such specific, targeted missions. Qiao Ke is making a desperate move,” Yang Caisi said with a shrug, quickly figuring out the key point.

They both knew that this Instance was Qiao Ke’s last chance. But in reality, NPCs did not have the power to absolutely interfere with the progress of an Instance.

The most outrageous thing Qiao Ke had ever done was to give Yang Caisi the identity of a nun and guide Jiang Liu to carry out an assassination to complete a mission, yet he didn’t dare to give any direct pointers.

But that was just a conflict between two people.

Now that Lin Jiao and the others had interfered to varying degrees, the only outcome awaiting him was to be delisted. With his former power slipping through his fingers, all he could do to Jiang Liu was make a last-ditch effort.

Perhaps he had long known that he couldn’t stop Jiang Liu from clearing the level, but he was simply too unwilling to accept it.

And so, this Instance, this inexplicable mission, came to be.

But as a discarded piece of the System, did he really have the power to let dozens of players clear the level directly?

They all knew the answer to this.

Their attitude puzzled Zhu Ge. “You don’t seem to believe it?”

She had only asked casually, not expecting an answer. Instead, she said in a serious tone, “I’ve never encountered anything like this before, and besides, Zhao Ziming is your companion.”

The two siblings had thought about it for a long time and really couldn’t bring themselves to make the decision to kill someone, so they chose to be honest with Jiang Liu and the others.

“Don’t laugh, but I have no clue about this Instance, and I don’t want to take the easy way out, so I can only come to you for help.” Zhu Ge gave a bitter smile and craned her neck to look into the room.

From this angle, she could only see half of Zhao Ziming’s curled-up body. She was still very curious but didn’t suggest a closer look.

Instead, it was Zhu Wu who boldly lifted the door curtain. “Is he still not awake?”

Zhu Ge frowned and impatiently tugged at his arm, signaling him not to be so rude.

Zhu Wu was confused and, wincing from her pull, reluctantly let the curtain fall.

Jiang Liu saw this interaction and a smile rose in her eyes.

This pair of siblings was also very interesting. The brother was straightforward and a bit dense, while the sister was shrewd and intelligent, her ability to read people no less than Tang Ruo’s and the others’.

“Come in and have a look.” Jiang Liu generously lifted the door curtain and led the two into the room. “As for the mission, how much do you all know?”

Seeing them shake their heads, she began to explain, starting with the Curse.

After listening, Zhu Ge frowned. “So you’re going to look for this Elder Hu guy?”

“That’s right.” Jiang Liu snapped her fingers and glanced at the time. It was almost afternoon.

The mission was limited to seven days, and this was the second day. She was worried that further delays would lead to new complications, so she was ready to set off.

“Then I’ll go find the remaining players.” Zhu Ge didn’t plan to go with them; she had her own plans.

Although the temptation to leave the game was great, not everyone was willing to do it at the cost of killing another player. Besides the group led by the muscular man, there was another faction that was unwilling to cooperate.

“Let’s split up.”

The two sides hit it off and prepared to set off in different directions.

Before leaving, she deliberately slowed her pace to instruct Yang Caisi, who was standing at the door without moving, “Be careful.”

Someone had to stay with Zhao Ziming. Xiao Si had to stand guard here to prevent him from being stolen and thrown into the well while he was unconscious.

Although she knew that those players were just small fry, Jiang Liu was still a little worried.

Especially when she heard Village Chief Liu talk about the Curse, Xiao Si had been exceptionally silent. Apart from necessary questions, she had barely said a word, which made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch him.” Yang Caisi reached out to straighten her collar, her movements so gentle it was as if she were afraid of breaking her. A smile covered her usually placid face.

The warm sunlight slanted onto her, as if plating her with a layer of gold. For a moment, Jiang Liu seemed to see the person from the past.

Jiang Liu was lost in thought for a moment. When she came to, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. How had she become so anxious and insecure now that the game was coming to an end?

“Wait for me to come back.” She curved her lips into a smile and strode away.

Watching Jiang Liu’s back, Yang Caisi pursed her lips and smiled softly. It wasn’t until she disappeared around the corner that she walked into the room.

The NPC-exclusive communication phone vibrated twice. She calmly swiped to unlock it, her eyes turning cold when they fell on the line of text.

“The Instance is sealed. I can’t get out.”

—Sender, Gao Yuan.

Although it was a desperate move by Qiao Ke, Yang Caisi didn’t think this old veteran who had been entrenched in the System for many years would think so simply.

It had been two days, and apart from Xiao Zhao, nothing had happened here. This was really not in line with his character.

Yang Caisi looked down at Zhao Ziyang on the floor, recalling what the village chief had said, her fingertips twitching unconsciously.

***

According to the village chief, after leaving the village entrance, you walk one kilometer to the right. Near the back mountain, there is a standalone house, which is Elder Hu’s residence.

“He’s so old, yet he has such a strange temper,” Tang Rui couldn’t help but complain as he looked around.

“Isn’t that how it’s written in novels? People with some status all have quirks and like peace and quiet,” Jiang He, on the other hand, found it quite normal.

Seeing that Jiang Liu hadn’t spoken, he quickened his pace to knock on the door.

Unexpectedly, the main door was just for show. With just a light touch from him, it creaked open from the inside. The old man was standing in the yard, feeding chickens.

“You’re here?” Elder Hu heard the sound but didn’t turn around, just continuing to scatter chicken feed, his tone flat and unremarkable.

“Why is he so calm?” Jiang He muttered, but unexpectedly, he was heard.

“Outsiders come to the village every few days. You’re here to ask how to get out.” Elder Hu glanced at Jiang He, his gaze calm and unwavering.

Apart from Jiang Liu, the others were seeing him for the first time. At first glance, they were startled by his face, which could be described as ancient and abstract.

But Elder Hu didn’t seem to care about the shock his appearance caused. His old, cloudy eyes slowly shifted to Jiang Liu. “If you want to get out, you must be buried.”

Jiang Liu didn’t respond, instead changing the subject. “Do you know the order in which these people fall unconscious?”

Her question reminded Tang Ruo that the village chief had indeed mentioned that Elder Hu was the central figure in the Curse incident. The most important point was that he could see who the next person to fall into a deep sleep would be.

She couldn’t help but size up the old man. Was there something special about him?

“It has nothing to do with outsiders.” The old man’s voice was hoarse, clearly unwilling to continue talking to them. He just sighed softly and stared at Jiang Liu with the same intense gaze as last time. “Please, my condolences.”

No matter how much they asked, the old man just kept repeating the phrase “my condolences” in that tone, clearly unwilling to say anything.

Tang Rui frowned and cautiously moved behind Jiang Liu, making a gesture and signaling with his eyes.

Jiang Liu shook her head.

She couldn’t explain why, but she had a gut feeling that this old man was the most special person in the village.

Outsiders came to the village every few days. Could those people be other players?

It was as if a layer of fog was constantly shrouding her chest, and Jiang Liu really disliked this feeling.

Seeing the old man continuing to feed the chickens, she couldn’t help but turn and walk toward the old man’s small house.

The house looked very old, much more dilapidated than the brick houses in the village. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned courtyard, and even the walls were lower than others.

The inside was even more empty. Apart from a bed in the inner room that barely showed signs of habitation, there wasn’t even any decent furniture. The only cabinet was covered in a thick layer of dust.

A small door next to it connected to a small kitchen. A stove made of yellow earth took up almost half the space. The lid on top was open, and a wisp of steam quietly escaped from the crack.

Jiang Liu leaned in to look. In the pot was half a leftover steamed bun. The water in the large pot below was still warm; he must have just finished heating his meal.

Outside, Jiang He and Tang Rui were chattering and discussing, seemingly also without any leads.

After looking around and finding nothing, Jiang Liu felt a little frustrated and was about to leave, casually putting the lid back on.

The strange thing was that when she picked up the lid, her hand accidentally touched the stove, and the unfamiliar sensation made her freeze on the spot.

The water in the pot was hot, the food was warm, so why was this stove ice-cold?

Jiang Liu suddenly realized something. She turned her head and searched around—

In the large kitchen, apart from the half-eaten steamed bun in the pot, there was no food at all.

She couldn’t help but purse her lips. As if to confirm something, she rushed forward and opened the cupboard—

It was empty. Apart from a bag of rice that had already grown moldy, there was nothing.

At that moment, a thought that she had completely ignored from the beginning screamed and jumped out.

Jiang Liu belatedly realized: Since Zhao Ziyang is a dead person, could it be that everyone in this village… is also dead?