NFM Chapter 55

“Where did all the farmers go?” Cheng Xin asked curiously.

“It seems something big has happened,” Chu Tianshu picked up a farming tool and examined it. “They even left their tools behind and hurried away.”

As he spoke, he rubbed the handle of the tool. Lin Huai watched his actions and asked curiously, “Did you judge that based on the temperature of the tool?”

Chu Tianshu replied, “No, I was checking if this hoe feels good in my hand. If it does, I’ll steal… take it.”

Lin Huai: “You just said steal, didn’t you?”

“How can taking an NPC’s stuff be called stealing?” Chu Tianshu said with a pained expression. “Any item that appears in front of me in the Game is my personal belonging.”

Lin Huai glanced at the driver beside them and said thoughtfully, “You’re right.”

The driver, listening to their bandit-like conversation, felt a chill run down his spine despite the hot weather. His body trembled, and tears uncontrollably streamed down his face. Lin Huai, however, remained unaffected. He picked up another hoe, hefted it, and said, “It’s quite sharp.”

As he spoke, he casually dragged the hoe across the ground, leaving a clear mark in the soil. Chu Tianshu crouched down to see what he was writing and asked, “What are you writing?”

Lin Huai finished the last stroke on the path and said seriously, “Lin Huai was here.”

In the journey of life, we always leave behind many beautiful memories, and even Lin Huai, who has been reborn, is no exception. Beyond leaving memories, he has always made it his life creed to bring joy to others and leave his own mark of beauty.

After the two of them left this beautiful memory, the silent crowd around them finally began to speak again.

“Let’s go to the village entrance,” Cheng Xin suggested. “Maybe the villagers are all there.”

The others agreed and followed him with heavy steps. Behind them, Chu Tianshu and Lin Huai each carried a hoe, bringing up the rear.

Halfway there, Liao Guan, who had been walking ahead of them, turned around and looked at the two with a flattering smile. “Why don’t… you two walk in front?”

“Why?” Chu Tianshu asked, puzzled. “We’re supposed to be the rearguard.”

Liao Guan said, “I don’t think you’re the rearguard. I feel like there’s killing intent coming from behind us.”

As he spoke, he voluntarily moved behind them. Chu Tianshu looked at his actions and sighed with emotion. “The quality of gamers these days is really improving. They’re even willing to take the rear and come up with such a lame excuse. Tsk tsk tsk.”

Lin Huai added, “Yeah, we’ll have to repay him properly later.”

Liao Guan, walking at the very back, listened to their conversation and felt another wave of cold sweat on his back.

As they stepped onto the village path, Ji Nanquan felt a chill run down his spine.

Perhaps because it was nearing nightfall, the desolate streets of Jiang Village were devoid of people, with only the howling wind and the swirling leaves and yellow sand. The buildings on either side were also utterly desolate. Dark ivy climbed the walls, and the pitch-black doors were tightly shut, making it impossible to see what was inside.

As they walked further into the village, fine rain began to fall from the sky. The sound of the wind, rain, and leaves enveloped everyone’s hearing.

The wind was piercing, and faintly mixed with the howls of dogs. Yan Chuchu stared at the earthen houses on either side and rubbed her arms. “This place is really creepy.”

“Especially this wind,” Liao Guan whispered. “It’s chilling to the bone…”

Before he mentioned it, the others thought it was just their imagination. But once he said it, they suddenly realized that despite it being the height of summer, the wind was making their bones feel cold.

Ruan Tian, walking in the middle of the group, was tense because of the atmosphere. She nervously looked around, and under her suspicion, even the rustling of leaves seemed like ghostly shadows.

The others weren’t much better off. As the sky was about to turn completely dark, they had no interest in observing their surroundings, and even if they did, it was with a highly scrutinizing attitude.

“Let’s hurry to a place with people…” Liao Guan muttered. “This damn place…”

In stark contrast to them were the two walking second to last, holding hoes and still muttering to each other.

Chu Tianshu: “Look at this house, it’s nice. Three courtyards, a mountain-view villa. The person who built it must be the richest in the village.”

Lin Huai: “Makes sense. Let’s stay here tonight, hehe.”

Chu Tianshu: “This house has a lot of sausages hanging outside.”

Lin Huai: “Let’s have dinner here tonight.”

Chu Tianshu: “The dog at this house is so cute, barking loudly at us.”

Lin Huai: “We’ll borrow it from the owner later and play with it for a few days.”

Chu Tianshu: “Didn’t you just say you’d never talk to me again?”

Lin Huai: “You’re asking for it.”

The driver, walking ahead of them, felt utterly exhausted listening to their muttering. These two seemed completely unaware that they were in an Instance. One was enthusiastically treating it like a farm stay, while the other acted as if he owned the place, like a village tyrant who thought everything was his property.

But considering how one of them took NPCs as props to play with, and the other squeezed every last drop even from a car’s fuel tank… it’s no wonder they played the Game like a pair of village tyrants.

“What are you two dawdling about back there?” Yan Chuchu’s voice came from the front. “Hurry up, I hear voices.”

In the air, faint music could be heard, mixed with mournful cries and the sound of footsteps. Hearing this, the group looked at each other and ran toward the source of the sound.

What appeared before them was a wide road, with villagers standing in small groups on either side. They were either holding children’s hands or whispering to each other, but the one constant was the identical expression of fear and morbid curiosity on their faces.

“The third one this year…”

“It’s all karma, all karma…”

“Waa… Mom, I’m scared…”

“What are you scared of? It’s not our family’s doing. Even if it’s our turn, it’s not our turn yet!”

The last sentence was spoken by a middle-aged, plump woman. Lin Huai couldn’t help but glance at her.

What the villagers were focused on was a wooden coffin, carried forward by four people. Ahead and behind, a sparse funeral procession moved forward. In front of the coffin, two people scattered paper money, while two others played mournful music. Behind them followed the mourning group.

It could hardly be called a group—just a few scattered individuals. At the front was likely the deceased’s wife, holding a child and crying sorrowfully. Behind her were probably the deceased’s relatives, their faces bearing varying degrees of appropriately measured grief.

“…Return, O soul, return.”

The ethereal, mournful music and the restrained, sorrowful atmosphere of the funeral procession made even the passing players feel solemn. Ruan Tian, who was more sensitive, even had tears in her eyes.

She lowered her head and sobbed twice. Cheng Xin, seeing her sadness, patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. Even if he’s dead, his soul will still be with his family.”

Ruan Tian: “Yes, thank you.”

Chu Tianshu, hearing their conversation, squinted and said, “Don’t you think saying that here makes it even scarier…”

Yan Chuchu, who had been comforting Ruan Tian, glared at him. “Don’t you think you’re being quite unsympathetic?”

Chu Tianshu closed his eyes, made the sign of the cross, and muttered, “Amen, may the deceased rest in peace and be reincarnated soon.”

Yan Chuchu: …

Meanwhile, Lin Huai looked at the dark coffin and, for some reason, felt a sudden sting in his eyes.

He let out a soft “Huh?” and was about to focus when he felt a spark of inspiration.

—The last time he felt this was at Minghua High School when he saw Xu Chi.

He looked in the direction of the inspiration and saw a young man in a green shirt standing in a dark alley.

He had long, slender eyes, delicate and handsome, with a cool, stubborn air about him that seemed out of place in this scene. The young man held a white paper umbrella, seemingly just observing the funeral procession.

Noticing Lin Huai’s gaze, he looked up in surprise. After seeing this group of outsiders who stood out from the villagers, he opened the umbrella and walked further into the alley.

“…What are you looking at?” Chu Tianshu asked, noticing Lin Huai’s gaze.

“That umbrella,” Lin Huai said, dodging slightly but not blinking. “I want to grab… no, buy one.”

Chu Tianshu: “Makes sense. That umbrella could also be used as a shield. Modify it a bit, and it’s a thousand-mechanism umbrella…”

“You two really think you’re village tyrants, huh?” Liao Guan said, both amused and exasperated.

Lin Huai: “All the props in the Game are free for the taking.”

As he spoke, he hefted the hoe in his right hand and the driver’s hand in his left.

Driver: …

“You…” Liao Guan searched for a suitable adjective but couldn’t find one. “You don’t treat NPCs as people at all.”

Hearing this, Lin Huai looked surprised. “When you delete duplicate files, do you care if they cry?”

Liao Guan: …

The funeral procession gradually moved away from the village, and the watching villagers also began to disperse. A few people noticed the group of players and pointed at them while talking among themselves. The players exchanged glances. Cheng Xin, looking at the receding funeral procession, said, “Let’s follow them.”

“Let’s not,” Yan Chuchu said, looking at the increasingly dark sky with fear. “Following them to the graveyard this late? Do you want us to die faster?”

“Let’s go to the village chief’s house first,” Ruan Tian said softly.

Clearly, most people had no intention of following the deceased to the graveyard. Cheng Xin had to compromise. “Alright, let’s go to the village chief’s house first. It’s already getting dark, and going to the graveyard isn’t safe… Lin Huai, where are you going?”

Lin Huai, who had been trying to sneak away, was caught red-handed. He said, “We want to go check the location of the graveyard.”

“It’s almost dark, and it’s really not safe for just the two of you to go now,” Cheng Xin pleaded. “Besides, it’s our first day here, and we haven’t even found a place to stay yet. Splitting up is the worst thing to do in a Game. We should stick together as a group of eight… no, nine.”

“…Hmm, you’re right. That makes sense,” Lin Huai nodded thoughtfully.

“Let me and Lin Huai go,” Chu Tianshu volunteered. “We’ll just check the location of the graveyard.”

Cheng Xin was still hesitant, but Ji Nanquan, hearing this, nudged him with his elbow. “Let them go.”

“But…”

“It’s good for them to scout ahead,” Ji Nanquan said. “The graveyard probably isn’t far from here.”

“…Alright then,” Cheng Xin reluctantly agreed. “You two just look around the graveyard, don’t go in, okay? It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe.”

Chu Tianshu said, “Got it. We’ll just hang around outside, absolutely not going in.”

Cheng Xin: …

Under the driver’s guidance, the group headed to the village chief’s house, while Lin Huai and Chu Tianshu, each holding a hoe, marched boldly after the funeral procession. Liao Guan followed Cheng Xin, walking carefully and couldn’t help but glance back at the two as they left.