NFM Chapter 63

“…We’re all neighbors, and that cat was just picked up by them for free, so why can’t they give it to me… They really don’t know how to behave!” At this point, Feng Ailing’s face still showed indignation. “After I got back, I was so angry that I complained to a few people…”

Of course, Feng Ailing wouldn’t admit that her resentment towards Ren Chun stemmed from failing to take advantage of her. Soon, she found the perfect material to spread rumors and successfully positioned herself as the victim.

Recalling the thick stack of money Ren Chun had sent back, which she saw during her last visit to the Ren family, she couldn’t help but speculate. How could a girl earn so much money outside? These days, her son, who only graduated from middle school, could only work as a security guard. Forget sending money home; if he didn’t ask her for money, it was already good enough!

She was certain Ren Chun must have been doing something shady outside. Remembering what her cousin said about seeing Ren Chun pulling a middle-aged man in a mall while promoting products, she rolled her eyes and casually mentioned to her gossipy friends, “Who knows where Ren Chun got that money? My cousin said she saw her pulling a man in the mall, buying a bunch of stuff…”

“…But how is this my fault?” she complained. “There’s no smoke without fire, and it takes two to tango. If she didn’t have issues herself, would people believe it? Besides, I only said a few words at the beginning. The rest was spread by others…”

“What about the cat?” Lin Huai asked coolly.

“The cat…” The woman’s voice was abruptly cut off. She hesitated and looked at the village chief. Lin Huai continued, “If you don’t tell the truth, we can’t help you.”

“The cat… I later stole it and ate it… House cats are cleaner than stray ones,” the woman said hesitantly.

Her shamelessness shocked everyone present. Seeing the displeased looks on their faces, Feng Ailing shouted, “You, you said you’d protect me! You can’t go back on your word!”

Then, she covered her face in remorse and began to cry, “I… I regretted it later… I was just so angry at the time, I really regret it… If I could go back, I would never do that… My son just got married, and he said he would bring me to the city to take care of me… How did I end up in this mess… I want to see my son…”

The woman, marked with a “01,” wailed loudly. Liao Guan looked at the blood-red number, knowing her death was imminent, and couldn’t help but feel pity. Ruan Tian thought of her own parents back home and felt a pang of sorrow.

Zhang Mingge remained silent. He seemed completely indifferent to what Feng Ailing was saying, his sharp eyes scanning the room.

“Don’t worry, we said we’d protect you, and we will,” Cheng Xin comforted her as she sobbed.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold laugh came from Lin Huai’s direction, “You’re really kind.”

“She just made a mistake that many people make,” Cheng Xin shook his head. “Who doesn’t make small mistakes in their lifetime?”

“Exactly,” Ruan Tian said, looking at the woman’s aged appearance and thinking of her own mother back home. “She made a mistake, but it’s not worth death. Ren Chun’s death wasn’t her fault. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to protect you.”

As she spoke, she took the woman’s hand, and the woman gratefully held onto her, “Thank you, thank you.”

The room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, but Lin Huai found it unbearable. He coldly watched everyone, eventually forcing a slight smile.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and was about to leave the room. As soon as he took a step, Zhang Mingge blocked his path, “Where are you going?”

“Out for a walk.”

“You seem to have some opinions about that woman?” Zhang Mingge’s eyes behind his glasses stared at him unblinkingly.

Lin Huai smiled, “Having opinions didn’t stop you from protecting her.”

Zhang Mingge frowned, “You seem to sympathize with that ghost?”

“Not sympathy, admiration,” Lin Huai shrugged. “Being able to take revenge on one’s enemies, an eye for an eye, that’s impressive.”

“…You’re siding with the ghost?”

“Strange, just because they’re human, I have to side with them?” Lin Huai sneered. “Is having abundant life so great?”

“The system gave us the task to protect these people,” Zhang Mingge frowned. “I don’t care what you are, you’re a player, and you should follow the Game’s rules.”

He glanced inside the room, where everyone was busy talking to Feng Ailing, and lowered his voice, “Let’s have an open conversation.”

The two walked to a corner of the courtyard. Zhang Mingge removed the bandage on his arm, revealing a series of runes, “You should recognize this symbol.”

Lin Huai looked at the intricate patterns on his arm, “Are you a Master from the Holy Grail War?”

“…” Zhang Mingge said, “I’m a Taoist priest.”

“I know you’re not an ordinary human,” Zhang Mingge took off his glasses, revealing slightly blue eyes. “Though I can’t see clearly, I can ‘sense’ the evil aura around you.”

“I can see that you don’t seem to want to interfere with the Game’s progress, nor have you made any moves to harm humans. Therefore, I judge that you can be considered ‘on our side,'” he spoke quickly in a low voice. “I want to remind you that we all need to stand firm in our positions, our identities.”

“What position?”

“You can have your likes and dislikes towards the clue characters, but they shouldn’t affect our judgment of the task. In the task, you might find the task target disgusting, or you might find her pitiful—but none of that matters,” Zhang Mingge spoke rapidly. “We’re just a group of taskers, we just need to complete our tasks—do you understand what I mean?”

After speaking, he put his glasses back on and looked at Lin Huai standing under the tree. However, the handsome young man seemed completely uninterested in his words, instead staring at a spot on the ground, “Huh?”

Then, he bent down and looked at a cluster of purple flowers.

“You…”

“Do you know what this flower is called?” the young man asked, his back to him.

Zhang Mingge frowned, “No.”

“Catnip, just like you don’t know the name of this flower, you have no right to criticize my actions,” Lin Huai stretched lazily. “Annoying NPCs, annoying lunch, annoying environment, annoying lunch… In the end, why should I work for a terrible lunch for an NPC…”

After stretching, he plucked the purple flower and put it in his pocket, then turned to Zhang Mingge, “I don’t care if you’re a righteous companion or a heartless task machine, I just want to tell you one thing.”

He held up a finger.

“No one can force me to do what I don’t want to do, not even the Game,” Lin Huai smirked arrogantly. “If you want to protect her, do it yourself. As for me, I’m going to find something more interesting…”

With that, he walked towards the courtyard gate.

Squatting by the door, Chu Tianshu chewed on a blade of grass, feeling gloomy as he looked ahead. After a while, he tried to cheer himself up by singing, “La la la, la la la, the wild cat sheriff…”

“La la la, la la la, the wild cat sheriff…”

Midway through his song, he heard a laugh above him. Looking up, he saw Lin Huai standing beside him, hands behind his back.

“Why did you come out too?” Chu Tianshu waved his hand. “There are a lot of mosquitoes out here, and it’s not your turn yet. Go back inside.”

“It’s fine,” Lin Huai said lightly. “Mosquitoes don’t bite me.”

He casually sat down next to Chu Tianshu, and the two sat by the door like two slightly out-of-place door gods. After a while, Chu Tianshu said, “I think that woman probably won’t make it.”

Lin Huai thought for a moment, “I think so too.”

“What’s your reasoning?”

“Usually, NPCs with ordinary names, ordinary looks, and no tragic backstories only have one fate waiting for them—death…”

“That’s superstition,” Chu Tianshu squinted at Lin Huai. “There’s no scientific basis for that.”

Lin Huai thought for a moment, then asked, “Then what’s your scientific basis?”

“Her SAN value is clearly about to hit zero, and she’ll die sooner or later from a failed SAN check…”

“That’s just superstition too.”

“I’m just explaining a science that hasn’t been fully understood by humans yet,” Chu Tianshu scratched his arm. “Damn, mosquitoes really don’t bite you, they’re all after me.”

As he spoke, he stood up and jumped around, but the buzzing mosquitoes continued to chase him. Finally, he reluctantly sat back down and grabbed Lin Huai’s arm, “Let me see why mosquitoes don’t bite you…”

Lin Huai let him pull up his arm with a smile. After feeling around for a bit, Chu Tianshu asked in confusion, “Why is your hand so cold…”

“Is it as cold as a dead person’s?” Lin Huai asked.

“Yeah,” Chu Tianshu nodded casually. “Drink more hot water, and more red date, longan, and goji soup. It’ll help with blood.”

As he spoke, he naturally let go of Lin Huai’s arm, his expression unchanged.

The evening in Jiang Village had a beautiful sunset. The two sat on the threshold, quietly watching the red sun sink behind the mountains, the sound of the wind and the villagers’ chatter in their ears.

Inside the courtyard, Feng Ailing was surrounded by Zhang Mingge, Cheng Xin, Liao Guan, Ruan Tian, and the driver.

“…She used to gossip about Ren Chun, and now she’s paying for it.”

“The cat from the Ren family was the one she took back and cooked, saying it could cure gynecological diseases…”

“Wasn’t she the one who first said she saw Ren Chun getting an abortion in the city?”

The people gossiped indifferently, recounting the woman’s sins. After listening quietly for a long time, Chu Tianshu suddenly exhaled and stretched his legs out in front of him, “It seems the village chief has been hiding a lot from us.”

“It’s actually quite sad,” he said calmly. “A person can’t defend their dignity before death, and only gains the power to take revenge on those who wronged them after death. It’s really…”

He couldn’t think of a good adjective to finish his sentence. Lin Huai looked at him in surprise, “I thought you were a materialist.”

“That’s why, after discovering the existence of Nether Beings, I’ve been studying their social structure,” Chu Tianshu suddenly stood up and covered his ears. “I’m not listening anymore, hearing this kind of talk makes me feel heavy. Sigh, the Advanced Zone is much better.”