The wind in his ears and the flowing moonlight created a certain illusion in his mind. It felt as if he had returned to the age of twelve, running alone through the wheat fields. There was nothing around him except the air and the sound of the wind.
…Until Ren Qiu, with a piece of candy, appeared in his life at that moment.
He hated Jiang Village, hated the vulgar and mercenary villagers, hated the rumors that spread like wildfire, hated the oppressive and nauseating atmosphere… But the only thing he didn’t hate was Ren Qiu.
He had once thought that after everything was over, he would move to the city and take Ren Qiu with him to settle there… returning to the vibrant world he longed for, until he finally realized that as just an NPC in an instance, all of this was futile.
He was an NPC, and Ren Qiu was the monster that the righteous side had to defeat. Every six months, Ren Qiu would lose control. At night, he would be controlled by the ghostly face buried in the back of his head, becoming a man-eating monster.
And the players, they came here under the banner of saving Jiang Village. They protected the villagers, saved the dead, but no one would save… Ren Qiu, who was seen as a monster.
No matter how many of them there were, as long as even one remained, they would continue to investigate until they uncovered all the truth, until they found the final culprit.
But… even so…
Even though he had wanted to leave this place countless times…
He still chose to stay.
Every six months, covered in blood, every six months, finding ways to eliminate all the intruders in Jiang Village, every six months, extending their lives by half a year… This was the only thing he, as a powerless NPC, could do for the boy who had once awakened him from endless loneliness.
Even if Ren Qiu knew nothing of all this, even if the back of his head grew a emotionless, heart-devouring monster…
In truth, he had also become a demon, a murderer standing against the righteous side. He had long known that perhaps one day, all his deeds would be exposed, and he would be killed and cursed by everyone, together with Ren Qiu.
But even so.
If he could do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.
It’s just that this was the end now. Ren Qiu’s secret had been exposed, and they had nowhere left to run.
…He had once tried so hard to escape this place, but now, he could never run away again.
They ran for a long time, finally reaching the edge of the wheat field. In the end, Ying Xia still took Ren Qiu and hid in the temple.
It was… rather ironic, wasn’t it? Their story had begun in the temple, and it would also end in the temple.
The pitch-black statue still wore a smile, watching the two insignificant ants.
Ying Xia used a wooden stake to barricade the door. He didn’t know if those people would come after them, nor did he know how long they could stay here safely. But this escape had exhausted him, leaving him with no strength to think about anything else. After setting everything up, he turned to Ren Qiu: “You…”
In the next moment, he witnessed the most horrifying scene of his life, one that he had experienced repeatedly.
Under the moonlight, Ren Qiu clutched his head in pain, as a twisted human face continuously protruded from the back of his skull. He desperately reached out, trying to push the face back, but in the end, he could only kneel on the ground, whimpering in agony.
“Ren Qiu…?”
Ying Xia walked toward him step by step. Ren Qiu, who had been struggling in pain, finally managed to speak from the depths of his throat: “Get out, it wants to come out…”
“It… it’s hungry…” Ren Qiu sobbed, “It wants to eat…”
He clutched his throat, letting out dry heaves. Overwhelming dizziness and burning sensations consumed his mind.
He fought with all his might against the Fierce Ghost within him, but in the end, he was utterly defeated.
Ying Xia stood silently by, watching the familiar monster rise from the ground. “It” shook its head, scanning the area, before its gaze finally landed on him.
“Hungry,” he heard the face speak through Ren Qiu’s throat, its voice eerie and strange. “Hungry.”
He should have been terrified, but as the “monster” pressed him onto the cold ground, Ying Xia suddenly felt no fear at all.
Was this how those who were eaten by the “monster” felt?
…But, he thought, the one eating me isn’t a monster, it’s Ren Qiu…
If this could let him live one more day, then I…
“Ren Qiu,” he said softly, “Come on, eat me. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to help you anymore…”
The monster didn’t move. Was it hesitating? Or…
In the final moments of his life, Ying Xia took one last look at the sky. He thought, on a night like this, there must be many planes flying overhead, right?
It’s just a pity that after running for so long, he had never managed to escape this place.
Something warm seemed to drip onto his face. Ying Xia thought hazily, was this his blood, or his tears?
In the next moment, a clear voice rang out.
“Neither,” Lin Huai said, lifting the monster in his hand. “It’s just mud from my pants.”
Ying Xia: “…”
Ying Xia wiped his face and stood up, staring blankly as Lin Huai pinned Ren Qiu to the ground. Lin Huai struggled to tie up the Nether Being with a rope, then spat fiercely at its face: “Eat shit, you.”
The ghostly face: “…”
“You…” Ying Xia looked at Lin Huai, bewildered. Seeing his expression, Lin Huai rolled his eyes: “What, are you disappointed I’m not dead?”
“No…” Ying Xia lowered his head. “Why did you come…”
“If I hadn’t come, you would’ve successfully offered your heart to Ren Qiu,” Lin Huai sneered. “Take a good look at this thing in front of you.”
With that, he grabbed Ying Xia’s chin and dragged him over to Ren Qiu: “Look closely. This human face on the back of his head, with its three white eyes, botched nose job, harelip, and buck teeth, and that exaggerated expression—does it look anything like the Ren Qiu you know? What were you thinking, letting him eat you?!”
Ying Xia: “…”
After thoroughly insulting the ugly face in front of him, Lin Huai felt a sense of satisfaction. Then, he turned to Ying Xia: “I’ve been thinking, and I think you make a good point.”
“Huh?”
“Why should only players kill NPCs, and not NPCs kill players? I think you’re absolutely right,” Lin Huai said earnestly. “So I’ve decided to try a new approach.”
Ying Xia: “…What?”
“We’ll stand on the boss’s side and take out all the evil NPCs,” Lin Huai cracked his knuckles. “Let me count… the five members of the Wang family, the middle-aged man numbered 05, and that scheming old Taoist priest… that makes seven. Oh, and that Du Xiaoran was only added to the list because she saw Ren Qiu’s true form, right? So we’ll leave her out.”
Then, he patted Ying Xia’s head: “It’s settled then. Starting tomorrow, our goal is to attack Qingxu Temple and take down the Wang family. The weather’s turning cold—it’s time for the Wang family to go bankrupt.”
Ying Xia: “…”
“Why are you doing this?” Ying Xia asked. “You’re a player, and we’re…”
“Because I’m here to play a game,” Lin Huai said with a smile. “Isn’t playing a game supposed to be fun? And…”
He looked at Ying Xia.
“What gave you the impression that I’m a good guy?” Lin Huai said. “Grave dancing, robbery, beating up priests, slacking off… Doesn’t that make me a lovable and charming villain? And…”
“Who says you have to play from the human perspective?” he said coolly. “The thing I hate most in life is following someone else’s instructions. A place like Jiang Village, with its backward laws and bullying merchants, is an eyesore just by existing. So…”
“Let’s just treat them as the culprits of the second task and eliminate them.”
With that, he smiled warmly.
Ying Xia seemed to be infected by his bright smile. After a long pause, he asked, “By the way, where’s the other guy?”
“Huh? You mean Chu Tianshu?” Lin Huai said. “Don’t worry about him. He held off everyone so I could get away. With his skills, he’ll be fine.”
He spoke with absolute confidence, and seeing his assured expression, Ying Xia didn’t press further.
The next morning, the five members of the Wang family arrived at Qingxu Temple with Zhang Mingge and the others.
Also arriving at the temple were two other victims with numbers above their heads. After everyone was settled, Zhang Mingge bowed deeply to the Qingxu Taoist Priest: “The rest is in your hands, Priest.”
The Qingxu Taoist Priest waved his hand and said, “Saving a life is worth building a seven-story pagoda. By the way, that Chu fellow…”
“We’ve already locked him up in the backyard,” Zhang Mingge said, his head aching slightly at the mention of Chu Tianshu. “He’s just been spouting nonsense nonstop…”
As he spoke, a song drifted from the backyard: “Fa Hai, you don’t understand love, the Leifeng Pagoda will fall…”
Zhang Mingge: “…”
He carried his bow to the backyard, where a handsome young man was squatting in a cage, resting his chin on his hand, muttering to himself while tapping his foot to a rhythm.
“…You’re already captured, and yet you’re still this arrogant,” Zhang Mingge said, eyeing him.
“It’s 7 against 1, and you threw banana peels on the ground—that’s hardly fair!” Chu Tianshu shook the cage.
“Who told you to come alone?” Zhang Mingge sneered.
“Actually, have you ever thought,” Chu Tianshu grabbed the bars, “that this might be my new scheme? I’m pretending to be captured so I can secretly act as Lin Huai’s hidden protector… To thwart this scheme, the only thing you can do is let me out…”
“…It’s way too late for you to save face now,” Zhang Mingge mocked him. “If you’re that hidden, I can’t feel your presence at all.”
Chu Tianshu: Fuming like a pufferfish.jpg
He propped his chin on his hand for a while, then finally sneered, “Don’t get too cocky. I bet I’ll be out of here in a few days.”
Zhang Mingge: “Yeah, not only will you get out, but you’ll also accompany me to the bathroom. The game’s ending in two days—you think I don’t know that?”
Chu Tianshu: *%#@%#
