It was Yu Jiu’s turn to be confused. This man was simply inexplicable; one moment he told him to go ahead, and the next he wouldn’t let him go.
He simply turned his head and ignored Lu Shiyue.
The little mute’s bright, dewy green eyes stared at him without blinking, filled with deep incomprehension.
He really was quite foolish. Ning Jue protected him far too well, keeping him sheltered under his wings and clearing away even the slightest threat of harm, making him foolish enough to ignore the unknown danger ahead, silly and completely defenseless as he prepared to step forward.
The map indicated that the check-in spot was just outside the stone cave, and they first needed to find the exit.
The stone chamber was the end of the cave, so the exit could only be somewhere within it.
“If you don’t want to be caught by a monster, stay close to me.”
Before Yu Jiu could react, Lu Shiyue dropped him and left first.
Lu Shiyue was tall and long-legged, taking one step for every few of Yu Jiu’s.
Thinking of the lurking gaze of the monsters in the dark and the slime clinging to his calves, Yu Jiu shivered and began to jog to catch up with Lu Shiyue.
He did not want to experience that sticky, icy feeling of discomfort a second time.
The stone chamber was more spacious than imagined. The light projecting from the outside could only illuminate a single corner, and upon closer inspection, most of the stone chamber vanished into unseen darkness.
Yu Jiu noticed that there were burn marks in the corner of the stone chamber, with black charcoal ash remaining on the stone walls after wood had burned.
He had seen this in the hospital before. At the very beginning of the apocalypse’s descent, the hospital lost all energy supplies.
The cramped treatment room was cold, as if it could freeze a person to pieces. He had dug through the resource packs left behind by the medical staff and ignited the remaining warmth like the little match girl in the fairy tale.
Afterward, just like the protagonist in the fairy tale, he lost consciousness and probably died quietly in the dying embers of the firelight.
Drooping his head, Yu Jiu followed closely behind Lu Shiyue step by step. He did not dare to fall too far behind; the stone chamber was pitch black, and he would lose track of him if he was not careful.
He had already spotted the stone platform in the center, and Lu Shiyue was presumably going to search this towering, aged platform.
The platform was also larger than it looked from afar, capable of holding several people standing on it. Similarly, there were marks of charcoal fire burning on the platform.
It was covered in magnificent stone carvings, especially the giant dragon carved right in the middle of the platform. Its golden scales glittered, its dragon claws stepped on auspicious clouds, and its dragon eyes were filled with majesty and divinity, looking so lifelike that it seemed as though it would rush out of the platform at any second.
Yu Jiu lapsed into a daze for a split second, his ears seemingly filled with the sound of crisp, clear dragon roars accompanied by rumbling thunder all around him.
Directly beneath the dragon statue were tiny figures paying homage. The expressions on the faces of the people worshiping the dragon were of fanatical adoration, performing the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. On both sides of the dragon claws, livestock and jewelry offered by priests were arranged, exceptionally lavish sacrificial offerings.
Clearly, the platform carved a scene of ancient people sacrificing to a dragon.
Lu Shiyue was also studying the stone carvings. He took a pair of gloves out of his system backpack and placed his gloved hand on the platform.
His gaze fell on a spot on the platform, a flash of solemnity crossing his eyes. His deep, sharp brows furrowed again, this time clearly not because of Yu Jiu.
Curiously, Yu Jiu looked over. He only caught a glimpse of a few vague, disemboweled shapes before his field of vision was blocked and smeared over by a patch of mosaics.
The mural had triggered the mental health mode 091 had specially applied for on his behalf.
“Ahhh, Baby, why is this broken mode lagging again? Baby, wait a moment, I am going to go complain to the main system.”
091’s frantic voice sounded. It was extremely dissatisfied with this mode that appeared a few seconds late, letting its host see bloody limbs anyway.
“091, I am okay. I actually did not see it very clearly.” Yu Jiu soothingly placated the manic 091.
Lu Shiyue withdrew his gaze from that group of shattered, tragic human bodies appearing as sacrifices in the ritual. He had long since grown accustomed to such bloody scenes. When he turned his head back, he found Yu Jiu frozen in place.
His pretty, rounded cat-like eyes widened slightly, as though startled by something, filled with panic and shock. Was he frightened?
Ning Jue certainly would not have let him see such a bloody scene, so this might have been his first time seeing it.
Lu Shiyue unexpectedly felt a trace of annoyance; it was his oversight. When he went into dungeons with the rest of Vanguard, everyone was accustomed to these things and prepared to die in the dungeon at any moment, with no one being frightened by a harmless statue.
True enough, Yu Jiu looked well-protected, delicate, and naive, with eyes filled with innocence and purity that felt completely out of place in the infinite game, as if he knew nothing of the slaughter within the game.
Like a princess raised in a magnificent tower.
Without a change in expression, Lu Shiyue blocked Yu Jiu’s line of sight. “This is their sacrificial mural.”
“They are sacrificing living humans, using living humans to sacrifice to this dragon.”
He tried his best to slow his tone and explain to the dungeon to Yu Jiu, feeling afterward that he was doing something redundant—a mute who could not speak would give no feedback when discussing the dungeon with him, making it a complete waste of effort.
Yet he did not want to see Yu Jiu display that kind of apprehensive expression again.
To show such care to a dodder flower he had always looked down upon, consider it him having a sick brain.
Yu Jiu’s view was blocked tightly by the man’s broad back. He was still wondering why Lu Shiyue had suddenly grown patient enough to explain things to him.
It was probably because he subconsciously regarded him as another teammate.
Cooperatively, Yu Jiu nodded to indicate he understood.
Lu Shiyue stopped looking at him and pressed a protrusion on the stone platform. A booming sound echoed from the side of the stone chamber, revealing a stone door leading to the outside world.
The two of them walked out of the stone cave one after the other. The setting sun dyed the edges of the sky a dusky yellow, and less than ten minutes remained before sunset.
A few meters away stood a pavilion with a sign hanging outside that read Check-in Spot.
The players who had previously split up to act on their own were gathered around the pavilion. Seeing Lu Shiyue come out, Yan Xiao wore the expression of someone who had found their backbone, the joy on his face impossible to conceal.
The magician leaned against the edge of the pavilion, lowering his head to sway his cane. Hearing the movement, he smiled and waved at Yu Jiu.
“Let’s go.”
Wearing a cold face, Lu Shiyue cut off Yu Jiu’s motion to wave back at the magician and pulled Yu Jiu into the check-in spot.
The interaction between Yu Jiu and the magician inexplicably irritated him.
[Congratulations on completing the Mid-Mountain Park check-in and stamp collection mission]
[Branch mission progress (1/3)]
[Altar exploration progress (80/100)—new hint can be unlocked]
The game’s prompt sound did not stop, instead continuing to broadcast.
[You have inadvertently entered the Longxi Town altar, and a corner of the town’s secret is finally unveiled]
[Clue updated: The Dragon God Sacrifice]
[Please players continue to search for the town’s secrets based on the new clues]
The game’s series of broadcasts finally ended. Having suddenly received a massive amount of information, Yu Jiu felt his brain grow dizzy and muddled; it seemed they had unlocked a new hint.
The Dragon God Sacrifice should be the carving he had just seen.
It was related to the town’s secret—was it a human sacrifice? And were those human sacrifices related to this group of traveling tourists as well?
Yu Jiu was not all that smart, and he could not puzzle out the twists and turns hidden within. Amidst his thoughts, he followed behind the other players, preparing to go down the mountain.
When heading down the mountain, the sky had grown pitch black. The night in the town carried a chill unique to autumn, especially deep within the mountains. Large areas of Yu Jiu’s skin were exposed, and as the chilly wind blew, it caused his snow-white skin to flush pink.
He shrank his neck slightly, trying to make himself a bit warmer.
Lu Shiyue glanced back and casually lit a lamp, presumably a high-grade prop, whose light enveloped Yu Jiu within, driving away the chill.
The group’s pace going down the mountain was not slow. The lurking dangers in the dungeons at night were more numerous than during the day, and the players needed to return to the safe zone of the inn as quickly as possible.
The wind seemed to grow stronger, blowing the candlelight in Lu Shiyue’s lamp so that it grew dim and flickered violently.
Remaining oblivious within the warm, cozy light, Yu Jiu was caught off guard when, very suddenly, the lamp was blown out.
Everyone heard the sound of something running past, followed in the darkness by the sound of sharp nails tearing through flesh, immediately trailed by a shrill, miserable scream.
The monsters were attacking them.
Decisively, Lu Shiyue prepared to use his skill, his primary thought being to protect the frail, defenseless little mute behind him.
He reached out with a grab, but the little mute who had always melted into a soft ball and followed closely behind him in that position vanished without a trace.
That spot was completely empty, and he caught nothing at all.