◎ Clues to Break the Stalemate ◎
Shen Weiran whispered, “He Yupu?”
He was worried that this beautiful little canary, upon seeing his patron disappear into thin air, would suffer a collapse of his worldview and completely degenerate into one of the monsters within the dungeon. After all, he was an NPC, a snippet of data created by the system, born for the patron identity card with love etched into his very instincts.
Shen Weiran had seen ordinary NPCs turn into monsters after losing their sanity. They were far more troublesome than normal dungeon monsters, capable of taking a player down with them in a final, desperate act of mutual destruction. As a starter NPC, He Yupu would likely be an even more terrifying existence.
He patted He Yupu, who was crouching on the ground, while his other hand hovered near the gun at his waist. His expression was complex and impossible to describe.
Please, do not turn into a monster. You were just a teammate I went through hell with.
He Yupu was rummaging through the little girl ghost’s remains, seeing if he could snatch back the parchment, when he saw Shen Weiran’s hand hovering over his weapon in his peripheral vision.
Before he could voice his confusion, white light flashed across the air again. Dazzling subtitles hung in the gloomy, dark corridor like a sharp blade, carrying malicious resentment.
[Where is my patron? Why did he disappear!?]
[Ahhh! Did he abandon me again? Is it because I did not do something well enough?]
[No, that cannot be.]
[My patron would never abandon me. He said I look very beautiful and that I am a very qualified pet.]
[So…]
Seeing the subtitles becoming increasingly manic, He Yupu felt his strength drain away. An inexplicable power crawled through his veins, and malice nearly overwhelmed his consciousness.
Kill them! Kill them all!
He Yupu forcefully regained control, quickly assessed the cause of the character’s collapse, and spoke before the bullet screen could continue: “I understand! Brother Xie was just ejected by this strange inn.”
His gentle blue eyes were veiled in mist as he smiled. “But to avoid making me feel awkward, he made up a long story and is waiting for me outside the inn.”
“I knew it, Xie Jingyan loves me the most!”
[…]
The glaring white subtitles froze abruptly.
He Yupu appeared gentle and calm on the surface, but his body was immobilized under the pressure of the system. His heart ached like it was being sliced by a knife, and his throat felt as if it were being choked, preventing oxygen from reaching his brain.
He fought the system alone, a chill slowly creeping up his spine as cold sweat soaked his thin shirt. After a while, as the subtitles slowly faded, the malice within him was suppressed.
He Yupu, pale faced, broke free from the invisible constraints. Blood surged up his throat, and he leaned against Shen Weiran, vomiting blood. He wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes wet and red, looking extremely fragile. “I am so moved, really.”
He Yupu’s lips curled into a smile, his whole body trembling with excitement. He had gambled and won. Using this opportunity, he had completely figured out the determination mechanism of this broken system.
Shen Weiran stared, dumbfounded. “Huh?”
This person’s language system is programmed in Chinese, right? Why can I not understand a word of that? What kind of rubbish did the system implant in He Yupu’s brain?
The woman in white tugged at Shen Weiran’s sleeve cautiously, her expression looking like she was about to cry. Having just comforted one person, now another was about to break down.
Shen Weiran almost blacked out. He patiently said, “Calm down. Just tell me what happened.”
The woman in white suppressed her trembling voice and pointed at the little girl ghost on the ground. “Is this the one we met on the third floor?”
Shen Weiran looked at the mangled monster on the ground. “It should be, otherwise why would it look exactly the same?”
Just as he finished speaking, a very strange feeling welled up in his heart. Why did my shot leave no mark on the monster?
The woman in white was terrified to the extreme. Breathing rapidly, she said, “But there is another little girl ghost behind you! She looks exactly like the one lying on the ground!”
Shen Weiran’s remaining words stuck in his throat as he turned to look.
A half meter tall ghost stood silently not far away. Half of its face was completely rotted, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench. A pale, cyan hand held a chain, and it stared at them fixedly. At the end of the chain was a giant corpse hound with long limbs, a prominent snout, and drool dripping from its sharp fangs, emitting a low growl.
The little ghost’s blood mangled eye sockets faced them, its tone calm and filled with intense killing intent: “You hurt my mother again, did you not?”
The group remained silent for a moment. He Yupu calmly threw something behind the ghost, making a sound. His voice was clear and bright, tinged with a hint of innocence, easily capturing everyone’s trust: “Of course not, your mother is behind you.”
The little ghost did not move, staring at them fixedly. The woman in white backed away in fear. Shen Weiran covered her mouth to stop her from making a sound, shielding He Yupu with his body, his other hand aiming his gun at the little ghost.
Who the hell would believe that?
The little ghost suddenly lunged backward, shouting, “Mom!”
Shen Weiran: “…”
Damn, I overestimated you.
He put away his gun and immediately dragged He Yupu and the woman in white to run wildly toward the inn room. He Yupu’s hand was nearly crushed, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but He Yupu felt that the current situation was like a cranky old mother dragging two children on a death defying escape.
The little ghost slammed into the wall, blood stained tears streaming from its mangled eyes in anger. Its long, dry fingernails sank into the floor, and it let out a sharp, terrifying hiss: “Damn humans, you actually dared to lie to me again!”
Dragging its deformed, grotesque body, it climbed onto the corpse hound: “Kill these damn humans!”
The corpse hound let out a guttural roar, surging with all its strength to sprint forward, smashing through obstacles in its path as it charged toward its target.
Hearing the monster’s roar, Shen Weiran pulled a prop from the system without hesitation.
[Player has used B rank prop: Monster Rubik’s Cube]
[Item Description: When this item is placed in a dungeon, it will cause the designated player, NPC, or monster to fall into a ghost wall loop for ten minutes.]
He ran for his life as broken windows flashed by. The ghostly figures he had previously slashed apart reformed, lying on the windowsills, staring at him with black, eerie eyes, their lips curled into smiles.
A ghost stroked his cheek with icy fingers: “Little handsome, come in and play.”
The skin Shen Weiran felt touched like ice, aching from the cold and spreading rapidly. His pupils dilated, and he could clearly feel his consciousness becoming incomparably dull; even his legs, which were running, felt heavy and weak.
He Yupu raised his beautiful eyes, glared at her, and said, “Do you dare to flirt with my mom?”