Du Yun’s plan did not succeed. The letter she had brought failed to earn the trust of Carl, the bearded man with the heavy stubble covering half his face. After reading the letter, he didn’t seem reassured at all, on the contrary, he scrutinized her for quite a long while.
Du Yun pleaded with him persistently, explaining and persuading in every way she could think of and only then did he say a curt, “I need to make preparations as well,” before promptly driving her out.
But just as she stood outside the door, she heard Carl’s deep, muffled voice from within: “Go bring Sean here.”
It seemed things were likely no longer in serious jeopardy. Du Yun let out a quiet sigh of relief, though inwardly she couldn’t help complaining, he had already read the letter and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. She really had no idea which part had managed to offend this old man’s sensibilities.
But now was not the time to complain. She hurried in the direction where Jiang Xing should be.
Yet on the way, she suddenly realized something was off.
If earlier it had simply been that no animals were moving around, now it felt like there were barely any people left either.
Du Yun hesitated, then randomly picked a house and knocked. To her surprise, someone actually answered.
A woman with a dark, gloomy expression opened the door just a crack. Through the narrow slit, a pair of wary eyes stared out at her. “What do you want?”
The smile on Du Yun’s face froze. She let out a slightly awkward laugh. “I’m a bit thirsty. I just wanted to ask if it’s possible to… ”
She hadn’t even finished speaking before the door slammed shut right in her face.
Clearly not very hospitable. Du Yun muttered inwardly to herself. As she left, she intentionally took a quick glance through the window to see what was happening inside.
But the instant she did, she heard a familiar sound.
【san check 0/1】
Damn it! Du Yun cursed silently, quickly backing away from the house. She secured her backpack and sprinted toward Jiang Xing’s direction, every nerve tight with alertness.
She knew it, there was no way this matter was going to be simple! This entire town had already gone mad!
Anthony, that bastard!
Fortunately, it seemed like the townspeople were currently too busy tearing each other apart to bother paying attention to outsiders like them.
When Du Yun finally met up with Jiang Xing, she saw he had not been followed or targeted by anyone.
She hurriedly stepped forward and explained the current situation, then said, “When we get to Carl, you give Sean another shot. We’ll change our clothes and go undercover.”
After hearing her explanation, Jiang Xing’s expression turned serious. “Understood.”
The situation was deteriorating rapidly. Du Yun’s current plan was to hide first, blend in with the cultists and then, once the ceremony began tomorrow, look for a chance to blow up Anthony’s manor.
However, they didn’t even get far before more than a dozen Byakhees dropped from the sky, enclosing them completely.
The one who dismounted from the lead Byakhee was a stranger dressed in a black robe.
This was Jiang Xing’s first time seeing a Byakhee. His pupils shrank sharply; his entire body went rigid. Du Yun fared slightly better, thanks to her experience, she recovered faster and moved in front of Jiang Xing and Ye Yuzhi protectively.
She had never seen this man before but she could easily guess his identity.
Without a doubt, Anthony.
Du Yun placed her hand on her waist, forcing a flattering smile. “Sir, may I ask what this is about? I don’t know you.”
Anthony’s gaze had remained fixed on Ye Yuzhi the entire time. Only after she spoke did he glance at Du Yun. “There’s no need for you to know me.” He stepped forward a few paces and said to Jiang Xing, “Hand over the person you’re carrying.”
Jiang Xing frowned and stepped back slightly but things were far too dire, he didn’t think that the two of them, dragging an unconscious Sean, could get out of here alive.
He whispered to Du Yun, “What do we do?”
Du Yun shook her head slightly and whispered back, “We can’t give him.”
“Then what?”
Du Yun bit her lip. “Just follow my lead.”
Jiang Xing had long accepted the possibility of death in this game. At this point, he mentally prepared for the worst, if they had to wipe, so be it. For now, they had to gamble everything. He secured Ye Yuzhi more tightly on his back and scanned his surroundings for the weakest point in their encirclement. Amid his tension, he failed to notice that Ye Yuzhi, who had been unconscious, had moved a finger.
Du Yun let out a strained laugh and said, “He’s hurt. We’re taking him to a hospital.”
“Isn’t that even better?” Anthony actually laughed and stepped closer. “I’m a doctor.”
Du Yun forced out a few hollow laughs, calculating the distance between them. Then, without warning, she suddenly lunged forward, swinging her dagger at Anthony’s neck. “Run!”
At the sound, Jiang Xing immediately darted toward the spot he had identified earlier.
【Close range firearm bonus 82/50, 52/50, failed.】
Close range attacks granted a bonus die but even so, Du Yun still missed. On the contrary, the moment she sprang forward, a nearby Byakhee snapped its wings outward, swatting her aside like she were nothing more than a ball.
【Dexterity contest 42/60, regular success.】
【68/60, failure.】
【92/70, failure.】
【12/60, extreme success.】
A cascade of dice seemed to rattle past Jiang Xing’s ears. Before he could even fully react, the Byakhee’s wing smashed into him as well. Jiang Xing and Ye Yuzhi on his back, were both flung to the ground.
He scrambled up and looked toward Du Yun.
He saw her dragging what looked like a broken leg, head lowered as she struggled to move toward him.
Jiang Xing grit his teeth, intending to get up and retrieve Ye Yuzhi for one final desperate attempt but before he could stand, a leather boot came down hard on the back of his hand.
“How dare you try to take him away?” Anthony’s cold, fanatical voice echoed above his head.
Jiang Xing nearly screamed but he forced it down, glowering up at Anthony in silence.
Anthony looked down at him as though gazing at an insect. “The weaker something is, the more it likes to make pointless struggles.”
A sharp crack rang out as a bullet struck the ground near Anthony’s foot, scattering dust.
“Let him go!” Du Yun stood not far away, gun trembling slightly in her hands as she pointed it straight at him. “Otherwise the next bullet goes through your head!”
Anthony let out a low laugh. His foot didn’t move, instead, he ground it even harder against Jiang Xing’s hand. “Go ahead. Try.”
Du Yun’s heartbeat hammered painfully fast. She didn’t need a SAN check to know her mental state was collapsing. The fact that she could even hold the gun steady was already the limit of her willpower.
This was her penalty die. In this identity card, the moment her teammates were in danger, every one of her stats was halved and as time passed, her sanity would continue to deteriorate.
She glanced at Jiang Xing and suddenly let out a cold, sharp laugh as well. “Then why don’t you just go die!”
The shrill female voice hadn’t even faded when another crisp click, someone switching off a safety, rang right beside Anthony’s ear.
But this time, the sound did not come from Du Yun standing in front of him.
It came from directly behind him.
“I’m very sorry.”
Anthony turned his head and the moment he did, he met Ye Yuzhi’s eyes, those dull, lightless eyes that seemed to swallow every reflection.
“May I ask… could you please go die?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ The translator summons words. You may summon coffee. ✦
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)