At this moment, Deng Ming finally realized something was wrong with the atmosphere.
Fueled by panic, his desire to escape the castle became increasingly desperate!
Deng Ming shook the main gate even harder, shouting back at the people behind him:
“There’s obviously something wrong with this place! Why aren’t you coming over to help!”
No one moved.
Deng Ming choked up, feeling anxious and angry. He continued to order:
“My family has lots of money! As long as you help me, I’ll give each of you over a hundred thousand!”
Still, no one moved.
Relying on others is worse than relying on oneself. Seeing that no one present was reliable, Deng Ming turned his head in anger.
He shook the iron gate frantically, veins popping out on his forehead.
As Deng Ming shook the gate faster and faster, a bloody handprint suddenly appeared on one of the seven glass windows flanking the door!
Bang!
A second bloody handprint appeared with a dull thud.
Deng Ming paused in his shaking, slowly turning his head inch by inch.
More and more bloody handprints slapped viciously against the glass windows, creating a jarring “bang-bang” sound.
Immediately after, the massive, heavy crystal chandelier hanging overhead began to sway incessantly from side to side.
It was as if a ghostly figure stood atop it, faintly visible, manipulating the chandelier to swing back and forth.
The fine crystal pendants collided with each other, casting shadows on the walls that looked like a rain of blood.
Nothing in the movies felt as real as what he was experiencing now!
This scene scared Deng Ming witless. How could he dare continue shaking the iron gate?!
He scrambled back, crawling and rolling, not daring to take another step near the gate.
Shi Shu watched the scene before him, also feeling quite afraid.
Then he thought of Xu Xingyuan’s fragile little frame—he must be even more scared than himself!
With the intention of comforting him, Shi Shu quickly looked down. Just as he opened his mouth to say “It’s okay”…
He saw the calm expression on Xu Xingyuan’s face, and the words of comfort were stifled back.
Xu Xingyuan was simply too calm.
As a newbie who had just entered a dungeon, facing such a terrifying scene, Xu Xingyuan showed no panic at all. He was even overly quiet.
Shi Shu couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you scared?”
Xu Xingyuan looked up in confusion, gazing at him uncomprehendingly.
Is this scary?
“Sorry,” Xu Xingyuan suddenly apologized. “I’m holding the kitty. There’s no room for you in my arms.”
Hearing this, Shi Shu choked on his own saliva!
The crystal chandelier overhead was still swaying, and the bloody handprints on the windows continued their frantic slapping.
The chaotic mix of light and shadow played across Xu Xingyuan’s face, yet it only highlighted his large, clear black-and-white eyes, making him look even quieter and calmer.
Shi Shu had originally found it quite scary, but seeing Xu Xingyuan so calm, his fear slowly faded.
“I’m a senior who’s been through several dungeons. My behavior just now was just to test you.”
Shi Shu blew at the nonexistent bangs on his forehead, deliberately putting on an air of profundity.
Xu Xingyuan blinked. “Then why did you hide behind me?”
Shi Shu, who was slowly moving behind Xu Xingyuan but got caught, coughed awkwardly.
Xu Xingyuan was very loyal. He actively stepped in front of Shi Shu.
“It’s okay. I’ll protect you.”
Shi Shu, who had intended to protect Xu Xingyuan, was instead protected by him.
Shi Shu was touched to tears, turning into a heroine from a Taiwanese idol drama. He hid behind Xu Xingyuan, resting his forehead on the boy’s shoulder.
“Senior is useless, boo hoo hoo!”
Shi Shu was a full 1.8 meters tall, a sports student with broad shoulders.
Xu Xingyuan had only grown to 1.72 meters after coming to the Monster Apartments and getting enough to eat. His build was thin, his frame slender.
The two had a huge height and size difference.
Yet the 1.8-meter, wide-shouldered Shi Shu was sniffling and shrinking behind Xu Xingyuan, who was half his size, creating an inexplicably comical scene.
“Senior, don’t be afraid.” Xu Xingyuan looked back, his palm-sized face full of seriousness.
Shi Shu nodded rapidly, shrinking further back. “Mm-hmm!”
While they were enacting the Infinite Flow version of Meteor Garden, Deng Ming, on the other side, was nearly scared stupid!
If Deng Ming hadn’t stopped in time, he would have become a corpse by now.
Disappointment flashed in the butler’s eyes, but he quickly masked his emotions.
“Everyone, it is dinner time. Please follow me.”
The group followed the butler out of the main hall.
Deng Ming, having nearly stepped into hell, dared not act recklessly anymore. His young master temper vanished as he obediently followed the butler.
Having lost face in front of everyone, he held resentment in his heart and only dared to vent it on his girlfriend.
Deng Ming slapped Wang Zhen hard across the face, cursing, “What use are you! You only know how to spend my money!”
Wang Zhen’s left cheek swelled rapidly. She dared not speak out in anger, only lowering her head to cover her face and weep.
The group walked through a corridor filled with an oppressive, silent atmosphere.
Seeing various objects along the way, no one except Xu Xingyuan dared to touch them.
This was the benefit of being an NPC.
The others probably never imagined that Xu Xingyuan, clearly a pure human, had become the only living human NPC in the Infinite Flow world.
Ferrymen were not constrained by death conditions within the dungeon.
They only needed to guard against two things.
First, players whose hearts were more terrifying than ghosts.
Second, Remnants who forcefully entered the dungeon from the outside.
Shi Shu even reminded him, “If you see anything suspicious later, don’t touch it first.”
Xu Xingyuan nodded obediently on the surface, but on the way to the dining room, passing a vase with rose patterns, he secretly touched it.
He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t touched it, but he was startled.
The vase was wet, as if some kind of oil had been splashed on it.
Xu Xingyuan secretly lifted his finger and sniffed. The oil smelled moldy, not like corpse oil.
His movements were very discreet, but looking up, he met Chu Xiu’s gaze perfectly.
This big shot was surprisingly low-key and spoke very little.
He noticed Xu Xingyuan’s small movements, raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of inquiry.
Chu Xiu gave Xu Xingyuan a deep look, then turned his head away.
For some reason, he didn’t expose Xu Xingyuan’s actions.
The undercurrent beneath the surface peace between the two went unnoticed by anyone.
Soon, the butler led them to the dining room.
After the seven people took their seats, he clapped his hands, and a group of servants pushed dining carts through the door.
Xu Xingyuan observed silently.
The plates on the carts didn’t hold delicious food, but were piled high with rose petals.
Only Xu Xingyuan could see through this reality.
Shi Shu grabbed Xu Xingyuan’s hand excitedly, exclaiming, “Oh my god! Is the food actually this good?”
Xu Xingyuan looked silently at the rose petals on the plate without making a sound.
The servants placed the plates in front of them.
Except for the portion in front of Xu Xingyuan, which was truly delicious food, everything in front of the others was fake.
Veteran players who had participated in a few dungeons knew not to eat carelessly inside a dungeon.
Deng Ming didn’t dare eat either. He looked left and right, finally resting his gaze on Wang Zhen.
The young couple, formerly sweet and loving, now faced a rupture in their relationship.
Deng Ming pushed Wang Zhen and ordered:
“You take a bite first.”
How could Wang Zhen not understand that Deng Ming wanted to use her to test for poison!
With a very conspicuous slap mark still on her right cheek, caught between not daring to disobey Deng Ming and a strong desire to survive…
Wang Zhen had a sudden brainwave!
She jerked her hand up, pointed at the cat in Xu Xingyuan’s arms, and shrieked:
“He has a cat! Use the cat to test for poison!”