Chapter 216

Chapter 216

Freckles and Yang Ke had spent a long time exploring the village over the past two days and understood at once. “There aren’t many young people. Most are middle-aged or elderly.”

“That’s normal too. I hear the divide between rural and urban areas used to be severe. Plenty of people left to work elsewhere, leaving many older people living alone.” Wang Yang’s two teammates were both in bed. Only he could come outside and think things through with them.

Cheng Miao nodded. “Over the last two years, quite a few sick elderly people have waited desperately for the Tree Deity to choose them so they could die without pain. But not one was chosen.”

Lin Zhu nodded. He washed his face with well water and, a little more alert, followed Cheng Miao’s reasoning. “The villagers said only two sick young people married the Tree Deity last year.”

“What does that mean?” Miao Jie wasn’t very good at deduction. Besides, she felt this instance must have been prepared especially for her. These people couldn’t understand the village’s beliefs, but she could.

Her way of thinking should be the correct one. They ought to worship the Tree Deity sincerely.

“It means there haven’t been enough young people to marry for years. Now we’ve suddenly arrived in the village, and we’ll leave soon, so the process will speed up.” Tan Ge looked like someone who didn’t talk much, but unexpectedly, his reasoning was clear.

Miao Jie pressed her lips together and said nothing. She still didn’t believe it. Her people had worshipped plant and earth deities for generations. How could they be evil?

“Then why are we fine?” Finding an opening, she pointed at herself, then at Cheng Miao.

“Those of us who went into the shrine with the first group haven’t received any grass bracelets or gotten sick.”

Cheng Miao nodded. “I haven’t figured that out either. I only have a rough guess. People who see a shrine and go straight inside may not necessarily believe, but they’re certainly interested. So we’re easier to ‘win over’ than people who don’t go in immediately.”

“In other words, Miaomiao, you’ll receive grass bracelets too, just later than us. Once stubborn people like us become so-called followers, you’ll be the next targets.” Qin Musong covered his mouth with his fist and coughed quietly twice.

Cheng Miao looked at him with concern as she answered, “That’s my guess. Whether it’s right will depend on what happens next.”

Qin Musong smiled and patted her reassuringly.

But apart from the somewhat unconvinced Miao Jie and Chang Qing, nobody present could relax.

Except one person.

Swish!

“Ah! You! What are you doing?”

Wang Yang’s terrified scream rang out. Everyone turned and saw a horrific sight.

Shi Biao, who had been standing at the edge of the crowd, had been beheaded at the neck with a sharp weapon by Zu Gehan’s sudden strike. As his head rolled across the ground, his eyes still blinked in disbelief.

The headless body in its pool of blood was a chilling sight. Everyone looked sick and moved farther away.

Wang Yang dropped straight to the ground and scrambled backward. “You… you killed someone! You’re a Party-Wipe Player!”

Zu Gehan’s hand had now taken the form of an item: a sharp blade. He smiled at Wang Yang, then restored his hand to its original form. Blood still dripped from his long fingertips.

“A Party-Wipe Player? I’m not something that boring.”

He looked around. Apart from Cheng Miao’s group, who weren’t particularly surprised, everyone was as tense as though they had encountered an instance boss.

“Ah…” Zu Gehan scratched his head. “I hate the part where I have to explain.”

“He enjoyed robbing players of their items outside instances.” Zu Gehan pointed at Shi Biao, whose dead eyes remained open. “That wasn’t much in itself. But he gradually progressed to robbing female players and trying to rape them.”
At those words, the female players, who had still looked frightened, all cast disgusted looks at the body on the ground.

“In ancient times, raping a woman could be punished by death.” Zu Gehan shrugged, explaining everything in a few words.

Wang Yang staggered to his feet. They had been with Shi Biao since entering the instance. Who knew what he’d told them, but Wang Yang didn’t believe this man now.

A hand that could turn into a blade, and strange lines in his eyes. However you looked at him, he seemed more like the criminal.

“Even so, why didn’t you act as soon as you entered the instance? Why suddenly kill him now?” Wang Yang stayed far from Zu Gehan, at a distance that would let him run at any moment.

Zu Gehan regarded him as though he were an idiot. “Obviously because we didn’t understand the instance at first. If I’d acted hastily, what if he turned out to be important or had some information?”

He turned and bowed slightly to Cheng Miao. The elegant, gentlemanly gesture, paired with his blood-dripping right hand, had a morbid beauty.

“Now Miss Cheng has worked out the broad outline of the instance. Naturally, he can’t be allowed to remain.”

“Why should I believe you?” Standing where he was, Wang Yang felt at a loss when he saw that the others already believed Zu Gehan.

“I didn’t ask you to believe me.” Zu Gehan drew water at the well and washed his hands. The thick blood rinsed away completely with the water.

“Didn’t I only answer because you asked?”

His lips curved at Wang Yang. “Making players clear an instance burdened by suspicion and fear wouldn’t fit my sense of justice either.”

Wang Yang had nothing left to say. Giving Zu Gehan a wide berth, he returned to his room and told his two bedridden teammates what had happened.

Watching Zu Gehan wash his hands at an unhurried pace, Cheng Miao felt relieved.

Cleared players like him generally didn’t participate in instances. Of course, they wouldn’t give the others hints either. Qiudong was an example.

But Zu Gehan’s decision to kill Shi Biao suggested that Cheng Miao’s deductions were more or less correct.

She glanced at the body on the ground, feeling a headache coming on. “What do we do with the body? It might frighten the villagers.”

Zu Gehan wiped his hands with a cloth and snapped his fingers.

The little box-shaped robot Cheng Miao and her companions had seen before appeared from somewhere.

It grabbed Shi Biao’s foot with one hand and carried his head in the other, heading toward the back of the courtyard.

It looked about the same height as Mini Lin, but was considerably stronger and more intelligent.

Watching the robot drag Shi Biao’s body away, everyone wore different expressions, but all moved a little farther from Zu Gehan.

He didn’t mind in the slightest. Looking at Cheng Miao, he said, “I’ve benefited from your hospitality these past few days. Let me make dinner today.”

Cheng Miao knew he wasn’t a bad person. She rather liked him, in fact.

“Then thank you. We need to go out for a bit, so we probably won’t be able to help.”

Zu Gehan smiled and waved to show he didn’t mind. “That’s fine. I won’t be doing it myself.”

Making a fist with his right hand, he pointed behind him with his thumb. “Once it finishes burying the body and cleaning the ground, it’ll cook.”

The others hadn’t intended to invite themselves to dinner, but hearing that the robot which had just handled a corpse would be cooking made them look even greener.

Cheng Miao didn’t care. She spoke pointedly. “Make sure it’s cleaned up thoroughly.”