Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Baolong. Task Level 4.” The speaker was a man wearing a painted mask that covered everything but his lips, which held a dangling cigarette.

He had been staring at Liu Ye and Wang Weiwei ever since they finished speaking, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Upon hearing that name, Xiaoshuai’s expression soured.

That name was notorious among their circles; the man was infamous for bullying and exploiting newcomers.

Since the tasks didn’t forbid companions from attacking each other, many people used their teammates as cannon fodder, and Baolong was a master of the craft.

However, because he was quite powerful, people generally wouldn’t offend him for the sake of a rookie.

“John, Task Level 4,” said a man in a suit. His face was a blur.

This was an item high-level players could buy in the mall; it effectively prevented others from remembering one’s appearance.

Wang Weiwei’s face turned pale the moment she heard their introductions, realization dawning on her.

The last person was dressed like a laborer, his face also blurred.

“Worker, Task Level 4.”

“Liu Ye, Task Level… wait, where do I check that?”

The group: “…”

They had basically given up on this guy. Judging by his behavior, he was a total greenhorn.

Once the introductions were finished, everyone’s expression-except for Liu Ye and Wang Weiwei-turned grim.

There were six of them in total, and four were Level 4. This proved that the difficulty of this task was exceptionally high.

Seeing this, Xiaoshuai immediately looked toward Baolong.

Baolong instantly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know where to draw the line.”

He wasn’t stupid. With a task this difficult, he wasn’t going to make a move on the rookies right away. In a high-difficulty instance, every survivor was vital.

Just then, a thick fog suddenly rose around them. They all knew this was a prompt forcing them to hurry to the task location.

After all, the consequences of being idle or uncooperative would be Terror.

Liu Ye watched as their expressions shifted like stage masks. He thought to himself, *Man, these guys are really immersed in this game. Should I be as serious as they are?*

At that thought, Liu Ye also adopted a solemn expression. He muttered to himself, *Serious, serious, serious!*

The group walked forward quickly and soon arrived at a village.

The village was called Liuxi Village. It was currently decorated with lanterns and streamers, seemingly in preparation for a wedding.

Liu Ye and the others were assigned the roles of friends of the wedding host, arriving specifically to attend the ceremony.

“Ugh…”

As soon as they entered the village, Xiaoshuai couldn’t help but cover his nose. He smelled a faint stench, like the scent of meat that had been rotting for a long time.

This was one of his passive skills-it enhanced his sense of smell, allowing him to pick up subtle clues for tracking and information gathering.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

An aged voice suddenly rang out from behind them, startling the group. They spun around to find an old man standing right behind them.

“When did he get there?”

Xiaoshuai’s heart began to pound wildly. The others also looked horrified.

They weren’t reckless people; they had been using perception-type items since the moment they entered the village, fearing an instant-kill encounter. Yet, they hadn’t expected someone to sneak up on them so easily.
Among them, only Liu Ye was faking his surprise, because he had clearly seen the old man jogging up behind them.

He had actually found it strange-the old man was quite spry for his age. Now, it seemed it was just part of the game.

So, he mirrored the expressions of Xiaoshuai and the others, pretending to be shocked.

“Everyone, you may call me Steward Wang. I have been sent by the Master to welcome you. You must be exhausted from your long journey. Your accommodations have been prepared, and I will take you there now.”

With that, Steward Wang drifted forward eerily.

He led them to three different houses. It was clear he intended for them to split up.

Xiaoshuai specifically asked Steward Wang if they could stay together, but Steward Wang only responded with a smile of pure terror.

Xiaoshuai immediately knew it was impossible. The only thing left was to decide who would go with whom. At that moment, Baolong spoke up.

“The two newcomers have no way to protect themselves. Let’s each take one.”

He looked at Xiaoshuai. His little scheme naturally couldn’t be hidden from Xiaoshuai, but Xiaoshuai also knew this wasn’t the time to be petty, so he didn’t refuse.

Thus, Baolong and Liu Ye formed a group, Xiaoshuai and the Worker formed another, and the Suit Man was paired with Wang Weiwei.

Once the groups were settled, they each entered their assigned rooms.

The houses in Liuxi Village were constructed in a very bizarre fashion. Just looking at them made one feel incredibly uneasy, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly why.

Furthermore, all the roofs were built very low. The tall and burly Baolong even had to stoop slightly to enter.

The house they were staying in belonged to a young couple. The owner’s name was written on the doorframe. The couple, holding their child, stood in the middle of the room, staring expressionlessly at Liu Ye and Baolong.

That look instantly sent goosebumps crawling over Baolong’s skin.

He immediately went on high alert, reaching behind his back, ready for anything.

But in the next second, he saw a dark shadow rush past him.

“Oh, hello there, big brother and sister-in-law! My name is Liu Ye. We’ve just arrived and I’m sorry for the intrusion. We’ll be troubling you for the next few days. Here, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you don’t mind!”

Liu Ye pulled out two bundles of green onions and handed them over. Baolong’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“That idiot!”

Baolong never expected this newcomer to be such a reckless fool. This family was clearly not normal. Without careful investigation, such an action could easily trigger a Taboo.

Baolong hurriedly retreated toward the door, planning to bolt the moment the entities turned violent.

However, what happened next nearly made his jaw drop to the floor.

When the couple saw the green onions, they froze for a moment. Then, visible smiles spread across their faces. The way they looked at Liu Ye now was as if they were looking at their own son.

“Oh, look at you! You’re here now, why bring gifts? We’re all relatives here. You’re being far too polite.”

Despite her words, the sister-in-law’s hands weren’t slow at all as she snatched the green onions.

Then, she said to Liu Ye, “Little Liu, you’ll stay with us in the west room tonight. That east room hasn’t been cleaned in a long time; it’s broken and cold, full of rats and snakes. It’s miserable to live in.”

At this point, she seemed to remember there was another person. Her face returned to an expressionless mask as she spoke to Baolong.

“Sir, the east room has been prepared for you. You will stay there.”

Baolong: “…”

So it really was a case of “courtesy costs nothing but buys everything”? Was the mission world really this materialistic?