“Something’s not right,” Ye Bugui said quietly. “It’s like someone deliberately built the houses first and then invited them to move in. But what I’m more curious about is whether there really is a local shrine built at the bottom of each house.”
"By the way," Ye Bugui said, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and turned to ask Lu Shi, "Are the deities enshrined in the local temples all the local earth gods?"
"That's hard to say," Lu Shi said casually. "If your thoughts are different, even if you worship the local earth god, it won't make a difference."
At this moment, Ghost Asura finally spoke up: "Don't you guys think this dungeon is too peaceful? This is the Chosen One dungeon."
"Have you forgotten that this is a time-limited instance?" Ye Bugui replied, "The calmer it is, the harder it is for us to find clues. For the system, as long as we can't find any clues within a week, we've lost."
Just then, Lu Shi suddenly heard a distant voice, as if it were calling to him.
Lu Shi turned around and saw a figure waving in the distance.
The village chief, who was walking ahead of them, stopped and looked at them with an unfriendly expression:
What's wrong with you?
"It's nothing." Lu Shi immediately shook his head, then said in a strange tone, "There's someone waving at us over there, but we don't recognize her. It's kind of scary."
The village chief immediately glanced in the direction Lu Shi pointed, and his tense expression immediately relaxed.
He waved his hand and said in a nonchalant tone, "Don't be afraid, she's from our village. She's a very nice person, just a little too enthusiastic."
"Too enthusiastic?" Lu Shi silently agreed. If he wasn't mistaken, the person waving at him was Han Ran.
So her identity in this instance is actually a villager?
This is a very valuable identity!
Han Ran frowned, wondering why Lu Shi and Ye Bugui were ignoring him.
At this moment, Yin Hong glanced coldly at Han Ran, not understanding how someone like her could be in the top ten of the rankings.
"Little sister, didn't you notice? They saw you, but they deliberately ignored you."
"Clearly, they're outsiders like me. According to the established rules, they don't know you at all." Yin Hong shook her head. "I'd find it strange if the Demon Lord responded to you!"
Han Ran blushed and suddenly realized that although his combat power had increased, his dungeon experience was still far from sufficient.
“Let’s go,” Yin Hong said coldly, taking a step forward. “Let’s go see what’s hidden inside the tunnel.”
Chapter 107
☪ Malice 3
The tunnel was deep and damp, and Han Ran had only taken a few steps when she began to have second thoughts.
This is strange, she's clearly not that timid.
Before, when he was with Lu Shi and the others, no matter what dangers they encountered, Han Ran never thought of backing down.
But now, even taking just one step forward is so difficult for her.
It was as if there was some unseen barrier in front of her, making it difficult for her to move forward.
"It seems you're in the same boat as me, unable to move forward either, right?" Yin Hong said softly, then smiled after seeing Han Ran nod. "Just as I thought, this must be some kind of warning. Why would this family, so poor, go to such lengths to dig this tunnel for themselves?"
Han Ran shook her head. Even though she was now a local, she had absolutely no clue about the tunnels in this area.
"And you said this tunnel is so long, where does it eventually lead? I really want to see it."
Yin Hong said regretfully, gently licking her lips, "Let's go. We're short-handed right now, and going on a risky mission would just be suicide. Although I hate this world, there's no need to let innocent people die."
Han Ran breathed a sigh of relief. He had just been wondering whether Yin Hong should follow her if she wanted to continue walking forward.
Slightly relieved, Han Ran immediately walked to Yin Hong's side and asked a question that had been bothering her for a long time:
"Sister Hong, you're such a successful actress, why do you hate this world?"
"Am I successful?" Yin Hong laughed, unaware of how radiant her smile was, captivating countless viewers. "You can see the glamorous side, but you can't see the filth and disgust hidden within."
“When I first entered this game, I thought, how wonderful it would be if I just died like this.” Yin Hong pursed her lips slightly. “Later, I was rescued. At that time, I felt very ironic.”
"In reality, I am a glamorous female celebrity, but I am surrounded by a group of hypocrites who only want to exploit me."
"In the game, I was just a player who couldn't even kill a chicken. But a stranger reached out to me and made me feel the sincerity I hadn't felt in a long time."
“They always say that our game is a mirror that reveals the true nature of people, exposing the dark side of many. But I want to say that even without the game, those people would still unleash their malice.”
"There is a small group of people who can maintain their nobility even under such circumstances, and I admire them greatly."
Han Ran was surprised that Yin Hong would say so much to her. She paused, then suddenly asked, "Sister Hong, was the person you just mentioned Brother Lu?"
“Yes.” Yin Hong nodded without hesitation. “He’s special. His name is Demon Lord, but he’s kinder than many people. Actually, I believe in him too. Let’s go, maybe we can find a chance to reunite with them!”
When the two of them reached the exit of the basement, they found that the passageway they had just come down from had been covered and locked from the outside.
In that instant, even the experienced Yin Hong's face turned ugly.
A nauseating smell filled the air. Yin Hong turned around and suddenly pushed Han Ran behind her.
"careful!"
Han Ran turned around abruptly and saw that in the distance of the tunnel, something seemed to be emerging from the boundless darkness and heading towards them.
Everything was so terrifying.
Outside the basement, two people were standing there.
Those were Han Ran's parents in this instance.
The two stared blankly at a pale face, staring at the basement.
Suddenly, black blood gushed from their nostrils.
The blood was sticky and, after falling to the ground, it coagulated into a lump of black, muddy substance.
Then the black mud began to stir slowly, and something emerged from it.
That was... an insect.
The two men just stood there muttering, "Those who disobey will be punished!"
"Those who are not devout will be beaten!"
...
The village chief and Ye Bugui had a very pleasant conversation, which made Lu Shi even suspect that if this was not a dungeon but a real world, Ye Bugui was really preparing to invest here.
"If we go abroad, will you invest in a resort?" Lu Shi asked curiously as Ye Bugui had some free time.
Ye Bugui laughed immediately upon hearing this: "If you like it, no problem."
"I think your plan is pretty good," Lu Shi said with a smile.
Ghost Asura stood silently at the back, not participating in the conversation between the two, knowing that if he squeezed in, he would only be a third wheel.
After passing countless identical residential buildings, they finally arrived at an open space where corn and various grains were drying.
Lu Shi guessed that this must be the village square.
Who knows, at night, many people will come here to dance in the square!
For some reason, Lu Shi felt an urge to laugh whenever he thought of that scene.
This village is really well hidden. Even now, apart from the local earth god temple, Lu Shi hasn't noticed anything unusual about it.
"Wait a moment, you three." The village chief told them to stand by the square, then turned and went into a house.
At this moment, Lu Shi said softly, "Could this be his house? So after the others were arrested, they were locked up in his house?"
"It's also possible they were dragged here," Ye Bugui warned. "I now suspect that this village appears normal on the surface. Only once we get down there will its true colors be revealed."
Ghost Asura suddenly lay down on the ground and pressed his ears against it, as if listening to the sounds below.
His action immediately caught the attention of Lu Shi and Ye Bugui, who both looked over, wondering if Ghost Asura could hear anything.
"How are you?" Lu Shi asked with concern after seeing Gui Xiuluo stand up. "Did you hear anything?"
“There’s only background noise.” Ghost Asura shook his head and fell silent once again.
Lu Shi stroked his chin, as if he had remembered something: "Just as I thought, I also tried to check with my magic, but there was still no reaction. I suspect that our abilities are somewhat limited in this instance."
"Is it just a certainty?" Ye Bugui cleared his throat. "I suspect it's completely restricting us. I knew this instance wouldn't be that simple."
However, Lu Shi shook his head: "It's not that bad. I can still use magic, but the effect will be greatly reduced."
At this moment, the village chief came out of the house again, with a thick hemp rope tied around his wrist.
At the other end of the rope, three disheveled players were bound tightly.
This scene even made Lu Shi laugh, though he felt a little sorry for the players who were tied up.
They're so unlucky!
Modi turned his head to the side; he had never been so humiliated in his entire life!
Little did he know that at this moment, the players from Deepsea City, who were usually the most arrogant and domineering, were all silent in the live stream.
Seeing Modi's disheveled appearance, Ye Bugui felt inexplicably pleased.
“What a coincidence, village chief, we really do know them. Modi, this gentleman, is an old business rival of mine.”
The village chief stroked his chin and snorted, "It's a pity he doesn't follow the rules like you! He dared to touch things so casually, it really infuriates me!"
Lu Shi could only explain, "Perhaps it's because he's been living too well and has become arrogant, which has led to this."
“Very well,” the village chief shook his head and sighed, “but I won’t let them go just because you know each other. They must be punished!”
At this moment, Lu Shi stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Of course, this is your rule, and we have no objection. Could you please tell us the specific details of the punishment?"
The village chief probably didn't expect them to be so understanding, rendering his prepared explanations useless.
Finally, the village chief could only stroke his beard helplessly and say softly, "Of course, no problem. We will hand the three of them over to the gods to deal with."
Upon hearing this, all six players present simultaneously perked up.
Are they really gods? Perhaps this is the boss they're facing in this dungeon.
"Gods?" Lu Shi's expression was quite fitting, showing a mix of fear and apprehension, but mostly distrust.
“Yes,” the village chief said unsurprised. “Every household worships gods, and the gods will naturally help us.”
He turned around, glanced at the three players who were tied up, and said coldly: