"But he... but he looks like just a little kid, so thin... he shouldn't be that strong..."
Some people were still grumbling, clinging to a sliver of hope.
The people here have never seen him turn hunters into wooden figures, nor have they seen him kill people with that poisoned knife. Faced with such a thin and scarred child, they would instinctively think that perhaps the other party is not so bad.
Zhong Mu calmly gazed at everyone. "You said it yourself, he just looks like a child. I don't know what he went through before. He's malnourished and looks only fourteen or fifteen years old, but he's already eighteen. The evil deeds he's committed are far more than you can imagine."
"Killing players might be a bit difficult for you, but it's a piece of cake for him. Didn't you all see him charging at me with a knife just now?"
Zhong Mu's words struck a chord with them. When they saw that child calmly rushing towards someone with a knife, they were genuinely alarmed. Even if they had that knife, they wouldn't have been able to swing it at someone who was also a player.
But that child could do it, and remained indifferent and calm, much like someone whose hands were accustomed to bloodshed.
The players sighed and lowered their heads. Being targeted by someone like that meant they had no chance of getting through this dungeon peacefully.
Now this group of people has no other choice but to choose Zhong Mu.
"Before he left, he said... all the players in town 114 would hunt us down... did he mean the players in his town?"
"Yes." Zhong Mu nodded. "He always brings a large number of players from his town into the dungeon to rob other players. This time, you are the ones who suffer."
The players paused, as if they had remembered something, and their faces turned pale.
"No wonder my supplies were stolen on the first day I entered the dungeon before I even figured out what was going on..."
"Ah... me too. I finally found an underground hideout, only to be kicked out by a bunch of random players. They seemed pretty strong, and they even had items..."
"So they're players from their town. They're all together."
"I knew it! That's why some players teamed up and stole my loot right at the beginning – they all came in together!"
The players' reminder reminded Zhong Mu that he had also encountered a group of players robbing him not long after he entered the dungeon. They sent out bait in front and ambushed him from the bushes behind.
They had planned ahead of time, so they were clearly well-prepared. At that time, many players had just entered the instance and were either not clear about the situation or did not have time to find so many people to team up with.
The players killed by Yin Xiu back then must have been from Town 114.
"Looks like they really are a big problem..." Zhong Mu didn't know how many people had entered the instance this time, but he and Yin Xiu had only entered. The two of them ran into a group of mortal enemies from the town and also provoked their new leader. Trouble.
"Boss! Please, you have to protect us! I barely made it to this dungeon and learned a little bit about how to protect myself. I don't want to die here."
"Yeah, boss! You're a high-level player too, I've heard of you before, you must have a way to save us!"
"I know you're not very good at saving players... but please help me!"
Now that the big boss's sister has also appeared out of nowhere, they can no longer use the excuse of helping the big boss find his sister to seek his protection. They can only beg the big boss to take pity on them.
They themselves felt that finding a top-tier player to protect them was unlikely.
But... they had also heard from that child that Ye Tianxuan, who was supposedly the only one in the dungeon who would unconditionally save people, was dead, so they could only place their hopes on Yin Xiu.
"If you want me to save you… that's fine." Zhong Mu stared at them casually, "but you must promise me one thing."
The players immediately became excited.
"Okay, okay, as long as the boss agrees to protect us, we'll do anything!"
"Yes, yes, we'll cooperate with the boss's arrangements!"
"Thank you so much for your help!"
Under the expectant gazes of the players, Zhong Mu raised his finger and calmly read out what Ye Tianxuan usually told people, "Please listen carefully to what I am about to say."
"The dungeon is a swamp, an abyss. Your chances of surviving a dangerous dungeon by going it alone are slim to none."
"Danger may devour your hopes, but you must unite, forge your own armor with your frail bodies, trust each other, trust the group, and trust me. Only by helping each other can more people survive."
"You have entrusted your lives and your trust to me, and I will keep my promise and take you away from here without any cost."
"As long as you are willing to believe and willing to choose, you will be able to leave here."
Zhong Mu spoke clearly and distinctly, igniting hope in everyone's eyes.
They can get out without paying any price, as long as they trust the people around them and the bigwigs in front of them.
It seems simple, but in a dungeon, it's really not easy to completely let down your guard and entrust your life to others, and now they have no choice but to do so.
"One last thing: the choice is yours, and you can trust yourself." After Zhong Mu finished speaking, he pointed to the two people sitting and watching the show. "If you choose to trust me, put all your supplies next to them now, and then leave."
With Zhong Mu's pointing finger, everyone's gaze fell on the little girl in the red dress and the dark monster.
Place all the supplies... in front of the monster...
"Weapons...do we have to put down our weapons too?"
Zhong Mu nodded, "Yes, I want to too."
The players glanced at each other and even put down their weapons, which meant that when they were attacked, they would be unarmed and powerless to resist if they were tricked.
After much hesitation, someone in the crowd finally couldn't hold back and shouted, "Fine, give it to them! I can't beat them even with weapons!"
As he spoke, the man seemed to have made up his mind, and walked boldly to Ya Ya, putting down all the supplies.
This is the first step to joining a team: trust.
When that person spoke up, everyone agreed that he made sense. If that huge, terrifying, black monster were to attack, they wouldn't be able to fight back even with their shabby little weapons! Joining the boss would give them a better chance of survival.
As a result, more people chose to lay down their gear and join the leader's organization.