408 crossed his arms and looked at Yin Xiu thoughtfully. "It seems you have a good relationship with the townspeople. You're even willing to take risks for them. I had heard that the God of Slaughter couldn't get along with any of the players. It seems that after so long, things have really changed."
Yin Xiu walked ahead silently, quietly reaching the lake where he usually fished, and gazed at his reflection on the water.
"I don't have a very good relationship with them, I just don't want to disappoint my friends."
"Your friend is... the one lying in the coffin? I don't really know him, but to be your friend, Yin Xiu, he must be quite special." 408 rubbed his hands together. "But isn't he already dead?"
Yin Xiuliang glanced at him sullenly, "Not dead, still alive."
408 was confused and stepped back to the side without saying a word. He didn't know much about what had happened to Yin Xiu either, so he didn't want to offend anyone and kept quiet.
Yin Xiu ignored him and instead squatted down to examine the lake surface carefully.
This lake is where he always fishes. It's the place in town where he spends the most time besides his home. Because he often stays here, no one else comes near, and the players in the town don't know much about this place.
But as soon as Yin Xiu arrived, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
There was a dark shadow moving at the bottom of the lake.
In the past, Yin Xiu would have thought it was a ghost, but now that all the ghosts in the town have disappeared, the ghosts in the lake will surely disappear as well.
The reason other players didn't notice was probably because they weren't familiar with the area and thought the fish in the lake were fish.
Yin Xiu knew perfectly well that there were no fish in the lake. Even when he went fishing last time, he noticed that there were traces of fish swimming in the lake at first. Those were fish that players had thrown in, but after about a day, all the fish disappeared. There was no trace of anything swimming in the lake.
There shouldn't be anything in the lake right now, so why is there a dark shadow?
Yin Xiu walked to the shore without saying a word, preparing to go into the water to take a look. As soon as he stepped out, 408 behind him immediately rushed up and grabbed him nervously.
"What are you doing! Don't be so foolish as to jump into the river! You have a boyfriend, how can you abandon your wife!"
Yin Xiu rarely rolls his eyes at people; 408 is the first.
He pointed to the lake and said, "Do you feel that's a monster?"
408 squatted by the lake, pondering carefully, then shook his head. "No, there are no ghosts in this whole town, and this thing in the lake doesn't have any ghostly aura either. It's probably just a fish."
Yin Xiu stared quietly at the occasional dark shadows that appeared in the lake. "That's not a fish. There are no fish in the lake in this town."
Seeing Yin Xiu's confident tone, 408 didn't say anything more, but reminded him, "I don't think it's safe for you to go down like this. You should take some precautions. If you encounter any danger, your boyfriend will kill me."
Yin Xiu stared at the lake in deep thought for a long time, then nodded. "You're right."
Even if Ye Tianxuan were standing here, he wouldn't jump into the lake to check just because he saw a dark shadow. The downside of brute force is that you tend to look for information in a simple and crude way, but there are many strange things in the town now, so you need to be careful.
"Let's go back first." Yin Xiu turned around, preparing to go back and find a rope before coming back.
408 nodded in agreement, then turned around with Yin Xiu.
Just as the two were about to leave, a bell suddenly rang out in the town.
A clear, crisp sound rang out behind the two of them.
Yin Xiu was taken aback and immediately turned his head away.
The once calm lake began to churn as if boiling, accompanied by swirling black mist, turning the water completely black. Large amounts of black mist surged from the lake, sweeping past the two like darkness itself, rushing towards the town.
The bells tolled incessantly, and the town was shrouded in black fog, as if night had fallen and the sky was completely obscured.
Yin Xiu stood motionless, unable to see anything in front of him; it was pitch black, and he couldn't even see the figure of 408 so close by.
But he couldn't make a sound; he just stood there quietly, waiting for the black mist to dissipate.
At least now we know where the black fog came from.
Judging from the sound, the bell tolls are coming from the bottom of the lake, suggesting there's more to this lake than meets the eye.
Yin Xiu stood in the darkness, waiting quietly. It seemed that the black mist only killed those who made sounds. At such close range, it should have been able to sense heartbeats, but the black mist did not react to it. So whether the sound of human movement could arouse the black mist's killing intent was another matter.
Yin Xiu did not try it for the time being, but waited for the black fog to dissipate so that he could return to the town and discuss it with everyone.
As Yin Xiu waited, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the darkness. It wasn't just one person, but many people walking towards him.
He slowly reached for the knife.
In the darkness, the approaching voice did not go directly towards Yin Xiu, but instead passed by him with light steps and moved behind him.
Suddenly, one of them spoke.
"Are the offerings really acceptable this time? Before, it was just pigs, cows, and sheep. Isn't this going a bit too far?"
It was a woman's voice, but it sounded unfamiliar.
Then another man's impatient voice rang out, "Mind your own business. We are indeed rich now, aren't we? Our village used to be so dilapidated. Families couldn't even afford a single meal. We are only where we are today thanks to God's blessings. All of this should be given to God."
"But…this…" The woman's voice hesitated, sounding somewhat fearful, "It's them now…it will be our turn sooner or later."
The man lowered his voice and said fiercely, "That's why I told you to mind your own business and not to talk too much. Someone personally selected the sacrificial offerings, and I'll take care of it. Just shut up and enjoy your life. Do you think I want to die?"
The woman fell silent, but another slightly childish voice rang out, "Daddy, what exactly is God? Is it that thing that I have to close my eyes to see every time?"
The words had barely left his lips when a loud, clear slap rang out. "How dare you discuss gods! Keep your eyes closed during the sacrifice! If you dare open them, I'll kill you, you disobedient brat!"
The man's wire work silenced everyone, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Yin Xiu remained silent, listening to the sound of a new round of footsteps, but this time the footsteps were mixed with sobbing.
An older voice cursed, "Those heartless bastards have been offering sacrifices since Hai Village, offering fish, pigs, cattle and sheep. They've become more and more greedy. Aren't they living a good life now? Why are they having such crooked thoughts!"
"Sigh… My dear, you don't understand. They want so much more. This is just the beginning. We should move away before it's our turn. I have a feeling that this seaside village is doomed."
"I can feel it, that thing, ugh... utterly disrespectful."
"It's that god, because their greed is getting stronger and stronger, we must leave as soon as possible."
Another person hesitated before saying, "I can also feel it... I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable lately when I go to offer sacrifices..."