Yin Xiu stroked the hilt of his knife. Since he didn't yet understand Ye Niangniang's purpose, he decided to remain calm and wait and see what trouble she might cause.
The most important thing right now is to maintain the stability of the town while exploring the truth at the bottom of the lake.
The players reluctantly handed over their items, which were then taken away by the townspeople. They knew better than Yin Xiu how to distribute them, so Yin Xiu didn't bother with it and planned to rest for a while before heading to the lakeside before the next black fog arrived.
But before he could leave, Ling Feng called him back.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Yin Xiu shook his head and pointed at Zhong Mu, "You're not as useful as him, so you should take a break for now."
Ling Feng's face paled. "I'm new to this town and not familiar with it, but I previously led a group of people in my own town to form a small team, helping each other out. Perhaps I can help you lead that group of players."
Yin Xiu shook his head, turned and walked towards the lake. Ling Feng, who still had something to say, immediately followed.
408 glanced at the people in the town, couldn't stay any longer, and chose to follow. Only Zhong Mu had to go back to help, so he returned to the town.
On the way to the lake, Ling Feng kept nagging Yin Xiu, basically saying that he really wanted to help Yin Xiu and didn't want to be like other players who were passive and unable to do anything. Yin Xiu waved his hand lazily, not wanting to argue with him, because he couldn't control the people in the town, and at most he would just sit and watch as before.
408 followed at the back, glancing at the two people walking ahead. The more he looked, the more he frowned, becoming increasingly cautious. Then, as if he had nothing to do, he coughed loudly and asked Yin Xiu, "When is your boyfriend coming to see you?"
Then she quietly squeezed between Ling Feng and Yin Xiu, "Your boyfriend hasn't appeared in this instance yet, does that mean he can't get in?"
Yin Xiu gazed into the distance indifferently, "I'm not sure, but he should come looking for me."
"That's good, it's good that your boyfriend can come." 408 glanced at Ling Feng slowly, "Although I am a 'Kongtong' person, I still do not support any couples being hindered or disrupted."
Yin Xiu: ?
Ling Feng: ...
The three of them reached the lakeside without incident. Yin Xiu sat down and picked up his fishing rod again. Ling Feng paced around, unsure of what to do. 408 simply lay down and went to sleep.
For a moment, the lakeside was silent.
While waiting for the black mist to reappear, Ling Feng had no idea what they were doing there. The lack of information left him bewildered, and he could only keep asking Yin Xiu, "What are we waiting for here? Is there any important information that will appear here? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Yin Xiu was dozing off and didn't respond, but 408 scolded him, "Just sit there. You can't be of any help anyway. We might have to lend a hand to save you later."
The leader of the human team had led his members through life and death together. Now, in a dungeon, his team members were gone, and he was even scorned by the monsters that were once his adversaries. Ling Feng looked terrible, but he finally calmed down.
The lakeside was silent. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Yin Xiu turned to look at 408 and asked, "You didn't live in Hai Village before, did you?"
408 shook his head.
"Has the anomaly spread to your neighborhood? Where do you live?"
408 replied, "We were quickly affected by the outbreak in the villages further out of Hai Village."
Yin Xiu nodded. He could go and see how the mutation started and how it spread.
The more I understand the background of the entire instance, the closer I get to Li Mo.
Rules of the town, dungeons, monsters—a whole series revolves around Li Mo. What exactly is Lady Ye planning?
Yin Xiu closed his eyes and continued to rest.
He was starting to miss the little tentacle dumpling.
In the silence, the bell suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire town, and at the same time, Yin Xiu opened his eyes.
This time the fog was thicker and darker than the last, rising steadily from the boiling, churning lake.
Yin Xiu immediately dropped his fishing rod, tightened the rope around his waist, and jumped into the lake.
Ling Feng, standing to the side, was stunned. Faced with the gradually rising black mist, he dared not move an inch.
Once again plunged into darkness, Yin Xiu had gotten a little used to it. He groped his way through the pitch-black water, diving downwards with all his might, until his hand, which should have touched the bottom, reached the surface. He knew that he had once again successfully reached the sea village, so he swam upwards with all his might and broke out of the sea.
Compared to the desolation of the last time, the beach was unusually lively this time. Just like the sounds Yin Xiu heard in the black fog, someone was banging on the sacrificial altar, preparing everything.
Everyone was stunned when they saw a stranger suddenly emerge from the sea. They didn't react until Yin Xiu climbed out of the sea.
"Who are you! When did you get into the sea?!" The people on the beach were very wary. Compared to when they were on the verge of death last time, many of them seemed to have eaten a lot and were full of energy. They even shouted louder at Yin Xiu.
Yin Xiu waved his hand, coughed up a few mouthfuls of water, and didn't respond. Instead, the woman who had spoken to Yin Xiu last time stepped out of the crowd and came to his rescue, saying, "He is my younger brother. He came to see the baby in my belly. He's from another village, so nobody knows him."
Everyone turned to look at the woman with a puzzled expression, then silently lowered their guard. "Then keep an eye on him and don't let outsiders ruin our sacrifice."
"Yes, yes, it's my brother who's being naughty." The woman smiled and hurriedly pulled Yin Xiu away. "Don't stand here, go back and wipe yourself dry."
Before Yin Xiu was dragged away, those men kept staring at him, their eyes fixed on him menacingly, never letting their guard down. Only after Yin Xiu had gone far away did they turn back to continue their work.
It seems that this sacrifice is being taken more seriously than before.
"Stop looking." The woman tugged at Yin Xiu and warned, "Don't get into trouble. Those are not things you should be concerned with."
Yin Xiu turned around calmly and looked at the woman's belly. "It's gotten a little bigger. How many months pregnant are you?"
The woman looked down, smiled, and touched her belly. "Nine months along."
Yin Xiu was taken aback. "You're about to give birth... You need to be careful and not let this bad environment bother you. You should hurry to the cemetery town."
The woman shook her head helplessly. "This is a critical moment for Haicun. No one is allowed to enter or leave here. So, if I hadn't intervened, you would be in danger right now."
Yin Xiu pondered, calculating the timing, this sacrifice would be...
Are they about to begin a new sacrifice?
"Um."
"Didn't they say that Hai Village had nothing left to offer? The people themselves were almost starving to death, but they seem quite energetic to me now."
The woman seemed to recall something unpleasant, and shook her head with a bitter face, "Don't ask about it anymore, just pretend you don't know anything about Haicun."
"Knowing too much will only get you into trouble."
The woman's answer made Yin Xiu even more certain of what was about to happen here.