Zhong Mu was already used to seeing that dark mass, but Zuo Meng was still a little unaccustomed to it.
Suddenly, he saw a terrifying black shadow with bared teeth and claws dart out. He turned pale with fright, and the thought that this dark thing had fallen from the familiar man in front of him made him even more terrified.
Although she had always known that Yin Shashen's boyfriend was not human and had seen monsters, it was still a bit scary to see such a thing suddenly appear. After all, it was a twisted creature with many eyes, tentacles, and sharp teeth.
"Was that...that which just darted out...a small part of Boss Yin's boyfriend's?" Zuo Meng asked, stammering as he followed Zhong Mu, unsure whether he should call it that. He really didn't know what to call that thing.
"Oh, Little Tentacle Dumpling #2." Zhong Mu crossed his arms and looked intently in the direction the little tentacle dumpling had run off to. "It's probably going to find something for Brother Xiu."
Zuo Meng, standing next to him, twisted her face and looked at Zhong Mu with a strange expression. "How...how did you recognize me?"
After a moment of silence, Zhong Mu didn't know how to gesture. "It's just that... Number Two has a lot of tentacles, so he crawls quite fast, but he's simple-minded and speaks in a monotonous way. He only says 'boyfriend, I like you, I like you.' But because he has a lot of tentacles, he's more convenient to do things and acts quickly. He's often the one that Boss Li Mo throws out to do things."
Zuo Meng's gaze became even more strange, her expression complicated. "But don't they all look the same?"
Each one looked like it had a lot of tentacles, and even though he knew the characteristics Zhong Mu had described, he couldn't recognize them at all. Moreover, it was terrifying that Zhong Mu could remember the characteristics of each dumpling.
Zhong Mu smiled and waved his hand, explaining to Zuo Meng as they walked, slowly taking out his notebook from his pocket, "You can recognize it if you observe more often. After spending so much time with Brother Xiu, it's hard not to know about Boss Li Mo's tentacles."
As he walked, he kept talking to Zuo Meng about the characteristics of the several tentacled balls he knew.
For example, Number One is relatively small, can squeeze into crevices and hide, is the most affectionate and loves to roll around, and likes to stick to Yin Xiu the most. It is the tentacle ball that Li Mo would place next to Yin Xiu when he was not around. It can say sweet words and is the tentacle ball that can provide the most emotional value to Yin Xiu.
Number Two has a simple mind, but many tentacles on its body, making it agile. It can quickly complete a simple command and return as a ball of tentacles. However, because its thinking is relatively simple, it will rush over and grab Yin Xiu after it finishes doing something. Li Mo needs to pull it back in time, otherwise it will be impossible to pull it back.
Number three is relatively large and has a strong appetite. It's easy for it to grow big. It's somewhat intelligent, but not very bright. It's well-suited to guard the gate, but it often neglects its duties because it's too focused on Yin Xiu.
"In addition, there are also number 4 and number 5 of the little tentacle balls, as well as many other groups. However, since Boss Li Mo is with Brother Xiu more often now, the other little tentacle balls have fewer opportunities to fall down and act alone. Occasionally, I can still see unfamiliar little tentacle balls running around in the town, and I still haven't figured out which number they are." Zhong Mu said while putting his notebook back into his pocket.
"That's all for now. I still don't know enough about the great Li Mo. As an ordinary player, I've done my best." He smiled and turned his head, only to meet Zuo Meng's complicated face.
"If you're just a regular player... then what am I?" Zuo Meng slumped her shoulders dejectedly, suddenly understanding why Zhong Mu had been able to follow them into and out of dungeons so many times.
"That's because you haven't had enough contact with the big shots. Once you have more contact, you'll naturally be able to tell them apart. This is a great opportunity," Zhong Mu comforted him. As he looked up, he noticed that they had entered the most bustling part of the village.
After passing the mangroves, the villagers led them into an area with many red lanterns hanging on the walls and numerous double happiness characters cut out from the walls.
Every household in this area has a double happiness character pasted on their door. At a glance, each double happiness character is bright red and has not faded at all from wind and rain. They were all recently pasted up.
So many families have gotten married recently, and there are even families getting married in the village right now.
The bright red color covered the entire alley, with every household adorned in red. In the twilight that was about to fall, the color was not a festive red, but rather an eerie red like blood.
As the wind blew, the red lanterns of every household began to sway, the old doors creaked, and in another area in the distance, ghost money was blown into the air. But this eeriness was drowned out by the festive sounds of gongs and drums that filled the air.
The kind-looking old man who was leading the way stopped in front of a house, smiled and gestured for the slightly faded black door to open, saying, "They're inside. This is the family getting married tonight."
"The young man they're getting married to is sick and not in a good mood. I hope you can be more careful at the wedding and not upset him or ruin the wedding."
The old man smiled meaningfully, gave some instructions, and then turned and left, leaving a few people standing in front of the dilapidated door.
Music played continuously from inside the half-open door, mixed with a lot of lively conversation. At first glance, there was nothing strange about it, but upon closer listening, there wasn't a single pleasant word in the conversation.
"Damn it, they should have gotten married a long time ago. They had to drag it out until the last day. The coffin lid is about to burst open. If someone dies, it will all be their family's fault!"
"Exactly, their son is already sick and will die sooner or later anyway, why drag it out for a day or two?"
"I hope tonight goes well, and please don't let my son get sick. I'll just be content to attend this unlucky wedding."
"The sooner it's settled, the sooner it'll end; the sooner it'll end, the sooner it'll end."
The voices drifting from the crack in the door belonged to people standing in the courtyard near the door. They probably hadn't expected anyone to be outside, and they spoke without restraint, not at all like people attending a wedding.
Standing in the back row, Zhong Mu hurriedly took out his small notebook and jotted down a few key pieces of information.
Firstly, if there is an illness in the village, it is highly likely that young people are more likely to get sick, and the infection rate is also very high, which is why they don't see young people moving around in the village during the day.
Secondly, the marriages in the village are not necessarily people who want to get married; there seems to be something hidden behind them, and the marriages are associated with death.
Thirdly, the villagers just mentioned coffin boards and another death, suggesting that there is something in the village that is more deadly than disease.
Zhong Mu pondered and wrote down a few points. Zuo Meng, who was next to him, peeked over and saw the dense notes on the paper. She fell silent.
This is ridiculous! Someone is actually taking notes while playing a dungeon!
As expected of the promising talent that Boss Ye has his eye on, he is more serious than others when it comes to clearing dungeons.
Just as Zuo Meng finished her reflection, she saw that Huang Jinmiaozi had added another message at the end of the message, which was then circled.
[Where there is a disease, there is a clinic. You should ask the villagers for directions to the clinic; the doctor must be inside.]
Then, with a pen, I filled in the gaps and drew a little heart.
Zuo Meng: ...