Chapter 58: He Just Showed Off Like One of My Friends

“Watch out!”

Bili Dao roared, swinging his nine-ringed greatsword—now utterly stained dark red—toward the companion beside him.

The opponent didn’t dodge or evade.

Let the blade’s light fall upon him.

A ghost villager, silently appearing at his side with a sharp blade clutched in hand, was instantly split vertically in two by Bili Dao.

After eliminating the ambush ghost villager,

the two leaned back-to-back, gasping for breath, their eyes a tangled mix of irritation, exhaustion, helplessness, and even despair.

"How the hell are there so many? Who the fuck cleared this nightmare-level dungeon? Is this even humanly possible?" Bili Dao sighed helplessly: "Can't we get someone from outside to come back?"

Hundreds of ghost villagers still surrounded them, even after they’d slain dozens—yet their numbers showed no sign of diminishing.

If nothing unexpected happens,

These ghost villagers are just minor enemies in the dungeon; the real boss is still at the sacrificial square.

Even so, both felt their chances of escaping were slim.

It wasn’t just the sheer numbers—these ghost villagers danced every two minutes, unleashing powerful mental shocks that affected both of them.

Even with the talismans pasted by Xiezhi Chief to resist these mental shocks,

they couldn’t move at all during the shock’s duration—only stand frozen until the dancing ended.

Then face the same crushing wave of numbers again.

This was an unsolvable death loop.

“The message has reached those outside; no one will enter the village now. We’re on our own,” his companion said helplessly.

Since the Yin Yuan God’s seal was broken, all electronic devices in this area had ceased functioning.

He’d initially used a pigeon-type item to transmit the Chief’s evacuation order outward.

But after struggling to break out for half a while, he finally realized:

they seemed trapped.

Who the hell knew why there were so many ghost villagers?!

“I’ve got a large-area restriction item here—it’ll paralyze all biological entities with less than 10 mental power within a thirty-meter radius, lasting about three minutes,” his companion pulled out a strange device resembling a lightning rod from his backpack.

Seeing it, Bili Dao’s face lit up with joy.

These mindless ghost villagers clearly had no mental power above 10.

Such a wide range and long duration—

it was more than enough to break through!

He slapped his companion’s shoulder: “Bro, why the hell didn’t you pull this out earlier? My arms are about to fall off.”

The companion snapped back: “Do you think I didn’t want to use it from the start? The side effect is ridiculous.”

Bili Dao froze.

He asked instinctively: “What side effect?”

The companion replied grimly: “After using it, I’ll be paralyzed for five minutes—completely defenseless.”

“?”

Wait, you restrict the enemies for three minutes—

and you’re paralyzed for five?

What the fuck kind of stupid item is this?

Bili Dao now understood why his companion hadn’t used it from the start.

It really was idiotic.

“Normal escape methods won’t work anymore, or I wouldn’t have pulled out this stupid item. After activation, you’ll be the only one still mobile within thirty meters—can you carry me and run?” His companion rubbed his temples.

“You trust me that much?”

Bili Dao was startled.

They were both members of the Yishi Bureau, but they’d never met before—wasn’t this trust too reckless, handing your life over like this?

What if I just ran off?

After three minutes, when the paralysis ends, you’ll be lying here waiting to die.

“No—I trust Xiezhi Chief,” the companion said firmly. “You’re his man. I believe he wouldn’t have trained a traitor who abandons his teammate.”

Hearing this, Bili Dao’s face flushed with pride.

He thumped his chest: “Fine! For your faith in my boss, even if I die today, I’ll die before you! I’m Bili Dao. What’s your name?”

“Xu Hu,” the companion said, planting the device into the ground as more ghost villagers closed in: “Stop talking about dying. Save it for when we’re out alive.”

“Ready?”

Bili Dao shouted: “Go!”

*Snap—*

The moment he spoke, Xu Hu slapped the device’s switch.

*Zzzzz—*

A strange electric hum echoed inside the device; Xu Hu swallowed dryly, his hand trembling reflexively.

He’d used this thing once before.

The memory wasn’t pleasant.

*Boom—*

Bili Dao heard a massive crash behind him and turned to see—impossibly—a bolt of lightning had appeared in the sky.

It struck the tip of the device with full force.

Xu Hu, still pressing the switch, was instantly electrocuted into a comical spiky hairdo, convulsing violently on the ground, black smoke puffing from his mouth.

The next second, a strange blue electric net spread across the ground, instantly covering a thirty-meter radius.

All ghost villagers within range collapsed, motionless, twitching in paralysis like Xu Hu.

“Fuck! This is really a lightning rod?!”

So the whole side effect was just… electrocuting yourself first?!

Bili Dao cursed, snatched up Xu Hu, slung him over his shoulder, and sprinted toward the village exit.

Luckily, the Bloodthirsty Ring Blade’s strength boost still had one minute left—he’d stacked it to max during all those kills.

Now, with his strength surging, even carrying a full-grown man, he ran like the wind.

Five meters… ten meters… thirty meters!

In just a few strides, Bili Dao burst past the thirty-meter boundary; seeing the fallen, twitching ghost villagers behind him, he finally exhaled.

These bastards would remain paralyzed for another two minutes—they couldn’t possibly catch up now.

Now, the sky was the limit!

*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—*

Just then, a dense storm of footsteps came from ahead.

Xu Hu, slung over Bili Dao’s shoulder, grew even paler—his helplessness deepened into despair.

He saw countless ghost villagers.

Sprinting toward them from the front.

At least twice as many as before!

They’d barely broken out!

He’d still be paralyzed for four more minutes.

Could Bili Dao alone hold off the ghost villagers that had already overwhelmed both of them? Even more now?

Impossible.

The charging ghost villagers were still some distance away—if Bili Dao dropped him now, he might still make it into the forest before they arrived.

Once inside, escape would be far easier.

“Bili Brother, put me down—”

“Shut up!”

Bili Dao cut off Xu Hu’s weak plea.

He pulled a rope from his backpack, tied the man securely to his back, then gripped his sword with both hands—his eyes slowly filled with crimson.

He spoke slowly, each word deliberate: “I said—you won’t die before me!”

【Reliable Berserker • Bili Dao】

The system alert echoed in Bili Dao’s ears.

His title had changed.

But Bili Dao had no time to care about the new title’s effects—he only wanted to carve a path to survival.

In an instant, the charging ghost villagers reached them.

Bili Dao didn’t retreat—he advanced.

A single lunge forward, his blade swinging wildly, a brutal yet strangely beautiful sword technique—three ghost villagers fell instantly, leaving Xu Hu on his back stunned.

This guy… was he this strong before?

*Thud-thud-thud-thud—*

The sprinting footsteps didn’t stop.

Xu Hu immediately noticed something strange.

These ghost villagers…

Didn’t even attack us?!

They kept sprinting toward the village center, even after several were cut down by Bailing Dao—yet the other ghost villagers didn’t spare them a single glance.

It was as if some great horror chased and drove them forward, leaving them no thought to deal with us.

Though Bailing Dao and I were instantly swallowed by the crowd, we merely blended in—not surrounded.

Ghost villagers brushed past us in a flood.

“Wait! Brother Bailing! What’s behind them?” Xu Hu immediately warned.

The blood-red hue in Bailing Dao’s eyes slowly faded.

Gradually, a thin figure appeared at the end of the road.

He was unremarkable in appearance—wearing a hoodie and black-rimmed glasses, clearly not from this Yin Yuan Village—and carried a rust-covered broken sword.

He walked step by step.

Slow and unhurried, like a post-meal stroll, even whistling a light, carefree tune.

Occasionally, a few ghost villagers fell to the ground, their legs crushed by others—when the boy passed these immobilized ghosts,

they screamed in terror and exploded into piles of bone dust.

The ghost villagers who had driven us to the brink…

Couldn’t even spare him a glance, or stay another second in his presence?

“Who… who is this man?”

The overwhelming power and casual ease of the stranger left Bailing Dao and Xu Hu breathless.

If this was a player, he’d have to be at least a Division Director of the Strange Affairs Bureau to possess such strength.

For a moment, both forgot about breaking out.

Because the ghost villagers had already fled farther away.

They now firmly believed the ghost villagers were fleeing this boy—that’s why they’d become so erratic.

Tap-tap—

The boy reached their side.

He glanced at Bailing Dao, drenched in blood.

He slowly muttered: “If you’re weak, train more.”

Then he walked on without looking back, heading deeper into the village center.

Xu Hu turned to look at him.

His entire back was completely exposed to them—like he had zero concern they might threaten him.

What incredible confidence!

And that phrase—“If you’re weak, train more”—he’d seen it somewhere before.

Wait! On the server-wide announcement!

Could he possibly be the master who cleared the Nightmare-level solo dungeon?!

“Brother Bailing, let’s go. I’ll use a pigeon message item to notify the Director—they’ll handle this cursed site.” Xu Hu sighed.

But Bailing Dao didn’t move immediately; he still frowned at the direction the boy had gone.

Though his build and voice didn’t match, that retreating back—walking away from the ghost villagers—slowly merged in his mind with the back of the Undead in “School of the Unforgotten,” striding toward the group of students.

So similar…

Equally unassuming, yet profoundly solitary and utterly unconventional.

Damn, he’s cool!

“Brother Xu, you might not believe me.”

“That guy’s pose? It’s just like a friend of mine.”

Xu Hu: “?”

You know a master like this?!