Chapter 29

Yong Ge's head, its neck still attached to bits of flesh, looked as if it had been violently torn off while he was still alive.

His eyes were wide open, as if he had seen something utterly terrifying, his expression frozen in that moment, vivid and lifelike.

This sight—not even Shi Wuliao could stomach it, and even Fang Yue felt a wave of nausea.

Fuck, do they have to make it this realistic? A human head? That's way too horrifying.

Niu Niu and the others froze for a moment before forcing themselves forward to investigate.

Fang Yue followed, discovering that further ahead, Yong Ge's torso, hands, feet, and a soul torch without flame were placed separately.

These body parts appeared one by one, spaced irregularly apart.

It was as if Yong Ge's body had been dismantled piece by piece while he was fleeing, and the method used seemed strangely precise.

Normally, to rip off a human arm with brute force, you'd pull out the bones too; but if twisted off, the fracture surfaces showed no such signs.

The entire corpse looked as if it had been turned into building blocks—move one, and the parts detached effortlessly, except for the head, which was removed with conventional violence.

Fang Yue silently picked up the Human Soul Torch from the ground, lit it, and walked further ahead.

A pungent stench of blood surged toward him; Fang Yue frowned and thrust the torch forward, his pupils contracting slightly.

Ahead, a pile of human body parts, like trash, had accumulated into a small mound, with crimson blood pooling across the ground.

Fang Yue's heart sank; after a quick glance, he recognized them—these were Yong Ge's teammates.

"It's the anomaly."

Fang Yue spoke in a low voice, holding the Human Soul Torch high to illuminate everything around him, on high alert, nerves taut.

"It may not have left yet—we've only been an hour since Yong Ge's squad was last seen. The anomaly might still be nearby!"

The other five froze at once, the sound of swallowing echoing in succession.

"Ye Ge, should we retreat?"

Shi Wuliao asked cautiously, earning a glare from Fang Yue.

"Are you kidding? The Patrol Team exists for this exact purpose. Now that something's happened, you're running? If you run, by the rules, we'll all be expelled from the village tomorrow!"

There was another thing Fang Yue didn't say.

If they started moving now and made noise, they'd likely be the first the anomaly spotted—and killed.

Thinking of this, Fang Yue even extinguished the Human Soul Torch, had Niu Niu put out the fire, and ordered everyone to draw closer to him.

"Then… what do we do?"

According to Patrol Team rules, they couldn't flee—only request reinforcements or fight the anomaly to the death. That's why the Patrol Team had the best benefits, the finest gear, and the right to control lifespan.

They were responsible for every villager's safety!

But Shi Wuliao and the other players didn't think that way.

What did the villagers' lives matter to them? Let others die, not me. Patrol Team honor was fake—only their own lives were real.

If they died for real, their characters would be erased, and all their prior effort wasted.

But if they broke Patrol Team rules, they'd be expelled beyond the village, cast into the wilds to fend for themselves.

In the wilds, there was no Di He, no Patrol Team, no roof to shield from rain.

Rain, Cold Night, anomalies—any one of these could easily kill you.

Not to mention hunger, cold, and how to secure food.

Even Fang Yue wouldn't survive a night in the wilds—he had no way to resist Yuhan zhi shi.

As the group hesitated, Niu Niu suddenly stepped forward and shouted: "What are you afraid of? It's just one anomaly! We're players—anomalies are monsters. Kill the anomaly, level up, earn lifespan! I heard killing an anomaly increases lifespan too. Don't you want this extra cash?"

The others stared, dumbfounded, then frantically shook their heads.

Talking big was one thing—Yong Ge was already dead. They didn't want to die too.

After all, none of them had trained in martial arts; only Niu Niu had been taught by the Instructor, and he was naturally strong, the only one with combat ability.

Plus, Niu Niu had insider connections—he probably knew Yong Ge's strength? Thought he was stronger than Yong Ge? That's why he was so confident?

"Whether we kill the anomaly or not isn't the point—we must investigate the situation. That's the rule. Also, we must send someone to request reinforcements."

Fang Yue's words lit up Shi Wuliao and the others' faces.

As long as they got away from here, running errands? No problem!

Shi Wuliao raised his hand first.

"Ye Ge, I'll go get help!"

The others glared angrily at Shi Wuliao—they all wanted to run the errand.

Fang Yue calmed everyone down.

"I have two routes for requesting help. First: send for Chen Mu, the Captain. Chen Fu is nearby—just a few minutes' run. Chen Mu is Chief Captain of Gu Yue Cun, extremely powerful. When we patrolled past Chen Fu before, it was quiet. At this hour, he's probably resting at home."

"The second route: go to a more distant Patrol Team for reinforcements. Originally, Yong Ge's squad was our closest. Now, we'd have to run half an hour to reach another Patrol Team's patrol zone."

"Theoretically, either one is enough. But our lives are at stake, so we'll send people on both routes. Which one do you choose?"

Either route was, in truth, Fang Yue's test.

He wanted to know—if someone moved and made noise, would the anomaly strike?

This was the best way to test whether the anomaly was nearby, even if it meant betraying his teammates.

Shi Wuliao didn't think that far. He glanced around, then raised his hand: "I'll go to Chen Fu and bring Chen Captain to save us!"

"Good. Do you know the way?"

"I do!"

They'd just patrolled the area, and Fang Yue had mentioned Chen Fu to Shi Wuliao and the others earlier, so he remembered.

"Then go."

Shi Wuliao froze.

"Huh? I just go like this? I don't have a torch!"

"Chen Fu is closer; counting the two torches I just picked up, I can't give you any. You'll have to run through the dark. Or if you're going to seek help from the distant Patrol Team, then I can give you a torch."

Seeing Shi Wuliao hesitate, everyone immediately felt tempted to speak up—but Shi Wuliao beat them to it.

"Then I'll go to Chen Fu. Ye Ge, wait for my good news!"

With a gritted tooth, Shi Wuliao turned and sprinted toward Chen Fu, vanishing from everyone's sight and merging into the night.

Fang Yue watched his departing figure, waited a moment, and when no screams of death rang out, he finally felt somewhat calmer.

"Maybe that route isn't guarded by the eerie thing? But the time is too short to treat it as absolute proof."

There was no choice—the eerie thing might be nearby, so Fang Yue had to be cautious.

Others didn't know how terrifying the eerie thing was; how could he not? He had escaped death from its grasp before.

His gaze shifted, and Fang Yue's eyes fell upon Niu Niu and the other three.

"Who will take the other route to seek help?"

New book, three chapters daily—please collect, please recommend, please please please.

ps:

Thank you to 'Hua Kuai Kai Le' for the tip.

Thank you to 'Shi Wuliao' for the tip.

Thank you to 'Jing Shi Jia De Xiao Mian Ao' for the tip.

Thank you to 'Lan Hao' for the tip.

Thank you to 'Zi Luo Lan De Shang' for the tip.

(End of Chapter)