CH 13

"A new NPC!" Qin Chuan exclaimed in excitement, but he did not recklessly rush out to greet them. Instead, he and Chen Jiu crouched on the ground, eyes full of curiosity, as they observed the figure in the distance, picking acorns from a tree.

"Damn, this NPC can climb trees too, and they're not even wearing a model... Remember this tree; we'll just chop it down, and all the acorns on it are ours."

"...Your thought process is rather ingenious; I thought you were going to learn how to climb trees."

Qin Chuan and Chen Jiu discussed in hushed tones, already seeing that the figure climbing trees was unmistakably one of Xiah He Village's villagers. On their back was the signature rusty iron sword, but for some reason, they had taken the risk to venture deep into this perilous forest.

Normally, the village's food reserves should have been enough.

Unless...the situation there was more complicated than they and Shuang He had estimated.

"Well, do you want to go over and greet them?"

Qin Chuan asked, eager to try his luck.

Had Chen Jiu been playing any other game, he'd have recklessly pressed 'E' to trigger conversations ages ago, considering the amount of Revival Coins he was expected to use to purchase them, and the dangerous appearance of the NPC. But he dared not act rashly.

Chen Jiu was at a crossroads; let the players interact with the NPC, risking conflict, just like his first time. But he was not afraid of the players getting hurt—he was afraid of the NPC getting hurt. After all, these so-called NPCs cannot be revived.

But if he did not let them interact... when would the plot of the Xiahe Village Radar Tower be pushed forward?

After some contemplation, he made his decision. Hiding and avoiding was not an option - if he had to make contact eventually, why not now?

And so, Chen Jiu immediately edited a quest in the backend and released it on the Qin Chuan interface.

"Damn, the quest is activated. Red Land Liaison... What a crappy quest name."

Chen Jiu awkwardly laughed, hastily coming up with the only name he could think of.

Chen Jiu was in a dilemma; he was hesitant to let the players interact with the NPC, just like his first time. He wasn't afraid of the players being taken advantage of, but he was more worried about the NPCs being taken advantage of- after all, these so-called NPCs could not be resurrected. However, preventing them from interacting meant that the plot of the Xiahe Village radar antenna would never be released. After a moment of thought, he made his decision; he had to face it sooner or later, so why not now? And so, he quickly edited a mission and released it in Qin Chuan's interface. "Damn it, the mission's triggered- The Red Ground Society? What kind of mission name is that?" Chen Jiu smiled awkwardly, the best he could come up with in the rush.

He was about to speak when Qin Chuan at his side could not wait any longer and with a roar, ran down the mountain towards the giant oak tree.

He was truly fortunate; for the ground was filled with large and small holes, yet he managed to skirt around them all.

Was it possible he had some sort of hidden blessing of fortune?

Chen Jiu followed closely in his footsteps, yet little did he know that from the NPC's perspective, things were not going to end well.

Lin Shuang tightly grasped a branch, her right hand already drew her sword, but she knew that this time, she was likely doomed.

Trapped in the tree and the other side had a bow and arrow!

Even before she could climb down the tree and run away, the other had already drawn near.

This was it...had she known, she should not have drawn so close.

Yes, she knew that the cave in the distance was the hideout of the bandits, yet the plentitude of the oak tree's fruits had been too much of a temptation for her.

If success was achieved but once, she no longer need visit this chill, she thought. Little did she expect, however, that her fortune would be so poor! Scarcely had the dawn broken when bandits emerged to hunt...were these truly bandits? What kind of bandits would be so diligent? Seeing the man in the strange garb beneath the tree, she took a breath, and descended a few more branches, gripping her sword, and with a mighty leap from the two-meter high branch, struck out at the man! 

"Good heavens! She can leap and strike!" Qin Chuan was astounded. But he was an experienced player and not overly troubled by this simple attack. 

He stepped aside, and the sword cleaved the ground less than thirty centimeters from his feet. 

"Wait! We mean you no harm!" Chen Jiu quickly drew his bow and arrow and shouted at her. But he did not anticipate that her attention would be so quickly aroused; for the moment their eyes met, her expression changed.

Shock, fear, and then resolution.

Finished! 

Chen Jiu's heart quaked.

He thought to himself, "This person can't have seen me, right?" 

As he had thought, not only had Lin Shuan seen him, she had even seen him without clothes. 

That stiff, cold face, half-open mouth and round, unconvinced eyes...

This corpse, he had only sent it to old bones yesterday. 

But now, here it was in front of him, alive!

They weren't bandits. 

They were monsters! 

Yes, who else, other than monsters, would confront wild boars and not care about life and death?

It was because they wouldn't truly die!

Though they of the Red Waste may be lacking in knowledge, they are far from foolish, and yet Lin Shao was able to discern the true nature of the situation with but a moment's thought, despite the scantest of clues.

No one dared to make a move, and a stalemate ensued.

"Brother, this NPC isn't red-named, why's he attacking us?!" Chen Jiu asked, but received no response. He stared intently at the woman across from him, and declared: "We bear you no ill will, else you'd already be dead."

At this, a flicker of doubt crossed Lin Shao's features.

The moment she perched atop the tree was her most vulnerable. They need not have come so close to kill her. But her apprehension could not be entirely allayed. After a pause, she gritted her teeth and spoke: "You are... you are fiends!" "I saw you die!" So it was true! Chen Jiu comprehended it all in a flash and asked, "Who died? How did they die?" Qin Chuan was baffled by the conversation and had little to add. "Your brother?" Lin Shuang's face changed. This was it.

It seemed that the two people opposite had no malicious intent. In fact, they may not even be bandits, but true refugees, forced to wander by the approaching chill and, in order to survive, settling in a resource-rich forest and willing to risk life and limb. The man's older brother was probably trying to explore the path to Xiahe Village and find a place to settle down, but he didn't expect to be killed by his own clansmen. Yes, the man at the time had not shown any malice. He just said he knew the problem with the furnace. Lin Shuang looked at Chen Jiu, and in this moment, pressure came upon her.