Chapter 16: Relocating the Grave (Part 4)

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Hearing the scream, a dozen players sat in the empty, cold hall, discussing the mission of the dungeon.

“Finally, something’s happened.”

Uncle Ma, sitting on the sofa, turned his head toward the source of the sound and sighed.

They had been waiting all along, waiting for the NPC’s death so they could piece together the clues and unravel the truth.

Out of the corner of his eye, a man slouched on the sofa, legs crossed without any regard for decorum, suddenly straightened up with a “snap” and strode briskly toward a room deep in the corridor.

Uncle Ma scratched his head in confusion and turned to Liu Wanjun, the woman in a white dress beside him, saying, “What’s going on? Are these young people really that impatient?”

Liu Wanjun smiled softly, but the warmth in her eyes was faint, veiled beneath a thin layer of calm: “Perhaps.”

Her gaze lingered on the retreating figure of the red-haired man, her lowered lashes hiding a glimmer of something dark and deep within her eyes.

Not long ago, the game forums had erupted because a top player named Song Qingxiu had gone mad searching for an NPC — a female NPC he couldn’t stop thinking about.

How strange, Liu Wanjun mused with a faint, enigmatic smile playing at her lips. What kind of NPC could influence players so deeply… Death is truly the best fate for them…

Hearing the scream again, Qi Yiqing’s sharp senses recognized the familiar sound — it was the little NPC!

His brows knit tightly like a rope as he hurried to stand in the corridor. The bright overhead light snapped him fully awake. He slowed his pace, lowered his head in thought for a moment.

When he looked up again, the red-haired man’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, the gleam in his eyes even more terrifying.

If something interests you, you should snatch it up — whether it’s an item, a person… or even a data NPC that can’t be taken away.

At this moment, inside the room.

Jiang Shengsheng was curled up in a corner, her face pale as death. Her bloodshot eyes reflected the sight of rotten arms slowly propping themselves up, ready to smash the glass, black shapes crawling across the floor toward her.

A chilling wind swept through the room, and she caught the nauseating stench of rot she knew all too well.

The corpse was coming!

Perhaps it had never left, lurking in the shadows, silently watching her, preparing to devour her whole?!

As if foreseeing her own death, Jiang Shengsheng trembled, clutching her mouth tightly to stifle her cries. Tears blurred her vision as she neared death.

Her legs weak, she could only stare helplessly as the skeletal corpse shattered the glass, its twisted limbs crawling rapidly across the floor, about to pounce on her face in the blink of an eye!

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In a rush, Xia Junyao threw on his bathrobe and pushed open the door, only to witness a scene that made his eyes burn with fury. His expression changed drastically as he stretched out his arms, pulling the sobbing girl into his embrace, then slammed the bathroom door shut with force.

The skeletal corpse missed its target, clawing madly at the door, emitting eerie, haunting sounds from its throat — lamenting, pleading, weeping, longing.

His heart pounding wildly, Jiang Shengsheng buried herself in Xia Junyao’s arms, crying out, “...I almost...”

Filled with dread, Xia Junyao held her tightly, wishing their blood and flesh could meld into one, so no one could ever separate them.

He had almost lost his baby...

“Bang!” The guest room door was kicked open by an intruder, drawing the skeletal corpse’s attention away from the door it was clawing at. Xia Junyao exhaled deeply and lifted the limp Jiang Shengsheng in his arms.

Intense sounds of a fight erupted inside the room, accompanied by more shattered glass, then suddenly everything fell silent, the room plunged into a frozen stillness.

“Knock, knock, knock.” The distinct bones of fingers lightly tapped on the bathroom door, tentative as if afraid to startle the girl hiding inside. A tall shadow blurred behind the frosted glass, softening the edges. “You’re safe now, come out.”

The locked door was opened, and Xia Junyao carried Jiang Shengsheng out.

Unexpectedly, it was Qi Yiqing who had saved them. Without a word, he pressed the back of Jiang Shengsheng’s head gently, burying his face in her neck, sincerely expressing his thanks.

“What just happened? Why did a corpse suddenly break in?” Qi Yiqing, very composed, sat down on the cold bench in the guest room, lazily crossing his long legs and resting his chin on one hand, tapping his fingers absentmindedly.

Though speaking to Xia Junyao, his eyes kept flicking toward Jiang Shengsheng, who was clinging tightly in Xia’s arms.

Before Xia Junyao could respond, Qi Yiqing chuckled, nodding. “Better let her explain, after all, she’s the one who experienced it, not you.”

“Who exactly are you? What are you doing here in Stone Village?”

Meeting Xia Junyao’s icy glare, Qi Yiqing slowly unwrapped a colorful candy, pinched the sweet and popped it into his mouth.

Mmm, mango flavor. Quite fitting...

He clapped his hands. “If you don’t want her to die, listen to me. You’re too weak to protect her.”

As an NPC in this dungeon, wanting to protect his dear NPC girlfriend?

Tsk tsk tsk.

His hand hanging by his side clenched tighter, veins bulging on the back of his hand. Xia Junyao’s gaze darkened completely, waves of jealousy, anger, and self-reproach crashing over him like a storm, threatening to swallow him whole.

Slowly regaining her composure, Jiang Shengsheng heard the conversation between the two men.

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She nuzzled her boyfriend’s warm neck with trust. When he looked down at her, she lifted her chin, her hoarse voice still sweet to hear: “Put me down. I’ll talk to him.”

Since the red-haired man before her clearly knew more than they did, how could she refuse?

If not for her, Xia Junyao wouldn’t have come to Stone Village at all; he had begged to come because he feared she wouldn’t be safe alone.

She brought Xia Junyao here, and now she would ensure he left safely.

Unwilling but resigned, Xia Junyao gently set her down on the bed. As if staking his claim, he wrapped an arm around Jiang Shengsheng’s waist, smiling as she gave him a fond yet helpless look.

“I’ll dry your hair for you later.”

After speaking, Jiang Shengsheng grew serious, suppressing the terror deep in her bones as she recounted the events in as much detail as she could.

Qi Yiqing, sitting nearby, listened with one ear while nodding absentmindedly, barely paying attention.

His gaze dropped unobtrusively, sweeping over the man’s large hand resting on her waist and her full, tender red lips.

His crimson tongue flicked over his lips. The red-haired man squinted, stroking his fingertips that tingled with a faint itch.

The little NPC really is quite alluring.

Those bright apricot eyes focused solely on him, as if only his presence could occupy her world — utterly captivating.

Her trembling body struggling for control, her warm breath, the way her eyes widened at the mention of fear — every detail was enticing.

Such a naughty little NPC.

Qi Yiqing’s gaze shifted to the long-haired man who stood out like a sore thumb. His deepening eyes quietly gathered the darkness of a fierce storm.

If he killed the man, would the little NPC be afraid of him?

Well, it seemed he still wanted to maintain his “good guy” image in front of her.

“So you’re saying that while it was scratching at the door, it kept making those whimpering sounds from its throat?” Qi Yiqing pointed out the key detail, stretching and sitting upright, shedding his usual nonchalant attitude.

He propped his arms up and suddenly leaned in close to Jiang Shengsheng’s eyes, his sharp gaze piercing her bright, watery pupils: “I think it’s trying to tell you something. That’s why it came after you.”