Chapter 49: Flesh-Eating (Part 21) The Ancestral Hall

Yang Yundong held the machete in his single hand, walking at the very front while the five players followed closely behind him.

Passing through the dilapidated, collapsed houses and low walls, and crushing the dew-kissed weeds underfoot, they saw the large locust tree they had encountered yesterday come into view.

No morning mist had yet formed on the road, allowing the players to clearly see the scenery both ahead and behind. Just over fifty meters past the locust tree stood a building adorned with red lanterns. They wondered why it had been completely impossible to find yesterday despite searching for so long.

The grey tiles on the building's roof were incomplete, with several holes exposing the rotting rafters. However, the plaque hanging beneath the eaves remained clean, bearing three characters written in gold: "Su Family Ancestral Hall."

"We've reached the ancestral hall." Yang Yundong stopped in front of the tightly closed doors, looking slightly dazed as he gazed at the thoroughly peeled vermilion paint.

Qi Si stepped forward, skillfully pulling a piece of wire from his wristband to pick the copper lock on the door rings.

He raised his hand to pull the vermilion doors of the ancestral hall, expecting it to require some effort. Instead, with just a slight tug on the ring, the doors swung open on their own.

It was as if... they had been blown open by the wind.

A smile curled the corners of his lips: "I wouldn't have thought they'd be so enthusiastic, eagerly inviting us inside."

Yang Yundong's complexion was an earthy, ashen grey from excessive blood loss, and his frame swayed slightly, though he still managed to conceal any overtly extreme fatigue.

He cast a calm glance at Qi Si, then turned his gaze straight ahead and stepped across the threshold.

Qi Si smiled lightly and followed close behind.

The ancestral hall spanned less than a hundred square meters. Candlesticks of varying heights stood along both sides, lit with candles, yet they failed to dispel even a shred of the darkness.

The door of the ancestral hall faced away from the light, plunging most of the interior into gloomy shadow and evoking a strong sense of unease, as if countless eyes were hidden in the corners.

Behind the incense table, dense rows of memorial tablets were stacked high, layer upon layer. A rough glance revealed dozens, if not hundreds, of them.

In front of the incense table sat a wooden bucket—the very same one Granny Su had carried.

The rim of the bucket was covered in chaotic tooth marks that looked distinctly human, and the meat inside had been reduced to mere scraps, eaten thoroughly clean.

At a glance, there was no statue of any deity to be seen, nor any sign whatsoever related to gods.

The players exchanged glances, reading confusion in each other's eyes.

Zhang Licai blinked twice: "Didn't the village history say the villagers built the ancestral hall to worship deities? How come there isn't even a divine statue? What are these memorial tablets for?"

Qi Si's gaze lingered among the tablets.

Every memorial tablet worshipped in the ancestral hall bore the surname "Su." Their birth years varied, but their years of death were identical—without exception, it was the exact year the villagers had first begun to mutate.

He walked around to the back of the wooden rack holding the tablets.

There was no divine shrine there either. Instead, a massive yellow talisman was pasted on the wall, with the character "Suppress" written in red ink, exuding a palpable malevolence.

Zhu Ling also walked over, frowning as she stared at the yellow talisman: "This is a soul-suppressing talisman, used to subdue wrongful ghosts who died unjustly. With this talisman, as long as regular sacrifices are made and the supply of flesh and blood is never broken, the wrongful ghosts will never break free from control."

The records in the village history matched the physical objects before them item by item. A realization struck Qi Si, and he smiled: "No wonder they said the ancestral hall must be guarded, and failing to do so would lead to disaster. Is it because they're afraid these villagers who died of mutation will cause chaos?"

"Not just those who died of mutation," Zhu Ling shook her head. "I'm afraid these people had their flesh carved off by other villagers to pass off as divine meat. Only ghosts killed by others harbor such intense resentment and turn into malefic spirits of this scale..."

Zhang Licai stretched out his neck, puzzled: "If you put it that way, Granny Su and these ghosts are all victims. The enemy of my enemy is a friend, so why don't they unite to take revenge? Never mind Granny Su not seeking revenge herself, why would she even help guard the ancestral hall?"

"Who knows?" Qi Si walked back to the front of the incense table, noticing several black-and-white photographs interspersed among the memorial tablets.

The men and women in the photos kept their lips pressed tightly together. At first glance, they looked as though they were smiling, but looking closer revealed that their faces were all drooping downwards, wearing expressions as if they were about to cry at any second.

Those who harm others will ultimately be harmed themselves. In the jungle law of egoism, if one wishes not to be devoured by others, the only choice is to stand at the top of the food chain and devour others.

Qi Si retreated step by step toward the door, lifting his gaze to see that Zhou Yilin was already standing there, shrinking timidly against the door panel as if she dared not venture any deeper into the ancestral hall.

Naturally, the girl had also heard the discussion among them and whispered softly: "It's just habit. Under a set of rule systems, since you've already suffered so much torment, why not make the newcomers experience the exact same thing?

"If only you yourself suffered while others did not, it would simply be too unfair. Therefore, it's best to make sure everyone is equally miserable."

"Indeed," Qi Si cast a knowing look. "To an antisocial madman, if you are about to die, it's best if the whole world dies along with you to find peace of mind. After all, the human species loves comparison the most; only by observing the misfortune of others can one find satisfaction in one's own luck."

"Plop." Something dripped onto the ground, pooling into a viscous puddle.

Zhang Licai was studying the talisman paper behind the wooden rack with Zhu Ling. Hearing the sound, he slowly raised his head, letting out a rattling gasp from his throat.

He saw that the ceiling was neatly lined with human faces of varying sizes. Their wrinkled skin looked as though it would flake off like tree bark at the slightest touch, yet all of them wore joyous expressions, appearing utterly bizarre in the current setting and context.

Yang Yundong likewise noticed the faces on the ceiling.

He tightened his brow, picked up three sticks of incense from the incense table, and spoke at a slightly accelerated pace: "We've all eaten the divine meat and become tainted with sin. Let's quickly pay our respects first, and then look for clues."

No one raised any objections; the tattooed woman's fate served as a warning right before their eyes, and no one knew when mutation might strike them.

Zhu Ling also took three sticks of incense, but instead of stepping forward, she waited to the side, staring fixedly at Yang Yundong, clearly intending to let him test the waters first.

Acting as if he noticed nothing, Yang Yundong knelt down before the incense table, held the three slender sticks of incense in his right hand, and bowed deeply three times.

The military overcoat soaked through with blood was dripping continuously, leaving an irregular red outline around the incense table in moments.

Qi Si saw several wisps of black smoke rising gracefully from behind the memorial tablets, intertwining with the human faces on the ceiling.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he always felt those faces were smiling, as if something had just happened right to their liking.

Yang Yundong finished his respects, steadied himself against the incense table, and slowly rose. He swayed unsteadily as though he might collapse at any second, but ultimately managed to support his body using the machete tucked under his armpit.

The exact moment he stood completely upright, a sharp "crack" rang out in the silence. Two of the incense sticks in his hand snapped in half simultaneously out of thin air, falling to the ground.

People fear the unfortunates of life; incense fears two short and one long.

Zhao Feng was the first to react, shouting: "Something's wrong! Let's get out of here!"

He didn't even need to give the warning. The moment the unexpected variable occurred, Qi Si had already taken a step back and retreated out of the ancestral hall.

Zhou Yilin retreated out of the ancestral hall as well. This seemingly fragile girl reacted even faster than Qi Si.

Zhao Feng rushed to the door in a few strides, grabbed the door panels with both hands, and pushed them outward as hard veins bulged across his muscles.

Then, he saw Qi Si freeze in his tracks and mouth three words to him, clear as day: "Kill him."

Kill whom? Wait... so that was it!

'He's useless now. If you get the chance, kill him.' Qi Si's words echoed softly at the bottom of Zhao Feng's mind.

A sudden flash of understanding hit him. This was the opportunity Qi Si had been waiting for; amidst the chaos caused by the sudden emergency, it would be easy for him to seize the flaw and kill Yang Yundong.

As expected of a member of the Sheol Guild, he had even calculated this! A sense of profound respect welled up in Zhao Feng. He released his grip and retreated backward, letting the door slowly close on its own.

The rest finally realized something was amiss, but it was already too late. With a loud bang, the doors of the ancestral hall slammed shut, trapping four players inside while leaving Qi Si and Zhou Yilin outside.

Under the pale sky, the antiquated ancestral hall loomed like a monster. The wilderness outside was desolate and vast, devoid of any human figures as far as the eye could see.

A biting wind rose from the ground, fluttering the clothes of Qi Si and Zhou Yilin standing outside the door. The chill poured in through their collars, making a rustling sound.

Zhou Yilin began to whimper again: "A... are they going to die? I'm so scared..."

"They won't all die," Qi Si said coldly and indifferently. "Now that it's just the two of us, let's talk about your plans for afterwards."

Zhou Yilin stopped crying and whimpered hesitantly: "W... what plans? I don't understand what you're talking about..."

Qi Si didn't look at her, instead gazing quietly at the tightly sealed doors of the ancestral hall. The dark, heavy hue looked solemn and dignified, inexplicably reminding him of coagulated blood.

He continued: "Zhou Yilin, despite clearly having plenty of experience, you deliberately pretended to be entering a副本 for the first time, acting completely at a loss to attract Zhu Ling to approach you and utilize you.

"Yesterday morning, when Zhu Ling intentionally left you at Granny Su's house to tamper with things, you deliberately showed flaws to cause her plan to fall through. Last night you shared a room with her and came out completely unscathed...

"I'm guessing you want to get rid of her, don't you?"

Qi Si's recounting was calm, as if he had witnessed the entire process of events.

Zhou Yilin's timid expression subsided, settling into a composure bordering on cold detachment: "So you saw through it... But you aren't exactly a good person yourself, are you?

"On the first day, you took an extra piece of divine meat, indirectly leading to Zhu Dafu's death. Yesterday morning, you gave Lu Keliang the erroneous hint that 'the dry well is the exit,' and this morning you got rid of Yin Lina.

"You cooperated with Zhao Feng, leaving him stranded in the ancestral hall precisely so he would kill Yang Yundong, am I right?"

"That's right," Qi Si admitted openly and frankly. "The individual strengths of players in the novice pool don't vary drastically, so numerical advantage is paramount. Ensuring your own team's headcount doesn't decrease while instigating the attrition of other teams is the most standard strategy imaginable. Don't you agree?"

Having realized that many players harbored their own hidden agendas, he no longer clung to wearing a gentle facade, preferring instead to project dominance through his alliance with Zhao Feng.

That way, once Yang Yundong died, the shackles weighing down the egoists would shatter, and the remaining individuals would quickly unite based purely on interests.

Qi Si smiled as he looked into Zhou Yilin's eyes: "You had your sights set on Zhu Ling long ago, yet you never made a move against her simply because you were wary of Yang Yundong as an unpredictable variable.

"You knew that the moment he discovered you were a slaughter-style player and had indeed killed people, he would eradicate you for the public good without a moment's hesitation—or at the very least, he would cause you trouble.

"In the retarded-pig game, the weak learn to wait to profit. You stayed your hand just waiting for our side to make a move, so why bother putting on a completely ignorant act?"

Zhou Yilin smiled as well: "Indeed. I knew you pushed Yang Yundong into the leadership position and constructed a gunman game model; his death was only a matter of time to you, so I simply waited a little longer."

Qi Si asked a rhetorical question: "After Yang Yundong dies, you'll make your move against Zhu Ling as soon as possible, right?"

Zhou Yilin nodded gently, tilting her head: "So, what is your choice?"