[Dungeon Completed, surviving players being counted.]
[Number of Survivors: 2.]
[Reward Points: 100,000.]
[Congratulations to player Ding Yang and player Xue Shun for successfully completing the dungeon. Rewards will be sent to your private accounts. Please check.]
The news that a player had successfully cleared the Yunzhou dungeon for the first time caused a huge stir among players. Everyone immediately began investigating the identities of Ding Yang and Xue Shun, only to discover that these two were complete newbies with no dungeon experience whatsoever.
Some players speculated that they were just lucky, while others believed that these two newbies were incredibly promising with immeasurable future potential.
So, when Ding Yang and Xue Shun logged out of the dungeon, they were met with a group of veteran players staring intently at them.
"This...this guy's still a student, right?"
"That doesn't make sense. Even Lin Shen failed in the Yunzhou dungeon. How could these two seemingly weak kids clear it?"
"Do you think they have connections? Parents, brothers, sisters, or something like that gave them items, which is why they were able to clear it by chance?"
"Those items must be incredibly high-level..."
Of course, because of this speculation, the veteran players only observed Ding Yang and Xue Shun, not daring to make any rash moves. However, some of the bolder ones did approach to ask for information.
"Newbie, huh? How did you guys clear Yunzhou?" A bearded man casually hooked his arm around Xue Shun's neck, giving him a thumbs up. "You're definitely monster newbies! You even cleared such a difficult dungeon!"
Xue Shun couldn't help but praise him. "It wasn't too bad, not difficult at all."
"Then teach me your tricks, brother?" The bearded man acted like a close buddy. "Tell me what NPCs are in this dungeon, what their levels are. I honestly know absolutely nothing about it, I'm just hoping a genius like you can clear it and carry us."
Hearing the man's praise, Xue Shun became a little smug. "The NPCs are all pretty high level, anyway, the detector can't detect them, and we're also..."
"Xue Shun." Ding Yang interrupted Xue Shun. She hadn't said a word since leaving the dungeon, but Xue Shun had relied on Ding Yang the whole time. Hearing her speak, he immediately shut up and turned to look at her.
Ding Yang glanced at the bearded man and said to Xue Shun, "Come with me for a moment, I have something to tell you."
Xue Shun was reluctant, "Can't I talk to him first?"
Ding Yang: "No, come here."
Xue Shun relented, "Okay, coming."
Finding a spot without other players in the player lobby was difficult. Ding Yang led Xue Shun through a maze of paths until they reached the very edge of the lobby, where it was eerily quiet and deserted.
Xue Shun was completely bewildered, "Sis, why did you call me here?"
Ding Yang was much shorter than Xue Shun, only about 1.57 meters tall, and had her hair in a bun. Judging by appearance alone, she would seem younger than Xue Shun.
"Xue Shun, if someone asks you what happened in Yunzhou, will you tell them?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
Ding Yang nodded thoughtfully, her tone drawn out, "I see..."
"Then you call me... uh..." Xue Shun suddenly stopped speaking. He clutched his neck, blood gushing from between his fingers. Within seconds, a large pool of blood had formed at his feet.
Xue Shun opened his mouth, unable to speak, staring in horror at the blood-dripping dagger in Ding Yang's hand. He remembered it being a gift from Ding Yang's roommate before they left the instance.
With his carotid artery severed, Xue Shun collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Ding Yang's hands trembled uncontrollably, bloodstains smeared beneath her eyes, yet her tone remained unusually calm, "I'm sorry, this is my first time killing someone, I might have hurt you."
Green vines twined around the dagger, greedily drinking the blood, then splitting into several strands and tightly binding them around Xue Shun's corpse, a slow chewing sound filling the air.
After calmly disposing of the body, Ding Yang glanced at the spot where Xue Shun had stood and muttered to herself, "Now you'll keep the secret, won't you?"
...
Yunzhou.
After Xue Shun and Ding Yang left, their seats were removed, leaving only a pitiful ten first-year students, making the classroom feel even more empty.
Yan Chi sat on the podium, the students below diligently doing their homework. He occasionally thought of Xue Shun and Ding Yang, wondering if they had reunited with their parents.
Sigh, I hope they'll be more careful in the future and not get tricked by human traffickers again, especially Xue Shun. That kid must have been spoiled rotten since childhood; he's completely out of touch with reality.
If Ding Yang hadn't been there to pull him back, Xue Shun would probably have been sold by now.
Thinking of Ding Yang, Yan Chi looked at Mingcai and Ahui. When Ding Yang left, Mingcai and Ahui hugged her goodbye with reluctance; it seems girls' friendships always form exceptionally quickly.
Even Lian Deng and Ning Zhu wanted Xue Shun to experience the camaraderie of classmates, but they had barely taken a step when Xue Shun took several steps back, shouting, "Don't come any closer!" and "Mommy, save me!"
Yan Chi chuckled, wondering if he'd ever see those two children again.
"Click-click."
Hearing a faint sound, Yan Chi turned his head and saw a green stick insect holding up a small purple flower. Seeing that Yan Chi had finally noticed it, the little stick insect happily made a "click-click" sound and presented the flower to Yan Chi.
It was Xiao Er.
Yan Chi glanced at Lian Deng, who was engrossed in writing his homework, probably unaware that his little one had secretly run away.
"Thank you, Xiao Er." Yan Chi smiled and accepted the small purple flower, thanking the stick insect softly.
The stick insect hopped happily a couple of times, then jumped onto the book Yan Chi had opened. It pointed at the book with its front legs, then spun around a bit, its tiny eyes showing a hint of anticipation.
"Uh..." Yan Chi pondered its actions, guessing, "Do you want a dress too?"
The stick insect immediately nodded.
A dress, a dress! It wanted to wear a pretty little dress too!
"You can actually understand human speech." Yan Chi was greatly impressed. Many animals are intelligent, but he hadn't expected insects to be so clever.
He casually tore off a piece of paper, folded it, and a little dress was finished. He helped the stick insect put on the dress, nodding in approval, "Hmm, very pretty."
The stick insect was visibly happy, then held up the small purple flower and waved it in front of Yan Chi, as if expressing its joy.
Yan Chi smiled, gently tapping its forehead with his finger.
Having received its beloved little dress, the stick insect wanted to show it to Lian Deng, so it ran straight through the middle of the classroom.
The classmates all knew it belonged to Lian Deng, and Feng Wang even helped it get there—lifting its little dress and tossing it onto Lian Deng's seat.
The stick insect clung tightly to the dress with each leg, preventing it from being blown away.
Finally, the dress acted as a parachute, carrying the stick insect gently down to Lian Deng's desk.
Lian Deng looked at the stick insect falling from the sky, quite surprised, "Xiao Er, how did you get out?"
The stick insect proudly showed off its dress.
The dress, beautiful!
Lian Deng looked up at Yan Chi on the podium, smiling shyly, "Yes, very beautiful."
The teacher is also very good.
Teacher Xiao Chi is the best teacher he has ever met, even better than the principal.
Yan Chi was completely unaware that his status among the students had surpassed Shen Mingsu's. After school that afternoon, Yan Chi decided to take a stroll through the school cafeteria.
Since arriving at school, Yan Chi had been cooking for himself and hadn't been to the cafeteria even once.
He chose the nearest cafeteria, number one. Judging from its exterior, it had three floors, but Yan Chi couldn't smell any food coming from inside.
Slightly puzzled, Yan Chi stepped inside, but stopped after only a few steps.
On the first floor, only a few shops were open, but without exception, none of them sold food. Rows of incense sticks and candles, along with cold rice and dishes, were displayed in the windows.
The lights were off, the curtains were drawn, and the entire cafeteria was dimly lit.
Only a few students carrying trays moved lightly through the cafeteria. Yan Chi noticed that their plates contained candles and incense sticks.
After they sat down, they would light the candles and incense before starting to eat.
Yan Chi: "...?"
Is this some kind of obligatory etiquette?
Yan Chi couldn't understand it at all, so he got up and went to the second floor. The second floor seemed a little more normal than the first, but instead of normal vegetables, the windows displayed fresh, bloody meat.
Yan Chi then went to the third floor. The third floor sold plant fertilizer, various nutrient solutions, and even rooting powder.
After wandering around the cafeteria for more than ten minutes, Yan Chi just felt it was absurd. It was one thing if the cafeteria didn't sell food, but why did it have these strange things?
Yan Chi couldn't figure it out, so he simply went to the second floor and bought two pounds of pork, carrying the meat home to cook.
Since it was still early, Yan Chi decided to walk around the school. Passing by the lake, he saw Lin Heng again, still at his midday fishing spot, his posture unchanged.
What terrifying concentration.
Yan Chi secretly admired Lin Heng. He was genuinely curious about Lin Heng's catch that afternoon. To avoid disturbing the fish in the water, he tiptoed forward and peeked into the bucket.
There was only one fish in the bucket, belly up, blowing bubbles. Judging by its appearance, it was probably the one Lin Heng had asked Yan Chi if he wanted.
So, all afternoon had passed, and Lin Heng hadn't caught a single fish?
Lin Heng had noticed Yan Chi approaching earlier. Seeing that Yan Chi seemed to doubt his fishing skills, he immediately said, "I'll catch one in a few more minutes."
His confidence was almost frightening.
Yan Chi naturally wouldn't expose him. "Hmm, fish probably don't like the heat."
As he spoke, he walked to the other side and casually dipped the end of the willow branch in the water. A series of pulling sensations followed. Yan Chi looked down and saw a grass carp weighing four or five pounds biting his willow branch, desperately struggling towards the shore.
Yan Chi's eyes widened. "How come this fish took the bait on its own? Wait, I don't even have a hook here."
A resentful gaze fell from the side. Yan Chi slowly turned his head, meeting Lin Heng's bewildered look. Just then, the willow branch in his hand couldn't support the fish's weight and snapped.
Without the willow branch, the fish gave up the act. With a flick of its tail, it leaped up and landed with a thud at Yan Chi's feet.
Yan Chi: "..."
Lin Heng: "...Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?"
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