Anyway, since we've already fallen out, let's just be straightforward.
Xiao Ding took a deep breath, raised her head, and pointed at Su Ya's neck, shouting, “What I mean is simple: hand over the item you're wearing around your neck!”
This was her guess.
Xiao Ding couldn't think of anything else a veteran player like Su Ya would hide away like a treasure, other than a quest item.
As soon as she said this, Su Ya instinctively recoiled, and the others were also stunned.
“What did you say?” Su Ya’s voice turned cold. She had originally thought Xiao Ding was only acting irrationally out of fear.
But now, it seemed more like a premeditated move.
“I said, hand over the item.”
Xiao Ding grew more confident as she spoke. “You're a veteran player; you must have a life-saving item, that porcelain bottle around your neck.”
“We've become like this because of your misjudgment, so isn't it only right for you to hand over your item as compensation?”
She looked at the other players, trying to incite them, raising her voice by an octave:
“Everyone, think about it! She’s hoarding good stuff, hiding it from us, keeping it for herself to save her life, while making us follow her on quests to our deaths. Is that fair?!”
“Either you hand over the item for everyone to share, and no one gets to keep it private, or why should we trust her?!”
Several players exchanged glances.
Some had seen the porcelain bottle and silver bell hanging around Su Ya’s neck. At the time, everyone thought they were just decorations.
But looking at Su Ya’s reaction now—she valued it so much, it must be something good.
Perhaps, just as Xiao Ding guessed, it was a life-saving quest item.
Otherwise, how could a veteran player like Su Ya dare to be so reckless in the Instance?
Greed spread like wildfire. Within the Instance, where laws and rules couldn't reach, the evil of human nature was amplified to its fullest.
...
“Exactly! Hand it over!”
Xiao Zhuang was the first to respond, his eyes gleaming with greed:
“We all came in together, so why do you have items and we don’t? Just because you’ve been through one more Instance than us? You should share the item equally!”
“Yeah, what kind of intentions do you have, hoarding items? No wonder you said doing quests was good—you had your own trump card all along!”
Others also chimed in.
Many were stirring with eagerness. Items.
Those were life-saving things.
Who wouldn't want them?
In the face of desperation and greed, morality was as thin as paper, easily torn.
No one remembered the information Su Ya had provided, nor any of her previous warnings.
—They only saw that she had “good stuff,” only saw that her “misjudgment had harmed everyone,” and only felt that she should hand over her things to compensate them.
“...”
A few people slowly began to surround them, their eyes unfriendly, eager to act.
Although they hadn't yet made a move, the blatant intent to plunder was undisguised.
Su Ya was already planning to run—the next second, Yang Asha, like a launched cannonball, leaped high from the kang and crashed headfirst into Xiao Zhuang's stomach, who was at the front.
“Ouch!”
“This kid's crazy!”
“Get lost!”
Xiao Zhuang, who took the brunt of the headbutt, gagged, about to vomit. The others behind him quickly supported him.
“You're the ones who should get lost!”
The young girl stood on the kang, her curses carrying a hint of a minority accent, sharp and quick:
“You good-for-nothing, what are you trying to pull? My Sister Su Ya’s things are perfectly fine, why are you reaching out so far? Messing around, are you?!
Believe it or not, I’ll smash a brick over your head! Stealing people’s things in broad daylight, truly encountering a ghost out here, you coward!”
Before anyone could react, they saw her jump down and wrench a calf-thick elm door bolt from the door—a solid piece of wood weighing over ten pounds, yet it was as light as a pig-herding stick in her hands.
Yang Asha’s presence had always been low-key.
Everyone thought she was Su Ya’s accessory, a little girl scared senseless, and no one paid her any mind.
“Scram, scram, scram! A bunch of idiots.”
Yang Asha flicked her wrist, and the door bolt swept out horizontally—
【(Player Yang Asha): Swordsman (Yellow-Tier)】
【Talent: Sword Mastery: When using cold weapons such as swords and knives, damage is increased by 15%, and weapon durability consumption is reduced by 20%.】
Why wouldn't a wooden stick count as a cold weapon?
The door bolt grazed the ground, kicking up a gust of wind.
Yet, Yang Asha's striking angles were incredibly cunning; she didn't aim for the head or chest, but specifically at people's arms, sides, and inner thighs.
Her technique was practiced beyond measure:
This was how they herded pigs and sheep in the mountains—not hitting vital points, but targeting fleshy areas.
One strike would ensure the animal felt excruciating pain, yet it wouldn't break any bones.
Hitting like this would make even the most stubborn pig squeal and bolt forward.
“Whack!”
A dull thud, landing squarely on Xiao Zhuang's outstretched arm.
“Oww—!!”
He let out a pig-like shriek, his arm instantly numb. The pain made him jump up, clutching his arm and hopping like a frog.
Yang Asha gave him no chance to recover, shaking her wrist, the door bolt curved and struck his side again.
This strike was even more precise, hitting directly on soft flesh.
Zhao Lei gasped in pain, stumbled, and Yang Asha, using his momentum, sent him towards the door—the end of the door bolt pressed against his chest, pushing him forward.
“Get out!”
“Bang!”
A man weighing over 140 pounds was pushed back repeatedly by a slender girl, weighing less than a hundred, with a single door bolt.
The remaining players were also swept out, all falling with a “thud” over the threshold of the western side room.
Everyone left in the room was dumbfounded:
Who would've thought this seemingly frail, soft-spoken mountain girl would be so fierce when she fought?
A ten-pound door bolt was like a toy in her hands.
“Superpower… you have a Class too?”
Xiao Ding swallowed, a rather strained smile on her face:
“Um, you hit them, so you can't hit me now—”
The next second, Xiao Ding also “flew” across the ground.
A hefty chunk of flesh landed squarely in the snow in the courtyard, kicking up a spray of snow.
Yang Asha grew up in the mountains and had a father like hers; she had seen all kinds of people.
Those who threw tantrums and stole, those who tried to get favors with a cheeky smile.
Regardless of gender, in her eyes, they were all wild boars trying to steal food, and they needed to be driven away.
The six players shrieked and howled in the snow, like unruly pigs at New Year's.
No blood was shed, but there wasn't a single spot on their bodies that didn't ache.
Most importantly, it was humiliating.
Not only did they fail to steal anything, but they were also beaten like pigs.
Who could they complain to about this?!
Why hadn't they awakened a Class?
...
...
Inside the side room, Su Ya and Yang Hexuan's mouths hadn't closed.
One against six, using a stick to beat people like pigs.
This wasn't a little girl; this was a formidable character!
No wonder martial arts novels always said that women, old people, and children who traveled the jianghu alone should never be provoked.
Lin Jianguo appeared calm, but in reality, his eyes were blank with shock.
...
Yang Asha drove everyone out, clapped the dust from her hands, and turned around.
She leaned the door bolt against the wall, her face devoid of any triumphant expression. Instead, she frowned and shook her head.
She looked at Su Ya, her tone a bit disapproving:
“Sister Su Ya, you can't be like this.”
“Huh?” Su Ya was taken aback.
“There are too many people in this world who try to take advantage.”
Yang Asha counted on her fingers, saying earnestly:
“Today they’ll pinch a head of garlic from your home, tomorrow they’ll dare to pick half a basket of vegetables, and the day after, they’ll claim a bit of your land. The more you give in, the more they’ll push their luck.”
“Even cowherds know that if a cow doesn't listen, you have to put a ring through its nose; pig farmers also understand that if a pig breaks out and roots up vegetables, you have to beat it severely, and you wouldn't feel bad even if you slaughtered it for meat.”
“They were trying to steal your things, and you still want to reason with them? It won’t work. You have to drive them out forcefully, hurt them, and then they’ll know fear.”
The young girl spoke very seriously, but these were all survival lessons learned from scrambling in the mountains:
“But don't be afraid, I told you I'd protect you.”
Su Ya looked at her serious face, at the pure protectiveness in her eyes, and her heart felt incredibly soft, as if soaked in warm water.
“Pfft—”
She couldn't help but laugh, but as she laughed, her eyes welled up.
Su Ya reached out and ruffled Yang Asha's hair, making the girl's hair messy, then gently hugged her:
“Thank you.”
Yang Asha carried a faint scent of pine needles and the coolness of snow.
She was small and slender, but her shoulders were very sturdy.
“Thank you, Asha.”
Su Ya's voice carried a hint of a smile, yet also seriousness, “You're right, I was too foolish. Don't worry, I will definitely get you out of here safely.”
Definitely.
She added silently in her heart.
Such a good girl shouldn't be trapped in this cursed place, shouldn't turn into a human-headed rat.
She should go to school, make new friends, read books, learn, wear nice clothes, see the big world, and live the vibrant life she deserved.
The four of them cast the farce aside and quietly made their way to the morgue.
...
...
Second Mirrored Instance.
【Quest "Excavate Grave Pit" completed】
【Plot progress +10%, 20 points awarded to each person】
【Clue fragment obtained: "Old Lady Huang kept a giant, pure black cat that was extremely intelligent during her lifetime. Huang Facai, the eldest son of the Huang family, repeatedly tried to sell the cat for money, but Old Lady Huang always stopped him, fighting with all her might."】
Another clue was added.
But the three of them felt no relief at all.
Zhou Hui instinctively touched the corner of her mouth, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing her skin.
There, at some unknown point, several stiff, fine hairs had emerged.
Short, prickly, exactly like a rat's whiskers.
Her heart fluttered with panic; she touched it every few steps, feeling colder each time.
“Stop touching it.”
Lin Hao spoke without turning his head, his tone somewhat impatient: “The more you touch it, the more you'll dwell on it.”
Zhou Hui's hand paused, and she quietly asked, “Xiao Lin, did… did you grow them too?”
Lin Hao didn't answer.
In the morning light, a faint layer of black fuzz covered his jawline.
It was denser and stiffer than stubble, spreading along his jawbone towards his ears.
As for the umbilical cord on his neck, it seemed to want to see Lin Hao tormented, for it was unusually quiet at that moment.
Rate on N.U.
