[Player Yu Deng, please note that the special mission target has been locked: Player Cheng Xiao.]
Yu Deng: "???"
Was it an illusion? He actually heard a hint of urgency in the voice of the main system, as if it couldn't wait to throw the mission target into jail.
Yu Deng shook his head internally. Wake up, main system—he's still being hugged by the target!
He's still hoping for Big Brother to rescue him!
Not to mention, he hadn't even had time to study the details of this special mission.
Yu Deng responded dismissively to the main system, "Got it, don't disturb me while I'm on a mission."
Main system: [...]
The electronic voice fell silent for a moment, ultimately not urging again.
The rustling sounds in the mortuary were getting closer and closer to them. Cheng Xiao quickly ignited the bundle of straw that had been kicked to the door.
The flame from the lighter stubbornly persisted for a few seconds and finally managed to light the dry straw.
The flame from the dry straw was much brighter than the lighter's flame, barely dispelling some of the darkness and allowing a blurry view within two meters.
The electrical sound of the main system suddenly spiked, emitting a crackling static noise.
Yu Deng felt inexplicably that the main system's "blood pressure" had spiked, though silicon-based life forms probably don't have blood pressure.
However, he had no time to bother with the main system. With the light from the fire, Yu Deng could finally take in his surroundings.
After taking it all in, Yu Deng almost wished he were blind.
Master Cheng's corpse lay face down on the ground, head facing outward, with half of his face covered in corpse stains facing the door.
The dull thudding sound earlier was from the coffin tipping over.
The rustling sound came from the movement of paper.
Two paper figures were slowly approaching them.
The paper figures resembled seven- or eight-year-old children in appearance and height, their flat paper bodies supported by bamboo sticks, dressed in bright red and green clothes.
The paper figures had hollow eye sockets without eyes, but their noses and mouths were vividly drawn.
Yu Deng: "..."
Yu Deng let out a faint gasp and wanted to faint right there. But whether it was because of the overwhelming stimuli in just a few hours, he remained stubbornly awake.
One of the paper figures in red noticed Yu Deng's gaze and stiffly turned its head toward him.
The mouth drawn with thick black lines slowly stretched into a wide, exaggerated grin.
It was smiling at Yu Deng.
"Ah"
Yu Deng let out a soft, short scream and awkwardly turned his head away, not looking at the paper figure.
The paper figure stopped moving, its smile fading a bit.
"Why are you only smiling at Little Mom?" Cheng Xiao asked, holding the trembling Yu Deng and poking the burning straw with the tip of his shoe. "Are you unhappy to see me, or are you just not a smiley person?"
Paper figure: "…" Haha, no one who plays with fire is a good person.
The paper figure's smile completely vanished. The thin paper fluttered and, with a somewhat comical short paper hand, it suddenly swung at Cheng Xiao.
Cheng Xiao moved Yu Deng aside, and the paper figure's attack sliced off a layer of the solid wood door behind them as if it were a sharp blade.
[Wow, this attack power and speed—Is this really a monster that should appear in a D-Class beginner dungeon? It feels like it's at least B-Class difficulty.]
[This newbie has decent quality and is quite bold.]
[Haha, I suddenly noticed that ghosts like to smile at Yu Deng, scaring him terribly.]
[Yu Deng, don't come over here!]
Another paper figure in green came charging in.
Cheng Xiao suddenly let go of Yu Deng. "Little Mom, go over there and don't follow me."
Yu Deng, feeling confused and a bit abandoned, still obeyed and ran to the side.
After a moment, Yu Deng realized why Cheng Xiao had told him to run.
The paper figures' attacks were primarily directed at Cheng Xiao, or rather, the paper figures were much less aggressive towards Yu Deng.
Occasionally, a paper figure would drift towards Yu Deng, make a feint to scare him into falling, and then return to beating up Cheng Xiao.
Yu Deng: "Ah"
He blinked and wondered if this was what the system meant by not becoming a priority target under normal circumstances, or if Cheng Xiao's aggro was just too high.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xiao skillfully evaded the paper figures' attacks, deftly using fire to burn them. He also kept part of his attention on Yu Deng's situation.
Cheng Xiao had initially been suspicious about why Yu Deng, as an NPC, frequently appeared at the mission locations. But now, seeing the paper figures' attack patterns, it might be that Yu Deng was just being dragged down by him?
Cheng Xiao casually threw a bundle of straw, burning a hole in the shoulder of the green-clad paper figure.
The paper figure's expression twisted into a grimace for a moment before it cut a wound on Cheng Xiao's arm.
Yu Deng stared blankly at Cheng Xiao fighting the paper figures, feeling the disparity among humans.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Deng glanced at the corpse lying not far in front of him.
Had he imagined it, or did Master Cheng's corpse seem to have changed its position..?
Yu Deng had a growing sense that something worse might happen if this continued.
After all, the outcome of Cheng Xiao's fight with the paper figures was uncertain. If it went on, Cheng Xiao, being an ordinary person, would likely be at a disadvantage.
Once Cheng Xiao was dealt with, it would be his turn. And then there was this strange corpse...
But he wasn't smart, and he couldn't fight. What could he do..?
The temperature in the mortuary was dropping, and the burning flame was dimmer than before. Yu Deng rubbed his slightly numb arms and suddenly noticed that the extinguished candle was right beside Master Cheng's hand.
Yu Deng tried to analyze the situation, and a sudden thought struck him.
The current problem seemed to be due to the candle being out. If the candle was relit, would things get better?
But if he took the candle, he would have to come into close contact with the corpse. 'Ugh.ಥ_ಥ
In the gap of Yu Deng's hesitation, the two paper figures grew two sizes larger, nearly as tall as adults, and a paper figure in the corner had somehow stood up, swaying unsteadily. Yu Deng could hear Cheng Xiao's breathing becoming much heavier.
Yu Deng gritted his teeth, stumbling over to grab the candle and then using both hands and feet to escape from that place. He didn't even dare to think about what the cold, chilling sensation was around his ankle when he got close.
Holding back tears, Yu Deng placed the candle against the remaining bundle of straw used for lighting. The wick wobbled as the candle flame slowly ignited.
The darkness in the mortuary quickly swirled like a vortex, enveloping the two of them. The floor shook violently, causing Yu Deng to lose his balance and fall, scraping his arm against the wall.
Yu Deng let out a muffled groan of discomfort.
Fortunately, after the shaking subsided, the light was restored.
Yu Deng squinted, adapting to the new light, and was shocked to find that the mortuary, which should have been a mess, looked just the same as before the candle was extinguished. Master Cheng was still intact in the coffin.
The only evidence of what had happened was the hole in the shoulder of the green-clad paper figure and Cheng Xiao's bleeding arm, proving that it wasn't a dream.
Yu Deng's cheek had a bit of gray on it, though he couldn't tell if it was from falling or from burnt ash.
"Little Mom, you're so clever," Cheng Xiao said, coming over, holding Yu Deng's shoulder, and examining him for a few seconds before smiling. "You solved it all at once."
Rarely hearing someone praise his intelligence, Yu Deng immediately lifted his head and puffed out his chest. He raised his hand to rub his nose, making the ash more smudged.
He looked like a proud little kitten, both pitiful and cute.
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Yu Deng for successfully surviving the anomaly in the mourning hall. The side quest "Vigil-Keeping" has been completed.]
Yu Deng snorted coldly.
Even the side quest in a shady dungeon gets a name, but they didn't even tell them it was a life-and-death struggle.
[Reward points have been added to your personal score and will be settled after the dungeon ends.]
Yu Deng: "Eh?"
[Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest.]
The voice in his mind switched back to the electronic tone of his system 01.
Yu Deng acknowledged, slowly realizing that side quests came with rewards.
So the veteran players took on side quests not just for clues but also for rewards.
"Mr. System, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
System: [Sorry, this kind of information needs to be inferred by the player himself. It is also an indicator for assessing the player's sensitivity.]
Yu Deng: "..." It seemed like he got scolded.
[It doesn't matter; the host has already discovered it,] the system said calmly.
[Points can be used to redeem items. This function will be enabled after the first dungeon is completed. The host does not need to worry.]
Not long after the mourning hall was restored, the sky gradually began to brighten.
Yu Deng let out a long sigh of relief.
The veteran player, Sister Tong, walked in with a subtle expression. "My side quest failed. When did you complete it?"
"Just a moment ago," Cheng Xiao glanced at her. "Didn't you know?"
"No, we were asleep and didn't hear any noises."
Cheng Xiao pondered, so the task just now was essentially either the creation of a new space or an illusion.
Is such an ability attributed to a specific person or to everyone in the dungeon?
Yu Deng also pondered, but the moment of insight had passed, and he couldn't come up with anything.
The newcomer, seeing the old players' grim expressions, said naively, "Isn't it good? The side quest is over, so there's no need to worry, especially since it was so dangerous."
Just as the veteran players were about to brush it off, a terrified scream came from the house directly in front of them.
"Something's wrong! Fourth Madam—"
Everyone's expressions tightened, and as they were about to go over, another scream came from the mansion where the players were resting.
Had two people died in succession?
Yu Deng, who had been a bit proud of completing the side quest just moments ago, now saw that sense of satisfaction vanish, and his heart sank once more.
As Yu Deng hesitated, unsure of where to go first, Cheng Xiao had already grabbed him and said, "Let's go. Little Mom promised me he'd check it out last night."
Yu Deng had no objections and followed Cheng Xiao to see the deceased lady. Sister Tong cast a glance at Cheng Xiao and took two newcomers to another area.
The courtyard gradually filled with people, and Yu Deng found himself unable to squeeze in.
He looked up at the sky.
After the two recent incidents, the damp mist in the Cheng family mansion had thickened a bit more.
Yu Deng looked in the direction where the mist was thickest and murmured with curiosity, "What is that place over there?"
Cheng Xiao followed his gaze, recalling the map he had seen.
"That's the Cheng family's ancestral grave."
Is there something special about the grave?