LWGP - Chapter 85
Chapter 85: Puppet
Everyone was startled. Wang Shu immediately put down his spoon and took out his bow and arrow, just as chaos and panic erupted across most of the novice village.
Wang Jiu said, "Ah Shu, you and Dao Dao go check it out over there. Something's not right."
"Yes, Master!"
The man and the pig immediately ran off, exceptionally brave.
Qiao Xuejing was a little worried, but fortunately, they returned a short while later with dark expressions, followed by a man who was limping and holding his lower back.
"What is it?" Qiao Xuejing asked.
Wang Shu was too embarrassed to speak, merely looking at Wang Jiu with a mournful expression.
Just then, under the interrogation of many people, Qiao Xuejing heard the man finally howl, "I was taking a damn shit when a rat monster bit me!"
A crowd of people nearby who were starting fires to cook all began to curse in unison.
"It's not my fault, you're the ones who had to ask! Damn it all, what kind of world is this? The rats are bigger than cats!"
With this incident, the atmosphere loosened up even more.
However, Dao Dao was just about to question Wang Jiu's wicked heart for tricking them into going over there, where they were nearly suffocated by the stench.
"Rats?" Wang Jiu changed the subject.
"Yeah, they're pretty big, but about the same as the ducks and stuff. Easy enough to kill."
It was a trivial matter, and no one paid it much mind. On the other hand, the many people who had rushed back and given up on the dungeon were now annoyed and irritable. They were probably all asking the System, but the answers they received weren't very pleasant. Many people were shouting about going out to fight the BOSS, but others were more moderate and cautious, saying they just wanted to grind some mobs in the surrounding area.
Most of those who went out were men, with some young women. Many of the married women were tied down by their children.
The old, weak, women, and children mostly stayed behind. Their levels were very low, and single-digit attributes were a dime a dozen.
It was only the first day. Wang Shu suddenly realized it was only the first day.
The changes would likely become more and more drastic in the future. No one knew what it would ultimately become.
Perhaps because the event they had been anxiously awaiting turned out to be a dud, the once densely populated and tense novice village suddenly relaxed. Everyone wanted to seize the time to level up and get stronger—and first, they needed to replenish their stamina.
"Alright, let's cook."
"I'm gonna go hunt some rabbit monsters later."
"Bro, can you count me in?"
"What are your attributes?"
Conversations like this were endless. Wang Shu and Dao Dao were already starving; after all, they had run a dungeon in the afternoon, then fought and fled.
So, Wang Shu also began to take out pots and pans to start a fire and cook. At first, many people were intimidated seeing Wang Jiu sitting there. But aside from her Red Name, her demeanor, while not as gentle as the woman beside her, had a certain soft charm when she spoke and laughed. This lasted until a little girl, having slipped away from her family's supervision, ran over to the rock where Wang Jiu was sitting, unaware of the situation.
Wang Jiu, who had been quietly discussing skill combinations with Qiao Xuejing, turned her head and glanced at her.
The little girl met her gaze without any fear, because she couldn't see any killing intent in those eyes.
"Man Man!" An old woman, who had been nearby, was startled to find that her granddaughter, who she had been holding onto, had suddenly disappeared. She looked around frantically, but her eyesight was poor. It took her a moment to spot them over by Wang Jiu.
She seemed terrified, but she still shuffled over, cautiously maintaining a polite and dignified front as she apologized to Wang Jiu, then told the girl to come back with her.
"But Grandma, there's that veggie here, that amaranth…"
Children nowadays didn't enter dungeons; when the time came, they would be pulled into study dungeons. But their parents and family were different. They had to start from scratch after losing all their money and supplies, especially the elderly.
Food and necessities were indispensable. Even though they had mentally prepared during the pioneer phase, the family of four had still suffered a considerable blow and were doing their best to adapt to this drastically changed world.
The old woman was just one of many elderly people.
However, this old woman appeared to be educated and had a certain grace about her. She suppressed her fear, trying to use politeness to mitigate the danger.
She probably didn't know what a Red Name was, but people like Wang Jiu, whose clothes were spotless and seemed to carry the clean scent of a recent bath, were definitely dangerous.
Her action of quietly pulling her granddaughter behind her did not escape Wang Jiu's eyes.
Wang Jiu gave the old woman a deep look, maintaining the same expression she always wore while working at the hospital—a faint smile. Then she turned her head away and finished the mineral water Wang Shu had given her. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw the girl quickly pluck the two wild vegetables. The old woman's face showed a mixture of heartache and relief. Just as she was about to lead the girl away, the girl timidly asked Wang Jiu, her voice exceptionally sweet, "Pretty sister, do you still want your bottle?"
Wang Jiu put the bottle down and said, "Call me Auntie."
The girl: "?"
The old woman: "…"
The girl didn't dare to speak again. Seeing this, Wang Shu immediately handed over two bottles of water.
The old woman thanked him profusely. Wang Shu didn't think much of it and was about to go back to cooking when he saw a man walk over.
Wang Shu glanced at him but didn't stop him.
He had only been here a day, and he'd met very few people who didn't resort to violence. But this one definitely wouldn't dare.
Lin Wumian had come to express his thanks—for sparing his life.
"You're too kind. But speaking of which, why is it that every time you see someone you can't beat, you run, but when you met me, you told your men to stand still?"
Lin Wumian was slightly embarrassed. "The difference between being able to get away and not, I suppose. But I also felt that you weren't the type to kill indiscriminately. You were only acting in self-defense."
"That's not necessarily true."
The words had barely left her mouth before Lin Wumian could react. She grabbed his belt with one hand. Because she was sitting and he had walked up to stand before her to talk, her movement was too fast for him to see clearly. Before he knew it, she had yanked his belt and thrown him backward with incredible speed.
He did have some attributes, after all, and her throw was casual. By the time he flipped in the air and landed, he had already sensed that something was wrong, because he heard a scream.
Swoosh. Lin Wumian quickly dodged to the side, already drawing his longsword. He was shocked to see that Wang Jiu, who had been sitting serenely on the rock chatting with someone just a moment ago, illuminated by the campfire Wang Shu had lit, was now gone.
But looking across, he could see an arrow streaking through the flames above the campfire, carrying sparks due to its terrifying speed as it shot into the distance.
Where in the distance?
Towards the dark, indistinct ruins of a house about twenty meters away. A dark figure was sent flying three or four meters by the arrow, pinned directly to the wall of the ruins.
Lin Wumian was astonished. Such piercing power? But where did she go?
Wang Shu, Dao Dao, and Qiao Xuejing also reacted quickly, drawing their weapons and instantly moving from their original positions.
They formed a triangle on the other side, close to each other, facing the indistinct ruins in the darkness ahead.
Seeing this, the other people screamed and scattered.
The area around Wang Jiu was already sparse because of her Red Name. With this sudden development, a large area was cleared out in an instant, but the speed of their escape couldn't match the speed of the fight.
Wang Shu and the others quickly started shooting arrows at the other side.
As their arrows flew, arrows came back from the other side.
Except the incoming arrows were a dense volley, far outnumbering their own.
Son of a bitch, how many of them were there?
At least thirty!
"It's He Ruguang and his group!" Wang Shu had already seen them. Qiao Xuejing had seen them too, of course, but she knew there were more.
"Be careful!"
Qiao Xuejing switched to her sword in her right hand, parrying an arrow that shot out of the darkness towards Wang Shu. At that moment, Wang Shu and Dao Dao felt as if they were being targeted.
He's here!
A dark figure lurking in the darkness suddenly flashed out from a gecko-and-vine-covered trellis on the left-side ruins, heading straight for Wang Jiu!
It was Liao Luo!
But unfortunately, the old woman and the little girl happened to be there as well.
"Watch out!"
Qiao Xuejing moved swiftly, and at the same time, Wang Jiu also moved.
Wang Jiu was faster, directly blocking their path. Then, Liao Luo raised his blade for a jumping slash.
Against an attack like a jumping slash, one either dodges or blocks.
Dodging was not an option; there was an old woman and a child behind her. So, she had to block!
As Wang Jiu raised her Tang knife to parry… Qiao Xuejing, whose strength had surged, suddenly saw the treacherous and sinister expression on Liao Luo's face.
Not good!
Qiao Xuejing suddenly sensed a different aura, and then…
"Man Man?!" the old woman cried out in horror as the child instantly transformed into a ghastly afterimage, pouncing toward Wang Jiu's back.
It was too fast. This was definitely not a child, nor was it human.
A puppet, she's a puppet!?
But puppets weren't supposed to be like this.
By the time Qiao Xuejing reacted, she was already moving to intercept Liao Luo.
"Get lost!" Liao Luo shouted, but Qiao Xuejing's sword… Liao Luo was stunned.
He was stunned by two things.
First, how had this woman also improved so much in an instant! Her attributes seemed even slightly higher than his own!
Second, if she sensed the little girl was dangerous, why did she abandon the girl to attack him?
Unless… Liao Luo's figure shot forward, switching from his blade to a longbow in mid-air to shoot at Wang Shu in the distance.
He was no longer the fool who had been tricked and deceived by Wang Jiu. Now that he knew even the second-strongest member of this team had improved so much, he naturally had to kill the weaker ones first!
However, Qiao Xuejing's attributes were now high, while Liao Luo's had dropped after losing so many resources. Although he had recovered some, he was not as formidable as before. His only advantage was his skills.
Qiao Xuejing wouldn't say she could completely defeat him, but she dared to say she could fight him on even terms.
Let alone block his attack.
While the two exchanged shots, Wang Jiu and Dao Dao also charged toward the thirty people rushing out of the ruins.
It was none other than He Ruguang, Chu Xiangsui, and their group.
They were vastly outnumbered, but it didn't matter. All their good stuff was in the homestead. Dying would only mean losing some experience, HP, and bronze gear.
Wang Shu was usually good-natured, but he hated it most when people interrupted his cooking.
Kill this shameless bunch! Take one down with him if he had to!
But their commotion was a small matter. The main event was the little girl's sudden attack, like a vengeful ghost.
Swoosh. As she pounced at Wang Jiu's back, she hit nothing but air in an instant.
Wang Jiu had already sidestepped and swung her blade in an upward slash.
One slash, just one. A dark figure lunged in front of the little girl.
"Man Man!"
It was the old woman. She had actually used her own body to shield the little girl.
Slash. The blade cut her in half at the waist. Flesh and blood flew, and hot blood splattered onto the little girl. The girl froze for a moment, covered head to toe in blood, clutching the upper half of the old woman's body that had fallen on her. She murmured softly…
"Gran… Grandma?"
Her childish, milky voice, her dazed expression, and the hint of pain that followed her ferocious look made many onlookers feel a pang of sorrow. Upon hearing her… many people subconsciously raised their weapons, ready to surround and attack Wang Jiu, who was now spattered in blood.
But Wang Jiu's expression also seemed a bit strange, as if she remembered something. A change flickered in her eyes. Her lips moved, and she said one sentence.
"Just two puppets. Don't you think the act is a bit much?"
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