Zhong Mu gritted his teeth and opened the door to the cubicle.
The waiter at the door quickly looked up and stared intently at Zhong Mu. Was this person finally going to give up and come out? Could she still finish her sales target by the last minute?
Zhong Mu glanced at the waiter at the door, his face pale, then steeled himself and ran to the restroom window, looking down.
The walls outside the guesthouse on the second floor are very smooth, without even any pipes, so there's nowhere to put your feet. The second floor isn't particularly high, but it's not low either; jumping down might cause some foot problems.
Zhong Mu looked around, estimated the height, and hesitantly stepped half a leg out of the window. Just as he was about to jump out in one go, the continuous shouting from the square suddenly stopped.
Zhong Mu was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the restroom door; the waiter had disappeared.
If she disappears, does that mean... it's dawn?
Zhong Mu quickly peeked out and looked outside. The sky over the town was already turning white, and the light of the rising sun was gradually appearing.
The next second, excited shouts erupted from the building as players cheered in unison, "Finally! Dawn has broken! The little girl has fallen! The townspeople have won!"
"Let's go, let's go see if she's still alive! She's been fighting with the townspeople for so long, even if she's a monster, she should be dead by now."
"They must die, even if they live! We need corpses to complete the level's objective!"
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
The players immediately rushed out of the building with great enthusiasm, and their frantic words startled Zhong Mu.
Holy crap? Did he hear that right? A player who was always so timid and cowardly that he wouldn't even dare to leave his room has suddenly become so brave that he wants to be the first to charge into the bloodbath?
Zhong Mu hurriedly pulled his leg back and tried to blend into the group of players to go downstairs, but everyone was inexplicably excited and rushed down, squeezing Zhong Mu into a corner.
"Hurry, hurry...we have to kill her quickly."
"We can't let her live in order to clear the dungeon."
"Stop talking, I'm finally leaving this instance. I've waited too long!"
"Hahaha, let's go, we have to hurry."
Amidst their murmurs, Zhong Mu noticed that not all players were so excited and eager to run downstairs. Some still retained the timidity typical of newcomers, trembling as they peeked out from the doorway, even frightened by the players running downstairs.
Those players who were rushing around frantically, even hoping the little girl would die, seemed to have changed their personalities, becoming manic and frenzied, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
Zhong Mu silently took a step back, avoiding these people.
It would have been better if I hadn't looked, but upon closer inspection, I suddenly noticed that the players were all emitting a thin layer of black smoke, as if they were polluted, which clung to each player.
This group of players seems to be the newcomers who rarely venture out to explore due to fear...
What... corrupted them? Or manipulated them?
Zhong Mu was unsure for a moment, but cautiously chose not to deal with him.
The group of players excitedly rushed downstairs and headed straight for the plaza.
During the day, the townspeople would gradually return to their homes, but at this moment, besides the bloodstains scattered all over the square, there was also a monster lying on the ground, covered in wounds and breathing weakly.
After fighting with the townspeople, she was now extremely exhausted and too weak to move, lying there panting in pain.
Seeing the players approaching, she instinctively tried to get up and hide, but her limbs were severely injured and she couldn't get up at all. She could only watch helplessly as the players boldly approached her and walked around her, looking her over.
"Damn, so ugly. She's scary enough as is, but she's shockingly ugly as a monster." A player walked up to the little girl and criticized her monstrous appearance.
The little girl suddenly bared her teeth and tried to pounce, but her limbs only limply scraped against the ground, failing to have any deterrent effect.
She glared fiercely at the players, looking like she wanted to tear them to pieces. Normally, these people would have been scared away long ago, but today they were unusually bold. After being threatened in a low voice by the little girl, they stepped forward and kicked her in the head.
"What are you looking at! I'm talking to you! You think you're so cute, huh? You always pretend to be a little girl and wander around like that, but a monster is a monster! Once you turn back into your true form, you're terrifyingly ugly!"
The little girl, who had been kicked hard, let out a low groan and curled her head up. With a sudden exertion, blood gushed from all her wounds, staining the surrounding ground red.
The players walked through the blood, constantly cursing at the little girl. They kicked and punched her wounds, even viciously reaching into her torn flesh to pull it apart. "Haha, look, she's pretty badly injured. She should be dying soon, right?"
The excruciating pain caused the little girl to scream and thrash about, her twisted body curling into a ball.
The more powerless she was to resist, the thicker the black smoke emanating from the players grew, and their eyes became extremely excited as they stared intently at the little girl. "She's not dead yet. The town's rules require a corpse to clear the level."
Another player slowly approached the little girl, his eyes dark. "Yeah, and I wonder if the first person to put the corpse down will get a high score. If someone gets the reward for being the first to put it down, the others will lose out."
The players silently surrounded the little girl, their eyes filled with madness. "How about we cut her into pieces? That way, every player can get one."
"That makes sense. Let's do it that way, since she's going to die soon anyway."
"It's just a little pain, a monster certainly wouldn't care, right?"
"If it were a normal little girl, I might not dare to, but if it's a monster, it doesn't matter. I'll just kill it."
The players smiled and picked up the weapons left behind by the townspeople on the ground—cleavers, axes, saws—and approached the little girl step by step.
"Brother, brother! Brother, save me!" The little girl stared wide-eyed in terror, struggling with her injured body as she cried out in despair. However, to the player, her voice was nothing more than a low growl.
One player mustered his courage and charged forward with an axe. The sharp blade pierced into the monster's flesh, and blood splattered everywhere.
The little girl's pupils constricted sharply, and she screamed and flinched, crying out, "Mommy!...Mommy, save me!"
However, the black smoke around the players was thicker, and their eyes were even more crimson.
Just as the axe was about to strike again, a figure rushed over, grabbed the axe-wielder, and tackled him to the ground.
"Are you all crazy?! You can't hurt her! The corpse in the rules isn't her at all!" Zhong Mu stood in front of the little girl, his face pale. He was really frightened by these people. He didn't expect them to actually do it, and without hesitation. They were completely different from the players from the day before.
"Get out of my way! What does killing a monster have to do with you!"
"She's not one of us players at all. Do you really think you can develop feelings for Yin Xiu after just two days of recuperation? A monster is a monster! If you protect her now, she'll kill you the next time!"
"Don't get in our way to clear the level, or we'll kill you too!"
Zhong Mu frowned, standing straight in front of the little girl and glaring at them. "If you really want to kill her, then wait until Yin Xiu comes back and kill her. Let's see if you dare to do it in front of him!"
The player on the other side immediately became anxious and said fiercely, "If you don't give way, don't blame me for cutting you down too!"
"I won't let you!" Zhong Mu gritted his teeth, picked up his machete from the ground, glared at the other side, and said in a vicious voice, "If you dare to cut me, I'll cut you too! You cower in fear of monsters, and then you get threatened in front of your own people. What kind of dungeon are you? I'd rather we all die here today! I'll take you down with me!"
Undeterred, the players stepped forward, and Zhong Mu instantly unleashed a slash. His attack was remarkably decisive and swift, and his fierce gaze even startled the players.
They quickly retreated, their expressions becoming complicated, showing some hesitation.
He actually dared to chop; it didn't seem like he was just bluffing. He's a ruthless guy.
Even in an irrational situation, anyone who wants to complete a dungeon definitely doesn't want to get killed here.
Zhong Mu glared at them. He was just stalling for time. It was already dawn, and he was determined to buy time for Yin Xiu to return and ensure the little girl didn't die.
He never tried to fit in from the first day the players gathered, nor did he expect these self-important players to accept him.
Since we've been rebellious for a day, we should carry it out to the end and be rebellious every single day.