Chapter One Hundred and Forty: Let That Uncle Go, If You Have Any Grievances, Come for Me!
Inside the dark thatched hut, it had not been inhabited for a long time; dust lay everywhere, and there was hardly any furniture—only a wooden plank bed, devoid of even a mat. The window of the room was not much larger than a soccer ball, making it feel almost like a prison.
Strangely enough, in a place that should have concealed dirt and filth, there were not even the slightest signs of insects or rodents; it looked as if life had been kept at bay.
At the moment the wooden door was locked, the system sensed something unusual and only guided Gu Qiqi forward to check the door once everything outside became completely quiet.
Her slim, pale hands fumbled in the darkness for a while; her fingertips felt the damp wood, and the entire door was smooth to the touch.
“System, it’s true! Just as you thought, this door only has a lock on the outside,” Gu Qiqi whispered.
“Mm, I understand,” the system replied.
It was not unusual for a wooden door of such a house to be locked from the outside, but at least there should be a bolt or something on the inside to prevent someone from breaking in.
However, this hut’s wooden door had neither a bolt nor even a doorknob, as if it had been intentionally made that way from the very beginning.
Why would it be made like this?
Could it be that this hut was originally built to imprison something?
But what could an old man and a young girl be imprisoning in a room that looked like a jail inside a mountain god temple? The system was pondering this when Gu Qiqi’s words suddenly interrupted its thoughts.
“System, have we been tricked? I feel like my current situation is as if I’ve been sold into a mountain village to be someone’s wife! That’s how they portray it in TV dramas!” Gu Qiqi said gloomily.
System, “……”
“Gu Qiqi, you’re overthinking it. No trafficker could bring a girl to a place like this.”
Moreover, the mountain village was already poor enough; if they fed you so much, they wouldn’t make a profit if they bought you. The system secretly supplemented in its mind.
……
Not long after the terrifying man left, it began to rain in the sky, with a gentle pattering sound as the rain fell into the water tanks in the small courtyard, masking all other noises.
However, as the raindrops fell into the tanks, it was as if they were swallowed by something, never able to fill them, not a drop spilling over.
In the dark environment, the gentle sounds from the water tanks, if listened to long enough, gave the impression that countless small hands were gradually and gently tapping against the tank walls.
“System…” In the darkness, Gu Qiqi’s voice sounded softly, tinged with a hint of grievance, “I think I made a mistake just now.”
Has Gu Qiqi really learned to reflect? The system thought, surprised, and asked, “What mistake?”
“I should have asked that uncle about the situation in the village. That way, wouldn’t I have completed the task? Completing the task means I can eat, right?” Gu Qiqi said weakly.
“Unfortunately, I was scared by his appearance just now. I’m so hungry now…”
“Gu Qiqi…” The system hesitated, perhaps because it felt some pity for Gu Qiqi’s pitiful state. After a moment of contemplation, it couldn’t help but remind her, “You still have the opportunity to complete the task. Didn’t that person just say it? No matter what you hear, don’t go out.”
Other hosts, after receiving tasks, always think of ways to complete them on their own. Why do I have to guide you step by step? The system thought angrily, why don’t I just do it for you? This kind of host is simply ridiculous!
“Right!” Gu Qiqi nodded, “So I have to wait until morning to ask him questions. That means I can only eat in the morning.”
“No, Gu Qiqi!” The system continued to prompt, “What I mean is you shouldn’t listen to him. If you hear any strange sounds later, you must go out and take a look. That way, you can complete the task.”
For ordinary people, following the advice of a mysterious NPC in such a strange environment is indeed a choice for survival, but you are the protagonist, understand? The protagonist is someone who wouldn’t d*e even when chasing urban legends.
Probably wouldn’t d*e, unless the urban legend that appears is excessively strong… the system secretly supplemented in its heart.
“Got it.” Gu Qiqi nodded in response.
She was so hungry she was about to see stars; at this time, she just wanted to eat, and whoever dared to stop her would have their head smashed!
……
The rain outside was getting heavier, the night wind howled, and the branches and leaves of the trees made a rustling sound, making it seem as if something sinister was approaching the dilapidated temple.
Gu Qiqi curled up on the bed, her eyes fixed on the small window of the wooden hut, battling with her desire to eat against her desire to sleep. After being in a daze for several hours, she finally heard strange noises coming from the courtyard.
“Creak—!” A sorrowful creaking sound echoed, not coming from any room in the courtyard but from the temple’s main door.
Sensing several filthy, cold spirit energy fluctuations suddenly invaded her spiritual awareness, the system hurriedly reminded Gu Qiqi in her mind, “Gu Qiqi, Gu Qiqi, don’t daze off! They are coming!”
Just as the system’s voice fell, the rain suddenly intensified, the darkness in the sky split open, thunder rolled oddly, and blue lightning illuminated the sprawling black mountains.
Then, the thunder quieted, and everything became eerily silent. However, the quieter it got, the more uneasy it felt. Soon, soft rustling sounds began to emerge from outside the dilapidated walls of the temple.
The sound seemed like something was moving, footsteps chaotic, as if several people were huddled together, dragging their feet as they advanced.
Gu Qiqi got out of bed, tiptoed to the smooth door, pressed against it, and peered through the crack into the small courtyard.
Suddenly, a chill drifted in outside the temple door, and half a minute later, several women dressed in bright red coats walked in.
Their figures almost identical, their pale faces resembling frozen corpses, wearing small pieces of red cloth to cover their eyes and foreheads, leaving only their overly refined sharp features and dark red lips exposed.
The bl**d-colored lanterns they held instantly dyed the entire courtyard crimson.
But strangely, the water in the tanks was not stained with color; it remained pitch black, as if filled with filthy, dark liquid, resembling a mouth ready to devour light.
Against the stark backdrop of red and black, the women moved forward, their legs stiff, tiptoeing as if they were bouncing forward, yet their speed was not slow at all. In just a few breaths, they crossed the center of the small courtyard and stopped.
As they halted, the water tanks in the courtyard suddenly began to tremble, as if something was awakening within them, violently slapping against the walls of the tanks, splashing countless droplets, as if boiling.
Amidst the cacophony of water, the door of the hut where the tall man lived was pushed open. He rushed out of the house with a flustered expression, respectfully bowed to the women, and then turned around to walk toward a water tank.
Upon reaching the tank, the man paused slightly, rolled up his sleeves, and suddenly plunged his hand into the dark water. His expression then contorted in agony.
As his hand entered the tank, the water surged violently. Not long after, with a muffled groan of pain, he abruptly pulled his hand out, and on his arm was something that shouldn’t be there.
It was a deformed infant, its skin pale and bluish, its abdomen swollen, hanging with its umbilical cord, its legs seemingly boneless and curled into a circle, topped with long, dark hair that seemed disproportionate to its size.
The infant opened its mouth wide, swallowing the man’s arm up to the elbow, as two venomous, white fangs pierced into his flesh, causing bright red bl**d to flow slowly down his arm and into the infant’s mouth.
Seeing this, the system immediately understood where those hideous, strange scars on the man’s face came from—it was most likely from being bitten by those ghostly things in the tank!
Enduring the intense pain of being gnawed by the infant, the man walked up to the women, raised his arm high, presenting the deformed infant to them, and said a few words with a pleading expression.
The women faced him in silence for a long time, then collectively shook their heads. The way they shook their heads was eerie; three or five of them moved in the exact same manner, even the angle of their shakes being indistinguishable, appearing like soulless puppets.
Seeing this, the man gritted his teeth, turned and entered the room where the elderly man who had brought Gu Qiqi was, and soon returned, shutting the door behind him, the deformed infant no longer in sight on his arm.
Immediately after, a series of bone-chilling screams echoed from the room where the old man was, and faintly, the women began to express excitement in their laughter.
When the screams from inside the room completely ceased, the man proceeded to the next water tank, and within a short span of a few minutes, he repeated the process of taking out a child from the tank, presenting it to the strange women for confirmation, then going into the room to dispose of the unqualified child several times.
“System… about that child…” In the dark, watching the unfolding scenes, Gu Qiqi couldn’t help but whisper to the system.
“Should be disposed of, right?”
“If these people are doing this, those children’s mothers… Oh no, they probably don’t have mothers.”
System, “……”
As the man moved toward another tank once more, the women suddenly blocked his way, whispering a few words.
The man’s eyes immediately filled with fear and anxiety, and he “plopped” down on his knees in front of the women, desperately shaking his head and arguing, as if vigorously denying something.
The women stared at him motionlessly and then simultaneously turned their bodies to look towards Gu Qiqi’s direction, all raising their hands, their necks bending back at a 90-degree angle, emitting a series of high-pitched screams that were difficult for human ears to hear.
Amidst the shrill screams, shadows flickered continuously around the temple, and strange sounds occasionally surfaced, suggesting someone was hiding outside the temple, scratching the walls with sharp nails, producing an unbearable sound.
The evil was awakening, and a terrifying, ominous spirit energy enveloped the entire village.
“System… it seems we’ve been discovered?”
“Be more confident and drop the ‘seems,’” the system said. “Since we’ve been discovered, you know what to do next, right?”
“I understand, I understand!” Gu Qiqi responded, grabbing the metal bat beside her and kicking the door panel in front of her, pointing at those women in red and shouting, “Let that uncle go! If you have any grievances, come for me!”
What did the system say before? Oh yes, as long as I k*ll all the enemies that discover my presence, I won’t be considered a failure in hiding! Gu Qiqi thought.
