Zhu Xi Ning walked up to them, and terror mixed with pleading appeared in the eyes of the three.
They couldn't speak, but they were using their eyes to beg Zhu Xi Ning to spare their lives.
The Team Leader was already dead; surely that was enough.
Zhu Xi Ning grabbed one person by the leg and hummed a song as she easily dragged them into another part of the flower field.
"Although the Group Leader only asked for two hundred roses, it's always better to be safe than sorry, isn't it?"
Zhu Xi Ning raised her knife and brought it down, the splattering blood staining her face.
"The one thing Eden Garden never lacks is people, right?"
...
In the evening, Nan Yue came out to eat and met up with the others.
Everyone else seemed normal, but Zhu Xi Ning was noticeably different.
Nan Yue sat down beside her, and Zhu Xi Ning glanced at her before continuing to eat.
Nan Yue understood immediately. "Did you run into trouble?"
Zhu Xi Ning casually poked at a few grains of rice. "I slaughtered four people."
Jiang Siyan rubbed his forehead with a hint of helplessness. "The gardener group lost eighty people this afternoon."
Nan Yue was startled, then realized the implication. "Does it have anything to do with Miss Wen?"
Jiang Siyan said meaningfully, "The roses delivered tonight are much more vibrant than before."
Connecting this to Zhu Xi Ning's mention of killing four people, Nan Yue understood; these roses were dyed with human blood.
"New recruits will arrive tomorrow."
Jiang Siyan lowered his voice. "Butler Zhao said this afternoon that things tend to go wrong whenever many newcomers arrive."
"He said that only those who have been in Eden Garden for a long time can work without ulterior motives."
Nan Yue pondered those words. "Could it be related to the sorrowful dreams at night?"
Gu Xiang Kai originally had the closest relationship with Zhu Xi Ning, but since she was now Number Two, they didn't have much to say to each other. Hearing Nan Yue mention this, he chimed in.
"You can hear that sound during the day too. I've been observing another scavenger in the security group, and his expression has become quite vacant over the last few days."
"When I spoke to him just now, it took him a long time to react and remember he was even on a mission."
If that was the case, it had to be related to the woman's crying in the dreams. This level of mental attack wasn't particularly complex, but it was easy to fall victim to.
This was because anyone's spirit was at its weakest while sleeping.
Once someone fell under its influence, it would subtly affect them over years and months.
No wonder Nan Yue felt that despite there being so many people in Eden Garden, they all seemed remarkably similar.
Everyone was just numbly doing their jobs, devoid of any independent consciousness.
Some didn't even fear death.
It likely depended on how long they had been subjected to that mental influence.
"Have you been out here the whole time?"
Nan Yue looked at Zhu Xi Ning Number Two. She found this personality quite interesting; though she had a cold temperament, Nan Yue liked her.
She wasn't sure if it was just because of the filter she had for Zhu Xi Ning.
"Yes, she's here too."
Zhu Xi Ning Number Two remained silent for a moment before answering, though her response was somewhat vague.
This surprised everyone. Jiang Siyan's white mist circled around Zhu Xi Ning.
"Her mental stability is very stable."
Zhu Xi Ning chewed her rice, suppressing her impatience to explain. "She and I can communicate during this mission."
"Or rather, she can finally hear my voice."
"We are no longer in a state where one is awake and the other is asleep; we are co-existing and both conscious at the same time."
"So, the transition between us can happen at will."
Zhu Xi Ning let out a cold laugh. "She probably feels a bit guilty about killing those people and doesn't want to come out and face anyone."
Zhu Xi Ning had always been a support-type, rarely getting her hands dirty. Before meeting Nan Yue, she had relied on her not-yet-fully awakened intuition-based ability to clear missions.
So, suddenly killing so many people was indeed difficult for her to accept psychologically.
The members of their team, because of Wen Xiang Yuan, didn't view the natives as NPCs; they saw them as living people of flesh and blood.
In particular, the pleading looks in the eyes of the remaining three before they died had left Zhu Xi Ning feeling a sense of moral unease.
"You shouldn't have any psychological hurdles when it comes to killing those who threaten your life."
"We're all just trying to survive by our own means. Give her some time to adjust."
Scavengers viewed life and death quite lightly, and while everyone's moral compass differed based on their experiences, they generally didn't judge how others chose to pass a mission unless it was too extreme, like what He Jiang did.
Everyone's hands were stained with blood; those working on a purification project had to walk this path sooner or later.
Zhu Xi Ning Number Two curled her lip. "What's there to adjust to? She'll get used to it after a few more times."
Despite her heartless words, she still let the original Zhu Xi Ning hide in the back while she handled the current situation herself.
She was someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
Nan Yue smiled and then lowered her voice. "Things will definitely get chaotic tonight. Everyone, stay alert."
Huo Fuyu was also nearby. Ever since he realized there was something wrong with Wen Xiang Yuan, he had become much more serious regarding his own safety and intuitive dangers.
"We've been to the West Castle. That's very strange. If Master Wen asks, how will we and this Butler Jiang explain ourselves?"
Huo Fuyu spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but the question he raised was very important.
Their actions had been quite conspicuous.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Nan Yue wasn't entirely certain either, but as long as it wasn't an absolute death rule, they were all confident they could escape.
This included Huo Fuyu; such was the experience of high-level players.
That was why Huo Fuyu had agreed to help with such a dangerous task.
It wasn't entirely because Nan Yue had asked; it was partly to increase his own experience points and partly to do Nan Yue a favor.
As for what was going on with Wen Xiang Yuan, Huo Fuyu didn't want to know.
His intuition told him it was best not to ask too many questions.
And high-level players often relied most on their intuition.
They didn't finish their meal because just as they started, Jiang Siyan left in a hurry.
He said a distant relative of the President's family would be visiting Eden Garden tonight.
An hour after Jiang Siyan left, everyone was urgently called back to the entrance of the castle.
Nan Yue stood quietly in the first row. Wen Chu stood on the stone steps not far from her, with Butler Zhao standing solemnly to one side. The rest of the butler group wasn't with him; they were all standing below.
This meant they intended to inspect everyone.
Beside Wen Chu stood a pale-faced, sickly-looking man. His gaze swept restlessly through the crowd before finally settling on Nan Yue.
Nan Yue remained motionless, as if she couldn't feel that greasy, snake-like gaze.
She was starting to admire Miss Wen a bit. Miss Wen hadn't received scavenger training, yet she had endured the gazes of people like this year after year.
After a moment, Wen Shen pushed Miss Wen out. This was the first time the other scavengers had seen Miss Wen, and many were stunned by her celestial beauty.
Rate on N.U.
