Fish Food

Fish Fry Village was completely dead, a long-abandoned settlement that likely hadn't had a steady supply of food for ages.

It could only rely on tricking outsiders to come in, just as it had deceived the Qi Family Gang.

This also required energy.

On the path the Qi Family Gang took to get here, the white figures, the creek water... these were all things it had created for a certain purpose, and they had already exhausted its energy.

To bring down rain, it needed a replenishment of energy.

And the horses at night were that replenishment.

Horses possessed a certain spiritual nature, but they lacked the capacity for thought, making them much easier to control than humans. Thus, only after devouring the Qi Family Gang's horses during the night did it have the energy to bring down this endless rain.

Nan Yue pressed her temples. A moment later, she felt a gentle, soft mist acting like a hand, smoothing away her irritability.

The boss in this mission was truly mysterious; no clue was direct, everything was interconnected and convoluted, enough to give anyone a headache.

Headman Qi's casual complaint just now had suddenly made her realize something.

They were fish food.

Just like those horses.

They were meant to be eaten by the so-called "dragon god."

While it was still unknown how the "dragon god" turned people into mere human skin, they were certainly being consumed.

The more people died, the stronger the "dragon god's" energy became. By then, even finding the King’s Coin would likely be useless.

In short, they had to find the King’s Coin, control the number of deaths, and suppress the "dragon god" in the deep pool before everyone was eaten and the water rose too high.

Although there were no prompts from the operating system, on the fourth day of entering this pollution world, Nan Yue had finally deduced what they needed to do to survive.

It sounded like a tall tale.

Nan Yue suppressed the urge to curse and took a deep breath.

"Manager Wu, do you have any other ways to restrain evil spirits?"

"The blisters on everyone should be the work of evil spirits."

"We can't stay hidden in this house forever. The rainwater will likely worsen this condition, so we must find a way to restrain it to find a way out."

Manager Wu sat on the floor, his thin frame looking somewhat hunched.

"I... I learned a few basics back when I handled funeral services."

"But we need at least one exorcism item to perform a ritual!"

It all came back to the same problem.

"Headman Qi has always been responsible for protection and is the legendary 'Breaker of Three Omina'; he should naturally carry some righteous energy."

Jiang Siyan suddenly spoke, his gaze as he looked at Headman Qi appearing somewhat obscure.

"Why doesn't Manager Wu give it a try?"

Nan Yue tilted her head, exchanging a look with Jiang Siyan.

It seemed he also felt that while they didn't know where the King’s Coin was, it was very likely still on Headman Qi's person.

He just didn't know it himself.

Headman Qi was taken aback, but since the situation had deteriorated to this point, he didn't offer any objections.

"Fine, give it a shot."

A strange ritual began inside the small stilt houses.

Manager Wu's method was simple: collect everyone's red sash and have Headman Qi handle them one by one.

"That's it? You're not messing with me, are you!"

Manager Wu maintained a long face. "Headman, how would I dare? Normally, one would pass an exorcism item through water and then sprinkle that water on those afflicted by evil spirits."

"Right now, the water isn't clean, and you aren't an object, so this is the only way."

"Regardless, as long as it's tainted with righteous energy, it can suppress evil spirits."

Manager Wu curled his lip.

He was also very itchy, with blisters crawling all over the backs of both hands, looking quite disgusting.

But Headman Qi was indeed in the best condition among them; he only had a few patches on his legs, and the area wasn't large.

Compared to the others whose rashes had already spread to their exposed skin, he was far better off.

Nan Yue strictly controlled her urge to scratch, watching Headman Qi with a dark expression as he touched the horsemen's belts one by one.

She thought that if this pollution world was the resentment of the departed from an event that had already occurred, then in the real world, Headman Qi had likely held out the longest.

He must have been quite desperate, trapped in this place, watching the brothers he spent every day with die one by one in such a bizarre fashion.

In the end, he too would perish here.

Even if he had a special constitution, and even if the real King’s Coin was on him, by the time the thing in the deep pool emerged with the rising water, it would have been too late for everything.

He might have even seen that so-called "dragon god" in his final moments...

"Are you alright?"

Nan Yue's hand was grasped by a warm, dry palm. Only then did she realize her own hands were ice-cold, while Jiang Siyan's hand was so warm.

"Don't overthink it."

Jiang Siyan glanced at her, roughly knowing what Nan Yue was thinking. He frowned slightly. "Don't waste your mental energy on unrelated people and things that have already happened."

Nan Yue was good in every way, but despite her cold appearance, she was actually an exceptionally soft-hearted person.

Even before knowing the truth, as a scavenger, she could empathize with the NPCs in the mission worlds.

Not to mention now, knowing these weren't just NPCs, but real people.

Jiang Siyan didn't like Nan Yue worrying about others; she was already under enough pressure.

In his view, it wouldn't matter if everyone in the world died, or even if he died, as long as Nan Yue lived.

Jiang Siyan tilted his head in slight confusion. No...

He didn't seem to want to die anymore.

Compared to the release of death, he now seemed to want to stay by Nan Yue's side even more.

No matter the capacity.

At some unknown point, Nan Yue had transformed from the sole salvation that kept him from falling into hell into someone he wanted to lift up, towards a safer place.

He didn't want to go to hell anymore.

Staying with Nan Yue was more important.

Nan Yue's mind was still on the horse gang. She knew all of this was just a projection and she couldn't change what had already happened.

She could only try her best to ensure she and the other scavengers survived.

But...

After spending every day together, they all knew that every member of the Qi Family Gang was so real, with flesh, blood, and genuine feelings.

To die in such a pathetic way for such an absurd reason, it was no wonder it formed an extreme mission.

But now that they were here, even if it was only in this pollution world, for the sake of others and herself, Nan Yue wanted more people to survive.

The horsemen were all a bit puzzled, not knowing why their boss wanted to touch their belts.

They didn't dare ask, as Headman Qi's face was dark enough to eat someone.

It just felt strange.

After getting their belts back and putting them on, they weren't sure if it was a delusion, but they felt a bit warmer.

The itchiness on their bodies also subsided slightly.

Nan Yue and her companions naturally felt it too. She inconspicuously observed Headman Qi.

Where could the King’s Coin be?

As the boss of the Qi Family Gang, Headman Qi wore a dazzling array of ornaments, and even in such a wretched state, he hadn't lost them.

Which one could it be?

Nan Yue felt it was most likely that the Old Ancestor Qi had melted the King’s Coin down and refashioned it into some inconspicuous item for him to wear.

She would have to test them one by one.