Zuo Lin'an glanced at him.
“Here?”
His tone carried a hint of confusion.
“You formed a group to come here without even knowing what kind of place this is?”
Zhou Shan gave an embarrassed smile.
“We didn't exactly form a group to come here. We just got lost. We originally intended to go somewhere else, but we ended up wandering here without realizing it. Would you mind telling us a bit about this place?”
Zuo Lin'an said, “There's no harm in telling you. This place is called the Withered Forest and Barren Mountains. It's where some prestigious clans dump their useless cripples and garbage.”
He still planned to use the same excuse he had used before.
After all, having used it once, it rolled off his tongue much more smoothly this time.
Zhou Shan paused. “Oh?”
Zuo Lin'an wore a faint, slightly mocking smile. “So, it seems there's something a bit off about you getting lost like this, doesn't it?”
“Perhaps you were lured here? Maybe whoever is behind this wants to get rid of you.”
The players knew their situation was different, but what this native said was actually half-right—coming to a specter dungeon indeed meant they were very likely to die.
However, this dungeon was only of One-Star difficulty, so they weren't particularly nervous.
Most of them had experienced One-Star dungeons before, and some had even cleared them several times.
Zhou Shan remained calm. “Is that so?”
“Then we really are quite unlucky. Once we return, we will definitely look into this thoroughly. If I find out who did it, I will absolutely not let them off.”
Zuo Lin'an prayed in his heart that none of the players had the talent 【Lie Detection】 this time.
And even if they did, he hoped they wouldn't speak up!
He remained silent for a moment. Seeing that no one stepped forward to point a finger at his nose and call him a liar, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Very good.
As long as they didn't call him out immediately, they wouldn't openly expose him even if they figured it out later.
Zuo Lin'an remarked, “Seeking revenge? You'll only have that chance if you can leave this place alive.”
Zhou Shan quickly pressed further. “Then do you know what dangers lurk here?”
Zuo Lin'an felt it was time to bring up the issue of food and water.
The sooner they realized this, the sooner they would splinter.
After all, for them, once they repelled a specter, they had to wait three to five days for it to respawn.
Because of this, they would need enough food to sustain themselves during the wait.
“Dangers?”
“No one who gets thrown in here ever makes it out alive.”
“From what I know, unnatural things appear here.”
Unnatural?
Puzzled expressions appeared on their faces.
Clearly, they weren't very familiar with this term.
It was Jin Qianwen, who had been crippled by Feng Xingyun's palm strike, who spoke up. “Unnatural means ghosts. In other words, specters.”
Realization dawned on everyone. So that was it.
No one found it strange.
The natives here often used vocabulary they couldn't understand, and they had already grown accustomed to it.
Zhou Shan asked, “Then do you know...”
Zuo Lin'an waved his hand.
“I don't know. I only know that thing exists here. But right now, the most important thing for us isn't that, but rather...”
Zhou Shan urged, “Rather what?”
Zuo Lin'an's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
“Haven't you noticed?”
Everyone's eyes turned toward him, and even Zhang Tinglei, who sat the furthest away and seemed highly antisocial, looked over.
Zuo Lin'an seemed completely oblivious to their stares. He muttered to himself as if slipping into a state of suppressed madness.
“There are no living things here. Not even a single blade of living grass.”
“Of course, I mean there originally weren't any.”
“But every time they dump people in here, they carelessly throw in some food, leaving us in a place like this to count down the days until we die.”
Food!
As soon as those words were uttered, all the surrounding players seemed to snap awake. Some even shot up to their feet instantly!
Only now did they realize the most critical point.
Jin Youwu frowned.
“Father, I remember that after a specter in a One-Star dungeon is repelled, it takes three to five days to respawn, and our main quest is to 【repel the specter twice】.”
“In other words, even if we repel the specter this very moment, we must wait in the dungeon for at least three days. The food and water for these three days...”
Jin Qianwen patted his shoulder.
“Didn't this native say that there are food and water? It's just that the amount is small. Go out and look for them right now. If you search early, you're bound to find something.”
Jin Youwu was still a bit uneasy.
“Father, if I go look for food, you'll be left here alone...”
Jin Qianwen covered his mouth and coughed repeatedly.
“With my frail body, if anyone dares to touch me, I'll die right in front of them on the spot!”
Once he said this, the subtle, lingering gazes from around them instantly vanished.
And truth be told, Old Man Jin Qianwen indeed looked like the type who would drop dead at the slightest touch.
Seeing that many people around them had already begun leaving in small groups, Jin Youwu knew he couldn't delay any longer.
“Alright, then I'll go. Father, take care of yourself!”
Jin Qianwen waved his hand. “Go on, go on.”
Seeing this unfold, the specter body on the distant mountaintop immediately pulled out his phone to check the time.
12:33 AM.
There were still twenty-seven minutes until 1:00 AM.
“Hmm...”
He stood in place, pondering his next plan.
“Should I make a move?”
Right now, out of the nineteen players, quite a few were acting alone.
However, he didn't want to provoke those players who had the confidence to act solo for the time being.
As for those traveling in groups...
The three players from the Martial Alliance hadn't separated, the two female disciples from Mount Yinxian were still together, and Jin Youwu and Zhou Shan had somehow ended up teaming up.
And Zhang Tinglei...
Huh?
Zuo Lin'an suddenly saw Zhang Tinglei chasing and trying to kill General Zhong Cheng.
The two of them, one chasing and the other fleeing, had already reached the mountainside.
Zhong Cheng's expression was grave. Daring not delay for even a second, he didn't even have time to speak as he ran for his life with all his might!
But he was, after all, only at the Houtian Rank, and most of what he had learned over the years was only suited for the military.
He had barely dabbled in qinggong.
This meant that even if he fled, he was destined to not run for long.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tinglei was also cautious.
Even though he knew he could easily catch up and cripple the other man, he still maintained a careful distance behind Zhong Cheng just to be safe.
After all, he didn't know what Zhong Cheng's talent was, nor did he know what kind of specter item Zhong Cheng was holding. If he wasn't careful, he might get hit with a nasty surprise.
If they ended up dying together, it would be a massive loss for him!
“General Zhong Cheng, this can be considered our first meeting. Why be so cold and distant? How about we sit down and have a nice chat?”
Zuo Lin'an used his God's-eye view to observe them.
Seeing Zhang Tinglei now, there was none of the aloof elegance of a Xiantian Rank expert left; he looked just like a common thug.
Zhong Cheng said nothing and kept running.
Along the way, he even spotted a wild chicken, but he had no time to catch it right now.
Yet, the moment he withdrew his gaze, he saw Zhang Tinglei take a detour along the way, snatching the wild chicken with one hand. Then, holding it in his hand, he caught up once again.
Rate on N.U.
