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Chapter 272 Gu Bengbeng striking a pose

Gu Mian took the little girl's clothes and squatted here, just to see if she could run into other players.

The chances of encountering other players on a bustling street are always greater than the chances of meeting them in a deserted forest.

He's been sitting here for half a day now, but hasn't gotten anything.
"He must be a psychopathic killer!"

By this time, 007 had already run quite a distance.

The psychopathic killer Gu Mian was unaware that a player was rapidly moving away from her.

He looked at the people coming and going, feeling somewhat bored, so he pressed down hard on the tattered cloth covering his body. But then he felt it was inappropriate, so he reached out and lifted the tattered cloth off his body. This action of lifting his clothes was quite similar to that of a prostitute under a brothel, who would bare her chest and solicit customers. However, in broad daylight, no one stopped to watch Gu Mian, who was posing provocatively.

However, Gu Mian hadn't originally intended to attract any customers.

After discovering something was off about Princess Brown Sugar and the dwarves, he came up with a bold guess, but this bold guess needed to be confirmed.

Gu Mian hesitated for a moment, then picked up the basket and walked out onto the street.

There were many people coming and going on the street, but it seemed that no one was interested in him at all.

Gu Mian tried to grab a man and then said, "Sir, would you like to buy a lighter?"

The man seemed a little impatient. He pulled his sleeve away from Gu Mian's grasp and then left in the opposite direction.

Gu Mian stared thoughtfully at his back.

He tried several more people, but without exception, they all left impatiently, and no one paid any attention to him.

Gu Mian even felt that even if she sacrificed herself and performed a striptease in front of everyone, they would all leave without looking at her.

They really are a group of people who are not swayed by beauty.

After grabbing a few people, he completely gave up the idea of ​​trying to get anything out of these passersby. These people might be very important clues, but he couldn't get them out of them.

"We still need to find the other players first... It's more important to find Chu Changge and Fatty first," Gu Mian muttered to herself.

As he thought about it, he habitually lifted the little girl's tattered clothes draped over his body. He didn't really want to run around in these ill-fitting clothes, but if things were really as he guessed, then he would be doomed if he didn't put them on.

Gu Mian wandered around the bustling street a few more times.

No one paid any attention to the strangely dressed doctor who looked like he had robbed a little girl of her only possessions.

Everyone was doing their own thing—it seemed like all they had to do was walk, walk without looking to the side.

Since there was nothing to gain here, Gu Mian decided not to stay any longer.

It seems we'll have to go back to the woods last night to find the other players. Maybe checking Little Red Riding Hood's house will give us some clues?

The worst part is that Gu Mian has absolutely no idea where Little Red Riding Hood lives; you couldn't just grab anyone off the street and expect them to tell him.

"We need to hurry..."

Gu Mian looked up at the high-hanging sun.

The days in this instance are very short, while the nights are relatively long.

Although the fat man had forcibly stuffed a flashlight into his guitar case, which he could use to see at night, it was still better to do things like looking for people during the day.

Meanwhile, 007 had already reached the edge of the forest.

She paused for a moment before slowly recalling what had just happened.

The person's attire didn't resemble that of an NPC in a game; rather, it looked more like that of a player.

However, anyone would instinctively stay away from a player who carries a chainsaw around... and even puts it in a guitar case, right?

Just then, 007 suddenly heard what sounded like people talking coming from the forest not far away.

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, but it reached her ears perfectly.

After thinking for a moment, 007 headed toward the direction from which the voices were coming.

Before the dungeon evaluation mechanism was revamped, she always prioritized survival, because even if she did nothing and just waited until the end, she would still get a reward. Being too proactive could easily lead to death and the loss of items.

But not anymore.

If we don't take action now, we might not even be able to afford food in the future.

The path leading to the little girl selling lighters was blocked by a strange chainsaw doctor, so she had to go and accept a quest from another NPC.

007 quickened his pace as he thought to himself: "Completing the quests of other NPCs should also give me clues on how to leave Fairy Tale City..."

A short while later, she arrived at the place where the sound came from.

Just ahead, there are two people talking.

007 glanced at the other side from afar and frowned slightly. Then he slipped behind a tree and quietly watched from behind, only showing half his face.

The reason is simple: one of these two people is really quite strange.

Having gone through countless instances, she had long since honed her skill of finding a place to hide the moment she sensed something was amiss.

It was a hunched woman, completely shrouded in a cloak. She sat on the withered grass with her head down, her entire head buried in shadow, making it almost impossible to see her face. Only her pointed nose could be seen peeking out from under the cloak's hood, making her look somewhat like an evil witch.

It was daytime, and the sun was high in the sky, but the area around the woman seemed quite dark; it was hard to tell if it was an illusion or due to the shade provided by the trees…

007 hid behind a tree, watching intently.

Neither of the two over there seemed to have noticed her.

In the dim woods, a witch-like woman stretched out a withered hand, the fingers of which were almost as thin as the twig in 007's hand.

It looks dry and stiff, as if it would snap in two with the slightest fold.

At this moment, this emaciated hand was tightly holding a small, fair hand with pink fingertips, making the witch appear even more emaciated in comparison.

The other fair hand belonged to the woman opposite the witch.

Because the woman was facing her from the side, she couldn't see her clearly and could only make out a vague outline.

007 sighed after just one glance.

Was she a princess from a fairy tale?

So beautiful! Even just a glimpse of her beauty is enough to make you feel her stunning looks.

007 knew that the phrase "overwhelmingly beautiful" wasn't quite appropriate to describe her beauty, but she couldn't think of any better adjectives for the time being.

But it looks somewhat familiar?

Moreover, judging from the beautiful woman's attire, she doesn't seem to be an NPC or anything like that; she looks more like a player.

Her outfit was terrible; she seemed to have no idea how to coordinate clothes. She wore a pink sweater over a green vest, and her lower body was relatively normal—a pair of black sweatpants. Well, you can't really make anything special out of a pair of pants...

People who are physically beautiful usually have pleasant voices.

007 listened attentively to their conversation.

“Beautiful girl,” the witch said, holding the beauty’s hand tightly, “I am an old woman passing through this forest. I am injured and have to rest here. Can you do me a favor?”

The witch was indeed unable to make any big movements; she could only reach out and grab the other person, and it seemed that she had already exhausted all her strength.

007 frowned.

For some reason, she felt that these words were strangely familiar.

Upon closer reflection, it seemed that the little girl selling lighters had said something similar to her, although the words were different on the surface, the meaning was almost the same.

I need their help with everything.

Why are all the NPCs in this instance using such consistent methods to issue quests?

As 007 pondered this, she shifted her foot slightly, trying to change her posture. Just then, she suddenly felt as if she had kicked something, but fortunately, the two people on the other side didn't notice.

She looked down at her feet and saw a shovel lying there, seemingly having been there for a long time, almost completely rusted.

The two people in front were still talking when it was the beauty's turn to speak.

"If there's anything I can help you with, I'll do my best to help you."

The woman's voice was indeed very pleasant, and she was also very kind.

Although this NPC looked rather evil and didn't look like a good person, he still agreed without hesitation.

007 was squatting down, studying the shovel at his feet, while eavesdropping on other people's conversation.

Half of the shovel was buried in the soil. She carefully dug out the half of the shovel, but unexpectedly, there was something else attached to it.

“Actually, it’s not too difficult,” came the aged voice. “Help me dig up ten herbs. You may not have seen these herbs before. They grow underground. They are red, thin and long, with many roots growing on the side, like multi-legged insects.”

At that moment, 007 had just grasped the object that the shovel had brought up.

But before she could look any further, the aged voice came from ahead again: "Take this, it'll save you more effort..."

007 paused slightly, then suddenly looked up.

Sure enough, a small shovel appeared in the witch's hand at some point, and she was handing it to the person opposite her.

007's pupils suddenly constricted.

shovel……

There was an identical shovel at her feet, though it was rusty, you could still tell its size and style.

Exactly the same.

In other words, someone else had previously used the same shovel to dig something in this spot...

Judging from the rust on the shovel, it must have been made a long time ago.

Something from a long time ago, could it be something left behind by a player who entered this instance a long time ago and accepted this quest?

Won't this instance data be reset? How come items left by previous players are still there?
007 became somewhat dazed.

Then she discovered something even more terrifying—the thing she was holding in her hand was causing some changes.

It was something that looked like a small pendant, but whether it was because it had been buried for too long or for some other reason, it was corroded to the point that it was almost impossible to see its original appearance.

But shortly after 007 held it in her hand, her panel appeared.

【Sunny day doll, worm-eaten pine needle...】

[Data Analysis and Data Structure Heterogeneity]

Analysis failed.

"Is this... a special item?"

The description only appears on the item panel when you obtain a special item in a dungeon, but what does this garbled text mean...?

Is the data for special items corrupted? Were they melted down?

melt!

Thinking of this, 007 suddenly paused.

It melted!

Thinking back to what she had seen and heard before, and the doctor dressed as a little girl, she seemed to suddenly understand something in that instant.

007 immediately looked up at the two people in front of him.

The person opposite the witch had already agreed to her request.

"Don't worry, I will definitely help you find those herbs."

After making his assurance, the person on the other side looked at the witch sitting on the ground with great concern before turning to leave. For some reason, the person's expression of concern seemed a bit overdone, like an expression that an incompetent actor could only make in front of a camera.

But 007 wasn't thinking too much about it; she only had one thing on her mind right now—

No, we absolutely cannot let her go!

But the person was heading in the opposite direction from her, and 007 didn't dare to pass directly in front of the old witch. She could only take a big detour and then continue running in the direction the person had left.

She ran quickly through the forest, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

It's really too much for someone who hasn't increased their stamina to run like that. Normally, 007 doesn't meddle in other people's business in dungeons, since even if she dies in a dungeon, she won't really die.

But if she's not mistaken, this instance might not be like that...

why?
Why did this change happen?

From now on, even relatively safe dungeons may not be safe anymore!

The real hunt often comes silently, catching the unsuspecting prey in one fell swoop.

007 ran frantically through the woods, dust billowing up and filling her mouth and nose, making her want to sneeze, but this was not the time to stop and sneeze.

We need to find that person first.

Theoretically, that person should have been walking and stopping frequently, because she also needed to collect medicinal herbs.

But 007 ran all the way without seeing anyone, making her wonder if she had taken the wrong route.

But it turns out that she was on the right track.

Just when 007 was running so hard she was almost out of breath, she finally saw that familiar figure.

"Cough cough, how... how could she be so fast..."

007 coughed a few times while leaning against a tree, somewhat puzzled by how fast this person was. He had run at full speed, but this person was still walking leisurely ahead.

She didn't wonder for long before lifting her foot to walk up.

But just then, 007 saw the person in front of him suddenly turn to the side, revealing half of their face.

It was the same half of the face she had seen before, but the expression on the face was completely different.

The safety officer had lost his earlier "I'll do this task well" demeanor. Instead, he casually tossed the shovel aside with a blank expression, quite practicedly, as if he had already fooled countless NPCs with his quests.

007 could tell that her expressionless face wasn't because she was angry or anything, but rather because she simply found making expressions too tiring and was too lazy to pretend.

"What's going on?" 007 hadn't caught her breath yet. She looked at the person in front of her in surprise. Did she already know about that matter?
It was then that 007 realized that it seemed to have gotten dark, and he could hardly see anything in the distance.

She quickened her pace, wanting to catch up with the person in front and ask, but the person walked very fast and disappeared in a short while.

007 was left standing there looking completely bewildered. She even called out to the person in front of her, but the person in front of her seemed not to hear her.
She was surrounded by trees, so logically, she had no idea where she was.

But that’s okay.

007 sat down against a tree, lost in thought: "If things really turn out the way I think, then I should be fine no matter where I am... as long as I don't accept any NPC quests..."

Thinking about this, she felt fortunate that she hadn't stubbornly followed the task the little lighter girl had given her...

As darkness fell, a north wind began to blow through the forest, making it feel quite cold.

007 subconsciously wrapped his clothes tighter around himself.

But at that moment, she suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at the clothes she was wearing.

"how so……"

(End of this chapter)