Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

The three left the tree hollow and, upon reaching the outside, saw that it was almost dawn, with the faint morning light shining through the gaps in the branches and leaves, illuminating the entire dense forest.

The secret jungle is completely different during the day and at night. The old trees that looked eerie and sinister are now covered with small, unknown flowers that emit fragrance. The branches of the bushes have become soft, and pleasant insect sounds and birdsong can be heard intermittently.

When they walked a distance and looked back, they found that the giant tree had returned to the height of an ordinary tree, blending into the landscape, and was no longer anything special.

It seems that these critical mission locations are only open at night.

Yi Zanglan suddenly remembered what Gragas had said, and she turned to ask Yu Qing, "Miss Yu, when you came here yesterday, did you see any fruit?"

"Fruit?" Yu Qing immediately recalled, "...Yes! Many trees are bearing those strangely colored fruits, dark and somewhat like frozen pears from a certain region. Would you like me to take you to see them?"

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Based on her memory, Yu Qing began searching for fruit trees and soon found her target.

"Here it is, that's it!"

Even without using her skills, she was incredibly adept at climbing trees. She quickly and nimbly climbed to the top, picked several fruits, and carried them down in her coat to hand to Yi Zanglan.

"Zhao Feirong and I were worried that this stuff was poisonous, so we didn't dare to try it."

Yi Zanglan picked up a fruit, examined it for a moment, then put it in her mouth and took a big bite: "It's not poisonous, eat it."

"……what?"

Yu Qing was surprised to see that the two of them were already calmly eating it, and realized that it was probably not poisonous. So she hesitated and tried it herself.

Hmm, it's crisp and sweet, and quite juicy.

As she was savoring the moment, she suddenly felt something was amiss. Rolling up her sleeve, she saw that the bloodstains from being whipped by the bone vine during the night were slowly fading and scabbing over, leaving only a light brown scar.

"Oh my, so this fruit can promote wound healing?"

Yi Zanglan thought about it. Since Gragas said it could enhance physical fitness, then for players, it was indeed equivalent to promoting wound healing.

This dungeon is too demanding on players' stamina, so having this special supply is a good way to maintain their endurance.

"Yes, let's pick more to prepare."

The three were collecting fruit in the jungle when they found some scattered, colorful crystal fragments that shimmered along the way. Most of them were hidden on the surface of the soil and among the dead leaves, while some were embedded in tree trunks.

Yu Qing was unaware that Yi Zanglan had already obtained clues from the pastor, and she actively shared them with him.

"Oh, right, and these crystals too. I've tried them; they can increase faith points. Although each crystal only increases it by 1 point, every little bit counts!"

"Alright, let's collect more then." Yi Zanglan casually agreed, and then discussed with Ling Ye, "The faith value that crystal fragments can increase is very small. I guess Fang Ao and the others have other unorthodox methods, otherwise the statue wouldn't change color so quickly."

Ling Ye nodded. He ate two fruits in a row, and now his wounds had healed a large part, and his condition had improved significantly.

"If yesterday you, me, and Liang Danyi mainly explored the town, and Miss Yu and Zhao Feirong explored the jungle, then Fang Ao and Geng Xian most likely went to the tower."

"So we'd better go there as soon as possible and avoid having too much of an information gap with them."

After all, the only place the two of them haven't explored yet is the tower. There are three paths in total, and they need to have a basic understanding of them all.

The conversation turned to the next steps, and Yu Qing fell into thought. She decided to split up with Yi Zanglan for the time being.

"I've never been to a town before, and I'd like to take a look around before meeting you at the tower, is that alright?"

"We're not in a team, so it's your freedom to go wherever you want." Yi Zanglan took a few silver coins out of his pocket and handed them to her. "This is your reward for keeping the secret. If you find out any new information, I suggest you share it."

Yu Qing was shocked: "How do you still have money?"

"I earned it through my own abilities."

"Thank you! So...so I really paid?"

"Go ahead and plant the flowers," Yi Zanglan calmly instructed, "but don't let anyone see you doing so."

"OK!"

* * * * * *

[Yan Zhao]: Ouyang Yu just messaged me, asking if I watched the game. She still can't believe such a coincidence.

[Tang Yunxi]: Who would believe it? To be honest, I was shocked when I first heard her name.

[Jiang Ling]: Quickly ask her what kind of person that girl named Yu Qing is.

[Yan Zhao]: I asked her, and she said Yu Qing grew up in the high-altitude region and entered the Misfortune System after accidentally dying while catching poachers. She's quite pure-hearted and wouldn't do something like betraying someone—otherwise, she wouldn't have invited her to join the team.

[Jiang Yao]: That's good. Looking at it this way, our captain really does have a good eye for people.

[Yan Zhao]: Yes, Lanlan usually kills anyone she deems a threat on the spot. The fact that she's willing to win over Yu Qing shows that Yu Qing isn't inherently bad.

[Jiang Ling]: Thank goodness, at least there's still a neutral party in the bureau. Otherwise, with all this lurking danger, I'd be exhausted just watching for the captain.

……

At this very moment, Yu Qing, a neutral individual described as pure-hearted and of good nature, was walking through the town streets, feeling a chill run down her spine.

She could hardly believe her eyes. Although she didn't know what the town looked like yesterday, it certainly shouldn't be like this.

It seems like people have died in the town; a lot of people have died.

Cries rose and fell as townspeople carried one blood-soaked corpse after another, busily moving between houses and shops.

Yu Qing had been mentally preparing herself for a long time. She stopped a passing townsman and asked him in a low voice.

"What happened here? Do you need help?"

"I don't know either." The townsman looked horrified, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the huge shock. "Everyone was fine before, and then suddenly so many corpses appeared this morning. Could they be outlaws who fled from elsewhere? But we're not exactly wealthy here. What's their purpose?!"

"...Were the corpses killed in the same way?"

The townspeople recalled nervously, "No...it's not quite the same. Some looked like they were beaten to death by a flurry of punches, while others looked like they were...sucked dry!"

"Suck them dry alive?" Yu Qing gasped, then pressed on, "What are you going to do with these corpses?"

"Sigh, what else can we do? We'll just have to carry it to the cemetery for burial tonight."

After he finished speaking, he broke free from her hand and hurriedly turned to move the body.

Yu Qing stood there, silent for a long time.

Now that things have come to this, she can roughly guess who these so-called villains who have fled to other places are.

It can only be Fang Ao and Geng Xian.

She didn't believe the two men killed the townspeople to rob them; the only explanation was that they had obtained some clue and needed to rely on mass killings...

To increase faith value.

This is why the statues of deities in the hotel change color so quickly.

But shouldn't Phtas, the goddess of life, protect her followers and people? Why does she instead encourage slaughter?

Yu Qing walked aimlessly along the street, her intuition telling her she should do something, but she just didn't know what to do.

...until she saw the alleyway in the distance, where a tall, white horse with black hooves seemed to be tethered.

horse?

She ran up in surprise, looked around for a moment, and then tentatively took a few more steps deeper into the alley.

The third door in the alley was locked from the inside, but a faint sound could be heard coming from inside. She had excellent hearing, so she quickly pressed her ear against the crack in the door to listen carefully.

"Damn, this drunkard is pretty tough to kill. Even with his brains splattered out, he can still fight back!"

"That blacksmith claimed to be very knowledgeable, but he didn't tell us anything, and there weren't any important tools in the house. We wasted the whole night."

"Could it be that Ling Ye and that crazy woman have already been here?"

"Very likely, but if this drunkard won't tell us the truth, why should he tell them?"

"Damn it! Never mind that, let's hurry up and change our clothes. We're covered in blood, it'll arouse suspicion if we go out later."

...That's right, it was Fang Ao and Geng Xian's voices. The two of them had indeed formed a temporary alliance.

In that instant, many thoughts raced through Yu Qing's mind. She finally made up her mind, decisively ran back to the alley entrance, and untied the horse's reins.

"My goodness, you're really suffering, having to be ridden by two stinky men at the same time."

She stroked the white horse's mane, then leaped onto its back and galloped away towards the end of the street.