Where's the cute girl we were promised? She's completely wiped out S-rank dungeons!

Zhao Meng hadn't expected Song Yuan to not only read it aloud, but to actually read it aloud. This eerie stuff, in the pitch-black room, sounded even more chilling.

"Stop reading! What's the point of all this stuff?"

"Explain in detail how to use your skill."

"Oh... okay then."

Zhao Meng explained her skill as instructed. "Mini Playing Cards," as the name suggests, involves the player holding three playing cards: hearts, clubs, and hearts. Holding one card between their fingers, kissing it, and then tossing it in front of their opponent—this will "stun" them and immobilize them for five seconds. The skill has a six-hour cooldown.

As for "speed escape," it simply means "to run away quickly," and there's not much to explain. This is a very common talent; nearly 70% of lower- and lower-middle-level players possess it.

This skill seems a bit useless, because most players of B rank or above will carry mental defense items, so this skill is basically useless against them, at most it can be used to fool NPCs.

However, in Song Yuan's view, this skill is extremely useful for their current situation:

"Is this skill only effective against humans? Does it work on dogs?"

Zhao Meng suddenly had a bad feeling: "I...I don't know. What are you going to do?"

Song Yuan put away the old books: "I will do as the books say."

Zhao Meng nearly fainted, trembling as she asked, "Why, why?! Why do we have to do this?!"

"Because this is the only clue we have right now. You see, in these books, the parts about drawing talismans to exorcise ghosts are all blurred out, leaving only what we can see now."

So what does the game developer mean? I think it's most likely that they want us to do things exactly as described in the book.

Zhao Meng frantically backed away, making an "X" shape with her hands: "No, no! Absolutely not! Are you crazy?! I'm not going to cooperate with you like this! Won't you be even less likely to escape?!"

"Nobody wants to force you."

Song Yuan pulled a razor blade from her boot and walked towards the front yard: "If you don't want to, then I'll do it myself."

Seeing this, Zhao Meng quickly stepped in front of her again: "Do you have any crowd control or stun skills?"

Song Yuan replied matter-of-factly, "No."

Zhao Meng didn't have a clear understanding of Song Yuan's fighting ability. In her eyes, Song Yuan was just an ordinary little girl much shorter than herself—perhaps a little stronger. But how could she possibly take on a vicious dog by herself?!

"What if they start barking randomly?! What if they attract the village chief and the villagers?!"

"We'll see when the time comes." Song Yuan walked around her and continued towards the front yard. "If you're too scared to go, don't stop me from going."

Watching her composed figure recede into the distance, Zhao Meng stamped her feet in frustration. She bit her lip, torn between thoughts all day, and finally, with tears in her eyes, chased after her.

"Alright, alright! I'll play along, I'll play along!"

In the end, the two still collaborated.

Zhao Meng's mini deck of cards has three cards, enough to control the wolfhound for fifteen seconds. During this time, Song Yuan must incapacitate it, but cannot actually kill it: the book requires a live black dog, and in addition, they need a copper bell and human teeth.

I have no idea where Song Yuan is going to get this kind of thing. This plan is simply impossible!

The two hid behind the wall, peering out. The wolfhound, chained, was licking its front paws. Song Yuan gestured for Zhao Meng to "go." Zhao Meng, with a pained expression, braced herself, jumped over the wall, and stomped her foot to attract the wolfhound's attention.

Hearing the noise, the vicious dog turned its head warily, its fangs bared and drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Zhao Meng's legs went weak, and she quickly raised a playing card, pressed it to her lips, and threw it away.

Fortunately, the playing cards weren't limited to players or human NPCs; the wolfhound's originally fierce eyes truly became clear and harmless the moment the cards were placed. Zhao Meng quickly turned her head:

"It worked! You're quick..."

Before she could finish speaking, a petite, dark figure darted forward. Song Yuan leaned close to the side of the vicious dog's neck, her left hand pressing firmly against the back of its neck, while her right hand located the carotid artery and pressed heavily against the pulsating vein beneath the skin.

Five seconds passed, and it began to struggle frantically, unable to utter a sound. Its sharp limbs pawed at the ground, but under such immense pressure, it couldn't move an inch. After a few low, whimpering growls, its struggles finally weakened, its pupils gradually dilated, and its limbs went limp.

Everything happened so fast that Zhao Meng didn't even need to use a second card before it was over.

Zhao Meng clutched her heart in terror: "Ahhh! Is it...it's dead?!"

Song Yuan raised her hand to check its breathing: "Don't bark so loudly. Come and look for a copper bell or any other materials we need."

Zhao Meng hissed, "Oh..."

She was still a little dazed. That wolfhound was so strong that even an adult man would have to drag it along. But under Song Yuan's control, it couldn't even move.

Is she a strength-enhancing type of player?

Zhao Meng's gaze towards Song Yuan suddenly held a hint of admiration.

Song Yuan walked to the courtyard gate, raised her hand to touch the seemingly nearby exit, and touched an invisible barrier.

It seems there's no way out from here; the system forces players to go only through the back mountain.

During her exploration, she also saw many yellow talismans at the gate, on the courtyard wall, and above the well. These talismans must have been replaced regularly, as the cinnabar was a very bright color.

Song Yuan tore them all up, one by one. This startled Zhao Meng, who started babbling again:

"Why are you tearing them! What if they're suppressing something? If you tear them, they'll all come out!"

Song Yuan went to the system store and bought a disposable lighter, threw all the talisman papers together, lit them, and burned them completely.

"These things are for warding off evil spirits, and they're interfering with my next steps, so I have to destroy them."

Song Yuan couldn't find any strips of cloth in the room, so she used hemp rope instead; she tied the dog's muzzle and legs tightly so it would be easier to carry it later. Zhao Meng also made a discovery—she found an old copper bell under a bunch of protruding ivy.

The copper bell looks quite old. The craftsmanship is exquisite; it would definitely be considered an antique if you took it out with you.

"But what about the bell tongue?" Zhao Meng looked anxiously at Song Yuan, who was tying up the dog. "Are you going to use it on the corpse inside...? That's not a good idea, is it?"

Although those are all corpses, and even NPCs, those women all had tragic lives, so doing this is a bit immoral... and might bring retribution upon them.

"No," Song Yuan tied up the dog, looked up at her, "this bell must be made from a living person's tooth."

Zhao Meng quickly covered her mouth.

Three minutes later, the village chief and the villagers who had "pre-ordered" to buy Song Yuan entered through the courtyard gate. As expected, they were knocked down by Song Yuan, who was lying in ambush at the entrance of the main room, with a single blow.

The village chief was quite resilient; he didn't even faint after being hit with a stick, and he fell to the ground shouting and yelling.

Song Yuan crouched down and punched him again, causing the village chief to spit out seven or eight blood-stained teeth. Crying in pain, he crawled forward, using his old, rough fingers to grip the ground.

"Aaaaaaahh ...