Chapter 18: The Gu Tribe’s Stronghold, Part 17

Watching Ning Jidong being driven away by the young girl, Liang Ye felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

“Zhou Zhou, it’s really late. What if someone else comes by… how about I stay with you tonight?”

Since the dungeon boss wasn’t around and the system couldn’t impose many restrictions on him, Liang Ye was free to act as he pleased in this open setting.

“I… I just want to sleep alone,” Zhou Zhou said firmly, her delicate and pretty face pale as she insisted he not come over.

“I can’t fall asleep if I share a bed with someone else…”

She dared not sleep beside a player—not only did she question Liang Ye’s trustworthiness, but their genders were different, making her uneasy.

“Besides, Brother Zhou Shan will be back tonight…”

She lied smoothly. Having told lies before, she no longer felt the nervous fear of being suspected; her words sounded utterly genuine.

Liang Ye responded with a soft “Oh.”

“That’s true,” he admitted.

Though he wasn’t afraid of the dungeon boss, fighting while under restrictions could still end badly.

“Alright, I’ll leave now. I’ll come back tomorrow to play with you, okay?”

Patting the girl’s head, Liang Ye coaxed her gently like a child.

Inwardly, Zhou Zhou rolled her eyes, thinking he didn’t have to come in the first place.

Unaware of her inner thoughts, Liang Ye looked at her with reluctant affection, dawdling for a while before finally stepping out of the house.

As soon as he left, Zhou Zhou relaxed completely.

【Brother 022… turn on the live chat, please.】

System: 【Confirm activation?】

【Confirmed.】 Zhou Zhou stared blankly at the empty screen before her.

She hadn’t yet thanked the fans who had gifted “Life Potions.”

No sooner had she spoken the words than the screen suddenly lit up.

【Hi, wife! Good evening!!】

【Dumplings should be hot, men should be strong, huff huff! Those tall, rude guys today made wife Zhou Zhou exhausted!!】

【Wife even cried out of fright… watching that had me making all sorts of big gestures (roses roses roses)】

【Zhou Zhou didn’t open the chat all day and even blocked the stream. She must have forgotten about us (lemon face)】

【Ahem…】

【Yeah, how could wife treat us like this (sad puppy emoji)…】

【Wuwuwu, it’s all little sister’s fault for disturbing the lovebirds, the smelly men and big sister (pouty face)】

【Wife, I’m literally sweating buckets now (clown emoji)】

The chat room transformed into a sea of sarcastic, teasing fans.

They had watched all day as their wife was tossed around by those “dog men”—how could they not be upset?

“Sorry…” Zhou Zhou blushed; she could sense there was no malice in these words.

“Thank you all for the Life Potions you gifted today, I—”

Grateful as she was, the flood of messages overwhelmed her, and her words caught in her throat.

【Ahhh, wife, no need to apologize!!】

【Exactly, giving gifts to wife is what you should do!!! No thanks needed!!!】

【User “I am Zhou Zhou’s dog” gifted Life Potion x3】

【Wife Zhou Zhou is always right!! Just some Life Potions, all for wife!!!】

【User “0221598 Monarch” gifted Life Potion x3】

【User “Zhou Zhou, the Most Beautiful Wife in the World” gifted Life Potion x1】

【User “Snow, Zhou Zhou’s Biggest Fan” gifted Life Potion x3】

【What to do, Zhou Zhou talking like this makes me so excited…】

【Excited how? (Interested)】

Damn! This is veering into adult territory again…?!

Zhou Zhou stared blankly at the live chat.

Then—

With a sharp “snap,” she shut off the chat and the display.

The fans still flooding the chat with messages froze in place.

Hey, hey, hey, my wife is all alone here…?!

Zhou Zhou didn’t soften. She pressed her soft pink lips together.

“Anyway, thanks everyone for today…”

The screen went black, and only her soft, gentle voice drifted into the ears of the viewers.

“It’s very late now, so I won’t stream anymore… good night.”

Good night.

Good night?!

Rounding it up, was that not just another way of saying “I love you”?!

Wife! How could she be so! Adorable!

Through the dark screen, the viewers of Escape Game responded with heartfelt joy: 【Zhou Zhou, good night.】

…

The next day, just after nine o’clock, Zhou Zhou woke up feeling refreshed. She stretched luxuriously.

【I really don’t want to get up…】

She rolled over in the soft quilt, thinking to herself.

The bed was truly the happiest place for a lazybones—warm and cozy… she wished she could lie there forever.

Zhou Zhou covered herself with the quilt, rolling around a few more times.

Feeling ready, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth and scold herself.

Damn it, as a university student, she was supposed to get up at seven for an early class, and now she had degenerated so much just because of a bed in a dungeon.

And then…

She thought blankly.

【Wait, did I forget something?】

The system paused: 【Hmm? Forget what?】

“Well,” Zhou Zhou suddenly slapped her forehead, her eyes brightening as she said excitedly, “I’ve made it to the third day.”

【But didn’t you say my cannon fodder character would log off the second day? Now it’s the third day and I’m still alive…】

She happily counted on her fingers.

Third day, fourth day, fifth day, sixth day, seventh day.

Only four more days to endure, and then she would clear the level.

She felt the game wasn’t that hard after all.

【Hmm.】 The system chuckled at her, its voice deep, 【Yes, it is the third day.】

She had been expecting some big revelation, but it was only that.

…

Noisy commotion came from outside the door.

“What are you doing?!”

“Don’t come closer… get those things away!!”

“It hurts…”

“It hurts so much…”

A group of players convulsed, their arm veins infested with dark blue-black parasitic worms, biting into their flesh, causing pain that seemed to pierce even their souls.

No one could endure such torment.

They tried every item they had, but nothing worked.

They had to admit: this forbidden dungeon was too difficult to rely on external help.

Sweating profusely from the torture, they deeply regretted not following the rules and running away when Zhou Shan had offered to show them around the village the next day.

In previous dungeons, even if they exploited some loopholes or escaped, it was no big deal. But this forbidden dungeon was peculiarly strict and bizarre. One moment they had just exited an eerie cave, the next they were caught by Zhou Shan.

“This is some good stuff,” Zhou Shan said with a sinister smile, controlling the low-level blue-black worms.

“Using it on you is already too generous.”

As he spoke, he was about to increase the torment when a tremor and upheaval surged inside him.

“Hah… behave yourself,” the man grunted.

Knowing it was the worms acting up, he issued a stern and cold command to the parasites within.

The worms shrieked fiercely, 【No!!】

Hissing—

Without the slightest soothing blood essence to calm them, they continued rampaging, screaming and shrieking with eerie, almost human-like piercing cries—

【Go away, go away, go away!! I must find my master, my god, my mother—】

【Everyone else deserves to die—!!!】

【No one can stop me—!!!】

Golden light flickered in Zhou Shan’s eyes before fading to black again.

In a daze, he saw a huge figure with handsome features and golden eyes, a monstrous being.

“It” growled low—

【Bring her back… bring… back to my lair…】

Zhou Shan couldn’t hear clearly; his pain intensified as he gasped.

“Please spare us…”

The players wailed in unison.

It was unbearably painful—a torment that felt like thousands of needles piercing their hearts. Even battle-hardened players could not withstand it.

“Why should I spare you worthless trash…”

Zhou Shan gritted his teeth, enduring the pain triggered by the worms’ rampage inside him, coldly watching the group he had previously locked in the insect chamber beg for mercy.

He chuckled.

“Who told you to be disobedient…”

You touched what you shouldn’t have and fled recklessly.

“Didn’t I say I’d take you around the village on the second day?”

“Since you’re so obstinate, you deserve to die.”