Chapter 25: The Gu Tribe’s Stronghold, Part 24

It was terrifying.

Zhou Zhou’s eyelashes trembled, her pupils wide, wet, and glistening—the very picture of a pitiful little thing.

How, how could such a thing exist? As she asked that question, the man’s pale, rigid spine began to twist and ripple from beneath his skin, as if some bizarre entity were about to tear through his cold, white flesh and crawl out. His handsome face took on an eerie, pale blue hue, as fantastical as a glacier submerged in the deep ocean, hidden from the sun for eternity. His eyes transformed into a brilliant, dazzling gold, and beneath his neck, something thin and cold began to bulge and emerge.

“Ah…” He felt something within him stretching… devouring him. Another strange and horrifying existence seemed intent on replacing him.

*Who are you?*

“He” chuckled at him from deep within. [I am you…]

No, you are not—

Ke Zhi’s eyes burned with a deep, consuming red. He felt his sanity slipping away, and he would never allow anyone to replace him. What was the difference between that and death? And then there was the young girl… he loved her… he could not let the monster inside him consume him.

The monster seemed to sense his thoughts, directing its focus toward the girl.

[Ah… she was just asking for my name…]

“He” let out a hoarse sigh, appearing immensely satisfied.

This statement jolted Ke Zhi’s clouded mind. Had she really asked for “His” name? Was “He” the God of Gu?

[To be precise, you are, too.]

“He” seemed to hear his inner thoughts, offering a low, soft laugh.

“No…” Ke Zhi murmured in a trance, as if lost in a nameless, terrifying fog, circling without finding his way. “I am not…” His voice was cold, sharp, and mournful. “I am only Ke Zhi—”

[Is that so?] The monster merely chuckled. That strange, cold, and ghostly tone sounded eerily identical to Ke Zhi’s own. [You really should take a good look at yourself.]

Ke Zhi, who had been gasping in pain, froze as he caught sight of his own monstrous, non-human form reflected in the girl’s eyes.

“How could I be like this…?”

Is this me…?

—

The words “He” suddenly spat into his mind felt like another version of himself muttering to himself.

[My Zhou Zhou… is she sweet? Don’t you want to taste her properly again…]

[You even… want to cover her face in…]

This was not his thought…

[You are me, I am you…]

No… it’s not true… he didn’t…

But “He” continued, becoming increasingly depraved…

[Keep my Zhou Zhou here… let her mate with us for all eternity…]

“His” hoarse, heavy breath descended.

[Shall we ask her to lay an egg for us?]

Ke Zhi felt his entire body flush with heat at the monster’s words. He could not stop the image from forming—the young girl with a swollen belly, laying an egg, looking at him so pitifully… the tip of her tongue revealing a hint of words of love…

[Heh… we could… her.] “He” uttered vile, filthy words.

Ke Zhi’s pupils trembled.

[Heh… our hearts are the same.] “He” said maliciously.

[Get out!]

Ke Zhi’s golden eyes flickered, the world distorting around him. His throat burned with an agonizing itch. He would never hurt her with the monster.

In these few seconds, his tall, resilient body became covered in silver-blue scales, and his lower half… transformed into a strong, agile, and hauntingly beautiful serpent’s tail. Like a giant, magnificent python, it opened its maw, desperate to swallow its prey whole.

—

“Brother—” Zhou Zhou watched in terror, her small face as pale as paper.

[We are one…] “He” whispered clearly in his ear.

[Ke Zhi,] “He” continued, [keep my little female.]

[…and cherish her for eternity.]

He listened in a trance, as if he had already been dead for a long time, drifting through this absurd world like a thin, pathetic, paper-thin ghost.

Ke Zhi did not know that he had, in fact, been dead for a long time. Upon entering this nest, he had been assimilated by the dungeon’s BOSS into an NPC, losing his status as a player and becoming one with the God of Gu.

“B-brother?” Zhou Zhou’s face was white, her lips bitten until they bled. “Are you okay…?”

She felt this dream might be the key to the dungeon. The moment she asked “His” name, this NPC had gone mad. He clearly held a vital role in the dungeon. She wanted to find a clue within the dream.

Hearing the girl’s soft voice, Ke Zhi turned his stiff neck. Upon smelling the trace of blood, he instantly went wild. “So fragrant…”

The terrifying, non-human monster stared fixedly at the pitiful girl.

Zhou Zhou was so frightened she nearly lost her soul. She hadn't gotten the name, and now this was happening. She cried out in her heart, [022, am I going to die…?]

[Zhou Zhou, don't be afraid,] System 022’s voice was very faint. [Close your eyes, I will take you away.]

The girl obeyed. The system did not lie; at the very last moment, she escaped the dream.

“Hah…”

Zhou Shan was still holding her tightly from behind. The man’s body heat was scorching, providing the girl with an inexplicable sense of security. She had no more nightmares for the rest of the night and fell into a deep, sound sleep.

…

The next morning, the players, wearing dark circles under their eyes, were roused by the villagers.

“Get up! Eat and hurry to the fields! So annoying, having to wake you lot up first thing in the morning.” The villagers were aggressive, pulling them up.

Zhou Shan had already told the villagers to have these outsiders spend the next few days feeding the Gu insects. In this village, outsiders tasked with feeding Gu were treated as fodder, so the villagers were naturally hostile toward them.

The players cursed inwardly. They didn't know if it was a reaction to the environment or something else, but they had suffered nightmares all night and slept horribly. Now, they were being berated by the villagers at the crack of dawn.

Yet, they dared not refuse, nor did they dare to talk back. They could only endure it silently; it was this very resilience that had allowed them to survive so many dungeons.

Ning Jidong and the others were no exception; they exchanged glances and followed along.

The villagers led them to a breakfast that was as unpalatable as ever and then left. The girl, still groggy on the bamboo bed, finally opened her eyes. Zhou Shan had not yet left; she saw that he looked sharp and alert, without a trace of morning grogginess.

The man’s dark palm caressed her hair, and he spoke with a hint of tenderness, “My Zhou Zhou, it’s time to get up. We’re going to the fields soon.”

Zhou Shan didn’t really want to wake her, but his sister was now an adult and had to go to the fields around the time of the God of Gu festival. Otherwise, after the festival, anyone who hadn’t been parasitized by a Gu insect would not live past the age of twenty.

In the past, Zhou Zhou had never gone to the fields, and Zhou Shan hadn’t cared, as he only viewed the girl as a “Gu eye,” intending to toss her into the breeding pit when the time came. He naturally wouldn’t care if she lived past twenty, as she would be dead long before then anyway. Whether she died miserably or lived a life worse than death, it meant nothing to him.

But now, Zhou Shan was certain that the thought of using the girl as a Gu eye was gone. In just a few short days, he had developed a love for this pathetic little thing he had never before deemed worthy of notice.

He did not want her to die.

He wanted her to live for a long, long time.