The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 185

Chapter 185

Xing Nuo would only cooperate with the compassionate players.

Guild Zero One’s ruthless methods, sacrificing others for their own survival, disgusted him.

He took out a piece of paper and quickly wrote down the answer.

“Don’t look yet. Not good news.”

The team leader, his trust in Xing Nuo having grown after their two collaborations, put the paper away without looking at it.

“Okay, what’s the plan?”

Xing Nuo, putting on his backpack, shook his head.

“Not ‘we.’ You and An Zimuo.”

An Zimuo gasped, his eyes wide with surprise.

“What? Xing Nuo, you not coming with us?”

Xing Nuo tilted his head, his curls bouncing, and nodded.

“I’m getting off at the next stop.”

An Zimuo, his mind reeling, stammered:

“G-getting off? But that’s more dangerous! Xing Nuo, don’t! What if something happens to you?”

Xing Nuo’s eyes were firm, his resolve unwavering. He always saw things through.

And the next dungeon held answers he needed.

He looked at An Zimuo, his voice gentle but firm.

“Zimuo, this is your first dungeon. Probably not your last. I don’t know why our world has become like this, but we have to learn to adapt, to grow stronger.”

“I’m getting off to find the answers I need. You have to do the same. Survive this dungeon, kill the monster, and complete your mission.”

This was Xing Nuo’s second dungeon this month.

There would be more. An Zimuo wouldn’t always have a high-level player to carry him. He had to learn to fight his own battles.

An Zimuo, having grown up with Xing Nuo, smiled, his eyes slightly watery.

“I know. I’m not afraid of killing monsters. I’m just worried about you.”

The team leader had said the dungeons connected to the train stations were much more dangerous.

He was afraid of losing his best friend.

Xing Nuo smiled, hugged him, and then stood up.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be safer than you. It’s almost time. I have to go. After the train starts moving again, go to the front car. The very front.”

An Zimuo and the team leader nodded, watching as Xing Nuo walked away.

Shen Yan didn’t follow. He just watched, his expression unreadable, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him, along with the other passengers.

Envy, disdain, admiration, and worry.

He couldn’t go with Xing Nuo to this dungeon.

His little brother had grown up. He was searching for answers, and Shen Yan couldn’t stop him.

He felt a surge of pride, watching the young teenager bravely face the unknown, his heart filled with a bittersweet mix of protectiveness and acceptance.

But he was also puzzled.

Shen Wen always used props to erase Xing Nuo’s memories of the horror world.

How had he realized something was wrong?

On the train.

After Xing Nuo left, during the ten-minute stop, no monsters appeared.

The train started moving again.

An Zimuo, the injured boy, and the players, their brows furrowed, walked towards the front of the train.

They passed through car after car, their faces grim as they looked at the other passengers, their eyes dull and lifeless, the players’ gazes cold and calculating, the air thick with the stench of dried blood, their shoes sticking to the floor,

until they reached the front car.

The driver’s cabin.

They stood there, the team leader and An Zimuo exchanging glances, their suspicions confirmed.

They opened the note Xing Nuo had given them—

The train is the monster.

As they had suspected!

The real monster wasn’t the man-eating creatures, but the train itself!

And the core must be in the driver’s cabin.

They had to destroy it.

Shen Yan got off at the next station, and as he walked away, he saw a fiery explosion at the front of the train.

The driver’s cabin had been destroyed.

The passengers and players on the train, their faces blank, some still struggling against the monsters, heard the explosion,

then a system notification:

[The train’s core monster has been destroyed. Congratulations on clearing the dungeon!]

[The train dungeon will be permanently closed.]

The surviving passengers, some having endured days of horror, looked up, their eyes wide with disbelief,

then they reappeared at Rongcheng Train Station.

Some were missing limbs, others weak and emaciated, but they all knelt down, tears streaming down their faces, overjoyed to be back.

They had returned!

Qi Yao and his team rushed forward, carrying the injured passengers to the waiting ambulances.

Qi Yao, looking for Xing Nuo, assuming he would be with An Zimuo, couldn’t find him.

An Zimuo, his dark face covered in grime, his appearance disheveled,

seeing Qi Yao, greeted him.

Qi Yao, seeing him unharmed, handed him a bottle of water.

“Good job, kid. Not scared, were you? You entered the dungeon, killed the core monster, and escaped?”

An Zimuo, remembering the ordeal, nodded eagerly.

“Yes! But I didn’t do much. Mostly Xing Nuo…and the players.”

But he felt like he had grown stronger, less afraid.

Qi Yao, hearing Xing Nuo’s name, wasn’t surprised.

“Come with me. Tell me what happened.”

Xing Nuo, getting off the train, looked back at the seemingly endless line of cars.

But he trusted An Zimuo. Once they knew who the real monster was, defeating it would be easy.

After all, a train couldn’t fight back, only send its minions, which weren’t a real threat.

He turned and walked away, his backpack on,

entering a dimly lit, dirt path.

There was no sun, but the path was still brightly lit, lined with flowers, bushes, and trees.

Xing Nuo was familiar with this path, having walked it many times when he was younger.

The winding path, which had seemed so long back then, requiring him to run and skip to keep up with his daddies, now seemed much shorter.

He reached the castle gates, looked at the vines clinging to the iron bars, the blood-red roses blooming in the garden beyond, and smiled.

Memories of his childhood, of living in this castle, resurfaced. He had thought he had forgotten, but now, the images clear and vivid in his mind.

The butler, sensing the little master’s presence, hurried over with a male servant, his voice filled with excitement.

“Little Master! You’re back!”

It had been almost ten years since Xing Nuo had last seen him.

Xing Nuo, looking at the butler’s strange, stiff face, despite its unnatural appearance, felt a pang of warmth and familiarity.

“Yes. I came back…for a visit.”

The butler, his eyes tearing up, in his tailcoat and holding his golden cane, opened the gate for him.

“Welcome back, Little Master. The castle hasn’t changed. You and Master rarely visit. We’ve rehired the servants, to keep the castle clean and tend to the garden.”

Xing Nuo hummed and walked down the cobblestone path.

The smooth, round stones, which had felt rough and uncomfortable under his small feet when he was younger, making him whine and ask to be carried,

now felt familiar and comforting. He smiled, remembering, and touched a rose.

The roses, vibrant and beautiful, their blood-red petals blooming in full glory, were a breathtaking sight.

The butler, walking beside him, his voice filled with emotion as he dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief, said:

“The roses are thriving. But that monster, Shen Yan, bought a batch of them. Said he’s trading them with the merpeople. Otherwise, the garden would be even more magnificent.”

Xing Nuo, listening intently, his eyes sparkling with interest, asked:

“Merpeople like roses?”

The butler nodded, his voice filled with pride.

“Of course. Unlike those crude land monsters, merpeople are intelligent creatures with refined tastes. Our roses, they bloom even brighter in water, and the merpeople love them!”

“We traded them for mermaid pearls, enough to light up the entire castle. Little Master will love it!”

Xing Nuo, afraid of the dark when he was younger, Shen Yan had brought many glowing mermaid pearls to illuminate the castle, supplementing the crystal chandeliers.

He remembered the castle at night, bathed in a warm, magical light, even the walls seemed to glow, more beautiful than any fairytale castle.

“That’s wonderful. The roses are so useful.”

The little master’s praise made the roses sway and bloom even brighter, their stems straightening, their heads held high, as if reaching for the sky.