Chapter 43

The black fog dissipated, and the bedside lamp that had inexplicably gone out earlier automatically lit up again.

The light was dim and yellowish, casting a faint glow on the young man’s face as he propped himself up against the headboard. It added a layer of alluring sheen to his exquisite features. His damp eyes, the sweat on the tip of his nose, and his lips—glistening with moisture and swollen from being ravished—were especially eye-catching.

The young man had yet to recover from the recent fright. His eyes flickered with shattered teardrops as he looked over with lingering fear, presenting a pitiful sight on the verge of tears.

Yet the traces of licking above his neck and below his collar stirred unclean desires in onlookers, urges to bully him even more harshly.

The Masked Man watched him quietly, his dark eyes like deep wells, unfathomable.

Zhong Nian parted his lips, taking a long while to find his voice again, but when he spoke, his ending tone still trembled softly: “The D-devil… is it dead?”

“It escaped.”

The Masked Man said in a low voice, putting away the gun in his hand.

This action made Zhong Nian glance at it again. The gun had an unusual shape and emitted a silver glow, and it was effective against the Devil—it must be an extraordinary prop.

Though it had escaped, it had still saved his life.

Zhong Nian was about to give thanks, but when he looked up again, the Masked Man had already turned and left, returning to the room next door.

It was already late at night, and considering the man’s personality, Zhong Nian decided to let it go for now. He got out of bed to close the door.

Unfortunately, the wooden door’s ancient latch had been kicked broken by the man, and it wouldn’t shut.

There was no way to find tools to fix it right now, so Zhong Nian could only push a table and chair to block the door from behind.

Then he sat back on the bed, calming his still-racing heartbeat.

He recalled everything that had happened that night, pulling open his clothes and pants to check his body.

There were many marks—pinched and licked ones—that left a stinging, mild pain.

The worst was his mouth; even now, his oral cavity felt sour, the root of his tongue ached, and his lips were numb without sensation, as if a thick, long tongue was still churning inside, wrapping and sucking.

Had it almost… really stretched from his mouth into his stomach and eaten him?

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. For the first time, the monster’s overwhelming power made Zhong Nian clearly realize the horror of the instance.

This was nowhere near the same level as the previous Newbie Dungeon, and it was only a D-rank Dungeon…

–

Startled, Zhong Nian did not sleep well.

Even though the System had told him stories for most of the night, it still hadn’t lulled him to sleep. His eyes were bloodshot, and he felt utterly wilted.

“Why don’t you find a reliable person to team up with?” For the first time during the task, the System offered advice. “If you take the initiative, no one would refuse.”

Zhong Nian casually scanned the other teammates in the cabin without a change in expression, then lowered his eyes: “No need.”

After a night, though he hadn’t rested well, he had calmed down considerably.

Having a teammate was indeed better than being isolated and helpless, but only if the other person was trustworthy.

They had only entered this instance a day ago, and the four who had already grouped up wouldn’t make it easy for him to insert himself.

Though the Masked Man had helped him last night, he hadn’t shown any intention of deeper involvement. Clinging to him just because of that casual rescue would seem ungrateful instead.

As for Jie Jialiang…

His abilities were well-known, and yesterday he had acted exceptionally friendly and approachable, even saying he didn’t mind lending a hand. On the surface, he was the best candidate.

But…

“Your complexion looks a bit off. Did you not sleep well?” The man wearing silver-framed glasses looked at him with concern and pushed over a cup of coffee with milk added. “This will perk you up a bit. I added three sugar cubes; it won’t be bitter.”

Zhong Nian didn’t take it, saying, “I heard some noises last night, so I didn’t sleep after that.”

“Is that so?” Jie Jialiang’s surprise was perfectly measured. “Come to think of it, there might have been something last night. But when I woke up, I didn’t hear any cries for help, so I thought it was just my imagination and didn’t pay it any mind.”

With that, he turned to ask the other four at the table, “What about you all? Did you hear anything?”

Bald Man: “Was there? No, I don’t think so.”

Skinny Man: “I-I don’t think so… I was asleep.”

The couple shook their heads.

Zhong Nian tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Maybe it was just my imagination.”

He quickly finished the dry bread on his plate, ignored the neglected milk coffee on the table, and got up to leave the dining room.

He had no intention of traveling with those people anymore and began wandering around the cabin alone.

Whether it was the Bald Man’s group of four or Jie Jialiang, he didn’t believe they hadn’t noticed anything off about the loud gunshot last night.

—Even with his mouth covered, the Masked Man had noticed in time and saved him from the Devil’s grasp.

Besides, in this instance, it wasn’t wise to get too close to unfamiliar teammates, not knowing who among them might be hiding as the Devil.

Thinking again of the Goat Demon’s transformed human appearance from last night, Zhong Nian furrowed his brows slightly.

He had still harbored doubts earlier that morning, but after carefully observing and comparing them at the table once more, Zhong Nian didn’t believe the Goat Demon was any one of them.

Was there another player lurking in this cabin?

That possibility was slim. The most likely scenario was…

Zhong Nian halted his steps and gazed thoughtfully at the cabin’s back door to the yard, which stood wide open.

“It can come in from outside.”

A low, hoarse voice sounded behind him.

Zhong Nian turned to see the Masked Man, who had appeared there at some point. He revealed the first genuine smile of the day, his voice light: “Good morning.”

Under the hood, the man’s sinister eyes fixed on the young man’s especially lively face from smiling, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t give the expected response.

Zhong Nian didn’t mind that this taciturn teammate wouldn’t return the greeting equally. His attention returned to the door. “So, did the Devil sneak in through this door? But does it even need to use the door? Last night, it turned into fog and vanished when it escaped.”

He muttered his guesses to himself, then turned back to ask, “What do you think?”

The Masked Man merely looked at him without answering. He brushed past and stepped out the back door.

Zhong Nian paused, hesitating in the room.

Just as he was about to follow, the Masked Man sensed it and turned his head, saying coldly: “Don’t follow me.”

Zhong Nian touched his nose: “Oh.”

The Masked Man paused only for that instant before continuing onward, soon vanishing into the fog.

Zhong Nian, left in the cabin, watched for a moment, then closed the door properly and secured the latch.

He had neither props nor the confidence to retreat unscathed from encountering the Devil. He couldn’t venture out of the cabin recklessly on bravado alone; better to stay put obediently.

In the cabin’s utility room, he found some tools and planned to fix the door first. As he headed upstairs, he was stopped by the few people discussing in the living room.

“We’re planning to go out and gather clues about the Devil in the town. Want to come along?” Jie Jialiang asked warmly.

Zhong Nian: “Now?”

Jie Jialiang nodded and pulled back the curtains by the window a bit. “Look, the fog outside has cleared.”

Zhong Nian was stunned and looked over.

Outside the window, sunlight had already poured in at some point, turning the wasteland into lush green grass. In the distance, he could see the scattered houses of the small town.

It was as if the thick fog and chilling danger he had seen at the back door just a quarter of an hour ago had been nothing but an illusion.