Chapter 97

Chapter 97

The mist was thin, and the pawnshop's entrance remained adorned with vibrant flowers. Fox Si was leaning against the door, smiling brightly.

After Luo Xi safely sent Xi Yu, he softly reminded, "Be careful. I’ll handle my matters and come back to find you."

"Mm, you too," Xi Yu said, waving his hand without hesitation, walking ahead alone.

But Luo Xi, like a parent worried about their child, peeked around for a moment before reluctantly turning away.

Almost no woman dislikes handsome men, even if she is just an NC.

Fox Si didn’t hide her flirtatious demeanor and was naturally happy to see Xi Yu: "Ah, young man, you’re back again."

Having seen this "woman" take others' abilities, Xi Yu no longer regarded her as an ordinary person. He lightly smiled and said, "I saw the job posting? I heard Boss Fox is hiring shop assistants. Do you think I qualify?"

Fox Si stepped out of the store in her embroidered shoes, beaming with a wide smile: "Of course, I love young and handsome assistants like you. Come work at my pawnshop, and I’ll give you half a steamed bun every day to fill your stomach."

"Thank you, as long as I get a badge to stay at the shelter, that’s fine," Xi Yu replied calmly.

Fox Si shook a handkerchief on Xi Yu’s shoulder: "However, I only need two assistants. There are many people applying. I’m a very fair boss, so I have to test you before deciding."

Xi Yu wasn’t surprised by this request: "Of course, but how will you test me?"

Fox Si turned and took two steamed buns wrapped in straw paper from the shop: "I... need a pair of eyes and a hand today. Go out and find someone willing to pawn something, buy it and bring it to me, and you can work at the pawnshop."

...It turned out she wanted the player to assist in a morally questionable task.

Xi Yu wasn’t naive enough to talk about morals with an NC. He nodded and agreed, "Okay, I’ll return as soon as I can."

"Then I’ll wait for good news," Fox Si said, flashing a red grin and showing her sharp white tiger teeth. "There won’t be many chances, don’t miss it."

Xi Yu took the steamed buns and trudged back into the thick mist, searching for an NC who would soon fall victim to his actions.

Almost at the same time, Luo Xi quickly found the head of the guard, Situ, who was inspecting the protective wall near the stone fence. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the four- to five-meter-high wall, and asked in confusion, "Aren’t the zombie demons just regular villagers who turned? Can they really climb this wall?"

Situ sighed: "Although the zombie demons’ bodies are stiff, they’re incredibly strong and numerous. If they break through a door or scale a wall, it’s very hard to handle."

"I see," Luo Xi smiled indifferently. "I heard you're recruiting patrolmen. How do I look?"

Situ turned his serious and determined face, patting Luo Xi's shoulder casually: "You have good physical condition and seem smart, but there are many people wanting to be assistants now. I need to test you."

Luo Xi gladly accepted: "Of course."

Situ was much more straightforward than Fox Si and immediately laid out the requirements: "Although Taoyuan Town is mostly calm and there haven’t been any signs of zombie demons, I suspect a few villagers who were bitten are hiding in the mist. If we wait until they fall ill, it could be disastrous... So, if you can capture four infected villagers, I’ll appoint you as a patrolman."

"Understood, but how do I identify the infected?" Luo Xi furrowed his brow. "I can’t be expected to strip villagers and check for wounds, can I?"

Situ took a small plant in a glass bottle from his pocket: "This herb is called Zhaoyun Grass, given to me by Doctor Yan. It reacts strongly to the zombie poison. If the leaves turn dark purple, it means there’s an infected person nearby. Keep an eye out."

"Something like this exists?" Luo Xi mocked. "If I’m not mistaken, before this disaster, no one knew about zombie poison or the zombie demons. Is this Doctor Yan some rare famous doctor?"

Situ smiled bitterly: "Don’t say that. He’s the doctor at the Lin family estate, but he often gives free consultations and has helped a lot of people."

Now wasn’t the time to investigate NC secrets. Besides, Luo Xi wanted to reunite with Xi Yu quickly, so he grabbed the Zhaoyun Grass and said, "No problem, I’ll be back soon."

Just as he turned, he unexpectedly encountered another fox mask—this one belonging to Xu Rou, who seemed to pose no threat.Lo Xi raised an eyebrow: "You actually came to look for this job."

Xu Rou softly said, "There's no choice. The competition for easy jobs is fierce, and besides, there’s not much I can do."

Although she seemed harmless, she had survived for a long time on Yun Tai, and there was no need to offend her for no reason. Lo Xi's attitude remained calm: "I wish you success. I'll leave now."

Xu Rou silently watched him stride away, and then nervously took a deep breath, moving closer to Head Constable Situ.

Rich experience didn't provide her much sense of security in the competition. After all, the remaining competitors weren't pushovers, and if she didn't proceed carefully, the consequences would be unimaginable.

West Yu, drained of energy, felt as though he had turned into a cotton ball. Though his limbs were intact, the soft, limp feeling wouldn’t go away. Compared to his previous agility and alertness, he felt incredibly insecure.

Fortunately, he wasn't just a reckless man relying on brute strength. Courage was more important than physical strength.

West Yu calmly searched along the street. Although he occasionally spotted a few NPCs rushing by, there was no time to stop them and try to sway them. Even the beggar he had struck up a conversation with in the morning had disappeared, which was frustrating.

Just as he was about to lose hope, he heard faint sobbing ahead.

West Yu quickly approached and caught the strong scent of medicine.

Yonghe Hall...

Could this neat and elegant small house be where Doctor Yan, as rumored, lived?

West Yu curiously observed for a moment, then walked over to the child crouching at the door, crying, and asked, "What happened? What trouble are you in?"

The boy choked up and said, "I'm so hungry... I want to eat... but Doctor Yan says I'm not smart enough, so he won't let me work here..."

West Yu's heart trembled. Reluctantly, he took out a steamed bun: "I have something to eat."

The boy’s eyes, red from crying, instantly lit up.

"But I can't just give it to you, because this bun belongs to Fox Fourth Aunt," West Yu suppressed his inner reluctance and said harshly, "You have to understand, no one can take anything from her for free. Everything has a price."

The boy slowly froze and asked quietly, "Then... what price do I have to pay?"

West Yu remained silent.

The boy was so thin, his skin barely covering his bones, and he grabbed West Yu's boot, saying, "Big brother, I'm really hungry, I'll do anything."

Before West Yu could decide to do something bad, a familiar laugh came from the door.

It was Du Li, playing with a medicine jar.

Du Li's eyes showed a teasing expression: "It's already this late, and you're still pretending to be all virtuous? Instead of pitying these emotionless NPCs, why don't you worry about your teammates? If you miss the chance to find a job, you won't even know what to pawn to afford a stay at an inn."

Though her words were often teasing, there wasn’t a hint of falsehood in them.

West Yu calmed down and said to the boy, "I need your eyes, or a hand."

The boy’s face turned pale, and after a two-second silence, he tremblingly extended his hand: "I... I'll give you my eyes..."

West Yu was shocked by his immediate act of offering his eyes and quickly turned his head away.After a while, West Yu felt two damp, soft lumps pressed into his hands.

The little boy's face was covered in blood, and he grabbed the steamed bun and began devouring it hungrily.

A feeling of disgust surged from West Yu's stomach, and he quickly turned around, retching.

Du Li giggled: "If you’re going to hate, hate the perverted planner. Look at how unlucky you are, do you really think you can complete this game?"

West Yu quickly composed himself, wrapped the boy's eyeballs, and glanced toward the courtyard of Yonghe Hall. He realized that in addition to Du Li working here, there was also the frail, inconspicuous, and equally exhausted female streamer, Li Mo.

Lo Xi had once praised her for having an impeccable memory. It seemed she was indeed well-suited for the intelligent work of assisting the doctor.

Du Li couldn't wait for an answer and asked again, "Where's Lo Xi? How could he bear to leave you to run around by yourself?"

Although they didn't have any deep grudges, it was clear they couldn’t cooperate well, so West Yu coldly replied, "None of your business."

"What's there to be proud of? Let me tell you, Fox Fourth Aunt is in high demand. If you keep dragging your feet, you'll end up sleeping on the streets!" Du Li couldn't help but shout.

West Yu didn’t answer, but quickened his unsteady pace, continuing toward the unknown ahead.

Compared to West Yu's immoral actions of helping Fox Fourth Aunt sell buns, Lo Xi's mission didn't weigh as heavily on his conscience, since catching the infected villagers was ultimately meant to protect more people.

He wandered through a narrow alley with the Zhāo Yún grass in hand, and as he smelled a foul odor, he saw the grass turn into a toxic deep purple.

Lo Xi immediately steeled himself and followed the ominous scent into a small courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, around ten people were sprawled across the ground, either sitting or lying down. Each one appeared emaciated, with vacant stares, and many were covered in wounds.

Lo Xi couldn’t help but sneer, "What are you all looking at? Is someone here bitten by a corpse demon? Hand them over to me now, or I'll tie you all up and bring you to Situ!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in the far corner immediately clutched her child tightly.

The child let out a heart-wrenching cry, weakly calling out, "Mom... it hurts..."

Lo Xi stepped forward, towering over them, and noticed that the child's neck was wrapped in a dirty cloth, but it was still stained with large patches of dark red blood. He couldn't help but click his tongue, "How pathetic, such a young child, already losing the right to live."

The woman trembled and begged, "I’ll heal him, please! Lord Situ will burn him alive, he’s only five years old, please, I beg you!"

Lo Xi was not as soft-hearted as West Yu. He snorted, "He's only five years old, but you adults didn’t protect him properly, so if he gets burned to death, it's your fault."

As he said this, he reached out to lift the heavily infected boy.

At that moment, a male NPC, unable to endure any longer, rushed over, lifting a large stone and throwing it fiercely at Lo Xi's head!