Chapter 172: Encountering an Acquaintance

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Encountering an Acquaintance

After walking for a few more moments, screams erupted from behind them. Shi Zhile glanced back and saw that the once-clear seawater had turned pitch-black. The tide-lapped sand on the beach had turned black with it.

Amidst the boundless black, human bones exposed on the sand looked exceptionally eerie.

The sudden change threw the players on the sea into a panic. They jabbered in their incomprehensible language, screaming as they swam frantically toward the shore.

Many players, in their panic, fell into the sea. The moment they touched the water’s surface, their bodies were instantly corroded, sinking completely without even a chance to cry out in pain.

The players on the beach weren’t faring much better. In their frantic state, they stepped on the bones, and a black mist instantly spread from under their feet. Excruciating pain shot up from the soles of their feet and through their entire bodies. They screamed and cursed as they kicked the bones away.

’While it’s satisfying to watch the spectacle of the Da Dao Country people, it could very well get me killed.’

Shi Zhile turned around and immediately picked up her pace, breaking into a run.

The seawater turning black meant that the source of the spreading black fog wasn’t far.

’The village!’

’I have to get into the village as soon as possible.’

Wen Yuchu followed close behind. "Clue three said we need to get to the village as quickly as possible. Follow me, I have a map of the Cursed Island."

He sped up, taking the lead. Shi Zhile didn’t hesitate and kept running right behind Wen Yuchu.

Gradually, the players who had been lucky enough to escape also caught up.

The screams had completely faded, replaced by incessant and incomprehensible chatter.

They moved from the open beach into the woods, the temperature dropping the deeper they went. Shi Zhile memorized the route as she ran, carefully observing her surroundings.

After about ten minutes, a few rows of short, earthen houses came into view.

Upon reaching the village entrance, Wen Yuchu gradually slowed to a stop and looked back. "What’s wrong?"

Shi Zhile didn’t answer. She walked to the side of the path and pushed aside a patch of thick weeds.

In the weeds was a stone statue, half the height of a person. It was kneeling, holding a white bone up with both hands, its head raised to the sky, and a devout smile on its face.

Shi Zhile took a step to the side, avoiding the statue’s kneeling posture.

Wen Yuchu stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Shi Zhile, studying the statue. "This is a believer making an offering. Look closely at its kneeling posture."

Viewed from the side, the statue’s feet were turned inward as it knelt, a typical pigeon-toed stance common among certain populations.

Seeing that Shi Zhile had caught on to the crucial detail, Wen Yuchu retracted his gaze and a corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile.

Shi Zhile silently observed the piece of bone. It was as white as porcelain jade—far too new compared to the weathered stone statue.

Judging by its size and shape, it was likely a section of a human leg bone.

’If this really is an offering, why is it a bone and not a sacrificial item?’

’Or perhaps... this bone *is* the sacrificial item, implying a human sacrifice.’

Just then, the dozen or so players finally caught up.

Upon seeing Shi Zhile, the man who had spoken to her first walked over and bowed deeply.

"Konnichiwa, you are... from Huaxia..."

He stammered through the sentence before another man pushed past him.

"Excuse me, we’d like to team up with you."

Shi Zhile’s eyes darted toward the small village in the distance.

"If you want to team up, you need to show some sincerity. In the village ahead, each of you will knock on one door."

"Okay!"

After everyone agreed, Shi Zhile had them walk in front.

Just as they entered the village, the door of the very first house opened from the inside, and ten players walked out.

Standing at the back, Shi Zhile stood on her tiptoes and easily saw the scene ahead.

She froze for a moment when she saw the familiar faces, then immediately skirted around the side to get to them.

"Zhiyi? Base Chiefs? You’re... all here?"

The people who came out of the room were none other than Shi Zhiyi and her group.

Looking over the ten people, Shi Zhile recognized eight of them.

The eight were Shi Zhiyi, Wen Bai, the two base chiefs, Jiang Jing, Sun Ci, Tang Yan, and Wei Zhan.

The remaining two, a man and a woman, stood tall and straight, appearing to be in their early forties.

Seeing Shi Zhile’s sudden appearance, they all looked over in an instant, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Jiang Jing and the others moved to shield the two base chiefs, drawing their guns.

Shi Zhiyi first looked Shi Zhile up and down. For some reason, she let out a sigh of relief, nodded at the others, then walked forward and took Shi Zhile’s arm.

"It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Who are these people?"

Shi Zhile lowered her voice and whispered in her ear, "The Da Dao Country people. They started on the beach. Half of them are already dead."

Behind them, the Da Dao Country people eyed the surrounding houses, a greedy light flickering in their eyes. If not for the tall and imposing figures who had just emerged from the house, they would have likely already tried to rob them.

Their greed was plain to see. Shi Zhiyi raised an eyebrow slightly, and Shi Zhile instantly understood what she meant.

’She wants me to trick them into leaving.’

She turned to the Chinese-speaking man from Da Dao Country. "You guys can go search the rooms first."

"But we agreed—one house per person!"

There were sure to be supplies in the rooms, but they would also be accompanied by danger.

The players who had survived this long had all narrowly escaped death in previous instances. No matter how harmless and friendly they appeared on the surface, they were bloodthirsty demons on the inside.

At first, they had planned to use their superior numbers to let Shi Zhile and Wen Yuchu get the supplies, then snatch them away. But now that the people who came out of the room were also from Huaxia and their numbers were about equal, their initial plan was clearly off the table.

The reason they still wanted Shi Zhile’s group to go into the rooms was, to put it bluntly, that they were afraid her group would get jealous of the supplies they found and rob them in turn.

Their convoluted logic, combined with their various twisted, sleazy, and treacherous expressions, made their intentions obvious at a glance.

Shi Zhile’s palms itched. If she didn’t remember what Jiang Yuxing had said about the "ten-person sacrifice," she would have already started hacking away at them.

She smiled, her expression chillingly friendly. "There are so many houses, you go ahead and search first. The black fog should be coming soon. You should make sure the rooms are safe first."

Wen Yuchu stepped forward. "You followed us to find this village. Since we brought you here, we genuinely want to cooperate with you. Don’t worry, we won’t go back on our word."

Many of them started conversing in hushed Japanese. Shi Zhile couldn’t understand it, but seeing them steal glances at her group from time to time gave her the distinct feeling she was being plotted against.

She ground her back teeth and made a point to memorize the faces of a few of them.

The conversation died down, and the man in the lead nodded. "We will stick to our agreement. This instance is very dangerous. All of us players from Da Dao Country know how to fish and are familiar with island climates. We look forward to cooperating with you."

With that, the dozen or so people left.

Meanwhile, the two base chiefs began making introductions to Shi Zhile.

Wen Changming said, "These two are high-ranking members from Jiuzhou Base. This is Base Chief Ye, and this is his wife, Ms. He."

Shi Zhile nodded. "Hello, Base Chief Ye. Hello, Ms. He."

They both nodded in response. "Jiuzhou Base is quite far from Huaxia Base. The two base chiefs have told us about your abilities. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We hope to have the chance to cooperate."