With a loud “bang,” the door was kicked open from the outside.
Wu Yang rushed in immediately, followed by Lin Dandan and the two chubby brothers who appeared at the door. Lastly came Wang Peiping, his neck wrapped in bandages. He didn’t dare to squeeze inside, fearing he might encounter the ghost attacking in the night.
He was already injured; if the ghost doll scratched him again, his neck might just break.
Wang Peiping didn’t really care about the lives of the two newcomers. In his eyes, women who had just entered the game world were all weak and timid, and it was easy for them to die in the game. If Gu Jiu and Lu Ji were attacked by ghosts tonight and died, it would be normal.
Moreover, he felt a bit schadenfreude.
He had been attacked by the ghost doll last night. Although it was later proven that it wasn’t caused by the doll Gu Jiu brought back, he was convinced that she had triggered some kind of death mechanism, making him unlucky enough to be the first to be attacked.
Now, it was Gu Jiu’s turn to be attacked. What goes around comes around, and he could only be happy about it.
Wu Yang’s gaze swiftly scanned the room but didn’t find any ghost attacking, which surprised him.
His eyes shifted, and he saw Gu Jiu and Lu Ji. He quickly asked, “Are you guys okay?”
The flashlight beam swept over them, revealing one sitting and one lying down. Although their postures looked a bit disheveled, both were alive, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Wu Yang was a retired soldier. Even though he was pulled into the dangerous game world and had gone through several deadly games, the sense of responsibility in his bones hadn’t diminished in the slightest. So, during each mission, he tried to save as many people as possible, not wanting anyone to die in the game world.
The others also took a good look at the situation inside, surprised that the two were still alive.
What surprised them even more was that there was no ghost attacking them in the room; everything was calm, showing a scene as if the danger had already passed.
The nightstand was overturned on the floor, the sheets dragged off the bed, and there was a broken wooden stick lying on the ground…
A wooden stick? Where did the wooden stick come from?
Could it be that they used the stick to fight back against the ghost and managed to drive it away?
Lu Ji, holding onto the edge of the bed, shakily stood up, her voice weak and unsteady, “I’m fine, still alive…”
As she stood up, she casually pulled Gu Jiu, who was still lying on the ground, to her feet.
Although she looked like a pale and fragile girl, she effortlessly lifted the person on the floor.
Gu Jiu sat on the edge of the bed, her heart, which had been beating like thunder, gradually calmed down. Then, the pain in her body became more apparent, as if her whole body hurt. She could only bite her lip tightly.
Wu Yang, noticing her state, called Lin Dandan over to check on her.
After checking, Lin Dandan didn’t find any bloody wounds on Gu Jiu. She said, “She seems fine…”
Compared to the deep scratches on Wang Peiping’s neck, Gu Jiu was indeed quite fine.
Wang Peiping looked unhappy.
They were both attacked; how could Gu Jiu be so lucky and not even get scratched?
The chubby guy squeezed in with his brother, pushing Lin Dandan aside with his round body, and asked with concern, “Miss, are you okay?”
Gu Jiu replied softly, “My whole body hurts.”
“Could there be other injuries?” the chubby guy asked while looking at Lin Dandan.
Lin Dandan was immediately irritated. What did he mean by that? Was he questioning her professionalism?
Gu Jiu said, “I was hit by that thing earlier, from the bed to the floor…”
She had never been knocked over like that before. Falling from the bed to the ground felt like her waist was about to break.
Everyone: “…”
Seeing that she was fine, Wu Yang and the chubby guy felt relieved and asked what had attacked them tonight.
“It should be the same ghost doll that attacked Mr. Wang last night. Judging by its appearance, it’s also a ghost doll,” Lu Ji answered.
Hearing the expected answer, everyone was now certain that the ghost harming people in the Cursed Village instance was the ghost doll. If there were no surprises, these ghost dolls should be related to the dolls in Granny Wang’s house.
“What about the doll Gu Jiu brought back?” Wang Peiping suddenly asked. “Did it show any reaction when you were attacked?”
Lin Dandan was also eager to find that doll. She had two theories about it and wanted to determine whether it was a man-eating ghost or an important tool provided by the NPC.
The chubby guy casually lifted the overturned nightstand and saw the doll pinned underneath.
“Here it is.”
He picked up the doll and glanced at it under the flashlight’s beam, suddenly letting out a gasp.
His cry startled everyone, making them instinctively tense up, thinking something unexpected had happened. But nothing did; they only saw the chubby guy staring at the doll in his hand with a shocked expression.
“What’s wrong?” Wu Yang walked over.
The chubby guy didn’t speak and shoved the doll in front of him.
Wu Yang’s gaze fell on the doll’s face. Its facial features had drooped, transforming from a cheerful smile into an unhappy, melon-like frown.
Wang Peiping and Lin Dandan also noticed the change in the doll’s expression, nearly scaring them out of their wits.
Although they already knew this was no ordinary doll, for it to change its expression right in front of them—wasn’t it being too obvious?
Wu Yang took the doll and observed it for a moment before turning to ask Gu Jiu, “Miss Gu, did this doll show any unusual behavior when the ghost doll attacked you?”
“I don’t know.” Gu Jiu, too pained to speak much, replied lethargically, “It was too dangerous at the time, so I didn’t notice.”
“What about the ghost doll that attacked you?” Wu Yang asked again.
The others also looked at her with confusion. Logically, the ghost doll that attacked them should have been very dangerous. Last night, Wu Yang had to use a special tool to drive it away. How did Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, two newcomers with nothing, manage to fend it off?
“I don’t know,” Gu Jiu said lazily. “Maybe it saw you guys coming and got scared away.”
Wu Yang scrutinized her, then looked over at Lu Ji, who was standing indifferently by the bed. He felt that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
These two girls were both newcomers and definitely didn’t have any tools to deal with ghosts. Usually, in such situations, if help didn’t arrive in time, death was the only outcome. But both of them survived, and by the time he arrived, the ghost doll had already disappeared.
Lin Dandan and the brothers couldn’t help but look at Gu Jiu and Lu Ji with curiosity.
Only Wang Peiping thought they were just incredibly lucky and sneered, “I think it’s true. Last night, Brother Wu injured that ghost doll with a blood talisman. When it sensed Brother Wu coming, it got scared and fled.”
That was the only explanation.
Wu Yang didn’t press further; being alive was already a stroke of luck. He placed the doll back on the nightstand and said to Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, “Based on last night’s pattern, since a ghost has already attacked tonight, the second half of the night should be safe. Get some rest.”
The chubby guy picked up the two broken pieces of wood from the ground and curiously asked, “Miss, where did these sticks come from?”
Gu Jiu replied calmly, “I found them in Old Li’s yard and placed them by the bed as a precaution.” It turned out they were somewhat useful.
Wu Yang and the others looked at her in disbelief.
They initially thought she was just a spoiled young lady, but she had actually thought of getting a wooden stick to place by her bed for protection. Judging by the way the stick was broken in two and the overturned nightstand earlier, it could be deduced that she had used the stick to fend off the ghost.
“Was it effective?” the chubby guy asked again.
“The first hit was somewhat effective.”
The group’s perception of her changed; they realized that the seemingly delicate young lady was actually quite bold. Even Lin Dandan and Wang Peiping, who initially looked down on Gu Jiu, began to see her in a different light.
After Wu Yang and the others left, the room fell silent, with the flashlight’s beam casting shadows on the wall.
Lu Ji, initially planning to lie down and rest, noticed Gu Jiu still sitting there. She couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Gu Jiu looked at her with a distant gaze. “My whole body hurts. I can’t move.”
Lu Ji: “…”
“Go ahead and sleep. I’ll rest a bit more.” Gu Jiu forced a faint smile, her pale face looking resolute, but her eyes were fixed intently on Lu Ji.
Lu Ji realized that as long as Gu Jiu kept staring at her like that, she wouldn’t be able to rest either. She reluctantly helped Gu Jiu lie down. Hearing her soft gasps of pain, she knew just how delicate this woman was.
“My waist hurts,” Gu Jiu gasped. “I got hit there earlier.”
Lu Ji glanced at her waist. Gu Jiu was wearing a long Bohemian-style dress, with a deep blue floral belt tied around her waist, accentuating her slender figure.
“Can you massage it for me?” Gu Jiu asked, still wincing. “The right side, to the lower back. It hurts the most there.”
Lu Ji wanted to refuse but hesitated. In the end, she slowly reached out her hand, her pale face turning slightly red.
An icy hand gently massaged the area where she was hit. After about half an hour, the intense pain that had been suffocating her finally subsided.
Gu Jiu gradually drifted off to sleep. Before she fell asleep, she didn’t forget to thank Lu Ji for pulling her up earlier.
As she listened to Gu Jiu’s steady breathing, Lu Ji silently withdrew her hand and stared at it in the darkness for a while.
×××
The next day, the sky was bright when Gu Jiu slowly got up.
By the time she woke, Lu Ji was no longer in the room, and the others had long left.
Her body still ached, especially her lower back where the ghost doll had hit her. She lifted her skirt and turned her head to take a look. Unsurprisingly, she saw a large, bluish bruise on her fair skin, contrasting sharply with her smooth, pale complexion.
After slowly tidying herself up, Gu Jiu moved like an old lady, shuffling over to the village chief’s house.
The village chief’s house was empty; both the chief and his wife were gone. Gu Jiu couldn’t find any food there, which left her a bit upset. It seemed that oversleeping in the game world would leave you hungry.
Sitting on the stone ledge under the willow tree in front of the village chief’s house, she covered her stomach and absentmindedly stared at her hand.
Her hands were beautiful—slender fingers with defined knuckles, pale and elegant, well-maintained. Her nails were a healthy pink, neatly trimmed, not too long, and had a smooth curve.
Suddenly, a white, plump bun was held out in front of her.
Gu Jiu looked up and saw Lu Ji’s pale face. She extended the bun a little closer to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu smiled brightly at her and took the bun, starting to eat.
The bun was filled with vegetables and still slightly warm. Though it wasn’t as delicious as when it was freshly steamed, it tasted good enough to someone with an empty stomach.
“Thank you.” Gu Jiu thanked Lu Ji, feeling that although Lu Ji usually seemed cold, she was actually quite kind. She remembered to save her a bun and had helped her last night, even massaging her injured waist.
“Lu Ji, you’re really a nice girl. I like you a lot,” she complimented with a sweet smile.
Lu Ji: “…”
Lu Ji, with a blank expression, sat down on another stone ledge beside her, staring at the weeds by the roadside. She suddenly asked, “Why were you staring at your hand earlier?”
Gu Jiu replied, “I was checking if my nails were damaged. If they were, I’d be really upset.”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand again, her gaze admiring it like a piece of art.
Lu Ji was once again rendered speechless: “….” She had never met someone so vain.
After the two of them sat for a while, they saw the brothers walking in from outside the village.
“Miss, you woke up late today. Are you feeling unwell?” Fatty asked with a concerned expression.
The skinny one, not as enthusiastic as his brother, gave them a slight nod, as a form of greeting.
Gu Jiu responded with a simple “Mm” and bluntly expressed her feelings. “My whole body still hurts. This is the first time I’ve been hurt this badly. The game world is really too difficult.”
Fatty looked at her sympathetically.
From Gu Jiu’s behavior over the past few days, it was clear that before entering the game, she must have been pampered and well cared for by her family. If she hadn’t been pulled into the game world, she wouldn’t have had to go through any of this. He didn’t mock her delicate nature; after all, it was her first time in the game. In D-level game instances, most players had average physical abilities and couldn’t really stand a chance against ghosts.
He comforted her, “Once you successfully pass through your first game, your body should get stronger, and things will get better.”
Gu Jiu thanked him, then suddenly asked, “Fatty brother, skinny brother, are you guys okay now?”
“Nothing much…” Fatty replied. “The village is only so big, and over the past couple of days, we’ve almost turned it upside down without finding much.”
Gu Jiu slowly stood up. “Since there’s nothing going on, why don’t we go visit Old Li’s family? We’ve been staying at their place for so long. It would be impolite not to greet our hosts.”
Fatty: !!!!! What is she planning?!
—
The female lead’s special ability has appeared, but for now, it’s a secret =-=
In the previous chapter, it wasn’t Lu Ji who fended off the ghost. For the current male lead, the female lead is a stranger, so he wouldn’t care about her life or death. His actions are purely based on his character, doing what he can within his capacity.