Chapter Sixty-Nine: NPC

When faced with a battle they couldn’t win, Xiao Zhang didn’t hesitate—he grabbed Mo Xiaoxiao, scooped up Tu Shanbai, spun on his heel, and dashed away, with Zhao Bai and the rest close behind. Lian, truth be told, badly wanted to turn back and give that guy a good thrashing, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to stick with Xiao Zhang’s group.

So Xiao Zhang led everyone back to the same old Treasure Pavilion; right now, hiding was the wisest choice. As for Qi Guan, they’d have to wait until the boss was weakened, then try their luck at a rescue.

“Hurry, get inside!”

Remembering the system’s safe house function, Xiao Zhang saw no better option—he hurried everyone into the jewelry pavilion. The group burst inside, and Xiao Zhang quickly dragged over a stone stool to barricade the door. They all huddled together, tense and alert, and only then did Xiao Zhang allow himself a relieved breath.

But then, looking around at the others, his face suddenly changed. “Where’s Lian?”

Zhao Bai and Marcus both froze. Zhao Bai looked up at Xiao Zhang, while Charlie, after the system had rebooted, popped some pills and his hand had actually regained some function.

“I—I remember seeing her as we ran in,” Zhao Tai recalled, hesitating.

“And then?” Xiao Zhang pressed, brow furrowed.

“And then… I didn’t pay attention. We were all running for our lives—so many people—I just didn’t notice.” Zhao Bai sounded remorseful.

“It’s not your fault,” Xiao Zhang offered, forcing a bitter smile. “I didn’t notice either. Where could she have gone?”

Out on the plaza, the little white dragon was locked in a desperate struggle.

The hydra wanted to help, but was hopelessly entangled by Yorick’s two henchmen.

Meanwhile, Qi Guanbei, clad in imperial robes, merely sat atop the dragon throne, watching in silence. “If you acknowledge your mistake now, unfilial child, I can spare your life. I can even help you find a new body to leave this prison.”

The little white dragon shot Qi Guanbei a cold smile and ignored him.

Qi Guanbei sneered in return. “You, Yorick, was it? Kill him, and you can pick two divine weapons from my Dragon Palace.”

At that moment, the hydra, summoning the last of its strength, blew up one of its own heads. Now only two remained. Summoning a wave of energy, it blasted the weapon-woman and the long-tongued man. The weapon-woman was obliterated, unable to dodge, and the long-tongued man barely escaped, losing an arm in the process.

Yorick clenched his fists furiously. Damn it… that power was meant for the boss. He thrust out both hands, gesturing upward.

A tombstone, more than a meter tall, materialized before him. With a thunderous crack, it shattered, and four Wraithwalkers crawled out of the grave.

These Wraithwalkers resembled ghosts, but there was something markedly different about them. Over two meters tall, their forms were shrouded in black robes, faces veiled in shadow with only two clusters of green flame for eyes. One, however, was distinctly smaller than the rest.

Not far away, Lian squatted, eyes narrowed in a sly smile as she watched Yorick at the center of the square. A faint curve played at her lips. “Hmm… an A-rank summoning skill? Oh, there’s more?”

Haunted by the shadow spirits, Yorick let out a strange, piercing wail, his body floating upward. With a flick of his finger, the smallest Wraithwalker let out a cheerful cry, leapt into the air, and merged with Yorick’s body…

In that instant, a burst of green fire flared across Yorick’s body—a dazzling flash, gone in a heartbeat.

Yorick had changed dramatically. He had become the Shepherd of Souls: a long, black robe, thick arms exposed, shoulders flickering with green ghostly fire. His own face had vanished, replaced by a lifeless mask. He hovered above the ground, legs now a swirl of green mist.

In his right hand he gripped a massive gravedigger’s iron shovel, the handle set with a glowing green skull.

Suddenly, the skull blazed with emerald light.

A beam of green shot from the shovel, lancing straight at the little white dragon!

In a flash, the green light pierced the little dragon’s body, and the three Wraithwalkers, as if crazed, charged at him.

Lian, eyes narrowed, fixed her gaze on Qi Guanbei, as if weighing whether to intervene.

“Go, my darlings! Kill that little one and the quest is done!” Yorick laughed, floating after the little white dragon.

Nearby, the hydra, jaw clenched in grim resolve, detonated its last two heads, using its own life to propel the little white dragon to safety.

And then Yorick, like a meteor, shot forward!

With a crash, his body slammed hard into the ground.

Even the green fire that shrouded him seemed to dim in an instant.

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, everyone waited nervously. Xiao Zhang, brow knit in concentration, glanced anxiously at the system countdown; the numbers ticked relentlessly downward.

Just then, the little white dragon, still wreathed in green mist, crashed inside.

Everyone immediately drew their weapons, but the little white dragon, upon seeing Xiao Zhang, spoke directly: “If you want to save your companion, then work with me! Let’s kill the White Dragon—together.”

Xiao Zhang signaled the others to lower their weapons and went to negotiate with the little white dragon himself.

…

The others inside began to talk amongst themselves.

“Maybe we should just stay here,” Charlie murmured. “If we last till the timer runs out, our mission will be complete.”

This suggestion met with general agreement.

But Marcus only chuckled coldly. “If only it were that simple. The system won’t let us just coast to victory.”

“I don’t think it’s so simple either,” Zhao Tai frowned. “I have a bad feeling about staying in this Dragon Palace. My instincts say we have to get out. And it seems Yorick has made some kind of deal with the boss—looks like he wants to kill all the players…”

“That’s very possible,” Marcus sighed. “I’ve been through a dungeon before, in an ancient pharaoh’s tomb. The objective was to prevent an ancient pharaoh from awakening. Plenty of skilled players entered that time. I wasn’t strong enough and got stuck in a side chamber, beset by wave after wave of mummies. Only a defensive item I’d picked up by chance allowed me to hold out till the end.

“My old captain, also a top player, managed to enter the main tomb with a few others. In the end, they failed to stop the pharaoh from awakening, and during the final phase, nearly all of them were slaughtered by the pharaoh.

“I only survived because I never made it into the main tomb.”