The teacher's cheerful demeanor rendered me speechless; I had often been the target of confiscation in class, leaving me with a natural sense of defeat. Fortunately, a piercing scream liberated me from my embarrassment. It was unmistakably Wang Lili's voice—what was she exclaiming about?
Furrowing my brow, I hurried towards the source of the sound, and closely behind me, Wang Zhong rushed into the dilapidated house where Wang Lili was screaming. She covered her mouth with one hand while pointing to a corner with the other, where four decayed corpses had been reduced to skeletons, emanating a ghastly stench.
What is there to fear from immobile corpses? I muttered to myself, turning to leave, when the usually silent Wang Zhong suddenly interjected, "Have you ever seen a moving corpse?"
I was momentarily taken aback; I hadn't expected this seemingly cold man to possess a sense of humor. I retorted casually, "Why not? Aren't we all just that?"
A flicker of amusement crossed Wang Zhong's otherwise expressionless face as he patted my shoulder and whispered, "I never imagined the afterlife would be like this, but it's rather intriguing—far more interesting than when I was alive."
In that fleeting moment, I sensed his long-held vigilance towards everyone momentarily ease, though it quickly reverted to its frosty demeanor.
Wang Lili stumbled out, and with the presence of the two men and the daylight, she finally mustered some courage, though I doubted she would continue her screaming inside.
Those individuals were murdered; I had seen the knife wounds on their bodies. Perhaps we are in the midst of bandits or a murderous fiend!
Impatiently, I barked, "I am the murderous fiend! In life, I've violated more than a dozen women, ranging from their teens to their forties. If you scream again, I'll let you experience that fate once more."
Wang Lili's mouth fell agape, unable to close; she likely never anticipated my cruelty to such an extent. Although my words were fabrications, they were delivered with enough conviction to strike a chord.
She certainly didn't perceive my remarks as jest.
When everyone gathered in the room of the farmhouse where we had appeared, we organized our collected items: a bag of unknown rice, over ten blocks of a viscous amber substance that, after an involuntary taste test by the awakened Tang Lei, I confirmed to be edible.
There was also a rather ordinary old horse and a few miscellaneous items.
I possessed fairly detailed information about this disaster-ridden world. However, I had decided against presenting myself as a guide, and thus refrained from sharing knowledge that should remain undisclosed. To the east of this farmhouse lay a cache of weapons and equipment intentionally prepared for us. Though guides in such worlds are restricted in power, they excel in familiarity with the surroundings. The overseer of this demonic playground aims to cultivate warriors, hence I was afforded ample conveniences.
Wang Zhong, Wang Lili, Tang Lei, and Gu Lengzhai were the only four I had deemed noteworthy. The remaining six included Zhang Bo, a lawyer who perished in a car accident; Li Mingda, a fugitive shot dead by the righteous embodiment of law enforcement; and Huang Shengqiu, an ordinary individual who met an accidental death.
Among the three women, two were university students and one a high school student, their causes of death rather unremarkable, yet all were reasonably attractive. One of the university students, named Sun Yan, possessed an air of slender beauty and was quite tall, though she exhibited considerable fear. The other, Lu Li, was a towering figure at around six feet tall, with an exceptionally voluptuous figure and long legs.
While her appearance could be described as merely average, she reminded me of Lilith, despite their differing types. Compared to these two university students, the high schooler could only be summed up in two words: delicate and flat-chested!
If I were to add another descriptor, it would be… bespectacled girl.
As a leader, I found myself lacking, leading this authentic ragtag army. After setting off at a leisurely pace, I regretted bringing along that cumbersome horse, as the high school student, Chen Xiu, and the university student, Lu Li, were constantly vying for the privilege of riding it.
Had I not been in such a hurry, I would have certainly taken the time to discipline both women for a moment of peace.
The awakened Tang Lei remained displeased with the direction I chose, muttering under his breath with evident discontent. However, I tolerated it, for without the first batch of weapons prepared by the demonic playground, my combat effectiveness would be severely diminished, and these individuals possessed no strength whatsoever. In the face of an enemy, we would all meet our doom together. Even if I died as a guide, I would be unable to resurrect; my fate would be akin to that of a failure.
Upon spotting the target—a small hill—I finally exhaled in relief and pointed towards the camp nestled at its base, whispering, "Let's check if there are any people there; perhaps we can learn where we truly are."
Wang Zhong remained silent throughout the journey, yet it was evident he stood with me. Gu Lengzhai, on the other hand, was quite buoyant, encouraging everyone with his words, and upon seeing the camp, he exclaimed, "Everyone, lift your spirits! After all, we have all faced death once; no matter how dire the future, it can only add another unpleasant experience to our lives. Perhaps we can embark on a better new life."
He appeared to have fully embraced his new role, likely accepting the absurd notion of traversing a foreign continent.
Wang Lili seemed emotionally inclined towards me; as a career-oriented woman, she possessed a keen eye and understood the advantages of aligning herself with the right person.
With the support of these three, Tang Lei's attempts to seize leadership were rendered futile. The five who had initially supported him were merely fair-weather friends, swayed by whichever direction the wind blew, unwilling to confront me, the fierce figure I had become.
I was uncertain of the dangers that lurked within the camp, so to avoid any unforeseen incidents, I proposed we scout ahead.
No one opposed this idea, though Wang Zhong suggested he accompany me. This man possessed considerable skill and would serve as a valuable ally, so I accepted his offer.
As we stepped into the camp, a chilling wind swept through, and I beheld one, two, three… a total of six skeletons, all of which were capable of movement.
Could this truly be the resting place of the deceased?