Prohibit Certain Players from Contacting the Dungeon NPC!

Chapter 19: The Misty Fishing Village

Mu Miao secretly listened to their conversation. He vaguely remembered Wen Fansheng; he was a very kind person who would even put a coat around him.

These nasty players were looking for him? Mu Miao immediately became alert.  Lin Anqu's image had plummeted in his eyes; he had successfully become Mu Miao's most hated person, bar none.

"Why are you glaring at me like that?" Lin Anqu noticed his expression and deliberately pinched his cheek. "Behave yourself after we go out. Don't try any tricks, or else… if tears well up in those pretty eyes of yours, don't blame me."

Lin Anqu calmly patted his face twice, issuing a veiled threat.

Mu Miao's right hand was tied to his, so he could only angrily turn his head, letting out a snort from his nostrils:  "Humph!"

Li Cong disagreed with Lin Anqu's actions. He declared righteously, "Why is Mu Miao tied to you? I don't agree! We met earlier and are more familiar; we should be together."

Li Cong extended his hand, gesturing for Lin Anqu to tie the rope to him.

Lin Anqu didn't move, meeting his gaze coldly. He gently pulled Mu Miao behind him. "Li Cong, this isn't some children's game of pretend. Don't let this unruly fish confuse you."

Mu Miao: "..."

That word again!  Where was he unruly?!

But now, as a… fish-person, he had no voice. Mu Miao could only dejectedly follow Lin Anqu's steps.

Passing Er Yang, Mu Miao stopped. His emerald green eyes lingered on him. "Are you going to leave him here? He's dying."

Even when discussing the sensitive topic of death, Mu Miao's expression remained unchanged. He simply and calmly stated the man's fate.

Er Yang seemed very cold, his body curled into a ball, his eyes closed. Only his slightly rising chest indicated that he was still alive.

Lin Anqu was unconcerned. "None of my business."

Li Cong's attitude towards Er Yang was complex. They were both newcomers, but Er Yang had sought refuge with Liu Xitu for survival and remained silent when Liu Xitu planned to use him as a scapegoat.

He should hate him, but now he was dying.

Li Cong was agitated. He shouted at the silent Liu Xitu, "Hey! Aren't you a powerful veteran player? He was under your protection; go save him!"

Liu Xitu's breathing slowed. He didn't dare look at Er Yang, standing stiffly.

"So you've given up on him," Mu Miao understood. He walked towards Er Yang, using his free hand to caress his face and smooth his hair. A faint green light flowed into his body.

Lin Anqu: "What are you doing?"

Mu Miao didn't look back. "To allow him to rest peacefully for his next life."

Lin Anqu was amused by his words, though his eyes lacked humor. "Next life? People like us don't have next lives. Even in death, we're not at peace."

Players who entered the system were all those who had died unexpectedly in their worlds, never imagining that they would be enslaved by the system after death.

Mu Miao didn't bother explaining, withdrawing his hand after a few seconds.

At that moment, Er Yang regained some energy. He felt a warm aura wrapping around him, and the pain in his body diminished significantly. Instinctively, he wanted to draw closer to this comforting presence.

Mu Miao watched as Er Yang nestled into his embrace, smiling as he stroked his head gently. "It’s okay, just sleep. When you wake up, all your suffering will be gone."

Er Yang's tense nerves began to relax in response to Mu Miao's voice. Like a moth drawn to flame, he hugged Mu Miao tightly, burying his head in his chest, enveloped by Mu Miao's soothing aura.

Er Yang managed a weak smile. "Thank you..."

Tears rolled down the corners of his eyes. As death approached, Er Yang couldn't help but reflect on his life, opening up to Mu Miao as he recounted, "The young master at home allowed me to leave my status as a slave at the end of the year, gave me silver to build a house and marry, so I wouldn’t have to toil for others for the rest of my days..."

His gaze began to drift, his body losing strength, and his voice fell to a whisper. "...But I died on the eve of the Spring Festival, it seems... I was destined to be a humble servant, the heavens won't allow me to be well-off..."

He forced a smile that was more sorrowful than tears, looking into the dark void around him. His eyelids grew heavy, and his body suddenly transformed into specks of starlight that scattered into the air.

【Ding—Player Er Yang has died.】

【Remaining players: four.】

The drifting starlight barely illuminated the dim basement. Mu Miao reached out to catch the falling starlight, which shone brightly for just a moment before fading into darkness.

To the departing boy, Mu Miao promised, "You won't, in your next life, you will be the happiest child."

The comments section exploded with reactions to Er Yang's death.

【Is this what they call 'the lips are gone, the teeth are cold'? I’m actually sad about this newbie’s death, even though I’m dead too.】

【Actually, he’s quite lucky. He encountered players like Lin Anqu and Su Hanxia, who rely on their strength. Liu Xitu's actions may be somewhat despicable, but compared to others who would deliberately sabotage him, it’s not that bad.】

【It’s really ironic. The only shoulder he could lean on in the end was an NPC, and he died in the arms of an NPC.】

【Major event! I just checked this newbie’s live stream, and it’s gone! It’s actually gone!】

It’s known that when players die in an instance, their souls automatically return to the central hall to await a new entry. During this time, the player's live stream goes black but should never disappear.

【No way! It's really gone, what’s going on?!】

【Don’t tell me, like my wife said, he went to the next life, haha, just joking.】

【...I remember only one player has ever accumulated enough points to escape the system, and his live stream disappeared in a similar way.】

After this comment, the comment section fell silent for a moment before being inundated with messages.

【Wife, you’re really my wife! Hurry, hurry, touch me, touch me!】

【I was still wondering how this NPC could be rated as god-level. Now… you are my god!】

【Let me take that little newbie’s place, sob sob sob, I’d willingly die!】

In an instant, the number of applicants for the next round of the "Foggy Fishing Village" instance skyrocketed.

Lin Anqu was tracking Wen Fansheng's whereabouts when he noticed the comments section going wild.

【Lin Gou, hurry up and die! If you miss this chance, there won't be another!】

【Listen to your mom's advice, hurry up and die!】

【Die, die, die!】

Comments like these flooded Lin Anqu's view. He furrowed his brow and rationally left a comment, "Are you all crazy?" before decisively shutting down the comments section.

Mu Miao waited for a while but saw no movement from them. He rolled up his pants and pushed up his long sleeves. His pale skin was so fair that it was almost blinding in the dim basement.

Seeing this, Li Cong anxiously averted his gaze, his earlobes turning red, unsure of how to position his hands and feet.

Lin Anqu, expressionless, tugged at Mu Miao's sleeves. "Stop trying to seduce people with your blatant appearance."

Mu Miao, who was just annoyed by the length of his sleeves: "..."

Lin Anqu didn't give him a chance to argue and calmly issued orders. "I’ve tracked down Wen Fansheng’s whereabouts. It doesn’t matter if he’s alive or dead; we must get the box he has."

Mu Miao, wanting to irritate him, looked up with a pout. "Wen Fansheng is definitely alive. Even if you die, they’ll be just fine, which will infuriate you."

Lin Anqu pressed down on the back of his neck, half-embracing him as they moved forward. "I have a good mindset; you won't drive me crazy."

Li Cong watched helplessly as Mu Miao was taken away by Lin Anqu, furious but unable to do anything but sulk and follow along.

Before leaving, Liu Xitu glanced back. The dark basement was devoid of light, as if the starlight that had filled it moments ago was just an illusion. The boy who had been shrinking behind him also felt like a mere shadow.

Yu Jia Village had long been overrun by monsters, their massive bodies rampaging through, searching for any sign of living beings.

At that moment, a tall man approached. His tall, pale upper body was covered in mysterious black patterns, and his dark eyes scanned the area.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked toward the nearby ruins. He strode over, but the familiar presence had vanished.

Belcher, with a severed arm in his mouth, walked along, satisfied as he chewed. Noticing Dana standing still, he turned to look in the same direction. "Dana, what's wrong?"

Dana inhaled deeply. "I think I smell Mu Miao's scent."

Belcher was taken aback, his heart skipping a beat. He looked around to ensure he didn’t see that annoying figure before exhaling with relief. "Dana, you must be mistaken. It’s probably some fish someone caught and left at home, not your merman."

Belcher felt a shiver run down his spine as he pulled Dana away from the area, worried that Dana might find that fish. The two useless ones could happily return to the sea hand in hand.