Chapter 18: The Kind-Hearted Person
The boar charged in, and Liang Dan leapt down with long strides. “Wait a moment!”
“Oink! Oink!”
“Whoosh!”
Liang Dan was struck again, flying through the air and crashing into the empty wall, sinking into it.
“Damn it!”
“Great-hearted Liang Dan, insulting the wall—you're dead!”
*
Liang Dan stood by the wall, watching the frenzied boar rushing toward her, her mind remarkably calm.
She pricked up her ears to listen carefully. Outside came the sounds of houses collapsing and villagers whispering among themselves, yet there was no cry for help.
Why?
At this moment, those villagers should all be inside their homes. A pig suddenly bursts in, smashing into the walls, causing the houses to collapse. Why aren’t they calling for help?
If they are trapped under the rubble, why no cries for rescue?
Previously, villagers mentioned many newcomers from other villages. Some of these new players were transformed into frenzied pigs, while others hid somewhere.
Among those hiding players, could there be one who shares the same title as her?
Liang Dan shouted, “Help!”
Suddenly, the tightly shut door was kicked open. A young boy appeared, carrying a large blade on his shoulder. He panted heavily, “Don’t worry, I’ve come to save you!”
The boy stepped forward and grabbed the boar’s tail. The pig struggled fiercely and let out a shrill roar.
But no matter how much it struggled or tried to move forward, it remained motionless. The boy held its tail with one hand and swung his blade with the other, striking the boar. It let out a pitiful scream and immediately collapsed to the ground.
The boy bowed deeply to the fallen boar. “I am truly sorry. Rest in peace.”
After speaking, he slung the blade back over his shoulder and turned to leave.
Liang Dan said, “Please wait.”
The boy turned back, smiling perfectly. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
“Yes,” Liang Dan replied, “I have two friends unconscious. Could you help wake them?”
“Great-hearted Liang Dan, failing to thank your savior—you’re dead!”
*
Liang Dan said, “Thank you very much for saving my life. May I kindly ask you, a kind soul, to help awaken my friends?”
The boy glanced at Liang Dan and scratched his head.
“Great-hearted Liang Dan, displaying sarcasm toward your savior—you’re dead!”
*
Liang Dan widened her eyes. In her previous life, she only intended to follow the system’s instructions and be polite, but unexpectedly, the system judged it as sarcasm.
Liang Dan said, “Thank you for saving me. I have two friends unconscious. Could you please help wake them?”
The boy looked up, glancing behind Liang Dan. “Of course, but it seems they have already woken.”
Liang Dan turned around. Yang Liuqing and Shen Si stood at the doorway, weapons in hand, eyes full of caution as they stared at the boy.
Liang Dan hurriedly explained, “We were almost turned into sheep just now, and a mad pig came charging into the wall. Luckily, this kind human appeared suddenly.”
The boy said, “Since your friends are fine, I will leave now—”
“Help!”
A cry for help came from outside. The boy charged out wildly, carrying his blade, moving so fast he left no trace.
Liang Dan quickly shut the door and took a deep breath. “You all don’t know how dangerous it was just now. No matter how much I called, you wouldn’t wake. That pig came smashing the wall and suddenly brought the whole house down.”
Shen Si looked up. “The house and walls are fine.”
Liang Dan gave her a glare. “I’m not talking about this time.”
Shen Si suddenly understood. “Good thing you were here, or we wouldn’t even know how we died.”
Liang Dan asked Yang Liuqing beside her, “What happened to you just now? No matter how I called, you wouldn’t wake— you were even deeper asleep than Shen Si.”
Yang Liuqing said, “Maybe it’s because I ate more of the food here than you did. Look at your heads—sheep horns have already grown.”
“Ah!”
Shen Si touched her head and exclaimed, “So we were tonight’s sacrifices after all.”
Yang Liuqing said, “We underestimated that woman. We don’t even know when she laid her trap.”
Only the three of them remained in the living room; the woman and the boy had long since disappeared.
Liang Dan said, “That mad pig always charges at this wall. Once, I saw white bones wrapped in firecrackers inside it.”
Yang Liuqing said, “You two go out first.”
Liang Dan and Shen Si hurried outside. Many villagers stood there, facing rows of collapsed houses.
*
Yang Liuqing tapped the wall lightly with the back of her hand, then stepped backward slowly. Just as she reached the doorway, she threw the axe she held with force while running backward.
The axe struck the wall, instantly breaking through. White bones and firecrackers came into view. In the next moment, the entire house collapsed.
The three stood outside the house, their faces grave.
Villagers stood not far off, with several dead pigs lying on the ground. The boy had vanished without a trace.
The man who had been shouting from the high platform pointed at the three. “It’s these three who released the sacrifices, causing us to become homeless. Kill them! Let them go to the river god to atone!”
Countless villagers, faces filled with anger, charged toward the three.
Shen Si shouted, “Yes, those sacrifices were released by the three of us. We take responsibility for our actions. Don’t hurt the innocent!”
The man was momentarily stunned. “What innocent people are you talking about?”
“You’re pretending to be stupid!”
Shen Si roared angrily, “It was that woman and the boy—they are innocent. They never released any sacrifices with us. Why did you capture them?”
Liang Dan hurriedly said, “The sacrifices were truly released by just the three of us. No fourth person was involved!”
Yang Liuqing frowned. “Why waste time arguing with them? Go back and think of a plan!”
“Yes, we must figure out how to deal with them—” Shen Si covered her mouth, falling silent.
The man shouted, “I’m going to kill you!”
Liang Dan quickly ran out. “We’d better run! As long as we live, there will be firewood to burn!”
The three hurried away, a large group of villagers chasing after them, though many remained standing still, motionless.
Liang Dan ran desperately, pushing herself to her fastest speed ever.
When they finally reached outside the village, Liang Dan slowed, panting heavily. Though she had years of fitness experience, she couldn’t withstand such an intense sprint.
Next to her, Shen Si was in even worse shape. She leaned on her knees, gasping. “I really… can’t run anymore… no money… just one life, please!”
Yang Liuqing said, “Look.”
They turned around and saw the pursuing villagers stop in place, faces filled with terror, pointing at them.
Shen Si straightened up and shouted, “If you can’t run, admit it! Why point fingers at us? Didn’t your parents tell you pointing at people is rude?!”