The woman at the door, dressed as a housemaid, pushed it open with a smile, holding a dinner plate with an exquisite dinner on it.
"Esteemed guest, here is your dinner. You must be famished," she said.
Su Qi had already put down the plank the moment the door opened and then stood up calmly to meet her.
He remarked politely, "Thank you."
Then he glanced at the dinner, frowning, "Wait a minute, why isn't there any coriander? I love eating coriander."
The smile on the housemaid's face stiffened. The outsiders she usually encountered would sincerely thank her, showing a gentlemanly demeanor as they accepted their meal and then praised its deliciousness.
Who would ask her about the absence of coriander?
"I can't eat without coriander."
She was silent for a moment, then compromised:
"I'm sorry, if you really want it, I'll make it again."
But Su Qi waved her off, "Nevermind, nevermind, I'm already too hungry. Just give it to me."
"...." The housemaid clenched her fist and handed it over.
Su Qi took the dinner plate and said, "By the way, after I finish eating, I'd like to see if there's a place in town that can fix a flat tire. Could you show me around?"
"Of course, guest," the housemaid bowed. "I'll wait outside for you, so I won't disturb your meal now."
As she was about to turn around and leave,
"Oh, right." Su Qi stopped her, asking, "What's your name?"
"Ma....."
"Nevermind, I'm not interested."
Su Qi 'slammed' the cabin door shut.
Mary, the housemaid, had bloodshot eyes as she clenched her fingers until veins showed.
Damn it, if you're not interested then why ask at all!
Rude bastard!
Once the time comes, I'll tear you into pieces!
"Whoosh—"
Su Qi immediately dumped the dinner into the hollow space beneath the plank.
The dinner might or might not have been tampered with, but it was best not to eat it.
He leaned back on the bed and thought to himself, "It seems my guess wasn't wrong, I'm still safe as long as I don't have to pray at the church."
"Of course, the condition is that I can't run away or show any flaws and must appear completely harmless."
While pretending to eat,
Su Qi opened his character interface.
[ID: Su Buxian]
[Level: 1]
[Vitality: 100%]
[Physical Strength: 100 (Moving, fighting, and using skills consume Physical Strength, which increases proportionally with the Physical Strength attribute)]
[Strength: 10]
[Movement Technique: 10]
[Physical Strength: 10]
[Spiritual Power: 10]
[Item Slot: Not opened]
[Skill Bar: Locked]
[Note: Non-fatal injuries first deduct Physical Strength. Fatal injuries can directly reduce Vitality. If Vitality falls below 10, a severe injury buff is applied, continuously deducting Physical Strength until Vitality reaches zero, resulting in death.]
[Note: Spiritual skills are not included in the above. Running out of Spiritual Power results in death.]
After scanning over it, what caught his attention was the damage assessment.
The term "high offense, low defense" came to mind.
No matter how high the attack, if it's not fatal, Physical Strength is deducted first.
But no matter how great the Physical Strength, a fatal injury could still lead to instant death.
"Encouraging players to fight and find enemies' weak spots, huh?"
Having roughly understood, the interface slowly disappeared.
After guessing that enough time had passed, he pushed the door open and stepped out, as Mary almost simultaneously emerged from the next cabin.
Not only that, but there were also several seemingly inconspicuous gazes glancing over.
See, being watched like a hawk.
Along the way.
He also saw some Skills on some of the small town residents.
[The Woodcutter is practicing chopping with an ax]
[The Hunter is loading bullets into the hunting rifle]
[The butcher has been sharpening his cleaver for twenty minutes]
Good grief, each one of them had a remarkable skill.
Furthermore, upon closer inspection, each person also had their own panel, with their Strength attribute at around 15.
After a tour around, Su Qi finally saw the church.
Just like in the recording, there were strange patterns on the pillar in the middle of the church. Looking closely, countless evil spirits with wings spread out were entwined upon it, and atop the pillar sat a Sheep Head Demon.
This was the God worshipped by this small town.
"Welcome, our guest."
At this moment, a warm and husky voice sounded.
An old man dressed in Priest robes, was standing on the street corner, staring at Su Qi with his round and pale eyes, a smile spreading across his face.
"I am the Priest of the church and also the mayor of this town."
Su Qi also responded with a smile, "Mayor, I've had a flat tire and cannot drive. Does your town sell tire repair tools? It would be even better if you have gasoline."
The Old Priest said with a smile on his white, wrinkled face, "Of course, but they're all in the storeroom, and the keyholder won't be back until tomorrow."
This was a lie.
Su Qi, feeling resigned, said, "It looks like I can only stay here for the night."
The Old Priest smiled, "May you have a pleasant night here."
Although there was a smile on his lips, his eyes watched like a hunter viewing prey.
Yes.
Prey.
Su Qi had already realized that everyone here seemed to regard him as prey, sharpening their knives, preparing for the harvest.
And at that moment.
Su Qi also saw the [?] above the Old Priest's head.
It read.
[Likes the struggle and despair of the prey]
Old Bieden.
Su Qi also replied politely, "Thank you, I hope you all will also have a pleasant night."
The Old Priest gently caressed the symbol of faith in his hand, a Sheep Head ring, and said meaningfully, "Yes, we certainly will."
He looked towards the distant mountains.
"It's getting late; the sun is about to set, and we're preparing to start the church prayers. Mary, please escort our guest back to the cabin."
"Okay." The maid nodded.
Su Qi offered no objections.
Following the maid Mary, he headed towards the direction of the cabin.
He also saw every resident of the small town, one by one, opening their doors and going out, their gazes fixated on him all the way. Against the darkening sunset, they looked somewhat excited and eerie.
Su Qi acted as if he hadn't noticed and returned to the cabin.
"A town full of Killing Demons, a moment of inattention could lead to an instant death."
However, there was also a chance.
"Next, everyone will enter the church for a twenty-minute prayer. When the bell rings at the end, it will signify the start of their hunt."
"That means, within these twenty minutes... I have to choose whether to run like mad or to hide."
The condition for completing the task is to escape the town or survive for three hours.
Running like mad seemed like the best choice; even if he couldn't get out, he could still hide in the woods.
But in reality, running away was undoubtedly nightmare difficulty.
It was already dark, and in the jungle, there were all sorts of spikes and traps that appeared vaguely in the CG imagery. A person unfamiliar with the area daring to enter would likely die terribly.
Moreover—there was someone guarding the jungle at the town's exit. Although he was extremely well-hidden, Su Qi still caught a glimpse of his hovering question mark.
"No matter which option I choose, both are extremely dangerous."
And time was pressing, after all, every Killing Demon in the town would begin the hunt the moment the bell rang.
"But..."
Su Qi looked toward the deep and serene town outside the cabin, where the atmosphere of terror permeated the streets.
"Perhaps I could try a third option."
The next moment.
Without any hesitation, Su Qi pushed open the door of the cabin and walked onto the empty streets.