Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Eyes in the Dark (Seeking Full Subscription)
[The Manor Owner’s Pet—Specter Wolf, Fourth Tier Specter Species, abilities masked, attributes masked.]
The manor owner’s pet? The creature raised by the owner of this manor is quite charming indeed.
"WOO~ WOO~ WOO! WOOF!"
The giant wolf continued to growl at Lu Luo, but the White Snake crawling beside him exerted great pressure on it, so it did not dare to directly attack Lu Luo.
But the hatred and loathing in its eyes seemed to be etched deep into its bones, impossible to erase.
"Do we have some kind of deep hatred? You’re looking at me like this. A blood feud?"
The giant wolf kept pacing around the blacksmith’s shop, emitting low growls and barks.
Lu Luo could afford to ignore it; he was an old coin, a street mutt.
But the White Snake couldn’t. It had the pride of an elite Exotic Species; it had to protect its master.
The White Snake gradually rose up, continuously flicking its lightning tongue.
HISS!
A bolt of lightning shot out instantly, nailing the giant wolf’s ribcage with unerring accuracy, and the wolf fell into the water, howling in agony.
All the while, it was making "AWOO, AWOO" sounds that felt rather like a Husky.
However, Lu Luo did not find this funny. He felt that something was not quite right—the manor owner’s pet was off, as was the manor itself.
And my role as a butler also seems a bit off!
This game... forget it. I should just continue with it and worry about completing it later.
The commotion near the blacksmith’s shop and the pond obviously attracted other players.
These players seemed to have gotten wiser; they had now grouped into sets of four or three, with a group of four heading toward the blacksmith’s shop.
The three-person group continued to explore the interior of the manor villa.
Lu Luo patted the White Snake’s head, gesturing for it to hide. He himself quickly jumped up, hiding on the second floor of the manor villa.
The four teamed-up players had now arrived at the area between the blacksmith’s shop and the pond.
They were the prostitute, the accountant, the doctor, and the teacher.
Looking at the wet patches on the ground and the marks of battle around, the teacher among them began to analyze.
"There are clear traces of water and claw marks around the blacksmith’s shop, which are traces of a canid. They must be from some kind of Exotic Species.
Judging from the direction of the water traces, this Exotic Species had a fight with something in the blacksmith’s shop.
So I’m certain that there is an Exotic Species in the water, and it’s a very powerful one."
Watching the teacher analyze so confidently, Lu Luo almost wanted to play some dramatic detective-reveal music for him—like the kind from those detective shows where they dramatically announce, "There is only one truth!"
[Teacher, attributes masked, abilities: Analysis, Narration.
Analysis: Analyze data and abilities.
Narration: Express clearly and concisely.]
No sooner had the male teacher finished speaking than the female accountant joined in.
"I’ve found something valuable, right there in the water. It’s treasure-level, and it should be worth a lot.
Moreover, powerful Exotic Species are sure to drop valuable items.
Therefore, I think we should try to kill it!"
Everyone was driven by self-interest, the accountant included, and she was constantly urging the others to explore the pond.
Meanwhile, Lu Luo had also received information about this accountant’s abilities.
[Accountant, attributes masked, abilities: Treasure Hunting, Markup.
Treasure Hunting: Once activated, find valuable items nearby.
Markup: Increases the accountant’s Token income by 100%.]
When Lu Luo saw the accountant, he fell into deep thought. This 100% income increase... if she survives, it would be quite powerful!
No, an increase of 100%, under certain conditions, is excessively powerful.
Lu Luo stared at the accountant, immersed in thought.
「...」
The accountant must have discovered something exceptionally valuable; that’s why she’s so eager to provoke the others into action.
But a Fourth Tier Exotic Species is far stronger than a Third Tier one!
Lu Luo was really a bit afraid that these people were not a match for that wolf.
If these people get killed by that wolf, especially if the accountant is killed, then all my efforts will have been in vain!
After some contemplation, Lu Luo noticed that the four players had already started to prepare for battle. It seemed that these headstrong players were not planning to give up the things in the pond.
This is good. The blacksmith’s shop is right next door. I can take care of three of them in one go and at least complete the mission.
Their first game must have been too simple. That’s why their judgment of their surroundings is so poor, and their sense of danger is lacking.
If they go into the water like this, that wolf will tear them apart.
So, I’d better give them a hand!
Having to kill and save, playing both dad and mom... my life is too hard!
Lu Luo closed his eyes slightly, immersed his consciousness in his specimen room, and already had a new plan in mind.
[Sequence S-07 Summoner in use, consuming 250 energy points to summon a First Tier Exotic Species, Crawler.]
The several-fold energy consumption made Lu Luo feel a bit of a loss, but such a First Tier Exotic Species was indeed a very useful lure.
After all, as a First Tier Exotic Species, its attributes are trustworthy.
"Go, take my old leg, and say hello to that wolf," Lu Luo instructed the Crawler.
The Crawler groveled on the ground; in front of Lu Luo, it didn’t even dare to show any sign of emotion or attempt to communicate.
Lu Luo handed over his original wooden leg to the Crawler, which took it in its mouth and hopped down from the upper floor.
Summoners are really useful! Lu Luo mused, watching the Crawler run off.
The four players discussed how to lure the creature out of the water, and it was clear that someone had to act as bait.
After the discussion, they decided that the teacher would be the bait, as he had analytical abilities and his own combat strength was not bad either, enough to deal with an Exotic Species.
"I’m ready!"
"Okay, we’ll cover you."
The teacher, holding a knife, was about to go down, while the other three, each armed with a gun, stood at the edge of the pond, ready to provide fire support at any time.
"Hey, wait, what’s that?"
"Looks like an Exotic Species?"
"Should we shoot? It’s coming towards us."
"It’s not coming towards us; it’s running to the other side of the pond. Wait a bit longer."
The group also noticed the strange behavior of the Crawler and decided to wait a bit longer.
The Crawler moved fast, and soon stopped by the pond with Lu Luo’s short leg in its mouth.
SSSS!
Its tongue wrapped around that short leg, constantly waving over the pond, a behavior that made the expressions of the four people by the pond even more perplexed.
"The behavior of this Exotic Species is so strange?"
"It’s not strange; it’s luring something in the pond!"
"What?"
BOOM!
The one-eyed giant Specter Wolf burst out of the water again and bit the Crawler on the shore into two pieces.
Filled with rage and resentment in its eyes, after swallowing Lu Luo’s severed leg, it howled at the sky.
"AWOOO!"
Watching the Specter Wolf, Lu Luo became even more certain that there was something wrong with this manor, or rather, with his role as the butler.
The pet is filled with hatred towards the butler. The blacksmith wants to kill the butler without reason, and the pet also wants to kill the blacksmith.
So the question is, what’s the relationship between the pet, the butler, and the blacksmith?
Does the chef in the restaurant count as a servant? Are there other servants in this manor?
While Lu Luo was pondering these relationships, the giant wolf that had leaped up already saw the four players in front of it.
The two sides confronted each other.
The prostitute, seeing the hesitation of the other team members, spoke up, "You go, don’t be afraid of dying. If you die, I’ll resurrect you. I haven’t even used my doctor’s ability once."
After he said that, the real doctor by his side frowned. Looking at the prostitute, she ultimately kept silent.
The accountant and the teacher exchanged glances, and ultimately, it was the teacher who went first.
After all, he was the strongest among them, so there was naturally no issue with him taking action at this time.
"Come on, big dog!"
Suddenly, a burst of Holy Radiance emanated from the teacher’s body, a signature power that indicated he was originally a member of the Church.
However, the player’s identity concealed his attribute information, and Lu Luo couldn’t tell what tier level he was.
If he’s a Third Tier Church member, there really might be a chance to kill a Fourth Tier Exotic Species.
CLANG!
A knife light, coated with Holy Radiance, flashed, leaving a huge gash on the forehead of the Specter Wolf.
Countless ghostly souls howled as they spread out from this gap, but the Specter Wolf endured the severe pain and pounced, knocking down the teacher!
RATATAT!
The bullets from the other three continuously struck the Specter Wolf, and pale blue flames erupted along with the bullet wounds.
It seemed that with each attack it suffered, the wolf released some of the souls within it.
It bit off half of the teacher’s body in one snap, then casually tossed him aside.
And then it pounced towards the other three again.
"Where’s your resurrection spell? Use it now!" the accountant shrieked.
The accountant looked at the prostitute in panic. The teacher had the strongest combat power; if even he couldn’t face the Specter Wolf head-on, it would be almost like sending themselves to their deaths if the three of them went up now!
"He’s not dead, so I can’t use my resurrection spell," the prostitute replied.
The prostitute shot a glance at the doctor, who had a moment of conflict in her expression, then nodded.
The doctor’s true ability was healing, nothing like resurrection. Just as she was about to use her power, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from the distance, piercing her forehead.
The doctor hadn’t used any abilities before she was assassinated by Lu Luo.
"What?"
Originally, my plan was for everyone to search for things independently, to profit, to harvest!
But after seeing the accountant’s ability, I’ve overturned all my previous thoughts. Now, I only need to keep the accountant alive.
The doctor, an unstable factor, should simply be dealt with directly.
Even though the White Snake was very powerful, Lu Luo still decided to act cautiously, letting them struggle against each other first before making a move.
If I’m spotted by three people at once again, that feeling of my attributes dropping to 1% is not pleasant.
With the White Snake killing the doctor, the possibility of the players being resurrected or healed was cut off entirely, reducing Lu Luo’s concerns significantly.
The giant wolf watched the White Snake warily, but the White Snake’s target was the loudmouthed male prostitute.
The accountant had already started running, and the prostitute wanted to run too, but the White Snake’s lightning speed was faster!
Its jaws clamped down on the prostitute’s waist. The power of a Fourth Tier elite Exotic Species was too great, and the prostitute had no chance to fight back before his spine was crushed, killing him completely.
After killing the male prostitute, the White Snake immediately coiled around the head of the Specter Wolf.
The Specter Wolf immediately leaped into the pond, trying to escape, but Lu Luo had ordered the White Snake to thoroughly kill this Specter Species.
So the White Snake did not dodge; instead, it plunged into the pond right after the Specter Wolf.
The water in this pond was not really water, but rather a solution of souls condensed from countless spirits.
As a living creature, the White Snake’s entry into the pond water meant it was constantly attacked by these souls, tearing and biting at it.
"Stop playing, just finish them off!" Lu Luo commanded.
After giving the order, Lu Luo stopped looking at the pond and limped towards the garden, moving quickly!
He headed in the direction the accountant had fled!
「...」
The accountant kept running. She had been afraid of snakes since she was young, and that snake just now was so big, terribly big; if she didn’t run, she would surely die!
After a long time, she finally stopped, bent over, and rested her hands on her knees, gasping for air.
But besides the sound of her breathing, there were other strange noises around.
SNIP! SNIP! SNIP!
"What is that?"
SNIP! SNIP! SNIP!
"A cutting sound? Is this a garden? It’s not another Exotic Species, is it?"
The manor was too dangerous, and the accountant didn’t want to stay any longer. She planned to escape and find a place to hide until daylight.
Although her income wasn’t much, once she was out, she could exchange for several keys using her markup ability, and that would be enough.
However, at this moment, the trees around her suddenly elongated, their branches blocking her path.
"What the hell is this place? Can these trees actually attack me?"
The accountant was extremely scared. She didn’t know where to run, but at that moment, she saw a stone flying towards her head.
BANG! The stone shattered. Luckily, the accountant had ducked in time! Otherwise, it would have crushed her skull.
A giant Cyclops emerged from the shadows of the forest; a huge black eyeball sat atop its head.
"This is..."
The Cyclops picked up its scissors, ready to come over and snip off the accountant’s head.
In the nick of time, a grappling hook caught the accountant’s calf and instantly pulled her out of the woods.
The accountant, still reeling from shock, gasped for air, her ample chest heaving up and down.
She turned her head, wanting to thank the person who had saved her.
But the "thank you" she wanted to say just couldn’t come out!
[How can this woman not know how to say thank you? Really ungrateful.]
"Right, I saved you. Why aren’t you saying thank you?" Lu Luo said with some dissatisfaction.
Looking at the decayed skeletal figure in front of her—its half-rotten face, ghostly flame-like eyes, skeletal arms, and that fake leg made of iron—
The accountant’s throat made a trembling "er... er..." sound, but she couldn’t utter a single word.
「...」
As soon as the White Snake in the pond received Lu Luo’s order, its body began to grow larger and larger until it finally revealed its true form:
A White Browed Orochi, several dozen meters long, thicker than the embrace of two or three people.
CRACKLE! ZZZT! ZZZT!
Thunder zapped through the pond water, the Specters kept howling in agony, and the Specter Wolf got its head bitten off by the White Snake, dead beyond dead.
After slaughtering all the Specter Species in the pond, the White Snake suddenly inhaled, absorbing countless spirits into its body.
Then, shrouded in lightning, it digested these Specters.
HA!
The White Snake made a motion similar to Lu Luo spitting out poison, but this time what it sprayed out were the indigestible impurities of the Specters.
Having done all this, the White Snake then swam towards the garden.
On the second floor of the villa, the student watched this scene quietly, his lips slightly curled upwards.
Maid, cook, blacksmith, pet, and now the gardener! The butler is so powerful; he’s full of surprises.
"Hey, what are you looking at here? Did you find anything good? Come here, show me."
The one speaking was the miner. Among the remaining three, he was the strongest, so he naturally could command the student.
"I didn’t find anything, really, I found nothing."
The student’s voice sounded panicked and scared, and this uneasy tone made the miner even more certain that the student must be hiding something good.
"I told you to come here, didn’t you hear me? Are you deaf?"
"Eep!"
The student turned his head and meekly walked over to the miner’s side.
The miner knocked on the student’s head with the gun barrel and threatened, "Where is it? Hand it over. What are you waiting for?"
The moment the student lifted his head, his eyes suddenly enlarged, exceeding the limits of a normal human, and his eyeballs were filled with irregular blood vessels.
They were like two twisted and grotesque lanterns!
"Very good!~"