This villain is too popular.

Chapter 424 The Atmosphere of the Old Era
In the dead of night, on Changsheng Island, the gray fog, like cotton wool soaked in cold water, clung stickily to Mi Yao and Chen Kong's collars, carrying the damp smell of decaying leaves as it rushed through the woods.

The crunching sound of twigs and leaves being trampled mingled with the rousing background music in Mi Yao's headphones and the howling of the rotting vine corpses behind him, creating an absurd yet tense rhythm.

Chen Kong followed closely behind Mi Yao, who was leading the way. The wound on his back, caused by the rotting vine corpse, was repeatedly pulled by the running motion. Every breath was like being pricked with needles. Cold sweat dripped down his jawline and fell onto the muddy back of his hands.

Meanwhile, the bandage on his arm, which had only been bandaged recently, was already soaked with sweat. It was cold and itchy against his skin, and Chen Kong could clearly feel the skin under the bandage burning slightly, which was a sign that the toxins had not been cleared.

"Turn left! There's a broken wall about 50 meters ahead that can temporarily block their view."

After running for an unknown amount of time, Mi Yao suddenly braked and turned around, pointing his finger into the air.

As the anime's camera switched to Mi Yao's perspective, a pixelated red arrow suddenly appeared in the open space in front of him.

Just like the 'map guidance' in the game, it constantly points out the most suitable escape route for Mi Yao.

With a clear direction and goal, Mi Yao and Chen Kong accelerated simultaneously, bursting out of a dense thicket of bushes.

The thorny branches rustled past Chen Kong's sleeves, revealing the pale green skin beneath. The sharp stings made him groan, but he dared not slow his pace.

The roars of the decaying vine corpses behind them grew closer and closer, and even the ground trembled with their heavy footsteps.

After rushing out of the bushes, Mi Yao suddenly spoke up as he watched Chen Kong trying to escape deeper into the island.

"Stop."

Although it was unclear why Mi Yao said that, Mi Yao's behavior along the way made Chen Kong make a decision immediately and obediently stop.

As the adrenaline in his body slowly subsided, Chen Kong finally had the strength to look around.

They found themselves standing behind a yellowed, broken wall.

The walls were covered with withered ivy, and there were pieces of rotten wood stuck in the cracks between the bricks. It was clearly an old building that had been abandoned for many years.

"Don't rush, wait here for a while."

Mi Yao took the lead in crouching down and pressing himself against the wall, and Chen Kong immediately followed suit, hiding behind the broken wall as well.

Soon, a scene appeared that surprised Chen Kong greatly.

The horde of rotting vines that had been relentlessly pursuing them suddenly stopped ten meters from the broken wall.

Their scarlet eyes were fixed on the two people behind the wall. The tangled vines pounded the ground with dull thuds, but none of them dared to cross the invisible boundary, as if they were afraid of something on the other side of the broken wall.

Then, to Chen Kong's astonishment, those

After letting out an angry roar, the vine corpses turned and left one after another, and soon disappeared completely in front of Chen Kong and Key.

"You knew they wouldn't dare come near?"

Chen Kong turned to look at Mi Yao, his tone full of surprise.

Mi Yao nodded and generously shared the information with Chen Kong.

"As I mentioned before, I had considered venturing into the heart of the island, but after reaching a certain area, I sensed unknown dangers and ultimately chose to return to the forest."

Mi Yao paused, then pointed to the obvious town buildings around him and said with a solemn expression, "This is the farthest place I have ever been."

"And some of the rotting vine corpses that were chasing me at the time, just like the horde of corpses, didn't dare to approach this place at all."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong pondered for a moment before asking earnestly, "So what did you find inside back then?" The next second, the anime's camera followed Chen Kong's words and began to pan towards the cluster of buildings in the center of the island.

In the distance, the outlines of the buildings in the center of the island could only be vaguely seen in the darkness.

But the scattered lights and faint sounds still made the audience understand that this was not an abandoned city ruin, but a 'city' where people lived.

Of course, this is on the premise that the people living in this city are actually 'humans'.

When the camera returns to Chen Kong and the others, they face Chen Kong's questioning...

Mi Yao didn't rush to answer. Instead, he pulled out tent parts from his 'tactical subspace folding backpack' and started setting them up on the spot, clearly indicating that he was going to spend the night there.

This backpack is an exclusive item he redeemed with game coins. It looks like an ordinary video game bag, but its interior space is ridiculously large.

"Emptiness... there are some things even I can't describe. You'll understand after dawn. Besides..."

Mi Yao deftly set up the tent frame without looking up, saying, "Your poison hasn't been cleared yet, and I can't use my resurrection coins recklessly. We can't take unnecessary risks."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong said nothing more and sat down against the broken wall.

Soon, boundless fatigue washed over Chen Kong's entire body like a tidal wave.

Last night's escape and the corrosive effects of the toxins had already pushed his body and mind to their limits.

Therefore, before the tent was even set up, he leaned against the cold brick wall and fell into a deep sleep, not even noticing when Mi Yao covered him with a dry blanket.

【Early Morning, Changsheng Island, Beside the Broken Wall】

The crisp sound of bicycle bells mingled with the Peking Opera singing from an old-fashioned radio, penetrating Chen Kong's ears.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the blinding sunlight made him squint instinctively.

The thick, oppressive haze of last night has now dissipated, leaving a clean, pale blue sky without a single cloud.

"Get out of here as soon as you wake up, or you'll be stared at like an oddball."

Mi Yao had already packed up the tent and was leaning against the broken wall, munching on compressed biscuits. His earphones were hanging around his neck, and he gestured for him to look at the other side of the broken wall.

Chen Kong followed his gaze and was immediately stunned.

Beyond the broken wall lay a wide open square.

The bluestone-paved ground was swept clean, and several elderly people wearing polyester shirts were slowly practicing Tai Chi, their movements graceful, humming off-key opera tunes.

A little girl with pigtails ran by holding a giant bubble gum. The bubble popped on her face, making an old man reading a newspaper nearby burst into laughter.

An old-fashioned bicycle with a large handlebar crossed the square. A man with a green canvas bag hanging on the handlebars smiled and greeted an elderly man practicing Tai Chi. His voice was so loud that it could be heard over the broken wall.

The scene was so realistic that Chen Kong felt inexplicably disoriented.

If it weren't for the bandages on his arm and the lingering pain from the wound on his back, he would almost have thought he had traveled from the occupied area of ​​Changsheng Island back to a small county town in the 1990s described in his history textbook.

"Let's go and have a look."

Mi Yao swallowed the last bite of the compressed biscuit and patted the crumbs off his hands.

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong nodded, and with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, walked with Mi Yao towards the plaza not far away.
(End of this chapter)