Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 15 The Huang Family Old House
Jiang Jin was stunned when he saw this.

This...this is...

NPCs are issuing quests?

This Mr. Chen just said he's a "hunter," does that mean he's like that old lady in room 701, a reincarnated character who permanently stayed in the instance after his SAN value reached 0? Did he become a newbie guide NPC? No, if his SAN value was 0, he should be able to see the Death Knell.

However, it seems... there's a high probability of receiving a reward if this task is completed.

"If you still haven't made up your mind before I finish this cigarette," the shopkeeper turned back to continue cutting meat, "then you can leave. I won't sell a knife to a loser like you. Take your time thinking about it. I'll cut you some char siu first."

As expected of an NPC (player versus player), no normal person talks to customers like that; how can they do business that way?

Jiang Jin pressed further, "You just called me a hunter, what do you mean? Also, you said you could teach me swordsmanship?"

The owner skillfully sliced ​​the char siu, placed it on the electronic scale, and said, "Either go find me a wine jug, or pay and leave. Seventy yuan! Make sure you see it clearly, it's a full pound of char siu."

Jiang Jin looked over and saw that the electronic scale showed exactly 0.50KG!

This knife skill... It seems that the biggest reward for completing this mission is not the boning knife, but the ability to activate the Bloodstalker's "Hunter's Curse Blade" ability!
He couldn't ask questions, so he had no way of knowing if there would be any punishment if he couldn't complete the task after borrowing it. However, it was clear from the word "dangerous" that the privilege of not lowering SAN within two hours would probably be revoked.

Jiang Jin sized up the boss in front of him, knowing that the other party would not answer any more of his questions, so he made up his mind: "Okay! I promise you."

Then, he handed over the money for the char siu.

A prompt appears before your eyes:

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin has accepted this mission. Your reward will be terminated if your SAN value does not decrease within two hours."

Please complete this task within two hours of accepting it, bring the wine jug back to this location and deliver it to Boss Chen to receive your reward. An additional 10% SAN value will be deducted for each hour overdue.

Prize 1: Chen Ji Roast Meat's Special Boning Knife (containing malevolent energy)

Reward Two: Gain the opportunity to learn and unlock the Hunting Cursed Blade.

Upon seeing these two rewards, Jiang Jin's eyes lit up! Just as he had expected!
It's no big deal to terminate SAN's rewards anyway, since the time was almost up.

The key point is that the mission risk is higher than imagined. If the mission is not completed in time, SAN will continue to drop!

The shopkeeper skillfully took the money, then took out a plastic bag containing the char siu: "Okay. Remember, the wine pot I asked you to find is an heirloom from my ancestors, with the words 'Chen Family Brew' on it. It was lost a while ago."

"Then...where did you lose your wine jug? How long ago was it lost?"

"It should be in the old Huang family house near the ancestral hall," the shopkeeper said. "There are a few locust trees near that house, and the entrance is very dilapidated, making it easy to spot. No one lives there now, but I used to have a good relationship with the Huang family. I would occasionally bring wine to pay my respects to them and feed their big yellow dog, who still lives there, a few pieces of char siu. I think the wine jug... might have been lost there."

Jiang Jin was taken aback.

He immediately looked at the death knell beside him!

Those two brats said that Deathstroke was the dog of the Huang family's old house!

He then realized that Deathstroke seemed to have a kind of affection for his boss as well.

How did the people at the Huang family's old house die?

The boss said, "You don't need to know that."

Couldn't you, the NPC, reveal a little more information?

Alright, let's hurry over there now. Once we find the wine jug, we can come back to him to claim our reward.

Once night falls, no one knows what kind of eerie and terrifying situations the night patrol performance will bring him. Any means to enhance his current combat capabilities are naturally desirable. Even if the mission is dangerous, he has no choice but to take the plunge.

"Okay, I'll go to the Huang family's old house right now and help you find the wine pot."

"Be careful," the shopkeeper advised. "Especially around ancestral halls, don't get too close."

"Thank you for the reminder." Jiang Jin knew that he was used to the other party being just an NPC who simply issued quests, and naturally wouldn't tell him where the danger in the ancestral hall was, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Emerging from the alley, Jiang Jin walked straight towards the ancestral hall. Along the way, he ate the entire pound of char siu with water to replenish his energy.

Just as the roast meat shop owner said, the abandoned house was indeed very easy to find.

About a hundred or two meters behind the ancestral hall, in front of several large locust trees, this arcade-style building stands out abruptly. The railing of the second-floor balcony is severely twisted, and faded fragments of Spring Festival couplets hang like scars on the door frame. When the half-closed wooden door is pushed open, the entire door collapses inward, stirring up a cloud of dust.

A musty smell hit him, and Jiang Jin covered his mouth and nose. The beam of his phone shone on the broken glass scattered all over the ground.

Deathstroke is naturally most familiar with the boss's scent, and now is the time for the Paw Patrol to make a great contribution.

“Deathstroke, I’m taking you back to your hometown. Take a sniff… do you smell the boss?”

He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The beam illuminated the interior of the room: a dusty altar, an overturned memorial tablet, and faded murals on the walls—the figures in the paintings had distorted faces, as if they were screaming silently.

"Where is the wine jug..." Jiang Jin muttered to himself, the beam of light sweeping across every corner.

Jiang Jin dared not be careless. He took out the bone whistle of the dead, ready to blow it at any time.

Of course, it's best not to use it, since using it will deduct SAN value.

"Deathstroke, can you smell a wine jug around here?"

With the death knell around, Jiang Jin felt much more at ease. Even if there were ghosts hiding in the house, it could warn him at any time.

However, he still hoped to find the wine jug as soon as possible and escape quickly.

Deathstroke ran ahead, sniffing the ground, but after looking around the first floor, he still couldn't find anything.

No?

Jiang Jin cautiously steered the Deathly Bell ahead to scout the way, still holding the bone whistle of the dead in his mouth, his left hand holding a phone to illuminate the path ahead, and his right hand holding a fruit knife.

As he carefully climbed the dilapidated stairs to the second floor, they still creaked and groaned.

Just then, he suddenly noticed an unusual warmth emanating from the wooden handrail beside him, as if it had just been touched by a hand.

At the same time, the SAN value on the watch dropped below 80%!

This means that he has returned to the mysterious layer from the materialistic layer.

As I stepped onto the third step, I heard a crisp "crack" sound under my feet.

Jiang Jin looked down and saw half a fingernail stuck in the crack of the steps, its edges jagged, and the fingernail was covered with that disgusting, strange black substance.

Jiang Jin became even more vigilant, preparing for a do-or-die battle once he went upstairs.

Upon arriving upstairs, the second-floor corridor was more spacious than expected, with two rooms on each side.

Large sections of wallpaper have peeled off, revealing moldy wooden boards underneath.

The room on the left had its door wide open, and on an eight-immortal table inside were moldy offerings, with several candlesticks behind them.

The strangest thing was that five armchairs were neatly arranged around the table, with bowls and chopsticks placed in front of each chair.

"These bowls and chopsticks..."

Suddenly, Jiang Jin heard a sound coming from directly beneath the octagonal table... like water flowing!
"Deathstroke, go take a look?"

Deathstroke quickly crawled under the octagonal table, then emerged soon after, shaking his head at Jiang Jin.

Jiang Jin approached the octagonal table, had the Death Bell keep watch over the surroundings, still holding the bone whistle of the deceased in his mouth. At the same time, he squatted down and shone the beam of his phone under the octagonal table, intending to check it again.

Suddenly... the death knell let out a sharp, piercing howl!
Jiang Jin quickly turned around! At the same time, he blew his bone whistle!
However... there was nothing behind him.

what happened?

Jiang Jin stood up again, preparing to take Deathstroke out of the room first.

But after taking only two steps, he suddenly realized something was wrong!

He looked around more closely, and then he felt a chill run down his spine...

Just now, there were five armchairs...

But now, there are only four left!!!
(End of this chapter)