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Chapter 627 Wang Xiaoer

—To be honest, as a person, Wang Xiaoer feels like a failure.

He lost his father when he was three, his mother when he was four, and even his grandfather, with whom he had always depended on each other, died of a sudden illness when he was six. To be honest, it wasn't a serious illness; some antibiotics would have been enough. But in this world, medicine is a rare and precious resource. Even the price of just one pill is beyond the reach of a poor family like his.

So he could only watch helplessly as his grandfather's illness worsened. He tried countless alternative methods, but unfortunately, the kind old man ultimately succumbed to the disease and died in the stinking shack.

On the day of the burial, Wang Xiaoer did not cry. He simply took advantage of the quiet of the night, dragged his grandfather's body alone, dug a deep pit, and buried the emaciated body in it.

This wasn't because they were afraid of insects or rodents, but because they were afraid that starving people would dig up the corpses and use them as food for themselves.

After that, Wang Xiaoer became an orphan completely.

Orphans are quite common in dungeons. If they're unlucky, they'll die of illness or starvation in some unknown corner before they reach adulthood. If they're lucky, they might be able to join a gang and make a living.
Wang Xiaoer is the kind of person whose luck is neither good nor bad.

He was very fortunate to have lived to an age where he could support himself, but unfortunately, no gang wanted him, so he had no choice but to become a scavenger in order to make a living.

Of course, these are the scavengers who haven't obtained official certification and can only pick up scraps.

For him, life went on day by day, he was never full or warm, but at least he was kept from starving. If he happened to be lucky, he might be able to get a little meat to eat.
Several years passed by like that. Wang Xiaoer thought his life would be like this forever. But one day, he suddenly heard the mayor announce the reward.
He had no hope of going to the amusement park; that was a place only high-ranking officials and nobles could go. He only hoped to get some money and find a companion. Even if the other person wasn't good-looking, it didn't matter, as long as they had a good personality and were stable. At least he could fulfill his grandfather's dying wish.

Therefore, he chose a place that was relatively familiar and had a relatively low level of danger.

But who would have thought?

This place happened at the exact moment he arrived, neither early nor late!

Now things are really bad; the entire mall has become a ghost town, and the danger level has skyrocketed. He can't even leave now!
To make matters worse, based on some rumor they'd heard somewhere, these guys actually thought human lives could be used as currency, and then they set their sights on me, who seemed the easiest to bully.

Okay, it's not that it looks like I'm the weakest person in this godforsaken place. But the problem is, why am I so unlucky? I tried my best to hide, and yet I still got caught!
Wang Xiaoer hated that damned luck. Admittedly, it wasn't suicide, but he didn't want to gamble on whether he would be reincarnated or become a bizarre collection after death, so he had no choice but to run away.

They ran for their lives.

However, the two people chasing behind were not in a hurry. They did not want to make too much noise and attract the attention of the strangeness of the place, so they followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Even so, Wang Xiaoer could not escape.

Seeing that the men were grinning maliciously and getting closer and closer, he could only frantically rush towards the more dangerous places, hoping that they would give up.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

Just as he was becoming increasingly desperate and even staggering, suddenly, a hand reached out from the darkness, pressed down on his arm, and then dragged him over at an incredible speed!

So, it's fallen into the hands of a monster?
Wang Xiaoer was immediately filled with grief—if he had known this would happen, he would have preferred to have been killed by those guys—but what he touched was a warm body.

Then, he saw a face in the dim light.

The face was quite ordinary, yet in this dangerous environment, it maintained a remarkably calm demeanor, which reassured people.

Then, the owner of that face gently raised his index finger and made a 'shh' gesture.

Wang Xiaoer fell silent.

Seeing that he had quieted down, the man smiled and then looked outside.

—The timing was quite coincidental; he and the two burly men crossed a corner one after the other, causing them to lose track of him immediately.

However, just as Wang Xiaoer breathed a sigh of relief, those two guys did something unbelievable again.

After whispering to each other for a while, those two bastards actually started searching around on the spot!
In an instant, Wang Xiaoer just wanted to curse.

Damn it, I'm not some hot commodity, why are you all acting like this?!

Just as his palms were about to clench until they bled, the one who saved him shook his head and uttered a soft remark.

"I didn't want to kill you, but since you're courting death, there's nothing I can do."

He gave Wang Xiaoer a reassuring look, and then quietly slipped out.

At this moment, Wang Xiaoer noticed that the man's foot seemed to be somewhat disabled. Although it was not noticeable when he was standing, there was always a sense of obstruction once he started to move.

Seriously, bro? Your foot's in this state, and you still want to fight someone?

Wang Xiaoer reached out, trying to grab the man, but the man moved too fast, and in the end he only managed to grasp air.

He had initially thought the man was doomed and was hesitating between rushing out to draw fire or staying put—but soon, the other man made the decision for him.

Similarly, Wang Xiaoer also witnessed the most incredible sight of his life.

The person seemed like a ghost; despite not being short, he blended seamlessly into the surrounding shadows—if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even notice there was a living person there.

Then, he walked up behind one of the big men.

That's right, just go.

Without stealth or crawling, he walked there so naturally that the two living people didn't even notice—then, he reached out and gently grasped one of them by the neck, as if caressing a lover's skin.

Then, with a casual twist.

With a barely perceptible 'thud,' the burly man collapsed limply to the ground. The other man then gently lowered him to the ground, supporting his massive frame, without alerting anyone.

Then, he walked behind another person.

But right now.

The overhead light suddenly made a 'screech' sound.

The second burly man instinctively turned his head—and then he saw that smiling face.

He stood there stunned for a good ten seconds before finally asking the question.

"who are you?"

It was a really stupid question, and it was obvious that even this guy couldn't figure it out, but the man just smiled and said it.

"Zhou You, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I've never heard of this person before. Who are you?"

But before he could finish speaking, the man had already taken half a step forward and punched him in the abdomen!

In an instant, his nearly two-meter-tall body bent down like a shrimp, but the other party showed no intention of getting past him. He then delivered a swinging punch that struck the man's temple.

The burly man instantly fell to the ground, and without even checking whether he was alive or dead—as if he were absolutely confident—he turned around and looked at Wang Xiaoer with a smile.

Wang Xiaoer immediately wanted to escape.

—Just kidding. Although this guy just saved my life, he also killed two big men with a few words and almost drove me to the brink of death. Even if he hasn't shown any hostility yet, he's definitely not someone I can afford to mess with.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to move his leg, the other person was already in front of him.

Aren't you disabled? How come you run so fast?
In a flash, Wang Xiaoer made a decision.

He knelt down with a thud, then pulled out all his valuables and shouted out lines he had once heard from a storyteller.

"Hero, spare your life!"

Zhou You looked at the child kneeling on the ground, completely baffled.

From the shouts and curses he'd just heard, he roughly understood what had happened—two companions, cornered and desperate, had suddenly come up with the idea of ​​finding a human sacrifice to help them escape this hellish place.
The idea was perfectly normal, but the action was incredibly idiotic.

Not wanting these idiots to alert the supernatural and get caught in the crossfire, and also because the kid was indeed having a really bad time—out of a sense of shared misfortune, Zhou You simply took action and killed the two guys.

It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't expect any thanks.

But who would have thought
Why is this guy treating me like a bad guy too?

—Do I really look that fierce?
Zhou You sighed and waved his hand listlessly.

"Alright, stop it. I'm not after your reward at all. This place has mutated terribly; you should just leave."

Wang Xiaoer had just shown a surprised expression when Zhou You noticed something he had taken out.

After a few seconds of silence, he pressed down on that small body.

Wang Xiaoer immediately started trembling. He raised his head shakily and asked cautiously.

"Hero, what is this?"

"Don't call me that so weirdly. This isn't a period drama. Judging from your appearance, I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Zhou."

"Hero...no, Brother Zhou, what can I do for you?"

Zhou You ignored the almost tearful expression on her face and picked something up from the ground.

The thing was dark and covered in dirt, but from the outside it was clearly half a finger.

No way, what a coincidence, I ran into one as soon as I stepped out?
He squeezed the finger, feeling the feedback from it, a connection like blood, and once again confirmed that this thing was indeed his own finger.

Although it wasn't as big as the mayor's entire palm, it was still an unexpected bonus.

But the question is, how come it's only half left?

He tried to piece it together with his fingers, but it didn't fit in smoothly like a tooth, so it must be because it wasn't complete yet.

So he turned his head and asked Wang Xiaoer.

"Where did you get this?"

Wang Xiaoer now only feels regret.

I deeply regret it.

Why do I have to beg for forgiveness with things for no reason?
This guy was clearly going to let me go, but this brat's overzealous actions have gotten him into big trouble instead!
However, no matter how much regret he felt, Wang Xiaoer dared not show it at all. He shrank back and spoke cautiously.

"I found this on the top floor. At the time, I just thought it was a strange object. Who would have thought that those appraisers would tell me it was just an infected body part and offered to buy it for a pittance, so I never sold it."

"The top floor? This place has been mutated to this state, how did you get up there?"

Wang Xiaoer swallowed.

"That was about two weeks ago. At that time, this place was relatively safe. Although no one really understood what was being traded, as long as you didn't wander into houses or shops recklessly, it wasn't too difficult to walk around and come out."

"What route did you take to get up there?"

"The elevator, but the problem is..."

Wang Xiaoer hesitated for a few seconds, then took Zhou You's hand and turned a few corners.

Then, someone saw a jungle woven from flesh and blood.

It seemed to be a passageway in the mall, but every place was filled with all sorts of invasive species. Countless deformed limbs on the escalators swayed freely in the windless space like plants. As for the elevators...
The thing simply transformed into a gigantic, open mouth, and at a glance, one could even see the sharp, writhing teeth within.

After a moment of silence, Wang Xiaoer spoke softly.

"I was already like this when I came in, otherwise these people wouldn't be killing each other, and even trying to use human lives as currency."

Zhou You also scratched his chin.

That place is clearly not a place that anyone can trespass on. The road is completely blocked off; you have to walk around it to come out.

Of course, he wasn't too worried.

From the chase he'd witnessed at the entrance, he felt confident that with his accumulated magical power, a full-force punch using his Hunyuan Force would be enough to shake off those two plastic arms. But knowing he had a physical body here, and with the added burden of a child...
In any case, we have to give it a try first.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again.

"What about stairs? Didn't you ever try them?"

Unexpectedly, it would have been better if he hadn't said anything. As soon as he did, Wang Xiaoer looked at him as if he were a lunatic.

"No, Brother Zhou, do you know how far apart the stairs are on each floor? If you walk all the way up the stairs, it's like you're really 'shopping at a mall'—not many people dared to do that back when there was no mutation, but you're doing it now."

He hesitated for a long time before finally not uttering the words "pure idiot".

However, Zhou You simply smiled.

"Don't worry, we're not messing with anything strange, we're just following his rules, nothing serious should happen."

Seeing that Wang Xiaoer was still hesitating, he added another sentence.

"Besides, given the current situation, can you find any other way out?"

These words immediately became the decisive blow. Wang Xiaoer hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted his teeth and said it.

"Alright, I'm quite familiar with this place, and I've seen the locations of those floors before, so I'll show you around. But sir, you absolutely have to take good care of me!"

The first half of the sentence showed some determination, but the second half immediately revealed his true colors.

Zhou You replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. If I say I'll keep you safe, then I absolutely will."

(End of this chapter)