My lord, spare his life!

Zhang Yang searched the entire cave but couldn't find the glittering treasure chest.

She looked at the BOSS's corpse with some discouragement.

He muttered, "Sigh, this head was stolen for nothing."

I thought I could get something for nothing.

As a result, not even a treasure chest appeared.

It's not unusual for a boss to not drop a treasure chest upon death.

Either the boss hasn't reached the point where it needs to be killed by the storyline, and killing it while it's low on health will allow it to respawn after a while; or a bug in the game might cause the treasure chest to be accidentally swallowed. In the latter case, she can only accept her bad luck, as Zhang Yang's unique situation means she can't report it to the game's official support.

There is also a final possibility—

This boss is not dead at all.

What Zhang Yang picked up was merely a puppet under his control.

Regardless of the situation, the treasure chest is gone.

Staring at the corpse, Zhang Yang remained silent for a long time. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and the more uneasy she felt, the more she wanted to rummage through it. The game boss's corpse was lying on the ground, and it hadn't respawned or disappeared for so long. As if possessed, she reached out her "sinful hand".

As soon as he touched it, Zhang Yang exclaimed "Eh!"

Something's not right—

One hundred thousand out of ten thousand are not right.

"...When did the game's settings change?"

Zhang Yang recalled the observations from the participants who complained that while the game was quite realistic in many aspects, some details were stiff. A typical example was the corpses: "[The boss immediately freezes to a stiff core as soon as it dies. Who are they trying to defend against? Am I the kind of pervert who would thoroughly examine a corpse? Who would have this metallic texture right after death...]"

The parts that could be touched were icy, cold, and hard.

It feels similar to metal.

Zhang Yang was secretly alarmed by this. If it weren't for the grumbling and cursing of the sample, she would have thought that this was the state of a corpse after death. In fact, after a human dies, the body temperature only approaches the ambient temperature within six to ten hours, and rigor mortis only occurs an hour later.

Fortunately, she was cautious, otherwise she would have exposed her weakness.

However, the BOSS's corpse before her puzzled her again. Unlike before, this corpse was still soft, and Zhang Yang could feel its body temperature through the fabric in her palm. She tried to remove the arm guards from the corpse, and surprisingly, she could.

Looking at the broken arm guard, Zhang Yang was even more puzzled.

So she gave it a try and put the armband into her game inventory. Surprisingly, the system log didn't show any warning; the armband just lay quietly in its own little compartment.

Adding it to the game's inventory means that Zhang Yang has truly obtained ownership of the arm guard, and the game will not take it back.

"That would be acceptable too—"

Zhang Yang, who was squatting next to the corpse, had a bold idea.

She removed the other arm guard, the soft armor, the shoes, and even the outermost layer of clothing... Zhang Yang left the corpse with only a nightgown; everything else was removed. Each piece could be stored in her game inventory! This was truly beyond her comprehension.

"This shouldn't be happening..."

Zhang Yang's face was full of confusion.

"How could this be?"

Has the game developers really abandoned all moral principles and created a 30+ adult game in the home side quest map? Have all the harmonious settings meant to protect the mental and physical health of minors been removed? It's one thing for living NPCs to be touched, but now even NPC corpses can be touched?

Aren't the game developers worried that players might develop some strange feelings looking at corpses? There are definitely a lot of weird players out there these days.

Zhang Yang stared at the corpse's chest for a while, then, driven by curiosity, she reached out her right hand almost unconsciously, stopping when her fingertips were a centimeter or two away from the target. If that distance didn't trigger the censorship system, then it probably truly wasn't censored.

"How could such lewdness exist in the world!"

Imagine how "happy" those shameless players would be on a map without any censorship restrictions, and how miserable the NPCs would be. She explained why her observation subjects spent all their time on the homestead side map; now she understands perfectly.

Zhang Yang exhaled a breath of stale air.

"...This map is truly unrestricted."

I'm glad I wasn't an NPC created by this map.

They'd taken everything that could be looted from the corpse, and there wasn't much left to explore in the cave. Zhang Yang got up, dusted himself off, and prepared to leave. Although they hadn't found the Easter Egg Guy, this significant discovery meant they hadn't gone home empty-handed: "Now I should go back to find Uncle Yan. Hopefully, he's not—"

Zhang Yang glanced at Fan You's favorability rating.

Sigh, in just this short time, only a single digit remains.

She scratched her nose: "How stingy."

She wasn't abandoning him; she'd only gone out once, how long would that be? He was sticking to her for such a short time, and if things didn't go his way, his affection for her would drop…

This NPC is too clingy.

Zhang Yang's mind was in turmoil, but one thought remained exceptionally clear: "...This homestead side map, could it have a romance element? Players can emotionally pursue different NPCs?"

The observed samples said it was called a dating game.

Male and female players can pursue male, female, and androgynous, or non-human intelligent races, or the latter can pursue and please male and female players, allowing players to enjoy a 100% realistic and immersive romantic experience. This is a popular category for in-game purchases.

The observers also noted that the game, which has been running for sixteen years, is too old, and the game developers must continuously update and improve it, finding new ways to generate revenue in order to earn more money. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the game developers might introduce a romance mode to make money.

The main story map of the game cannot be restricted to level 30 or above.

But, could the side quest map for the homestead be something like that? The more I think about it, the more likely it seems. Otherwise, why would the game developers go to the trouble of adding an NPC affinity system?

Speaking of which, the concepts of lustful demons and childbirth demons are quite depraved.

Together, they can play all sorts of restricted play.

"...Tsk, but just thinking about it makes me feel so bored."

Zhang Yang returned along the same route he had taken previously.

A familiar male voice suddenly rang out from the mountains and forests.

"So you finally decided to come back."

Zhang Yang looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw Fan You's gloomy face peeking out from behind the big tree. She felt increasingly strange, and the feeling of being about to be "conquered" by an NPC became even stronger.

Fan You: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"If that's how you put it, there's nothing I can do about it."

Fan You: "..."

"I'm going to do something serious."

Fan You: "Alright, how's your serious business going?"

"Not bad. Although I didn't find the Easter Egg Bro, I accidentally found the guy who shot me in the back before, and I got quite a lot from her." Zhang Yang discovered when he took off the BOSS's clothes that there was a map sewn onto her clothes, which was also from the Dongfan Mountains.

Judging from the annotations, this map is more detailed than the one posted by "Easter Egg Guy" (a user who casually stole something): "Why are you here?"

"I want to live and die with you."

If he can't survive, he wants Zhang Yang dead too!

Fan You sneered: "I told that to those bandits from the Eastern Frontier. Seeing our 'close sibling bond,' they let it go."

Zhang Yang: "..."

"Don't abandon me before the distance restriction is resolved. This will not only save me from the suffering of being attacked by the stars, but it will also benefit you." As soon as Fan You finished speaking, Zhang Yang saw a system log notification that Fan You's favorability towards her had been restored.

"What good would that do me?"

"With stars descending in fury and a hundred ghosts haunting him, how much rationality do you think such a person could possibly have left in his mind after reaching this point?" Fan You's eyes were clear, but his words carried a sinister undertone. "Some changes are beyond even my own control."

He could hardly remember what he used to look like, but at least he wouldn't be so extreme as to try to take his savior down with him.

Previously, he really wanted Zhang Yang dead.

"I can only guarantee that I will try my best to control myself."

Seeing that Fan You's aura had calmed down, Zhang Yang's suspicions deepened. He deliberately changed the subject: "It's good that Brother Cai Dan's Eastern Bandits aren't here. It makes our movements easier. With these two maps in hand, we should have some gains on this trip."

She couldn't understand maps or anything like that.

We still need Fan You's help with this matter.

Fan You gathered his scattered thoughts.

With limited time, the two decided to focus on the larger bandit groups in the East and attack the smaller ones. The more chaotic the situation, the better; they could then leave some evidence to frame the rebels and let them fight amongst themselves.

Most of the cave had collapsed, and it was completely silent.

Suddenly, two armored figures appeared.

It was the Easter Egg Guy and his right deputy that Zhang Yang couldn't find.

The right deputy searched inside for a while and soon found a mummified corpse lying in the ruins. Yes, it was a mummified corpse; the flesh beneath the skin looked as if it had been dried for decades, encasing blackened bones: "She escaped again. A scapegoat is such a hassle."

The young military commander was not surprised at all.

"This person is terrified of death; even the saying 'a rabbit has three burrows' doesn't quite describe her. If she were killed so easily, it wouldn't be like her at all." He stepped forward, his gaze falling on a hole the size of half a fist in the dried corpse's abdomen. "I wonder who did it."

Right Vice-Minister: "Perhaps they are enemies within the Eastern Domain?"

The young military officer shook his head and said, "Those bunch of useless bastards from the Eastern Domain won't find it easy to find someone with better archery skills than her. It's just a pity that she probably only has one life left. If the people who killed her had waited a little longer, perhaps they could have eliminated her completely."

A scapegoat, as the name suggests, is someone who finds someone else to die in their place.

Initially, a scapegoat could obtain "one life" by finding someone, and could have that person die in their place when faced with a life-or-death situation. As the number of deaths increased, ordinary people could no longer satisfy the scapegoats, so they either had to be compensated for by quantity or by quality.

The young military general lowered his eyes to look at his palm, his gaze deepening.

The right vice-president said regretfully, "That's a real pity."

"I will avenge myself."

"The general will surely get what he wants."

The right deputy knew that his general had a deep-seated hatred for that person. He'd heard that when the general was brought back, that person, with a tyrannical and cruel nature, couldn't tolerate the general's existence and, taking advantage of a moment of inattention, tried to make the general his scapegoat. They'd even peeled off half his skin; if it hadn't been discovered and stopped in time, he would likely have died long ago. This was one of the reasons why the general and that person were irreconcilably at odds.

The young military officer set fire to the dried corpse, burning it.

"General, a star beast corpse has been found at the foot of the cliff."

"Let's go take a look."

The star power contained within the flesh and blood of that star beast corpse had not completely dissipated, and ordinary wild beasts dared not approach it. When the subordinates found it, it had been dead for some time. Judging from where it fell, it must have been kicked off the cliff and suffered severe injuries before its death.

The right deputy stepped forward and inspected for a while.

"General, look at its paw..."

It was this claw that grabbed Zhang Yang.

The right adjutant speculated on the time of the bird's death and then thought of Zhang Yang: "General, could it be that the person who killed her also killed this beast? Did the queen also fall into this person's hands?"

The timing should match.

The young military officer frowned, his face growing increasingly stiff and cold: "Is it possible that such a person doesn't even exist, and there's only been one 'Queen' from beginning to end? That brother and sister must have come prepared... and we were the ones who were used?"

"That queen is no ordinary person?"

She dodged that damned arrow.

The situation was somewhat chaotic at the time. Zhang Yang was struck by the force of the energy and lost his squatting position. He fell to the ground with a thud, narrowly avoiding the starburst arrow. Looking back now, it seems that the enemy was deliberately concealing their strength and infiltrating their ranks.

"...She did not harm us."

The right deputy paused, remembering the items the general had stolen.

The young military officer also thought of this, his face turning as sour as a stone in a latrine: "Since they're not coming for us, let's wait a couple of days and see. Send someone to find out if there's any news from the other Eastern Frontier camps."

If there is unrest in the near future, it's highly likely that something is amiss.

If not, previous speculations may have to be overturned.

The right deputy clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order: "Yes, sir."

Two days later, Zhang Yang and his companion were still wandering around the Dongfan Mountains.

The mountains are too vast, and the maps are too chaotic.

These Eastern bandits were well aware of their own limitations and hid in extremely well-hidden places. Even though the general location was marked on the map, Zhang Yang and his companion were not very familiar with the area, making the search difficult. This is where Zhang Dami came in handy.

"Good tiger!"

Zhang Yang patted Zhang Dami encouragingly.

She casually pulled out the spicy snacks she had prepared for Zhang Dami from her game backpack. Each spicy snack was tied in a knot, wrapped around like a ball of yarn, several strands forming a bundle, the perfect size for Zhang Dami's mouth. Ensuring it could easily swallow it in one gulp.

Star beasts are robust and durable.

Zhang Yang doesn't need to worry about Zhang Dami getting an upset stomach from eating too much.

"Uncle Yan, why don't you wait here? I'll sneak in and look for the granary?" The camp Zhang Dami found was located in an extremely secluded valley with only one entrance and exit. As long as the Eastern Bandits guarded the entrance and exit, they wouldn't be able to sneak in by ordinary means.

Fan You cast a long, lingering glance at him.

Zhang Yang said, "Alright, you come along."

"Deceiving the heavens and crossing the sea is not difficult." Especially for strategists like them who can skillfully use the power of the stars for their own purposes. If it weren't for all sorts of magical and unpredictable methods, why would so many people in the world be willing to bear the wrath of the stars just to switch sides?

And Fan You was no ordinary person either.

"Okay, Big Meow, you lie here and wait for us."

Seeing that everything at the arrow tower at the valley entrance remained unchanged, and that the patrolling Eastern bandits, practically right next to them, hadn't detected their presence, Zhang Yang couldn't help but admire Fan You's resourcefulness: [Strange, doesn't Uncle Yan think the patrols at this camp are a bit too frequent?]

There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps.

The thief's face was solemn and vigilant, exuding a murderous aura.

They seem to be on guard against something.

Surely it can't be that we're wary of them?

At this moment, Fan You grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a secluded corner, his eyes fixed on a certain direction. Zhang Yang followed his gaze and saw an extremely obese, burly man there, his armor looking somewhat cramped.

This person—

Zhang Yang's gaze fell on the top of the other person's head.

One glance was enough to see the opponent's astonishingly long health bar.

Judging by appearance, it's even thicker than the Easter Egg Guy.

A strange light seemed to flash in Fan You's eyes.

Let's avoid him for now, so as not to alert him.

Do you know him?

[Does my lord still remember why I brought you to Tianyue before?] The person Fan You was going to introduce to Zhang Yang was living in seclusion in Tianyue, but they hadn't been in contact for many years, and the exact address was unknown. It was just unexpected that clues would be found here. It was truly a twist of fate.

Is this the one you were talking about?

Fan You shook his head: "No."

However, this burly man provided clues to the target, as he had close ties with the person Fan You was looking for. What Fan You wasn't sure about was whether the burly man's close relationship with the Eastern Bandits was his own idea, or a joint one. Had the person he was looking for defected to the Eastern Bandits?

Fan You was unsure, and now was not a good time to acknowledge them.

Let's find the granary first.

Zhang Yang was skilled at emptying granaries in a short time.

This Eastern Barbarian bandit force was much larger than expected. Judging from the patrol frequency and the number of patrolmen, Fan You could roughly estimate its size—around three thousand men. And this was just one camp; the Eastern Barbarian bandits had split into eleven routes.

How many troops are they hiding in the Dongfan Mountains?

The information provided by Guan Zong and County Magistrate Xu Jin was incorrect.

These Eastern bandits are more troublesome than I imagined.

Not long after Zhang Yang and his companion left, the burly man, who was talking with the scholar from the Eastern Frontier bandits, seemed to sense something and glanced in the direction where Zhang Yang and his companion had briefly lingered. The scholar, puzzled, asked, "What's there?"

"It's nothing."

The burly man thought it was his imagination.

He seemed to catch a faint, somewhat familiar scent, then regained his composure: "Please take the matter from me."

The scholar's smile held a calculating edge: "That's only natural."

Their Eastern Expeditionary Army wasn't just capable of burning, killing, and looting.

If there's a chance to make money, I definitely won't let it pass me by.

Finding the camp's granary wasn't difficult. Where the terrain was high, where there was waterproofing and fireproofing, and where a large number of troops were stationed, it was bound to be a vital location, if not a granary. Fan You acted as lookout while Zhang Yang carried out the theft; their cooperation was seamless. Before stealing the grain, she checked her backpack.

A pair of arm guards, a blood-stained garment, a pair of worn-out footwear, a bowl of leftover porridge… she tossed out a jumble of odds and ends to make room for food in her game inventory. Fan You glanced at them, his expression twisting strangely, but he didn't ask any further questions. Since she was going to frame someone anyway, these were all "evidence."

"How long will it take you to recover? I can't hold on for much longer." Although Fan You could use his star power to deceive ordinary Eastern bandits, if he encountered someone with some skill, getting too close would reveal his true nature.

Zhang Yang: "Ten!"

"Ten quarters of an hour?"

Zhang Yang: "Nine!"

Fan You: "..."

As we all know, players need to load a progress bar to pick up certain items.

As Zhang Yang prepared to move the grain, a ten-second countdown appeared in his vision. Fan You stared in astonishment as the full granary in front of him visibly sank, while Zhang Yang remained calm, showing no sign of strain.

In ten seconds, a granary was emptied without a sound.

They even had time to stroll through the bandit stronghold's armory: "These Eastern bandits are practically my angel investors!"

??ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Ugh, finding parking is so difficult, it really discourages me from driving. I went to a funeral early this morning, but the funeral procession had all left, and I still hadn't found a parking spot…

That bridge was so narrow, and there was a car parked there. Mushroom drove across it with trepidation (thanks to 360 video, otherwise Mushroom's driving skills would definitely have been damaged).