My organs are too abstract.

Wenxiu's breathing gradually became heavier, and a thin layer of sweat slid down her cheeks from her forehead. A few strands of hair broke free from her originally neat long hair and stuck to her skin.

The light-colored skirt was torn by the wooden fist, revealing a faint bloodstain on the exposed calf.

Another wooden sculpture lunged at her, but she dodged it in time, her hair flashing like a blade, leaving a deep gash on the sculpture's chest. However, she was unable to repel it. Her breathing quickened, and her steps were no longer as light as before.

—The consumption is too great.

She glanced into the depths of the corridor; no new wood carvings were appearing yet, but the few in front of her were already enough to give her a headache. They were tireless, repelling wave after wave, while she herself was getting tired.

Most importantly, these wooden sculptures are robust and black, as if covered by a thick layer of armor, with amazing defensive capabilities; even her hair would have difficulty penetrating their defenses.

"Hehe..." The nurse's laughter came from the side, and the cold glint of the scalpel flashed in the dim light.

Wenxiu abruptly pulled her hair back to block the attack, the blade severing several strands of her long hair, the fragments falling into the air.

She took two steps back, her gaze growing increasingly serious.

She had been holding back her actions, partly because she didn't want to reveal her "patient" status to others, and partly because she wanted to figure out the details of the haunted house before taking action.

In her original assessment, although the NPCs here were strange, most of them only possessed the strength of ordinary people, except for this female nurse who was slightly different.

She had assumed the nurse was at the heart of the disaster, but she never expected that such a powerful wood carving was hidden there, far more bizarre than she had anticipated.

The wooden carving and the nurse slowly approached, forming an encirclement. Wenxiu clenched her fists, her hair flying wildly, but her strength already revealed a sense of powerlessness.

Just as she was entangled with the other person, a figure was walking quickly from the other end of the corridor.

Xu Yuan didn't stop. As he turned the first corner, he was immediately surrounded by the sounds of fierce fighting, the hysterical laughter of a female nurse, and the ear-piercing sound of sharp weapons cutting through walls.

His gaze sharpened slightly, and he quickened his pace. As he turned the second corner and saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly.

A young girl moved nimbly, constantly dodging attacks, her long black hair flying everywhere, as she relentlessly attacked the tall wooden sculptures around her.

"Hehe... Hahahaha!"

A voluptuous nurse, carrying a large syringe and wielding a sharp scalpel, frantically slashed at the girl, only to be stopped by her long hair.

Xu Yuan looked at the girl and was taken aback: "A 'patient'?"

Just as a wooden sculpture was about to launch a sneak attack from behind, its fist aimed straight for the back of the girl's head, Xu Yuan swayed his body, took a step forward, and kicked the entire wooden sculpture away with a powerful kick.

He sized up the other person's stiff, heavy appearance and couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap, Armor Hero?"

Wenxiu was startled and quickly pushed back the wooden sculptures and nurses in front of her. Then she turned around abruptly, took several steps back, and looked at Xu Yuan warily: "Who are you?"

"My name is Xu Yuan." Xu Yuan casually patted another wooden carving that flew over and said with a warm smile, "You must be Wenxiu, right? Zhao Ze asked me to come and see you. I'm glad you're alright."

"Xu Yuan?"

Wenxiu paused slightly, recalling that Zhao Ze and the others had indeed mentioned the name "Brother Yuan" when they first entered the haunted house, and her guard quietly lifted.

However, judging from how casually the other party knocked the wooden carving away, he was clearly not an ordinary person, but a "patient" like himself.

During their conversation, a wooden sculpture behind them suddenly launched an attack, its iron fist striking Xu Yuan directly on the back of the head.

Wenxiu's expression changed drastically, and she warned sharply, "Be careful!"

"Huh?" Xu Yuan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, casually blocking the attack, his face full of confusion. "Why did it start attacking me after I hadn't even touched these sculptures for seven seconds?"

As he pondered this, Wenxiu hurriedly warned, "Be careful, these wooden carvings are impervious to swords and spears, I wonder how..."

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Xu Yuan grabbed the wooden carving, held its head with one hand, and with a gentle twist, broke its head off.

He casually flipped it over and examined it, discovering that it was hollow inside and its structure was exactly the same as the wood carvings he had seen downstairs.

"Strange, there's no difference... Could it have leveled up?" He muttered to himself for a moment before belatedly looking at Wenxiu, "What did you just say?"

Wenxiu stared at Xu Yuan in disbelief and shock, saying, "N-nothing."

How could this person be so powerful? Far surpassing her by several times... Could he be someone from the Sickness Control Bureau?

Thinking of this, a hint of apprehension crept into her eyes.

Xu Yuan ignored her shock. Looking at the wooden sculptures that were closing in again, he swept his foot across the wall, kicking several heavy black wooden sculptures into the wall, where they were unable to move.

After doing all that, he slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the nurse in the distance, whose expression was stiff. He raised an eyebrow slightly: "So you were the one chasing after Zhao Ze and the others, making them run around everywhere?"

The nurse froze, instinctively taking a step back. Xu Yuan's mind raced, and he was about to use the black rope when he suddenly remembered that the black rope was still tied to the uncle, which he had left downstairs.

"trouble."

He clicked his tongue softly, bent down to pick up the severed arm of the headless wooden sculpture, and weighed it in his hand.

Wenxiu quickly warned, "She's going to run away!"

"I know."

Xu Yuan aimed at the nurse in the distance for a moment, then swung his arm out with all his might.

The sturdy wooden arm hurtled through the air, piercing straight through the nurse's abdomen and pinning her body firmly to the wall.

Xu Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "I knew it. Even without that rope, I could still annihilate the enemy."

Wenxiu was completely stunned, her heart filled with shock—this person was terrifying.

Compared to the difficulties she faced, the other side was simply overwhelming.

Xu Yuan ignored her expression and slowly walked to the nurse who was pinned down, pondering to himself:

"Speaking of which, where is the owner of the haunted house? Since he's dressed in the skin of calamity, could he be among these puppet sculptures?"

Thinking of this, he completely ignored the nurse's expression, casually twisted off her head, and looked through the cavity in her neck. There was no one hiding inside, and the material was exactly the same as those black wood carvings.

He was a little puzzled: "This type of wood carving seems to be a bit more impressive than the ones downstairs. Could these wood carvings be upgraded? That uncle never mentioned anything about it."

As he pondered, he noticed a clear gray handprint on the nurse's chest. He couldn't help but take a second look, exclaiming in astonishment, "Wow, who is this amazing person who's so incredible that they don't even spare wood? They're truly a talent; I must pay them a visit."

Wenxiu explained from the side, "It was a tourist from before; he's already dead."

"That was such a pathetic death." Xu Yuan shook his head, then couldn't help but glance at the handprint again, and complained to Wen Xiu, "No matter how nice it looks, it's just wood. What's so great about touching it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his left hand suddenly rose up uncontrollably and, to Wenxiu's astonishment, precisely and perfectly aligned with the gray handprint.

Xu Yuan: "..."