Chapter 182: I Love Her
The next day
Game time AM 09:35
Innocent Continent, Misha County
A sizable group was slowly making its way along a small path; there were about a hundred of them, ranging in age from eight to eighty, men, women, old, and young, and the vast majority of them were infected with the Plague.
Clearly, this was a refugee group, a common sight in this land…
However, compared to most refugee groups who lacked food and clothing and were barely covered, these people were in a relatively good situation. After all, they still had enough tents to shelter them from wind and rain, and the food on the backs of two pack animals was still quite plentiful. These supplies would at least prevent them from starving or freezing to death before the illness claimed their lives.
All of this was thanks to Marcus, a Gentleman from B尼斯镇. He was once a scribe in Hofur City, and a few years ago, after his term ended, he returned to his hometown of B尼斯镇 with his family. He was an upright, charitable, and wealthy man. Not only did he fund the construction of the town’s only church, but he also took time every day to teach reading and writing to children from disadvantaged families. In short, he was a well-loved good person.
But fate does not spare anyone. Three days after Misha Town was completely enveloped by the Plague, B尼斯镇 already had over a hundred infected individuals, and the Marcus family was among them.
This Gentleman, who held no noble title or peerage, discussed with the town mayor all night, finally deciding to lead a group of townspeople away from their Plague-ridden hometown early the next morning.
The mayor and the town’s only priest would lead all uninfected people to the Eastern border blockade, while the Marcus family decided to go with the infected refugees to Hofur City. They heard that two Holy Maidens of the Dawn Sect were about to arrive there, so they planned to take everyone there to try their luck; it was at least better than staying behind to await death.
Marcus took out all the grain stored in his cellar, contributed a large amount of silk and cloth for several craftsmen to sew into tents, and finally, using his past connections, acquired four pack animals from a nearby city. He divided these resources equally into two portions, and shortly after the first group departed, he led over two hundred infected townspeople on their journey.
It was understandable that such a team, full of injured people, could not move too quickly, even if their situation was much better than other refugees.
Because Marcus was unwilling to give up on anyone, although the team had only lost less than half its members since its departure, it had still not reached its destination.
“But this hellish journey will eventually come to an end,” Marcus turned to his wife with a weary smile, gently holding her hands, which had thinned considerably, and softly said, “Just a little longer, Molly. We’re almost there. The Holy Maiden will save everyone.”
They sat in the only carriage in the procession. No one had any objections to this, not only because Marcus’s wife was already critically ill, but more importantly, no one wanted to see the not-so-tall, stout old man collapse first from the rigors of the journey.
“You are my pride, my dear.” Molly Makus leaned gently against her husband, trembling as she stroked his cheek. “Don’t forget, before the Goddess and the Holy Maiden, you were the one who saved everyone.”
A shadow flickered in Marcus’s eyes. He gently tapped the window sill beside him, then spoke as if to himself, “How many people are left?”
“One hundred and three, sir.” A low, gentle reply came from outside the window; the voice’s owner seemed to be a woman not too old.
Marcus sighed with a sense of loss. “One hundred and three, huh… Which five people left us this time?”
“The old Dantes family, the blacksmith Ruto, and Miss Jane Emmon,” the voice outside the window calmly replied. “The Dantes couple passed away peacefully. Little Dantes disappeared last night. Ruto wanted a clean death, and I granted him that. As for Miss Emmon…”
Marcus closed his eyes in pain. “She didn’t want to die, I know.”
“Yes, she fought the illness until the very last moment.” The woman outside the window seemed to sigh softly, then continued in her calm, low voice, “Unfortunately, she didn’t make it to daybreak.”
“Alright, thank you for telling me, Ms. Yu Ying. Everyone seems to think old Marcus can’t handle any more bad news,” Marcus muttered softly, then turned to his wife, smiling bitterly. “I couldn’t save everyone, could I?”
She clasped his rough, broad hand, murmuring as if in a dream, “No one could have done better than you, my dear…”
“Perhaps.” Marcus closed his eyes wearily, pulling his wife’s slightly trembling body into his embrace. “Promise me you won’t fall asleep, okay?”
…
On the roof of the carriage where the two sat, the woman who had temporarily joined the group as an adventurer let out a long sigh, then lay back down, chuckling softly, “To be bothered by a crappy side quest with little reward until now, I really am unexpectedly sentimental…”
She looked about twenty years old, with delicate features, a pair of Violet eyes, long black hair casually tied back, a long red scarf reaching her ankles, and a tight-fitting soft armor of the same color as her hair. She had a slender, sheathless dagger on each thigh and a short crossbow hanging at her waist.
Her name was Yu Ying, a chaotic neutral assassin who had just started playing Innocent World half a month ago, was currently in her third year of high school, was agile, and considered herself emotionless.
Yu Ying had joined this refugee group a few days ago after accidentally picking up a side quest. As an 11th-level assassin capable of skillfully using crossbows and daggers, she was not only the strongest person in the team but also the only one here who had not been infected by the Plague.
“Infected players have appeared on the forums. If I remember correctly, they were a Level 7 Warrior, a Level 9 Priest, and a Level 3 Ranger…” She toyed with her short crossbow, muttering, “And I’ve been in contact with these people every day without any signs of infection. So, is the threshold for combat professionals not getting infected at the level of a Level 10 player? Heh, that’s too low a requirement~”
Whoosh!
A small bird that happened to be flying over Yu Ying’s head was shot down in mid-air. The female assassin stood up lightly, waved her hand, and the rare wild game was pinned by a long needle at the feet of a dark-faced big man in the group, fluttering twice before becoming still.
“Hey, Mr. Longbottom~” Yu Ying half-crouched on the carriage roof and whistled at the startled man nearby, laughing, “Stew it for the kids. A bird infected with the Plague wouldn’t fly that fast.”
‘Black-faced’ Longbottom, who had run a bar in B尼斯镇 for over ten years, bent down, picked up the wild fowl, and smacked his lips. “Understood, Miss Yu Ying. I thought you were going to chop off my right foot just now~”
“Can your foot be exchanged for a bounty?” Yu Ying chuckled softly, then continued to lie on her back on the carriage roof, lost in thought. She was about to reach her destination, and she needed to make plans for what came next.
“There’s not much to gain in this cursed place. The Holy Land is said to be cracking down hard on illicit activities. Maybe I should try my luck in the Violet Empire to the south. Ideally, I could join something like an Assassin’s Guild. Hmm, that would be so cool. Being a phantom-like killer is really perfect for me…”
Yu Ying glanced at one of her talents, thinking with a hint of smugness, then slowly closed her eyes, preparing to clear her mind.
A chilling coldness enveloped her!
The girl practically leaped up the moment she closed her eyes, simultaneously drawing the dagger from her right thigh with a backhand, while her left hand, hanging at her waist, swiftly reloaded the short crossbow.
【Keen Perception】
Passive Talent
Effect: Your perception is extremely strong. Vision range +10%, hearing range +10%, and a low chance to perceive an hostile unit within a fifty-meter radius when blind/eyes closed/visibility extremely low.
Trait: Hidden items are easier to find on the map.
【Note: Close your eyes, feel with your heart, his secret stash is hidden in… Oh~ Praise the great sixth sense, anyone who becomes your boyfriend must be very unlucky.】
“Does this damn game make the more powerful skill notes more misleading?” Yu Ying was very glad her passive talent had activated, but that didn’t stop her from complaining about Innocent World’s dark humor.
The cold killing intent in her perception vanished, forcing Yu Ying to close her eyes again. Although this action was quite dangerous, attempting to trigger 【Keen Perception】 again was her only option when the enemy’s position was unknown.
Holding her breath, she couldn’t perceive anything…
Steadying her heartbeat, she couldn’t perceive anything…
Calming her emotions, she couldn’t perceive anything…
“What kind of talent is this?!”
Yu Ying couldn’t help but curse under her breath. The next second, that chill returned!
【Below!】
“Everyone scatter!” Without a word, Yu Ying immediately did a side roll off the carriage roof, then turned and kicked the door open, shouting loudly at Marcus, who was startled inside the carriage, “Get out now!”
The latter was still in a daze, having just been startled awake from a nap, so he instinctively asked, “What?”
“Watch out for your wife!” Yu Ying stared intently at the woman in Marcus’s arms, who was gradually losing her life force. After half a second of hesitation, she decided to trust her talent. Gritting her teeth, she raised her short crossbow and pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered!
“Ms. Yu Ying!” Marcus slowly lowered his arm, which he had instinctively thrown in front of his wife at the last moment, and said in a deep voice to the young girl in front of him, “What are you doing?”
Yu Ying stared blankly at the stout old man in front of her, whose arm was half-pierced by a crossbow bolt, then abruptly threw down her short crossbow and leaped into the carriage. She wanted to pull Marcus out of the carriage.
The result was…
“Ah ah ah ah!”
Accompanied by a piercing shriek, Marcus was suddenly struck by an unexpected immense force and violently thrown out of the carriage door. Yu Ying was also knocked away by his body, which, though several sizes smaller, was still broad.
Marcus’s wife appeared before everyone, howling. Her once pale skin had turned a ghastly gray, muscles continuously writhing beneath her skin, and veins, like earthworms, rippled across her instantly shriveled face. Her gentle, kindly light-brown pupils had completely vanished, leaving only the whites of her eyes, filled with madness and savagery.
“Molly!” Marcus, whose back had just been torn with three gashes, cried out in alarm, then rushed towards his wife without hesitation, only to be kicked aside by Yu Ying.
“Although I don’t really like lines from old movies like this, I have to say…” The girl swiftly drew her other long dagger with a flourish, turned back to Marcus, and shook her head, “She’s not your wife anymore!”
“Ah ah ah ah!!!”
The piercing screams remained shrill. Molly Makus, originally frail, rushed towards a middle-aged man with astonishing speed, then extended her withered hands and tore open his throat.
The surrounding people immediately erupted in a clamor, then scattered in all directions, running away in panic!
Yu Ying, meanwhile, immediately swayed with an eerie gait and charged towards Marcus’s wife. After easily dodging several of the opponent’s claw attacks, she raised both daggers simultaneously!
【Winding Step】 + 【Lacerate】
Puff! Puff!
Two blood holes appeared simultaneously on the woman who had turned into a monster. Yu Ying’s earlier maneuver, a Flanking and back attack , was perfectly effective, causing a massive amount of damage to Molly almost instantly.
But before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, she was slammed seven or eight meters away by the opponent’s backhand slap, losing about 10% of her health in an instant.
“To be able to move even after having her lung and spinal nerves pierced…”
Yu Ying rolled to her feet, and in the process, flung out a handful of sharp black needles!
Numerous tiny blood holes appeared on the monster’s right leg, but they didn’t affect her movements in the slightest. ‘Molly Makus’ had already turned her body almost simultaneously with being struck by the long needles, rushing towards the nearest girl.
At the same time, two more screams erupted from the back of the crowd, followed by a continuous series of crashing, wailing, and cursing sounds from afar!
【Something happened in the back too!】
Yu Ying, who had just activated 【Speed Burst】 to try and stop Molly, suddenly felt a jolt in her heart, and her dagger in her hand was half a beat slower in her alarm.
But one person’s actions were even faster than hers!
Marcus, with blood dripping from his right arm and back, unexpectedly lunged from the side at the critical moment. He forcefully pushed away the girl who was frozen in place, violently slammed his wife aside, then turned back and shouted to Yu Ying, “Something happened in the back too! You go take everyone to a safe place. Leave Molly to me to hold her back!”
“What about you?” The girl already knew the answer in her heart, but still subconsciously said, “You can’t beat her!”
“You’re right! Of course, I can’t beat her…”
Marcus held his wife tightly, his slightly bloated body instantly torn with numerous deep, bone-visible wounds. But this stout old man, who had never learned any combat skills, showed no sign of pain.
Yu Ying took the hand of the girl who had nearly died and turned to run towards the back of the group.
Marcus’s proud roar came from behind her…
“But I love her.”
Chapter 179: End