17: Don't hide in there and keep silent. I know you are at home!

There's a saying, some people open and close their eyes, and a night has passed.

Some 'people' close and open their eyes, and a lifetime has passed.

Mountain Child fully experienced what it means to be bathed in Buddha's light.

Under the passionate combo attack of the three, Mountain Child, who was lassoed over, didn't even have time to scream before ascending to bliss.

"Gah!!!"

After this Mountain Child died, the red mist violently twitched and rolled, seemingly experiencing immense pain.

Counting the previous ones, this was the fourth Mountain Child to be eliminated.

Cheng Zhen had guessed that perhaps the number of Mountain Child would correspond to the number of dolls, so even after dealing with this one, he didn't relax, still directing his teammates to continue using their skills.

After the red mist boiled just now, its density seemed to have decreased significantly, and Little Fatty found it even more smoothly this time than before.

So, another Mountain Child 'balloon' was lassoed out by Short-Haired Girl.

Only this one, Cheng Zhen clearly noticed its difference.

The one they caught earlier was 'complete' and 'healthy,' but this one had many scars, as if it had been burned by fire.

"This is... the one from yesterday!" After all, they had fought for quite a while last night, risking their lives, so even though it had become much larger and more ferocious, Short-Haired Girl recognized it immediately.

This one was precisely one of the two Mountain Child that had been injured by the bald man's explosion and then stuck by the [Sticky Mouse Wall] yesterday.

Today they had slaughtered many Mountain Child - Complete Forms, and had thought that the enhanced Mountain Child's injuries had also healed, but it seemed that was not the case.

Cheng Zhen's conjecture was correct; those identical Mountain Child were not in a body-and-clone relationship, but more like independent clones. Perhaps it was only after devouring the village's sacrifices that they developed into such numbers.

However, Cheng Zhen didn't care about that now; either way, it was a one-hit kill.

The uninjured one was just sent away, let alone this one?

Under the hammer of love, another confused child comprehended the true meaning of Buddhism.

This time, the red mist trembled even more violently, twitching in pain and even losing its chorus.

After the sound stopped, the three people also released their controlled state.

Now, the Raiders (Strategists) also became Complete Forms!

"You come here!"

"How are you?"

"I throw your lung!"

"Go, you are the fattest!"

Big hammer 80, small hammer 40!

Under the temptation of the toys, everyone's skills all hit their mark.

Like the previous one, one of them also had some burn marks on its body, the other one that was injured by the bald man's explosion last night.

The last one was the one that Jacket Uncle's 'Save the Dying and Help the Injured' kick sent out the window earlier; when it was pulled over, white smoke was still sizzling from its body.

They also tried to resist, but they couldn't even defeat the three people opposite them just now, let alone the current Strategist - Complete Form?

So, those two also undoubtedly perished under the great hammer of Buddha's light.

Counting the three killed inside the house, Cheng Zhen and the others had now eliminated seven Mountain Child, which was the number of sacrifices the village had made in the past.

As the body of the seventh Mountain Child completely disintegrated, the already somewhat thin mist gradually disappeared.

Although it was still night, without the red mist's cover, everyone could already see the bright moonlight piercing through the clouds and scattering down.

"Did we... succeed?"

Little Fatty looked at the dispersing mist and the restored village, his eyes wide in disbelief.

When they fought just now, he had clearly seen the combat power of those monsters.

Three veterans barely managed to hold on after scraping for a long time, and now, it was over with a few hammer blows?

It was like a super soldier's critical hit, turning Yuan Ge into hero fragments.

It was so swift that it felt somewhat unreal.

"Of course we succeeded! All seven are dealt with!"

The bald man's face lit up with joy, and he slapped Little Fatty's shoulder hard, his face full of excitement.

He had only followed Cheng Zhen to take a gamble, thinking that even if they couldn't defeat the BOSS, surviving in the house would still increase their rewards significantly.

But now they had successfully wiped out the monsters! Would the rewards be far off?

Special titles were very, very, very rare, and they were precious treasures that couldn't be bought with money.

Before, he could only see those top-ranked Big Boss (big shots) appearing brilliantly with special titles, showing off casually, waving their sleeves, and leaving behind legends when he scrolled through posts on forums.

At that time, the bald man could only join other netizens in exclaiming in awe... He never thought he would have this day!!!

If not for a shred of restraint, the bald man would have reverted to his ancestral form on the spot, like 'the apes on both banks cried endlessly.'

"But... why hasn't the settlement happened yet?"

Jacket Uncle was still more composed; he took out his magnifying glass and carefully observed the surroundings again, confirming there was no mist or other energy, then breathed a sigh of relief, but wondered why the dungeon hadn't ended yet.

"Because we have to survive for three days, right?"

Short-Haired Girl guessed, "Killing the BOSS wasn't a task issued by the system; it was just a method in our clear process. Perhaps when the settlement happens tomorrow, it will be issued along with the rewards?"

The others thought it made some sense, but Cheng Zhen suddenly said, "That's not necessarily true."

The bald man was stunned: "Ah? Big Boss, do you mean... this dungeon isn't over yet???"

"Surviving and clearing the dungeon is definitely not a problem."

Cheng Zhen calmly said, "However, if we want the special title, we'll have to be quick on our feet."

Short-Haired Girl was surprised: "Are there still Mountain Child? But didn't we kill all seven? That corresponds exactly to the number of those toys!"

"Yes, it corresponds exactly to the number of sacrifices."

Cheng Zhen's gaze turned towards the mountain forest beside the village: "Then, where are the objects that the village chief and the others sacrificed to in the beginning?"

...

"Dad, the mist outside has cleared!"

The burly villager secretly peeked outside through a crack in the window and was immediately surprised.

Every night, the Mountain Child's mist would always hover over the village, lingering until the next morning.

It had been like this for so many years, so long that everyone had gotten used to it.

But now, before half the night was over, the mist had all cleared!

The old village chief frowned deeply, holding his grandson without speaking.

He wasn't unaware of what those outsiders were saying.

But... could solving the Mountain Child be something those few people could simply do?

When Cheng Zhen said he would help them once and for all, he didn't believe it at all.

If it weren't for that bald man being able to take down several villagers with one hand, would they have let that group of bandits ransack everywhere? Not even sparing the ten-year-old air-dried bacon?

Thinking of his secret stash of money, the village chief's heart ached and twitched.

But it didn't matter, as long as Mountain Child Lord took those few sacrifices, his old bacon and secret stash could still be recovered!

With this thought, the village chief let Cheng Zhen and the others cause a ruckus.

And the red mist that appeared tonight was even more terrifying than usual, clearly those outsiders had angered Mountain Child!

The village chief thought more and more that those guys had no chance of survival, but he didn't expect the mist outside to actually clear?

This was the first time in so many years!

The village chief was surprised, confused, and suspicious. Could Mountain Child really... No, it's impossible, right?

Just as he was thinking wildly, a 'thump thump thump' knock on the door suddenly came, startling the few people inside the house.

After all, for so many years, no one in the village had gone out at night, let alone knocked on someone else's door late at night.

Could it be Mountain Child? Had something changed due to the red mist?

The few people inside were too scared to make a sound, but the knocking outside grew more intense.

"Village chief, open the door, don't hide inside without making a sound, I know you're home!"

It was Cheng Zhen's voice?

But that made it even more impossible for the village chief to open the door; who knew what would be outside once it was opened.

But if he didn't open the door, someone else would 'open' it for him.

Creak—

The old wooden door groaned under the strain, then lay on the ground, honorably retired.

The bald man clapped his hands, his smile 'peaceful': "Don't worry, old man, we're not stealing your things this time."

Village chief: "..."

Cheng Zhen added, "But we're stealing your grandson."

Village chief: "w(ﾟДﾟ)w???!!!"