137: Chapter 137 Suicide...we'll talk about that later.

Suicide?

Xiao Niao and Tang Yao were both stunned, especially Xiao Niao. He had assumed Gualing had some unique insight into the game, believing he could handle a serious injury himself instead of finding a doctor, but he never expected the solution to be suicide...

Although... that technically counts as a physical solution, no matter how you look at it, choosing suicide over seeing a doctor after getting injured is just too absurd!

Xiao Niao subconsciously felt that Hu Gualing was spouting nonsense again, but after pondering it for a moment...

If healing an injury really costs two or three taels of silver, that is indeed a steep price, one they could hardly afford at the moment.

And Resurrection only requires consuming one revival coin. As seen in the Game Store, one revival coin is worth 1 fantasy points. Although that is still quite expensive, it is definitely more cost-effective than two or three taels of silver. Furthermore, healing requires running back and forth, which wastes precious game time, whereas Resurrection restores you to full health right on the spot. No matter how you look at it, Resurrection is the better deal!

Xiao Niao and Tang Yao compared the options in their minds, then couldn't help but look at Hu Gualing in astonishment. Could he really be a Genius?

Hu Gualing smiled proudly. "How about that? I'm pretty amazing, right? To be able to figure something like this out."

Xiao Niao felt quite annoyed looking at Hu Gualing's smug expression, but he still nodded reluctantly.

Hu Gualing said, "Then you don't need to go back to the village now. If the pain becomes unbearable, just commit suicide and resurrect." As he spoke, Hu Gualing handed the Skinning knife back to Xiao Niao, signaling him to use it to finish the job himself.

Xiao Niao shook his head hurriedly. He took the Skinning knife, tossed it into his bag with a swoosh, and said with a timid expression, "Suicide... let's talk about that later."

Hu Gualing said with concern, "Aren't you in a lot of pain? There aren't any herbs or bandages here to help with the pain, so you might as well die and resurrect sooner. That way you'll suffer less!"

Xiao Niao wiped his sweat. "Actually... it doesn't seem to hurt that much anymore."

Hu Gualing asked, "Then can you walk?"

Xiao Niao replied, "I should... be able to manage."

Hu Gualing bent down, scrutinized Xiao Niao carefully, and said suspiciously, "Really? Don't push yourself. Anyway, this is a game; it's great to resurrect with full health after dying. If you can't bring yourself to do it, you can ask Tang Yao for help. Her sword is so sharp that one strike will be enough. It definitely won't hurt."

Tang Yao, standing by, played along; she raised her long sword, blew on it, and nodded in satisfaction, seemingly pleased with the blade's sharpness.

Xiao Niao quickly said, "No pushing, really, no pushing." As he spoke, he hurriedly stuck his butt out and scrambled up from the ground. The moment his feet touched the ground, the wound on his rear was compressed, sending a wave of pain through him. But Xiao Niao didn't dare to cry out; instead, he planted both feet firmly on the ground, stood with his body slightly hunched forward, and forced a smile. "See... I'm fine."

Hu Gualing asked, "You're really fine? If you're fine, walk a few steps."

"..." Xiao Niao endured the pain and walked a few steps. Although he looked a bit awkward, at least it showed that walking was not a problem.

Hu Gualing finally stopped urging Xiao Niao to commit suicide. "Looks like you're really fine. Let's continue on our way."

In truth, Hu Gualing had been getting into fights and brawls since he was a child, and had been injured more times than he could count. How could he not tell the extent of Xiao Niao's injury? The wound on his rear was indeed just a superficial scratch. Because that area had plenty of fat, the trauma had only damaged the capillaries on the skin's surface, causing a little bleeding. But since Xiao Niao had been lying on the ground for so long, the wound had already stopped bleeding, clotted, and scabbed over.

Of course, stopping the bleeding and forming a scab didn't mean it was completely healed, so he would definitely feel a little pain when moving. However, this level of pain was nothing to any normal person; only a guy like Xiao Niao—who clearly had been coddled, had delicate skin, and was timid—would react so dramatically.

Tang Yao agreed, "Alright, let's get going!"

She had already stowed the bucket of blue-quality pig feed back into her backpack. She held her long sword like a hiking stick, poking at things whenever she had a free moment. It seemed that even the encounter with the Wild Dog hadn't dampened her mood for this excursion; she remained as carefree as ever.

As for the Wild Dog's corpse, after Hu Gualing had extracted its teeth, it had slowly faded away while they were talking. Eventually, it vanished completely from the ground, leaving not even a stray hair behind. Only the sand on the ground still showed the impression where the body had lain, but a single gust of wind would wipe away even those traces. This was what Xiao Niao had meant by "a piece of non-existent data."

The three of them set back out on the road. This time, however, Xiao Niao didn't dare to lag behind, nor did he dare to lead the way; he only dared to walk close to Tang Yao and Hu Gualing. Tang Yao and Hu Gualing, mindful of the injured Xiao Niao, didn't walk too fast.

As they walked, the three of them couldn't help but discuss the Wild Dog from earlier.

Xiao Niao asked, "Where on earth did that Wild Dog come from earlier? Ever since I left the village, I've been fully focused, confirming there was no danger ahead before moving forward. How could a Wild Dog just jump out from behind me?"

Xiao Niao wasn't lying. Before leaving the village, he had been on high alert. Although he had breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the vast wasteland outside the village, he hadn't let his guard down; he had remained focused on his surroundings, wary of any potential dangers.

Logically speaking, given how vigilant he had been—plus the fact that there weren't many obstacles on this wasteland, leaving the line of sight unobstructed—he shouldn't have been ambushed by a monster. Yet, he had still been bitten, and by a Wild Dog that had lunged from behind him, no less. Could it be that the monsters in this game... spawned randomly? If monsters spawned randomly, that would be terrifying, because no matter how much you prepared, you would never know when a monster might suddenly spawn right in your face, leaving absolutely no time to react.

This thought made Xiao Niao feel suddenly anxious and fearful, and he couldn't help but ask nervously.

Tang Yao also wondered aloud, "Yeah, where was that Wild Dog hiding? We were walking in front and didn't see it at all."

Hu Gualing replied, "What's so strange about that? The wasteland might look desolate, devoid of plants or animals, but as long as it isn't a place where large numbers of humans congregate, there will always be creatures adapted to the local environment, no matter how harsh the natural conditions are. Even in real-world wilderness, there are plenty of creatures—moose, wolves, camels, lions. And this is a game, so it's entirely possible for even stranger creatures to appear. As for why we didn't spot the Wild Dog beforehand, it was likely because its fur color blended in too well with the wasteland environment, making it naturally difficult to detect as it stalked us."