105: Chapter 105 The Cannibalistic Curse
Filled with questions, Liu Xuan continued to watch.
In the scene, as Joanna became trapped, the Wendigo quickly gave chase after slaughtering the others.
Just as its sharp claws were about to Pierce the young girl's chest, a figure suddenly rushed out and blocked her path.
Lambert had arrived!
The deputy captain of the security team cleaved the Wendigo's claws aside with a single stroke, then rescued Joanna from the roots of the [White Wood of Death].
So far, the scenes Liu Xuan saw were roughly the same as what Joanna had described before.
But the following images were somewhat different.
Lambert and the Wendigo were locked in a fierce struggle. As the soldier had said before, Lambert's strength was indeed impressive.
He didn't use many flashy moves; just ordinary slashes and parries, yet he managed to fight the Wendigo on equal terms, even slightly gaining the upper hand.
New wounds constantly appeared on the Wendigo, leaving it covered in blood. At this rate, Lambert had a high chance of winning.
But then, the image in front of Liu Xuan suddenly distorted and jumped to another scene.
It was Lambert training, but this time he wasn't holding a standard-issue sword; instead, he held a precious sword that looked to be of excellent quality.
Several people around him wearing security team uniforms were pointing at him and whispering. Their words were inaudible, but looking at their expressions, they were definitely not saying anything good.
After training, Lambert looked down at the sword in his hand.
The image distorted again, returning to the battle between Lambert and the Wendigo.
The wounded Wendigo became increasingly frenzied, but Lambert remained calm. He reduced his offensive pressure and switched to defense, clearly seeing that as long as he outlasted this frenzy, the monster would eventually exhaust itself.
However, the Wendigo suddenly launched a vicious claw strike. Lambert raised his sword to parry, but unexpectedly, with a crisp "clang," his standard-issue sword reached its limit and snapped at that moment.
The Wendigo's claws carved three deep wounds into his chest, and the massive impact sent him flying.
By the time Lambert struggled to stand up, he was covered in blood and held only a broken sword.
The image skipped ahead for a bit. When it became clear again, both Lambert and the Wendigo had fallen to the ground, with a broken sword still embedded in the latter's chest.
Joanna anxiously stepped forward to help Lambert up. Although he wasn't dead yet, he had basically lost all combat capability.
In the subsequent images, Joanna used her outer clothing to cut strips of cloth and provided a simple bandage for Lambert.
Lambert's life was temporarily saved, but the two were trapped in a forest filled with monsters. Given their condition, they couldn't possibly fight their way out. They could only wait in place for rescue, hoping that someone would be sent from the outside.
Under normal circumstances, there would have been.
But they never expected that the Destroyers would invade at that time, and even Orenburg would fall.
After being trapped for several days, a fatal problem faced them: they had no food left. How were they to survive?
Lambert's injuries went untreated and grew increasingly severe until he couldn't even walk.
One day, Lambert suddenly made a suggestion: he said he always believed that if they just held on for a few more days, the City Lord and the security team would surely send someone.
No matter what, he had to complete this mission and save Joanna.
As for how to hold on for a few more days, his solution was to have Joanna eat his flesh.
Seeing this, Liu Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
Lambert actually made such a suggestion! This was beyond what "tragic" could describe.
What surprised Liu Xuan even more was that Joanna actually agreed.
In the image, her expression was extremely strange, as if she were restraining some primal desire; her eyes were hollow yet fanatical.
Liu Xuan felt this was too abnormal. Even if one was starving to the point of madness, they shouldn't have such an expression. It was as if she were possessed!
"The Cursed Forest..."
Liu Xuan suddenly thought of the forest's reputation. Was there really something strange about this place?
The scene shifted again. The woman's back was turned as she knelt on the ground. Lambert lay before her, the light already gone from his eyes.
Her head was lowered, and she seemed to be constantly stuffing something into her mouth.
At the same time, her body began to twist and swell, her skeleton elongating. As she fed, she transformed into a monster over three meters tall with the head of a deer.
The image came to an abrupt halt.
Liu Xuan was still holding the broken sword, and he suddenly felt a chill all over his body.
Was this the truth of what happened back then?
So Joanna hadn't lied. In a sense, Lambert and the Wendigo had indeed perished together, but Joanna had turned into a new Wendigo afterward...
Liu Xuan sighed: What a tragedy.
If Lambert hadn't changed his weapon because of the rumors from others, if the Destroyers hadn't invaded at that exact time... both of them might have had a chance to be saved.
Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs'.
Shaking his head, Liu Xuan was about to stand up when a blurred figure gradually approaching was reflected in the broken sword.
Liu Xuan spun around abruptly to see Joanna!
She had returned to her human form and was looking at him with a faint smile in her eyes.
"I hope that after you leave, you can take that Spiritual Herb to my father," she said softly. "Thank you."
Liu Xuan opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
It seemed she hadn't lied; she truly believed only a dozen days had passed since those events and that her father was still waiting for her medicine.
Before Liu Xuan could explain, Joanna's body began to change, and massive antlers gradually grew from her head.
"Wait! If you transform now—"
Liu Xuan's expression changed, and he immediately tried to back away, but the mound of Lambert's grave behind him obstructed him. It was too late.
In the next moment, he saw Joanna, who had already turned into a Wendigo but still wore an upward curve at the corner of her mouth, as a bolt of heavenly thunder struck her head.
The damage from [Thunder Aura] increased by another 120,000, but Liu Xuan couldn't bring himself to be happy.
He stood there in silence for a long while before letting out a heavy sigh: Perhaps this could be considered a good ending.
Although Joanna didn't know her father was dead and the [Longevity Grass] was no longer useful, at least she left without any regrets.
By killing Jo... the Wendigo, Liu Xuan leveled up again. However, because of that previous passive skill, he was still stuck on the quest and hadn't drawn yet, so he couldn't draw for this level either.
But there was still a headache-inducing matter: how to tell Heg when the time came.
Tell him his son was eaten?
Wouldn't he go completely insane because of that?
But if he lied, it didn't seem right either. What if it counted as a quest failure?
Liu Xuan pondered for a moment and felt that if he wanted to complete this quest well, he couldn't just simply take the sword to Heg.
In life, Lambert wanted most to prove himself and gain recognition from others. If he could fulfill this wish, the quest would be considered perfect.
Perhaps after Heg found out, he would also feel much more comforted.
Thus, Liu Xuan immediately took the broken sword and hurried toward the Orchid River Outpost.