396: Chapter 396 In front of me, you're just a little girl.

It was getting dark; he had to set off quickly.

Zhou Yan didn't care about his back pain at this moment; he quickly entered the basement and closed the door behind him.

Looking at the layout before him, Zhou Yan was somewhat disappointed. It was said to be for research, but it wasn't actually large; aside from a table, two wooden shelves, and a simple bed, there was nothing.

Zhou Yan pushed aside some clutter on the table and found the suicide note.

But there was nothing special in the note; it merely introduced the medicine's effects and told Zhou Yan not to use it lightly!

After all, those infected by the Blood Demon weren't necessarily passive victims; the antidote was precious, so he shouldn't entrust it to the wrong person!

Zhou Yan folded the note and stuffed it into his Storage Pouch, then rummaged around some more; besides the old master's notes and the medical books left behind, there was nothing else.

In the spirit of not leaving empty-handed, Zhou Yan packed everything up. After finishing, he headed out of the basement.

Walking on the street, some houses had already lit their lamps, and the sky was gradually darkening.

“It seems there's a nightlife here, but I don't know how long it will last; it’ll be a problem if it doesn’t last long.”

Zhou Yan didn't hesitate and headed straight for the city gate.

Before long, he arrived at the city gate, where several guards were stationed and some villagers were coming and going.

A guard saw Zhou Yan and said in surprise,

“Doctor Chen, I didn't expect you to come! My mother was able to walk again after taking the medicine you prescribed the other day; I was planning to find time to thank you.”

An acquaintance? I didn't expect this identity to have such perks.

Zhou Yan took the opportunity to chat for a bit and soon learned from the guard.

Because the Blood Demon had escaped, the Prince was furious and was leading many talented individuals to hunt down the demon, so everyone entering or leaving now had to report in.

However, Zhou Yan's identity was well-known; hearing that he was just going to the town outside the city to collect medicine before dark, the guard readily let him through.

After all, it was common for doctors to go to towns outside the city to collect medicinal materials or gather herbs on the mountain, even though Hour of the Dragon himself didn't do it much.

“Doctor Chen, if you're going to collect medicinal materials, it's best to go during the day.”

“Lately, wild beasts have been attacking people; although they're just small creatures and no one has been seriously injured, it wouldn't be good if you got hurt.”

Zhou Yan thanked him for the warning, saying he was only going to the nearest town and wouldn't go far, and that he was too busy during the day, so he didn't know when he'd get around to it if he delayed further.

Hearing this, the guard stopped blocking him.

After bidding the guard farewell, Zhou Yan quickly left the city.

“I didn't expect to get out so easily. By the way, what is this level for?”

Just as Zhou Yan was scratching his head, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.

“Escape the city!”

“Escape with the medical books at all costs!”

“As long as there is a glimmer of hope, there is always a chance!”

Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, digesting the information in his mind.

“Good grief, I just asked, and the answer came? Am I not already outside the city? Is this level really that simple?”

He looked back at the city gate; seeing him look back, the guard even waved at him.

Without time to think, Zhou Yan quickened his pace, planning to reach the nearest town before it got completely dark, rent a horse, and then flee as fast as possible.

The level hadn't been judged as completed yet, which meant he hadn't run far enough.

“I really didn't expect to clear it right after arriving; this is much easier than the previous level.”

While Zhou Yan was alternating between running and resting, something seemed to move in the bushes by the roadside.

The sky grew darker; the sunset clouds had receded, and the bright moon hung high. Only the last glow of the sun remained, and the starlight became increasingly brilliant.

As Zhou Yan sat by the roadside to rest again, a dark shadow suddenly darted out from the grass and lunged at him.

It was a hedgehog the size of a piglet with blood-red eyes; both its size and its slightly hideous appearance made it clear that it was abnormal.

However, as it lunged, it didn't see the terrified expressions of those people it usually encountered; there was only a face of indifference and... a small pavilion flying toward it?

“Squeak squeak!”

The pavilion suddenly enlarged, and the hedgehog was trapped inside.

It rampaged inside but couldn't get out; the large gaps were like air walls, trapping it firmly.

Zhou Yan folded his arms, watching all this coldly.

“You've followed me all the way; don't you have anything to say?”

The hedgehog stopped its furious movements and actually spoke human words haltingly.

“When... did you... find out?”

“I found out right at the start.”

Zhou Yan shrugged; he just couldn't use equipment effects, not that he couldn't use anything at all.

With such a large red name tag wandering around him, it was hard not to notice.

Although he had been somewhat reliant on his new Divine Ability lately, he had never given up on the mini-map.

After all, the mini-map was much more reliable than appraisal; it was a function he had used for a long time, so he naturally kept the good habit of checking it periodically.

Seeing Zhou Yan's nonchalant attitude, the hedgehog stopped speaking and instead crashed into the pavilion even more frantically, yet it still couldn't budge it.

Zhou Yan watched the hedgehog's performance quietly, always holding a string of items in his hand.

Soon, a two-meter-tall giant tiger lunged at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan casually pulled out a longsword and slashed a long arc of Sword Qi, splitting the giant tiger in two.

A line of text popped up on the System panel: [Killed Blood Demon Clone]

“So that's how it is. No wonder I haven't left the level yet and there were all those strange hints; it was waiting for me here.”

“Wait, this thing doesn't drop experience or loot? I'm really disillusioned with this Secret Realm; the process is long and tedious, and there's no benefit to be gained.”

“If it weren't for the main quest, I wouldn't come back if there's another job like this.”

While thinking, Zhou Yan extended his other hand; with a slight movement of his fingers, several arrows shot out from the small crossbow on his wrist, killing many animals that jumped out.

“I knew it. Why were there so many seemingly meaningless items that clearly wouldn't help much in same-tier combat? Turns out they were meant to be used here.”

Seeing Zhou Yan casually kill many corrupted animals, the Blood Demon—who had originally intended to use a feigned rage to distract Zhou Yan before attacking with a sea of beasts—showed horror in its eyes.

“Your items... where did they come from?”

Zhou Yan smirked and didn't answer it, only saying teasingly,

“I thought you were strong since you were mentioned indirectly in so many places, but now it seems that in front of me, you're just a... loli.”

Seeing Zhou Yan's ease, the Blood Demon was terrified and self-detonated without a word.

After the self-detonation, the animals stopped attacking Zhou Yan, turned toward the forest, and fled in all directions.

But Zhou Yan saw clearly; just as the hedgehog died, the boss panel shifted to an inconspicuous deer.

He put on a flight item, timed it right, and flew quickly toward that deer.

“Blood Demon, where do you think you're going?”

Seeing Zhou Yan suddenly appear beside it, flying sideways, the deer was also terrified; it tried to escape again but was sent flying by a hammer from Zhou Yan, dying instantly.

[Killed Blood Demon]

Looking over the kill record, Zhou Yan scratched his head.

Just as that deer fell, all the red dots fleeing on the map disappeared, and a series of kill records for Clones appeared simultaneously, indicating that the guy was indeed dead.

But why did it feel like it wouldn't be this simple?

Just as he was thinking, a green dot was rapidly approaching him.

Zhou Yan turned around; under the moonlight, a bald head was continuously leaping through the trees.

Getting closer in the moonlight, it was a monk wearing monastic robes. The monk had a simple and honest face, but his expression was currently extremely aloof.

He didn't look at Zhou Yan, stepping over to the dead deer.

“Is this the Blood Demon? You killed it?”

Looking at the monk's serious expression and considering the circumstances, a normal person would think this guy might be the mastermind.

But Zhou Yan wiped his face and looked at the monk.

“Long Tianxing, is that you?”

The monk was stunned, looking incredulous, and instinctively asked,

“Who are you?”

Having confirmed his target, Zhou Yan looked helpless and said casually,

“I'm your father.”

This was clearly a teasing remark, but for some reason, Long Tianxing instinctively replied,

“Father.”

This cry of "Father" stunned Zhou Yan and left Long Tianxing himself bewildered.

After snapping out of it, Long Tianxing's face turned red with embarrassment.

He had just arrived and thought the other person's persona was his father; after all, he had spent months calling someone "father" in the previous level, so it just slipped out.

It was only after realizing the other person had called him by his real name that he understood this guy might be one of his teammates.