The corpse stampede looked terrifying at first glance, but it actually didn’t have much lethality. Many fell apart halfway because their upper halves kept running while their lower halves couldn’t keep up, but at least there were plenty of them. After holding the line for a while, the players gave up trying to wipe out the whole horde. They let the corpses pass through and used the opportunity to edge closer to the Eye Offering procession.
Xu Huo slowed his pace, kicking aside corpses crowding his path as he glanced at the two players who had rushed to the very front.
Although they used defensive items to cover their faces and most of their bodies, when they were within five meters of the wooden eye, one of them actually removed his defensive item. Not only that, he used his own item to open the other player’s item, instantly dragging the resisting player into the same numb, rigid paralysis.
Seeing that, the other players hurriedly retreated.
“Not looking, not being lit by the red light, you’d think avoiding the Eye Offering’s influence at a distance would still work!” Yi Pei backed away while saying, “Could it be that the dungeon’s mental influence is getting stronger? Or does having so many eyes together double the effect?”
The corpse horde that had run ahead had already passed the players; they were all headed toward the same place, and even the living people among them didn’t treat the players as targets.
The drumbeats and the sound of water both came from the direction of the water pool. It seemed the Eye Offering procession was heading there as well.
“Great, everyone’s gone to the water pool, the county town is safe!” Wei Xian eagerly backed off to the side, trying to create distance from the moving procession.
Except for the two players who had stared directly at the offering eye, everyone else managed to break away from the procession. They hid in the trees and watched thousands of living and dead march past. After all the wooden eyes being offered had gone by, everyone finally exhaled in relief.
“At least the county town is safe for now, we—”
Before Fang Penghui could finish, Xu Huo, the Black-Shirted Player, and the hooded-shirt player followed the procession without hesitation.
“Are they crazy?”
“Staying in the county town isn’t necessarily safe.” Fu Danhong and Tian Kunwen hesitated for a moment, then trailed after them.
The remaining players hesitated a few seconds, but most still chose to go to the water pool. Only a handful gave up and turned back for the county town.
Fearing the Eye Offering’s power, Xu Huo and the others didn’t get too close; they trailed behind the procession at a distance. Only when the water pool drew near did they realize the earlier water sounds were actually the pool’s water level receding, revealing a stone road straight across to the opposite shore. The front of the procession had already stepped onto it.
At the same time, vague red light appeared in the heavy fog, and drum and festival noises came from that direction, echoing the procession on this side.
“There really is a city on the other shore!” Yi Pei couldn’t help but exclaim.
“That must be the real Sifang Palace City, then?” Fang Penghui, who had come up behind Xu Huo, lowered his voice. “Should we follow them over?”
“We came this far, of course we should.” Xu Huo answered without turning back.
Of course the other players were more worried that there might be even more offered eyes on the opposite shore, but getting high-rated good items was the ultimate goal. The risk was worth it.
Xu Huo was the first to step onto the stone path. To avoid standing out, he blended into the Eye Offering procession and walked with them.
Before reaching the far shore, he found Little Yun’s older brother. The man hadn’t lost consciousness—he obediently followed the procession.
Xu Huo tapped Little Yun’s older brother lightly, but he didn’t turn his head. He only waved slightly and pointed ahead.
Xu Huo paused for a moment and noticed that the people walking beside him, living or dead, all turned their heads to look at him.
He immediately realized these people might be mentally impaired but could still pass along information. He couldn’t help a smile and fixed his gaze forward.
The players behind him slowed their pace and put distance between themselves and him when they saw him sway in step with the procession.
At first they did it just to avoid any traps Xu Huo might step on, but soon they realized both the living and the dead were staring at them, and when they reacted, they mimicked the same disguise.
The eyes staring at them gradually shifted away, and both groups quietly reached the opposite shore.
They had expected the abandoned old city to be dilapidated or at least rundown, but as they approached Xu Huo and the others discovered the city was far larger than imagined. Wide streets were lined with medieval-style buildings. Each corner looked like a small tower; eaves and windows were carved with eye patterns.
The buildings looked recently renovated; the paint smell hadn’t completely dissipated, and inside and out the streets were full of people with exaggerated smiles. Some stood at doorways, others had joined the procession.
Xu Huo noticed people in black armor and helmets standing on some roofs. Unlike the Eye Offering procession, they rotated their heads to survey the entire crowd.
Suddenly, a player running ahead broke away from the procession and charged toward a side building. Before he reached the door, two black-armored soldiers darted down from the roof like lightning. One kicked him away, while the other grabbed the back of his neck midair and forced him to the ground.
“Emergency disengage!” The player swept his arm and slid out from under the black-armored soldier, but the soldiers were too fast. He turned on the spot, and before he could escape he was grabbed by the leg. There was a snap as his leg bone was crushed.
The other black-armored soldier reached for his throat.
Xu Huo had already closed the distance. He calmly activated a small item, but it had no effect. Worse, the two soldiers and the black-armored figures on the nearby roofs all turned their eyes toward him in an instant!
Not only behavior, but even using an item exposed you.
As he debated whether to act, a drumbeat suddenly sounded from ahead!
Unlike the faint beats earlier, this drum strike hit the ear like an electric jolt, making people instantly dazed and disoriented about where they were.
Thud!
The drum sounded three times in succession. Players mixed within the procession and the player who had been grabbed began to synchronize with the parade.
All kinds of eyes appeared on walls, ground, and sky. Even the farther heavy fog swelled into the shape of eyes. This was no longer about choosing whether to avoid them—if you kept your eyes open there was no escape. But if you closed your eyes, the black-armored soldiers and the procession would immediately detect the anomaly!
After the drumbeat stopped, Xu Huo and the others followed the procession for another hundred meters. Then three players broke away from the line!
“If we don’t run now, it’ll be too late!”
At least half of the people had finally realized that, even before encountering the dungeon boss, they could be turned into puppets by this eerie drumming and the omnipresent “eyes.” They decided to make one last desperate bid before they lost their sanity completely.
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