The Uncanny Valley Traveling Guide

On the steep slope, Zhou Qing had her back turned toward six cruel and bloodthirsty monsters, who were now resting with closed eyes. Her hair was standing on end, and she couldn’t help shivering.

Be calm, she told herself; they don’t have eyes, but they can smell fear and sweat.

With her brother watching her worriedly from above, she silently recalled the buttonhole doll, stepped on the sand carefully, and slowly approached the six heavy-breathing monsters.

Fifty meters, forty-five meters, forty meters… No, is this distance too far? But Brother’s claw gun has a range of two hundred meters; don’t worry, you shouldn’t worry…

The stench is like rotten fish mixed with wisps of heat, which is even more unbearable than feces. At least the smell of feces will not be mixed with the smell of death poured on layers of flesh and blood. Half of this smell comes from the people and animals they killed, and the other half comes from their skinless muscles exposed to the air and their rotting and festering lower bodies.

Thirty-five meters, thirty meters…

Where did the thief go? His name is too difficult to remember… Not only the name, but his whole existence is as plain as water. If she just calls him Thief, she can still evoke a little impression of him in her mind. Only Wen Di can call his name… If they delegate this task to him, it can’t go wrong because the monsters can’t see him, but how will he distinguish the remaining two monsters with key items?

Twenty-five meters, twenty meters…

Her heartbeat pounded against her chest so violently that she could even hear it. She tried her best to control it, trying to keep it quiet for fear that the sleeping monsters would hear the repeated thumps. It is said that there are only two things in the world that are difficult to hide: one is coughing, and the other is love…

F*ck it, she cursed, while glancing at her constantly falling mental values, 85% and 81% in terror… Coughing and love aren’t more difficult to conceal than fear. The most difficult thing in the world to conceal is just fear alone…

fifteen meters, thirteen meters…

The communicator turned on without a sound, carrying He Qin’s voice so soft that it was almost a whisper.

“In a minute, you come to attract their attention and then use the item to escape. Your brother will pull you up, and we will take care of the rest.”

After a pause, he comforted her by saying, “Good girl, you did very well; you’re already an exceptionally brave girl; don’t be afraid.”

Zhou Qing’s face twitched as she whispered, “……I’m not afraid.”

Ten meters away, she shouted, “I’m not afraid!!!”

The girl’s loud and trembling roar shook the air. The eyeless monsters bounced up like a bolt of lightning, sending out a hostile, angry roar at this daring human being. Zhou Yao’s pupils constricted, and the steel wire of the claw gun was pulled down into a taut string in the dim moonlight!

Five meters.

Four monsters pounced on Zhou Qing with the hisses of the central two. He Qin decisively ordered, “Judgment is correct; it’s the middle two, Thief’s Hand!”

Three meters.

Xie Yuanyuan darted forward, [It’s Picnic Time] cut a running ripple in the wind, and [Thief’s Hand] grabbed something on one of the monsters in an instant without missing a beat!

Two meters.

A bloody tongue pierced the air, sounding like a steel whip. Zhou Qing screamed: “Doll! Buttonhole doll!!”

One meter.

Wen Zheliu clenched the crowbar tightly, waiting to jump down the steep slope to support Xie Yuanyuan at any time. Xie Yuanyuan stole one, which immediately attracted the roar of its owner. Four eyeless monsters that lost their key items tore the sudden appearance of the doll into pieces and were about to pursue Zhou Qing, who was quickly pulled back by the claw gun. Hearing the sound, Xie Yuanyuan immediately turned back and held his breath with a calm expression. At the same time, he stole the last item from the monster!

—Death is imminent.

Zhou Qing shouted, “Xie …..! No, don’t go after him! Come after me, come after me!!!”

Wen Zheliu held the rope with one hand, leapt down the steep slope, and roared: “Run!!!”

Bloody tongues and sharp claws interweaved a terrifying scene of hell under the moonlight. Xie Yuanyuan dodged the first blow, but was severely whipped in the waist and abdomen by the second blow, and fell heavily, screaming in pain. His HP was reduced to 43%.

He Qin flew up, bringing a chilly sword light from the center of the two sides, splitting the bright moon, and shining through the snowy night—

Xie Yuanyuan shouted: “Wen Di! Take the items!”

Wen Zheliu tugged the hemp rope and flew to the ground, ignoring his numb knees and 16% loss of HP. He received three items thrown at him: a piece of sleeve, a lock of bloodied hair, and a piece of red-stained cotton underwear.

The instant the six items gathered together, time and space seemed to freeze at this second, and the system’s ethereal and illusory female voice sounded again in the player’s ears:

[All main storylines have been triggered.]

[Please cooperate to defeat the boss.]

[Please cooperate to solve the puzzles and meet the customs clearance conditions. ]

Wen Zheliu’s eyes were blurred. The deadly sharp blade in He Qin’s hand was the only thing he could see clearly. Xie Yuanyuan opened his mouth to vomit blood; Zhou Qing screamed; Zhou Yao roared to make her hold on…

Boss, but who is the boss?

[But you didn’t see that,

But you didn’t see that,

What dirty jokes did they play on me?

They broke my pitcher and spilled water,

Scared my mother,

Scolded her daughter,

And finally kissed my sister instead of me.]

The last paragraph of the brisk and sorrowful song also followed. At this moment, the pages of memory flipped rapidly. The narwhal pierced through the ocean emptied by the turbid waves, the land rose from the sea, and the truth underneath was as clear as a carved stone tablet…

Wen Zheliu felt like he was waking up from a dream. He took out the silver pendant from his pocket, looked at its changing properties in response to the song, and held it up high while shouting harshly: “Jenny—your master is Jenny! She is Marianne’s sister, and the real victim and purger of the town’s legacy! Jenny, her name is Jenny!”

[Item Name: Jenny’s Pendant]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Activation type: none]

[Cool-down time: none]

[Attack Power: Unknown]

[Effect: Unknown]

[Equipment level: 1]

[Item Introduction: I am like wildfire, burning weakly at the end of the sanctuary. My enemies are all buried in the grave; my mourning candles are dried up with tears; my hometown was annihilated by me in the depths of the river of death; and my old friends were torn to pieces by me in the dilapidated halls of the official residence. The art of evil grace not only burned my heart but also my soul—

I am like wildfire. ]

“I am like wildfire!” He let loose a roar while sending the pendant forward with one hand, flinging the silver chain with a fine trembling sound, “Now back the hell up! I’ve solved the puzzle!”

In an instant, like water waves trembling, the dense jungle, rolling mountains, and deserted wild scenery under the moonlight all faded away in everyone’s eyes. In its place are pieces of decaying ruins, ragged walls of thorns, and the mournful cries of crows. And the place where they are now is a withered and collapsed cemetery.

“Ah!” Zhou Qing, hanging on the rope, shrieked. Zhou Yao also had a face full of incredulity, “How …… how can this happen!”

Eyeless monsters screamed, and their bloody tongues flicked among the broken tombstones. They dragged their rotten and smelly lower bodies like a poor horse that was forcibly pulled by the reins, raised their upper bodies high, and fell heavily on the barren earth, splashing a wave of dust. They opened their mouths full of sharp teeth unwillingly, facing He Qin, who stood in front of Xie Yuanyuan.

“He told you beasts to get lost.” He Qin’s expression was murderous, and the side of his face still bore the blood trails that had been accidentally rubbed off when he was entangled with the monster. He spoke slowly, his nose wrinkled slightly, as if a beast that would bare its saber teeth in the next second, “Can’t understand human language?”

After a moment of stalemate, the brisk melody of the song was still playing in everyone’s ears in a loop. The eyeless monsters finally retreated slowly, then turned and darted away into the darkened ruins of the town.

Wen Zheliu limped over quickly and said in an eager voice: “Go back to the cottage. I know, I know everything! Go back quickly; if we don’t go back, it will be too late!”

Xie Yuanyuan struggled to get up from the ground and asked, “What’s going on… Have we been living in an illusion?”

Zhou Yao pulled Zhou Qing up, shot the claw gun, and hoisted the rest of the people up one by one. He Qin said: “I’ll explain this matter later. The most urgent task now is to go back and join the rest.”

“I should have thought of it earlier!” Wen Zheliu scratched his hair in frustration, repeating the system prompt, “The boss has been activated in the plot, the boss has been activated in the plot… I should have thought of their identities long ago!”

Zhou Yao carried Xie Yuanyuan, who was unable to move, while He Qin supported his arm, and he whispered, “It’s not too late for you to figure it out now.”

“…Brother?” Wen Zheliu looked back at him incredulously, “You…you already knew, why didn’t you tell me?”

He Qin looked directly at the path ahead. Although his facial features were handsome, they were also mixed with a sense of deep sharpness. The curve from the eyebrow bone to the nose bridge was like a dark valley, which set off his straight nose that connected like a blade, and below were the sexy and thin lips… After a long, long time, he said in a hoarse voice: “I can remind you once, twice, or thrice…. But how long can I keep doing that? ”

Wen Zheliu was stunned.

“Brother believes in you,” his voice was soft and slow, in stark contrast to the howling night wind, “you can do it.”

The candle light eerily flickered. Mu Tuo grabbed an apple and took a bite. He was sitting on the chair in the living room, waiting for his companions to return from the night patrol.

“Why do they take so long?” he muttered. “It’s getting late.”

Du Zijun sat aside and glanced at him nonchalantly, “It’s still early; let’s wait.”

Opposite them, Ke Wenyan, Bai Hao, and Gao Xinghan were all sitting on the sofa. Their expressions, movements, and even their sitting postures were similar. Under the flickering candlelight, one would think at first glance that they were three neatly arranged corpses.

“Why worry about it.” said Ke Wenyan.

“There is a survival mode, and so many people have died.” said Bai Hao.

“The difficulty of the game will definitely be greatly reduced.” said Gao Xinghan.

The expressions on their faces were blank. One sentence after another, seamlessly coherent, full of tacit understanding, they’re just like triplets with different parents—so bizarre and scary. Seeing this situation, even Mu Tuo felt abnormal. He slowed down the speed of chewing and said in a daze, “What’s up? Why did you talk so strangely…”

Du Zijun looked at them coldly, squinted his eyes, and said softly, “The game is not over yet, so there’s no need to turn the table too early.”

“Playing games with smart people一” Ke Wenyan said.

“一is often difficult to hide secrets.” Gao Xinghan continued.

With a serious expression, Du Zijun took out the telescope from his pocket and pointed it at Mu Tuo.

Muto’s eyes widened: “Hey, what are you doing using the item on me? Put it down quickly!”

Du Zijun then slowly put down the telescopes and then slammed them on Bai Hao’s head, who was opposite him.

With a dull sound, Bai Hao’s face was expressionless. His head was tilted from the impact, and the wound on his forehead was bone-deep, bleeding slowly.

“Hey!” Mu Tuo was stunned, “I told you to put it down quickly, not smash your teammate’s head! What’s wrong with you, woman!”

“Come and sit next to me, idiot.” Du Zijun spat, “Don’t ask so many questions.”

Mu Tuo was in a daze when there was a “ding dong” in his ears without warning, and the system prompt sounded suddenly.

[All main storylines have been triggered. ]

[Please cooperate to defeat the boss. ]

[Please cooperate to solve the puzzles and meet the customs clearance conditions. ]

Then, there was the last paragraph of the song with the same melody.

“What’s going on?” Mu Tuo said in amazement, “Brothers He Qin and the others…unlocked the full plot?”

“It seems so.” A sweet and soft female voice sounded from the other side of the house: “Four days, and it’s not even midnight yet. That’s fast.”

The two looked back and found that standing at the stairs was actually Marianne, holding a candlestick.

Du Zijun jumped back, picked up the fruit knife placed on the table, and turned it nimbly in his hand with a dazzling silver light.

“It’s also due to your good sister, isn’t it?” He asked in a hissing voice, his face pale and his eyes cold, as if he were a viper in the forest.

“Look, I’ve already said it.” Bai Hao’s face was dripping with blood, but he still didn’t even change his expression.

“Playing games with smart people is often difficult to hide secrets.” Ke Wenyan continued.

Translator note:
The night patrol team: busy fighting six monsters
Du Zijin: busy keeping an eye on the moles
Mu Tuo: