Chapter 49: The Truth Buried Deep in the Red Mist

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Truth Buried Deep in the Red Mist

Beside the corpse of the Blood Corpse King, which had shrunk to the size of a normal human, Yu Zhun stood still like a stone statue, letting the infection level above his head continue to rise.

His brows were tightly knitted as he tried hard to figure out what he had missed.

Looking back at the entire process of clearing the dungeon, he couldn’t shake off a faint sense of incongruity.

Crouching down, Yu Zhun carefully searched the Blood Corpse King’s body and soon found a pocket watch on its chest.

Opening the bloodstained pocket watch, he saw a photo of a couple embedded inside the cover. The facial features of the husband in the photo bore an eighty-percent resemblance to the ferocious face of the current Blood Corpse King.

He thought, "Is this a photo of the Blood Corpse King and his wife when he was alive?"

The words murmured by the Guard Captain Blood Corpse after being defeated echoed in his mind.

"That man is a lunatic. He actually laid hands on his own wife.

"In front of everyone...

"Hammer blow after hammer blow...

"We... shouldn’t have judged him.

"We were the ones who made a mistake..."

The first three sentences clearly pointed to the Heavy Hammer Blood Corpse King. Before this dungeon Boss died, he killed his wife with a hammer.

But what did the last two sentences mean, which obviously conflicted with the first three?

Shouldn’t have judged him? Why was it a mistake?

Scenes from the dungeon flashed through Yu Zhun’s mind.

Blood Corpses...

The Blood Corpse King...

The gallows...

Right! The gallows!

Yu Zhun’s pupils suddenly shrank. He turned to look at the collapsed gallows, faintly grasping the crux of the problem.

If the Blood Corpse King died on the gallows...

Why did he appear with the gallows resting on his head?

Who would put something they hated on their head?

Unless... the one hanged on the gallows wasn’t him!

The one who was judged wasn’t the Blood Corpse King!

Yu Zhun’s pupils slightly contracted again as a sobbing murmur echoed in his mind.

"Why did you have to kill him? What did he do wrong..."

Like a clap of thunder clearing the final clouds of confusion, a chill shot up from the soles of Yu Zhun’s feet straight to the top of his skull, making him shudder involuntarily.

The Hanlong Guild’s guide was incorrect!

Leaving the Blood Corpse King at his feet, Yu Zhun activated [Swift Step] and sprinted back the way he came at top speed. He finally reached the long-abandoned street and once again saw that perfectly clean, intact shop.

A complex look flashed across his eyes, which turned into determination a moment later. Step by step, he walked inside.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

The knocking sounded once more, but this time, no one answered.

Yu Zhun walked straight into the empty storefront, lifted the curtain separating it from the backyard, and stepped into the yard.

In the silent backyard, there was only a dry well.

"A dry well..." Yu Zhun stepped forward slowly. Finally, he rested a hand on the well’s edge and peered into the deep, bottomless opening.

"How could a dry well have well water?"

He muttered softly to himself. Soon after, a look of resolve flashed in his eyes, and he jumped down the well without hesitation.

THUD—

After falling for about several dozen meters, Yu Zhun felt his feet touch the ground again.

This was a crimson-red space.

In the very center of the space lay a wooden coffin. A little boy, about four or five years old, sat on the ground with his back against the coffin, his arms wrapped around his knees.

Unlike normal children, this little boy had a bizarre, blood-red complexion—eerie and heart-palpitating.

As Yu Zhun arrived, the little boy calmly stood up and turned to look at him.

"How did you find out there was a problem with the well?"

"Beside a venomous snake’s nest, there will always be a detoxifying herb." Yu Zhun slowly raised his dagger, pointing it at the boy. "And the well water is the only thing in Bloody City that can eliminate the infection."

"I see..."

The little boy revealed a look of realization. Resting a hand on the coffin, he murmured, "In the end, I still can’t let my mother rest in peace..."

"Mother?" Yu Zhun frowned slightly, looking at the coffin before speaking up. "The Blood Corpse King is your fa—"

"I have no such father!!!"

Before Yu Zhun could finish, the little boy’s face abruptly twisted into something ferocious and terrifying. Emitting an angry roar, he stepped toward Yu Zhun.

"I was born with this freakish appearance. The townspeople loathed me and feared me. They called me an omen of misfortune, a disaster," the little boy said, clenching his fists tightly, deep-seated hatred blazing in his eyes.

"Only Mother and Grandma Liu treated me with genuine kindness. They didn’t mind my appearance at all. They were the only warmth in my Purgatory-like life.

"I thought that as long as I endured it a little more and ignored what others thought, everything would eventually get better.

"But they had to obliterate even such a small wish!

"When a plague broke out in the city, they claimed I brought it. They said that as long as they killed me, the plague would vanish.

"They wanted to drag me to the gallows to stand trial. It was Mother who stood in front of me, refusing to let them take me away."

The little boy put away his ferocious expression, leaving only indifference in his eyes.

"That man... was an abusive drunk. Every time he drank, he would hysterically beat and curse at Mother and me, saying that because of me, he couldn’t even hold his head up in front of others."

A taunting look surfaced on the little boy’s face as he continued, "To hold his head up in front of others and cut ties with us, he used his work hammer to beat Mother to death right in front of the gallows.

"Just like that, hammer blow after hammer blow..." The little boy mimicked the swinging motion from his memories, bursting into hysterical laughter.

"So, you made him carry the gallows on his head," Yu Zhun said slowly. "And you turned everyone in the entire city into mindless Blood Corpses."

The little boy’s loud laughter abruptly stopped. He stared faintly at Yu Zhun and suddenly revealed a savage smile. "It’s quite fitting, isn’t it?"

"Alright." Yu Zhun nodded slightly, then pointed to the infection bar above his head. "If conditions allowed, I might chat with you a bit longer, but unfortunately, my time is limited.

"So, show your health bar."

The little boy fell silent for a moment before speaking faintly.

"I didn’t actually want to kill you, but your presence will shatter the peace Mother and I have right now.

"So, I’m sorry.

"You drank the well water. It’s time to pay the price."

[You have been eroded by a massive amount of Power of Blood Red. Infection level +40. Your current infection level is: 89]

[You have acquired a debuff: Physical Attack, Magic Attack -89%]

Yu Zhun was left speechless. "?"

He thought, "Are you playing dirty?"

The little boy’s aura instantly became terrifying.

[Blood Demon (Lv 25)]

[Attributes:

Life Value: 120,000

Mana: 10,000

Physical Attack: 3,000

Magic Attack: 3,000

Physical Defense: 1,000

Magic Defense: 1,000]

[Skill 1 (Blood Sacrifice): Instantly restores 20% Life Value.]

[Skill 2 (Blood Absorption): 100% of the Life Value reduction dealt to the target is Transformed into one’s own Life Value recovery.]

[Skill 3 (Blood Robe): For every 1% of Life Value lost, Physical Defense and Magic Defense increase by 1%.]

Yu Zhun stared in disbelief. "???"

After reading the three skills, he was so furious he almost laughed.

He thought, "No... you’re really playing dirty, aren’t you?"