Chapter 109: Mental Pollution

    Dressed in a new set of lightweight clothes with his long hair tied in a high ponytail, Shen Nianzu emerged from the tent with his brows creased into deep lines.

    Just before leaving, he had asked Jin Jiuchi about his SAN value, and imagined his surprise when he discovered that it had dropped to 21!

    To go from 62 to 21 in the span of one night, how dangerous was it?! And Jin Jiuchi, that damned psycho, did not even plan to tell him anything at all until he inquired about it!

    Perhaps it was fortunate that the silver-eyed Jin Jiuchi’s spirit was stranded in the underworld, leaving his body in the state of semi-death. Otherwise Shen Nianzu could not guarantee what might have happened by now.

    SAN value below 30 was enough to create hallucination, rendering players unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality. As it continued to decrease, players would lose their logic and attack others mindlessly. They would literally become zombies.

    But what would happen once the SAN value dropped to zero? According to the video games he had played in the past, zero SAN value was equivalent to death, but he had no idea whether it would be the same in the Cycle...

    So far, they had only discovered one death condition: ’Do not disrespect God’.

    The male Intermediate player who had shown contempt for the sacred lake dedicated to Anubis had met a swift and agonizing death. Similarly, when Wind detonated the mini bomb in the temple last night, she had triggered the appearance of the nightmare creatures, as her action was also considered an act of insolence in the presence of God.

    If this was the usual low-level Cycle, such a death condition was already enough to test the newbies and newly ascended intermediate players, on top of the harsh survival environment of the desert. However, Shen Nianzu kept feeling that things could not be so simple. Just like in the previous Cycle, the scarcity of food had come at an unexpected time and increased the difficulty of their survival.

    And if he was not wrong, then a hidden danger also existed in this Cycle — mental pollution, which had originated from the coffin.

    If not for Jin Jiuchi’s skill card that could only be activated below a certain value, he would not have discovered this either. The reason why the side effects he experienced last night was more intense than usual, was it also a result of the mental pollution?

    It seemed like he had touched upon the core of this Cycle.

    "Good morning, Xiao Shen!" Xinxin waved at him with a bright smile. After activating his skill card for the first time last night, his entire person looked refreshed as if he had been born anew.

    Jiang Shun, Lang Zhenya and Fatty had also gathered outside the tent. While the former two appeared to be in good condition, Fatty seemed worse for wear. His complexion was pallid, and a thin layer of perspiration gave his skin a greasy sheen under the morning sun. He also kept murmuring something under his breath.

    Shen Nianzu walked over and returned Xinxin’s greetings amicably, "Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"

    Xinxin stifled a delicate laugh behind his hand, "I slept like a baby as soon as I got into my sleeping bag! Oh God, I didn’t know that using a skill card would be this draining. If I keep this up, maybe I will be able to get a good night’s sleep in the Cycle? Previously, I’ve been so tense and afraid to close my eyes..." He followed the line of Shen Nianzu’s sight and his brow furrowed when he looked at the unstable Fatty.

    "Ah, him? I’m not sure. It seems he had nightmares because of those creatures last night. Well, compared to being besieged by bloodthirsty rats and poisonous spiders, those mummies were nothing at all..." he shivered in fear at the reminder of the peril he had narrowly escaped from in the last Cycle.

    "Everyone’s here?" Jiang Shun raised his voice and beckoned for them to follow. "Let’s go and check out the temple first. I want to see if those two are still alive. They didn’t show up until now. It seems like the temple is indeed a treacherous place at night..."

    Together, the five of them trudged through the desert towards the temple. Up close, the extent of the bomb’s damage from the previous night became evident. The ceiling was blown off, and the second floor lay in ruins, making the intact door look all the more conspicuous.

    "Hmm..." Jiang Shun raised his head and let out an intrigued hum. "By the way, last night was so chaotic that we crashed as soon as we finished fighting, so I didn’t have a chance to ask. I’m sure you guys have noticed that someone is missing from our team. In the Cycle, being missing can only mean two things: either she deliberately hides from us, or she died without anyone knowing and the Cycle erased her body. Honestly, I’m more inclined to the former, which leads me to the question I want to ask..."

    He turned abruptly, fixing his sharp gaze on Shen Nianzu. "What were you doing in the temple with her last night when we were supposed to be resting? And why would she set up a bomb? You must know the answer, right, Xiao Shen?"

    All eyes snapped to the petite Shen Nianzu. Without his huge dog as a shield, he looked particularly small and vulnerable, being cornered by a few big adults.

    Beside him, Xinxin gulped nervously. He wanted to come to Xiao Shen’s defense, yet he did not know what to say. Deep down, he also wondered why the boy had emerged from the temple in the dead of the night.

    In contrast, Shen Nianzu’s expression remained calm like an unwavering lake. Not even a hint of nervousness could be found in his eyes upon hearing Jiang Shun’s veiled threat. For some unknown reason, Jiang Shun’s heart skipped a beat when he looked into those serene eyes.

    Shen Nianzu’s mind raced. He silently debated what he should say when he caught sight of a familiar figure approaching from near the temple. In an instant, he made up his mind.

    "Of course, I know. The reason is none other than because I am JJ..." He emphasized each word clearly, ignoring Jiang Shun and Lang Zhenya’s stunned expressions. Pointing at Wind, who was coming from the direction of the temple, he continued,

    "And she is Dance of the Wind, the former top 100 player who was kicked out of the leaderboard because of me. She’s here to kill me, and if I didn’t hear wrong last night, you mentioned that you wanted to kill everyone too, didn’t you? Dance of the Wind?" He tilted his head and offered a sweet smile to Wind, who glared back at him with vehement hatred.

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    A/N: ooh cunning Nian’er is hot, even tho he’s a little cutie pie now!