Chapter 150: Butterfly Village

Li Zhi shared her and Xu Yan's speculations with the others.

For a moment, the room fell silent. Everyone's expressions were a mix of shock and disbelief. Once it sank in, they frantically began stripping off their clothes to check their backs.

Each of them bore a butterfly mark of varying depth.

After inspecting them all, Li Zhi noted that the mark on her back was the faintest, followed by Jiao Shen and Xu Yan. The others' marks were already deep—golden butterflies sprawled across their shoulder blades, eerie and unsettling.

The parasitic process was silent and insidious. It devoured the host's memories, fused with their consciousness, and before they knew it, they would become someone else entirely.

The group's faces darkened, especially those who had mocked Li Zhi for appearing weak earlier. Turns out, it wasn't weakness—rather, her body was fighting back so fiercely because it was strong.

Meanwhile, the truly weak among them hadn't even noticed they were being parasitized.

Nie Miao's voice trembled. "W-what do we do now?"

Originally, Li Zhi and Jiao Shen had planned to tail Yin Fu or even kidnap her to force her to lead them into the mountains. But last night, after Li Jianxi took Li Zhi to the back hills, she realized that the parasitic consciousness inside her could guide her through the terrain.

This meant they didn’t actually need Yin Fu to show them the way. Tonight, they could enter the mountains themselves, following that parasitic instinct to locate the cocoon forest.

Still, if they could extract the village's secrets and the specifics of the parasitic process from Yin Fu before heading into the mountains, their plan would be much safer.

After a moment of thought, Li Zhi gathered everyone and quietly laid out tonight’s plan.

Once they dispersed, the players began preparing for the operation. To avoid suspicion, they split up to gather supplies before assembling them later.

When Xu Yan returned with matches, she found Nie Miao sitting on the lobby sofa, staring blankly at the cotton fabric she’d bought for torches.

Xu Yan approached and whispered, "Don’t leave that out here. What if Yin Fu sees it? Hand it over."

Nie Miao turned her head, glaring. "Why should I give you my things? I’ll put them away myself."

Xu Yan frowned, studying her. "Nie Miao?"

Nie Miao rolled her eyes. "What?"

Xu Yan suddenly smiled, softening her tone. "I need to talk to you. Come with me."

Nie Miao scowled but reluctantly stood and followed, clutching her supplies. Xu Yan led her toward their room. Once inside, Nie Miao snapped, "What is it?"

Xu Yan locked the door, then swiftly chopped the back of Nie Miao’s neck. Without a sound, Nie Miao collapsed.

Xu Yan caught her before she hit the floor, laid her on the bed, and used scissors (bought by another player) to cut the bedsheet into strips. She bound Nie Miao tightly, then stuffed a wad of fabric into her mouth for good measure.

When Li Zhi returned and saw the trussed-up, unconscious Nie Miao, she raised an eyebrow. "Did she betray us?"

Xu Yan flexed her wrist. "Not yet. But something was off. I didn’t want her tipping anyone off, so I restrained her just in case."

Li Zhi was curious. "How’d you notice?"

Xu Yan shrugged. "The vibes were wrong."

From the moment they entered the dungeon, Nie Miao had been oozing green-tea energy. But now? The act was slipping. Definitely suspicious.

Though full parasitic assimilation took seven days, players with weaker mental resilience could fall under the parasite’s control midway—unaware of their own actions.

Li Zhi sighed. "Nie Miao won’t be the only one. Others might lose themselves too. Bringing them along tonight could backfire."

Xu Yan smirked. "Then we’ll tie them all up."

And so, over the next few hours, two more players were deemed suspicious and knocked out. Xu Yan dispatched them with a single chop each. Another player, witnessing this, frantically waved his hands. "Not me! I’m still me! I swear!"

On the bed, Nie Miao regained consciousness and glared hatefully at Li Zhi and Xu Yan.

Xu Yan nodded at her. "See? If this were the real Nie Miao, she’d be crying pitifully right now—not glaring."

Nie Miao: "……"

The audience outside the screen was howling:

[The tense parasitic plotline just turned into a comedy.]
[Turns out, Nie-jie’s green-tea antics have advantages—harder to mimic!]
[What are these butterfly parasites? Humans? Monsters?]
[Whatever they started as, after centuries, they’re definitely monsters now.]
[No wonder there are no kids or elderly here. The butterflies only want young, strong hosts.]
[Do the butterfly-people even reproduce? They’re immortal through parasitism—why bother?]

With three weak-willed players tied up, the remaining seven were still stable. By evening, they confirmed Yin Fu was preparing to enter the mountains.

She’d swapped her usual alluring attire for practical clothing and gathered her staff for instructions. Han Wenlin, pretending to tour the inn, overheard her delegating meal prep and room service for the guests.

Damn, she’s professional, he mused.

After dinner, the streets emptied quickly. The village adhered to its "sunrise to sunset" traditions, closing shops early. Tourists, too, retired to their lodgings.

With only a cleaning staff member left in the lobby, Yin Fu—now dressed for travel—headed for the exit.

Just as she reached the door, a frantic tourist rushed over. "Boss! You have to see what’s wrong with my room!"

Yin Fu paused. "What’s the issue?"

The tourist gestured wildly. "Just look! I can’t deal with this!"

Glancing outside—the sun had barely set; she had time—Yin Fu followed.

Inside the room, running water echoed from the bathroom. Yin Fu reached for the door. "Is the drain clogged?"

Behind her, the main door slammed shut. Yin Fu whirled—only for the bathroom door to burst open. Xu Yan lunged out, slamming her against the wall.

Pinned, arms twisted behind her, Yin Fu seethed. "What are you doing?!"

Xu Yan ignored her, snapping at the others, "Rope. Now."

Yin Fu struggled, but Xu Yan’s military training made resistance futile. Soon, Yin Fu was bound tightly. Xu Yan opened the door, and the remaining five players filed in.

This was Nie Miao and Guan Xiaoxing’s room—the three restrained players were locked in Li Zhi’s.

With curtains drawn and doors sealed, Yin Fu was dumped onto the bed. She glared at the seven of them. "What do you want?"

Li Zhi smiled. "That’s our question. Why did your village lure us here?"

Yin Fu’s jaw clenched. "We hosted you—free food, free lodging! And this is how you repay us? Let me go, and I’ll pretend this never happened!"

Jiao Shen sneered. "Let’s just beat the answers out of her."

Yin Fu’s face paled. Then, like a switch flipped, her eyes welled with tears. The sight of a stunning beauty in distress was lethal—even the audience swooned:

[Gorgeous! Too gorgeous! Free her!!!]
[Is this Daji incarnate??? I’d carve out my heart for her!]
[Yin Fu, ah Yin Fu! Such beauty, yet so wicked!]
[WAKE UP! She’s not Yin Fu! The real Yin Fu died years ago—this is just the monster that stole her body! KILL IT!!!]
[Jiao Shen’s a real gamer—zero hesitation beating up a beauty. Respect.]

In the dungeon, Jiao Shen stepped forward and punched Yin Fu twice.

Blood trickled from her lip. She stared at him, stunned. What kind of man hits a face like this?!

Jiao Shen pointed at her. "One more useless word, and I’ll hit you again."

Yin Fu’s shock faded into cold fury. "You know, don’t you?"

Li Zhi nodded. "Most of it. Just filling in the gaps."

Yin Fu scoffed. "Why would I tell you?"

Li Zhi signaled Han Wenlin, who pulled the curtain aside. Outside, darkness had fallen.

"The sun’s set. What happens if you don’t go into the mountains tonight?" Li Zhi mused. "Forty-nine days between trips—missing one must have consequences, right?"

Yin Fu’s eyes widened. "You even know that?"

Li Zhi smiled. "Thanks to your ex."

Yin Fu snarled. "I knew he was trouble. Should’ve killed him sooner."

Curious, Li Zhi tilted her head. "But you didn’t. Was it mercy? Or did the real Yin Fu stop you?"

Yin Fu’s expression flickered. Finally, she muttered, "Pity. That’s all." Then, she laughed—a chilling sound. Bound, yet utterly unbothered, she leaned back. "I’ll tell you nothing."

Jiao Shen drew a blade, pressing it to her throat. "Then I’ll kill you."

Yin Fu met his gaze, lips curling. "Then kill me."