Chapter 158: Butterfly Village

The players behind Li Zhi gasped in shock: "Han Wenlin?! You're not dead?!"

Li Zhi released her grip. "Let's talk inside."

Everyone quickly and quietly filed into the room. By the light of Li Jianxi’s wings, they saw not only Han Wenlin but also Nie Miao and another player named Cui Zehui.

The group reunited, each side equally astonished.

Xu Yan was the first to understand. "You were the ones who set the cocoon grove on fire?"

Han Wenlin couldn’t help but smirk. "Yeah."

Nie Miao and Cui Zehui had never seen Li Jianxi before. Now, faced with a towering butterfly-man entering the room, they were momentarily speechless.

Han Wenlin explained, "After I fell off the cliff, I landed in a fast-moving river and was swept downstream—right to that waterwheel attraction we visited before."

"Then I saw the villagers rushing up the mountain with torches. I followed them secretly and ran into Nie Miao and the others. When we realized they were after you, we figured you might not be able to handle it, so we burned the cocoon grove to lure them away."

Xu Yan looked impressed. "From what the village chief said, they had guards posted at the grove. How did you manage it?"

Nie Miao finally snapped out of her daze and eagerly raised her hand. "Me! I have an invisibility cloak! Han Wenlin wore it to sneak in and start the fire." She then shot Xu Yan a resentful look. "You hit me way too hard back then..."

Xu Yan was unapologetic. "If I hadn’t hit you hard enough to knock you out, you might not even be alive now."

Nie Miao: "So I should thank you?"

Xu Yan: "No need. We’re teammates. It’s what I do."

Nie Miao: "..."

Jiao Shen asked, "Where’s your other teammate?"

Nie Miao’s expression darkened. "After we came to our senses, we decided to hide in the mountains too. But we ran into some villagers. During the chase, he was killed."

Unlike Han Wenlin, that teammate hadn’t been so lucky. Jiao Shen turned to Han Wenlin. "Did the entire grove burn down?"

Han Wenlin nodded. "The fire spread fast, especially with the wind. It was everywhere in seconds—I almost got caught in it myself. There was no way they could’ve put it out in time."

With the birth cocoons destroyed, there would be no more parasitic butterfly-people.

Once each villager’s forty-nine-day cycle ended, unable to return to their cocoons, they would turn into monsters—just like Yin Fu.

This was their inevitable fate, sealed the moment they chose to activate the butterfly curse.

As they spoke, the room darkened again. Everyone turned to see Li Zhi pushing Li Jianxi onto the bed and wrapping him tightly in a blanket. With his wings covered, the light vanished, plunging the room into darkness.

Li Zhi settled Li Jianxi and whispered, "We’ll rest here tonight. If we’re discovered tomorrow, we’ll have a tough fight ahead."

Though there were no beds, the room was far better than the wilderness. They stripped the blankets and sheets from the other bed, spreading them on the floor before lying down quietly, huddled together.

Nie Miao kept sneaking glances at the blanket-wrapped figure on the bed and couldn’t resist whispering to Han Wenlin, "He won’t suddenly go berserk, will he?"

Han Wenlin glanced at Li Zhi, who was lying beside Li Jianxi. "You’d go berserk before he does."

Nie Miao: "..."

Li Jianxi heard them and leaned down to murmur to Li Zhi, "I won’t."

Li Zhi kissed his cheek as he nuzzled closer. "I know."

In the dark, Li Jianxi’s eyes shimmered like turbulent blue waves.

They took turns keeping watch, but as Li Zhi predicted, nearly all the villagers were out searching the mountains. Nothing happened all night, and they slept until dawn.

When Li Zhi woke, she immediately checked on Li Jianxi. A cocoon had formed around him, sealing him inside as he slept. He must have hidden himself like this every day, only emerging at night.

By morning, the village remained eerily quiet. The shops lining the streets stayed closed, and the few confused tourists who ventured out soon left, unnerved by the silence.

The entire village was dead still.

The players stayed hidden in the room, barely moving except for bathroom breaks. They shared the wild fruits and leftover roasted venison they’d brought from the mountains. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep their strength up.

The day passed without incident. Before dusk, Li Zhi had everyone restore the room to its original state.

"After searching the mountains all day, they’ll probably realize we’ve doubled back to the village." They sat against the wall beneath the window, completely hidden from outside view. Li Zhi kept her voice low. "Once it’s dark, we’ll follow the tour route to the waterwheel. There’s a path into the mountains near where Han Wenlin washed up."

Jiao Shen frowned. "Back into the mountains tonight? They know the terrain better than we do. It’s risky."

Li Zhi shook her head. "We’ll go into the mountains, then circle around and return to hide in the inn again."

Nie Miao couldn’t help asking, "What if we’re caught again?"

Li Zhi said simply, "Then we go back into the mountains."

Nie Miao was stunned. "That’s... way too reckless! What if they’ve posted guards at every exit?"

Xu Yan cut in, "They won’t know where we’re headed next. Even if they station people at every exit, there won’t be many. We can handle them easily. The main force will be chasing us, but by the time they catch up, we’ll already be gone."

She was almost eager to put the tactics she’d only read about into practice. "The key to winning against greater numbers is unpredictability and constant movement. After a few rounds of leading them in circles, they’ll stop searching the mountains and focus on guarding the paths. That’s when we can hide and wait for dawn."

The only downside was how much stamina it demanded from the players.

Fortunately, none of them were newbies. Even if their brains weren’t the sharpest, they’d all kept up their physical training between dungeons. No one dared enter a life-or-death scenario in poor shape.

This was the final night. If they lasted until dawn, they’d clear the dungeon.

Compared to being hunted by ghosts, facing human pursuers was almost relaxing.

Morale soared.

As the sun set and darkness fell, the cocoon on the bed split open. The moment Li Jianxi emerged, the room blazed with light, his massive wings slowly unfurling. Like a monster awakening, his face—dusty with blue-gold scales—twisted into something fierce.

The players crouching under the windowsill jumped in fright. Nie Miao clapped a hand over her mouth. "H-he’s losing it!"

The monster’s instincts surged for only a moment before Li Jianxi regained control at the sight of Li Zhi. He even tucked his wings back under the blanket on his own.

The light dimmed. Li Zhi whispered to him, "We’re moving soon. Stay hidden—don’t let them find you." Before he could protest, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice soft, soothing, almost lover-like. "Don’t cover for us. Once this dungeon clears, I’ll come back for you soon, okay?"

After a pause, Li Jianxi nuzzled her cheek. "Okay."

Night fell swiftly.

After a day of silence, the distant clamor of footsteps signaled the villagers’ return.

Li Zhi pulled out the blank map from her inventory, murmuring the incantation to activate it. Red footprints appeared on the map, moving rapidly along the main road.

The players held their breath as one set of footprints drew closer.

Soon, torchlight flickered through the window. A villager stood outside, peering in.

The window was locked, limiting his view to just the beds. Just beyond the glass, the players pressed against the wall, motionless, covering their mouths.

The crackle of the torch filled the air. The villager’s heavy breaths fogged the glass as he scrutinized the room. Finding nothing amiss, he finally left.

Li Zhi watched the red footprints retreat. Once the main road to the waterwheel was clear, she stood. "Go!"

They shoved the window open and sprinted for the waterwheel.

As she climbed out, Li Zhi glanced back. Li Jianxi emerged from the bathroom, shaking off the blanket, and flew out the door in the opposite direction.

The map in her hand updated rapidly as they ran. Red footprints filled the village—the villagers, furious after a day of being toyed with, were searching every house.

With the map guiding them, they avoided several patrols and reached the waterwheel without incident. Han Wenlin pointed excitedly to a bushy area under the moonlight. "There!"

They began climbing.

This wasn’t a proper path, making the ascent treacherous. But fueled by determination, they scaled the mountain quickly.

The map revealed the terrain. Some villagers still lingered in the mountains. Li Zhi pointed to a cluster of footprints, and the others moved silently toward it.

Hidden in the dark, the players easily ambushed the torch-carrying villagers. Jiao Shen slit their throats before they could react.

The squad of a dozen was swiftly eliminated.

After checking the map, Li Zhi changed tactics. "Let’s clear the mountain before heading back down."

Adaptability was the essence of guerrilla warfare.

The audience outside the screen was stunned:

[I was wrong—I thought these last two days would be boring. This is way more thrilling than killing ghosts!]

[Who’d have thought we’d see guerrilla tactics in a dungeon?]

[Give Li Zhi a battalion and let her expand the motherland’s borders!]

[Xu Yan’s amazing too! This rookie’s outperforming veterans!]

[These butterfly-people are being led by the nose. The players are toying with them—hilarious!]

[I knew a Li Zhi dungeon would never be dull!]

…

The players’ movements soon drew the main force’s attention. By the time the villagers stormed the mountain, the players had already circled back to the inn.

The cat-and-mouse game lasted all night. By dawn, half the ancient monsters had been picked off. Before their transformation, their combat skills were no match for the players. Their only advantage—numbers—was neutralized by guerrilla tactics.

As the sun rose, the village chief’s face twisted in despair and rage.

Exhausted, the players finally heard the system’s voice:

—Congratulations on surviving the seven-day Butterfly Village Tourism Festival. You have cleared the [Butterfly Village] dungeon. Proceeding to popularity evaluation. Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for the next episode. Goodbye.

Never had the system’s mechanical voice sounded so sweet.

The last of the butterfly-people caught up just then. Han Wenlin flipped them off. "Goodbye, you ancient freaks."

The villagers lunged—but the nine players vanished into thin air.