Deal

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Inheritance?" The fatty's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Jiang Cheng nodded, keeping an eye on their surroundings while quickly explaining to the fatty, "You saw the fate of that white-dressed female priest."

"That's right," the fatty nodded, then after a pause, said, "She died horribly. After those invaders killed her, they ate her alive."

As the fatty seemed to recall the scene that had been subconsciously implanted in his mind, his face twitched. For someone who had been influenced by modern society, the image of cannibalism was quite unsettling.

"But the curse still exists," Jiang Cheng suddenly said.

The fatty blinked, his thick brows almost furrowing together. "Doctor, I don't understand."

Jiang Cheng sighed and changed the topic. "Have you ever wondered how the old woman escaped?" He paused. "All of her teammates died in the forest, and there was no food or water there."

"Doctor," the fatty looked a little awkward. "Actually, I had thought about this. Didn't you mention it before..."

During the old woman's crazed mutterings, she had grinned and spoken of how those who had disappeared were still alive, living inside her body.

From the looks of it, she had been telling the truth. She had eaten them all.

Moreover, on the night when the biker woman disappeared, Jiang Cheng, leaning in the corner, had keenly noticed that everyone was growling with hunger, except for the old woman. Her face had been hidden in the dark, with only her eyes faintly glowing.

She didn't seem hungry, nor thirsty.

The fatty froze, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His mind spun rapidly, bringing him back to the scene he had witnessed a few hours ago in the forest.

After the real native village chief took the child and placed it on the stone slab, it was swallowed whole by the "monster" summoned by the white-dressed priestess.

The sound of bones cracking and flesh being chewed had haunted him terribly ever since.

Crunch... crunch...

The fatty's pupils suddenly contracted. This wasn't a memory—it was the exact same sound coming from the crack in the stone door.

It was exactly the same as when the white-dressed priestess's "monster" chewed up the corpse!

As expected.

The doctor was right. The old woman was once the white-dressed priestess. At the very least, their abilities were the same!

That terrifying monster was hiding within them!

It was an inheritance.

The old woman was the only one who survived, not because she was strong, but because she was the one lucky enough to become the new, bizarre vessel for the stone slab.

That's right—a vessel!

The fatty didn't realize he would come up with such a word, but it was undeniable that at that moment, this term flashed in his mind.

It was an extremely fitting term.

The "monster" that triggered the curse was now hiding inside the old woman. It was the source of the curse.

"Doctor," the fatty's voice turned excited. He grabbed Jiang Cheng's hand, "I know! We have to kill this old woman to end this mission!"

"She's the source of the curse. Those people in Blackstone Town are just a strange force that exists because of her," he swallowed nervously and continued quickly, "Once the old woman dies, those guys in Blackstone Town will probably disappear too."

In contrast to the fatty's excited expression, Jiang Cheng remained calm. He first shook off the fatty's hand, who awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Doctor," the fatty hesitated, then after a while, asked in a low voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Jiang Cheng's face showed some hesitation. He stared at the fatty, slowly speaking, "Actually, what you just said aligns with almost everything I was thinking."

"Then why the expression?" The fatty was now confused.

"I don't know," Jiang Cheng honestly replied, smacking his lips. "It just feels... strange, especially since you figured out what's going on here. It makes me feel like I might have missed something. Something really important."

The fatty said, "...Doctor, why do I feel like you're insulting me?"

"You're overthinking it," Jiang Cheng waited a little longer. When there was complete silence in the lighthouse, he said, "Let's go in and check."

"Okay, Doctor."

Jiang Cheng stepped up to the door, paused, then suddenly pushed the door open, turning to the fatty. "Fatty, I'll push you in first. You're bigger, and it's not convenient for you to go in alone."

"Doctor, don't do that. If you're afraid there's danger inside and want me to go in first to test it, just say it," the fatty mimicked Jiang Cheng's tone with an exaggerated rise and fall.

"Mm-hmm."

After the fatty quietly signaled that it was safe inside, Jiang Cheng waited another minute before cautiously stepping in, making the fatty, hiding behind the stone door, smack his lips.

The paralyzed figure of Chen Ran was indeed gone.

Only the old woman, smiling in the corner, remained.

As though aware that her identity had been exposed, the old woman raised an eyebrow. Her withered hand still rested on her stomach as if soothing something inside.

The fatty felt a chill run up his spine.

He had a strange feeling that, for the old woman, his plump flesh was probably more tempting than Jiang Cheng's lean physique.

"Doctor," the fatty dared not look at the old woman and could only look at Jiang Cheng. Trembling, he said, "Why do I feel like she's staring at me?"

"Don't worry," Jiang Cheng was about to continue when the fatty interrupted, looking pitiful.

"Doctor," the fatty said with a mournful face, "Please, just tell me what you plan to do. I feel like I might not get the chance to hear it later."

"Two choices," Jiang Cheng didn't avoid the old woman's gaze. Based on the information they had, he deduced that unless they were alone, there was no precedent for the old woman eating anyone in this stone room.

He didn't think he and the fatty were special enough to warrant an exception.

"First, you go stab her once," Jiang Cheng pulled out a dagger and waved it, then thought for a moment before relaxing the requirement, "Two stabs are fine. Three at most! I'm worried that if you stab her too many times, we'll both be in trouble."

The fatty glanced at the old woman. As soon as their eyes met, his whole body shivered.

"Doctor, I'll go with the second option," he said pitifully. "To be honest, I've never even killed a chicken at home. I only buy fish and vegetables that are already dead. I can't bring myself to touch the live ones."

"Deal!" Jiang Cheng grinned evilly.

(End of this chapter)

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