Chapter 37: The Village of the Sick-Fadiga Eterna(Viver sozinho por dez anos)

"Is the reward based on the number of days spent accompanying the children?" Wu Que thought to himself, while glancing at the reward panel.

1. White Holy Vambrace: A holy amulet blessed by the goddesses. After entering the dream, it reduces the first fatal damage taken by the wearer by 90% and reduces subsequent attack damage by 15%.
2. 30 random attribute points.

"They don't show up when my wrists are being crushed, but now that there's no milk, they know to look for the child's mother?" Wu Que muttered to himself.

However, it was just a grumble. To complete the mission, he quickly made his choice.

As soon as he confirmed his selection, a set of snowy white arm guards appeared before him.

The simple, fluid lines were complemented by intricate and magnificent carvings; every detail revealed the craftsman's exquisite skill and reverence for the goddesses.

The vambrace was not heavy; on the contrary, it was very light and fit the size of Wu Que's wrist perfectly.

Just as Wu Que was admiring his new equipment, a burst of white light suddenly appeared behind him.

He looked back and saw Chen Tianyu holding a wooden longbow, an irrepressible excitement on his face.

The longbow's overall structure was grand and imposing. Every inch of the wooden components had been carefully selected and reinforced, and the surface was covered with dark brown traces left by time, exuding an ancient and resilient aura. The bow limbs were exceptionally thick, with intricate totems carved at both ends.

Beside the trigger mechanism, the taut bowstring looked like the tendon of a giant dragon, containing astonishing elastic potential energy.

"This is the Full Moon Giant Crossbow," Chen Tianyu said with a smile.

"My biggest hobby outside of this is archery. I never expected to have my own crossbow in the world of nightmares."

He then looked at Zhang Deshuai, who was slowly standing up and tapping on his screen, and asked with a smile, "What about you, Master Zhang? What did you choose?"

Zhang Deshuai did not answer his question, but instead turned to look at Wu Que.

"Two more days, and we should set off."

"Indeed," Chen Tianyu said, shaking his head.

"If that little girl didn't follow us, she probably won't be able to catch up."

Thinking of Wang Shuhan's fate and the Overseer, whose strength was far above theirs, the expressions of the three men turned somber.

But the mission had to continue. They woke the children, found their respective "Kangkangs," took them by the hand, and walked slowly out of the cave.

With Chen Tianyu around, there was no need to worry about hunger. He pulled his bow to the full, and silver-white moonlight arrows shot out; before long, he had caught several wild rabbits.

According to him, he was an avid fan of outdoor camping and cooking, and he had quite a bit of experience with wilderness survival.

Under his direction, Zhang Deshuai was responsible for the fire, Wu Que was responsible for the butchering, and he himself handled the cooking. Before long, the sizzling, oily roasted rabbit was ready.

The party of six ate until their mouths were covered in grease, enjoying themselves immensely.

The moment the rabbit meat hit his stomach, Wu Que felt his body filled with strength.

"Sure enough... no matter what kind of team it is, a cook is always indispensable."

After they were full, Wu Que walked behind the boys, who were still licking their fingers, and asked with a smile, "Children, was it good?"

"It was delicious!"

"We only had white porridge every day at Rust Lake; we finally got to eat some meat."

"Gulping sounds."

The children chimed in one after another, their faces full of innocent smiles.

Wu Que's tone suddenly turned serious, and he shouted in a voice that was almost a roar.

"Stop eating, Kangkang, come here!"

Instantly, all three children stopped their chatter and froze in place.

The "Kangkang" beside Chen Tianyu was the first to react, muttering, "Coming!" He wiped his hands casually on his clothes, then trotted over to Wu Que on his little feet.

"Coming!"

The other two "Kangkangs" also reacted quickly, running together to Wu Que's feet.

In their eyes was an undisguised panic.

Wu Que understood instantly. He dropped his stern expression, broke into a smile, and pulled a beautiful wildflower from behind his back.

"Whichever child can tell me the way home, I will give this flower to them."

The "Kangkangs" scrambled to point into the distance—it was the southeast, the exact opposite direction of Rust Lake.

Zhang Deshuai picked two more wildflowers at this moment and walked up to the children with a smile.

"You are all the best children, so everyone gets a reward!"

"Yay!" The three children cheered. The three adults exchanged glances, took hold of their respective "Kangkangs," and began walking toward the southeast.

Watching the backs of the children, Wu Que could not help but fall into deep thought.

Are these children truly all "Kangkangs," or is only a part of them "Kangkangs," or perhaps...

Among these three—no, four children—there was no Kangkang at all!

Then, what exactly were these children trying to hide?

After eating and drinking their fill, the group walked out of the forest and, sure enough, saw a village ahead.

The village was not large, consisting of about dozens of households. There were some farmland and fish ponds around the settlement. It was likely the off-season, as there were few people doing farm work visible from afar.

As soon as the three children reached the entrance of the village, they held hands and went to the largest tree, singing nursery rhymes while jumping around on the ground.

"One star in the sky, a study opens in the ground."
"The study doors are not yet open, the slave is hungry and chasing the oil."
"Two stars in the sky, the elder sister is playing and neglects the home."
"The bad kid Feizai is a hoodlum, beware of the unmarried teacher."
"Three stars in the sky, the cruel-hearted one is a young man."
"Using sweet words to lure a lady, buying her into a brothel with no hope of rebirth."
"Four stars in the sky, the elder sister grows old and becomes young again."
"Wearing a short skirt to show her legs, eyes painted like bruises."

Accompanied by the nursery rhyme, their steps turned from stumbling to lively. When they sang the words "bruises," the children stopped simultaneously and turned to look at the adults behind them.

The three men understood. They walked over and dug into the soil at the children's feet. They actually unearthed a wooden board buried in the ground. Lifting it, they found a deep, narrow passage.

Wu Que led his "Kangkang" down the passage. Seeing no movement behind him, he poked his head back out to look at his two teammates.

Zhang Deshuai was squinting at the village, while Chen Tianyu's expression was conflicted.

Compared to the two of them, the children they were holding were looking at the tunnel with longing, clamoring to go in.

"Why aren't you entering? Afraid of ghosts inside?" Wu Que joked with a smile.

"Our rules are different," Zhang Deshuai said coldly. "I can't fully trust the child beside me. I plan to enter directly from the village entrance."

He then turned to Chen Tianyu: "And you?"

Facing the sudden question, Chen Tianyu's expression sank for a moment. Realizing his lack of composure, he put on a smile again: "I'll go with you. I don't really trust the child beside me either."

"You just think Zhang Deshuai is stronger than me," Wu Que muttered to himself.

Zhang Deshuai rubbed the back of his neck and replied casually: "Fine. Your sensory ability is strong; it will work well with mine. We will storm in from the village entrance and finally meet up with Wu Que at 'Kangkang's' house."