Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!

Chapter 2443: Digging

When Xu Huo left Granny Yi’s place, he happened to run into the players returning with the villagers. They probably wanted to see what was going on with the little girl, but unexpectedly ran into him, increasing their curiosity about her."We thought you went missing." Chi Cai and Yang Tian also joined the Girl in the painting, the former showing a relieved expression.

Seeing the players heading to Granny Yi’s yard, both were curious about what the little girl had experienced, but since they had previous disputes with other players, they couldn’t approach now. They planned to wait until they left and then ask Xu Huo.

"It’s just a child missing her friend," Xu Huo said casually. "If you have questions, ask them yourself later."

Saying this, he planned to visit Toto’s parents with the Girl in the painting.

Toto’s parents looked older than their actual age. They still didn’t know why Granny Yi’s granddaughter suddenly ran outside, but seeing so many players, they didn’t dare to approach temporarily.

When Xu Huo knocked on their door, they were quite afraid. However, when he mentioned wanting to help the little girl pay respects to Toto, tears filled the couple’s eyes. One, from missing their daughter who died prematurely; two, from guilt for deceiving the little girl, nearly causing her to become lost in the forest.

"Was it really Toto calling her?" the woman couldn’t help but ask. "Why didn’t Toto call us?"

"Enough!" the man rebuked, then drew a simple map. This Mist Forest could only give a general direction. To truly identify areas, it was best to rely on the plants in the forest. Some plants had specific territories, gathering only in certain areas or occupying special ranges.

After Xu Huo received it, he left the couple’s home and went to find Toto’s grave.

Most villagers somewhat believe in returning to nature, so their graves are mostly simple. During their search for the little girl, they encountered some that had turned into small mounds covered entirely by vegetation, while others simply had stones placed on top. Some were even placed in small animal nests.

Toto’s grave was under a tree, with a few stones piled on top. There were small engravings on the stones, naming Toto and two other names, presumably her husband and child.

Xu Huo placed the two candies entrusted by the little girl in the nearby grass and carefully noted the main plants growing around. Most could be clearly identified with references from Beneath the Dimension, but some had unclear names, only identifiable by general category. However, he didn’t see the vine type mentioned by Granny Yi.

Toto got married in Xiamu Village. The two villages weren’t close, but if the "Hidden Friend" were some kind of Mutant Plant that appeared in several villages, there shouldn’t be an issue with territorial coverage. If a body were buried underground, it might become its nourishment, as it lures prey for hunting.

After confirming the surface plants, Xu Huo selected a spot a bit away from the grave and used the Black Blade to slash horizontally and vertically at the ground.

Many plants were indeed alive, some ground branches and leaves curled or wilted from damage, and rustling sounds emerged from below. Listening closely, the ground seemed less solid.

However, this wasn’t surprising. Here, the forest was dense, with many large-rooted plants hiding underground, even trees were the same. Their roots looked buried, but in reality, were just covered by layers of plants. Thus, beneath many risen protrusions lie potential cavities a few meters deep.

Xu Huo dug out several chunks of earth, finding many severed roots, most of non-aggressive plants. The only peculiar thing was their sap, which varied in color, unlike the predominantly green above ground.

A head-sized, mud-covered object rolled to his feet.

The Girl in the painting found several in the pit beside, slicing one open to reveal a viscous pink liquid with a strong fruity fragrance.

"Can this be eaten?" she asked eagerly.

"Normally, if it’s non-toxic, it can be eaten," Xu Huo replied.

That was true; sometimes human corpses weren’t much different from animal corpses—they just decompose underground.

"Are you lying to me?" the Girl in the painting eyed him suspiciously.

"I haven’t seen anyone in the village eat this, best not to," Xu Huo pushed the orb back into the pit.

The Girl in the painting still wanted to take one back, urging him to find out what it was.

After photographing it and checking references, Xu Huo was surprised to find it was a seed of a carnivorous plant. The seed looked large, but its mature flower was only about that size, mainly hunting small animals. It had several mutated varieties, the fiercest only eating mice and rabbits.

Of course, no large Mutant Animals entered this forest. Firstly, some plants emitted smells animals disliked, and secondly, because of the numerous carnivorous plants. As they hunted small animals, naturally, there were also those hunting larger ones, though rare near the village.

After hearing this, the Girl in the painting lost interest, placing the seeds back and covering them with soil, "Let them grow more, eat more mice and cockroaches."

Some scavenging animals with strong reproductive abilities that favor human habitats are domestic duty enthusiasts’ nemesis.

As they filled the pit and prepared to leave, more people arrived.

The four players who previously hunted Yang Tian and Chi Cai gathered. They probably also learned about Toto and asked about the grave to come here.

"What are you looking for?" the Player with missing ear immediately questioned upon seeing the overturned ground.

Xu Huo pointed at the unearthed roots, "Can’t you see?"

Evidently, that wasn’t the answer he wanted. After forming new alliances, the Player with missing ear felt more confident, sneering, "You still say you’re not a dungeon player!"

A hint of impatience appeared on Xu Huo’s face, "I’ve said this many times—I don’t want to repeat. If you’re looking for trouble, bring it on. But no need for arguments."

He intended to leave, but the Player with missing ear thought he’d found some clues and was eager to leave, blocking his path with a quick step. Holding up a Prop in hand, he said, "We’re in an instance together; clues shouldn’t be yours alone. If you want to hog them, weigh your abilities!"

Bubble Bean and Yin Yang Master were nearby, as were Yang Tian and Chi Cai, but only Chi Cai stepped out, speaking coldly, "I advise you not to kill recklessly. The instance clearly requires that the Hidden Friend only needs one companion each day!"