Ch. 27 - The Day of Cleansing

In the treacherous No Escape dungeon, even seasoned players at the 3rd and 4th Heavenly Ascension levels dreaded encountering the fully manifested Red-Eye.

"I… I've filled the warehouse with tomatoes, as you requested…" Youyou stammered, clutching at the faint hope of appeasing the wrathful entity.

But Red-Eye sneered, its voice as cold as the edge of a blade. "My dear player, you seem to have misunderstood my instructions. I specifically asked for a warehouse filled with 'perfect' tomatoes. And what did you bring me?"

"I… I…" Youyou stuttered, her voice faltering.

Any attempt to argue was futile; the requirements were clearly displayed on her player panel. "Perfect tomatoes." No bruises, no flaws. And what she had gathered was far from perfect.

A wave of fury surged through Red-Eye. Its crimson gaze burned brighter as it glared at Youyou.

To make matters worse, out of the corner of its eye, it spotted Zuo Chengan swaggering out of the warehouse, a smug grin plastered across his face and a black dog trotting at his side. He had completed his task flawlessly.

But alas, it couldn't touch players who had finished their tasks.

Unfortunately for Youyou, who stood squarely in the line of fire, she became the perfect target for its pent-up wrath.

With a flick of its wrist, Red-Eye discarded its half-snapped staff. In the blink of an eye, it shattered Youyou's knee with a single, bone-crushing stomp.

"Ahh!!" Youyou screamed in agony, her body convulsing as tears streamed down her face. She was in too much pain to even beg coherently.

Bathed in the melody of her cries, Red-Eye seemed almost... entranced, as though listening to a symphony.

Typically, Red-Eye would allow itself only a brief indulgence in such sounds before finishing the player off and moving on to evaluate the remaining tasks. After all, it couldn't afford to give the other players an advantage by leaving them unchecked for too long.

But today, Red-Eye was livid. Truly, incandescently furious.

From the early morning skirmishes with those insufferable high-level players aboard the ship, to the breakneck rush to lower-tier dungeons to issue tasks, it had been a non-stop series of humiliations. Even its favorite tomatoes were disrespected, being misnamed as plum tomatoes!

And then there was the near disaster on the ship. If it hadn't fled in time, it might have been finished off entirely.

All it wanted was to avoid water-based dungeons, yet it seemed no one took its requests seriously.

Now, back on solid ground, it had hoped to vent its frustration on some low-level players.

But what did it find? Someone had given it an unwelcome surprise! Its precious money-making tree had been stolen!

Seething, Red-Eye clenched its claws, but then... a thought struck.

Wait. The Day of Cleansing is fast approaching.

A wicked grin stretched across its face, revealing rows of crimson-stained teeth. That day wasn't far off.

On the Day of Cleansing, there would be humans aplenty to slaughter, more than it could ever exhaust. The perfect outlet for all its pent-up rage.

But that was a joy for the future. Right now, it had a fresh stress toy at hand.

Looking down at the tear-streaked face of Youyou, who was begging for just a little more time, her makeup smudged beyond recognition, Red-Eye offered her a chilling reminder.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," it said, its tone almost casual. "I hate it when people call my tomatoes plum tomatoes."

Youyou froze.

Before she could process the words, another searing pain shot through her body. Red-Eye, dissatisfied with the volume of her cries, had crushed her thigh for good measure.

"Ahhh!! I was wrong! Tomatoes! They're tomatoes! Your tomatoes are perfect—absolutely perfect!"

Summoning an almost inhuman willpower, Youyou remained conscious despite the agony. Realizing where she had gone wrong, she desperately tried to placate the dungeon boss.

But Red-Eye grew bored of her voice and decided to move on.

As Youyou's blurred vision tracked its retreating figure, a wave of helplessness engulfed her. Blood loss made her thoughts hazy, but one last image floated to her mind—her boyfriend.

If he saw her like this, he'd probably cry his heart out.

From the shadows, countless Steel-Toothed Rats emerged, noses twitching at the scent of fresh blood. They crept closer, inch by inch, testing the warmth of her body.

If Zuo Chengan had been there, he would have seen Youyou surrounded by a grotesque swarm of eyes, each glinting with insatiable hunger.

[Dinner's ready, folks! You don't often get the chance to watch a player get eaten alive!]

[Yeah, it's rare! Usually, they just get crushed, sliced, or mangled—it's thrilling, but it's over too fast.]

[Exactly. This is premium entertainment. Almost as good as the Meat Grinder Factory. Watching someone get devoured alive? Pure art. Thanks for sharing, everyone.]

[Saved to favorites. Absolute masterpiece.]

[Only flaw is the lack of screams now. She ran out of steam too quickly. It's like a movie without a soundtrack—it's missing something.]

...

Wang Guangfei tossed a wool blanket into the pen, completing the count to 20 sheep. But the missing black sheep still hadn't been found.

He stared at the horizon, where the sun had already set, despair washing over him.

"So this is it," he muttered. "When the heavens want someone dead, no amount of struggle changes the end."

If death was inevitable, perhaps he should have helped Youyou earlier. At least it would've lightened her burden.

"Woof! Woof! Baa!"

A shadow streaked across the distance, moving with incredible speed. Mid-run, the figure began to shift—horns sprouted from its forehead, its paws transformed into hooves. In mere moments, the black dog had become a black sheep.

With a graceful leap, it vaulted the pen's fence, blending seamlessly with the flock inside.

"Baa~ Baa~"

Now there were 21 sheep.

Zuo Chengan arrived moments later, astonished to see the black sheep standing among its woolly peers.

"So it can shapeshift? Guess owning one means getting both a dog and a sheep. Two for one," he muttered with a bemused shrug.

When Wang Guangfei saw Zuo Chengan approaching, curiosity got the better of him.

"What about Youyou? She's not with you? Is she still mad at me?" He sighed. "Maybe it's better this way. She's probably already cleared her task and left the dungeon."

Zuo Chengan's gaze shifted to the warehouse, where a crimson stain darkened the ground. His expression turned complicated.

Wang Guangfei followed his line of sight, his heart sinking as his face drained of color.

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