Chapter 11

Some players noticed the grieving family members, and even those who had come to watch the spectacle found it hard to laugh... This game was too real, and those players who killed others for no reason, what were they thinking!

Pingshizhi nodded slightly, noticing the players' reactions. These outsiders might not fear death, but they still had human emotions. The fact that they could feel sympathy proved they weren't heartless.

When the captured players were escorted to the market entrance, a white figure leaped down from a nearby house at high speed. Under the puzzled gazes of the players, the white figure dashed to the side of the unfortunate few.

"Damn! This guy is too fast, is he trying to rescue them!?"

Some players who had reacted quickly couldn't help but shout. Just as they finished shouting, they saw the white figure, without even turning back, sprint towards another street.

The escort guards, who had finally reacted, roared and chased after the white figure...

"That's not a rescue, it's a murder!"

After the criminals fell in a pool of blood, the players noticed that their throats had been slit at some point. "This guy is too skilled, did anyone see what happened?"

The players weren't particularly moved by the deaths of these few players. After all, it wasn't real death, and in the early stages of the game, even if an account was reset, there was no significant loss, just the loss of one resurrection opportunity.

"Too outrageous!! How do you maintain order? Why are there so many criminals in the village?!" Pingshizhi slammed his hand on the table and shouted at the guards, making everyone around shudder. At this moment, the players realized that the usually kind doctor had another side.

Wait! The other party is the village chief?!

No wonder they hadn't seen the village chief before; it turned out he had a part-time job and hadn't been noticed!

Not long after, the guards who had chased Zhengchen returned, bringing back a simple piece of clothing made from a few pieces of cloth, stained with the blood of the criminals.

Clearly, they hadn't caught the person, only this rough disguise.

"Old man, the person who did it just now..." The blacksmith's apprentice rubbed his eyes, confirming that the weapon the attacker used was one he had recently made on the side, and couldn't help but say to the middle-aged man beside him.

His words were cut off by a slap on the back of his head from the blacksmith. "Go back and get some medicine from Grandpa Ping."

"Fine! You guys keep secrets from me." The blacksmith's apprentice pouted, somewhat unwillingly. Then he widened his eyes, seeing Zhengchen join the crowd, watching the 'farce' as if nothing had happened.

He didn't disappear in a flash? Did something change?

Zhengchen glanced at the furious Pingshizhi and then stared at the bodies, deep in thought.

After Pingshizhi finished his outburst, since all the people to be questioned were kneeling, the trial was effectively over. He then proposed another matter: to recruit new members for the guard team to prevent the village from becoming a place of unrest.

The待遇 was generous.

The players' minds immediately became active. The villagers had always been indifferent to them, and now with such a serious murder, it would be even harder to integrate and develop here. This was a good opportunity, and they couldn't miss it.

"Is this guy a psychopath, so calm?"

The blacksmith's apprentice, who had been watching Zhengchen, couldn't help but say, seeing his calm demeanor. He had just killed a few people and showed no emotional reaction?

"What, do you want to learn?" The blacksmith glanced at him.

"Uh, just curious about what he used to do."

"What he did is none of your business. Let's go back."

After that day, such incidents almost never happened in the village. Even though the unfortunate few had posted on forums in the real world, complaining about how the NPCs were too cunning and had even framed them... not many people paid attention.

Of course, with this incident as a reference, many players analyzed more deeply. They believed that this game could not be treated like a traditional game. The game company had not exaggerated; the NPCs were almost indistinguishable from real people.

Some even said they were smarter. For example, after many players analyzed this incident, the entire story was revealed in great detail, with only minor inaccuracies but no major errors.

The post described the details of the incident in great detail, even analyzing the psychological activities of the NPCs. The conclusion was... this is the result of underestimating the NPCs!

After this analysis post appeared, the players' behavior became more restrained. After all, the game's prospects were huge, and the content almost covered all aspects. To do well in the early stages, one had to be more cautious.

Even though it had been proven that killing living beings could gain experience, dealing with ordinary people was not worth it, and dealing with weaker beings yielded no benefits.

After a period of restlessness, the players gradually adapted to this place. Each player had a limited number of resurrections. A few tries were fine, but as the number of resurrections decreased and could not be replenished, they became anxious.

Once the resurrection opportunities were used up, it wasn't just a matter of resetting the account; the entire account would be deleted, and a new one could only be applied for after a year.

Imagine playing a virtual online game with the same realism as reality; who would still want to play outdated computer games?

Moreover, after playing for a while, some players treated this world as a real one, and their game characters became a new part of their lives.

Players with this mindset found that they played better than those who still treated it as a game...

As the game progressed, various technical posts appeared, and a new understanding spread among the players: to truly play this 'game' well, one must change their mindset. One can game life, but it's best to put away the attitude of treating the game's residents as NPCs and treat them as real people, whose intelligence is not inferior to the players.

Many players were unknowingly tricked by the residents because of this attitude and could only complain on the forums after realizing it.

"I'm leaving." Pingshizhi was not surprised by Zhengchen's farewell. "Good, this place isn't suitable for you."

Saying this, he took out a package.

Zhengchen took a half-step back and shook his head. "I'm not here for things."

"I know! This was prepared for you long ago, take it." Pingshizhi, with a slightly forceful attitude, pushed the package into Zhengchen's hands. "I still feel guilty towards you..."

It was still because of the players. Their self-discipline was not high, and even after the deterrent measures, some serious incidents still occurred, most of which could not be openly resolved. Fortunately, Zhengchen took care of all these matters.

Recently, it was unclear what had happened to the group of outsiders, but their attitude changed quickly. Initially, they viewed the villagers as objects or animals, but now such views were rare.

Before changing their mindset, the players' difficulty in integrating was mostly due to their own arrogance...

"Say goodbye to the others. The village has a supply team going to the city this afternoon, and you can hitch a ride."

"I can't carry that much." Zhengchen lifted the package in his hand and said calmly.

"You, fine, fine, I'll go talk to them."

"Okay, talk to them after I leave."

"…Don't be so honest when you're out. Don't agree to things just because others say a few words. Make your own choices, understand?"

"I will."

Pingshizhi continued to give instructions, and Zhengchen's expression showed no impatience. He had never experienced the nagging of an elder, and while others might find it annoying, Zhengchen felt it was nice.

"I don't have any family. How about staying and recognizing me as your godfather?" Pingshizhi asked rather abruptly at the end.

If it were someone else, they might not have reacted, but Zhengchen had been listening carefully and immediately responded, "I have something to do."

"Haha, I was just joking. Remember to come back and visit when you have time."

Zhengchen did not easily give up on the idea of leaving this world. He didn't know the source of the unknown threat that appeared that day, but as long as he was here, he couldn't avoid it. If he left and returned to reality, there would be no problem, right?

He had the same attribute panel as the players, but it was incomplete... The crucial offline function was completely missing. He planned to search around to see if he could find another way to leave.

Sitting on the supply team's vehicle, he looked back at the village, which was gradually getting smaller. Zhengchen reined in his thoughts. The village matters were temporarily concluded. He pulled up his sleeve and stared at the patterns on his arm, deep in thought.

He had already figured out the general effect of these patterns: they could absorb and contain foreign objects. The short knife the blacksmith's apprentice made for him was destroyed by these patterns. When Zhengchen was experimenting with the patterns, the short knife was suddenly absorbed by the patterns that spread across his palm.

When it was expelled, it had turned into a small, heavy iron bean the size of a peanut...

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**End of Chapter**