When the spirit pet was by her side, Xu Zhi didn't need to give orders through the game console. So when she saw the man's panicked face as he tried to run away, she called out to Xiao Yi, and the black snake hiding in the shadows appeared at the door as if understanding her thoughts, blocking the man's way.
Sometimes, not only can she sense the emotions of her spirit pets through an intangible feeling, but the spirit pets also seem to be able to perceive some of her emotions and thoughts, which undoubtedly creates a deep sense of understanding and harmony between them.
The man's expression turned to terror upon seeing the sudden appearance of the large black snake. The sight of this extraordinary creature, beyond his comprehension, rendered him momentarily unable to utter a sound. It was only when Xiao Yi, using its body, coiled around him and dragged him into the cafeteria that he began to struggle futilely.
Xu Zhi had been observing the man's condition closely and noticed that as his body came into contact with the bright red flesh and blood inside the cafeteria, the black threads in his eyes became increasingly visible. Once he reached the center of the cafeteria, he instantly lost all semblance of humanity, his eyes turning completely black, and he transformed into a madman.
However, as a "newborn," his combat ability paled in comparison to the ones found in the Middle School. Despite his hands not being restrained, he was completely unable to inflict any harm on Xiao Yi.
Seeing that the man had completely succumbed, Xu Zhi didn't hesitate to let him go. With just a slight increase in force, Xiao Yi swiftly strangled the man to death.
What concerned Xu Zhi even more now was the flesh and blood on the ground, which had shown no signs of drying or turning black even after several hours had passed. It remained as fresh as if it had just been taken out of a human body.
Suppressing her feelings of nausea, Xu Zhi bent down to examine the severed limbs. Apart from noticing that most of them had been violently torn apart, she also found that some of the limbs bore deep wounds in the shape of triangles, seemingly carved out with a small knife. Due to the overwhelming amount of blood everywhere, these wounds were not immediately noticeable at first glance.
"What is the significance of this symbol?"
Xu Zhi herself had no idea, but she had an external aid that seemed to know a lot.
After making another round and confirming that she had gathered enough information, she finally turned on the game console.
Sometimes, the narrator wouldn't proactively provide her with information, but would only speak up and reveal more after she had encountered certain points or became aware of specific clues.
As expected, the narrator appeared as soon as she turned on the game.
【It seems you've begun to get accustomed to this new life, but variables are always lurking around. What have you discovered this time?】
【Ah, it seems to be a remnant of the past, a phantom from old times.】
【Mysterious patterns, ancient and brutal rituals. The people who have fallen into madness are yearning for something, calling out for something.】
【They hold onto the most extreme beliefs, the most devoted fanatics of the Red Cup. Recreating the glory of the past and returning to the old days is their lifelong pursuit.】
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【But unfortunately...】
【What you've seen is but one of the ancient rituals. The inheritance of the old days has long been severed, and so have the rituals. Nowadays, they are in shambles, devoid of their spiritual essence.】
【Yet even in its current state, it is not something that mortals should dare to gaze upon. A mere glimpse can plunge the wavering into the abyss.】
【Be wary, for the entity summoned by this ritual is far beyond your current capabilities.】
【But fear not, for at this scale, even a projection cannot be materialized. It seems they have yet to grasp the correct method.】
The narrator's words were unusually lengthy this time, allowing Xu Zhi to easily discern that she had likely stumbled upon something of great significance.
"Should I destroy these?" she asked, finally speaking up as the narrator fell silent.
【Without timely replenishment of flesh and blood, it is already withering away. By tomorrow morning, it will lose all vitality. If you are concerned, simply destroy the patterns on the severed limbs.】
"So, those madmen... no, those fanatics, set up a crude trap just to provide flesh and blood for this ritual?"
The narrator did not answer her, but Xu Zhi felt that this was most likely the case.
Though they were bloodthirsty by nature, there was no need for them to gather people together before killing them. The reason they did so was twofold: to satisfy their desire for killing, and to feed the ritual.
And even more so, the ritual was of utmost importance. To that end, the man with glasses had even demanded that the irrational fanatics restrain their urge to kill.
"Destroy the patterns on these limbs."
Xu Zhi gave orders to her two spiritual pets, a task that was incredibly simple for them. With just a roll of Xiao Yi's body, the severed limbs could be reduced to a pulp, and Gouzi could easily destroy the patterns with a single paw swipe.
After the area was thoroughly destroyed and the narrator fell silent once again, Xu Zhi left the scene with her two spiritual pets in tow.
The current time did not allow Xu Zhi to send her spiritual pets out for another 7 hours. One inflexible aspect was that once automatic hunting was initiated, it had to run for the full 7 hours or they had to stay by her side. Xu Zhi sincerely hoped that the next upgrade would improve this rigid automatic hunting system.
People are never fully satisfied. When Xu Zhi first unlocked the automatic hunting feature, she thought it was perfect. Now, however, she found the settings to be too rigid. Couldn't the game be even more perfect?
Since she couldn't send her spiritual pets out to hunt on their own at the moment and was already outside, Xu Zhi decided to visit the bookstore on her way.
There were quite a few bookstores near the affiliated high school, and Xu Zhi chose a well-known chain store.
After the incident in Yuncheng, the bookstore had naturally closed its doors, and the entrance was currently locked tight. However, this posed no obstacle to Xu Zhi, who had her spiritual pets by her side. After forcibly breaking into the store, she tested out by randomly picking up a book and discovered that she could store it in her game inventory, albeit each book occupying a separate slot.
She calculated that she only had thirty slots in her inventory and couldn't take too many books with her. However, thankfully, she had two "helpers" who could carry the books in bags, providing an alternative method of transportation.
In the end, Xu Zhi spent almost two hours selecting and bringing home nearly eighty books.
"It'll take at least two months to read through all of these, won't it?"
Back at home, Xu Zhi muttered to herself as she piled the books in her room.
This was an optimistic scenario, considering her current improved understanding and memory. However, she couldn't be sure if she would be able to peacefully read at home. After all, who knew when the next unexpected event would strike?
As night fell, Xu Zhi fell into a deep slumber alongside her spiritual pets. Though her physical body still felt somewhat drained, her mental strength seemed far superior to that of an ordinary person. She now only needed five hours of sleep to feel refreshed throughout the day, and even spending most of her time reading books didn't leave her mentally fatigued.
Xu Zhi had already realized that her niche might not be as a melee combatant.
The only thing she was torn about before falling asleep was whether to invest in crafting a spiritual body using the core materials she had available: a single 【Heart】 and a majority of 【Cups.】
Would entering a spiritual body with 【Cup】 attributes have any impact on her? However, this concern was not enough to deter her. After all, the game console had never deceived her so far, and she was willing to give it a try.