Mutual Redemption with the Villainous Boss [Infinite] - Chapter 18

Over the past few days, the group had been preparing for their next dungeon. Yu Jiayi and He Fanghui planned to head to the Dungeon Selection Area to scout for a suitable challenge, while Chen Jian mentioned he would visit the mall to see if there were any portable computers available.

Zhu Ci, however, decided to purchase a suitable cold weapon.

Her SSR Enchantment Card required an item to be attached to in order to function. Furthermore, carrying a phone in a dungeon was inconvenient—it was prone to running out of power—whereas a cold weapon was much more reliable.

After deliberating for a long time, she discovered a strange weapon in a corner of the mall.

A pen.

“Pathfinder: Grants you a chance to escape. Use interval: Three days.”

The description was simple, and very few people had purchased it. It was the cheapest among the SR-rank items, costing only 1,200 points. After all, unless it was a specific escape-type dungeon, there was rarely a need to “carve out” a path.

After thinking for two minutes, she decided on it and completed the purchase. The card fell into her hand, and she slotted it into the last groove of the second row.

Not long after, Yu Jiayi’s communication device rang, telling her to bring her belongings and meet at the Selection Area; they had found a very suitable dungeon.

“Death of the Cock Robin”

Zhu Ci looked at the text in the description column: “Medium (R) difficulty, five-person team dungeon, Role-Playing type. As long as you play your role well, the team will achieve victory.”

“This looks pretty simple,” Chen Jian said after reading the intro. “But where are we going to find a fifth person?”

“If there aren’t enough people, it seems the system assigns one randomly,” Yu Jiayi explained.

This was considered one of the most beginner-friendly dungeons among the medium-difficulty tier because there were no roaming “RM” (Red Monsters/Reapers), and the instructions were clear.

The four of them agreed on the choice, summoned “Xiao Chuang” together, and entered the dungeon.

“Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the Sparrow, with my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin. Who saw him die? I, said the Fly, with my little eye, I saw him die. Who caught his blood? I, said the Fish, with my little dish, I caught his blood. Who’ll make the shroud? I, said the Beetle, with my thread and needle, I’ll make the shroud. Who’ll dig his grave? I, said the Owl, with my pick and shovel, I’ll dig his grave.”

Zhu Ci opened her eyes, and the poem immediately came into view. A photo frame inscribed with these words was nailed to the ceiling.

The bright, spacious room featured traditional English architecture, with forest-green striped wallpaper embossed with elegant textures. It was adorned with grand, steady carved walnut furniture. The bed she lay on was a four-poster bed with light white veils. A branched candle chandelier hung next to the photo frame, casting a warm yellow light.

Outside the window, it was foggy, as if hiding a bottomless abyss.

Zhu Ci rolled out of bed. A kerosene lamp sat by the table, glowing with a faint yellow light. She picked it up and pushed the door open to head outside.

The corridor was pitch black, illuminated only by the small circle of light from her lamp. She raised it toward the wall. There was an oil painting of a small bird. It had a reddish-orange face and chest, a white belly, and a rounded beak—utterly adorable.

It was a Robin, the bird said to have had its breast stained red by the blood of Christ.

Every ten paces along the wall, the same painting was hung. Is this a Robin’s nest? Zhu Ci grumbled inwardly.

In a role-playing game, everyone should have a corresponding role, but so far, she hadn’t seen any prompts indicating what she was.

After walking for a long time, the long corridor seemed endless. Finally, she saw a glimmer of light ahead. She quickened her pace, and the light expanded until a massive living room appeared.

It was a hall large enough to hold a hundred people. Various sofas and tea tables were neatly arranged. Cakes and tea were set out on the tables. A man who looked like a butler was pouring tea into cups at each setting along a long table covered in a red cloth.

From about a dozen different entrances, people began to emerge one by one. Zhu Ci spotted her teammates among them; they found her as well and were about to approach.

The butler finished pouring the last cup of tea and set down the teapot. “Everyone, please take your seats.”

With suspicious looks, a few people went over and sat down. He Fanghui was among them, seemingly unconcerned about any potential traps. The butler stood waiting with a gentle expression. Zhu Ci and the remaining few eventually trickled over to the table.

Only one person—wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and deep black trousers—stood in the distance with arms crossed, showing no intention of moving.

Seeing this, the butler did not insist. He performed a simple bow. “Welcome, everyone, to our avian nest. I am Skylark. I hope you all enjoy your dinner. A court session will be held tomorrow, and I hope everyone will attend on time.”

With that, he clapped his hands. A maid wearing a long black dress and a white apron entered through a green door, carrying dishes. Once the food was served, she whispered timidly, “I am Wren, responsible for your daily needs. You can call me by ringing the bell at your bedside.”

She bowed and quickly retreated.

“Wren is quite shy, please do not mind her,” Skylark clapped again, the sound crisp. “Guests, please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything.” After saying this, he also departed through the green door.

The crowd didn’t touch the food at first—except for He Fanghui, who was apparently hungry and eating heartily. Everyone else exchanged wary glances.

Seeing the situation, Yu Jiayi pressed down on He Fanghui’s hand as she reached for a fork. “Is everyone here a player? Why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Yu Jiayi, and the four of us are members of Team ‘Qiming’.”

A capable-looking girl with short hair and narrow, upturned eyes stood up and pointed to her companions. “Hello, I’m Ye Qingqing. These four are my teammates. Our team name is ‘Destiny,’ and I am the captain.”

The other members of their team stood up and gave their names, appearing quite friendly. Then, a man with a voice as warm as a spring breeze introduced himself as Chen Liangyi. The other four men with him were teammates he had recruited temporarily; they all lived together in the Common District.

Only one person remained—the one standing in the distance, unwilling to participate in the conversation, their face hidden by a long brim. That must be their randomly assigned teammate.

He seems like a loner; this might be difficult, Zhu Ci thought.

There were 15 people in total, divided into three teams. This was a team dungeon, but it was unclear whether the three groups were meant to compete or cooperate. If that person refused to cooperate and the task wasn’t completed, they wouldn’t be able to clear the dungeon.

Zhu Ci thought for a moment, stood up, and walked toward the person. The figure didn’t move, silently waiting for her next move.

“I’m Zhu Ci, the captain of Qiming. From this dungeon onward, we are teammates. What’s your name?” she asked with a slight, friendly smile.

The person remained unmoved.

She didn’t give up. “If you don’t want to cooperate, that’s fine, but this is a team dungeon. We can only win if we work together. Why don’t you come sit down and talk with us?”

Seeing him stand there like a stone pillar, Zhu Ci felt she was wasting her breath and turned to head back to her teammates.

“Unnecessary.”

The person spoke. A male voice emerged—it sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

“What?”

“Unnecessary. I will win.”

Back at the red-clothed table, Zhu Ci popped a cherry tomato into her mouth, absentmindedly thinking about what the man had just said. After speaking those two sentences, he had turned and walked back into the door he came from.

“Why is he so sure he’ll win?” she wondered aloud. Chen Jian let out a “Hmm?” beside her.

“Ugh, he’s definitely that kind of player,” Chen Jian said, trying to cheer her up while eating. “He’s probably cleared a few dungeons and now thinks he’s some kind of ‘Chosen One,’ looking down on everyone else. He’s just posturing.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll look for clues later. We don’t necessarily need him.”

Zhu Ci bit her fork, still playing back that voice in her head. Where have I heard that? She couldn’t remember, as if a vital fragment of her memory had been cut off.

Once everyone was full, the teams nodded to each other and moved to various tea sets around the living room to discuss their strategies.

Yu Jiayi stood up. “Let’s go too. He Fanghui, are you a pig? Stop eating.”

He Fanghui held a chicken leg, her mouth greasy. “This suits my taste way too well. How is the food in these dungeons so good? I’m taking two more.”

Yu Jiayi grabbed her by the collar, dragging her away from the table, and they settled into a tea set in the northeast corner.

“On the way here, it was a very long corridor, right?” Zhu Ci asked them. They nodded.

A corridor filled with paintings of Robins…

Zhu Ci continued, “That butler called himself Skylark and said this is a ‘nest for birds.’ Since this is a role-playing dungeon, it seems we need to figure out our roles first, then see if there are any related clues.”

“Ah!” Chen Jian cried out. “There was a poem on the ceiling of my room, ‘Who Killed Cock Robin.’ There were exactly five characters in it. Could those be our identities?”

“I had one too,” He Fanghui raised her hand. “Something about a sparrow and a fox… I can’t remember exactly.”

“But it’s not clear who is who yet.”

“And Skylark said the court opens tomorrow,” Zhu Ci recalled a detail. “What kind of court?”

The group discussed for a while but reached no conclusion. Seeing the other teams also looking troubled, they decided to search the area for any missed details.

The green door couldn’t be opened. Zhu Ci examined it; there didn’t seem to be a mechanism. If I could just get through here…

She remembered the pen she had just bought—the one that could “carve out” a path. She summoned it and pointed it at the door, but after a long moment, she put it away. The pen had a three-day cooldown. She didn’t know what was coming next, so there was no need to rush.

Suddenly, a shout came from the man named Chen Liangyi. He called out, “Everyone, come look at this!”

Everyone crowded around to see what had happened. He pointed to a small, inconspicuous white notice posted on the wall:

NOTICE

To all concerned parties:

This notice serves to inform you that

At the next Avian Court session,

The Sparrow will be placed on trial.

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