Chapter 113: The Human Skin Drum (17)

As soon as she thought about the pillow she slept on, which had accumulated some unknown, eerie liquid over the years, Wenqian Ge felt an intense discomfort that sent her into a frenzy.

“Tang Mu! You knew these two oil paintings were problematic, so why didn’t you warn me? I slept on this pillow all night yesterday!”

Tang Mu responded with a cold expression. “I never slept on the bed.”

She had long been suspicious of the two paintings, so she always took her rest on the sofa.

But Wenqian Ge clearly couldn’t tolerate the sticky red liquid seeping into her pillowcase, turning it into a source of unease as she tossed and turned.

After glaring sharply at Tang Mu, she quickly retreated into the bathroom.

As Wenqian Ge entered the bathroom, Tang Mu “carefully” reminded her from behind, “Before you go in, don’t forget to check with your lenses. If the liquid flowing from the showerhead is also some unknown substance... then maybe you shouldn’t shower at all.”

“...I know! No need for your fake concern!” Wenqian Ge muttered something indistinct, likely a curse, but the sound was drowned out by the rushing water.

Tang Mu pretended not to hear.

She was always “indulgent” with rookies.

However, standing by the window, Tang Mu easily spotted several furtive villagers sneaking toward the inn’s main entrance under the cover of night.

She had already sabotaged the lock on the first-floor door.

If these villagers had mutated, sneaking inside to massacre ordinary players would be effortless.

After considering this, Tang Mu entered the in-game store to check the available items.

Purchasing items within the game was always more expensive than outside—sometimes 10% to 200% pricier.

Still, many players bought items in-game to fit their needs precisely, as outside the game, you simply wouldn’t know what you required. It was better to avoid buying everything and wasting fees, opting instead to purchase selectively in-game.

Tang Mu couldn’t afford C, B, A, S, or SS-grade items, so she filtered down to F and E-grade. She bought an invisibility cloak worth 1,000 points (a 20% price increase in-game).

Once equipped, Tang Mu vanished into thin air. But since it was an F-grade item, it was a one-time consumable and could only conceal her shape, not the living aura of a player. Approaching too close to the mutants still risked detection.

Tang Mu left her room without greeting Wenqian Ge but at least closed the door behind her, leaving a note inside: “Gone out, do not follow.”

She descended to the first floor.

---

From a distance, she followed the groups of eerie villagers.

They were divided into four pairs; in each, one carried a bucket while the other held a brush. The brush-dweller dipped into a white, translucent, glue-like substance, coating walls and door crevices. The partner continuously ferried the bucket filled with this sticky material.

Wherever the brush went, the bucket followed.

They didn’t spare the stairwells, outer walls, or windows.

Gradually, the entire Old Wang Inn became enveloped in this viscous, white, translucent gel, as if trapped inside a vast, transparent, mucous-like sac.

Tang Mu watched them laboriously apply the coating.

When they reached the top floor, she removed her invisibility cloak, signaling them to put down their brushes and buckets.

“You must be exhausted brushing from the first floor all the way up to the fourth. Thirsty? Want some water?”

The mutants were stunned.

They found Tang Mu even stranger than themselves.

“You've been following us all this time?”

“What else?” Tang Mu checked her watch. “You’ve been brushing since 7:30. Almost two hours have passed, and you’re still at it. That stuff you’re applying—is it the white paste ground from the rice in the fields? No wonder you’ve stockpiled so much. Do you even have enough left in that bucket?”

The mutants took a moment to realize they’d been played.

Without much chatter, they dropped their brushes and buckets and lunged at Tang Mu, aiming straight for her vital points.

“Red thread of the secret order, puppet strings bind. Swift as the law commands!”

Before they could get close, the red threads in Tang Mu’s hand bound the mutants tightly!

Unlike the mutants’ ruthless attacks, Tang Mu showed no mercy.

Her red threads pierced through their bodies, pinning dozens of them to the corridor walls.

Of course, they could move—just painfully, excruciatingly so.

“Ah, what’s the point of struggling? Wouldn’t it be better to confess calmly?”

“Pah!” One mutant spat defiantly toward Tang Mu. “You just rely on your fancy gadgets. If you’ve got the guts, let us go and fight one-on-one!”

“Ha!” Tang Mu couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Oh my, it’s already the year 2190, and there are still naïve fools like you?”

She covered her mouth, laughter shaking her like a blossoming flower.

“You actually expect me to fight you without my tools? Hmm... it’s nighttime now, but not bedtime yet, so why are you dreaming?”

“Damn you...”

“Hey,” Tang Mu raised a finger, “think carefully before you speak. That phrase carries equal punishment for you and for us players. And if you offend the Matron, your penalty might be even worse.”

The mutants were speechless.

As expected, women were never straightforward.

Always speaking with a sarcastic edge.

“Enough. Now tell me what exactly is the white paste you’re brushing on the doors, walls, and windows?”

“Why the hell should I tell you—”

Tang Mu waved her hand, and the mutant turned to ashes on the spot.

The red threads on her wrist morphed into the shape of a red serpent.

“I’m not averse to creatures like snakes or rats. Edible ones make food; attractive ones make pets. But if you’re ugly, inedible, poisonous, and disrespectful... then you’re dead meat.”

“So, I advise you to think twice before you speak. It’d be a shame to die so pointlessly. Don’t you agree?”

The mutants were silent.

Damn!

“But we’re just lowly worker mutants! We only do the work! Even if you force us, we’d never—”

That one faded away too.

The red serpent in Tang Mu’s hand slithered upward, climbing along her fingers.

“I don’t like idle chatter either. Those who understand should know to report only the essentials to their superiors.”