Winter.

Chapter 16 Eternal Night Ancient Town 05

Jing Minghe was about to ask Chi Hao if he had any discoveries to share when he heard Chi Hao order him, "Sit still, don't move."

"No," Jing Minghe lowered his voice and asked Chi Hao, "What do you mean? Do you know something? Big shot? Chi Hao? Brother Chi? Your behavior is confusing me. If there's anything, let's discuss it together. You brought me here because you have something to say, right?"

Jing Minghe was somewhat speechless. After Chi Hao instructed him to sit still, he pulled out a chair and sat right beside Jing Minghe. Then, he crossed his arms, his face indifferent, and physically demonstrated to Jing Minghe what "sit still, don't move" meant.

Jing Minghe asked a pile of questions, but Chi Hao didn't answer a single word. Jing Minghe couldn't help but get angry. He saw You Mi and Guo Wei talking to Shen Yue, and You Mi's face showed a shocked expression. It seemed those two had found some clue.

Since Chi Hao refused to talk to him, Jing Minghe prepared to go find You Mi and the others. Before he could stand up, Chi Hao's arm stretched out, stopping him.

Jing Minghe couldn't take it anymore and asked in a questioning tone, "I say, Chi Hao, what exactly do you want to do!"

"They're here."

"What?"

Jing Minghe instinctively looked towards the entrance. Old Hu slowly walked in from outside, followed by two burly men in red clothes carrying red lanterns. Whether it was because of their red attire or the red candlelight, the exposed skin on these two looked somewhat pale.

The way these two looked at the players was as if they were hunting, seemingly pondering which entrance would be more delectable.

Old Hu's gaze swept across all the players one by one and said, "There's a quarter of an hour left."

After speaking, he stood still, his eyes constantly glancing at Jing Minghe and the others. Although his expression was blank, it still made people shiver.

A moment later, He Duo and Chen Yi also arrived, followed closely by Yue Yang, Cheng Jun, and Jia Qi.

Upon seeing the two men behind Old Hu, they all couldn't help but freeze for a moment, but no one said anything, and they consciously found seats.

No one knew why Old Hu had asked everyone to gather here. Everyone sat quietly, almost afraid to breathe.

It was too quiet, and Jing Minghe felt like talking to someone. Although he really wanted to dig out some clues from the NPCs, his instincts told him that it was not advisable to talk to NPCs at this time, so he turned to look at Chi Hao.

The moment he looked, Jing Minghe's breath caught in his throat.

Looking around, at this very moment, almost every player present was tense and uneasy about what would happen next.

However, the great god beside him was leaning lazily in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, his breathing steady and long, as if he were truly asleep.

This person's heart was still so vast.

"Time's up," Old Hu's voice rang out again. "One esteemed guest has missed the time. Alas, it's a shame, how could they have missed it?"

Although he spoke words of regret, Jing Minghe clearly heard a tone of schadenfreude.

Just as Jing Minghe was guessing what would happen to Zhang Wu, who had missed the assembly time, he heard Old Hu instruct the burly men beside him, "Go and invite that guest. Even if they've lost their selection eligibility, they still have to participate in the selection ceremony."

After the footsteps of the two burly men faded away, the Moyun Hall fell silent once more.

Everyone's hearts were filled with questions. Those who knew each other exchanged glances, but unfortunately, they couldn't communicate any results.

So far in this instance, everyone's minds were filled with nothing but question marks.

Jing Minghe became bored again. He quietly reached out and poked Chi Hao's waist, whispering, "Do you really have no clues?"

He knew Chi Hao wasn't really asleep and could definitely hear him.

As expected, Chi Hao's eyes slightly opened, and he replied to Jing Minghe with a single word, "Wait."

Jing Minghe was speechless. Of course, he knew they had to wait. In this situation, what else could they do but wait? Jing Minghe rolled his eyes dramatically.

But he didn't want to just wait. Compared to waiting, he preferred adventure.

"Mr. Old Hu," Jing Minghe's voice suddenly rang out, "May I ask you a question?"

Except for Chi Hao, everyone held their breath after Jing Minghe spoke, their gazes fixed on Old Hu. They didn't care what would happen to Jing Minghe; they just wanted to know how Old Hu would answer.

Old Hu slowly turned his head towards Jing Minghe and walked two steps closer, "What does the esteemed guest want to ask?"

Jing Minghe raised an eyebrow, thinking, there's hope.

Without further ado, Jing Minghe asked directly, "Why did you ask us to gather here? What does 'selection' mean?"

Old Hu chuckled. Because the laugh was so forced, his wrinkled face looked quite comical.

Just when everyone thought Old Hu wouldn't answer honestly, Old Hu spoke, his tone as if he were sharing a huge secret.

"You esteemed guests have been sent by heaven to save our Yongye Town. But before we can completely save Yongye Town and usher in daylight, one person must go to stabilize the mayor's son every day, otherwise, terrible things will happen."

"The mayor's son?" Jing Minghe pressed, "What's wrong with him?"

"Let go of me!"

Jing Minghe's question went unanswered, and he first heard Zhang Wu's voice.

Everyone's attention was drawn by Zhang Wu's voice, and they all looked towards the entrance. They saw Zhang Wu being held by the two burly men. Despite his strenuous struggles, he was completely powerless.

The two burly men carried Zhang Wu in like a chicken and threw him in front of Old Hu.

Finally free from the control of the two burly men, Zhang Wu got up and tried to escape, but unexpectedly, Old Hu grabbed him by the neck.

Old Hu was hunched over, his body emaciated, looking fragile.

However, Zhang Wu, being choked by this seemingly frail old man, was completely unable to resist. After a few futile struggles, he completely gave in.

Old Hu cackled and slowly released his hand. Zhang Wu collapsed on the ground, his body twitching intermittently. Suddenly, he turned his head towards Jing Minghe and Chi Hao, his eyes fixed on them, and managed to force out two words.

"Save me."

Chi Hao naturally turned a blind eye to such a plea for help.

Jing Minghe was not a saint. If it were someone he knew, he might be willing to think of a solution. As for Zhang Wu, whom he already had little affection for, he decided to adhere to the principle of "better to do less than more."

A flash of white light flickered, and Jing Minghe focused his gaze. Old Hu now held a slender dagger in his hand, while the hand that had been holding the lantern was now empty. With a snap, he pressed it onto Zhang Wu's head.