The Little White Cat nibbled on her little paw, hesitating for a bit before finally nodding her tiny head and clumsily crawled into the tree hole to lie down, obediently watching Huang Yi from outside the tree hole with her big eyes.
Only then did Huang Yi feel relieved, he nodded at her and then walked alone toward Wind Forest Stronghold, quickly disappearing into the depths of the forest.
...
Wind Forest Stronghold was not large, with just over eight hundred permanent residents, among which the indigenous population accounted for a little less than half, the rest were players. The natives of Wind Forest Stronghold were all Half-Beastmen. Their tribe originally lived in the Ironrock Fortress area of Windhammer Kingdom in the southern part of the continent. Thirty years ago, the region was ravaged by the Undead Army of Demon King Uk’arl. The King of Windhammer Kingdom was inept and powerless to resist, leading to the downfall of the nation, plunging countless citizens into dire straits. However, the Half-Beast Tribe bravely broke through, their golden bodies as resilient as their diamond-like will, withstanding the siege of the Undead Army. They resisted fiercely and ultimately managed to escape Windhammer Kingdom to settle down in this dense forest, living a peaceful life away from the world’s troubles.
Wind Forest Stronghold was the only encampment in the vicinity, small but complete with all essentials. There was a pharmacy, a grocery store, a blacksmith shop, and a tavern, attracting hundreds of players to settle here, the majority of whom belonged to the Half-Beast Race.
At this time, it was deep into the night, and most of Wind Forest Stronghold had already gone to sleep. The stronghold was surrounded by a robust oak fence with just one entrance. Two watchtowers, each with a blazing torch, flanked the entrance, where two Half-Beastman Guards stood, dozing off with heavy wooden mallets limply in their hands.
Huang Yi quickly arrived at the entrance to the stronghold. He extinguished the flames on his paws and took advantage of the guards’ sleepiness to dash inside.
At that moment, the streets of Wind Forest Stronghold were deserted. The solid ground reflected the silvery white moonlight, and wooden houses sat quietly under the night sky. Looking around, only a wooden house to the north faintly resonated with lively noises, well-lit inside. A weathered sign hung above the door of the house. Through the orange-yellow light inside, one could vaguely make out four large characters: "Ancestral Tavern." These characters were written in the beast language, with bold strokes and sharp angles, resembling a set of files, typical of the southern beastmen’s writing style.
Of course, Huang Yi hadn’t studied the beast language; this information was all introduced to him by the system. He was the Beast King, and the race language happened to be the beast language. Had it been any other language, he wouldn’t have received these system messages.
Huang Yi took steps forward and walked over.
"Damn it! That Instakill is just too bullying. We three found those two Spirit Cats first, but he came out of nowhere, wanting to snatch them. We didn’t want things to get too stiff, so we let him have one of the Spirit Cats and caught the other. But then, he ambushed us! Killed all three of us and stole away our Spirit Cat!"
"What sort of person is Instakill, to do such a thing?"
"You can never be sure; there are plenty who are blinded by greed. Purebred Spirit Cats, how much are they worth! Such a pity, such a pity!"
"What’s the big deal? If it were me there, I would definitely have tried to steal it too, it’s just human nature. Anyway, this is just a virtual world, stealing isn’t illegal here. If you’re to blame anyone, blame yourselves for not being strong enough to keep those two Spirit Cats."
...
Just as he stepped outside the tavern, Huang Yi overheard voices from within, unmistakably those of Chen Yuxi and his companions. They were venting in the tavern, distorting the truth to smear him. The surrounding patrons seemed to have believed their story as well, engaging in lively discussions that weren’t particularly friendly towards him.
Hiding silently in the shadows outside the tavern, Huang Yi peered through the gap of the wooden door. Inside were roughly thirty to forty patrons from various races, including handsome humans, green-skinned Half-Beastmen, diminutive Dwarves, and semi-transparent Specters, though most were golden-skinned Half-Beastmen.
They all held their drinks, making merry and chatting away. Sitting in the central area were Chen Yuxi, Icy Greatsword, and Skull, none of whom had reincarnated. All had been resurrected, but they had dropped a level.
The night grew deeper, and from time to time, patrons left the tavern, staggering drunk. Nobody knew that a pair of eyes hid in the darkness, silently observing everything.
After a long wait, Chen Yuxi, Icy Greatsword, and Skull finally appeared at the door, heading deeper into Wind Forest Stronghold and cursing as they went, seemingly still cursing Huang Yi.
A cold glint of moonlight flashed in Huang Yi’s eyes as he quietly followed them.
"Now that I’ve lost my weapon, I can’t kill any beasts. Let’s just log off when we get back to the inn, edit the video, and post it on the forum tomorrow. We’ll tarnish Instakill’s reputation! Damn it, nobody messes with us and gets away with it!" Chen Yuxi muttered angrily as he walked.
"You won’t make it back to the inn!" Suddenly, Huang Yi’s voice rose up from behind them!
The three of them jumped in surprise and turned around, but before they could see clearly, they were savagely struck on their necks and sent flying.
Skull, a mage and the weakest among them, had also dropped a level and lost his equipment, making him even more vulnerable. He was instantly killed by the strike, dropping a belt.
Now with a clear view of their attacker, survivors Chen Yuxi and Icy Greatsword’s pupils shrank as if they had seen the Devil himself. Shocked and frightened, they froze on the spot.
Huang Yi, however, didn’t give them a chance to counter. His claws, with a "swoosh," once again erupted in red flames, and he pounced fiercely, smacking their heads hard. The red flames spread rapidly across their bodies!
In terror, Chen Yuxi and his companion retreated a few steps and turned to run, but only a few steps away, a Hunting Dog ablaze with green fire emerged, savagely leaping at them. The green fire stuck to them, intertwining with the red flames, and their bodies sizzled as they burned. Just then, a nearly transparent Falcon plunged from the sky, its claws gleaming coldly as it scratched, opening several long gashes on their necks.
The next moment, Icy Greatsword fell dead to the ground, dropping a ring that glinted in the moonlight.