Chapter 41: The Crude Combat System

“Ugh~” The accountant kept scratching his throat, trying to either swallow or spit out the ball of water clogging his mouth and nose, but it was no use.

“Shh, keep quiet. If they find us, I’ll send you to your end,” Chen Xiyi said. Behind him, Jianghu transformed into a water spirit giant, its large hand pressing down on Zhao Sheng.

With that, Zhao Sheng was slurped into the water, looking as if he were trapped inside a watery cocoon.

Zhao Sheng struggled constantly, fear evident in his eyes.

After about ten seconds, Chen Xiyi reached out and pulled him out.

Water streamed continuously from Zhao Sheng’s mouth and nose. He gasped for fresh air, the sensation of drowning not pleasant at all.

“You understand what to do, right?” Chen Xiyi asked.

Zhao Sheng nodded frantically but said nothing.

“Good. Now I’m going to deal with the one upstairs. I hope you’ll behave. I’m a good person and don’t want to resort to silencing witnesses.”

Chen Xiyi threatened him in a dangerous tone.

Of course, this was purely to deceive him. He planned to deal not only with the waiter upstairs but also the innkeeper and the cook in the kitchen.

Zhao Sheng didn’t dare say a word. These methods were far beyond his understanding, and with his mind conjuring tales of ghosts and gods, he became much more compliant.

Chen Xiyi slowly walked upstairs and, in less than a minute, dragged the waiter down, tossing him beside the accountant.

He then checked the water consumption. The desert was far too dry; just that brief use had cost Jianghu 2 units. Although Jianghu could create water using Water Manipulation, that would require extra consumption. If the water came from Chen Xiyi’s Inventory, the cost would only be for control, without the additional expense of condensing water—which was a significant drain.

“Innkeeper, there’s something wrong with your tea,” Chen Xiyi shouted.

The innkeeper in the back scowled. This guy was hard to please. But thinking he was soon to be dead, the innkeeper suppressed his annoyance and stepped out of the kitchen with a forced smile.

“Coming, sir. What seems to be…” The moment he left the kitchen, he stepped right into a pool of water, and his mouth and nose were instantly clogged with water, bringing on a feeling of suffocation.

Before he could break free, he saw Chen Xiyi walk past him into the kitchen and catch the cook as well.

Seeing all four of them neatly gathered, Chen Xiyi took out a rope and tied them up before having Jianghu release the spell.

“Immortal, spare us, we…” The cook was quick to beg for mercy.

But Chen Xiyi wasn’t having it. Jianghu immediately used water to block the cook’s mouth.

“Alright, now we can talk about the treasure. Who wants to tell me about it?” Chen Xiyi’s eyes swept over the four of them.

“Sir, if we tell you, will you let us go?” The innkeeper, true to his role, remained calm despite the situation.

“Of course. I’m a good person and don’t do things like silencing witnesses,” Chen Xiyi said gently.

When he mentioned “silencing witnesses,” all four of them felt a chill, unable to find much reassurance.

Though uneasy, the innkeeper honestly recounted the story.

Basically, the innkeeper came from a local Noble Family that had fallen into decline. Unable to stay in his hometown, he had to make a living elsewhere. After drifting from place to place, he accidentally found a treasure map in an old family heirloom—a myth-filled travelogue. In desperate straits, he decided to take a chance.

On his journey, he met the other three, who were also down on their luck. They hit it off and, after committing some crimes to gather funds along the way, embarked on their treasure-hunting journey.

Their progress was slow, and after digging for so long with little success, they had often considered giving up. Fortunately, they persevered.

If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have met Chen Xiyi.

“So, where are the book and the map?” Chen Xiyi asked after listening.

“In my room, in my room,” the innkeeper said hurriedly.

Chen Xiyi signaled for him to lead the way. He noticed the rising Hostility Level in his logs but paid it no mind—it was normal for them to hate him after what he’d done. He didn’t expect them to think kindly of him.

But the innkeeper, hardened by years of hardship, showed no emotion on his face.

Chen Xiyi followed him upstairs, leaving Jianghu to watch the other three below.

“Sir, that’s the travelogue. The map is tucked inside it,” the innkeeper said gloomily.

Chen Xiyi pulled it out and shook it, causing a map to fall out.

The map was indeed a map, which struck him as odd. Could it be that the Module he needed was just one part of the treasure?

He flipped through the travelogue briefly and realized why the innkeeper called it a myth-filled book—it contained references to immortals, monsters, and the like.

He didn’t read it in detail; there was no rush.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” Chen Xiyi glanced at him and continued.

“No, nothing,” the innkeeper said anxiously.

“Alright, since you’ve been so honest, I’ll…” Chen Xiyi suddenly pulled out his Alloy Firearm and shot the innkeeper in the foot.

[You used the Alloy Firearm to deal 100% damage to the Black Inn’s innkeeper. You have killed the Black Inn’s innkeeper.]

[You gathered from the corpse of the Black Inn’s innkeeper, killed by the Alloy Firearm: Time (Merchant), Human Skin, Human Bone…]

“Good thing I didn’t use the Firearm earlier. I never expected the Home Game’s combat system to be so crude.”

It seemed that in the Home Game, equipment didn’t account for critical hits. As long as a weapon hit the target, it dealt fixed damage. There was no distinction between headshots causing instant death or leg shots causing serious injuries. If a hit depleted the Health Points, the target simply died.

He had suspected this when he used the Alloy Firearm to kill the giant squid he hooked earlier, and now it was confirmed.

Luckily, he had Jianghu use spells to control the Black Inn staff earlier. If he had shot the accountant then, the man would have died instantly.

Things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly afterward. Killing and not killing presented two different levels of interrogation difficulty.

What? He killed now and promised not to before?

As a Player, killing hostile NPCs was normal. As for being hypocritical and breaking his word?

It didn’t matter. He had no shame and could openly be two-faced. Besides, why should he keep his word to a Black Inn? They didn’t abide by such principles, so why should Chen Xiyi?