Chapter 141: Chapter 141: The Meaning of the Butterfly, Gu Yuan’s Rebirth? The Unveiling Truth

"Don’t be so quick to agree,"

Yun Zhenyue was touched by the sight. She took a soft breath and said,

"I suspect this underground garage is definitely connected to the mall’s owner."

"The Fierce Ghost Mall must be an SS-rank instance, right? The owner is likely an intermediate-level Evil Star. It’s too much to ask you to make an enemy of him for no reason and without any reward."

Yu Honghui’s heart raced when he heard this.

’The Master’s wife clearly held a position of supreme authority; a single command was all it would take for them to walk through fire for her.’

Yet she hadn’t done that. Instead, she was considerate of them in every way.

The Nightmare Hunter members were all deeply moved as well.

They wished they could charge into battle for Yun Zhenyue that very instant!

"My Lady... there’s something you don’t know."

Yu Honghui explained with a serious expression.

He proceeded to explain the Nightmare Hunters’ internal system to Yun Zhenyue.

"Actually, your every word and deed can be considered a mission, and these missions all come with contribution points."

"We can tally them up when we return to the organization and use the contribution points to exchange for things we want."

"Whether it’s for improving our strength, commissioning others, saving up for a special Ghost Artifact, or even purchasing access to other instances... they are far more valuable than any worldly treasure."

"We already reaped a bountiful harvest from the Fushou Bank mission."

’So that’s how it is?’

Yun Zhenyue’s eyes widened in shock.

She could feel the butterfly mark on the back of her right hand growing slightly hot.

’Just from accidentally getting a stamp, my status is this high?’

’A few casual words from me, and Nightmare Hunter members would be willing to die for me?’

I mean, think about it!

This was a terrifying organization where even the lowest-ranking members were Evil Stars!!

However, just then,

Yu Honghui added a few more details.

"Of course, since we’re all just low-ranking members, there’s a limit to what we can exchange for."

"There are four ranks within the Nightmare Hunters: Initial Egg, Larva, Blood Chrysalis, and Butterfly..."

"Right now, I’m only at the Initial Egg Level, but after we get back, I might be able to reach the Larva Level. When that happens, the organization will give me a promotion reward. Of course, it’s all thanks to you."

’Four forms?’

Yun Zhenyue fell into thought.

’From the initial egg to its final transformation, it represents the life cycle of a butterfly.’

’No wonder the mark on the back of my hand is a butterfly.’

But something puzzled Yun Zhenyue.

’A butterfly doesn’t really fit the Nightmare Hunters, does it?’

’They’re supposed to be eerie nightmares and hunters.’

’A weapon like a hunting knife would be a much more fitting symbol to represent the organization’s core principles.’

’A butterfly...’

’What does it represent?’

’Why would Gu Yuan use a butterfly as his symbol?’

As Yun Zhenyue thought of this, an idea suddenly sparked in her mind.

She had seen a similar question on a civil service exam before.

"Metamorphosis... Does that mean rebirth?"

Yun Zhenyue murmured subconsciously.

’Gu Yuan... has he been reborn, too?’

’A spiritual rebirth, or a physical one?’

Yun Zhenyue felt as if she had brushed against a hidden truth, but she couldn’t grasp the specifics. She could only wait for Gu Yuan to reveal the answer himself.

...

After hearing Mengmeng’s story and learning about the Nightmare Hunters’ system, the Dragon Country audience was filled with complex emotions.

Some viewers looked it up and discovered the event had actually happened.

Everything Mengmeng said was true.

This made many people’s hearts ache for her.

[I found the news report. It happened ten years ago.]

[The arsonist was caught on the spot and sentenced to death, but unfortunately, that couldn’t bring Mengmeng’s family back.]

[No wonder Mengmeng is so fixated on finding her parents.]

[The system Mr. Yu described sounds so real. Don’t tell me everything he said is true?]

[Maybe. In any case, those people from the Great Cold Country are kicking up a fuss again.]

...

A short while later,

the group arrived at the mall’s only elevator.

According to Mengmeng,

there was originally a service tunnel leading to the underground garage, but for some unknown reason, it had been completely sealed with concrete. The elevator was also uncontrollable and had long since broken down.

Yun Zhenyue guessed the reason for this.

The mall’s owner didn’t want anyone entering the underground garage. There had to be a secret hidden there.

Just as she was wondering how they would get down,

a slender Nightmare Hunter member stepped forward and volunteered, "My Lady, allow me."

"I can hack into any electronic device, and an elevator is no exception. It’s how I got here in the first place."

A look of pleasant surprise appeared in Yun Zhenyue’s eyes.

’These ten Nightmare Hunter members really can do anything, can’t they?’

"Hmph. You just had to find an opportunity to show off,"

another Nightmare Hunter member said with envy.

They had all figured it out.

Yun Zhenyue would likely leave after investigating the underground garage, making this their last chance to impress her.

As the slender Nightmare Hunter placed his hand on the elevator,

HUMMM!

In the blink of an eye,

the elevator whirred back to life.

Fortunately, the elevator car was quite large, so it wasn’t crowded even with more than ten people inside.

Yun Zhenyue looked at the button panel.

It had buttons for parking levels B1 through B3.

"My Lady, this elevator has been tampered with. Without me, it would only go to the first basement level," the slender Nightmare Hunter said respectfully.

"Then let’s go straight to the third basement level,"

Yun Zhenyue said without hesitation.

’The more the enemy wants to keep us out of a place, the more damaging it must be for them.’

’Any other player would have to explore this place one level at a time.’

’This is basically cheating!’

The slender Nightmare Hunter obeyed, immediately directing the elevator to the third basement level.

A few seconds later,

DING!

They had arrived.

Yun Zhenyue held Mengmeng’s hand and could feel the sweat on her palm. The little girl was clearly nervous.

"Don’t be afraid. We have so many people here," Yun Zhenyue whispered reassuringly.

"Mm."

Mengmeng nodded obediently.

She was at a loss for words.

All of the Nightmare Hunter members had come down to help her find her parents.

That was a total of eleven Evil Stars!

The owner of the Fierce Ghost Mall probably never dreamed he would be targeted by so many Evil Stars.

...

Yun Zhenyue surveyed the scene.

The lights in the parking garage flickered erratically.

The damp air was thick with a mixture of engine oil and blood, making her instinctively pinch her nose.

In one corner sat a few wrecked luxury cars, their bodies completely covered in a thick layer of dust.

But none of that was particularly surprising.

What caught Yun Zhenyue’s eye was an eerie, blood-red spatial fluctuation on the wall at the far end of the garage.

It resembled the ghost painting she had entered before.

It might lead somewhere else.

’The master of that space probably never expected us to basically cheat and arrive here directly.’

The space was contracting violently, a clear sign of panic.

"Huh?"

Just then,

Yun Zhenyue heard Yu Honghui murmur in a low voice.

He was staring at the fluctuating space, a look of surprise on his face.

"What is it?"

"My Lady, the aura over there... it feels strangely familiar," Yu Honghui said, his expression odd.

"Really?"

Yun Zhenyue frowned slightly.

She felt a chill from the butterfly mark on the back of her hand.

’But that’s the sign that only appears when another Nightmare Hunter is near.’

’Could it be...’

’...that the owner of this Fierce Ghost Mall is also a member of the Nightmare Hunters?’

’In other words, the final boss of this instance is one of our own?’