After the Full-Level Boss Entered the Infinite Game By Mistake

Thank you for the Ko-Fi Puffball 😊

New Arc: Chenjia Village

Chapters 612-642

“Brother Dazhuang, why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

“He inhaled some water. It’s good enough he’s not dead. It’s normal that he hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Is he really not going to die?”

“Don’t worry. He’s usually as strong as an ox. He wouldn’t die so easily.”

The noisy conversation echoed in his ears, and Bai Lixin’s body felt as if it were submerged in the deep sea, light and disoriented.

He tried hard to open his eyes, and vaguely saw two figures in front of him.

“Brother Dazhuang, he’s awake.”

‘Dazhuang?’

His muddled brain cleared up. Bai Lixin made an effort to open his eyes wider, and the scene before him gradually became clearer.

He was lying on a bed, with two people, one tall and one short, standing by the bedside.

The taller one was already an adult, in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor. Though he looked much younger, it was easy to recognize the young Chen Dazhuang.

Beside Chen Dazhuang stood a child. He looked about ten years old, skinny and undernourished, with a sallow complexion, but his eyes were particularly bright.

The two of them looked somewhat alike, so they were probably brothers.

The clothes they wore were worn out but clean and tidy.

Chen Dazhuang’s clothes were in better condition, while the clothes on the young boy had some patches.

It seemed that the boy was wearing his older brother’s hand-me-downs.

“You finally woke up!” the boy exclaimed in surprise. “You scared us to death! When we found you by the river at the village entrance, you were soaked from head to toe. If it weren’t for Brother Dazhuang, you’d be dead by now.”

“Thank you.” Bai Lixin’s voice was hoarse, and he felt like his head was weighed down by a thousand-pound stone. He moved his gaze and looked around.

The walls were made of a mixture of mud, grass, and wood shavings. Above him, the ceiling was supported by a sturdy triangular wooden structure, and a large red doll holding a koi was hanging on the wall.

Though the place was simple, it was filled with warmth.

Just then, the cold electronic voice of the system rang out in Bai Lixin’s mind.

[Congratulations, player, for successfully entering the second stage [Chenjia Village].]

[There are currently seventy surviving players.]

[Next, I will introduce the background of the second stage.]

[Chenjia Village is a small, ordinary village located at the foot of Banyan Mountain, with two hundred households and over eight hundred villagers.]

*Instead of using the English name of the mountain (Banyan Mountain), I’m going to use the pinyin name “Rong Mountain”.

[The village relies on Rong Mountain for survival. Although life is not luxurious, it is peaceful and harmonious.]

[But disaster suddenly struck Chenjia Village. A fire broke out in Rong Mountain, burning Chenjia Village to the ground.]

[The task for the second stage of the game is as follows:]

[Find the cause of the fire on Rong Mountain.]

[Friendly reminder: This stage is a memory copy. What has happened cannot be undone and is already set in stone. According to the timeline, the fire will engulf the entire Chenjia Village in 93 hours. Players are advised to find the cause of the fire as soon as possible. After completing the task, players can proceed to the third stage of the copy. If the cause of the fire is not found before Rong Mountain catches fire, the player will share the same fate as Chenjia Village and be consumed by the flames.]

[To make it easier for players to infiltrate Chenjia Village and investigate, players will assume the roles of villagers. Player Bai Lixin, you are now playing the role of the second son of the villager Chen Shourong of Chenjia Village. Standing in front of you are your older brother Chen Dazhuang and younger brother Chen Xiaoshi. Your name is Chen Erniu.]

Bai Lixin: “…”

Chen Xiaoshi blinked his bright eyes. “Brother Erniu, why did you faint by the river? Aren’t you always good at swimming?”

“Brother Erniu?”

After being called twice, Bai Lixin finally realized that “Erniu” was referring to him.

He quickly responded, “A good swimmer can still drown. I slipped while fishing by the river, fell in and choked on some water.”

“Be more careful next time. No one is always this lucky. Our parents have gone next door and haven’t come back yet. We can’t let them find out you almost drowned. They’re not like us; they can’t handle the scare.” Chen Dazhuang was much more stable, his young face already carrying a maturity beyond his years.

Through the paper-paned window, Bai Lixin saw the dark sky outside. “It’s so late, why haven’t they returned?”

Chen Xiaoshi: “Brother Erniu, did you hit your head? The sister next door is getting married, and everyone went to help out.”

“Sister has always been good to us. If it weren’t for taking care of you, Brother Dazhuang and I would also be at Sister’s house now.”

As he was speaking, Bai Lixin heard the sound of firecrackers.

“Sister is good to both of us. Now that she’s getting married, of course, I’m reluctant to see her go. Since I’m awake now, why don’t we go over and see if there’s anything we can help with?”

Chen Dazhuang: “That works. Erniu, you’ve always been strong, just like your name, as strong as an ox. Since you’re fine, let’s go join the fun. They say people drown because water ghosts are looking for a replacement. You just escaped death, so listening to the firecrackers might help chase away the bad luck.”

Without hesitation, Bai Lixin got off the kang and followed Chen Dazhuang and Chen Xiaoshi out.

To fit the background and character role of the copy, his clothes had also changed to those of the era, similar in pattern to those worn by Chen Dazhuang and Chen Xiaoshi, as if they were cut from the same cloth.

The bride’s house was just two streets behind theirs. Walking through the rugged dirt road, Bai Lixin saw two large red lanterns hanging on either side of the alley entrance from afar.

Red paper scraps were scattered on the ground at the entrance, the remains of firecrackers that had exploded.

A pole was tied to the old elm tree at the entrance, and it had the only remaining firecracker still sparking on it.

S419M: [So dangerous, if that spark hits the old elm tree, it would definitely start a fire.]

Several people were standing by the old elm tree. One of them had a handmade cigarette in his mouth, looking around aimlessly. His gaze lingered on the old elm tree for two seconds, then he silently got up and walked toward it.

The man in his thirties walked to the pole, looked up for a moment, then stood on tiptoe to pull down the firecracker that hadn’t finished burning.

S419M: [Fortunately, this villager noticed it and prevented a disaster.]

After pulling down the firecracker, the man squatted down and rummaged through the ground, finding three more unlit firecrackers.

S419M: [This man is awesome! Not only did he prevent the hidden danger on the tree, but he’s also taking care of the ones on the ground! Applause for him!]

Under S419M’s continuous praise, the man twisted the fuses of the four firecrackers together into a braid.

He skillfully took the cigarette from his mouth, lit the braided fuse with the cigarette butt, then quickly scampered away a few steps happily.

“Bang bang bang bang!”

With four loud explosions, red fragments scattered everywhere. Sparks bounced off the old elm tree and then back to the ground, landing on the red paper scraps.

S419M: […]

The praise was for nothing, it turns out he just wanted to play by himself.

“Everyone, come in and eat dumplings!”

Someone shouted, and the villagers who had been wandering outside idly immediately dropped what they were doing and headed towards the courtyard adorned with red ribbons deep in the alley.

The man with the cigarette in his mouth casually threw it onto the red paper scraps on the ground, stepped on it twice, and then followed the others into the alley.

If you looked closely, you could see that the cigarette butt he crushed was still glowing with a red ember.

S419M: […]

Not only was he not a fire prevention hero, he was also an arsonist!

“So lively, Sister’s family has finished making dumplings. Let’s hurry and eat!”

Chen Xiaoshi was still a child after all. When he heard that there was something delicious, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Chen Dazhuang and Bai Lixin arms and pulled them towards the alley.

As they passed by the pile of red paper scraps, Bai Lixin crushed the still-glowing cigarette butt and the firecracker underfoot.

S419M: [Now the safety hazard is eliminated, Lord Host, you are the true fire prevention hero.]

Bai Lixin: […]

It seemed that it had just rained, and the ground was a bit muddy.

Bai Lixin carefully avoided the puddles on the ground. As he walked deeper into the alley, the crowd grew larger the further they went.

These people were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, and their faces tanned from the sun wore simple and sincere smiles.

Some squeezed into the courtyard draped in red ribbons, while others, having gotten their dumplings, were pushing their way out with effort.

“Hey, little brother, let me out first! Only after I leave can you get in!”

“Brother, what kind of filling is in the dumplings? Do they taste good?”

“Heh heh, they’re pork and cabbage. They are delicious! Really delicious.”

Several people pushed their way out, some with their mouths stuffed full, and others holding two big, white dumplings in their hands.

The plump bellies were marked with crisscrossed creases, and the skin was thin and the filling rich.

Seeing the dumplings in these people’s hands, the crowd surged forward even more aggressively.

“They actually have pork! Fourth Brother’s family spared no expense for his daughter’s wedding. I wonder if there will be any left when it’s my turn.”

“There will! They made plenty.”

“Fourth Brother only has one daughter. Of course, her wedding has to be grand.”

“To be honest, Fourth Brother’s daughter is not bad. I’ve watched her grow up. She’s become a beautiful young lady, soft-spoken and gentle. Everyone loves her. I wonder who she’s marrying.”

“Not far, she’s marrying into a family from the neighboring village. They have a scholar among their ancestors, so it’s a family of scholars. The groom has also studied for a few years and can read. I went to see him, and he’s a refined and honest young man, a good match for our Fourth Brother’s daughter.”

“Heh heh, that’s great. If Fourth Brother’s daughter can marry into a good family, we can rest easy.”

“When is the groom’s party coming to pick up the bride?”

“Soon, soon, they’re already on their way. You guys should eat the dumplings quickly. You all look like starving ghosts. The groom is a scholar; don’t embarrass Fourth Brother’s daughter.”

“Alright, alright!”

The villagers eagerly pushed their way in, creating a lively but warm atmosphere.

Chen Xiaoshi dragged Bai Lixin and Chen Dazhuang along, slipping through the crowd like an eel. He actually managed to clear a path, and the three of them squeezed their way into the courtyard.

The small courtyard wasn’t large, just a grass house built from dirt and wood shavings.

In the courtyard, a grand chair had already been set up, with two cushions placed beneath it, presumably for the bride and groom.

On the other side of the courtyard was a table with several bowls on it. Although the food in the bowls was simple, it was evident that a lot of care had gone into preparing it.

Peanuts, fish, chicken… everything was there.

There were two pieces of red paper under the food, with black and red alternating on them, and it looked like there were words on them.

Bai Lixin leaned in closer to look at the two red papers on the left and right.

The left one read: Husband, surname Zhou, given name Guoyou, courtesy name Qingxin, born in the year Jiwei, month Guiyou, day Xinsi, hour Wuchen.

The right one read: Wife, surname Chen, courtesy name Xiaoling, born in the year Xinyou, month Jiawu, day Gengzi, hour Wuchen.

It was the birth dates and eight characters of the newlyweds.

In front of the food was an incense burner with three sticks of incense placed in it.

It should be for ancestral worship. It’s probably to inform the ancestors in heaven of the newlyweds’ birth dates and seek their blessings.

“Stop eating! The groom’s party is already at the village entrance. Is the bride ready?!”

A loud shout from outside drowned out all the noise, and the previously boisterous surroundings suddenly fell silent.