Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

The mention of the "tragedy in Tara Village" was originally intended as an opening line in the game to highlight the main plot and enhance the atmosphere of conflict. However, Zhang Lan's sudden remark made Wang Kai feel that something was "abnormal." He nodded, pondered for a moment, and replied.

"Indeed, the destruction of a village seems so unbelievable in 'peacetime.' But it has actually happened right before our eyes... I still can't fathom what kind of force could have such a terrifying destructive effect."

According to Martha, the disaster struck 'very suddenly,' without any warning. Even when surrounded by a large horde of monsters and wild beasts, the villagers couldn't possibly put up any resistance, and they didn't even see a single monster's corpse.

Let me make another bold guess: the fact that such destructive effects could be achieved without taking any damage suggests that it was indeed the work of the Demon King's army. But what would be the point of the Demon King's army, which is so powerful and fearsome, destroying such a small village?

This is just an ordinary little village, not some important strategic stronghold... Ugh, my head hurts so much, I just can't figure it out!

Muttering to himself, Wang Kai couldn't find any breakthrough and ended his long speech.

However, Zhang Lan seemed to know some "extra" clues. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and began her own reasoning.

"Your 'conjecture' is indeed bold, but not bold enough!"

If it were the Demon King's army, would they burn the village after massacring it? And why would they destroy the buildings so thoroughly? Was it really necessary?

Furthermore, out of dozens of villagers, only 'Martha' survived? Hiding under a well covered by someone's corpse... Didn't the Demon King's army have anyone to clean up the battlefield...?

According to Martha's recollection, the sounds coming from the well were gradually fading into cries for help; there were no other sounds, including those of the intruders. These descriptions are completely inconsistent with the 'Demon King's Army' invasion…

In addition, when the villagers' bodies were being buried today, I counted that only less than ten people died from burns. The rest had pale faces and lips, clearly having died from suffocation.

To reach such a level, the fire must have been incredibly large, beyond our comprehension…

At this point, Zhang Lan deliberately paused and glanced at Wang Kai. Wang Kai also looked suspicious and frightened, with a layer of cold sweat on his forehead. He quickly shook his head and threw out his self-righteous conclusion.

"If it's not the Demon King's army... then could this sole survivor, Martha, be... ouch!"

Zhang Lan reached out and pinched the flesh on Wang Kai's waist, interrupting his wild thoughts.

“Don’t doubt this poor child. She said she was an orphan, found by her grandmother in the forest, and raised by the people here. The expression on her face after we rescued her was definitely not fake. Not to mention that she’s been with us for the past day or two, burying villagers, sleeping in the same underground storage room, cooking and washing clothes for us… If she really were the ‘executioner’ behind it all, she would have already eliminated us two ‘witnesses’.”

"Um, I also feel like I've gone a bit too far with my guesses, so I apologize in advance. Besides, what power in this world could destroy a village in such an instant? Could it be an 'Ancient Dragon'?"

"You damn gamer! If it's not the 'Ancient Dragon,' then it'll be 'Baron Nash,' right?! Your outlandish ideas are going to mess with my thinking. How about we think about it from a different angle? Instead of guessing the true identity of the culprit, let's combine that with our observations in Tara Village to answer the two most crucial questions I've discovered! That might indirectly reveal the 'Executioner's' identity!"

What's suspicious?

"First, the village of Tara is surrounded by earthen walls or fences as isolation measures, which are estimated to be about one person high. In case of an emergency, any adult should be able to climb over them and run to the forest for refuge. Afterwards, these villagers will definitely return here to look for their relatives and friends, so the final survivors will definitely not be just Masha."

Second, today I walked around the perimeter of Tara village and saw that the entire village was surrounded by a strange burning area. In your understanding, it's as if the entire village was isolated by a 'wall of fire' during a disaster.

Wang Kai immediately grasped the key issue. He made a palm with his left hand and a fist with his right, and slammed it into his palm. Although he couldn't believe it, he still had to say it.

"Someone... first used flames to form a large encirclement around Tara Village. The villagers were blocked from escaping the village by the wall of fire, and could only hide in the buildings. But the buildings were useless against the enormous destructive force. This is..."

"That's why almost all the buildings were destroyed..."

As the speculation drew closer to the center of the incident, Wang Kai felt a growing chill. Based on his experience playing games with "stealth" elements, a sudden realization dawned on him, and he couldn't help but speak up.

"Wait, first use the high ground to observe the terrain and calculate the infiltration plan. Then, block the way with firewalls, pinpoint kills, leave no one behind, and leave no trace. The 'stealth' + 'sweep' mode, which is very common in single-player games, can be accomplished by one or two people, or even just one person. But to cause this kind of destruction and leave no trace, unless..."

"Yes, it's that 'unless'! I'm glad you guessed it too. The beings in this world who surpass the 'Demon King' are the Four Heroes!"

"Huh!?" Wang Kai was stunned. "You're saying that everything in Tara Village was caused by the hero... That can't be right. Didn't Martha say that it was because of the hero's efforts that the world had decades of peace? They are heroes, after all. They couldn't possibly have done such inhumane things, could they?"

"It seems you've forgotten a saying from our world: 'He who slays a dragon becomes a dragon himself.'"

"No, no, no... I don't believe it. If your reasoning is true, then why would the hero do this? What is his purpose and significance...?"

Zhang Lan closed his eyes, recalled the 'Alice memory fragments' in his mind again, and shook his head.

"I can only say with certainty that the 'executioner' must have been trying to cover something up, which is why he went to such lengths to kill the entire village!"

As soon as the words were spoken, silence fell over the surroundings. The two people, back to back in the lake, could clearly feel each other's rapid heartbeats, and at the same time, they were trying to calm the stress response brought about by this "fear".

Therefore, before the fear was suppressed, no one was willing to speak, just as if they were in a dark place full of dangers and no one wanted to make the slightest sound that would reveal their existence...

Wang Kai had some doubts before and didn't completely believe the inference, but now that he had ruled out many suspicious possibilities, he couldn't think of anything else for the time being.

He quickly sighed, looked up at the starry sky again, and uttered a sigh.

"Good heavens... no, why did the gods transport us to this messed-up other world? The very beginning is full of such a bombshell and plot twist! In a game, it would be like that ridiculous foreshadowing where you're about to defeat the Demon King, only to discover he's your biological father. Now, instead of fighting the Demon King, they're investigating the hero. This is someone who wiped out the Demon King's army! Even the Demon King couldn't survive, and we're just two newbie characters... this so-called 'main quest' is probably more like 'despair'!"

Zhang Lan turned her head to the side, a wicked smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"Hmph! Weren't you so excited before? Acting like I was the 'chosen one,' blessed with divine power, destined to rise above others, dominate the land, and have women on both sides... Now you know the difficulties and you're scared. There's a line in a famous science fiction novel that goes, 'Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival, arrogance is.' I gave you a heads-up so you would understand how much 'pressure to complete the game' really is. I even came up with two 'survival tips' for you. I wonder which one you'll choose..."

"Say it quickly!"

"1. Tonight, Martha and I will leave here immediately, giving that 'executioner' the illusion that 'there are no survivors or witnesses in Tara Village,' and then go to some quiet corner of the world to live a peaceful life. We'll make further plans after who knows how long. 2. Once the 'Imperial soldiers' Martha mentioned arrive in a day or two, the information about the 'Tara Village tragedy' and 'survivors and two witnesses' will definitely spread. This will give the 'executioner' advance warning to take his next step. In the early stages, we can pretend to know nothing, acting as 'outsiders' with only a slight connection. Depending on the situation, we can use their actions to find out the truth behind it all and act accordingly!"

After understanding, Wang Kai's sigh turned into a bitter smile...

"One is to plan for safety and stability in the long term, the other is to be sharp and decisive and deal with whatever comes your way. Zhang Lan, you've certainly not wasted nearly ten years of hard work since graduating from university; you've considered both the good and the bad. The only thing you haven't thought of is that, if I had to choose, the first option would be absolutely out of the question!"

"Wow!" Zhang Lan's mouth dropped open in surprise. "After working as a property electrician for so many years, I thought you'd become a submissive corporate slave after being beaten down by society. If this is the truth, my opinion of you will be refreshed once again... Before that, you'd better think it through. You can treat the future like a game, but this game has no save points and no chance to start over. You should think it through carefully..."

"Hehe, isn't this even more exciting? Playing an adventure game where the future is completely unknown, and one wrong move could mean GAME OVER, was one of my secret goals when I was a teenager. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'A man is a boy until he dies'?"