The landlord brought out plates of food from the kitchen and placed them on the table.
When he appeared, the newcomers looked uneasy. They had checked the kitchen earlier and found no sign of him, nor had they seen any ingredients there. So how exactly did he prepare these dishes?
As they stared at the plates of food, the players grew more and more uncomfortable.
Could this stuff really be edible?
With a kindly smile that didn’t quite match his skeletal face, the landlord urged warmly, “Eat up while it’s hot. It won’t taste as good once it gets cold.”
The players gazed at the food, thinking that this stuff probably wouldn’t taste good hot or cold.
In the food bowls sat a strange, mushy concoction, its ingredients unclear, with a muddle of colors and even a few red streaks that looked suspiciously like blood, carrying a heavy, metallic smell.
Staring at the meal in silence, they thought: never get your hopes up for food in a game world.
The stranger the environment, the scarier the food.
Seeing them hesitate, the landlord’s face darkened, his voice dripping with menace. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Gu Jiu, a young woman who wasn’t one to tolerate mistreatment, snapped back without hesitation, “How are we supposed to eat this? Make it again!”
She slapped the table with a haughty air. Though her expression was fierce, her classic beauty softened it in a way that kept her from being off-putting—in fact, it was hard to look away.
Every player in the room, men and women alike, found their gaze drawn to her.
Unfortunately, the landlord wasn’t a normal person. He glared at Gu Jiu, his eyeballs bulging slightly in a way that made him even more frightening. A few of the more timid players almost picked up their bowls to eat.
But seeing Gu Jiu and Ying Tong unfazed helped them gather a bit of courage.
Abruptly, the landlord’s disturbing expression vanished, and he resumed his cold, eerie demeanor.
“Eat it or don’t,” he spat, before disappearing up the stairs, looking like he’d happily watch them starve.
Even after he disappeared, no one dared to touch the food on the table.
The experienced players seemed fine, but the newcomers were struggling to hold back.
A heavily tattooed man with a tough appearance—Brother Qiang—frowned and muttered, “Are we really supposed to eat this?”
He looked like a gang member, but he actually had a straightforward job as a barbecue stall owner at the night market. He was quick-tempered but not rash.
“I… I don’t want to eat it.” A pale, skinny guy muttered, trembling.
“But won’t we go hungry if we don’t eat?” A mild-mannered man in a suit cast a furtive glance at the experienced players, deciding to mimic whatever they did. If he stuck to their lead, he might have a better chance of surviving.
Wen Xiuxiu said in a soft voice, “Actually, a person can go three days without food.”
Fatty groaned, “But I don’t want to go three days without eating. I won’t have the strength to run if we have to escape.”
“So, what do we do? Are we really going to eat this?” The experienced player wrinkled his nose at the food on the table. The strong, bloody smell was enough to make anyone feel sick.
Eating was out of the question.
Gu Jiu firmly refused to touch the dubious mystery dish, and naturally instructed, “Throw it all away.”
Before the other players could react, Fatty and Skinny immediately got up, carrying the dishes into the kitchen to dump them, with even Tu Shuai enthusiastically helping.
Everyone looked at the brothers, then their gazes settled on Tu Shuai.
“Hey, what happened to your face?” someone asked, surprised. Earlier, Tu Shuai’s face had looked perfectly normal, the classic handsome, boyish look you’d see in a romantic drama—not exactly manly but attractive enough. Now, however, his handsome face was bruised, as though it had been ground against a wall. Blue and purple marks were evident on his forehead, nose, and chin.
Tu Shuai glanced cautiously at Lu Ji and replied bitterly, “I accidentally hit a wall.”
It really was just hitting a wall—he’d been pushed into it. The impact had hurt, leaving him grimacing, though thankfully there was no bleeding. There was no mirror around, so he couldn’t see his own face, but judging by everyone’s reactions, the bruising was severe.
He suspected Lu Ji had done it on purpose, but he had no proof.
Lu Ji sat next to Gu Jiu, ignoring Tu Shuai’s stare entirely.
With the food gone, the players looked at the now-empty table, a bit despondent.
They’d have to survive three days in the game, and if every meal looked like that terrible mush, they’d likely be starving.
One of the male players sighed, “Who knew the food in this game world would be so strange? It’s like they want us to starve.”
“Yeah, I’ve been through several games, and while the food wasn’t great, it was never this horrifying.”
“If only I’d stocked up more food in the game store.”
…
Such was the plight of low-level players. Points barely covered essential tools, let alone food. Even though food was cheap, spending a single point still felt wasteful.
As they lamented, suddenly, about a dozen bags of bread and bottles of water appeared on the table.
Everyone looked over at Gu Jiu, who calmly said, “Eat up. If it’s not enough, let me know.”
The brothers wasted no time in grabbing a bag of bread each, while the others hesitated before doing the same, glancing gratefully at Gu Jiu.
Only Ying Tong abstained, instead taking a packaged bread out of her own bag, eating as she said, “I have fifty bags of bread and water here.”
Seeing Gu Jiu’s generosity, she felt it would be petty not to share.
Ying Tong’s primary goal was to keep as many players alive as possible, which would earn her bonus points from the game. However, she wasn’t about to babysit them—she’d help, but only as long as they didn’t act recklessly.
Gu Jiu also disclosed the amount of food she’d stocked up on.
Finally, it was Lu Ji’s turn. “I have one hundred bags of bread and water.”
Immediately, everyone looked at Lu Ji as though she were their lifeline.
With the food issue resolved, everyone’s spirits lifted.
For those tasting the game store’s bread for the first time, the flavor was surprisingly decent—certainly much better than the blood-scented mush from earlier.
After dinner, the landlord reappeared.
He seemed visibly disappointed to see that they hadn’t eaten the mush he’d provided, which made the players even more wary, though they felt relieved that they hadn’t touched it. In such an eerie setting, who knew what kind of traps might lurk in the food? Though consuming food in a game world wasn’t usually fatal for players, it could have unexpected side effects that depended on their luck and resilience.
Frustrated that his food had been refused, the landlord retreated to the kitchen, where loud banging noises soon followed as he threw the dishes around in anger.
The players, however, were unaware of this. After eating, they each returned to their rooms to rest.
Gu Jiu moved slowly, lingering until all the players had entered their rooms before finally opening her own door and stepping inside.
The ceiling light, round and dim, was covered in grime, casting a faint and gloomy glow. Outside the window lay a pitch-black void, making the house feel like an isolated island in the middle of darkness.
Gu Jiu glanced around the room and noticed Lu Ji spreading a bedsheet over the mattress. She raised an eyebrow.
“Where did that bedsheet come from?”
“I brought it,” Lu Ji replied calmly.
Gu Jiu’s face brightened, standing to the side like a pampered young lady as she watched her lay out the sheet. Her voice turned soft, almost coaxing, “Ah Ji, you’re so considerate! I wouldn’t have rested well at all without a bedsheet these next few days.”
Her tone, sweet as honey, was hard to resist.
Lu Ji thought to himself that even without the bedsheet, she would probably manage just fine. But knowing her delicate disposition, he’d brought all the essentials so she wouldn’t have to endure any discomfort.
Once the sheet was in place, Gu Jiu sat on the bed, patting it like a pleased child, then said, “Ah Ji, let’s go take a bath.”
Lu Ji blinked. “A bath?”
“Yes! We did all that cleaning today, and now we’re covered in dust. How can we not wash up?”
Before he could say anything, she was already pulling him out the door.
On their way out, they ran into Ying Tong and Wen Xiuxiu.
The players had chosen their roommates earlier, and Ying Tong and Wen Xiuxiu had opted to share a room. Many of the male players were envious of their arrangement, but they didn’t have the nerve to suggest squeezing into a room with them. Besides, even if they tried, it was unlikely that Ying Tong would put up with it.
“Where are you two going?” Ying Tong asked.
Gu Jiu replied, “To take a bath. Want to join?”
Ying Tong nodded. “Let’s go together.”
The four of them set off for the bathroom. The other male players, hearing the commotion, didn’t want to intrude and decided to wait until they were done. Some of the less particular ones simply decided to skip bathing altogether—after all, a few days without washing wasn’t the end of the world.
In this eerie environment, it was best not to do anything alone. One never knew what could happen, or how one might meet a mysterious end.
Ying Tong herself wasn’t one to care much about missing a bath; she was practical and prioritized convenience in the game world. However, she was curious to see if anything unusual might happen in the bathroom, so she decided to join them.
The game allowed three days to complete the mission—a tight timeframe. Ying Tong didn’t want to wait for any ghosts or monsters to make the first move. It would be much better to figure out the dangers of this instance first so they could be prepared.
She thought Gu Jiu shared her sense of urgency, but was instead met with, “Going a day without a bath is unbearable. I can’t stand it.”
Ying Tong: “….”
At the bathroom, Gu Jiu picked a stall and asked Lu Ji, “Ah Ji, did you bring any toiletries? I bought extra, so I can give you a set.”
Lu Ji replied, “…No need.”
So, Gu Jiu handed the extra set to Wen Xiuxiu instead. After all, a girl should stay clean and pretty to feel good.
Wen Xiuxiu thanked her shyly.
Gu Jiu quickly went in for her bath, with Ying Tong and Wen Xiuxiu picking their own stalls. Only Lu Ji hesitated, carefully avoiding any glance toward Gu Jiu’s stall as he finally went into the one next to hers.
As Gu Jiu was washing, she noticed a strange red glow beginning to spread underfoot.
Because she wasn’t wearing her glasses in the shower, she couldn’t clearly see what it was.
When her glasses were off, she couldn’t see the world normally but could still spot the distinct supernatural red glow that marked ghosts—a beacon in the darkness.
Wiping water from her face, she calmly remarked, “I’m in the middle of a bath. It’s really rude to intrude without cause.”
Instead of fading, the red light thickened, spreading up even through the water splashing onto her.
Without even needing her glasses, she knew the bathwater had turned blood red.
Irritated, Gu Jiu looked up sharply. Seeing a ghost lurking above her, she reached out, her long nails—imbued with spectral energy—grabbing its head and muttering, “Don’t understand human words, huh? Keep staring, and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
“Aaaaah—!”
The ghost shrieked in pain, struggling furiously, but couldn’t break free from the grip of her ghostly claws.
Unbothered, Gu Jiu calmly put on the glasses she’d stored in her bag. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and she turned to see Lu Ji standing there, looking very tense.
When he saw her standing there, completely exposed, with glistening water droplets on her skin, Lu Ji reflexively slammed the door shut. The old wooden door nearly flew off its hinges from the force.
“Ah Ji?” Gu Jiu called, puzzled.
A muffled voice came from the other side.
“Are you okay?” After a pause, he added, “Put some clothes on.”
“I’m not done bathing yet,” Gu Jiu replied, looking down at the soap bubbles still covering her. “How am I supposed to put clothes on like this?”
Lu Ji went silent for a moment. “Then at least throw that ghost out.”
“I can’t do that—I finally caught one.”
Another pause. “…Then hand it over to me.”
Gu Jiu hesitated. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
She was worried that Lu Ji might not be able to subdue the ghost. What if her dear Ah Ji got hurt? Despite her silent and reserved nature, Ah Ji was a very dependable partner, and Gu Jiu held her in high regard. She couldn’t bear the thought of any harm coming to her from a ghost.
Lu Ji said, “I brought my paper frog. It can keep an eye on things.”
Gu Jiu remembered how helpful Lu Ji’s paper frog, paper man, and other small charms had been in the last game world, so she cheerfully opened the door and handed over the now nearly lifeless ghost.
Lu Ji kept his gaze averted, focusing on the ghost Gu Jiu held by the head. It was a female ghost, and his expression turned frosty as he reached out to take it.
The ghost, internally screaming: …What are these two, some kind of monsters that can catch ghosts with their bare hands?
Once Gu Jiu handed over the ghost, she quickly finished her bath.
When she stepped out, dressed and ready, she found Lu Ji already waiting outside, fully prepared.
At the same time, the doors of the other two shower stalls opened. Wen Xiuxiu stumbled out, her face deathly pale, nearly tripping as she stepped forward. A clear bruise encircled her neck as though something had tried to strangle her to death.
Ying Tong didn’t look much better, though at least she didn’t seem to have any visible injuries.
Seeing the three of them, Ying Tong asked, “Are you all okay? What did you encounter just now?”
Gu Jiu replied, “Ran into a female ghost. The bathwater turned into blood.” She huffed, annoyed.
“Just trying to have a nice bath, and then blood everywhere. I feel like the smell of it is still on my skin—I had to scrub myself multiple times to get it off.”
Lu Ji stayed silent.
Wen Xiuxiu, still shaken, said, “There was blood everywhere in my stall, words written in blood on the walls, and then hair came out of the faucet and wrapped around my neck. It was choking me. If it hadn’t disappeared when it did, I don’t know what would have happened…”
Thinking back on the sheer hopelessness of the near-death experience, she shivered, now harboring an intense fear of this game world.
Ying Tong added, “I also encountered a female ghost, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get any useful information from her.”
That was classic Ying Tong, fearless enough to confront ghosts head-on in the hope of finding clues.
Gu Jiu laughed. “Well, we’ve got the ghost right here.”
Ying Tong and Wen Xiuxiu, stunned: “!!!!!” What kind of fearsome people were they dealing with?