Xiao Jin sat at a wooden table on the first floor of the guesthouse, listening to the screams coming from the door not far away.

That was the sound of players chasing after the little girl with the cleft lip.

The dull thud of a blade piercing flesh, the crisp crack of bones breaking, and the suppressed groans of pain.

Sui Ying's face was pale, her fingers gripping the teacup tightly, her knuckles turning blue.

Yunye leaned against the wall, his weapon resting on his lap, his gaze cold and stern. Shao Siyuan, on the other hand, had his eyes lowered, his gaze unfathomable beneath his hair.

As for Sui Feng, that guy was clenching his teeth so hard they were practically grinding.

"Did they really make a move?" Sui Ying whispered.

Xiao Jin pursed her lips tightly, remaining silent, her eyes deep and unfathomable, as if all her emotions were hidden within those dark pupils.

Feng Hao, however, remained cold, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips, as he mercilessly condemned the players: "As long as the mission is completed, it's fine. I've seen plenty of people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals."

His deep voice echoed in the somewhat empty lobby of the guesthouse, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions complex. They knew that what Feng Hao said was true, but their moral compass was still hard to balance.

However, they had no right to stop those players' behavior, so they could only turn a blind eye!

Seeing this, Shao Siyuan took a deep breath, trying to break the dull atmosphere.

"Since we have some time, let's talk about this dungeon?" He began to change the subject: "Today is the third day, and I'm still completely clueless about this dungeon."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded, bringing their thoughts back to the task at hand.

“That’s right. Apart from the sacrificial rites, they’re all just random, incoherent things. You can’t tell anything from them,” Sui Feng agreed.

Sui Ying rubbed her temples, her face etched with exhaustion.

She complained, "Honestly, besides the awful tasks, the thing that suffers the most is my stomach."

"I can't eat the food the villagers give me, so I can only eat the boxed lunches in my backpack. It tastes the same every day, and I feel like my taste buds are going to go on strike."

As she spoke, she let out an exaggerated sigh.

The others fell silent upon hearing this, for they shared the same sentiment.

"Sigh, that's right!" Sui Feng rubbed his stomach. "I can eat a lot, but I don't have much food left in my backpack. I don't know if I can last until the seventh day."

When embarking on a mission, players typically store some boxed lunches from the system shop in their inventory to prepare for unexpected situations.

They wouldn't starve to death, but the variety of food was limited, mainly just enough to fill their stomachs but not satisfy their cravings.

Seeing that even Yunye's mood had dropped, Xiao Jin couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, it is rare for a person to completely give up their appetite, especially for Chinese people.

Xiao Jin didn't speak, but took out a steaming pot of braised pig's trotters from his spatial storage, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

The group of people stared wide-eyed at the sudden appearance of the delicious food.

Feng Hao held up his finger: "This~this~" He was quite excited.

"Eat," Xiao Jin said calmly. Then, with a wave of his hand, more than ten dishes appeared on the table.

"Spiceed beef, typhoon shelter-style fried crab, pine nut corn, and salt and pepper chicken?" Sui Feng rubbed his hands together. "These are all my favorites."

"Hey buddy, your taste is just like a young girl's," Feng Hao said, winking at him.

"What's wrong with the little girl!" Sui Feng snorted. "If you're so capable, then don't eat it!"

Shao Siyuan's eyes were also filled with shock, unaware that Yun Ye was completely stunned. His burning gaze was fixed on the dishes on the table, his focus unwavering.

At the same time, the live stream chat exploded, but just moments ago they were discussing dungeons, and now the conversation had turned to food:

[The streamer is quite clever; once this person is killed, it's a fight to the death.]

[But if I were a player, I'd probably take it, since the Soul-Guiding Lamp is really useful.]

[Yeah, yeah. But to be honest, the food on this table looks pretty delicious, slurp! I'm getting hungry!]

Order takeout now, it's so much more enjoyable to watch while you eat!

I want to eat the same thing the streamer ordered...

After their initial joy, Sui Ying and Sui Feng exchanged a glance.

The two of them simultaneously recalled the days when they were playing Battle Royale on the island, and they never had to worry about food or shelter while following Xiao Jin. Back then, while other players ate dry rations, drank rainwater, and scrambled for supplies, Xiao Jin always had hot meals in hand.

Oh, right, there are also mobile cabins that people can live in...

"Brother, you are my real brother." Sui Feng said with emotion, his chopsticks almost flying out of control.

The others were equally impressive.

Xiao Jin didn't reply, but just ate her meal quietly.

This meal brought the five of them even closer together.

As night fell, the players, having eaten and drunk their fill, prepared to return to their rooms to rest, but Wang Zixuan and several other players were still nowhere to be seen.

They're probably still at the village chief's house processing "materials."

It's 1:30 a.m.

Xiao Jin, who was lying in bed, suddenly opened her eyes. She heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

"You're back?" she frowned, thinking instinctively.

But the next second, Xiao Jin froze—

Can you hear footsteps?

No, how could she hear that!

The guesthouse walls were very soundproof; no matter what happened outside, the room was always so quiet it felt like being in another world.

But now, she could clearly hear footsteps in the corridor!

"Something's not right." Xiao Jin quietly sat up and gripped the long knife beside her pillow.

She threw back the covers and got out of bed, listening intently.

The footsteps outside were very light, like someone walking on tiptoe, but each step was very steady, slow, and even, like...

It looked like they were searching for something.

Xiao Jin held her breath, approached the door, and slowly pressed her ear against the door panel.

As she moved, Xiao Jin could hear footsteps wandering in the corridor, stopping and starting, as if pausing for a moment in front of each door.

Then--

'Knock knock knock'

A knock sounded in the quiet hallway.

Xiao Jin's pupils suddenly contracted. Relying on her ability to pinpoint the location of the sound, she realized that the sound must have stopped in front of Feng Hao's door.

It's normal that no one responded from inside the room; unless someone is an idiot, no one would open the door.

The person knocked a few more times, but there was still no response. After a moment, the footsteps resumed.

'Knock knock knock'—the next door.

'Knock knock knock'—the next door.

Finally, the footsteps stopped in front of Xiao Jin's door.

'Thump thump thump'!!

The person outside the door... or rather, the "thing" outside the door, was waiting for her response.

Xiao Jin's breathing almost stopped.