Shi Jinzhe: "Just one bite of each is enough, not much."

Pu Sheng was on the verge of tears, taking one bite of each dish and chewing the muddy, floury texture with all his might.

No, no, he shouldn't have obediently entered this instance.

All that talk about being kind, cute, gentle, and polite is fake; it's a scam.

He gulped down a large glass of water, saying, "They all taste the same, it's awful."

Shekh: "So, fruits, meat, vegetables, and staple foods are essentially made from the same thing. The misty forest outside the city is desolate, and there's not enough space inside the city. The resources here aren't abundant, so these things..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she remembered something else: "There aren't many very old people in the city. The oldest people we see are in their forties. Could that be related to eating these things?"

“Short-lived.” Shi Jinzhe grasped the key word. “There are many young people here. Although it’s not a modern society, it’s developed quite well. But if a city is truly developing well, it shouldn’t be unable to provide decent food for its citizens.”

“You can tell by looking at what the rulers eat.” Shekh sat up straight. “The palace is a bit far from here. Tonight, we’ll go to District 4 first. The fruit vendor said the people there have some money. We’ll see when we get there. If it’s not dangerous, we’ll head to District 3.”

“Okay.” Shi Jinzhe indicated that there was no problem. “It’s settled then. Everyone, get some rest. We’ll go out as soon as it gets late.”

The five returned to their rooms, prepared their props and other necessary items, took a nap, and then staggered their departure times to meet up late at night.

.

Misty Forest.

Under the starless and moonless night, three players wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes, stacked their speed-up items to the maximum limit, and ran desperately outwards.

The wind and snow stung my face, making my skin both painful and itchy. Every breath felt like my throat was being frozen into a chilling water pipe.

It gets even colder when running at high speed; your eyes are filled with cold air, almost freezing into hard ice blocks embedded in your eye sockets.

The three of them were panting louder than the howling wind.

The man running at the front had his hair styled by the cold wind. He said firmly to his lagging companion, "I see the white wall. Hurry up, don't look back!"

Seeing that he was about to leave the sparse woods, he took a big leap and crossed out of the misty forest.

"call…"

Just as he was about to relax, his pupils suddenly dilated.

The black mist that was relentlessly pursuing them did not stop; it continued to expand rapidly outwards, about to engulf their companions.

The man swung a long chain, and the teammate who was at the back grabbed the end of the chain. With a sudden tug, he barely dodged the black mist.

The man leading the group ran along the wall, and when he saw an opening in the high wall ahead, he immediately slipped inside.

His companion, who was being held by the chain, followed closely behind. The moment he ducked inside, he turned around and threw the chain to another teammate who hadn't yet entered.

However, the expanding black mist accelerated its impact, and that teammate was swept away and swallowed by the black mist at the entrance of the white wall, just like the other three teammates who had already died in the same camp.

A living person turned into skeletons in the blink of an eye, the skeletons collapsing loosely on the ground.

Then the two who had taken refuge inside the white wall discovered that the black mist had stopped at the entrance of the white wall and was no longer spreading...

They were just one step away, or even less, from losing another teammate.

The team leader slammed his fist against the wall. "It's all my fault. After the first faction left the Misty Forest, the system said they'd accelerate their journey to the city within thirty-six hours. I thought it was just a simple progress update, but I never expected it to be like this..."

Another person stood up and said, "It's not your fault. We didn't walk well on this road. The ice and snow were too thick. It was so deep that it was hard to pull your foot out once you stepped in."

He patted the man on the shoulder, "Get up, the game must go on."

The two calmed themselves down and walked into the narrow passage.

[The faction with area code cA1248 has completed the mission to enter Frozen Harbor. The remaining 35 players are requested to expedite the mission.]

[Player CX0735 has completed the mission to enter Xin'ai City. The remaining 34 players are requested to expedite the mission.]

...

"All nine factions have entered the city. No faction entered the three rebellious cities. It must have been a coincidence that the faction that entered the capital with us was just that."

While speaking, Shi Jinzhe avoided the patrolling personnel and hid behind a wall.

They were in the home of the wealthiest merchant in the fourth district, a place with an extravagant garden, intricately carved buildings, and gold everywhere, exuding ostentation.

But this level of skill means a little money in the eyes of fruit sellers.

It's hard to imagine what the powerful and wealthy in the second and third districts are like. Do they each occupy an entire district?

Shi Jinzhe gestured to the others, telling them that he and Shehe were in one group, and the other three were in another. They would investigate in groups, and once they finished, they would return to the hotel without having to meet up.

Unless you're about to die, don't bother looking for them.

As soon as the guards patrolling the garden left, the five of them immediately separated and sneaked into the corridor under the cover of night.

Relying on his experience, Shi Jinzhe bypassed some seemingly useless rooms and found the main building and master bedroom of the manor a quarter of an hour later.

Scherhe looked up to calculate the height of the building, wiggled his fingers, and used his snake tail to climb up the column, silently landing on the outer balcony next to the master bedroom.

She hid in the shadows, lowered her tail, and carried a piece of the broken piece of clothing up to the third floor.

A dim light shone from the master bedroom balcony, and the sounds of a man and a woman talking could be heard.

Shekh exchanged a glance with him, then quickly opened the balcony door, and at the same moment, Shi Jinzhe blocked the hearing of the two people inside.

In the blink of an eye, the man and woman talking inside didn't notice. The man thought he had missed two words and asked the other person to repeat them.

A young woman in a brightly colored long dress lay on top of him. "I said the Queen is going to Frozen Harbor in a couple of days. I heard she's going to see Madam Mo. She seems to be nearing her end and has been bedridden for a long time. If you want to do something, this is the best opportunity."

The man made a blatant attempt to cover his tracks, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, I'm just a small businessman, what can I possibly do?"

"Oh dear, I'm talking about all of you. Doesn't that old geezer from District Two want it? Doesn't the head guard from District Three want it?"

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. Those are the Queen and nobles. You flatter me."

The man was being perfunctory, but while he said those words, there was no respect in his eyes.

"Okay, okay, but if you succeed, you must remember me."

"What have I succeeded at?" The man's hand slid to the back of her neck, his fingers spread.

"It's about overthrowing the Queen! She's been on the throne for so many years and there's no heir. It's time to replace her... uh!"

The woman's neck was suddenly grabbed, and with a snap, her head lolled to the side, and she stopped breathing.

The man kicked her off him.

"You talk like I'm going to rebel, you idiot. Who would do such a thing?"