Chapter 28 Dark Paradise (6) - Worried about food

Cheng Chuan agreed. All three of them were talented individuals, and in theory, they could handle most people who tried to find fault with them. Separating to search for clues was indeed the most efficient method.

Wu Yi: "That's for tonight. What do we do now?"

Cheng Chuan genuinely didn't know; they couldn't observe the project if it wasn't running.

Moreover, he had just spoken to the NPC and asked about the project, but the NPC's answers were almost entirely unhelpful.

Ning Shu calculated the time; it had been almost a day since they needed to eat, which was indeed quite a long time. Looking at the other two, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because the other two people did indeed feel hungry.

The three decided to fill their stomachs first. There was something the broadcast didn't mention: the restaurant and the street food stalls were actually open.

They decided to split up and go to restaurants and snack shops to ask how to buy things, since they didn't have any money on them.

Ning Shu was in charge of the restaurant, while Cheng Chuan and the others went to different snack shops to ask.

"Excuse me, what does the '2 plus the yellow round cake' on the rice set meal mean?" Ning Shu asked the waiter.

"Hello customer, this means you need 2 gold coins to pay for this meal," the waiter explained with a smile.

Ning Shu glanced around and noticed that there were only a few scattered customers nearby, so she asked in a low voice, "How can I get gold coins?"

"...You can earn that by working, customer."

The waiter thought to himself, "Is this customer an idiot? Do I even need to ask that question?"

She's making it sound like everyone knows what she means, but that's not what she meant at all. Explaining that to an NPC is pointless, though.

Ning Shu asked again in a low voice, "Um, does your store hire temporary workers? I can do odd jobs, I don't need gold coins, just give me a meal."

"Hey customer, do you want to hear what you're saying?" The waiter smiled on the outside but cursed inwardly.

She guessed Ning Shu's approximate identity from her question, but still smiled and replied, "No need. Also, do you have an ID card, customer?"

An adversity ID card? What is that?

Perhaps Ning Shu's blank expression provided the answer, because the kind waiter showed Ning Shu his ID card:

"This is the official citizen ID card for those facing adversity; you need it to find a job."

The waiter was secretly disgusted with Ning Shu, yet another illegal immigrant!

In recent years, the number of illegal immigrants has increased, causing many safety incidents, so they do not welcome illegal immigrants.

Ning Shu saw a card the size of an ID card.

The front has a light blue background with text displaying personal information and a photo.

The back of the screen featured the hexagonal and triangular pattern that she had seen on the chests of the muscular men in the Red Brick Factory instance.

She was certain that the design was the logo for the game of Adversity.

After showing the ID card, the waiter put it away and politely asked, "Is there anything else, customer?"

Don't bother me while I'm working, you can't afford it anyway.

"Are there any other ways to buy food?"

Ning Shuzhen never expected that her path to earning a living through working would be blocked by an ID card.

Is this place really that legitimate? Is it illegal to work illegally?

The waitress thought for a moment, then remembered that there was another way to charge illegal immigrants, but it required special equipment to collect the payment.

So he said, "Yes, you can buy it with Adversity Points."

Adversity Points? Are they the points displayed on the panel?

"How many points do I need to purchase a rice set meal?"

"4 points."

Holy crap, double the price? The original manufacturer is definitely better; having middlemen just doesn't cut it.

She wasn't unable to withdraw the points, but she felt it was unnecessary and decided to go back and see if they had any news.

Ning Shu thanked them and left. After meeting up with Cheng Chuan and Wu Yi, she discovered that everyone's situation was actually quite similar.

Cheng Chuan: "If we have to pay 4 points for every meal, we won't last more than a few days."

Ning Shu: "This means we must go out before we run out of points. If we eat one meal a day, we can last for another two days."

That's right, they each have 8 points left, but it's too risky. The chances of clearing the level in 2 days are slim, and it's easy to make a rash attempt.

Cheng Chuan disagreed with this approach, saying that life and death were at stake and caution was necessary.

Wu Yi frowned: "The food in this game seems to be quite filling. How about the three of us share one portion?"

Ning Shu disagreed: "If we don't eat enough, we won't be able to do anything properly. How about we share two portions among the three of us?"

I don't eat much to begin with, so just give me a little bit each, and I'll split the points.

"Since you didn't eat much, you don't need to split the cost. Just give me and Wu Yi one point each."

Let's go buy some food. After we eat, we need to rest for a bit; we still need to look for clues tonight.

After Cheng Chuan finished speaking to Ning Shu, he put his arm around Wu Yi's shoulder and walked towards the restaurant, where there were many different options.

After the three finished their meal, they returned to their original "nest" to rest. They hadn't had a chance to rest all night, so it was important for them to conserve their energy now.

The amusement park opens for business promptly at 6 p.m.

Ning Shu was already waiting at the designated location. As soon as the staff put down the guide map, she took three copies.

When Ning Shu opened the map, she saw the places they had walked through last night, but many places on the map were completely black, without any text descriptions.

The black areas mainly surround the various projects, which are the places they passed between the two projects.

They couldn't see what was happening in those areas as they passed by.

Ning Shu always felt that these places wouldn't be completely useless; it was just her intuition, without any other reason.

Cheng Chuan: "The three of us will go to different projects to look for clues. Let's see if the panels can be connected."

A few minutes later, the three found that they could not contact each other through the panel. They agreed to meet every three hours at night in the square near their "nest".

The purpose is twofold: to exchange information and to confirm everyone's safety. If someone is not found within 15 minutes, the other two will go to look for them near the other person's project site.

Ning Shu chose the "Staircase Slide" attraction, while Wu Yi opted for the "Thrilling Giant Swing".

Cheng Chuan thought about it and realized that he actually wanted to go to the "death roller coaster" ride the most.

However, we felt that it would be better for three people to observe this project together, so we chose the "fun bumper cars" which seemed the least dangerous.

Ning Shu wanted to go straight in this time and observe up close how the tourists passed through customs.

When it was her turn in line, the staff said, "Hello customer, once you enter a game, you must play it before you can leave. Are you sure you want to go in?"

Ning Shu hadn't expected this rule. She hesitated for a moment: "If I don't play games, can I stay inside indefinitely?"

The staff member replied with a smile, "Of course."

Ning Shu felt that things might not be that simple, so she asked another question: "What happens to people who don't play games when the park closes?"

The staff member's face instantly fell: "What else can people who don't play games do? They'll die, of course. We can't tolerate guests who disrespect games."

But you have no respect for human life. Ning Shu was speechless.

She thanked the other person and turned to leave. She wouldn't go in easily until she found a solution; she didn't want to die.

As usual, the staff asked the next customer.

Ning Shu found a spot with a good view and kept an eye on the tourists inside.

She wanted to know how these three-dimensional people became two-dimensional gamers, but she missed the crucial part.