Chapter 10 Sleeping After Meals Unless Di Qing Isn't Human
Liang Jun's hand, holding the golden key, slipped a little.
The key suddenly fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"What's wrong?" Gu Keke looked at Liang Xun with some concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Di Qing stood to the side, his eyes showing more concern.
Liang Jun shook her head, bent down, and picked up the key from the ground.
"It's alright, let's go to the dining area."
After leaving the dormitory building, the three of them didn't say much to each other.
The journey was quiet, except when Di Qing asked Gu Keke about the exact location of the dining area, at which point the group managed to exchange a few words.
The topic then fizzled out once again.
The atmosphere was inevitably a bit strange.
The dining area building stands directly opposite the dormitory building. It's about a ten-minute walk away.
Wilson College exudes an air of ostentation. Banners emblazoned with promotional slogans line both sides of the road, fluttering in the wind and perfectly matching the stereotypical image people have of it.
The weather was pretty good today; the sun was shining, and even the scenery looked warm and inviting.
But Liang Jun felt a chill creeping down her spine, spreading from her mind.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Di Qing.
According to her, she was just an ordinary high school student. This was something Liang Jun considered relatively credible.
After all, apart from high school students who are used to using their brains extensively, who else can answer that entrance test full of knowledge points with a perfect score?
But that's precisely where the problem lies.
Liang Jun didn't know many high school students, but the deceased Qin Miao was one of them.
Qin Miao was also an excellent student, excelling in both character and academics, and remaining calm in the face of adversity. But even so, she still couldn't survive the beginner's level in such a bloody and horrifying scene.
If it weren't for the help of Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming, Liang Xun herself probably wouldn't have seen the sun today.
But Di Qing was just a high school student.
How did she manage to achieve a 100% rule deciphering rate without suffering any damage?
Liang Xun couldn't figure it out, so she reached out and rubbed her temples.
She felt that this issue was beyond her current understanding.
There's only one answer I can think of.
Unless Di Qing is not human.
"Do you have a headache?"
Di Qing, who was walking at the front, suddenly turned around and his eyes fell on Liang Jun's hand that was touching her forehead.
"No," Liang Jun denied without batting an eye, slowly extending her hand. "The sunlight is too bright, I'll shield myself from it."
It was quite lively along the way.
It seemed that everyone felt it was time to eat, and they all came out of their respective buildings and walked together toward the dining area.
Putting aside the players' heated discussions about the system and survival rules, just looking at their enthusiastic demeanor, Liang Jun suddenly felt a sense of unreality, as if she were still in school.
It seemed that someone had already gotten there first. A very small number of players emerged from the direction of the dining area, disappearing into the vast majority of players.
Di Qing reacted quickly. Before Liang Xun and Gu Keke, who were following behind her, could even react, she had already slipped into the crowd and grabbed a player who was going in the opposite direction from them.
The person who was grabbed was a boy wearing a plaid shirt. When he saw a strange player grab his collar, he didn't think twice and started to fight back fiercely.
"What are you going to do—"
But when Liang Jun and Gu Keke surrounded him, he became less arrogant due to his numerical disadvantage, though he remained wary in his eyes.
What are you trying to do?
Liang Jun asked in surprise, "Luo Chuan Ge?"
"You know me?" Luo Chuange was also shocked.
Gu Keke, who was standing to the side, suddenly remembered the key point and exclaimed, "I remember now, the fourth place in the class, Luo Chuange!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of displeasure flashed across Di Qing's face.
She interrupted their sudden small talk, "Did you just come back from the dining area?"
Di Qing crossed his arms and scanned Luo Chuange from head to toe, his eyes full of scrutiny.
"Mhm." Luo Chuange nodded, without saying anything more.
Is there anything unusual?
Di Qing didn't say much, but everyone knew she was referring to the dining area.
Luo Chuange tilted his head and thought seriously for a moment.
"There's nothing unusual. If you ask me, it's just a normal school cafeteria."
Even though they were all in the same class, he hadn't completely let his guard down, and his words were full of caution.
"The food is served from the same window as in the school cafeteria, and even the taste of the food is the classic communal cooking style..."
He thought for a while longer, "If I had to say something unusual, it would be that I couldn't see the cafeteria worker's face clearly."
The attention of the others was drawn, but Luo Chuange simply waved his hand.
"But I don't think it's a big deal. Those food servers are probably not very important NPCs. I guess the game didn't draw close-ups of their faces to save resources during rendering."
Luo Chuange straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by Di Qing. "I work in the game industry, so I think this is how it should be."
Di Qing nodded at him. "Okay, I understand. Thank you. Goodbye."
She remained completely still, clearly indicating that she wanted Luo Chuange to leave on his own.
He was a good-natured man; after politely saying "goodbye," he turned and walked towards the teaching building.
"Be careful," Gu Keke reminded him worriedly.
After the others left, the three of them stood there and looked at each other.
Everyone has their own agenda, and some things are not convenient to say directly.
Di Qing clicked his tongue and continued walking forward.
Liang Jun and Gu Keke followed closely behind.
It was a very standard school cafeteria—but the large characters on it insisted on saying "Dining Area".
After climbing the high steps, Liang Jun and the others lifted the heavy curtain.
Along with the enticing aroma of food, a system announcement also wafted in.
[Wilson College Dining Area Rules]
[1. The dining area on the first floor is large enough to accommodate all students, so there's no need to worry about not finding a seat.]
2. The dining area has four windows. Window 1 sells main dishes, window 2 sells side dishes, window 3 sells fruit, and window 4 sells desserts.
3. To ensure students can study with peace of mind, all food provided in the dining area is safe and guaranteed.
4. Please observe the rules and eat quietly. Supervisors will inspect the dining area on odd-numbered days.
5. Food served at the counter is based on the chef's preferences; the chef will not serve food they do not like.
Hearing about completely new rules is perfectly normal now.
None of them showed any surprise and continued walking deeper into the dining area.
The red and blue dining chairs are arranged in layers, and the dining table has individual partitions, which is quite suitable for socially anxious players.
The number of players gathered here was countless. Everyone held an orange-yellow plate, chatting and laughing as they tacitly formed a long queue against the wall.
Liang Jun looked in the direction of the queue and saw that the first place in the queue had four windows with green lights on.
Di Qing took a step forward, intending to sign in at the registration desk next to him, and grabbed a plate as he went to join the end of the line.
"Should we reserve a spot first?"
The aroma of the food made Gu Keke swallow several times involuntarily. The place was bustling with noise, and she almost had to shout to be heard.
"There are so many people here, will we not be able to find seats?"
The nightmare of carrying my lunch tray around looking for an empty seat during my school days flooded back to me.
Liang Jun grabbed her arm. "No need, please don't. The rules say there are enough seats here. Although we don't know if reserving a seat will have any impact, at least we can find an empty seat."
Gu Keke's mouth watered again.
"Let's go, let's line up for food first." Liang Jun took her hand and walked to the end of the line.
Di Qing had already started queuing up early. There were two unfamiliar players behind her before it was Liang Jun and Gu Keke's turn.
The team moved quickly, and in less than three minutes, Di Qing had already reached the position of window number one.
Liang Xun's gaze followed Di Qing closely, watching her every move.
The plates slowly glide along the edge of the counter, and at each window, the cook places the freshly prepared food onto the plate.
It was so efficient, it was like a perfectly streamlined production line.
Di Qing did not utter a single word throughout the entire process.
In less than ten seconds, she completed all the food serving procedures.
Just as Di Qing was about to pick up her tray and walk back to her seat, Liang Jun called out to her.
Are you eating by yourself, or with us?
Di Qing pursed his lips and stood to one side.
"I'll be waiting for you here."
After the two strangers finished getting their food, it was Liang Jun's turn.
She was very familiar with the process, which was exactly the same as the way some chain fast food restaurants pick up their food.
The cook at window number one, with an awkward expression, reached out and brought over two black rice buns.
The chef at window number two kept his head down as he ladled out a full bowl of pork, cabbage, and glass noodle stew.
The worker at window number three was wearing a mask, and the hands he was holding, which were holding two bananas, appeared to have burn marks.
The chef at window number four had his back turned, and a row of milk puddings were laid out in front of him, one serving per person, which he had to take himself.
This food is very down-to-earth.
Liang Xun's stomach was also growling with cravings. After Gu Keke successfully got her food, the group lined up to look for an empty seat.
The dining area appears to be packed with people, but in reality, it's like an area that can expand indefinitely, with no end in sight.
They carried their trays and searched for a short while before entering a dining area that was not yet empty.
Di Qing, with a strong sense of self-determination, sat in the first seat, followed closely by Liang Xun and Gu Keke, who took the second and third seats respectively.
Once seated, the individual partitions erected on the table completely block the view, preventing diners from seeing what is in front of them or to their left and right.
This is more like a measure to urge diners to eat quickly.
"Is this food normal? Can we eat it?" Di Qing's voice came from the first seat.
Gu Keke picked up the steamed bun, sniffed it, and then took a small bite. The starch gradually developed a sweet taste with the help of saliva.
She picked up another rice noodle and slurped it into her mouth. Apart from being a little salty and not to her southern taste, everything else was fine.
Gu Keke's mouth was bulging. "No problem, eat it."
The remaining two then began to eat.
Perhaps they were truly starving, or perhaps the partition really worked, but Liang Jun and Gu Keke quickly finished their meals and savored the last bit of milk pudding.
Liang Jun scooped up a large spoonful, tasted it, but couldn't taste any sweetness.
Is this really a dessert?
Liang Jun took another big bite. Apart from the rich, light aroma of milk, it had no sweetness whatsoever.
The meal was drawing to a close. Liang Jun and Gu Keke stood up with their trays, their eyes meeting those of Di Qing, who was also standing up.
"You didn't finish eating?" Gu Keke stared at Di Qing's plate in surprise. "There's still one steamed bun left, and almost half of the cabbage is left..."
She looked at the other person expectantly, "You don't like it?"
Di Qing denied it, saying, "I have a small appetite and can't eat that much. It doesn't matter if there's leftovers; I can just throw them away."
As soon as they entered, they saw the garbage bin next to the registration area.
Di Qing explained as he walked towards the door.
With a "splash," all the remaining food was poured into the swill bucket.
Gu Keke felt it was a bit of a pity.
"You should have said so earlier! I don't even have enough to eat... If it weren't for the sign-in sheet saying that each person could only take one serving of food, I could have eaten eight of these buns!"
Above the curtain at the exit of the dining area hangs a square electronic clock.
The constantly flashing dark red numbers didn't really stand out in this colorful dining area.
Before leaving, Liang Xun looked up and glanced at the information, memorizing it—
April 22, 13:30.
Stepping out of the dining area, it still seemed to be midday. The sun hung high in the sky, so bright it was hard to open one's eyes.
"Going back to the dorm?" Di Qing yawned widely. "I usually take a nap at noon, so I want to go back to the dorm to get some rest."
She gestured to the remaining two, "Let's go, together."
But Leung Yung had a different suggestion.
“I want to go and take a look at the teaching building.” Her reason was simple: “We players in this game are participating as students. Logically speaking, we should spend more time in the teaching building area.”
She then recalled Di Qing's 100% rule decipherability in the beginner level, and her voice paused slightly.
"Perhaps in this way, we can grasp more of the hidden rules."
“I don’t think so,” Di Qing replied decisively. “I’m already very tired. If I don’t even have enough time to rest, how can I have the energy to study properly?”
She turned to look at Gu Keke, "What about you?"
"I..." Gu Keke hadn't eaten enough and was clearly not sleepy yet, "I don't really want to sleep right now..."
"Give me the key."
Di Qing didn't have much patience and directly reached out his hand to Liang Xun, "I'll go back to my dorm to sleep by myself. I'll open the door for you when you get back."
Liang Yan stopped wasting her time.
After she handed the golden key to Di Qing, he turned and left without looking back.
After seeing Di Qing's figure gradually disappear into the crowd, Liang Xun looked at Gu Keke beside her.
"I need to go to the teaching building, do you want to come?"
Unlike her previous hesitation, Gu Keke nodded repeatedly.
"Wow!"
A note from the author:
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Today Kaka ran away (covering his head and running away).
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