Chapter One: The Honey Tragedy (Part 1)
It was late winter, early spring. The sun was shining brightly that day; it was a rare and beautiful day.
Yunxin was photocopying documents when suddenly her right eye started twitching wildly.
"We only need the materials for the meeting this afternoon, so there's no rush. It's lunch break time, let's go eat first," Tan Qiaoqiao said with a smile as she approached.
Yun Xin glanced at the wall clock, then looked around the room. "Where is everyone else?"
"Still busy, said they're going to order takeout and won't go out to eat." Tan Qiaoqiao said as she pressed the elevator button. "It's normal for working people to work overtime during their lunch break."
Yunxin pressed the corner of her eye. But her right eyelid didn't stop twitching; instead, it twitched even more. "I recently moved and I'd like to treat everyone to a meal. How about we invite them all?"
Someone's treating me to dinner? Is that even possible?
Tan Qiaoqiao readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go and talk to them."
Hearing that someone was treating everyone, everyone stopped working and skipped overtime, stood up, and happily walked outside.
Liu Na looked around and couldn't help but ask where her boyfriend was, "Where's Chang Heng? Why didn't he come?"
Tan Qiaoqiao replied, "She said she has an upset stomach and will come over later."
Such a grown person, they can't possibly get lost. Besides, we can keep in touch by phone, what's there to worry about?
Liu Na didn't say anything more.
At this point, seven minutes had passed since the first twitch of the right eyelid.
Yunxin didn't want to delay any longer, so she said, "If we go late, the food will be served very slowly. Let's go over and order first."
In the ninth minute, everyone walked out of the office building.
In the eleventh minute, Tan Qiaoqiao realized that the road they were on did not lead to the restaurant they usually went to, and quickly reminded Yun Xin that they had gone the wrong way.
Yunxin explained, "I know, I want to go to another more expensive restaurant and treat everyone to a nice meal."
Since everyone who was hosting the dinner said so, Tan Qiaoqiao naturally wouldn't object.
In the sixteenth minute, the twitching of her right eyelid gradually slowed down. At the same time, Yun Xin's heart tightened—she felt palpitations.
Nineteen minutes later, the group arrived at the restaurant and requested a private room.
“This place is quite far away.” Tan Qiaoqiao picked up the menu and looked through it. “I’m tired from walking so far. Let’s see what’s good to eat.”
Liu Na took out her phone and dialed her boyfriend's number several times, but he didn't answer. She wondered, "That's strange, why isn't he answering?"
"It's a bit stuffy in the room, let's open the window to let some air in," Chen Xuan said as he opened the window.
As soon as the window was opened, a loud bang came from outside, startling everyone.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Chen Xuan looked outside.
A giant wave, seven or eight meters high and composed of an unidentified liquid, instantly engulfed the villages not far away.
Pedestrians on the street and vehicles on the roadside were all caught in the blast.
At the same time, a sweet aroma filled the air.
"Ah—" After seeing the location of the accident, Liu Na let out a shrill scream.
The others stared in disbelief. "Does that flooded area include our company?"
"I've told you so many times not to be cheap and rent office space in urban villages, but you just wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, it's flooded."
"Such a serious incident has occurred, shouldn't we call the police?"
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!!! If Yunxin hadn't treated us to dinner, would we still be stuck in the office working overtime right now?"
These words sent chills down everyone's spines.
Only then did they realize that they seemed to have just escaped death.
Tan Qiaoqiao was already exhausted and hungry, but now she was so frightened that she felt nothing. Looking out the window, she couldn't help but feel a wave of fear. "What kind of liquid is this? It looks sticky and thick... and why is it steaming?"
"Speaking of which, shouldn't we go out and rescue them?" someone said hesitantly, glancing around the room. "There are several men in this house. Wouldn't it be good to go out and lend a hand, and get them out of here?"
"Going out will only lead to our deaths." Chen Xuan pointed to a spot. "Look at him, a grown man, strong and muscular, looks like he's been working out regularly. He can't break free; the more he struggles, the deeper he sinks. What's the point of us going?"
Feeling bad, the man thought for a moment and said, "I'd better call the police."
When I took out my phone and dialed the number, I found that it was always busy and I couldn't get through at all.
"Many people outside are making phone calls; ambulances and police cars should be on their way." Chen Xuan kept a close eye on the situation outside the window.
"Luckily, we didn't have a meal at our usual restaurant." Tan Qiaoqiao saw it clearly. "That restaurant is nearby, so it was also affected."
Although it was just a peripheral area and the damage wasn't severe, and there didn't seem to be any immediate danger to their lives, they were still involved, and might have to wait for a police rescue. Unlike them, who were far away at the moment, feeling a deep sense of security.
"We're all fine now, but what about Chang Heng? What will happen to Chang Heng?!" Liu Na was emotional, crying and wailing.
Seeing her crying so bitterly, Tan Qiaoqiao couldn't bear to rub salt into her wounds, but in her heart she thought, "His lack of appetite indicates a problem with his thinking. He wouldn't leave even when someone was trying to save him; who can he blame if he dies?"
The others clearly thought the same way, and they all tried to persuade him.
"It's rare for someone to treat everyone, and everyone came, but he had an upset stomach and stayed in the office building... It just means it's his fate, and you can't escape it. You should try to think more positively."
"It's not that we don't want to save him, it's that Chang Heng himself is a failure. He couldn't even seize the chance to live! What can we do? Are we supposed to drag him here by force?"
"If it weren't for Yunxin, none of us would have escaped! We've barely escaped with our lives, we should be grateful."
Despite everyone's attempts to persuade her, Liu Na's emotions remained unstable. Instead, she seemed to have discovered something, staring wide-eyed at Yun Xin, "Did you already know?"
"What are you talking about?" Yun Xin tilted her head. "I just wanted to treat everyone to a meal, why are you looking at me like that?"
"That's right, Yunxin just saved everyone's lives, you can't go back on your word."
"I know you're saddened by Chang Heng's accident. Come, sit down and have some tea to calm down."
"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. If you want revenge, go after the person who caused the trouble. Yun Xin did nothing; she is innocent."
A group of people pulled and persuaded Liu Na to move far away from Yun Xin.
In the distance, the waves gradually subsided.
The people swept up in it gradually stiffened their bodies and movements, eventually freezing into statues.
As the sirens sounded, everything was about to come to an end.
At that moment, a transparent panel appeared in front of Yunxin.
Welcome to the Evolution Game.
[Congratulations to the player who successfully survived dungeon number 111679 – "The Honey Tragedy".]
[Because you saved eleven humans, your performance rating is "A", and you will be rewarded with the following attribute points: Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Constitution +0.2, Spirit +0.2.]
[Note 1: Players will only learn of the existence of the Evolution Game after receiving an "A" grade (or higher) in the level completion evaluation once or more.]
[Note 2: Players who achieve a "B" rating or lower will only receive attribute points and will not be aware of the existence of the evolution game.]
[Note 3: Standard adult female's four-dimensional attributes: Strength 0.5, Agility 0.5, Constitution 0.5, Spirit 0.8. A single attribute value exceeding 3, 6, or 9 will grant special abilities.]
[Note 4: The existence of the Evolution Game must not be disclosed to non-players or players who have not achieved an "A" rating. Random disclosure will have unforeseen and serious consequences.]
Yunxin reached out, trying to touch the panel, but her fingers passed right through it. She could see the panel, but couldn't touch it.
"An evolution game? Dungeon 111679?"
Yunxin suddenly realized that this year had been a year of many disasters. Numerous news reports detailed fires and car accidents. If every accident were just a game…
"Although I know I should be grateful to have survived, I still want to ask, are you still going to eat?" one person said weakly. "With these intense emotional fluctuations, I'm starving."
"Let's eat. We'll ask the waiter to order," Yun Xin replied affirmatively.
"Yay!" one person exclaimed excitedly, calling over the waiter.
In the end, the meal didn't happen.
Because the owner and chef were very scared, they planned to close the shop for a while and reopen it after the police investigation was completed.
Colleagues, "..."
"Let's find another place," Tan Qiaoqiao suggested. "And let's not let Yunxin treat us. She can pay for it, and the rest of us can split the bill."
"Yes, that's how it should be."
"agree."
Except for Liu Na, who was reluctant, everyone else readily agreed.
When we switched to a different restaurant and sat in the main dining area, other diners were discussing the unexpected incident that had just occurred.
"I heard it was a leak of boiling hot syrup. I don't know which heartless person made and stored sugar in a residential area, harming so many people." The person speaking spat and cursed under their breath.
"No wonder I smelled a very sweet and fragrant aroma, it was syrup!" The listener exclaimed in realization, slapping his thigh in delight.
“You have no idea how miserable it is for people who get caught in it.” The first person to speak sighed repeatedly. “It’s like a syrupy paste, and it’s sticky. When a person is stuck in it, they can’t exert any force at all. Have you ever seen an animal stuck in a swamp, unable to climb out no matter how hard it tries? That was pretty much the case just now.”
“It all happened so fast.” The listener shook his head repeatedly. “I just happened to see the spectacular sight of the syrup gushing out. In the blink of an eye, a giant wave appeared. In the next blink, people and cars were swept away. In the next blink, streetlights and houses were washed away!”
"In such a short time, people don't even have time to react. Besides, even if they did react, they couldn't outrun that giant wave."
"Luckily, it's far away, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here safely now."
The joy and excitement of surviving the disaster, the shock and fear of witnessing the tragedy firsthand, and the regret and sorrow for the dead—all these emotions intertwined, making the restaurant exceptionally lively.
As Liu Na was eating, she suddenly burst into tears. "No matter what, I have to find him! After we finish eating, will you come back with me to find Chang Heng?"
"ah……"
At a time like this, Liu Na dared not act alone. But the problem was, no one else dared to make a move either! More than ten people gathered together, none of them daring to mention going back to the company.
Someone turned to Yunxin and asked, "What do you think?"
"It's hard to say." Yun Xin was very cautious. "These are usually sudden accidents, but no one can say for sure whether there will be a second wave. Fortunately, the police are here and the ambulance has arrived, so even if something happens, it won't be a big deal."
Colleagues, "..."
Listening to your words is like listening to a conversation.
After all that talk, it seems like you haven't said anything at all. You're the master of nonsense literature.
"If you ask me, those who are brave and willing to go back should go back first, while those who are less brave should wait and see how things go." Tan Qiaoqiao, who had finally finished eating, put down her chopsticks and said bluntly, "I'm timid and value my life. I might skip work this afternoon if I don't know what to do. The boss can deduct my wages if he wants, or he can fire me if he wants."
Then she said to Liu Na, "I understand how you feel, but acting impulsively won't solve anything. If you want to see Chang Heng, you can wait for the police to find him. Rushing into the most dangerous and severely affected area now could result in everyone getting hurt."
“What do you know!” Liu Na shouted, “We’ve known each other since we were little, and we’ve been dating for three years. To me, he’s more important than anything else…”
Before he could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and was struck dumb as if by lightning.
Tan Qiaoqiao followed the other person's gaze and saw several policemen carrying small sugar figurines past them.
The accident happened suddenly; the syrup gushed out instantly, and the victims who were nearby were covered in the syrup, their movements and expressions forever frozen at the moment of their deaths.
Once the high temperature subsided and the syrup cooled down, the victims turned into little sugar figures.
The statue currently being moved depicts a man and a woman embracing and kissing.
The scene was beautiful, but unfortunately the male lead looked too familiar; it was Chang Heng, whom Liu Na was determined to find.
Tan Qiaoqiao realized what he meant by "stomach upset"—he just wanted everyone to leave so he could go off and fool around.
"I don't really understand why someone would risk their own safety for a cheating scumbag," Tan Qiaoqiao said quietly.
(End of this chapter)
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