Bai Chanyi raised an eyebrow. Being able to have such a dream indicated the potential to evolve into a psychic physique.
“Every staff member has their own assigned role. Whether they develop overly close interactions with players depends on their personality.”
For example, the minotaur from the last instance had barely entered the building.
Zhou Qi’an was thoughtful upon hearing this. “So far, the students taken away by security guards have all been regarded as ‘pig brains’ and had their heads chopped off directly. I just don’t know what ‘processed for reuse after retrieval’ means in the medical records.”
“I found it!” The college student suddenly pointed excitedly at a section of the ancient text.
In the third chapter of the opening, it was written: The Exam God often stands in the form of a sculpted statue on campus. The main offerings consist of fresh seasonal fruits, and those who worship must offer three sticks of vegetarian incense.
“We should be able to find fruit in the cafeteria. As for the incense…”
Shen Zhiyi said, “Resin and flowers are everywhere on campus.”
He sounded quite experienced.
Zhou Qi’an pressed his hands together in a prayer gesture. “Teacher Shen, I’ll leave the incense to you. We’ll go get the offerings.”
With that, he handed his backpack and the freshly dug poisonous mushrooms to Shen Zhiyi and headed straight to the cafeteria.
Shen Zhiyi sighed lightly. He still hadn’t given up on the idea of mushroom soup.
On the way, Zhou Qi’an’s stomach started growling again. He had truly experienced the full extent of cold and hunger.
Because the school had just installed a batch of new surveillance cameras today, the three of them had to keep taking detours. What should have been a few minutes’ walk to the cafeteria ended up taking nearly a quarter of an hour.
Not far ahead, a small red house stood in the night, built of brick. Time had eroded its walls, leaving them pockmarked and uneven, with some crevices filled with bone fragments.
The cafeteria had suddenly started making dried meat today. It wasn’t ready yet, and the meat strips were simply hung outside.
One player had just disappeared, and now they were making meat.
The college student swallowed hard. “Could ‘reuse after retrieval’ mean…”
Zhou Qi’an shook his head. “If that were the case, they could just bring people straight to the cafeteria for slaughter. There’d be no need to take them to the main building first and then move them back and forth.”
The college student forced a smile. That was surprisingly reassuring.
The first floor of the cafeteria had four serving windows in total. As midnight approached, the chefs, wearing their hats, appeared even busier, constantly moving about in their own work areas.
Vikas was here too. He was crouching near the third window with another player.
Bai Chanyi made a judgment. “The chefs should be passive NPCs; they won’t actively attack players.”
Unfortunately, to get the ingredients, they had to interact with the chefs.
Zhou Qi’an had briefly explored the cafeteria at noon. The first and third windows on the first floor were the only ones that offered fruit platters, which were exclusively provided to faculty.
Since Vikas was staking out the third window, they were left with only one option.
“I’ll steal the fruit in a bit,” Bai Chanyi said, watching the chefs move. “My initial species evolution path is a mimic octopus, granting me camouflage abilities that let me blend well into my surroundings.”
Zhou Qi’an replied, “Classmate Bai, you’re truly noble.”
Bai Chanyi said indifferently, “Classmate Zhou is also noble. Speed is your advantage, so I’ll have to trouble you to distract the chef.”
They split the risk 50-50. If things went south, they’d just have to heroically sacrifice themselves.
The college student wanted to say something, but Zhou Qi’an sighed heavily. “You stay back. Someone has to collect the bodies.”
Despite his words, in the end, the college student was positioned at a distance to play a supporting role. If things went out of control, Zhou Qi’an would use the sacred artifact, and he would immediately follow up with a healing skill.
Third window.
The moment the chef turned around, Vikas suddenly vanished, making his move first.
At the same time, the remaining player grabbed a bottle of vinegar and smashed it against the window, then turned and sprinted away.
Clearly, everyone had the same strategy: diversion.
Bai Chanyi also took advantage of the chaos, slipping in through a side entrance into the cafeteria’s special section.
Vikas noticed and gave a mocking look. Snatching opportunities came with a price.
When the chef from the third window rushed out, he completely ignored Zhou Qi’an and locked onto the sole attack target.
Meanwhile, the chefs at the other three windows remained indifferent, mechanically continuing their tasks—especially the one at the first window, who was chopping meat. The minced flesh on the cutting board splattered everywhere.
That chef seemed to have noticed something. A sinister grin formed at the corner of his mouth, and he suddenly took a heavy step, shutting the passage door firmly.
His burly frame blocked the escape route as he lifted a foul-smelling cleaver and strode toward the corner.
Bai Chanyi’s expression subtly changed.
She had actually had doubts earlier.
For example, why had Vikas bypassed the closer first window and gone for the more distant third window instead?
But doubts didn’t change the outcome. The options were limited, and faint sounds of fighting echoed from the second floor—clearly, other players had already made a move.
Now Bai Chanyi roughly understood the disadvantage of picking a window near the exit.
No matter what they did, unless they barged straight in, that NPC wouldn’t react at all.
Diversion tactics wouldn’t work on him.
Zhou Qi’an confirmed this.
When he threw a handful of chopsticks inside, the chef didn’t move at all. Instead, he quickened his pace toward Bai Chanyi.
The door wouldn’t open.
Now the risk was at 100%.
A scalpel appeared in Bai Chanyi’s hand. While diverting some of her attention to searching for fruit, she simultaneously maneuvered around the chef’s cleaver from a tricky angle.
On top of a small fridge, a single bright red apple sat alone, highly conspicuous.
It was a bit far. She frowned slightly.
“Hey!” At that moment, a playful shout suddenly came from outside.
The chef’s footsteps didn’t stop; he only glanced over from the corner of his eye.
On the other side, Vikas had already gotten the offering—but there was only one.
His attention shifted to Bai Chanyi. As soon as his mind stirred, a scalpel bypassed the chef, piercing through the air and shooting toward them.
“Try it.”
While dodging the chef’s attack, Bai Chanyi issued a warning.
Vikas chose to ignore it and continued waiting patiently.
Being close to the water lets one be the first to get the moon. He definitely wouldn’t be able to reach the apple before Bai Chanyi, but if she got injured by the chef, his opportunity would arrive.
Bai Chanyi leaped, her palm touching the edge of the apple. Just as she was on the verge of success, the chef was furious beyond words. His eyes burned with rage as he glared at her slender figure, about to hurl a deadly cleaver.
Something eerie happened!
He had already made the motion to attack, but at the last second, he tightened his grip on the knife instead.
In the next instant, the chef from Window One—who would never leave his post no matter what—suddenly changed direction.
Outside the window, a young man was standing atop a cafeteria table. He swung his arms in a dramatic flourish and frantically scattered a handful of money into the air! As the ghost money fluttered down, the chefs at several windows were instantly stunned!
[Bloodstained Ghost Money], a gift from the barber.
Zhou Qi’an made it rain on the spot.
Just as the description stated, ghost money could bring misfortune. And it didn’t just attract the chef from Window One. All four chefs, including the one who had been chasing Vikas’ teammate earlier, were now rushing in his direction.
“Holy shit!”
The previous moment of coolness vanished completely. In the next second, Zhou Qi’an downed a “Marlin Potion” and turned to flee for his life.
At the entrance, the college student hurled a book thick enough to be used as a brick. “Hurry up!”
The chef from Window Three, who had been running back, instinctively dodged, giving Zhou Qi’an the chance to widen the gap.
The last bit of nighttime silence was completely shattered.
Footsteps pounded relentlessly. Zhou Qi’an spoke in a low voice, “Run toward the dorms.”
For now, that was the only place without surveillance.
With a fixed direction in mind, they picked up speed. Along the way, the college student glanced back—only the shadowy outlines of trees swayed in the night.
“They don’t seem to be following us anymore.”
Zhou Qi’an: “Don’t stop.”
Who knew if those chefs would come after them again once they finished picking up the money?
It wasn’t until they neared the dormitory building that Zhou Qi’an finally slowed down. He felt a little lightheaded from low blood sugar. Catching his breath, he noticed Vikas also approaching from a distance.
Behind them, faint sounds of dispute drifted over.
“You’re not thinking of keeping it all for yourself, are you?” His teammate’s expression was grim. “We used a contract item for this.”
Who would have thought the mission would be such a scam? Each window only had one fruit.
Vikas remained silent.
Splitting one offering in half might backfire. If they wanted another, they’d have to search the cafeteria’s upper floors. But the higher they went, the greater the danger. If they went back now, the chef from Window Three might still hold a grudge and come after them.
His gaze lifted slightly—at least he had one teammate. But over there, that group had three people.
Before long, Bai Chanyi finally returned. She was holding the book that the college student had thrown out and had an apple in her hand. She looked just like a quiet student coming back from evening self-study.
Zhou Qi’an, embodying the classic schoolyard bully, unashamedly stretched out his hand and, in a flash, snatched the apple away.
Vikas crossed his arms and waited for a fight to break out.
Crunch.
In his expectant gaze, the apple that should have been fiercely contested instead had a bite taken out of it.
Zhou Qi’an took a full bite of the juicy fruit, then quickly took another, his sharp teeth leaving a jagged pattern on the apple’s surface.
Finally, he wiped his hands and said, “I was starving.”
“…”
Whether it was Vikas or the player next to him, they both thought he was crazy.
The apple replenished some sugar and water. Zhou Qi’an had eaten too fast and inhaled some cold air, letting out a small burp.
“Now we won’t be fighting over a single apple.” He spread his hands.
The college student was speechless.
That was true—since it was gone, the problem was solved at its root.
Zhou Qi’an suddenly smiled and spoke softly. “An offering doesn’t have to come from the cafeteria.”
The college student opened his mouth, as if realizing something. His fingers trembled slightly. “The fruit platter is meant for faculty. The monsters might have a different digestive system than us. You… you want to cut open their stomachs?”
“…Wait, no. Already-chewed food can’t be used as an offering. If they ate the offering, then in a way, they became part of it. Brother Zhou, are you planning to sacrifice the homeroom teacher alive? No, that—that’s insane… And way too dangerous…”
The college student couldn’t help but object.
Zhou Qi’an: “…”
What are you even rejecting in your self-made argument?
His reasoning made Vikas and the others glance over in surprise.
Zhou Qi’an coughed lightly. “Follow me.”
Since the cafeteria wasn’t an option, they’d just switch lanes.
Vikas and the other player were quickly left behind.
After putting some distance between them, Bai Chanyi let out a quiet sigh. She glanced at the seemingly harmless college student and felt something strange. A mismatch—his low-tier abilities didn’t align with his wild ideas.
Her gaze flicked past Zhou Qi’an, and she frowned slightly.
Very few people knew what Ying Yu really looked like, but because of some distant family ties, she did.
Back in the archive room, Bai Chanyi had noticed that Ying Yu’s photo was slightly misaligned when she unsealed the files—someone had clearly opened it before. That person could only have been Zhou Qi’an, who arrived first.
She had heard that later, he even went to find Ying Yu.
“Weird…” Bai Chanyi didn’t think Zhou Qi’an had done all this just to complete a mere assignment.
The college student didn’t notice Bai Chanyi’s puzzled gaze. “Brother Zhou, where are we going now?”
Zhou Qi’an: “To preheat the instance for an explosion.”
Now that he had enough sugar in his system, his brain could start working again.
“?”
“!!!”
__
Author’s Note:
Zhou Qi’an: Tomorrow, I’ll perform a version 1.0 magic trick explosion.
Of course, the first explosion won’t be a literal one. You have to trust in my character—I wouldn’t do something so crude and straightforward.
