Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Zhao Peng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I noticed it too. We’re consuming more and more food, which means our hunger and thirst are only sensations.”
“Our bodies do need food and water, just not as much as they make us think,” Yu Lingling said bluntly. “It’s entirely up to you what you choose to do.”
Sun Yao asked a crucial question. “Then what about the animals… our companions?”
Under Yu Lingling’s influence, Sun Yao no longer referred to them as animals and had started calling them companions instead.
However, unlike Yu Lingling and Tongyu, who genuinely accepted them as such, Sun Yao was mostly compromising for the sake of clearing the instance.
At the end of the day, these animals were still anomalies. It was impossible for there to be no barriers whatsoever between humans and anomalies.
Zhao Peng had kept track of the animals’ food intake. “Our companions don’t have this problem.”
This Instance wasn’t quite that deranged. After all, it was only a mutated D-rank Instance.
Zhao Peng understood what Yu Lingling meant. How much food and water they consumed to maintain normal activity was up to them. Whether hunger affected their condition also depended on their own choices. After all, the dangers within an instance came from both anomalies and other people.
Yu Lingling could make decisions for herself and her younger brother, but she couldn’t decide for them.
Zhao Peng could understand her choice. The fact that she was willing to share this information was already generous enough. “What’s the second thing?”
If the first matter was already so important, what could the second be?
Yu Lingling gently scratched the kitten in her arms with one finger. “If you don’t have a way to take your companions out of the instance, don’t get too close or become too attached to them.”
Neither Zhao Peng nor Sun Yao understood. After realizing Pony might be the key to clearing the instance, Sun Yao had practically started waiting on it like it was her ancestor.
Zhao Peng frowned. “Why?”
“Every living creature is possessive.” Hesitation appeared on Yu Lingling’s face. “They’re the ones in control of this instance. If they become too attached to you, what if they can’t bear to let you leave?”
[Holy shit! I knew a player who died at this stage before. She was from the Nuozhua Guild, and every player in that guild has a pet. I knew what she was like – she was especially good to animals and would never abuse or kill one. I kept wondering why she failed to clear the instance.]
[If that’s the case, it all makes sense.]
[You can’t treat them too well, but you can’t treat them badly either. So what are you supposed to do?]
Sun Yao asked the same question. “Then what should we do?”
Yu Lingling thought for a moment. “Just treat them like pets their owners have temporarily left in your care.”
Zhao Peng decided to believe her. He also detected another layer of meaning in her words. Perhaps this pair of siblings had a way to take animals out of the instance.
On second thought, Yu Lingling could control anomalies, and she had brought those Ghost Infant anomalies out of another instance. In that case, everything made sense.
Zhao Peng nodded. “Understood. Thanks for the warning.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Be careful of Li Na.”
What exactly was Li Na’s skill, for Wang Hao to value her so highly? Even Zhao Peng couldn’t figure it out.
Yu Lingling offered another warning. “If you run out of lamp oil, try using human flesh and blood.”
Zhao Peng had been about to ask how they could possibly run out of lamp oil when one person suddenly came to mind – Sun Jian.
Taking Yu Lingling’s words into account, did she think Sun Jian would steal the lamp oil tonight and leave the tent?
If she had already guessed that, why hadn’t she stopped him? Why had she instead told them that human flesh and blood could serve as lamp oil? Did she actually approve of Sun Jian leaving?
Thoughts raced through Zhao Peng’s mind, but for the moment, he couldn’t discern Yu Lingling’s intentions.
Yu Lingling added, “Human blood alone might be enough. I’m not sure.”
Zhao Peng committed that information to memory. “Why don’t we go back and test it while they’re gone?”
Yu Lingling had no objections.
To avoid being discovered, Zhao Peng added a drop of blood to the lamp oil behind Xu Chao and Sun Jian’s backs. When he confirmed that the amount of lamp oil had increased, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As for why they didn’t tell Sun Jian, he had once considered attacking Yu Lingling and Tongyu. Since he had entertained such thoughts, why should she make things easier for him?
[Isn’t this streamer way too stupid? She revealed her trump card to someone else that quickly?]
[How do you know this is one of her trump cards and not just an ordinary card?]
[Why aren’t they telling Sun Jian? I can understand not telling Xu Chao, but Sun Jian hasn’t done anything.]
[Not doing something doesn’t mean he never thought about it. If those siblings were at a disadvantage, what do you think he would do? Besides, they’ve already given him one way to survive.]
“Is that really a way out? What if she’s deliberately sending him to his death so he won’t turn on her once he has nothing left to lose?”
“Sun Jian can decide for himself whether it’s a way out. Do you really think he’s an idiot?”
The argument raged on in the Livestream Room, but Yu Lingling had no interest in reading it. She only needed a rough idea of how many viewers watched each of her instances.
The eleven players waited for nightfall, and nothing happened in the meantime.
When the time came, the same dwarf arrived to lead them into the performance tent. This time, however, they didn’t need to hide in a corner backstage and watch.
They were the performers.
Ah Bu stood at the center of the stage in a skintight red dress. At the sight of an audience twice the size of yesterday’s, her smile nearly stretched from ear to ear, and undisguised malice gleamed in her eyes.
“It’s time once again for the moment all our guests have been waiting for! Let’s see who will become tonight’s most beloved star!”
Yu Lingling and Tongyu stood quietly together, their animals still bundled beneath their clothes.
Zhao Peng, on the other hand, knew how to put on a show. His parrot flew circles around him while he gave the audience below a gentlemanly bow.
He wasn’t the only one. Wang Hao and the others had their animals perform as well. Wang Hao’s tiger and Zhou Ming’s leopard were especially imposing and eye-catching.
Both big cats had eaten their fill. Their coats were sleek and glossy, and they looked even healthier than when the players had first brought them out of the tent.
Liu Qian’s pigeon was tiny. It perched on her shoulder, occasionally fluttering its wings.
Wu Bin’s gorilla beat its chest, looking lively enough.
By comparison, Yu Lingling and Tongyu were like a pair of inconspicuous ugly ducklings, attracting no attention whatsoever.
Ah Bu made a lowering gesture, and a half-meter-wide strip of white fabric descended from above. Its material was impossible to identify, and words were written across it: “The flowers you receive can be exchanged for the items listed above.”
Lamp oil and food were only the most basic options. There were even game items and opportunities to exchange one’s animal.
Any of these could improve the players’ chances of clearing the instance, and they didn’t cost many flowers. A single flower was enough to let an animal eat its fill for one meal.
Wang Hao’s gaze landed on the available game items, his eyes flashing with determination to obtain them.
Even the perpetually gloomy Li Na stared at the list with sudden fervor.
The monstrous spectators in the audience seemed to have dressed up specially for the occasion. They erupted into cheers as well.
Ah Bu spun in a circle and performed a rather strange curtsy.
“Now, let the performances begin! I hope our performers will present you all with a spectacular and creative show.”
With that, Ah Bu left the center of the stage.
Wang Hao reached out and stroked his tiger’s head. Without the slightest hesitation, he ordered it to attack the other players’ animals.
Zhou Ming’s leopard joined the tiger’s assault. They had already selected their first target: Sun Jian’s goat.
Sun Jian didn’t look surprised in the slightest. Yet instead of protecting his goat and fighting the tiger and leopard as the other players had expected, he lunged straight at Li Na.
Li Na’s expression darkened as she took a step back. She only needed to hold out until Wang Hao and Zhou Ming reacted, and then they could subdue Sun Jian. She wasn’t worried about getting injured either, not with a healer like Liu Qian present.
The instant Sun Jian saw Li Na dodge, a mocking look flashed through his eyes. Using his momentum, he vaulted onto the black bear’s back and threw the item in his hand into its mouth just as it opened its jaws to roar.
Only then did Li Na realize his true objective. Enraged, she immediately tried to attack him.
Sun Jian had already retreated.
“Wang Hao, I did exactly what you ordered! Don’t forget what you promised me!”
Just like that, Wang Hao was saddled with the blame. Meanwhile, the tiger and lion had already worked together to kill the goat and were now devouring its carcass.
Sun Jian moved away from the black bear without hesitation, then gave Li Na a malicious grin.
“Boom!”
At his word, the black bear exploded from the inside. Its belly was blown into a mass of mangled flesh.
With a heavy thud, the black bear collapsed to the floor.
Li Na let out a shrill scream. “Liu Qian!”
Liu Qian didn’t step forward. She was afraid Li Na might drag her down as well – or simply kill her and steal her pigeon. Instead, she retreated behind Wang Hao and Zhou Ming.
“I can’t save it.”
The monstrous spectators erupted into thunderous cheers.
Eyes bloodshot, Li Na glanced at the number of flowers required by the exchange list. It would be extremely difficult for her to obtain enough flowers to replace her animal.
Her gaze settled on Yu Lingling and her younger brother, Tongyu, who were standing in the corner.