Chapter 84
Chapter 84
The kitten bared its teeth and bit viciously into the stomach. Its teeth looked like nothing more than tiny milk teeth, yet they easily tore through flesh that even a dagger had failed to leave a mark on.
Yu Lingling caught a mouthwatering aroma in the air. As the kitten continued ripping into the stomach, the scent grew richer and richer.
It did not even need to chew. It simply swallowed each chunk as soon as it tore it free.
Yiyi and the others did not notice anything at first, but their expressions gradually changed. Curiosity gave way to hunger, and their pitch-black eyes took on a reddish cast.
As if sensing their craving, the kitten stopped eating and looked over at them. Its little ears twitched. Then, as though granting them alms, it unsheathed its claws, tore off several chunks, and tossed them onto the ground.
Yiyi and the others hurried forward to pick them up, holding the chunks in both hands as they devoured them.
Even Ah Qi, normally the calmest of them all, abandoned all restraint and tore ravenously into her share.
The kitten lowered its head and resumed eating. After a while, it seemed to remember something and looked at Yu Lingling.
Its big, round eyes stared at her. Then it tore off another chunk and tossed it to her.
Once Yu Lingling took it, the kitten went back to eating.
The aroma made Yu Lingling’s mouth water, and she swallowed instinctively. If not for the last shred of clarity in her mind, she might have stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.
After all, Yu Lingling had been hungry ever since entering the instance.
But a voice in her head told her she could not eat it.
“Friendly reminder: Do not sell this to players.”
If it could not be sold to players, then players obviously were not meant to eat it.
Relying on sheer force of will, Yu Lingling set the chunk down. She sat cross-legged on the ground and began examining the things Suisui and the others had found inside the tent.
One was a clothing button. Although the design on its surface had been worn down, Yu Lingling carefully traced it with her fingertip and confirmed that it was a guild emblem.
Larger guilds often issued their members matching insignia so they could identify one another after entering an instance.
Yu Lingling set the button aside and turned to a piece of paper that had not been completely digested. Unfortunately, the writing was no longer legible, but she could at least confirm that it had also belonged to a player.
There was also a collar that had clearly belonged to a pet. It was broken, and judging by its size, it had been worn by a small animal.
The Ghost Infant and Ghost Child entities were different from Suisui and the others. Many of them acted purely on instinct or followed orders. Everything they had found was an undigested remnant left behind by players, including several severed body parts.
None of it was useful.
There was, however, a glass marble that looked rather interesting. Yu Lingling checked its description: Xiao Wang Next Door’s Lost Marble.
There was no further explanation. It did not seem like a usable item, and Yu Lingling had no idea what it was for, so she stored it away for the time being.
Next, Yu Lingling took out the brooch her feather duster had located. It was not made from anything valuable and looked like a cheap piece of plastic. It did not have an item description either.
Although the Ghost Infant creatures lacked much awareness, they were very obedient and had searched the area inch by inch. Even so, they had failed to find this brooch. In the end, it had taken Yu Lingling’s item to locate it, which suggested that it had been concealed somehow.
After thinking it over, Yu Lingling slipped the brooch into her pocket. She needed to find Ah Bu and sound her out about it.
By the time Yu Lingling finished examining everything, the kitten had eaten its fill. Most of its wounds had healed. It walked over to Yu Lingling and looked from her to the chunk of flesh on the ground, seemingly puzzled.
The kitten gave her a soft meow.
Its cry was sweet and delicate.
Yet Yu Lingling understood what it meant. “I can’t eat it.”
The kitten tilted its head. “Meow.”
You can.
Yu Lingling was technically capable of eating it, but she knew she must not. “I’m human, so I can’t eat anomalies.”
The kitten thought about that seriously and seemed to understand. “Meow.”
Picky eater.
Yu Lingling did not explain. She gently touched the kitten with one finger, remembering that it had ended up this way while protecting her brother.
“How did you get pulled into this instance? And how did you get out of the… Grand Slaughter Instance?”
The kitten couldn’t give her an answer.
Yu Lingling was noticeably gentler with the kitten. “Are you full?”
The kitten stared at Yu Lingling’s finger.
After a moment’s thought, Yu Lingling cut her fingertip open and held it out in front of the kitten.
The kitten began lapping up her blood.
Yu Lingling felt as if her vitality were being siphoned away. Her heart throbbed with intense discomfort, but she forced down her instinctive urge to pull her finger back.
After a few laps, the kitten stopped. The deepest slash on its body began to heal.
Yu Lingling noticed that Suisui and the others had all frozen. They were staring at her – or, more precisely, at her bleeding finger – their pitch-black eyes brimming with greed.
The kitten, which had generously shared its food just moments ago, instantly bristled. It arched its back and glared at Suisui and the others. Though it was only the size of a palm, the aura it gave off made one thing clear: if any of them dared make a move, it could devour them with ease.
Yu Lingling took note of this strange reaction and formed a theory about her own condition. She immediately took out an adhesive bandage and wrapped it around her injured finger.
Song Siyuan had given her the bandage. As soon as she put it on, the wound healed.
The greed faded from Yiyi and the others’ eyes, and they went back to eating their portions. Once Suisui had eaten his fill, he began feeding the Ghost Infant brood under his care.
The kitten also returned to normal. It leaped into Yu Lingling’s arms, let out a sleepy meow, and drifted off again.
The Snack Street instance could only be used for one hour each day. The day was almost over, but Yu Lingling was in the habit of leaving herself some leeway. She glanced at the fake cow stomach, more than half of which remained, and stored it in the warehouse beneath Snack Street.
Yu Lingling sent Yiyi and the others back to the Princess Dollhouse. She looked over the desolate rows of empty stalls that had yet to open for business, then left without hesitation, carrying the kitten in her arms.
The Red Tent had already vanished. Once Yu Lingling deactivated her Exclusive Skill, she was left completely exposed in the darkness.
The unknown entities lurking within immediately began attacking her. Yu Lingling didn’t ask Suisui to protect her. Instead, she sprinted in a particular direction.
Her destination wasn’t the tent assigned to them, nor was it Ah Bu’s location. She was heading for the performance tent.
Unlike before, when the tent had been brightly lit for an audience, it was now pitch-black inside.
This was the largest tent in the Circus. Its interior was vast and empty, and the moment Yu Lingling rushed inside, she sensed a bone-deep chill and an imminent threat.
Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Lingling pressed forward. As she ventured deeper, it felt as if countless snakes were coiling around her body and gradually constricting. The suffocating pressure and sense of danger made every movement increasingly difficult.
Yet Yu Lingling ignored the restraints around her. Only when something tried to coil around her neck did she raise her dagger to block it.
At first, she hadn’t been certain that what she sought was hidden here. But after feeling such intense resistance and the desperate attempts to stop her, she knew her guess was correct.
When Yu Lingling finally reached the edge of the stage, she released Yiyi and the others.
The three dolls, including Yiyi, and Ah Qi immediately began fighting the things trying to stop Yu Lingling.
Suisui, who had remained hidden in Yu Lingling’s shadow, led the Ghost Infant brood into the narrow gap between her and the things wrapped around her, forcing them back and creating room for her to move.
Yu Lingling didn’t let their efforts go to waste. Planting both hands on the stage, she hauled herself up and made her way to its center. She then used an item to blast open a hole in the spot she had identified and jumped in without hesitation.
There was a hollow space beneath one section of the stage. Yu Lingling had only managed to confirm its location after going onstage twice.
Or rather, she had found it with the help of Ah Bu’s subtle hints.
Every time Ah Bu appeared to open or close a show, she stood in precisely the same spot, without so much as an inch of deviation. Remaining in the same general area would have been understandable, but such flawless precision was enough to make Yu Lingling suspicious.
Most people were too distracted by Ah Bu’s exaggerated bows and booming voice to notice such a minor detail.
The hole was rather deep. At the bottom sat a box about the size of an adult’s palm. It felt surprisingly light in Yu Lingling’s hand, and there was nothing outwardly remarkable about it.