chapter 11

After Ah Zhang deducted the room fee for the Intermediate Dormitory, he gave a surprised whistle. “Balance: 157. I haven’t seen a new player perform that well in ages!”

He snapped his legs, and the door that blended into the wall slowly opened. Cheng Miao was about to enter when a man charged in from nowhere.

His eyes were stretched wide, as though he had witnessed something utterly hopeless. His body shook with nervous spasms as he muttered, “So I’m not dead! Thank God, thank God! I’m still alive!”

He tried to rush through the doorway.

Thud!

Cheng Miao watched him collide with empty air. A bruise visibly swelled across his forehead. An invisible wall seemed to stand before him, silently denying him entry.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I get in?” The man collapsed into terrified sobs and pounded desperately at the air, unwilling to accept his fate.

Ah Zhang flew slowly to his side. “Tch. Trash who died a few minutes after the Game began still thinks he can get inside.”

As he spoke, the fog, which had been still and solid-looking, suddenly churned. It shattered into flowing shards like an iceberg broken apart by a ship.

A glossy black feeler shot from among the fragments. It deftly avoided Cheng Miao beside the man, wrapped around his body, and slowly dragged him backward.

The man screamed, kicked, and thrashed. As if grasping his final lifeline, he seized Cheng Miao and cried incoherently, “Save me! I don’t want to die!”

Caught without warning, Cheng Miao tried several times but could not break free. She knew perfectly well that a man without a check-in voucher faced an ugly end. Yet beyond feeling sorry for him, she could do nothing.

As the struggle continued, another feeler reached from the fog for the man’s legs. He was facing the right direction and saw it immediately. Madness flashed in his eyes. With a violent jerk, he flung Cheng Miao toward the approaching appendage.

Cheng Miao was unprepared, and a man fighting for his life possessed extraordinary strength. Her vision blurred as something icy wound around her waist. She could not move it in the slightest.

By now the man was nearly insane. Pointing at her, he laughed. “Ha ha ha! If I can’t live, you don’t get to go inside either! Die!”

Raised in a society governed by law, Cheng Miao had rarely witnessed such filthy human nature. She had no time for disgust or resentment. Instead, she addressed Ah Zhang, who hovered nearby enjoying the show. “I’m a paying guest. Are you planning to cheat me?”

Ah Zhang reacted as though he had only just noticed the situation. He hurried over and laughed in his shrill voice. “We run a legitimate Inn. Naturally, we would never do such a thing.”

He clapped his slender legs. Receiving the signal, the feeler gently returned Cheng Miao to the half-open doorway, then withdrew without a sound.

The man, driven even deeper into madness by Cheng Miao’s safety, received no such gentle treatment. One feeler wrapped around his legs and another around his waist, then pulled lightly.

Cheng Miao pressed her lips together as blood and organs spilled from the man’s severed torso, splattering across the ground.

He was not yet dead. Bloody foam leaked from his opening and closing mouth, while his fingers continued clawing uselessly at the floor.

Uselessly, because the feelers leisurely dragged him into the thick fog.

Suppressing the acid rising from her stomach, Cheng Miao entered in grim silence.

The Intermediate Dormitory was a little better than the Basic Dormitory. The room was visibly brighter. A crooked old clock that did not look particularly accurate hung on the wall beside bloodred words: Intermediate Dormitory (20/30).

The mattresses once scattered across the floor had been replaced by wooden beds, each thoughtfully equipped with curtains. A public bathroom stood not far away, containing simple shower stalls and a row of filthy squat toilets.

Against one wall was a shop resembling a convenience store. It held a dizzying variety of goods, many of which Cheng Miao could not identify at all.

Ah Zhang landed on the counter. As Cheng Miao looked around, he helpfully explained, “This is my little brother Ah Lang’s Grocery Store. He’s busy right now, but you can tell me if you need anything.”

Cheng Miao glanced at the giant cockroach without replying. If she was right, the enormous feeler outside had belonged to Ah Lang.

The cockroach brothers charged a low room fee. However, their previous conversation had shown that most newcomers were incapable, and very few cleared their Games. Those who failed became “extra snacks.”

Cheng Miao scanned the price list. The store sold Items, abilities, food, daily necessities, clothing, and even cosmetics.

One section caught her interest. “Is this Space Backpack the kind where you can think of something and pull it out?”

Ah Zhang extended his antennae and crawled behind the counter to drag out a small box. “It’s not that advanced. It needs a physical vessel, but the function is more or less the same.”

Cheng Miao opened the box. It contained jewelry and accessories: necklaces, rings, brooches, hair clips, and more.

“Choose one. It will become your Space Backpack. Touching it lets you browse, store, and retrieve the contents.”

Cheng Miao chose a plain silver ring. Rather than a shiny finish, it bore an attractive matte pattern. A ring was unobtrusive and easy to operate. She could activate it by simply rubbing her fingers together.

“Space Backpack: 100 Travel Coins. Confirm payment?” Ah Zhang put away the box and began the transaction in a businesslike manner.

Seeing her balance fall to only 57 Travel Coins hurt, but a Space Backpack was too valuable and useful. This was not the time to be stingy.

“Didn’t you say Travel Coins could also be exchanged for wishes? I don’t think I saw anything about wishes on the list.” Cheng Miao studied the densely packed prices. Even a conservative estimate put the number of products in the tens of thousands.

“Wish exchange is only available once you reach a Grand Hotel.” Ah Zhang shrugged. This was the lowest-tier Inn, so many services were unavailable.

After hesitating, Cheng Miao could not resist asking, “Can character attributes be bought at a Grocery Store?”

“Whoa! You received an attribute reward? That’s rare. Do you realize only one out of five hundred players who clear a Game might receive one?” Ah Zhang perked up and buzzed into the air again.

“Attribute rewards generally reflect a trait demonstrated by the player during the Game. Think of them as permanent buffs. Only an exceptional performance can earn one, and Grocery Stores never sell them.”

“Upgradable attributes are even rarer.” With nothing else to do, Ah Zhang sat cross-legged and continued his lecture.

The Intermediate Dormitory held quite a few people, but many had only just escaped death. Most either sat hugging their knees in a daze or drew their curtains and slept. No one paid attention to the conversation at the Grocery Store.

“To upgrade an attribute, you must act in later Games in a way similar to how you earned it the first time. Then there’s a chance it will improve.” Ah Zhang smacked his mouth. “They’re valuable, but whether they help depends on the player. Plenty of blessings become curses, and quite a few players have died because of rare attributes.”

Cheng Miao slipped on the ring. Before walking away, she gave Ah Zhang a cool glance. “If I hadn’t spoken up outside, were you planning to watch me get eaten?”