Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Flattered, Tong Qian could see no one in the darkness and hurriedly answered, “Thank you… Thank you! I’ll definitely consider it!”
“Hah!”
The sudden cold laugh made Bai Jiang flinch. While inwardly wondering why a little girl frightened him, he gave an ingratiating smile. “Jiajia, you’re very welcome too.”
Qi Jiajia fell silent again. Bai Jiang did not dare provoke the little princess and closed his mouth.
The Game announcement sounded.
[Players Cheng Miao, Bai Jiang, Qi Jiajia, and Tong Qian have cleared the Instance The Three Little Bears’ Home. Reward: 200 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao made the greatest contribution toward clearing The Three Little Bears’ Home. Reward: 150 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao earned an A performance rating in the Instance The Three Little Bears’ Home and achieved 100% side-plot completion. Reward: 400 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao earned a total of 750 Travel Coins in the Instance The Three Little Bears’ Home. Remaining balance: 807 Travel Coins.]
[Player Cheng Miao helped Papa Bear and Mama Bear fulfill their wishes. Item received: Fishbone Dagger. Usage Instructions: A fishbone dagger made jointly by Papa Bear and Mama Bear. It can attack enemies and has a chance of blocking a certain amount of close-range damage. Frequent use may upgrade it.]
[Player Cheng Miao discovered a hidden Item: Bitten Ginseng. Usage Instructions: Restores all external injuries.]
[Settlement complete. Return point: Cockroach Dormitory.]
She did not hear the others’ settlement details. Apparently, beyond the shared clearance reward, individual Items and abilities remained private.
When Cheng Miao opened her eyes, she stood outside the Cockroach Dormitory. Qi Jiajia stood beside her with curved eyes, plainly in a good mood.
Without prompting, Qi Jiajia caught Cheng Miao’s shirttail. Cheng Miao looked at her helplessly, resigned herself to the situation, accepted the voucher the girl offered, and handed it to the cockroach at the entrance along with her own check-in voucher.
“Both guests qualify for the Advanced Dormitory. The fee is 200 Travel Coins. Confirm payment?”
The businesslike tone immediately identified Ah Lang, the younger brother. After returning alive, even a cockroach looked surprisingly pleasant.
“If you successfully clear the instance three days from now, you can advance to a Guesthouse. You may select your Guesthouse in advance.”
Ah Lang produced a battered property booklet. Several houses in different styles had been crudely drawn inside, with crooked notes beside them.
“Pigeon Guesthouse, Turtle Dove Guesthouse, Parrot Guesthouse, Myna Guesthouse… So every Guesthouse is run by a bird.” Qi Jiajia stretched her neck to look without moving too close to Ah Lang.
“Correct,” Ah Lang replied methodically. “Each Guesthouse’s Front Desk attendant has a different personality. Miss Pigeon is extremely gentle. Grandpa Myna has a somewhat poor temper, but he is old and experienced. If he likes you, you may obtain considerable information.”
Qi Jiajia nodded without speaking. She slowly flipped back and forth through the pages, showing no desire to decide.
Cheng Miao glanced at her, stepped forward, and registered directly. “I’ll go to Parrot Guesthouse.”
Qi Jiajia raised an eyebrow. “Me too. Write me down as well.”
Cheng Miao’s mouth twitched. Expressionless, she turned to meet Qi Jiajia’s gaze.
Without the gloom she displayed in the instance, Qi Jiajia arranged her face into an expression that said, *I’m very good and very obedient.*
Cheng Miao did not believe her for a second.
“We aren’t suitable teammates.” Cheng Miao did not want to argue outside. Ah Zhang could begin feeding at any moment, and she had no desire to watch.
“We’re perfectly suited. Look how well we worked together before.” Qi Jiajia smiled at Cheng Miao’s ugly expression.
*Oh? You don’t want me following you? The more you resist, the more determined I am to follow.*
Cheng Miao sighed helplessly. “You know I dislike children, right?”
Qi Jiajia nodded. “I know.”
Cheng Miao grew desperate. “Are you a masochist?”
Qi Jiajia nodded repeatedly. “Yes, absolutely!”
Cheng Miao swore. Fine. Whatever. The girl could follow if she wanted.
Qi Jiajia squeezed past the hollow-eyed Cheng Miao, picked up the pen, rapidly wrote several words, and pushed the booklet back. “Done. Let’s go inside.”
Too tired even to look, Cheng Miao walked through the door. Qi Jiajia followed on short legs, humming a tuneless melody.
Just before they entered, frantic footsteps sounded in the distant fog. “Wait… Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!”
“Hmm? That sounds like… Zhao Liang?”
Hearing the voice of a man who had died inside the instance did not frighten Qi Jiajia. Nor did she feel the slightest guilt about turning him into a toy. Curious, she stopped and peered into the distance on tiptoe.
“He failed the instance, so he can’t enter. If you stay out there, you’ll see something extremely bloody.” Cheng Miao stood inside the doorway. From her perspective, Qi Jiajia was merely a small figure standing in the light outside. Everything beyond her was indistinct.
Apparently, the Advanced Dormitory had begun considering its guests’ mental comfort. Unlike the Basic Dormitory, where failed players’ bloody fates were constantly visible outside, this would cause far less psychological damage.
“Really? Can I stay here and watch?” Qi Jiajia became interested. Cheng Miao’s mouth twitched as she walked farther inside. The girl truly was a yandere hidden beneath a little girl’s exterior.
Still, Cheng Miao herself had liked this sort of movie in reality. One firsthand experience had simply left her with post-traumatic stress.
Young people really adapted quickly.
Knowing Qi Jiajia had paid her room fee and would be safe outside, Cheng Miao turned to inspect the Advanced Dormitory.
Its environment was considerably better. The white walls had been polished to a shine, and the beds stood in neat rows. Each bed had a small night-light above it and a bedside cabinet.
Curtains still divided the personal spaces, but when Cheng Miao tested an empty bed, she discovered that the thin fabric provided astonishing sound insulation. It blocked not only outside noise but light as well.
As long as a guest switched off the night-light, they could sleep in relative darkness and quiet.
Thoughtful. Cheng Miao silently left a positive review.
She claimed an empty bed. The night-light above it automatically illuminated, indicating that it was occupied.
The Grocery Store was unattended, so the brothers were probably still feeding outside.
With no interest in admiring that scene, Cheng Miao went to the shower room, which finally offered warm water, and bathed thoroughly.
Thank goodness the stalls had curtains. Drying her hair, Cheng Miao complained inwardly that even when life was uncertain, she had no interest in mixed bathing.
When she returned, Qi Jiajia had claimed the neighboring bed. Cheng Miao did not know how the girl had identified hers, but she had chosen correctly.
Qi Jiajia lay humming, her red-shoed feet swinging over the bedside.
At the sound of footsteps, she abruptly propped herself up. Once she confirmed it was Cheng Miao, she smiled sweetly, obscure light glimmering in her round, catlike eyes.
“What a coincidence,” Qi Jiajia said, lifting her chin in greeting.