Chapter 64

Chapter 64

No one objected. Although the nightmares had ended, they were still on the campus at night. The rule that everything worked in reverse remained in effect.

Everyone still alive was a veteran player. None would be fooled by such an obvious trick.

Once they began climbing, Cheng Miao could no longer sense anyone around her. She saw nothing, only heard sounds moving closer and farther away.

They sounded like something viscous and enormous.

Or perhaps a stitched-together corpse, still bleeding as it stumbled along.

At a time like this, the richer a person’s imagination, the more easily it could drive them mad.

Cheng Miao bit the tip of her tongue and focused. Refusing to let the sounds affect her, she counted the stairs silently.

At step 3,498, light burst into view. She had reached the roof.

Cheng Miao immediately turned around. Everyone was there, not one person missing. Qin Musong’s clothes were soaked with sweat, but the others appeared mostly unaffected.

She thought little of it. Qin Musong was carrying someone, after all.

“Why are we still here? I thought we’d gotten out.” Lin Zhu frowned and looked around. This truly was the roof of the academic building. The wind blew so hard he could barely keep his eyes open.

Cheng Miao said nothing. She walked to the edge and looked down. The building had eight floors. Even someone without a fear of heights felt dizzy staring down from its roof at night.

“This instance has one seriously nasty sense of humor.” Qian Ming joined her, took one look, then hurried back to grab Qiao Jin’s hand. “That’s so high. I’m scared.”

Cheng Miao found that the fewer people remained, the more Qian Ming talked and the livelier he became.

Compared with Qiao Jin’s obedient hound from earlier, he now revealed a trace of mischief and wildness.

Qiao Jin made a show of swatting him, then turned to Cheng Miao with a bright smile. “We’ll be going first. I’ll remember you.”

Cheng Miao waved. Qiao Jin and Qian Ming stepped cleanly onto the parapet and flipped over the edge.

Lin Zhu drew a sharp breath and leaned out to look. There was no sign of either of them. This truly was the way out of the instance.

“Let’s go.” Cheng Miao waited until Lin Zhu had prepared himself. Then the remaining players closed their eyes and jumped from the roof.

The sensation of weightlessness did not last long. When Cheng Miao felt solid ground beneath her and opened her eyes, she had reached the Game’s settlement area.

Qiao Jin, Qian Ming, Qin Musong, and Freckles were gone. Only Lin Zhu and Qi Jiajia remained. Teaming up must have changed the settlement format. Cheng Miao did not dwell on it. After confirming that neither teammate had a problem, she waited for the settlement.

[Ding! Team Cheng Miao, Lin Zhu, and Qi Jiajia has cleared the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. Team reward: 6,000 Travel Coins.]

[Team Cheng Miao, Lin Zhu, and Qi Jiajia earned a total of 6,000 Travel Coins in the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. Remaining Team Account balance: 6,000 Travel Coins.]

[Player Cheng Miao made the greatest contribution toward clearing Tan Tao’s School Life. Reward: 1,000 Travel Coins.]

[Player Cheng Miao earned an A performance rating in Tan Tao’s School Life and achieved 100% side-plot completion. Reward: 1,000 Travel Coins.]

[Player Cheng Miao earned a personal total of 2,000 Travel Coins in the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. Remaining Personal Account balance: 2,010 Travel Coins.]

[Player Qi Jiajia earned an A performance rating in Tan Tao’s School Life and achieved 80% side-plot completion. Reward: 800 Travel Coins.]

[Player Qi Jiajia earned a personal total of 800 Travel Coins in the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. Remaining Personal Account balance: 805 Travel Coins.]

[Player Lin Zhu earned an A performance rating in Tan Tao’s School Life and achieved 80% side-plot completion. Reward: 800 Travel Coins.]
[Player Lin Zhu earned a personal total of 800 Travel Coins in the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. Remaining Personal Account balance: 815 Travel Coins.]

[Team Cheng Miao, Lin Zhu, and Qi Jiajia discovered the hidden side quest Tan Tao and His Mother in the instance Tan Tao’s School Life. All members receive the buff Reduced Curse Effectiveness.]

[Settlement complete. Return point for Team Cheng Miao, Lin Zhu, and Qi Jiajia: Parrot Guesthouse.]

[Transmitting…]

This settlement contained far more information than usual. The barrage of numbers left Cheng Miao dizzy. All she understood was that the instance had been difficult and the rewards were generous.

That made her happy.

The three returned to the long path outside Parrot Guesthouse. Cheng Miao discovered that her pocket now held a silver card in addition to her check-in voucher. It resembled a bank card from the real world.

After examining it, she realized it contained the team’s settlement funds.

In the Survival Inn, every guest’s wallet seemed to be embedded within their body. Some Inns processed payments through fingerprints, while others required guests to hold out a hand for scanning.

The silver card showed that the team’s shared wallet had a physical form. It would make paying group expenses convenient, but it could also be stolen.

Cheng Miao handed the card to Lin Zhu. “Keep this safe.”

Lin Zhu hesitated to accept it. “Sister Miaomiao, with my combat ability… What if…?”

“What are you afraid of?” Qi Jiajia sounded frustrated by his uselessness. A foxtail grass stem of unknown origin hung from her mouth, giving her the air of a delinquent girl. “The fighter is right over there!”

Cheng Miao looked up. The burly figure outside the Guesthouse was Qin Musong.

As if sensing them, Qin Musong turned. When he saw Lin Zhu waving, he smiled and raised a hand in response.

Lin Zhu ran over and offered him the card. “Brother Qin, you should hold on to this.”

As a well-traveled veteran player, Qin Musong naturally knew what it was.

The previous instance had been the trio’s first experience as a team, yet they had worked together remarkably well.

But what was with this utterly defenseless trust? He had not even officially joined, and they were already putting the team’s treasury in his hands. Was that really appropriate?

Lin Zhu had run too quickly for Cheng Miao to catch up. When she arrived, she read the hesitation in Qin Musong’s expression. “Don’t overthink it. You’re the strongest, so we’ll feel safer if you carry it.”

Then she glared at Lin Zhu for shirking his work. “Brother Qin can keep the card, but you’re responsible for the accounts.”

Lin Zhu grinned without a care. “I can do that!”

The group reached the Guesthouse entrance. Brother Parrot had already begun squawking at the top of its lungs. “Not bad! Everyone came back, and you even picked up a big guy!”

Qin Musong looked at the budgerigar in surprise. Front Desk attendants all had distinct personalities, but most showed little interest in chatting with players.

The reason was simple. No one knew whether a player would survive their next trip. Over time, veterans had reached an unspoken understanding that Front Desk attendants should not form attachments.

Yet Brother Parrot, infamous for being difficult, appeared close to Cheng Miao and her companions.

“Brother Qin is joining our team. How do we handle the team’s money?” Cheng Miao slapped a hand on the front desk and craned her neck, peering at something.

“Let me handle it. Sir, please give me your hand. I need to deduct Travel Coins from your Personal Account and add them to the Team Account. Any objections?”

Qin Musong shook his head and held out his hand to Brother Parrot.

Brother Parrot perched on his bulging forearm and chirped, “Whoa! You’re rich!”