chapter 25

“I’m back to first place, because that’s what I deserve. As for you, just pray your ranking doesn’t drop any further!”

The Elevator doors opened.

Qi Mingda strode out first, full of bluster. Qiao Ren followed doggedly behind, shooting Lu Li a glare and saying sharply, “I’m third place. On the Third Floor, I’ll definitely surpass you. Get ready.”

“They really have the memory of a fish,” Luo Jia Bai clicked his tongue. “If you hadn’t answered Nuo Nuo’s question on the Fourth Floor, everyone would have died. It’s only been one night and they’ve already forgotten.”

“Qi Mingda is used to running rampant in other Instances. Now that his pride’s been hurt, he definitely wants to regain his footing,” Jian Yingying suddenly chimed in softly. “After all, in other Instances, no one is stronger than Qi Mingda.”

Lu Li clearly felt a gaze fall on him.

He looked up and met Jian Yingying’s eyes for a moment, then asked directly, “Are you talking about me?”

Jian Yingying thought her subtle praise had made Lu Li feel elated, so she smiled at him, a bit embarrassed.

“You caught on,” Jian Yingying instinctively touched her nose. “You’re a newcomer, so you probably don’t know much about the others in the Instance yet. I’ve cleared several Instances, two of which overlapped with Qi Mingda. If you team up with me, I’ll tell you everything I know, including my Evil Spirit Ability.”

Seeing Lu Li listening quietly, Jian Yingying grew excited and repeated, “Trust me, if you choose me, you’ll get much more information.”

She had thought Lu Li was special since the Fifth Floor and wanted to team up with him.

Sure enough, a bit of vulnerability and praise easily stirs up a protective instinct.

But this trick didn’t work on Lu Li.

“Qi Mingda just gets flustered easily-the more anxious he is, the less he can think straight. If he could stay calm, he’d answer quickly and well,” Lu Li counted his own shortcomings on his fingers. “I’m nowhere near as good as Qi Mingda-not as strong, not as capable.”

He stroked his cold snake-shaped Wristband, showing an innocent, trusting expression as he refused Jian Yingying. “If it weren’t for my luck in binding an Evil God, I’d be dead already. Teaming up with me would only drag you down.”

–

Bosi was standing in the Preparation Room of the Necromancer Game.

He lowered his head and raised his right hand, pushing up the edge of his glove a bit.

On his deathly pale wrist was a red mark.

Looking closely, one could see it was shaped like a bite mark.

It was the first day of being confirmed as bound by that damned human, who had left a bite mark on him.

Strangely, two days had passed.

The mark still hadn’t faded.

Sometimes, it even felt hot.

Just now, it had burned for a moment.

He was the Underworld King-he never got hurt.

Why did this bite mark appear?

Standing beside Bosi was the Horned Evil God, dressed in a sharp black suit with a silver tie, exuding the air of an elite butler. Half his face was exposed bone, one Eyeball surveilling the crowded Preparation Room full of chefs, the other eye looking down at the report in his hand.

The Horned Evil God flipped through the recent reports with a rustle, loosening his tie. “The safety index has been qualified for six consecutive months, and this month it’s even upgraded to excellent.”

Bosi put down his glove. “Check the cake.”

The Horned Evil God took the menu and continued flipping through it.

He noticed the Underworld King was looking over again.

Rows of chefs cooking became so nervous that their wok-flipping sped up, and the flames on the stoves shot up over half a meter high.

The Food and Drink Category Manager was a high-level Evil Spirit who had chosen to fuse with some beast traits.
His mimicry was that of a spider, with many hands and feet. In the Preparation Area, he was as efficient as four ghosts, thriving like a fish in water.

It was the first time he had seen the Underworld King at such close range, and all eight of his legs were trembling with nerves.

The Dining Area received little attention from Players in the game, relying on selling fast food to be self-sufficient. Over the years, they had lived peacefully.

But this time, the Underworld King had come in person.

Could something catastrophic have happened?

Though his body segments clicked nervously, the Manager still greeted them with a beaming smile and enthusiastically introduced, “These past two days, our cooks have been working diligently. The number of human Players choosing to exchange for hot dishes and cooked food has risen sharply, and last night, a Player even exchanged for dessert.”

Bosi said nothing.

“Dessert, yes.” The Horned Evil God had already caught on. “The King says there are too few types of cake here, and what you do have tastes terrible. What’s going on?”

The Manager wiped his sweat with three legs, “Huh? The K-King also eats dessert?”

–

Luo Jia Bai followed Lu Li out of the Elevator. He quickened his pace to catch up, lowering his voice to ask, “You don’t trust her?”

“Not at all,” Lu Li replied lazily. “She’s lying.”

“True, in the Necromancer Game, you can’t trust anything anyone says one hundred percent.” Luo Jia Bai was puzzled. “Actually, I didn’t trust her either. I refused her once from the start. But how did you know she wasn’t telling the truth?”

“She’s a novice liar, not yet able to hide her body language.”

Lu Li said, “She touches her nose when she speaks, repeats herself stiffly when answering, and when talking to you, she keeps looking at me. Her intentions are too obvious.”

“You can read people?” Luo Jia Bai found this novel.

He was glad that from the very beginning, he had sincerely wanted to win over Lu Li, without any hidden motives. That was why Lu Li treated him differently from the others now.

Lu Li recalled, “When I was studying humans, I read some books on behavioral analysis.”

“Studying humans? Aren’t you human?” Luo Jia Bai shivered, missing the correct answer, and quickly rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. “This game is creepy enough as it is, and now you’re adding to the atmosphere.”

Lu Li smiled at him. “Of course I am.”

Just lacking some emotions.

There were so many humans in the Necromancer Game; sooner or later, he would learn them all.

Luo Jia Bai hesitated, but couldn’t help asking, “Then how do you see me?”

Selfish, cold, or always hiding at the back?

Lu Li looked at him with eyes that seemed to pierce the soul. “A hopeless do-gooder.”

Luo Jia Bai stopped in his tracks.

He was stunned, touching the bandages wrapped around his arms. The skin beneath the bandages seemed to itch unbearably again.

“You must be mistaken this time. What have I done to give you that impression?” Luo Jia Bai snapped out of it, laughing as he walked toward Lu Li. “I’m not.”

He repeated firmly, “I’m definitely not that kind of person.”

–

All the Players entered the Third Floor. It was especially spacious here, with even the ceiling much higher than the two floors above.

“Dear guests, you’ve arrived.”

Nuo Nuo’s face filled the ceiling. Upon seeing the Players, she eagerly squeezed in, wanting to see each person more clearly.

“I didn’t expect so many people to have gained the approval of my best friend.”

“Today, I will take you into the Park. This is the secret base of the Clown and me. Unlock all the Chains, and we can play here to our hearts’ content.”

“Stay quiet and let me see which Amusement Facilities are open today.”