Chapter 59

Lu Li’s wristband kept flashing red.

The popularity of the Live Stream Room kept climbing, and its ranking changed.

It rose from third place to second.

[Spirit Money*5000 tip. I was just indignant about the Streamer being pushed out, but now I’m laughing. They’re all scrambling for something that isn’t even correct-how ridiculous!]

[Spirit Money*10000 tip. Wait, hang on, this is weird, I think I’m actually getting smarter!
Because it’s actually daytime now, and since the prison is underground, the temperature is lower than on the surface. When night turns into day, dew forms on plants because of the temperature difference, right?! Damn!! Teacher! I’ve learned something, I want to play too!]

[I paused the Streamer’s moves to watch the replay, and I wrote down every word the Streamer said. Spirit Money*20000 tip. I didn’t do well in school when I was alive, and after dying I still don’t get what others are doing. But it’s so impressive, I just have to applaud first!!]

[Feng Shan didn’t perform well this round. I saw Lyle’s status is in the instance. If he knew Feng Shan actually had to copy others to clear the stage, he’d be so disappointed! Lyle, maybe pick another apprentice-this one’s so dumb!]

[Mirella played steadily, deducing things on her own and only a few seconds slower than the Streamer. But today is really amazing-I actually saw Mirella start a conversation with a stranger.]

Two men carrying torches opened the prison and led the players out.

They walked through a long, dim corridor in the prison, with the bright exit right ahead.

As they left, Lu Li looked back. On both sides of the corridor were dozens of empty cells.

Through the rough, makeshift doors, you could see the walls of every cell densely covered in wall paintings.

What they saw were fish.

The walls in the other cells were hidden in darkness; you’d have to get close or even step inside to see what was painted there.

One of the men holding a torch stopped Lu Li. The firelight lit up his long face as he warned, “All the prisoners here are heinous criminals. Please do not touch anything.”

–

Only a little moonlight came through the skylight in the prison.

When the players finally left the prison, the bright moonlight outside made it hard to open their eyes.

One of the men put out his torch. “I’ll go prepare tonight’s lodgings for our guests.”

The other man pointed at the countless low, flat houses on the ground, his tone both excited and stiff. “The moon is about to set, and night will soon be here. The other villagers are already asleep. Tomorrow morning I’ll inform them so we can hold a Welcome Ceremony for our distinguished guests.”

He emphasized, “At that time, please be sure to bring your fish.”

Then the man produced some items and handed them to the players one by one.

“These are new clothes.”

“These are shoes.”

“This is Precious Water.”

Lu Li opened the bottle and saw it was filled with brown sludge mixed with trash and dust.

“This is water?!” Luo Jia Bai almost gagged. “Are you kidding me?!”

He tilted the bottle slightly, and the sludge stuck to the sides of the bottle, not flowing at all.

He could hardly imagine what it would taste like to drink it.

The man repeated, “This is Precious Water.”

“Each person can only have one bottle per week. But since you are guests, you get one bottle per day. Please take good care of it.”
The man stretched out a hand in front of them, bending down to show the way.

“The houses are ready for you. Have a pleasant night.”

Guiding lines appeared beneath the players’ feet, each ending at one of eight doors.

Lu Li looked past the doors and saw lights shining farther out in the village. “Why are those houses so special?”

The doors marked a boundary.

On the side where they stood, the houses were crowded and packed together. Some were simply built from straw and stones, patched with paper over the holes, looking extremely shabby.

Beyond the doors, there were more than a dozen special houses.

They were more elaborately decorated and more spacious-some were even standalone with a small garden.

A long hunting rifle hung on each door.

“Don’t bother. He won’t answer you. That’s the Instance guide NPC.”

Feng Shan walked toward the door marked [Game Night], looking at Lu Li as if he were a fool, hinting, “Some people might have just come up from a D Grade Instance. D Grade Instances are simple, with only one Boss from start to finish. At C Grade, you enter a scenario, and the NPCs won’t say anything other than their preset lines.”

The NPC slowly turned his face, leaned in to observe Lu Li closely, then turned to the houses and said, “Those are the Hunters’ houses.”

Lu Li got his answer.

He looked at Feng Shan with the same fool-like gaze.

Luo Jia Bai couldn’t help but snicker.

Feng Shan’s face seemed to be turning green.

“You tried talking to NPCs in your last Instance and they ignored you, didn’t they?” Luo Jia Bai teasingly comforted him, “Maybe it’s because you’re not handsome enough. In Instances, even the monsters are happy to chat a bit more with our Lu Li.”

Feng Shan said nothing more, turned, and hurried through the door.

The second moon in the sky had already set.

Now, only one moon hung high above them.

The moon was full and bright.

It hung motionless, almost as if it were fake.

Just before entering the door to [Game Night], Lu Li heard the sound of a harmonica from far away.

The harmonica played in fits and starts, stuttering at the beginning before trailing off as if the player were considering the next note.

Among the many Hunters’ houses, lights went out one after another, leaving only one house lit for a long time.

–

Bosi was flipping through documents.

Someone closed the door behind him, and his pen froze mid-signature.

A cool and gentle voice came from behind.

“Good evening, Bosi.”

There was a notebook on Bosi’s desk.

Inside, he had recorded the ways to die he’d summarized from his recent research.

Tonight, he should be able to try a few before Lu Li goes to sleep.

Bosi opened the notebook, turned around, and suddenly found himself face to face with someone.

Lu Li’s features were delicate, his long, thick lashes casting a shadow on his cheeks, trembling lightly like the fragile wings of a butterfly.

Their noses nearly touched.

Lu Li stepped back to put some distance between them. “Sorry, I didn’t know you’d suddenly turn around.”

Lu Li said, “Actually, when I heard the name of the Instance today, I thought of a new way to die.”

Bosi said, “Say it.”

Lu Li loosened the buttons of his prison uniform, narrowed his eyes in thought, then reached out, trying to place Bosi’s hand on his own chest.

Bosi suddenly stood up, a rare flicker of emotion crossing his face. “What are you doing?”