Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The streamer living in Room 4009 was nowhere to be found.

Qiao Yu immediately switched his Live Stream Room interface to the streamer list, only to see a greyed-out name.

[Chenxi – Confirmed Dead.]

His ID made him sound like a cultured person. What a pity.

“Ah-!”

Brother Crocodile, having seen something unknown, slammed headfirst into the back of Qiao Yu’s head. The impact made Qiao Yu grimace in pain, and the tomatoes and eggs in his hands tumbled to the floor. The eggs shattered with a splat, while a tomato rolled across the ground, utterly ruining the eerie pattern drawn on the floor.

Damn it, was he really destined to just eat instant noodles?

Qiao Yu was fuming. Ignoring everything else, he turned around and glared directly at the thin, small boy with an accusing look.

“Dad, there’s minced meat… there’s minced meat…”

“There’s really no need to be so formal.” Qiao Yu was caught off guard by this sudden claim of kinship. It took him a good moment to compose himself before asking, “Where?”

“The floor drain… by the floor drain…”

Qiao Yu squinted and took two steps forward. Before he could get close, he was yanked back by Man-Eating Crocodile. “Big brother, let’s just go. I’m scared…”

One moment he was ‘Dad,’ the next he was ‘Big Brother.’ Qiao Yu’s seniority in this family tree was rising pretty fast.

Qiao Yu curled his lip and offered up his old-fashioned brick phone. “There, there. When you’re scared, just watch Sun Wukong. Your sense of security will be maxed out instantly.”

Man-Eating Crocodile: “…”

Qiao Yu pried his arm out of the other’s grip and walked forward a few steps. He discovered that, besides scattered bits of minced meat, there were clumps of long black hair around the floor drain.

It was worth noting that all seven streamers who entered this Instance were male. Where did such long hair come from?

Qiao Yu reached out, picked up a strand, and rubbed it between his fingers. “This hair…”

“What’s wrong with the hair?” Brother Crocodile looked terrified, staring at the messy clump of hair in Qiao Yu’s hand as if it were a mortal enemy.

“The quality is quite good. I wonder what shampoo they used.”

Man-Eating Crocodile: “…”

Thanks for that non-sequitur.

Gurgle-

A strange sound echoed through the empty bathroom. Brother Crocodile was on the verge of a breakdown. “Is it ever going to end? What is it this time!”

Qiao Yu clutched his stomach and gave an embarrassed smile. “I think that was me. I’m hungry.”

With that, he looked away, ignoring the aggrieved tears welling up in the boy’s eyes, and led the way out of the bathroom.

There was no helping it. The tomatoes were stained with blood; he wasn’t that hardcore, so he had to painfully abandon them.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he noticed a plate of deep-fried dough sticks sitting on the table against the living room wall.

“Whoa, where did this camper get dough sticks from?”

Brother Crocodile thought for a moment and guessed, “I heard the Blue Name channel mall sells spatial items specifically for storing food. After all, some Instances don’t have anything edible. If you get stuck in one, wouldn’t you starve to death? That would be a pathetic way to go.”

“But this Instance is full of White-Name Streamers.”

“Items can be traded privately. If you know a high-level streamer, you can barter with them.”

Qiao Yu: “…You can play the game like that?”

Since high-level items could be obtained that way, wouldn’t it be much better to find a high-level streamer to trick, steal from, or rob than to beg them for a trade?

[System 9999999: …Do you have no shame at all?]

It seemed this plate of dough sticks had been prepared by the streamer living in Room 4009. It was just a shame the man had already met his end before he could enjoy them.

Qiao Yu walked over, leaned in for a sniff, and unceremoniously picked one up to start eating. “You want one?”
Brother Crocodile eyed the plate of fried dough sticks warily, his head shaking like a rattle. His entire face was a portrait of refusal. “That stuff is way too high in calories. Eating it will make me fat.”

“It’s fine. These dough sticks don’t have any calories anymore-they’ve already cooled down.”

“……”

-Pfft, I’m dying! What kind of logic is that?!

-I don’t know who the real troll is, but the streamer is definitely a legend!

-Little Beauty, Little Beauty, Little Beauty… *pant pant*~

Qiao Yu glared at the bullet chat, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster. “Who are you calling Little Beauty? You’d better watch yourselves!”

“Who are you talking to?” Brother Crocodile held a dough stick, looking conflicted as he debated whether or not to eat it.

Before Qiao Yu could respond, the ajar door was pushed open from the outside. Three other streamers stood at the entrance, each sporting dark circles under their eyes and looking utterly exhausted.

Wulong Tea, Suit Man, and another rather inconspicuous streamer had all come to Room 4009 together.

Suit Man’s ID was Pozhan, while the other one was called First Blood.

Upon hearing the name, Qiao Yu silently criticized the ID in his head.

*First Blood, huh? Talk about bad luck.*

It was a stroke of luck that this guy wasn’t the one who died yesterday; otherwise, he really would have lived-or died-up to his name.

The three of them had come out after noticing the changes in the streamer list. Now, except for the streamer in Room 4008 who was sleeping too soundly to open the door, everyone was gathered here.

Compared to the other two, Wulong Tea looked even more frail. His head was tilted at an awkward angle, and his face was full of despair.

“What happened to you?” Qiao Yu asked.

“My neck… it hurts whenever I touch it.”

“How’d that happen?”

“I woke up with a stiff neck. It really hurts if I even graze it.”

“Since it hurts so much, then just don’t touch it.”

“……”

And with that, the conversation was dead.

Suit Man-the streamer known as Pozhan-walked into the bathroom with a cold expression. Seeing the mess on the floor, his face hardened even further. “Did you two destroy this formation?”

*Formation??*

Qiao Yu was a bit confused. That thing drawn on the floor with blood was actually a formation?

“You know what kind of formation this is?” Qiao Yu asked back.

“I have relatives who are skilled in metaphysics, so I know a little bit. But the pattern is destroyed now, so I can’t really tell…” Pozhan grew more irritated as he spoke. “Which idiot did this? Were they trying to make stir-fried tomatoes and eggs here?”

After speaking, Pozhan cast a reproachful look at Qiao Yu and Brother Crocodile.

Brother Crocodile looked away guiltily, opening his mouth to explain, only to be cut off by Qiao Yu. “It was already like this when we got here.”

Man-Eating Crocodile: !!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ

*How can this guy lie so shamelessly without even blinking?*

Then, Qiao Yu changed the subject with an innocent look. “Maybe that person didn’t do it on purpose. Let’s not take it to heart. Luckily, I’ve seen an identical pattern somewhere before.”

The others ignored the first part of his sentence, but everyone took the second half to heart, their eyes snapping toward Qiao Yu in unison.

Qiao Yu cleared his throat and said briskly, “Everyone, follow me.”

With his head held high, he led the group toward the Basement. Brother Crocodile trailed at the back of the line, looking dazed.

He had originally thought he had latched onto a rising star, but why did this guy look more and more like cannon fodder the longer he watched him?

What should he do?

This guy was so unreliable-should he really keep sticking with him?

He was so conflicted~