Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Lu Jing and Qin Weiyi were stopped by a bar employee.

“Minors are not allowed in here.” The employee stared at Qin Weiyi with an unfriendly expression before looking at Lu Jing with some dissatisfaction. “How can you bring a child here to play? What kind of father are you?”

The age gap between Lu Jing and Qin Weiyi really did make them look like a father and son.

Lu Jing was stunned by the employee’s words, while Qin Weiyi frowned. However, the boy reacted quickly and said to the employee, “I’m an adult. I just have a baby face.”

The employee looked suspicious, clearly not believing him.

Qin Weiyi said with a straight face, “Of course I know minors aren’t allowed in bars. There are regulations for that; I understand. I know the rules and still dared to come because I’m already of age. It’s all because this face of mine looks too young. I don’t blame you; I get stopped all the time. How about I show you my ID?”

Qin Weiyi spoke as if it were the absolute truth, but he didn’t have an ID card at all. Not just him-none of the other Players had one either. He was just bluffing the bar employee. Of course, if the man really insisted, Qin Weiyi had already opened the Points system.

He had to find a way to stay here.

Although everything seemed calm for the moment, the world they were in revolved around this bar. If he were kicked out… Qin Weiyi’s mind had already started racing. This was likely the first Death Setting of this bar world.

To participate in this game world, one first had to be in the bar. Being kicked out of the bar-wouldn’t that mean being directly obliterated by the Realm of Death? Qin Weiyi had naturally guessed such a simple matter.

Among the twelve Players, he was the only minor, and only he and Lu Jing had been stopped by the bar employee.

He felt the sheer malice radiating from the Realm of Death.

The bar employee was still somewhat skeptical.

Seeing that the employee really seemed to want to see an ID, Qin Weiyi spoke again, saying with a smile, “I’ll show you my ID, but I came here to have a good time and getting stopped like this makes me pretty unhappy. If I prove I’m an adult, how is your bar going to compensate me? A simple fruit platter isn’t going to cut it.” As he spoke, Qin Weiyi reached into his pocket, looking as if he were about to pull out an ID at any moment.

The employee paused, then bowed to him. “My apologies. Please come in, guest.”

Qin Weiyi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the setting wasn’t so ridiculous that it actually forced him to use his Points.

Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing successfully stayed in the bar.

Qin Weiyi scanned the surroundings and finally pointed to a booth in the corner. “Let’s go over there.” Like Jian Fan, he chose to wait and see how things developed.

“Did that NPC just stop Qin Weiyi and the other guy?” Mu Xin had naturally seen it. Out of their group, only those two had been stopped, so Mu Xin was immediately on high alert.

Jian Fan was also contemplating this issue.

Qin Nan, after wondering for a moment, proposed a guess: “Could it be because Qin Weiyi is a minor?”

Jian Fan and Mu Xin both turned to look at him.

“W-what is it?” Being stared at by the two of them made Qin Nan feel a bit creeped out.

“How is your brain wired?” Mu Xin remarked with a sigh. “You actually thought of that.”

Qin Nan was puzzled. “Is it that hard to understand? Qin Weiyi is so obviously a minor, wouldn’t the employee have to stop him? Minors aren’t allowed in bars; they’re very strict about checking nowadays.”

“Death Setting,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan realized the implications a moment later and sucked in a breath of cold air.
“This isn’t the real world, after all. Even if something seems reasonable in reality, it must have a deeper meaning here,” Mu Xin added, supporting Jian Fan’s point.

Qin Nan was still reeling from the shock, but once he accepted the premise, he quickly grasped Jian Fan’s meaning. For now, he could only click his tongue in amazement. “It’s only just started. Do they really have to play this hard?”

“Qin Weiyi won’t be erased that easily,” Jian Fan said.

That much was obvious.

Once he saw Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing find a corner to sit in, Jian Fan withdrew his gaze and began searching the bar for the other four Players.

Those two young men were still following closely behind Qi Shuping.

The sight of an old woman followed by two fawning men drew a fair amount of attention. Many people stopped to stare as the trio passed, whispering among themselves, which made it easier for Jian Fan to track them.

Qi Shuping led the two men around the bar with a calm, composed air, as if she were strolling through her own backyard.

“The old lady’s mental fortitude is incredible,” Qin Nan said, giving a thumbs-up.

Qi Shuping maintained a kind expression with a faint smile as she completed a circuit of the bar. Not appearing satisfied after one lap, she was about to start a second when Xu Tian suddenly appeared and blocked her path.

“Is something the matter, young lady?” Qi Shuping asked. She naturally recognized Xu Tian as one of the Players.

Xu Tian seemed a bit nervous. “Grandma, can I stay with you?”

“You want to follow me?” Qi Shuping asked with a smile.

Xu Tian nodded. “I’m a New Player; I’ve only been through one world. The others already have companions, and I… they aren’t willing to take me in. Grandma, can I follow you? I promise I won’t hold you back.” Xu Tian looked at Qi Shuping with an anxious expression.

Qi Shuping didn’t reply immediately, instead watching Xu Tian with a steady smile.

Xu Tian seemed to grow uneasy under the scrutiny. Just as she was about to look away, Qi Shuping finally spoke. “Young lady, I’m just a useless old woman. If you don’t mind that, then come along.”

Xu Tian looked delighted and thanked her profusely. “Thank you, Grandma. Thank you so much.”

Qi Shuping smiled.

Xu Tian took her place beside Qi Shuping.

Seeing this, Qin Nan turned directly to Jian Fan. “Is Xu Tian teaming up with the old lady?”

Jian Fan’s brow furrowed even deeper.

Instead of answering, he looked at Mu Xin and asked, “Do you think Xu Tian is acting a bit strange?”

Mu Xin nodded. “Ever since the last world. The personality she showed when she first appeared, and then her breakdown after seeing someone get erased… No, to be precise, she started acting differently from her initial personality the moment she returned from the first round of evidence collection. And now, she’s completely different from both of those previous versions.”

When she first arrived, Xu Tian was a trendy, somewhat extroverted girl who hadn’t yet grasped the cruelty of their situation. After the first round of evidence collection, she became withdrawn, and then she broke down. Her behavior after the breakdown was mostly consistent with how she acted after the search-mostly silent and solitary. But now-

She had taken the initiative to join Qi Shuping’s group.

She clearly had other options, yet she hadn’t even tried them. Furthermore, she couldn’t have observed much in such a short amount of time, yet she had proactively approached Qi Shuping.

Something was wrong.