Seeing Dad Again

With no medium left to communicate, the last thin wisp of [Fog] scurried through the air like a rat, and in a panic, it charged straight toward Tu Shan’s corpse.

Zhu Yan immediately activated [Ancestral Glory]: “Dad, freeze!”

The effect was instant—the [Fog] stopped dead in its tracks, as if someone had abruptly hit pause.

The Tuxedo Cat agilely leaped toward Tu Shan’s body, while Zhu Yan raised his hand at the same time, stuffing the corpse into his nearly bursting ring.

The [Fog] seemed to snap out of it and began fleeing in a panic once more.

But it ran straight into the Tuxedo Cat’s nose, where it was quickly sucked in and devoured.

As the last trace of moisture dissipated, a cheerful female voice finally rang clearly in Zhu Yan’s ears.

“Congratulations, player. You have successfully designed the death of the horror creature [Fog].”

“Your performance was passable.”

“Though in the eyes of the audience member [Covenant of Lies], your lies and actions were rather clumsy, considering the event met minimal completion standards, they are still willing to reward you with a special prize worth 100 Bone Coins.”

“As before, the special prize will remain confidential for now.”

Ah, hell.

It was already a miracle he had held back from activating [Ancestral Glory] and screaming “Dad” for so long.

This audience member called [Covenant of Lies] sure was picky.

Zhu Yan silently ranted, all while expertly forcing a smile toward the air and bowing deeply.

“Thank you! Thank you for your generosity, patron! Wishing you prosperity, and a deep bow to the esteemed audience!”

The female voice drawled lazily, “Oh, my. You don’t have to act like you’re Japanese.”

Zhu Yan wanted to curse under his breath.

But the female voice cheerfully continued, cutting him off just in time.

“Please note, your pet [Cat] has ingested a large amount of [Fog], awakening a new ability, and is currently expressing intense dissatisfaction with you due to the disgusting taste of the [Fog].”

What?

Zhu Yan looked over at the Tuxedo Cat, which was squatting on the ground licking its paws.

When it caught his gaze, the cat paused for two seconds, then immediately let out a loud “bleh.”

“Please fulfill your promise to [Cat] in a timely manner!” the female voice chimed merrily in his ear. “Friendly reminder—if you break your promise, your [Cat] will never show you its new ability.”

Alright, very impressive, this Tuxedo Cat.

Though Zhu Yan strongly suspected the cat was faking it for show, he still pulled out the bundles brought by the [Human-Spider Supervisor] from his ring.

The Storage Silver Ring preserved warmth, so the meals were still steaming hot.

“Woof,” the Tuxedo Cat mewed, rubbing against Zhu Yan’s calf.

Zhu Yan tore open two insulated bags and laid out the prepared meat boxes one by one on the ground.

“Don’t spill it,” he warned sternly.

The Tuxedo Cat flicked its tail and began chomping noisily.

“Additionally, the horror creature [Fog] put up a desperate struggle. Your body has been affected by cold air, causing mild frostbite. Please treat it within 30 minutes.”

“Otherwise, the injury may worsen.”

“In 15 minutes, we will announce the end of this floor’s [Night Game] and distribute rewards.”

“Player, may you sleep well!”

The female voice faded away.

Zhu Yan’s excitement gradually calmed, and only then did he belatedly feel the chill in his body.

It was the kind of cold that seemed to have seeped into his bones, locked deep within his muscles and sinews—impossible to expel or dissipate.

When the warmth outside hit him, it only made it feel worse.

Still, he could move normally enough.

Zhu Yan walked over to the sink and looked at his face. He was pale, nearly bloodless, with lips slightly tinged blue.

He wasn’t worried. Instead, a strange sense of relief welled up from deep inside.

This was just right, wasn’t it?

If Yang Zhanbai and the others came back and saw him standing completely unscathed, that would be hard to explain.

Looking visibly weakened like this was far more fitting for “Zhu Zeyu’s” persona and the logic of the whole story.

Anyway, he just needed to treat it within 30 minutes.

No need to fret—Yang Zhanbai and the others would definitely come back to bail him out.

...

On the other side.

Inside Dorm 508.

Yang Zhanbai stared at the void before his retina, his facial muscles taut.

“Zhu Zeyu still hasn’t replied.”

Only the few messages he had sent were showing on the retinal display.

The other party wasn’t responding, but at least his profile icon was still lit.

“He wouldn’t mess around and get himself killed again, would he?”

Qi Yinming said, “He probably isn’t dead yet. [Skin Tailor] and [Fog] definitely took him away.”

The air in Dorm 508 was freezing cold, mixed with a stale musty scent and a faint stench.

Qi Yinming resisted the urge to flee far from this place and wiped his sweat.

“If he pulled that bluff on the horror creatures, there’s no way they wouldn’t drag him back. For now, we just have to hope that cat pulls its weight.”

Qin Yang and Yuan Chen were already pale as sheets.

All they could say was that this Zhu Zeyu, the number one ranker, was something else—even daring to pull a stunt like this.

But as things stood now...

“If he breaks a bone or suffers some other serious injury,” Qin Yang shuddered at the thought of [Skin Tailor]’s bizarre ability, “can Boss Chen Zhaoxing save him?”

Chen Zhaoxing hummed a tune, focused on carving patterns into a cockroach wing, and didn’t reply.

Instead, Xu Tongguang answered honestly: “There was one time my spine was severed, and he saved me. Another time, my intestines were blown out, and he saved me too.”

On hearing that, Yuan Chen’s face turned even whiter.

“What? Your intes— intestines...”

Yang Zhanbai grew uneasy.

“How about we go back and check,” he said. “We might be able to help, anyway. And I have a bad feeling about this.”

Yang Zhanbai hesitated for a moment, then said, “The minute he gets back to the dorm, his lie will definitely be exposed.”

“Those two horror creatures must be furious and won’t let him off easy. Especially that Skin Tailor—with those bizarre abilities...”

“What if he takes over half his body, or just rips out his organs? How do we fix that?”

Messages in the phone kept scrolling; no one seemed to be asleep, all straining their ears for any sound outside.

“I heard footsteps earlier, but now it’s dead silent.”

“No idea, where are the horror creatures?”

“They must have given up and chased after the big shot. This is screwed. Hope the big shot is high-level enough.”

“The big shot seems to be just like us, a newbie—only Level One or Two.”

Yang Zhanbai couldn’t take it anymore.

He walked quickly to the door, cautiously pulling it open a crack.

The corridor outside was empty, the view clear, still carrying traces of cold moisture.

Yang Zhanbai held the short dagger firmly in his hand and pushed the door open a little wider with extreme care.

No [Fog]—nowhere in sight.

He stepped out and poked his head around the corner at the end of the hallway. It, too, was empty.

“Let’s go,” Yang Zhanbai said. “You don’t have to come along if you don’t want to, but I have to go back and check.”