What exactly are you trying to do when you don't even bother to pretend anymore

In the stifling, damp main corridor, Qi Yinming's breathing became a bit rapid.

He asked, "What?"

"Let's go out first," Zhu Yan replied.

The smell here was truly unbearable—a mix of wet mud and the rancid stench of decaying flesh.

He grabbed Qi Yinming and pulled him back to the hallway. The female announcer's voice rang out beside them, as if precisely timed.

"[Key Fragment] serial number 4 is located on the 90th floor, inside the print shop on Wutong Avenue at [Donghua University]."

"The print shop employees are about to get busy."

The female voice sang like an early-morning bird.

"If you go there, please note that the print shop is currently not serving students or players."

"Also, when it's too busy, the print shop has the right to refuse entry to anyone!"

The broadcast ended.

Qi Yinming rubbed his aching head.

"This won't be easy... but I remember..."

He turned toward Zhu Yan, only to find that the other man had already started walking back toward the dormitory.

Qi Yinming quickly caught up. "When you talked to the Dragonfly earlier, it mentioned the print shop at [Donghua University]."

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how brilliant Zhu Yan's question had been.

Though his rational mind told him Zhu Zeyu couldn't have known any information in advance—those questions were just shot in the dark—

still, that blind guess was such an incredible coincidence, fitting together with the new clue from the broadcast like a perfectly interlocking puzzle piece.

Zhu Zeyu's luck was just too good—

Or rather, the fact that he had seized on a mere mention of "[Changing Menu]" showed an acuity far beyond other players.

Qi Yinming felt a newfound respect for him.

Zhu Yan said, "Right. Its workflow should be roughly as described."

"The print shop doesn't serve students or players." Qi Yinming looked around.

Even though no one was nearby, he instinctively lowered his voice.

"Brother Zhu, if we're going to go there, we'll probably have to follow that Dragonfly... or find a way to disguise ourselves as creepy creatures."

A thought struck him. "There's still a [Hunter] at large."

And that [Hunter] had an incredibly strong ability to disguise himself—it seemed to be his very power.

"Do you think he might show up there too?"

Zhu Yan felt a urge to correct Qi Yinming.

It wasn't "if we're going to go"—he had no intention of dragging along Yang Zhanbai, Chen Zhaoxing, and the others. Playing pretend was far too troublesome.

He just wanted to go by himself quietly!

As for the other [Hunter]...

Wherever Zhu Yan went, the [Hunter] would follow.

"You're right," Zhu Yan agreed in a low voice. "It's quite dangerous. You all wait here while I go to the [Lazy Craftsman Shop] first to probe the situation."

The click of hard-soled shoes against the black stone tiles paused.

Qi Yinming turned his head, his brown eyes filled with disbelief.

"What do you mean... Are you saying you're going alone again?"

Hadn't they just agreed that he wouldn't face danger by himself?

The door to Dormitory 303 was about ten meters ahead.

Zhu Yan coughed and reached out to pull Qi Yinming along.

He looked openly at the other man's worried expression under the emergency lights, his tone carrying a grand sense of righteousness.

"Look at that Dragonfly. Does it seem easy to talk to?"

"It keeps saying it won't get involved, won't intervene—even the slightest probing is off-limits."

Qi Yinming didn't understand.

He turned to face Zhu Yan directly, crossing his arms. The emergency light above cast his eyes completely into the shadow of his brow.

"What does that have to do with you going alone?"

Zhu Yan shook his head. "If we all go together, we'll be seen as a group. If one of us does something that irritates it—like prying for information—the rest of us won't get a chance either."

"We'd be passively tied together, bound too tightly."

Qi Yinming pushed up his glasses.

Zhu Zeyu stood there looking at him sincerely, his uniform collar stained by some unknown bloody substance, his brows slightly furrowed—the picture of rational thought.

Fair enough.

It was true that taking the whole group out had its drawbacks.

But letting Zhu Zeyu go off alone again was simply too careless regarding the safety of a roommate.

"How about this." Qi Yinming's tone shifted to something more forceful. "You go first, but you have to stay in touch with us."

He looked at Zhu Zeyu's face, sighed, and softened his attitude again.

"Brother Zhu, I know you're the type who handles everything yourself and never wants to bother others."

"The thing is, none of us want to be leeches either."

"If there's anything we can help with, just say the word."

Zhu Yan looked at the earnest Qi Yinming, feeling a mix of pity and amusement.

If he needed their help, of course he would ask.

It's just that, under normal circumstances, he truly didn't require it...

Even so, Zhu Yan nodded with great seriousness.

"We're all brothers here, so don't worry. It's precisely because I consider you friends that I don't want you taking risks."

He looked at Qi Yinming, knowing that his solo trip to the [Lazy Craftsman Shop] was settled.

"Brother Qi, after I leave, you keep an eye on things here. If I make any progress, I'll let you know."

In his ring, he still had three skins: the toad's, the cicada's, and the supermarket boss's.

He had no idea what those skins did, so this was a good chance to ask the Dragonfly at the [Lazy Craftsman Shop].

Qi Yinming's lips moved.

"Fine, then," he had to say. "If you go off on your own again, that's really not treating us like brothers."

Zhu Yan patted Qi Yinming on the shoulder.

Then, the two walked back into the dormitory one after the other. Zhu Yan packed his gear and stretched out his arm to the Dragonfly.

The black-and-white cat let out a "wow" as it jumped down from the bed and bounded onto his shoulder.

Fine.

Zhu Yan glanced at it.

This cat had gained a new ability; taking it along shouldn't be a big problem.

"Ready?" the Dragonfly asked, gripping Zhu Yan's wrist tightly.

Qin Yang and Yuan Chen watched them with reverent expressions.

Chen Zhaoxing poked his head out from the bed, watching with great interest, while Qi Yinming simply gave Zhu Yan a brief nod. "Make sure you stay in contact."

"Don't worry," Zhu Yan said.

"So much fuss," the Dragonfly muttered. "[Lazy Craftsman Shop]!"

The familiar sensation of teleportation instantly swept over Zhu Yan's mind.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, his ears were filled with the clatter of hammering from outside. The old, dusty smell of wood filled his nostrils.

"Welcome back, my honored guest!" the Dragonfly said cheerfully, clattering around to the back of the counter.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

This time, Zhu Yan didn't bother hiding anything.

With a heavy "thump," a piece of skin stained with slime and blood was slapped onto the counter, its sticky, reddish fluid dirtying the glass.

The toad's lifeless but venomous red eyes stared into the Dragonfly's face like torches, making the Dragonfly let out a screech.

"Pure land! Damn it, you're a [Hunter]! You've stopped even pretending—what the hell are you up to?"

“What’s the use of this hide?” Zhu Yan asked bluntly. “How can I process it?”

“Oh... oh.” Dragonfly, still shaken from the fright, extended his insect leg and poked at the pliant, sticky surface of the hide.

“I know you have the [Demon Cloak]. This can serve as an excellent upgrade material for the [Demon Cloak] and grant it some new properties.”