Dragonfly walked into the cramped crafts shop, turned around, slammed the door shut, extended its insect limbs, and laboriously yanked down the rolling shutter.
No player—or horror creature—would be able to see in through the glass anymore!
“Anyone irrelevant can get lost.”
Dragonfly pointed a limb at Chen Zhaoxing. “You stay.”
Yang Zhanbai immediately said, “I’ll pay to sit in. I want to learn the craft too.”
Xu Tongguang glanced at Yang Zhanbai, then chimed in without missing a beat: “We—the rest of us—want to sit in too. We can pay as well!”
Its massive compound eyes squinted sidelong at them. Dragonfly calculated for a few seconds before letting out a cold snort.
“Fine,” it said. “You can stay. Two bone coins each, and—”
Dragonfly’s compound eyes wrinkled—a clear sign of displeasure.
“—without my permission, no talking. Especially no questions.”
As long as these people didn’t ask questions, and it only discussed technique, it would be hard to fall into the kind of traps that sly Hunter had set.
It refused any form of interrogation—otherwise, it would get dragged into unnecessary conflicts!
That would be way too much torture for a lazy bum who just wanted to spectate from the stands.
Yang Zhanbai and Chen Zhaoxing exchanged a glance. Chen Zhaoxing made an OK gesture to the others.
Dragonfly curled its tail, covered in red spots, and sauntered lazily and unsteadily toward its recliner.
Chen Zhaoxing sidled up with a cheeky grin, about to speak, when a crisp phone ring shattered the silence.
Dragonfly froze mid-step.
Its already shapeless insect face crumpled, ripples squeezing through its compound eyes—clearly, it was extremely annoyed.
After a moment’s hesitation, it stomped heavily across the floor, making the boards creak under the strain.
So hard.
It finally had a vacation, and those big shots had to come disturb its sweet dreams!
But ignoring this damn phone wasn’t an option—
If something serious happened, it would get fined by Jubilant Paradise.
“Hello?” Dragonfly picked up the receiver with heavy resentment. “What is it?”
On the other end.
A teenager propped his legs up on the desk, lazily spinning a pen.
“Hello, this is Ji Xiting. I’m calling to ask about the Changing Menu and other matters.”
“The print shop should be fine, right?”
Dragonfly’s soft body stiffened visibly.
Here it comes, here it comes.
A call from the higher-ups. Time to put on an act!
Yang Zhanbai pursed his lips, keenly catching this subtle shift.
He started typing a message to Zhu Zeyu, but had barely input a few words when Dragonfly’s theatrical fake crying interrupted him.
“Ohh! Ohhh dear me!”
“You have no idea what I’ve been through!”
On the other end, the teenager stopped spinning his pen.
He stayed silent, one eyebrow raised in wait; sure enough, before long, Dragonfly’s wailing voice reached his ears.
“Boo-hoo-hoo, that Hunter came to my shop before.”
Dragonfly wept dramatically—snot and tears—right in front of Yang Zhanbai.
“For some reason, he had a very high-grade weapon.”
“He wounded me instantly!”
Surprise flickered across Yang Zhanbai’s eyes, and then his brows tightly knitted.
What did it mean by a “very high-grade weapon”…
What kind of high-grade weapon could wound Dragonfly?!
And Zhu Zeyu…
Yang Zhanbai stared at his half-written message, silently deleted the words, opened video recording, and aimed the lens at Dragonfly.
No. This—Zhu Zeyu had to know.
How high-level was Zhu Zeyu’s blade?
The Hunter’s weapon…
Could it cut that blade in half?
And recording video was the best way to catch every detail without missing anything.
Of course, for easy reading, Yang Zhanbai decided to send a simplified text version later.
Under the dim lamplight, beads of cold sweat glistened on Qi Yinming’s forehead.
“Over at Zeyu’s place, the Hunter still hasn’t shown up?” he asked in a low voice.
Yang Zhanbai shook his head. “No reply. Probably can’t respond.”
The Lazy Craftsman Shop, along with that print shop and the Kitchen—they were clearly not the same level of difficulty!
Dragonfly wept miserably: “You don’t understand—that Hunter knocked me out just to steal the Changing Menu.”
Its compound eyes darted around, trying to manufacture a plausible excuse.
If it said the Hunter had stolen the Changing Menu, it might get scolded for negligence.
Given this “Ji Xiting” person’s nature, the Kitchen upstairs was probably already a mess too—Dragonfly might even have to redo the Menu.
In that case, its vacation would be ruined.
If it said the Hunter hadn’t stolen the Menu, that wouldn’t work either.
Because that Hunter was too cunning—but his strength wasn’t enough to kill “Ji Xiting” outright.
If the Hunter swindled the key fragment but didn’t kill “Ji Xiting”…
Once “Ji Xiting” figured things out after leaving the dungeon, its lie would be exposed. That would be a very big problem!
What if that horror creature held a grudge!
Dragonfly’s limbs scraped at its head with a rustling sound. It stalled by wailing a few more times, “Awww, hmm-hmm-hmm,” before finally coming up with an excuse.
“Mr. Ji, I did my best! I protected the Changing Menu and already handed it over to the print shop, telling them to deliver it to the Head Chef as fast as possible.”
Yang Zhanbai perked up immediately.
Qi Yinming nudged him. They exchanged a knowing look, and Yang Zhanbai shook his head slightly.
No—the two accounts didn’t match up.
According to the information Zhu Zeyu had sent him earlier, the exact words were: “He got the Changing Menu.”
That “he”—wasn’t it the Hunter?
So why would Dragonfly say the Hunter didn’t get the Menu?
At the desk.
The teenager leaned forward with keen interest, letting out an expectant laugh.
“But?” he asked.
A second later, Dragonfly’s voice came through the receiver.
“But—but!” Dragonfly broke into loud sobs, forcing out tears that dripped pitifully from its compound eyes.
It was all fake.
Just thinking about how this phone call was eating into its vacation time made it grieve beyond control.
“That Hunter has a replication-type item. He copied my work and ran off with an identical Menu!”
In that moment, Yang Zhanbai understood instantly.
What Zhu Zeyu had seen in the Hunter’s hands—it must have been the copy.
Dragonfly listened closely for any reaction from the other end.
Hearing nothing from the teenager, it tactfully continued.
“Anyway, I’ve already sent the print shop to deliver the Changing Menu.”
“As for anything else—that’s none of my business!”
“I look fine, but I’m actually pretty badly injured. Right now, I can’t move fast, can’t fly, can’t do any handiwork—my stats have dropped by half.”
Dragonfly let out a long sigh. "The Hunter is cunning. I hope you fare well!"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
