Yang Zhanbai looked up at the tongue, then at the fast-food restaurant behind the Clown’s head.
There was a dessert window where customers could place orders from outside the restaurant. Behind it, a long-haired impostor was smiling sweetly.
An eerie silence fell between the three of them.
“Was there originally a military unit stationed here?” Zhu Zeyu finally broke the silence.
As he spoke, large swaths of 【Mist】 silently seeped from his body in an invisible state, slipping through the gap beneath the fast-food restaurant’s glass door.
Inside, the fast-food restaurant was unnaturally clean and bare.
Zhu Yan caught the fresh scent of disinfectant. The tables and chairs looked as though they had just been wiped down. The only flaw was the poster plastered on the nearby wall.
It was a large wanted notice bearing the same portrait of “Account Deleted” that the impostor had just shown him.
“…They really did prepare everything quite thoroughly.”
Maintaining his 【Mist】 form, Zhu Yan muttered under his breath.
Following the directions on the map, he found the small door marked as the broom closet.
Behind it was the long corridor he knew so well.
Zhu Yan did not deactivate his 【Invisibility】 ability.
He remembered that one of the 【Hunters】 held tremendous power.
Someone like that could probably come and go much more freely than he could. Until he was sure whether anyone was inside the 【Recitation Stage】, caution was the better choice.
As he rapidly drifted toward the other end of the corridor, he hid inside the puppet and took part in Yang Zhanbai and Guan En’s actions.
…
“In theory, every service area should have some of our people stationed there,” Guan En said. “Judging from the situation, they’re probably all dead. They did say everything was made with fresh ingredients.”
“And look,” he added. “Aside from the fast-food restaurant, none of the buildings behind it have doors.”
Indeed, the beautiful gray buildings had neither doors nor windows. They were also smaller than they had appeared from a distance, more like an enormous, intricately crafted model.
Yang Zhanbai drew his silver pistol and walked over to the dessert window.
“Get us some supplies.”
With a click, he took off the safety.
The muzzle, its edges gleaming silver, pointed at the impostor woman behind the glass. Her expression immediately stiffened.
“What would you like to order?” it asked.
“Military-grade gasoline. As much as you can give me.”
Yang Zhanbai tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll count to three. If you don’t hand it over, I’ll shoot. Two—”
“Wait!” the impostor hurriedly interrupted.
Its head jerked mechanically to the side. Its dark eyes fixed on Yang Zhanbai, a faint mechanical gleam appearing within them.
“Military-grade gasoline. Please wait.”
It turned and left.
…
The 【Mist】 reached the end of the corridor and touched the door there.
Zhu Yan silently drifted above the 【Recitation Stage】, sending another wisp outside to stand guard.
There was no one else in the 【Recitation Stage】.
The 【Vine Cage Girl】 stood behind the bar, polishing a glass. Because of his 【Invisibility】 ability, it did not notice Zhu Yan as it had before.
Zhu Yan descended and re-formed into a human shape.
“Hi.”
“Oh, it’s you.” The 【Vine Cage Girl】 spoke languidly. “Have you heard about the wanted notice? I know someone’s put a bounty on you.”
Zhu Yan shrugged.
“Are you thinking of claiming the reward?”
It was a very strange joke, but it happened to hit the 【Vine Cage Girl】’s sense of humor dead-on.
It giggled and shook its head.
“You know that the 【Recitation Stage】 is a neutral organization. We don’t get involved in any conflicts. Same as the 【Lazy Craft Shop】.”
That was hilarious.
Zhu Yan trusted the 【Vine Cage Girl】, but he wasn’t so sure about Feining.
“Although the drawing doesn’t really look like you.” The 【Vine Cage Girl】 offered that additional comment as it began studying Zhu Yan’s face. “At most, it’s seventy percent similar. Hmm. In terms of temperament, the person in the picture is far too innocent.”
Because the picture was of the puppet, Zhu Yan thought wryly.
He rubbed his nose and got straight to the point. “I came here because of that. Um, I wanted to ask if there are any missions I can take with other people.”
The 【Hunters】 were part of the 【Carnival】, after all. He would be better off not openly discussing plans to sabotage a 【Hunter】 here at the 【Recitation Stage】.
It would be even better if he could make another trip to 【Square-Inch Mountain】 afterward.
Maybe he could find some sort of cheat or external aid there—something that would let him keep the fact that he had sabotaged a 【Hunter】 hidden from the 【Carnival】.
“After asking around with some friends I have here…”
Zhu Yan sighed, making his next few words half true and half false.
“My friends said the wanted notices have been posted everywhere. Apparently, they’ve even been put up inside the dungeons.”
“What am I supposed to do? I’m not very strong, and I already struggle when facing horrifying creatures. In this situation, I don’t even dare go on missions alone.”
“I heard that Hunter No. 2 and Hunter No. 3 are both pretty powerful. What do you think—could I join them on my next mission?”
Zhu Yan’s tone and expression were so sincere that the 【Vine Cage Girl】 failed to detect anything suspicious.
It slowly stroked the cow cat with one hand while rapidly searching for something on the machine with the other.
“Oh, you have one unfinished dungeon: ‘A Vacation with Undercurrents.’” It said, “This dungeon allows multiple participants. Let me check on Hunter No. 2…”
Its brows furrowed as though deep in thought, then relaxed again.
“They’re both progressing fairly quickly. Both are about to undergo their Baptism. If they become BOSSes, they’ll also have to deal with the problem of claiming territory…”
“Ah, arranging missions is such a headache.”
What an opportunity.
Zhu Yan hurriedly asked, “Which of the two is progressing faster?”
“Number Three.” The 【Vine Cage Girl】 looked at him. “Why?”
“I have experience claiming territory,” Zhu Yan volunteered.
He couldn’t worry about the details now.
The important thing was to get Number Three to join him in the dungeon first.
“I can see whether I can help him claim a piece of land.”
The 【Vine Cage Girl】 gave Zhu Yan a deeply distrustful look. “I know how you got your territory. Are you planning to…”
“I already promised!” Zhu Yan replied with absolute conviction. “Under normal circumstances, I would never kill a horrifying creature!”
“But…”
“I’ll commission a piece from you!” Zhu Yan immediately changed tactics. “A commission of your OC. Free of charge.”
If he could get this important matter settled, he didn’t mind bribing an art student.
“Fine. Your drink is still a salted-cheese latte, right?” The 【Vine Cage Girl】 agreed without hesitation.
“Hunter No. 3 took a day off. You may need to adjust your vacation schedule yourself. In two days, you’ll enter the same dungeon.”
…
Inside the fast-food restaurant.
Around that time, the impostor finally returned. Looking distinctly reluctant, it handed Yang Zhanbai a disposable storage bracelet.
“Your military-grade gasoline,” it said in a cloying voice. “If you need anything next time, please come inside and discuss it with us.”
Yang Zhanbai toyed with his pistol. “What would I encounter if I went inside?”
“A menu and delicious food…”
“Three!”
“The dungeon.” Faced with the gun barrel, the impostor wilted.
“This is the dungeon called [Endless Kitchen]. But you won’t be dragged inside... You should still be within the safe period.”
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
