Chapter 41 Part 1

Compared to resolving things through violence, voting was indeed a relatively better choice.

However… that presupposed there was no cliquey grouping within the team.

There were already four people who knew each other, and with Jie Jialiang’s fame and abilities on full display, everyone was waiting to hug his thigh to clear the instance. No one would vote for him.

That left Zhong Nian and the Masked Man as the most likely to be voted out.

Zhong Nian quickly realized his own disadvantage, but there wasn’t a sufficiently convincing reason or alternative proposal to reject it.

If he really got selected and was forced to go to the so-called Church Confessional at midnight, it wasn’t guaranteed to be a dead end—there might still be a way to survive.

After some thought, Zhong Nian raised his hand in agreement.

Jie Jialiang glanced at the Masked Man, the only one who hadn’t raised his hand, and smiled faintly. “Minority obeys the majority, so it’s decided. We’ll vote after dinner.”

It was still early, leaving plenty of time for them to consider.

Putting the task aside for now, the group went upstairs to pick rooms.

The couple chose to share one, leaving five rooms.

Zhong Nian didn’t fuss; he casually opened the middle door, saw that the conditions were decent, and made his decision.

“This one’s mine.”

The cabin was a bit old, but compared to the lower decks of the previous Cruise Ship Dungeon, it was better—at least the bed was bigger, and he didn’t have to share with anyone.

Before going in, he noted everyone’s positions: Jie Jialiang on his left, the Masked Man on his right, and the Skinny Man across from him.

This glance unexpectedly provoked an overreaction from the guy opposite.

“W-what are you looking at!”

Zhong Nian, who had only glanced over once, was caught off guard. He watched as the Skinny Man flushed red and slammed the door shut, leaving him speechless.

Whatever. He was probably just stressed from the instance.

He turned and entered his room to familiarize himself with the space, first tapping on the wooden door and walls.

From the sound, the soundproofing was terrible—he could even hear the neighbor opening a window.

The upside was that if anything happened at night, the others would notice quickly.

After a brief rest and tidying up, it was time for the group cooking session they’d agreed on.

The ingredients in the instance were fresh enough, and the seasonings were complete, but most players wouldn’t bother with elaborate cooking—filling their stomachs was enough.

Except for Jie Jialiang.

While the others just threw everything into a pot and boiled it, he rolled up his sleeves, processed the ingredients one by one, marinated and cooked them with full flair.

Since Zhong Nian wasn’t much of a cook, he opted to assist.

“Can you help me tie this apron?”

Following the instructions, Zhong Nian found a reasonably clean apron hanging on the wall.

Though he had waiter experience on the cruise ship, he’d never tied an apron for someone else. He hesitated on how to start, but Jie Jialiang raised his arms, signaling him to wrap it around his waist. Awkwardly, Zhong Nian pinched the fabric and draped it over the man.

Jie Jialiang was still cooking and couldn’t turn easily, so Zhong Nian had no choice but to circle his arms around in an embrace-like pose.

Under the man’s superior shoulder-to-waist ratio, his waist looked narrow, but when Zhong Nian tried, he found his hands couldn’t meet without pressing against the man’s back. Only then could he connect the ties properly and secure the apron in front.

He pulled the straps behind and tied a butterfly knot before stepping back with a sigh of relief.

“Done.”

Jie Jialiang said mildly, “Thanks, you really helped me out. Tough job, huh? You can sit at the table and rest now.”

“?

Zhong Nian blinked in confusion, but seeing Jie Jialiang’s hands move fluidly without needing interference, he comfortably withdrew from the kitchen.

The kitchen was open-style, visible from the dining table.

Seeing the others busy and not just idling, Zhong Nian didn’t want to sit and wait—he set the tableware.

Unconsciously, he fell into his waiter habits from the previous instance, precisely positioning knives, forks, bowls, and plates, polishing them to a shine.

As he worked methodically, he sensed someone watching. Looking up, he saw the Girl in the Couple staring in awe.

“What’s up?” he asked, puzzled.

Her eyes sparkling, she asked, “Were you from a wealthy family before? Like an Eldest Young Master from high society?”

Zhong Nian hesitated. “Probably… not really.”

With no past memories, he couldn’t say what his background had been.

She smiled shyly, lips pursed. “Your manners are just so good—elegant and refined. Even polishing a glass is pleasing to the eye…”

“Little Yu!” Her boyfriend tugged her arm, interrupting coldly.

Little Yu froze, immediately lowering her eyes and falling silent toward Zhong Nian.

The Bald Man was saying something to the Skinny Man while glancing their way.

Zhong Nian looked away, unconcerned.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Jie Jialiang brought out the last dish. “Everyone, let’s eat.”

Four dishes in total, with two being more filling porridge and soup to conserve ingredients, and the other two fresh vegetables and meat that wouldn’t keep.