Chapter 11: Death Acrobatic Troupe 11

Jian Bumian hadn’t expected an NPC at the door and walked straight into its shoulder.

“Tsk…” He stifled the pain in his forehead and looked up at this NPC.

This NPC was female, very fat, holding what looked like a roster in her hand.

The label on her chest read “Acrobat Dormitory Manager”.

The Dorm Manager coldly swept her gaze over Jian Bumian and said icily: “It’s already eleven-oh-five. Soon, leaving the dormitory won’t be permitted. What are you going out for at this time?”

Jian Bumian took a step back, his body against the door panel, hands clutching his clothes, and whispered: “I’m hungry. Wanted to go find something to eat.”

The Dorm Manager listened to Jian Bumian’s tone and confirmed he wasn’t lying, then gave a cold snort: “Come back early. Because many acrobats sneaked out after eleven-thirty last night, we put a lot of effort into punishing them.

Tonight, to prevent more acrobats from sneaking out and breaking the rules, the troupe has arranged many dorm managers to patrol outside the dormitory.”

The Dorm Manager’s voice suddenly rose, her face twisted ferociously, as she said viciously: “If any acrobat is found not back in the dorm after eleven-thirty, no matter the reason, they will be elimina…ted, Erasure… %¥&#@#4@&%!!”

As the Dorm Manager NPC reached the last sentence, her raised voice suddenly became garbled, as if injected with random code.

Jian Bumian nodded: “Got it.”

The fact he could survive leaving the dorm after eleven-thirty last time was largely due to that item gifted by the Strategy System.

This time, he had no usable Items on him.

The instance had also discovered this loophole, arranging many NPCs to patrol near the dorm and having the NPC mention—breaking the rule results in direct Erasure.

Not elimination.

The moment eleven-thirty arrived, any player remaining outside the dorms would instantly burst into a brilliant flower of blood.

Jian Bumian felt he absolutely needed to hurry up, eat that target NPC, and if he couldn’t finish, pack it up and bring it back to the dorm to continue.

Anyway, he couldn’t not eat…

He was just a poor, hungry little player, what wrong did he have?

The viewers in the Livestream Room had no idea of Jian Bumian’s true purpose for leaving the dormitory.

Since the target NPC had arrived at the troupe, they naturally assumed Jian Bumian was just going out to complete the Conquest Mission.

—To tell the target Malicious Ghost “I love you.”

And simultaneously receive a response of “I love you too” from the other party.

The Livestream Room once again surged with a new wave of popularity.

Jian Bumian’s Livestream Room was linked to the name of Strategy System 001.

The viewers all knew Jian Bumian had to complete the Conquest Mission.

They had waited in the Livestream Room for so long…

…Of course, it was to see how a pitiful, weak little player would handle a conquest mission harder than reaching the heavens! What would happen if he screwed up? If he won, how did he win?

【I’m excited! Moremore!! Will the Malicious Ghost target actually agree to Mianmian’s confession?】

【Ah, wanna see the little beauty screw up. This time, the little beauty definitely has no chance of winning. I’m betting on Jian Bumian dying.】

【What will my wife look like confessing to a Malicious Ghost!! Will there be any risqué scenes =w=】

【Risqué! We want risqué! We want the Malicious Ghost to do risqué things to Mianmian!】

Jian Bumian glanced at the bullet comments in his Livestream Room.

He certainly remembered he had the Conquest Mission to complete, but he felt food was more important.

The Conquest Mission was just an afterthought.

Hmm… what did “risqué” in the bullet comments mean…?

Could it be referring to the taste of the target NPC he was going to eat being astringent?

Jian Bumian didn’t dwell on it. After all, only he would know the target NPC’s final taste.

Jian Bumian looked at the vintage watch on his wrist.

Only twenty minutes left until eleven-thirty now.

Jian Bumian quickened his pace, leaving the dormitory. Following the route he memorized during the day, he arrived at the main entrance of the Acrobatic Troupe.

The gate was huge, reminiscent of the heavy stone doors of old Western castles.

A line of large, bright red text hung above the gate.

【Welcome to the ■■■ Acrobatic Troupe】

Below the text, a giant clown was painted on the door. Due to age, the red paint forming the clown’s nose and hair dripped down like blood.

The gate was wide open, the clown on it split into two halves.

The light drizzle outside had become a torrential downpour at some point. The carriage that had stopped outside was already gone.

Wet footprints trailed from the stone floor inside the gate, some shallow, some deep, leading into the depths of the troupe interior.

It seemed the Noble Guest and his attendants had already entered.

Jian Bumian thought this target NPC had rather poor taste.

Coming to this dilapidated place to watch an acrobatics show.

Staying a day early, and even braving the downpour…

Was the target NPC delivering himself as food a day early?

Jian Bumian couldn’t figure it out, but there was no time to think about it anyway.

Time was running out.

He needed to start tracking where the target NPC went.

At the same time, Jian Bumian suddenly felt a bit cold.

The main gate was wide open, the raging rain pouring down. A lot of rainwater, swept by the biting wind, blew into the hall like icy knives.

Jian Bumian was dressed very thinly, just a thin silk pajama set. The hem barely covered his knees, leaving his calves and ankles exposed.

As the cold wind blew, the fabric behind Jian Bumian billowed like a balloon.

He was so cold his shoulders trembled slightly, his complexion turning a bit pale from the dropping temperature.

Jian Bumian wasn’t someone good at enduring. If he was hungry, he’d find food. If sleepy, he’d sleep right there. If he encountered something “interesting”, he couldn’t help sharing with others.

Feeling cold now, he instinctively looked for something to keep warm.

Jian Bumian scanned the area near the troupe’s main gate quickly. There was an umbrella stand beside the gate.

A Black Umbrella leaned against the umbrella stand, and draped over its handle was a coat.

Unable to bear the cold, Jian Bumian couldn’t help but walk over and carefully pick up the coat, while quietly muttering inwardly.

Although taking someone else’s things without permission wasn’t a good habit…

But he was really cold.

He was just borrowing it to wear and warm himself up. After he finished eating the target NPC, he would return it. If it got dirty by accident, he could wash it before returning it.

Jian Bumian held the coat in his arms, his sharp, fair chin inadvertently burying into the black fabric.

The coat was a black suit jacket, the fabric soft and smooth, exquisitely made. It looked custom-tailored and expensive.

However, it seemed abandoned by its owner; otherwise, why would it be carelessly left on an umbrella at the entrance?

Maybe it got caught in a bit of rain and was a little damp.

Jian Bumian shook out the coat and slowly put it on himself.

The coat was very oversized, easily wrapping up half of Jian Bumian.

The inner lining was very soft, with a fuzzy texture, likely made from some expensive wool.

Jian Bumian liked this fuzzy feeling. He huddled tightly in the coat, his cold body finally slowly warming up. The tips of his ears, from the sudden rise in temperature, flushed slightly red instead.

He unconsciously sniffed the scent on this coat.

No food aroma. Only a faint cedarwood scent, reminiscent of ice-cold snow-capped mountains towering in the clouds.

He couldn’t tell if this coat belonged to the target NPC.

Just smelling the clothes, he probably couldn’t detect the NPC’s food scent. He needed to press right up against the NPC’s body and inhale deeply to smell it.

After all, last time he got the black rose stained with the target NPC’s aura, he hadn’t smelled any food scent either.

Though Jian Bumian hoped this coat wasn’t the target NPC’s. Wearing someone else’s clothes while going to eat them… felt a bit impolite, maybe?

The viewers in the Livestream Room couldn’t understand Jian Bumian’s train of thought.

【Ahhh, what’s Mianmian doing!! Didn’t he say he was going to complete the Conquest Mission! Why is he suddenly putting on clothes!】

【I bet this coat is the target NPC’s! Wonder what reaction he’ll have, seeing this disobedient little player stealing his clothes~~】

【Ah, wifey is really so well-behaved. Strong yet obedient. Like a fierce yet cute tiger cub (…)】

【Time is running out. Mianmian, maybe just forget the conquest mission for now! Hurry back to the dorm! Or you’ll be erased!】

Reminded by the bullet comments, Jian Bumian casually glanced at the time.

Eleven-fifteen.

Only fifteen minutes left!

Jian Bumian frowned deeply, feeling a bit flustered inside. He didn’t know if fifteen minutes was enough to finish eating the target NPC.

But he didn’t want to give up this chance.

Because he was really hungry. Not just the desire of his soul to devour the Malicious Ghost, but his physical body was starving too.

To save room, he hadn’t even eaten dinner.

That was his greatest respect for food.

Jian Bumian lowered his head, his eyes half-lidded. Following the footprints on the floor, he walked into the darkness of the late-night Acrobatic Troupe.

After walking for an unknown length, he wanted to look up and see where he was. But the moment he raised his head, his right foot, stepping forward, suddenly met empty air!

The floor, originally flat, had somehow revealed an underground hole with no steps!

Jian Bumian had no time to react, his pupils contracting sharply. Immediately, he plummeted into the black hole leading to who-knows-where, disappearing into the darkness.

At the moment Jian Bumian completely lost consciousness and fell into a coma, his mind was filled with only one thought—

It’s over.

Going to go hungry tonight.