Chapter 78
Having obtained information about their friends, Xing Nuo and Lu Qi set off for the amusement park.
Having spent all their Star Coins gathering information, they had no money left and had to sneak onto a bus heading to City C.
Several monsters were on the bus. The driver was a skeletal figure with empty eye sockets.
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi hid under the last row of seats, and, seeing the driver’s appearance in the rearview mirror, Xing Nuo quickly covered his mouth in fear.
Lu Qi, clutching their bread and water, awkwardly patted Xing Nuo’s back with one hand.
“It’s okay. The driver is already dead.”
Xing Nuo: ???
What does “already dead” mean?
But Xing Nuo knew that he and his friends, like Xiaoya, had entered a magical world.
Except Xiaoya’s world was filled with kindness, flowers, and sunshine, while his was filled with monsters and terrifying dungeons.
Like now.
An announcement sounded on the bus:
[This bus is a C-rank dungeon – The Vanishing Passengers. Please prepare to welcome the first batch of human arrivals.]
The monsters on the bus growled, their eyes glowing red, their bodies restless.
A few minutes later, the bus reached its first stop, and a group of players in blue uniforms boarded.
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi, hiding under the seats, peeked out.
The seat in front of them blocked most of their view, and Xing Nuo could only see several pairs of feet.
The monsters on the bus were unusually quiet, only the players’ hushed conversations could be heard.
“Where should we sit?”
“Definitely not in the back. There’s only one exit at the front. We’ll be trapped if we need to escape.”
“Did you see the driver? He’s terrifying!”
“But the middle is full of monsters!”
The players, hesitant and nervous, chose seats closer to the front.
Facing one monster driver was better than facing a horde of monsters in the back. At least they could try to fight him.
The bus started moving, swaying gently.
Xing Nuo, small and thin, had plenty of space under the seat. He lay there, his little hands clasped together, looking up at the passengers like a curious puppy.
But he couldn’t understand most of what they were saying. Exhausted from a long day of walking, his eyelids drooped, and he yawned.
Lu Qi took off his jacket, folded it into a makeshift pillow, and placed it under Xing Nuo’s head.
“Sleep, Xing Nuo. I’ll keep watch. I’ll wake you up when we reach City C.”
The bus had departed at night, and it was past Xing Nuo’s usual bedtime.
He struggled to stay awake, his eyes drooping, and mumbled:
“Not sleepy. Wait a little.”
He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but within minutes, he was fast asleep, his head resting on the makeshift pillow.
Seeing him asleep, Lu Qi climbed out from under the seat and, showing no sign of guilt for sneaking onto the bus, walked towards the front.
The players in blue and the monsters sitting in the middle, seeing the small child suddenly appear, looked at him, puzzled.
Lu Qi walked towards the monsters, his face serious, his voice stiff and mechanical.
“Have small blanket?”
Monsters: ???
Lu Qi, not bothering to explain, moved on to the next monster and asked again:
“Have small blanket?”
It was a bit cold at night. What if Xing Nuo caught a cold without a blanket?
He asked all the monsters, but none of them had brought a blanket.
He then walked to the front and asked the players:
“You have blanket?”
The players looked at the seven or eight-year-old boy with dark hair and emotionless eyes.
He didn’t seem human, more like a programmed robot.
They exchanged glances, confused.
“What? Do you have a blanket?”
“Should we give him one? What if it triggers some kind of rule?”
The players, hesitant, but not wanting to offend the strange little boy, gave him a small blanket.
Lu Qi, having “borrowed” a blanket, his face still expressionless, said:
“Thank you.”
Having spent so much time with Xing Nuo, he had picked up some manners.
He returned to his seat, ignoring the curious stares of the passengers, and climbed back under the seat, pulling the blanket with him.
He tucked Xing Nuo in, watching as the little one’s furrowed brows relaxed, his face turning slightly pink from the warmth.
Lu Qi smiled, a rare and genuine smile, and lay down beside Xing Nuo, watching over him.
The players and monsters, looking back at Lu Qi under the seat, met his cold gaze and quickly turned away.
“That little monster has a companion?”
“There are quite a few different types of monsters on this bus. Are you sure this is just a C-rank dungeon? It doesn’t seem like it.”
The players whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing back at the little boy guarding his sleeping companion.
The bus continued to rumble along.
Xing Nuo, snuggled under the blanket, nuzzled it and mumbled sleepily:
“Zaizai eat egg custard tomorrow.”
He dreamt of his dad offering him egg custard, but he was being stubborn and refused to eat it.
Lu Qi, his chin resting on his hand, hearing him mention egg custard, tilted his head.
Egg custard…seems like food.
Never had it. But if Xing Nuo mentioned it, it must be yummy.
The players were facing their first challenge.
There was a monster hiding among them!
After the system announcement instructing them to identify the hidden monster, the players became suspicious and wary of each other.
A group of three, who had formed an alliance earlier, were now sweating, their eyes darting nervously between each other.
The system’s voice, cold and urgent, like a death knell, echoed through the bus:
[Three minutes remaining! Identify the hidden monster!]
They knew that if they made a mistake, the consequences would be dire.
They also had to be wary of the driver and the monsters in the back. Being betrayed by a teammate at a critical moment would be fatal.
As they argued, Lu Qi suddenly appeared.
He tilted his head, his dark eyes devoid of light, his black hair falling over his eyes, like a little ghost.
“Hello. Have egg custard?”
Players: “…”
First, he borrowed a blanket, and now he wants food? Is this kid trying to take advantage of us?
A player waved him away impatiently.
“No, we don’t. We just gave you a blanket. What do you want now?”
Lu Qi, unfazed, continued to stare at him with his empty eyes.
“Egg custard different.”
Egg custard was food, and it must be sweet and delicious. Xing Nuo liked it.
If Xing Nuo saw egg custard when he woke up tomorrow, he would definitely praise Lu Qi and call him his best friend!
The thought made Lu Qi’s heart flutter.
The player snorted.
“What’s the difference?”
Lu Qi: “You never eat egg custard?”
How could a human ask such a question?
Blankets were for covering yourself, and egg custard was for eating. Even Lu Qi knew that.
The player, not sensing anything amiss, said impatiently:
“So what if I haven’t?”
The other players turned to look at him, their gazes suspicious.
A female player, perceptive, smiled faintly and said:
“It’s alright. Egg custard isn’t a common food. We humans don’t usually eat it.”
The first player, hearing this, relaxed.
“Yeah, asking for uncommon food. Do you think we carry everything with us?”
A male player, trying to suppress his laughter, bit his lip.
Lu Qi, not having gotten his egg custard, tilted his head, revealing his small, sharp teeth.
“Then can I eat you?”
His eyes were cold, his skin pale and lifeless, devoid of human warmth.
The player, his disguise slipping, his face stiffening, felt a chill run down his spine.
“Of course…not.”
His voice lacked conviction, and he turned to see the other players moving away from him.
“He’s the monster!”
Before the final system notification, a player, unable to contain himself any longer, pointed at him.
The exposed player, still confused, wondered where he had gone wrong.
But the next moment, as the system confirmed the correct answer, Lu Qi’s eyes glowed blue.
The monster, disguised as a human, melted like water, dissipating into the air.
A faint light enveloped Lu Qi, replenishing a small amount of his energy.
Lu Qi’s eyes flickered, and he turned to the other players, who were covering their mouths, their faces pale with fear.
“You have egg custard?” he asked again.
The players, not daring to say no, seeing his persistence, stammered:
“Egg custard…not easy to carry…we don’t usually have it with us.”
Unlike blankets, which could be useful in wilderness dungeons.
“You guys…don’t have any food like that, right?”
The players frantically searched their spatial storage.
Finally, one of them found an egg tucked away in a corner.
“I got this from the last dungeon. I don’t cook, so I haven’t eaten it. Should I make some egg custard now?”
They exchanged glances.
Under Lu Qi’s unwavering gaze, a female player raised her hand.
“I have a self-heating pot.”
A makeshift stove was quickly set up on the bus.
The player in charge of making the egg custard looked at the steaming pot, a surreal feeling washing over him.
Making egg custard on an escape bus. A first.
Lu Qi crouched beside him, staring at the self-heating pot, and asked:
“Ready yet? Can eat?”
