Although Han Baobao lacks willpower, she becomes exceptionally lucid whenever she is inside Cao Ran's body.
Han Baobao would rather Cao Ran die than die herself.
When the waiter's cart stopped at the door, "Cao Ran" hid in the restroom.
"Hello, this is specially prepared for you..." The waiter took a deep breath, probably wondering why anyone would like to eat this kind of thing: "Boiled chicken breast, boiled egg, lettuce, broccoli salad. Hmm, all very fresh and healthy ingredients!"
Lu Shi was just attracted by the spicy hot pot; the name itself sounded delicious.
"What is this salad?" Lu Shi asked Ye Bugui.
"Oh, it's something I don't like to eat." Ye Bugui clicked his tongue. "But many people in my company love it, as if they were sheep in their past lives. After we go out, I'll take you to a mala tang (spicy hot pot) place. It's a bit out of the way, but the taste is really good."
“Okay.” Lu Shi nodded immediately. Neither he nor Ye Bugui seemed to think they would be trapped in this A-level dungeon. “I’ll pay.”
Ye Bugui was taken aback. Since he acquired his inexhaustible wealth, no one had ever offered to treat him to a meal in a long time.
"Can."
Of course, Cao Ran wasn't interested in this package deal; she almost immediately gave a look as if she were about to die.
Oh dear, her mala tang (spicy hot pot) just vanished like that!
The waiter didn't linger for long this time, probably because he also found the lunch unappealing.
But the waiter's next action made Lu Shi and Ye Bugui's expressions turn serious.
He actually pushed the cart right past Ye Bugui's door and left, as if he knew no one was in room 206.
Neither of the two in room 205 spoke, but both Lu Shi and Ye Bugui were prepared to go all in.
However, the waiter merely gave a cold laugh and greeted the waiter according to protocol:
"Hello, this is... Mr. Lu's favorite dish: thousand-year-old winter bamboo shoots stewed with spirit realm lamb, and merfolk tears-infused pickled phoenix eggs. It's truly a very luxurious lunch!"
Golden Hall
Lu Shi's live stream room has quietly climbed into the top ten in the lobby.
There are many reasons, but the most important one is that he was the first to discover that the phone had a problem.
Since Lu Shi arrived at the Golden Hall, there have been far fewer viewers who criticize without warning; instead, they are all analyzing and learning from Lu Shi's actions.
Since Lu Shi has already been hailed as the strongest newcomer of the year on the player forums, and it's been certified by a group of expert players, ordinary players naturally believe it.
But what they didn't expect was that the climax of the live stream chat wasn't Lu Shi's brilliant performance, but rather the food he loves to eat.
"The NPCs in the dungeon wouldn't lie, would they? So he really is the Demon Lord?"
"Is it possible that he's also a bit of a chuunibyou in real life, calling some ordinary dishes strange names? These two dishes might actually be winter bamboo shoot and mutton soup and raw pickled duck eggs."
"No, is it really possible for someone's life to be this outrageous? I'm more inclined to believe he really is the Demon Lord. We're all in the Infinite Wish Game, so it's not impossible for him to be the Demon Lord!"
"Phoenix eggs, are they delicious? If I eat them, will I never die?"
...
Lu Shi looked somewhat embarrassed. He did like these two dishes quite a bit, but he didn't expect them to actually be available here.
Ye Bugui's situation was quite complicated. He still remembered how Lu Shi enjoyed eating hot pot and spicy snacks with him.
Could he just be being polite? After all, would a demon lord who has eaten phoenix eggs really like hot pot?
For a moment, Ye Bugui was very unhappy.
However, he quickly regained his senses, realizing that his immediate priority was to resist the temptation.
This was far too easy for Lu Shi.
No matter how much the waiter boasted, Lu Shi was not affected at all.
It's very simple. He didn't lie to Ye Bugui. He really loves hot pot and all kinds of strongly flavored food now.
The waiter paused. "It seems Mr. Lu isn't feeling well today. And Mr. Ye, here are some dumplings your mother made by hand! Each one is so white and plump; they look delicious!"
"Oh, I forgot to mention, there's also a bowl of bone broth she simmered all night; it tastes like home."
Lu Shi is a very considerate person.
Even though he had never experienced family affection, he clearly understood what parents meant to a normal person.
After all, those upright people had pointed their fingers at him and cursed him: "A bastard like you, who has no parents, of course doesn't understand benevolence, righteousness, integrity, or shame!"
Some people even knelt before him, begging him to spare their families.
Lu Shi's first reaction was to stop Ye Bugui and not let him open the door.
What Lu Shi didn't expect was that Ye Bugui sat there like a wooden man, with a deep-seated malice in his smile.
No matter how much the waiter promoted the taste of home, Ye Bugui remained unresponsive.
Only after the waiter had walked away did Ye Bugui explain to Lu Shi, "Since we are teammates, I don't need to hide my identity from you. Before I completed the game and became a millionaire, I was just a poor kid wandering the streets."
"So you see, I have no knowledge or culture, and my only wish is to be rich. After I became rich, my subordinates often complained about my nouveau riche taste and my late-stage adolescent immaturity."
"I accept it all. I'm someone who crawled out of the mud." Ye Bugui's figure was clearly so tall, but when he stood in front of Lu Shi, Lu Shi felt a little heartache.
"Don't pity me, there are plenty of people worse off than me. That's why I'm not afraid of death, after all, besides my worthless life, I have nothing else!"
"By the way, didn't he just say that my mom made it? It really gives me the creeps. My mom has been dead for over ten years," Ye Bugui said expressionlessly.
Lu Shi remained silent; he was truly inept at comforting people. If he could recall his magical arts, he would have cast a calming spell on Ye Bugui.
"What do your two dishes taste like?" Ye Bugui immediately changed the subject.
"It's just the original flavor, there aren't many seasonings in the cultivation world." Lu Shi smiled: "Actually, it gets greasy after a while. I really like the hot pot you took me to eat."
Only then did a genuine smile appear on Ye Bugui's face: "That's right, Granny Chen's cooking is approved by me!"
The lunch challenge wasn't too difficult, and all seven players passed it without incident.
Before the assembly, Ye Bugui also told Lu Shi about another crazy idea of his:
I plan to stay here tonight.
"Are you sure?" Lu Shi looked at Ye Bugui. Ye Bugui was someone who had completed the entire game, and Lu Shi didn't think Ye Bugui would do something reckless.
"Hmm." Ye Bugui nodded, looking very confident: "Didn't you say that you can access your roommate's memories through your phone? I think you're feeling helpless inside all by yourself. In that case, perhaps I can help you."
"You mean we'll go in together..." Lu Shi thought Ye Bugui was too bold, but then he thought that even if Ye Bugui couldn't enter the dream in the end, he wouldn't lose anything.
“Okay,” Lu Shi immediately changed his mind and agreed: “As long as there are still emergency calls tonight, we’ll all grab our phones together.”
"And from your description, I think your roommate must be a pretty nice person."
“Indeed.” Lu Shi recalled that Gao Yang was a really nice person: “Your roommate was alright too.”
"He's too studious," Ye Bugui joked. "If I could take him out with me, I'd definitely get him a job at my company. Given time, he'd be an outstanding employee!"
The sound of a door opening came from outside, and Zi Ling was the first to step out of the room.
"Everyone, come out. It's safe outside."
Cao Ran and Han Baobao had already switched back quietly, and no one noticed anything unusual about them. They were still sticking together as usual.
"Everyone must be hungry." Sherry almost opened the door just now, but her survival instinct prevailed.
But they haven't eaten anything since they entered the instance.
"Isn't it in the store?" Although Lu Shi's abilities were limited, he was a person who had practiced abstaining from grains, so he could go for ten days or half a month without eating.
In his understanding, the mall must sell them.
“I’ve already checked,” Chen Xin said, putting his hands in his pockets. “Apart from stamina potions, everything edible in the shop is unavailable for sale.”
“So we could manage on the first day with sheer willpower,” Zi Ling frowned, “but as it goes on, our cravings for food get stronger and stronger. If we’re not careful, we’ll die. This dungeon is disgusting!”
“I’ve been to similar instances before,” Han Baobao said, “but those were desert island survival instances, where we could find food on the island. Perhaps there’s food here too?”
"Food? I know where to find it." Ye Bugui was still standing behind Lu Shi, but after hearing about his favorite food, the female players looked at him differently.
In short, I felt a bit more sympathy.
“The other guests must have food in their rooms,” Ye Bugui glanced at Lu Shi, “but it will be very difficult to get food from them. We already bothered them once this morning, and if we go again, they might notify the waiter.”
“Besides,” Lu Shi continued, as if he had a telepathic connection with Ye Bugui, “we can go and take a look on the first floor and upstairs.”
That's right, this apartment building has three floors. The first floor has a lobby, kitchen, and staff dormitory.
The second floor has standard guest rooms, and the third floor has suites. These are indicated on the stairwell floor signs.
Both the suites and the lobby where the reception was located were dangerous in the eyes of the players.
"What are your thoughts?" Zi Ling's attitude softened somewhat.
The possibility of going hungry for seven days was like a knife, forcing them to speed up their exploration of the dungeon.
It's unrealistic to think about lying flat right now.
"Let's go to the third floor!" Cao Ran was the first to speak.
Han Baobao naturally listened to Cao Ran.
Lu Shi nodded: "I haven't been to the third floor before, but it's worth a look."
"Wait a minute." Chen Xin suddenly took her hand out of her pocket.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on her hand, which was covered in blood and wounds.
Lu Shi knew at a glance that the wounds were man-made. Judging from the marks, they looked more like bites.
Han Baobao was very surprised, but she found that, apart from her, everyone else seemed to have noticed Chen Xin's abnormality long ago.
"I can perform divination."
Chen Xin said frankly, "It's just that the price is very high; I have to use my own flesh and blood as a sacrifice."
After saying that, Chen Xin bit off her thumb and used it as a pen to draw a circle on the ground with the blood.
Chen Xin placed the finger back in the circle and muttered, "Will it be dangerous for us to go to the third floor? My beloved master, please give me an answer!"
The finger spun rapidly, and when it stopped, only a small part of the circle drawn by the bloodstain remained.
Chen Xin breathed a sigh of relief: "This means the danger isn't great, we can go."
"Are your fingers alright?" Han Baobao asked worriedly.
"It's nothing," Chen Xin said calmly. "I'll be fully recovered after I clear the level."