Lu Mingran released Jack and went to find Cheng Yungui. On the way, he could feel Jack's probing gaze lingering on the two of them.
By this time, news had spread that Cheng Yungui had been chosen to participate in the script of Lone Wolf Heart. The atmosphere in the hall was a bit strange. There was sympathy and inexplicable jealousy in the eyes of those looking at Cheng Yungui. This was what Xiao Tao had been worried about that day. It was certainly dangerous to cooperate with Lone Wolf Heart, but it also showed that the system had acknowledged Cheng Yungui's abilities.
Xiao Tao has lived here for ten years and has seen far too much. To the people here, he is a source of reassurance, an elder brother they can all rely on.
Sensing that the atmosphere was a bit strange, Senior Tao simply tapped the edge of the bowl lightly with a silver spoon, and some people quickly swallowed back what they shouldn't have said.
Lu Mingran sat down next to Cheng Yungui, offering him emotional support.
Cheng Yungui said in a low voice, "Mingran, come to my room after breakfast. I have something to tell you."
"Um."
As she spoke, Lu Mingran noticed Jack's unwavering gaze and felt somewhat displeased.
In the morning, everyone had breakfast together in the restaurant. During the meal, Xiao Tao brought up the matter concerning Cheng Yungui, and said in a deep voice:
Does anyone have any good suggestions?
"I think if we want to survive, we can only keep entering practice dungeons these next two days."
The speaker was Meng Ling, the girl who had been sobbing yesterday. Although she was sometimes emotionally unstable, she always got straight to the point and didn't waste any words.
Immediately, someone said dejectedly, "Practice dungeons aren't free; they cost money. As far as I know, nobody has much money left."
Yes, there is a circulating currency in this world: money from the Heaven and Earth Bank.
Lu Mingran was tearing at her bread when, as expected, she heard Jack suddenly raise his voice and interrupt:
"Oh, my dear friends!"
Having attracted everyone's attention, Jack cleared his throat and said, "Actually, I have some money here that I can lend to Mr. Cheng."
He had some money, which was the mission funds allocated to him by the count later.
However, the matter was settled. After breakfast, Lu Mingran looked at Jack and knew that he was going back to take off his pants and contact the Earl to ask for funds.
————————
Cheng Yungui's room was on the top floor, 605, and he lived alone on that floor. Compared to Lu Mingran's room, Cheng Yungui's room was much simpler and cleaner; he possessed strong mental power and didn't need to stick sticky notes everywhere.
Lu Mingran followed Cheng Yungui inside and saw him take out two dice, one black and one red, from his pocket.
"This is what I got from the previous dungeon."
Cheng Yungui sat down and stroked the two items: "They gave me a very bad feeling, but my intuition told me that I had to take these two dice."
"You're just too tired, you need to get some rest."
Lu Mingran pulled over a chair and sat down, resting his chin on the back of the chair as he looked intently at Cheng Yungui's face as he spoke.
In the novel, the two had faced life and death together many times, yet they almost never had a conversation like this. The sunlight outside the window was warm, the room was spotless, everything seemed just like it was back in college—boring and peaceful.
But their feelings were no longer the same as before. Especially Cheng Yungui, who had witnessed his beloved's car accident and thought he could no longer bear death. Who would have thought that he had now become accustomed to the color of blood and the pain of death.
If Cheng Yungui deviates from the main plot, then it won't be long before Xiao Tao and Ming Ran die in the conspiracy of the master's faction.
It was a campus dungeon. Those people used the body of one of Xiao Tao's old friends as bait to lure and kill him. Ming Ran, before he died, used his last bit of strength to knock on the bed board, reminding Cheng Yungui in the lower bunk to run away quickly. Blood dripped down the cracks in the bed board and onto Cheng Yungui's face.
The author arranged these plot points to provoke Cheng Yungui's hatred, making him realize that the Earl was not a good person, but the Master's faction was also hypocritical, so he could only establish his own independent third camp.
So it's better to go back to the main storyline. Even if he's forever trapped in a series of horror stories, at least he'll always have his best friend by his side.
I will return Xiao Tao and Ming Ran to you, and I will let them stay with you forever.
Lu Mingran reached out and grabbed the two dice, then threw them into the drawer.
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At noon, Jack came out of his room looking refreshed. Lu Mingran, who bumped into him, knew from his appearance that he had already secured the funding.
Remembering the hotpot incident from yesterday, Jack stepped forward and said to Lu Mingran, "I'll treat you to hotpot today!"
We eat hot pot with lots of meat, where you eat first and I eat later.
"No, thank you."
Lu Mingran decided to escape, but Jack was a very vengeful person, and now that he had money, he became even bolder.
Jack blocked Lu Mingran's path and laughed:
"Ran, I heard he chose you as his teammate. Perfect timing, I'm going to do a practice dungeon soon, a two-player game, I can take you with me."
This sounds like a windfall. Anyone who hears this would have to praise Jack as a really good person.
But Lu Mingran knew very well that Jack definitely wanted to use this opportunity to mess with him.
Therefore, Lu Mingran repeatedly declined, but Jack repeatedly invited her. Finally, they lingered in the hall, where Xiao Tao, who was reading a book, found their noise annoying and made the final decision:
"Mingran, you have teammates to help you, you should be grateful and cherish it, go on."
Jack, now that he had someone backing him up, laughed in a sinister way.
Yes, that's good.
Lu Mingran also laughed.
I was going to let you go... but since you're so persistent, I'll have to let you experience the mysterious power of the East.
"System, I want every last penny of his money gone."
"ah?"
The system was startled: "Are you trying to rob me?"
——————————
"Please pay... Payment complete, practice dungeon open!"
"Loading complete!"
The practice room was in the basement, dimly lit, perfect for falling asleep. Lu Mingran and Jack each lay down on a bed and quickly fell asleep.
When a dream first begins, the person in the dream is unconscious and has no control over their body; they are like an observer watching the plot unfold.
Lu Mingran saw a car parked in front of an old house. He was huffing and puffing as he unloaded his luggage from the trunk, while a voluptuous woman leaned against the car door, rolling her eyes repeatedly.
"Dad, really, he called us back again..."
"Honey, my dad's getting senile. He's old, so please be understanding."
My wife was almost in tears: "No, the point is our old house is haunted!"
They say they hear opera singing at night, and occasionally they can see a woman's face in the old well in their house.
Lu Mingran carried the luggage and coaxed his wife into the house with much persuasion. It was an old house with a long history, and two stone lions stood at the entrance.
Inside the courtyard, the old father sat on a small stool by the door, raindrops from the eaves pattering down in front of him. He stared blankly out the window.
Wife. Father. Lu Mingran couldn't make out their faces clearly, only vaguely. He remembered something his mother had once told him:
"People's dreams are always at night because the dream world is the underworld. Also, the people in dreams have no faces because they are all ghosts."
Mom? What mom?
After a brief moment of clarity, Lu Mingran was pulled back into the dream. He knelt before his elderly father and called out:
"dad!"
The old man was hard of hearing and grunted in response. Then Lu Mingran heard the sound of a new car stopping at the door.
Now Lu Mingran could see the newcomer's face clearly. He was a foreigner, and a girl was affectionately holding his arm beside him.
"Oh, Dad's foreign son-in-law is back."
Lu Mingran's wife chuckled. Her son-in-law, whose Chinese seemed to be poor, didn't understand the sarcasm and walked over with a silly grin.
"Brother-in-law." Lu Mingran walked over and shook hands with him, then casually reached into her pocket to take out a pack of cigarettes.
But Lu Mingran touched something else.
Pen cap. The cap of a black ballpoint pen.
His consciousness paused for a moment, and then he saw a picture.
The scene shows a large classroom where Lu Mingran is sitting in the last row, gazing longingly at the most beautiful girl in her department sitting in front of her.
He not only looked at them, but he also poked them on the back.
The most beautiful girl in the department turned around, somewhat annoyed. Lu Mingran gave an awkward smile and casually picked up a pen cap, holding it to her lips.
"Look, I can use this to whistle!"
The most beautiful girl in the department: "...Even elementary school students aren't as childish as you."
It's one thing to be childish, but what's worse is that when Lu Mingran got excited and happy, she accidentally sucked the pen cap into her mouth while blowing on it with her mouth open.
Then, he swallowed the pen cap...
The ambulance sped away, taking away the college student who had accidentally swallowed a pen cap.
It caused a sensation throughout the school.
The doctor who examined him was trying not to laugh, saying that it's rare to see children under four years old coming to him for this kind of illness.
Pen cap, goddess...
Wait, the pen cap is here, but where's the goddess?
Lu Mingran's mind cleared up instantly.
I am in a dream.
The first thing Lu Mingran thought of after regaining consciousness was, why, why, Mingran's anchor is this thing! Is it true that dark history is more likely to stimulate people's nerves?
Fortunately, it seems Jack hasn't regained consciousness yet. Lu Mingran can do what he wants now.
Thinking of this, Lu Mingran revealed a dangerous smile.
"Brother-in-law, since you're already here, how about we play a game?"
Jack blinked innocently.
The scene shifts rapidly, and the mahjong table is already set up. Four people sit around the table, while the elderly father watches from the side, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
Lu Mingran planned to win all of Jack's money. Once he ran out of money, he wouldn't be able to enter the practice dungeons. Even if he could borrow more, he would suffer greatly.
Interestingly, this novel is quite tame, specifically mentioning that players in the dungeon cannot indulge in eating, drinking, gambling, or prostitution; any money won from gambling must be handed over to the system.