Chapter 8 (1/2)

P.S. I decided to use “big house” instead of “big building” because it seems more appropriate given the title of their mission

~~~

On the way back, everyone was on tenterhooks, afraid that something would suddenly jump out in the dark. Surprisingly, they managed to make it back safe and sound.

As soon as they entered the house, Luo Mansu immediately lighted up the diesel lantern on the table. Only then did they realize that table was covered with plates of fish that didn’t look at all appetizing.

“There are exactly 13 plates of fish,” counted Xiao Tangqiu. “Who do you think prepared them?”

Their gaze was fixed onto the fish, cautiously inspecting them. They weren’t sure if they should eat the fish or not. Aside from how unappetizing it looked, they were more worried about whether the fish was edible. This fishing village was really weird, who knows if it could be eaten or not.

“It must’ve been the system or an NPC who prepared the fish. We still have to eat in the instance. The system won’t starve us to death.” Luo Mansu offhandedly sat down. Because there weren’t any chopsticks provided, he grabbed one of the plates and started eating with his hands. “It’s up to you. If you want to eat, then go ahead. If not, no one’s forcing you. But I’m guessing we’ll have to stay here for a few more days.”

Xiao Tangqiu frowned. The meaning behind Luo Mansu’s words was obvious. They could only choose between starving or forcing themselves to stomach that unpalatable looking fish. If they chose to starve, they would be physically weak, and in this eerie fishing village, danger lurked in every corner. They could lose their lives at any moment.

Xiao Tangqiu pulled Tang Mianmian to sit down with him. He looked at Tang Mianmian, gesturing for him to eat the fish. Naturally, Tang Mianmian was very reluctant but still picked up a slice of fish to taste. His tastebuds were assaulted by a weird flavor, almost causing him to vomit in disgust.

Tang Mianmian stared at Luo Mansu beside him. How did he manage to swallow down that disgusting taste without so much as a change in his expression?

Luo Mansu laughed, “I’ve had to eat food more disgusting than this. Actually, it’s all the same to me. It doesn’t matter if it’s the head or the tail. It crispy and it tastes like meat.”

Xiao Tangqiu pinched his nose, trying to block out that unpleasant smell as he forced down two slices of fish. Tang Mianmian reluctantly ate another slice as well. There were some who chose to eat and some who’d rather starve.

A while after, the couple entered the house, but what was most surprising was the fact that they carried a watermelon with them.

“Where the fuck did this watermelon come from?” Xiao Tangqiu was completely shocked. Earlier, both he and Tang Mianmian seemed to have ran all over the village but they didn’t see any watermelons.

Lu Xiaotao pointed in the direction of the big building in the middle of the village. “Just now, we went to the vicinity of that big house to find out more about what’s going on. In the backyard of that big house, there’s a huge watermelon tree. Its branches had stretched over the wall. So, we climbed up the wall to pick a watermelon.”

Zeng JinPing snickered at them, “Are you kidding? Watermelons don’t grow on trees; how can there be a watermelon tree?”

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“A watermelon tree? Seems rather interesting.” Luo Mansu squinted his small eyes, “Did you manage to find out anything else? We can share what we know with each other.”

They all exchanged information with one another, but there wasn’t anything of value.

When Lu Xiaotao and Yang Bing saw the fish on the table, they were determined not to eat any of it. After all, they still had a watermelon. Lu Dadong put down the fish he was eating and rudely demanded, “Hey, you can’t be so selfish! You should share that watermelon with us!”

Yang Bing used the rusty kitchen knife that he found in the kitchen to slice the watermelon. He coldly refused Lu Dadong, “We picked this watermelon ourselves. If you guys want some, go pick your own.”

Lu Dadong glared at Yang Bing, “Humph! You should share it while we’re still asking nicely!”

“Forget it!” Zeng Jinping pulled Lu Dadong aside, “God knows if there’s something wrong with that watermelon. There’s definitely something weird about that house!”

Lu Dadong stared angrily at the couple but didn’t say anything else.

The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat tense, but it was to be expected. If it wasn’t because they had somehow been inexplicably brought into this God-forsaken fishing village, they would still be strangers. Even now, they were merely strangers who met by chance. On top of that, they had been in a highly strung state ever since coming to this strange place, where danger lurked in every corner. Inevitably, conflict was bound to happen; all they needed was a slight push…….

Their expressions had all turned ugly, except for one person, who seemed like he wasn’t affected at all.

Xiao Tangqiu looked at Luo Mansu, who was still busy scarfing down that nauseating fish. He raised an eyebrow, “Previously you mentioned an instance and the system. What the hell is the game? Can you also tell us more regarding this world and the missions?”

Everyone turned to look at Luo Mansu. Clearly, they wanted to know the answers to these questions.

Luo Mansu casually spit out a fish bone, “You want to know? Pass the game first, then I’ll tell you! What if you die tomorrow? Wouldn’t that just be a waste of my time?”