The door swung open, and five men walked in. The leader was young, and the fake waiter recognized him immediately. If Su Chenzhu hadn’t suddenly brought this guy cake and milk earlier, the others wouldn’t have followed suit and raided the tea break room for snacks.
The fake waiter’s anger flared, but his shoulders soon slumped as he turned to stare at the painting on the wall.
The room had no windows, but a landscape painting of an outdoor scene hung on the wall. Every piece of furniture, down to the table legs, was padded with thick cushions—like a cell designed to hold someone.
Seeing the fake waiter remain silent, Chao Musheng wasn’t in a hurry either. He leaned against the wall, idly scrolling through his phone, occasionally glancing up at him before returning to tapping away on the screen.
Unable to bear the strange smile and indifference on the other man’s face, the fake waiter finally spoke up. "What do you want?"
"The cruise is a bit boring, so I came to watch the show." Chao Musheng didn’t look up from his phone. "Don’t mind me. Pretend I’m not here."
How could he pretend Chao Musheng didn’t exist when he was standing there with four burly men?
Suspicious, the fake waiter eyed his phone. "Who are you chatting with? If you’re sending my photos to someone, that’s a violation of my portrait rights."
"Relax, I’m just texting a friend. Not taking pictures of you." Chao Musheng grinned. "You know about portrait rights, yet you still took photos of the conference attendees?"
With so many photos stored on his phone, it was practically an admission that his identity was suspicious.
"It’s my first time seeing so many important people. I got curious and broke the staff rules—worst case, I get fired." The fake waiter spoke defiantly. "But you’re illegally confining me. Be careful, or I’ll sue you once we’re off this ship."
"I’ve heard that accidents sometimes happen at sea—slipping overboard, getting hit by heavy objects, sudden heart attacks..."
"What are you trying to do?!" The fake waiter’s eyes widened. "If anything happens to me, you won’t get away with it."
"Sorry, I was just sharing some gossip I overheard from the crew. Don’t overthink it." Chao Musheng’s eyes curved into crescents. "Mr. Chen."
Hearing the name "Mr. Chen," the fake waiter’s pupils trembled. He sprawled onto the bed with feigned nonchalance. "Who’s Mr. Chen? I’m just a lowly waiter. I don’t deserve such respect from a distinguished guest."
He hadn’t expected his identity to be uncovered so quickly. This Chao Musheng was sharper than he’d assumed. He’d thought the man was just a pretty face clinging to the Kunlun Group’s boss, but it seemed he had real skills.
"Whatever you say." Chao Musheng checked the time. "It’s nap time. Rest well, Mr. Chen. I’ll take my leave."
Seeing Chao Musheng actually about to leave without pressing further, the fake waiter sat up abruptly. "Since you already know who I am, you must also know I had no choice."
Chao Musheng yawned. "I’ll come back another time to hear your story. Bye."
"Someone wants the Kunlun boss dead!" the fake waiter blurted. "Now that my cover’s blown, they’ll silence me. I need you to arrange a helicopter to get me out of here immediately."
"How many other spies or assassins are on this ship besides you?" Chao Musheng’s gaze sharpened, all traces of drowsiness gone. "Why do they want my boss dead?"
"The Kunlun Group has too many industries—plenty of people want him gone." The fake waiter met Chao Musheng’s piercing eyes and realized he’d been played. "And it’s not just him. The Moonview Conference is too significant. Hostile forces have been watching you all for a while."
Every businessman aboard the Moonview was a leader in their industry. If something happened to the ship, it would be a massive blow to the nation’s economy.
"Mr. Chen, you’re a renowned commercial spy internationally. Yet you slipped up so easily this time." Chao Musheng picked up an orange from the table, peeled it neatly, and handed it to the fake waiter. "A rare misstep?"
"I’m a professional spy, not a skilled waiter." The fake waiter tossed the perfectly peeled orange in his hand. "Can’t be helped."
Chao Musheng studied his unremarkable face for a few seconds before chuckling. "Don’t worry. You’re safe here. As long as you stay in this room, you’ll live just fine."
The fake waiter recalled how he’d been shuffled between rooms all morning before being locked in this one through a hidden passage. "Does anyone outside Kunlun know I’m here?"
Chao Musheng smiled. "I’m just an intern assistant. No idea about the rest."
Fake waiter: "..."
An intern assistant who strutted around the cruise with the boss’s personal bodyguards?
He plucked a segment of the orange and popped it into his mouth. Not everyone got to eat an orange peeled by the Kunlun boss’s assistant.
"Ugh!"
An overwhelming sourness exploded across his taste buds. His face twisted, tears springing to his eyes. "Ugh—so sour! Did you do this on purpose?"
Chao Musheng smirked, wiping his hands with a wet wipe. "Rest well, Mr. Chen. See you later."
The door clicked shut, leaving the room silent again. The fake waiter glanced at the two stone-faced bodyguards in the corner before tossing the remaining orange into the trash.
Two days ago, he’d been planning how to play the savior and earn Su Chenzhu’s favor to save his own skin.
Now, thanks to an early slip-up at the drinks station, he wasn’t the hero—just a desperate fool begging Kunlun for protection.
"Bleh." He grimaced, his teeth aching from the acidity. Out of all the oranges, how had Chao Musheng picked the sourest one?
Pretty face, wicked heart!
"Brother Shen." Chao Musheng knocked and entered the room. Shen Ran was watching TV—an old recording of a dance competition from years ago.
"Mr. Chao, you’re here?" Shen Ran’s usually expressionless face brightened slightly. Noticing the two lunch boxes in Chao Musheng’s hands, he frowned in confusion.
"The nurse said you hadn’t eaten yet, so I brought lunch." Chao Musheng pushed a meal toward Shen Ran and sat across from him. "I didn’t eat much either. Let’s have it together."
"Thank you." Shen Ran noted his own bland meal compared to the richly seasoned dishes in Chao Musheng’s box.
"You’re recovering. No spicy or heavy foods for now." Chao Musheng picked up a plump shrimp and waved it under Shen Ran’s nose. "Smell that? Delicious, right?"
Shen Ran: "Yes."
"Too bad you can’t have it." Chao Musheng popped the shrimp into his mouth, chewing exaggeratedly. "Be good and heal up. Then you can eat whatever you want."
The male nurse tidying the room silently turned away. Teasing an injured man with food he couldn’t eat—Mr. Chao was downright cruel.
However, since he was paid by Chao Musheng, he pretended not to see anything.
Lunch ended, and the caregiver was surprised to see that Shen Ran had eaten most of the food in his lunchbox. That morning, Mr. Shen had barely touched his meal, losing his appetite after just a few bites. Yet today, with Chao Musheng sitting beside him indulging in rich dishes while he ate something plain, his appetite had somehow improved?
"The weather is lovely today. How about going out to the deck for some fresh air?" Chao Musheng glanced out the window, where sunlight shimmered like gold on the sea. "The deck on the sixth floor is especially spacious—your wheelchair can move around freely."
Shen Ran didn’t want to go. He hated places where the sunlight was too bright.
But for some reason, faced with Chao Musheng’s smiling eyes, he found himself nodding.
"Let’s go." Chao Musheng fetched two sun hats, placing one on his own head and the other on Shen Ran’s, then pushed the wheelchair forward in a hurry.
"Mr. Chao!" The caregiver quickly followed, only to spot four bodyguards waiting outside the door. His worries eased.
A young man like Mr. Chao wouldn’t know how to properly care for an injured person.
"Brother Shen, your electric wheelchair looks fun," Chao Musheng said, eyeing the wheelchair with interest. "How about you get up and let me try sitting in it?"
The caregiver: "..."
He had relaxed too soon.
"Alright." Shen Ran, ever patient, stood up with the caregiver’s support, balancing on one leg against the wall while Chao Musheng took the wheelchair for a spin, treating it like a rocking car on the deck, not even bothering when his sun hat was blown askew by the sea breeze.
"Woo-hoo~ So much fun!" Chao Musheng rolled the wheelchair back to Shen Ran. "Brother Shen, I want to go for a couple more rounds."
Shen Ran smiled. "Sure."
The caregiver glanced at Shen Ran’s uninjured leg. As expected of a dancer—even on one foot, his balance was impeccable.
"Human hearts are treacherous, morality is decaying—he even steals a wheelchair from a cripple," the skinny man muttered beside Song Cheng, watching the scene on the deck below. "Young Master Song, don’t worry. Someone as shameless as him will get what’s coming sooner or later."
"Shut up." Song Cheng slapped him across the face. "Who gave you the right to speak?"
The skinny man clutched his cheek, forcing a smile. "Young Master Song, don’t be angry. I just can’t stand that Chao Musheng."
Damn it! Were these NPCs in the game all rabid dogs, hitting people at the slightest provocation?
He glanced at Brother Wu, who stood unnoticed beside Song Cheng. That idiot was still watching Chao Musheng play with the wheelchair, completely oblivious to him getting slapped.
His intense stare finally caught Brother Wu’s attention. The man looked at his swollen face in confusion. "Did a mosquito bite your face? There are mosquitoes at sea?"
The skinny man gritted his teeth. "It’s nothing."
What a moron.
"Both of you, get lost!" Song Cheng was in a foul mood. After last night’s incident, aside from a few who relied on the Song family for survival, most of the usual hangers-on had started avoiding him.
A bunch of spineless opportunists. Did they really think Su Chenzhu, a man known for his low-profile demeanor, would go out of his way to trouble the Song family over an assistant? Chao Musheng wasn’t his father or grandfather—why would he risk his reputation for him?
Chao Musheng took a few more laps around the deck in the wheelchair before finally returning it to Shen Ran. "Sitting in a wheelchair is really fun."
"Mr. Chao," one of the bodyguards spoke up, noticing Chao Musheng’s cheeks were flushed from the sun. "The shopping mall on floors two to four of the Moonchaser is quite large. Would you like to take Mr. Shen for a stroll?"
If he stayed out any longer, he’d get sunburned.
"Sure." Chao Musheng turned to Shen Ran. "Brother Shen, do you want to go?"
Shen Ran didn’t, but he wanted to stay by Chao Musheng’s side even more.
Around Chao Musheng, he felt an overwhelming vitality.
Wherever he was, the air itself seemed to brim with joy and ease.
Chao Musheng wheeled Shen Ran into the mall and finally understood why the bodyguard had called it "large."
Three floors seamlessly connected, offering everything from food to entertainment—this wasn’t just a mall, it was a circular commercial street.
Every high-end luxury brand imaginable was here, the entire space dripping with opulence, the floors practically reeking of money.
After browsing for a while, Chao Musheng stopped in front of a jewelry store on the fourth floor.
In the display window was a pair of dark green gemstone cufflinks. They looked perfect for Su Chenzhu.
He glanced down at the diamond tie clip on his own necktie, then touched the purple-gold badge in his pocket before signaling the clerk to wrap the cufflinks.
"Mr. Chao, hello." A manager approached him. "You’re shopping too?"
He glanced at the bodyguards behind Chao Musheng—there were even more today than yesterday.
Remembering Song Cheng’s beaten state, an inappropriate thought crossed his mind: Had Su Chenzhu assigned extra enforcers to Chao Musheng?
"Our Song Xu happens to be shopping here as well. Let us cover your purchase for you."
"No need." Chao Musheng handed his card to the clerk. "I don’t accept unearned favors."
The manager noticed the diamond tie clip and forced an awkward smile.
Of course. Someone of Mr. Chao’s status wouldn’t care for their petty gestures.
Shen Ran’s face paled the moment the manager appeared. He recognized this man—yesterday, when Song Cheng had forced him onto the ship, this manager and his artist had been there too.
Back then, the way they looked at him had been a mix of arrogance and cold indifference.
Seeing him bow and scrape before Chao Musheng now didn’t bring Shen Ran any satisfaction, only a bitter sense of irony.
Even the glamorous stars and powerful managers, untouchable in the eyes of ordinary people, had to bend for survival.
He looked down at his bandaged foot. At least not everyone on this ship had a rotten heart.
Chao Musheng, who had rescued him from Song Cheng; the medical staff who had subtly warned him; the nagging yet meticulous caregiver.
The road ahead wasn’t entirely dark. He wanted to cling to this sliver of light and stand on stage again.
"Mr. Shen." The manager placed a gift box in Shen Ran’s hands. "Wishing you a speedy recovery. I have some ties with your troupe’s director—once you’re better, Song Xu and I will definitely come watch your performance."
Was he afraid Shen Ran would use Chao Musheng’s influence to retaliate?
"Thank you." Shen Ran accepted the box, his pallor gradually easing.
Outside, the sunlight was dazzling—and right now, he liked it very much.
Seeing Shen Ran take the gift, the manager exhaled in quiet relief. Song Cheng had been the one tormenting Shen Ran—the most he could do was refrain from joining the other young masters in mocking him.
Noticing Shen Ran still looked a little pale, Chao Musheng worried his foot might be hurting and wheeled him back.
"Mr. Chao." Shen Ran called out just as Chao Musheng was about to leave. "After my foot heals, will you come watch my performance too?"
"Of course." Chao Musheng turned back with a grin. "Just remember to save me the best seat."
"Mm." Shen Ran nodded firmly. "I will."
"Then rest well and get back on stage soon." Chao Musheng adjusted the sun hat on his head. "This hat fits me perfectly—I’m keeping it."
"Alright." These hats were all specially prepared by the caretakers, including the clothes in the wardrobe—everything had been rearranged by them.
In this room, there wasn’t a single trace of Song Cheng left.
"Brother Wu, I’ve figured out what happened between Song Cheng and Chao Musheng last night." During her break between shifts, Xiao Liu found Brother Wu and Little Qi. "Song Cheng is absolutely not the avenger—he’s a monster."
She had a tool that could force NPCs to tell the truth, so she quickly pieced together the full story from various NPCs.
"That Song Cheng is the future heir of the Song Corporation. A while ago, he took a liking to Shen Ran, who was performing on stage, and used Shen Ran’s career and family as leverage to force him into becoming his lover."
Xiao Liu couldn’t hide her disgust for Song Cheng. "Under the guise of love, he took pleasure in humiliating Shen Ran, and his friends treated Shen Ran like a plaything. When Shen Ran refused to accompany him on the Moonlight Cruise, Song Cheng had his leg broken and dragged him aboard by force."
"Yesterday on the court, Song Cheng didn’t treat Shen Ran like a human either—his words were lewd, his actions degrading." Xiao Liu sighed. "Chao Musheng couldn’t stand it and fought him, then forcibly took Shen Ran away."
"Trash like that deserves to be beaten to death—what kind of revenge is there to take?" Little Qi was equally revolted. "If anyone should be seeking revenge, it’s Shen Ran. If I were him, I’d chop them all up and feed them to the sharks."
"Then have you ever considered that the avenger mentioned in the main quest might actually be Shen Ran?"
"Who?!" Brother Wu tensed, his gaze snapping toward the corner.
"Sister Juan?" Xiao Liu stared in surprise at the person stepping out, her grip tightening on the attack tool in her hand.
"Don’t be nervous, I mean you no harm." Xiaojuan glanced at Xiao Liu. If she hadn’t been extra observant, she wouldn’t have realized Xiao Liu was working with Brother Wu.
When the skinny guy approached the players on the 15th floor, Xiao Liu hadn’t said much, but Xiaojuan noticed how she kept unconsciously checking Brother Wu’s reactions. And after Brother Wu left, Xiao Liu had stood up and followed him.
When people are unsure, they instinctively look to those they trust.
"Why did you seek us out?" Brother Wu was wary of Xiaojuan. She was the first among the thirty players to cozy up to a native, and he didn’t dare underestimate her abilities.
Xiaojuan sat cross-legged beside Xiao Liu and placed a signal jammer in the middle of the four of them. "No particular reason—just wanted to share a truth about this instance with you."
"What kind of tool is this?" Brother Wu stared at the jammer, keenly aware that the system in his mind had lost connection.
"It’s not a tool. It’s a signal jammer produced in this instance world. The seller claimed it can block any signal."
"Sister Juan, don’t joke around. No matter how advanced the tech in an instance world is, there’s no way it could—" Xiao Liu’s voice cut off as she shook her head.
Where was her Main God system?!
She nearly jumped up in shock, but Xiaojuan grabbed her. "This handheld jammer only has a one-meter radius. Don’t move too far, or the system will detect you."
"Something produced in an instance world… can actually sever the system’s control over players?" Little Qi stared dazedly at the jammer between them. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t see anything special about its plastic shell.
If they failed the instance, as long as this jammer was active, would the system be unable to eliminate them?
"Why would you tell us such an important secret?" Brother Wu’s expression was complicated as he looked at the jammer. "Aren’t you afraid we’ll take it?"
"Did you forget I have a golden backer?" Xiaojuan remained unruffled. "Try stealing it, and I’ll make sure you regret it."
"He’s just a native in the instance. Are you really that confident he’d help you?" Brother Wu’s mind was in chaos, his entire understanding of things overturned.
"Ha!" Xiaojuan chuckled. Ignorant players—they shouldn’t underestimate just how reliable her Chao-ge was.
"I know you and Little Qi volunteered for this exploration instance, and you might even be looking for another player who signed up willingly." Xiaojuan turned to Xiao Liu. "That’s why, not long after meeting me, Xiao Liu started probing, asking if I was forcibly assigned to this instance by the system, right?"
Xiao Liu scratched her nose awkwardly but didn’t deny it.
"No need to test anyone else. I’m the one who volunteered." Xiaojuan cut straight to the point. "I’ve heard of your player alliance before. You have a good reputation among players, and you don’t betray allies."
"We’re just a group of ordinary players trying to find a way home." Brother Wu lowered his gaze. "If you have questions, ask directly."
Xiaojuan didn’t hold back. "Why did you volunteer for an exploration instance? You know none of the recent ones opened by the Main God have been cleared successfully."
Even though she and Er Qiang exploited a bug to escape the last instance, their mission summary was just a big question mark. And in the eyes of other players, the previous company instance had ended in total failure.
"A friend of mine disappeared after entering an exploration instance." Brother Wu didn’t hide the truth. "I wanted to find out what’s really going on with these instances. Little Qi secretly followed me in signing up, and Xiao Liu was forcibly matched by the system."
He felt a flicker of relief. At least in this instance, they’d met Xiaojuan. Even if they failed in the end, Little Qi and Xiao Liu could use her jammer to escape the system’s elimination.
"Who’s your friend?" Xiaojuan touched the deck—it had been baking in the sun and was uncomfortably hot. "Maybe I’ve seen him."
"Zhao Shang." Brother Wu turned to gaze at the endless sea. "He was the captain of our alliance and saved my life more than once in instances."
"I haven’t seen him in any recent instances, but I can ask around." Xiaojuan knew someone who must have met Zhao Shang. She decided it was time to shock these three players.
Otherwise, how would they believe this world was real?
"Xiaojuan?" Chao Musheng walked over, holding a gift box, planning to feed the seagulls on the deck first. When he saw Xiaojuan and three staff members huddled in a corner, basking in the sun while whispering, he adjusted his hat. "Don’t you find the deck burning hot?"
"Chao-ge." Xiaojuan swiftly pocketed the jammer and stood up. "What are you doing here?"
"Feeding the seagulls." Chao Musheng scattered breadcrumbs on the deck, and a few seagulls immediately flocked to his feet, pecking at the food.
Xiao Liu was baffled. Since when were seagulls—those notorious maritime bullies—this well-behaved?
No fighting, no stealing, just hopping around and acting cute for humans—was this even real?
Only in an instance world could something so unrealistic happen.
Xiaojuan smiled. "My friends and I wanted to chat during our break but were afraid the supervisor would scold us, so we found this quiet spot."
In this scorching sunny weather, aside from Brother Chao coming to feed the seagulls, no one else would willingly come here.
"Next time, you guys should find a shady spot," Chao Musheng tossed a few more pieces of bread to the seagulls. "If the supervisor asks, just say I needed you for something."
Xiao Liu, Brother Wu, and Little Qi: "..."
So this was the charm of having a golden thigh—listening to him made them want to call him "Brother Chao" like Xiaojuan did.
"Okay, okay, thanks, Brother Chao!" Xiaojuan moved closer to Chao Musheng, her eyes dazzled by the sparkling diamond tie pin on his necktie.
Such a big, glittering diamond—even before entering the Main God’s space, she couldn’t bring herself to buy a synthetic one this large.
"Brother Chao, is this diamond... real?" Xiaojuan couldn’t help but stare a little longer. It was so beautiful.
Chao Musheng wiped the diamond and whispered to Xiaojuan, "The boss gave it to me."
Xiaojuan understood—if the big boss gifted a tie pin, there was no way it could be fake.
But a diamond this big, just casually given to an employee?!
At that moment, she began questioning the reality of the world.
What kind of boss would be so generous? Impossible.
Xiaojuan turned her head away, forcing herself not to look. If she kept staring, she might not resist the urge to touch it.
"Here, you can hold it if you want." Chao Musheng saw right through her thoughts, unclipping the pin and placing it in Xiaojuan’s hand. "Take your time."
"No, no, I can’t!" Xiaojuan cradled the pin as if it were a ticking time bomb.
[Ding—Luxury jewelry detected. Can be exchanged for 500 points.]
Exchange my ass!
Xiaojuan handed the pin back to Chao Musheng. "Brother Chao, if I drop this, I could never afford to pay for it."
"Relax, it’s not that fragile." Chao Musheng reattached the pin to his tie. "Even if it breaks, I won’t make you pay."
Wuwuwu, Brother Chao was the most reliable, the best brother in the world! Even though he was younger than her in the real world, he was still her brother!
"By the way, Brother Chao, do you know Zhao Shang?"
The other three players: ?
Was this Xiaojuan’s idea of gathering intel?
As players who had failed in other dungeon runs, could they really ask a native NPC from this dungeon for information?
Wasn’t this like using a sword from the current dynasty to judge an official from the previous one?
Wasn’t this approach a bit too bizarre and ahead of its time?
"Zhao Shang?" Chao Musheng nodded. "Yeah, I know him. Last month at the company, Er Qiang even asked me about Zhang San."
These two names hit Brother Wu’s ears like thunder out of a clear sky, leaving his mind buzzing.
How could an NPC from the cruise ship dungeon know about players from other dungeons?!
