Some people may appear to still be standing, but in reality, their souls have already shattered and flown away for quite some time.
Xiaojuan saw Chao Musheng sitting in a wheelchair and felt a pang of worry, only to then remember she was still holding a trash bag she had collected from cleaning the ward. She froze, not stepping forward.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Chao Musheng was already wheeled into the ward. Clutching the trash bag tightly, she cursed the System Lord eight hundred times in her heart.
Damn bastard, always targeting Chao-ge like he’s some kind of sheep to be sheared?
She stood at the doorway, watching as Chao Musheng was surrounded by medical staff, rising on her tiptoes to get a better look.
Qi Shi, seeing her practically itching to barge into the ward for a closer look, couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled her aside and hissed under his breath, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Daring to gawk at an NPC right after entering the instance? She was already a top 200 player—how could she still be so reckless?
"Shi-ge." Xiaojuan had never teamed up with Qi Shi in an instance before, but they’d met in the Player Hub. They weren’t strangers, but they weren’t exactly friends either.
"Even if you’re not assigned to clean Ward 4, don’t forget the director’s warning—any patient has the right to report us." Qi Shi’s tone was icy. "You’ve struggled to get this far. Don’t suddenly lose your head now."
Sure, that patient was good-looking, but no NPC, no matter how attractive, was worth risking a failed clearance.
"Thanks for the reminder, Shi-ge." Xiaojuan didn’t mention that she knew Chao Musheng. Players in the top 200 were all seasoned veterans of the Player Hub—none of them were easy to deal with.
Besides, the higher a player’s rank, the more instances they’d cleared. Soft-hearted players who clung to their old-world habits never made it to the top 200.
They were players through and through—no longer people of the real world.
"Shi-ge and Juan-jie seem pretty close." You Jiu walked past them, carrying a bucket, his lips curled in a faint smirk. "What a coincidence running into you here, huh?"
The five of them didn’t trust each other, but at this point, none of them would openly pick a fight.
"Quite the coincidence," Xiaojuan retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Otherwise, we wouldn’t be seeing each other again so soon."
With that, she headed downstairs to the garbage disposal area, trash bag in hand.
This floor was reserved for high-class wards, so no trash could be left behind. The bins had to remain spotless, the windows free of even a speck of dust.
The lower floors housed the rehabilitation and geriatrics departments. The fluorescent lights glared harshly, and the corridors were eerily quiet. As Xiaojuan descended the emergency stairs, she barely saw a soul.
The garbage disposal area was immaculate. Every trash bag was tightly sealed and color-coded. Apart from the sharp scent of disinfectant, there was no other odor.
"Careful there." An elderly man driving an electric cleaning cart pulled up beside her. Seeing Xiaojuan fully geared up, he tidied the trash in his cart and asked, "Young lady, you work in the high-class wards upstairs?"
Xiaojuan nodded. "How’d you know, Uncle?"
"Only the ninth-floor staff have such strict uniform rules." The old man wore a janitor’s outfit but had his cap off and mask down.
Xiaojuan noticed his slight limp and helped him sort the trash into the right bins.
"Thanks, miss." The old man’s skin was weathered, but his eyes were bright. "It’s lunch break now—have you eaten?"
"I’m fine, Uncle. Not hungry yet." The mask had grown stuffy, so Xiaojuan pulled it down and smiled. "It’s my first day here. Any tips for a new cleaner?"
"On other floors, diligence is enough." The old man studied her fair complexion and added, "I’ve only been here a few months, but I’ve heard the ninth-floor staff have been replaced multiple times."
"Why’s that?" Xiaojuan frowned.
"The patients up there are all wealthy, powerful folks. Some cleaners overstep and offend them. Others get greedy and try to take advantage—of course, they don’t last." The old man grabbed a water bottle from his cart and took a swig. "Rich people have their quirks. Us ordinary folk just need to keep our heads down, work hard, and not ask too many questions."
"Dad."
A lean young man appeared, carrying a faded cloth bag with a thermos inside.
"Little Yi." The old man turned, his face lighting up. "I told you I’d eat at the cafeteria—it’s cheap and clean. Why ride all the way here in this heat?"
"The family I tutor let me off early today—their kid went out. So I made some chicken soup at home." The young man handed over the bag. "I already took some to Mom."
"Have you eaten yet?" The old man fretted, pulling him to sit on the emergency stair landing. "Rest here for a bit."
The young man didn’t mind the dirty steps and sat down without hesitation. "I’ve eaten, Dad. You go ahead."
When the thermos opened, the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted into Xiaojuan’s nose.
She swallowed hard—suddenly, she was hungry.
"Uncle, enjoy your meal. I’ll head back now." Not wanting to intrude, Xiaojuan turned to leave.
The young man gave her a polite nod before turning back to chat with his father.
Back on the ninth floor, Xiaojuan saw bodyguards distributing drinks and lunchboxes from an insulated crate to the staff.
"Xiaojuan." The director spotted her and waved. "Mr. Chao is treating everyone to lunch. Get in line for your share."
Mr. Chao?
Hearing that name, You Jiu, who had just received his meal, stiffened. It reminded him of the NPC the system had ordered him to eliminate in the last instance.
No way. That instance had collapsed after he forcibly exited—the NPCs should’ve vanished with it.
Carrying his lunchbox back to the break room, You Jiu tossed it straight into the trash.
The other three players weren’t surprised. The more delicious an NPC’s food smelled, the more dangerous it usually was.
"Waste of good packaging," one muttered, throwing his away too. Fancy meals like this were like the queen’s poisoned apple—tempting but deadly.
Qi Shi set his lunchbox on the table, neither eating nor discarding it.
Xiaojuan was the last to enter. Along with her meal and soup, she had two pieces of fruit and a box of cookies.
Glancing at the trash bin, now hidden under a black bag, and the empty-handed players, she said nothing. She simply sat down, opened her lunchbox, and took a sip of soup.
[Ding! Consumed nutritious and delicious soup. HP +5.]
She nibbled on a small pear.
[Ding! Consumed natural fruit. HP +5.]
Everyone’s eyes were locked on her. The room was dead silent except for the sound of her chewing.
The aroma from the lunchbox was irresistible. Xiaojuan lowered her head and dug into the food without even looking up. She wasn’t foolish—she had already guessed that these meals had been specially arranged for her by Chao Ge.
[Ding! Consumed nutritious lunch. Health points +10.]
The 20 health points deducted upon entering the dungeon had now been fully restored.
When she saw the other players tossing their lunchboxes into the trash, her first reaction was anger.
But after the anger subsided, she suddenly realized: it was normal for players to be wary of food offered by NPCs. Yet her immediate thought had been that wasting food was shameful.
She had stayed in Chao Ge’s world for too long—her thoughts and perceptions had already been influenced by this place.
At this moment, she finally understood why Wan You had been assimilated by this world.
The players’ caution wasn’t wrong. The one at fault was the Main God who had turned them into this.
The room was filled with the tantalizing scent of food. The starving players swallowed hard, forcing themselves to look away from Xiaojuan.
From her expression, they couldn’t tell if the food had any negative effects on her.
But no one asked Xiaojuan whether the meal was safe to eat. Even if she gave them an answer, they wouldn’t have believed her.
In the dungeon world, players scheming against and distrusting each other was the norm.
“Is the food that good?” Qi Shi watched as Xiaojuan had already eaten half of her meal without any sign of stopping. He sat down beside her.
“It’s delicious.” Xiaojuan pointed at the “Sihai Lou” logo on the lunchbox. “You’re missing out if you don’t eat it.”
How expensive Sihai Lou’s dishes were—you ignorant players wouldn’t understand.
No taste at all.
Qi Shi hesitated for a moment, then remembered the smile the patient in Ward No. 4 had given him. He opened his lunchbox.
The rice was glistening, and the dishes were vibrant and fragrant.
Unable to resist, he picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks—tender, juicy, and so flavorful that he immediately went for a second bite.
[Ding! Consumed slightly cooled nutritious lunch. Health points +5.]
Qi Shi stared at the food in disbelief, then took a sip of the soup.
[Ding! Consumed warm nutritious soup. Health points +3.]
The sudden boost of 8 health points made him forget everything else as he devoured the meal.
“These two…” The other two players watched as Xiaojuan and Qi Shi ate with such fervor, assuming they had been bewitched by the NPC’s food. Their expressions twisted into something between mockery and indifference.
After clearing so many dungeons, to still fall for food inside one—whatever happened to them was deserved.
But You Jiu noticed something different in their expressions. He glanced back at the lunchboxes discarded in the trash, hesitated for less than three seconds, then bent down to retrieve his own.
He sat beside Xiaojuan, opened the lid, and took a bite.
[Ding! Consumed lunch. Health points +2.]
In that instant, his eyes lit up. How could something like this even exist?!
“They’ve all lost their minds.” The remaining two players watched the trio eating like ravenous beasts, a chill running down their spines.
Even high-level players couldn’t resist the allure of this dungeon’s food—just how terrifying was this place?
The mouthwatering aroma filled the air. Afraid they’d end up just as crazed, the two players put on their masks and left the break room.
Crimson blood flowed through the needle into the vacuum tube. Chao Musheng felt no pain, but Su Chenzhu’s expression was grave, his brows furrowed as if he were the one being drained.
The nurse removed the needle and pressed a cotton ball against the puncture. “Mr. Chao, please hold this for three to five minutes before discarding it.”
“I’ll do it.” Su Chenzhu sat by the bed, pressing the cotton ball firmly in place.
“Mr. Su, the blood test results should be ready in about 15 minutes. We’ll prescribe medication based on the report.” The doctor observed the expressions of Su Chenzhu and Chao Musheng. “Mr. Chao is running a high fever and experiencing fatigue, so intravenous fluids may be necessary.”
Rumor had it that Mr. Chao was the assistant to the CEO of Kunlun Group. IV treatment would take several days—would Mr. Su have any objections?
“His health comes first.” Su Chenzhu kept his fingers steady, not even a tremor in his voice. “Everything else is irrelevant.”
“Understood, Mr. Su.”
The heat from Chao Musheng’s body seeped into Su Chenzhu’s fingertips through the cotton ball. Watching the flush on Chao Musheng’s cheeks, Su Chenzhu’s eyes darkened.
“Mr. Su, I’m fine.” Chao Musheng glanced at the clock on the wall. “You and Brother Liu haven’t had dinner yet. You should go eat.”
“It’s fine. I’m not hungry.” Su Chenzhu pressed his other hand against Chao Musheng’s forehead. His palm was cool, and Chao Musheng closed his eyes in relief.
Five minutes later, Su Chenzhu carefully removed the cotton ball, confirming no bleeding, then rolled down Chao Musheng’s sleeve. “Do you want to sleep a little more?”
“I feel weak, but I can’t sleep.” Chao Musheng pulled out his phone—the battery was nearly dead.
“Mr. Su, could you switch hands?” He burrowed deeper into the blankets. “Your left hand’s already warmed up from my forehead.”
“Of course.” Su Chenzhu switched hands, resting his right palm against Chao Musheng’s forehead.
Outside the door, Secretary Liu stopped the bodyguard who was about to deliver dinner. “Hold on. The boss isn’t hungry yet.”
The bodyguard blinked. “When will he be hungry?”
Secretary Liu peeked through the door crack. “Go in when the doctor brings the report.”
The boss wasn’t afraid of hunger—love kept him full.
No, scratch that. He could survive on air alone—didn’t even need water.
