After leaving the Black Serpent, Qi Xu headed straight to the buffet restaurant. They had agreed to meet for lunch yesterday, and he had been looking forward to it all morning.
Having worked hard all morning, he was feeling quite hungry by now.
By the time Qi Xu arrived, everyone else was already there—mainly because he had spent quite a while with the Black Serpent. You couldn’t just casually brush off a creature just because it seemed a bit silly; there had to be a gradual process...
Wait, no—not "brush off." More like "emotional communication."
Outside the buffet restaurant, all kinds of Level 6 vehicles were parked.
The little hedgehog waiter was excitedly snapping photos with his camera. "So impressive, so impressive! My guests are truly top-tier!"
"Hey, Hedgehog Buddy, long time no see! You’ve gotten even cuter!" Qi Xu complimented the little hedgehog first.
The hedgehog gave a very gentlemanly slight bow. "Thank you for the praise! I’m honored that Boss Whirlwind has graced my humble buffet restaurant again!"
Qi Xu paused. "Huh? Since when did you start calling me Boss Whirlwind too?"
The hedgehog also froze. "Probably got infected by Little Master Chef. He mentions it at least a few hundred times a day."
Qi Xu grinned. So he had loyal fans now!
Under the hedgehog’s enthusiastic welcome, Qi Xu strode into the buffet restaurant—only for nearly the entire place to stand up in unison the moment he entered.
Qi Xu’s steps faltered awkwardly, and he quickly repeated in his mind ten times: "You’re the boss."
Only then did he adjust his expression back to normal. "Hey, everyone! Got held up with something this morning, so I’m a bit late."
Egg Seven couldn’t help but laugh. "Boss, the way you’re pretending to be all composed is just chef’s kiss!"
Having someone deliberately point it out actually made Qi Xu relax. It was pretty funny—with NPCs he didn’t know, he felt like he could act as cool as he wanted...
But around familiar faces, he couldn’t help but "put on a show."
"Oh-ho! Let me see who’s talking—could it be the guy who cried in the group chat after not making the top five?"
Zhu Fu, sitting on a raised high chair, propped his chin on his hands, legs crossed smugly, and delivered a direct, face-slapping taunt.
Egg Seven instantly deflated. "Brother Nine, someone’s bullying me!"
Warwolf 009 scratched his head bitterly. "I didn’t make top five either..."
Egg Seven then turned to Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt.
"Don’t look at me, I did worse—didn’t even make top ten..."
A group of burly men pretended to cry in each other’s arms. Strangely enough, the scene was oddly amusing. The few who were meeting everyone for the first time had been a little reserved earlier, but now they were all laughing along.
Melon Lover even scooted over next to Zhu Fu. "I’m Melon."
Zhu Fu, inexplicably nervous, just replied, "I like melons too."
Both of them froze for a second before bursting into laughter together.
Just as the atmosphere peaked, Old White Dragon pulled out his treasured liquor.
"Come on, today’s a happy occasion! I, Old White Dragon, might not be all that impressive in-game or in real life, but the one thing I’m proud of is having such amazing friends around me. Haha!"
Qi Xu smiled as he looked around at everyone—whether it was 009 and Old White Dragon, whom he’d known the longest, or Zhu Fu and Muzi Li, who only became close after the "Soulmate Dungeon," or even Melon and Sahara, whom he was meeting for the first time today.
He genuinely felt like every single one of them was glowing...
"Alright, let’s raise a toast! Minors, automatically switch to drinks, okay?"
Bian naturally followed everyone’s gaze toward Zhu Fu—only for the drink in his own hand to be swiftly snatched away by Boss Whirlwind. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he said, "I was gonna switch, just didn’t get the chance yet."
Zhu Fu didn’t mind at all. As long as he had company, he wasn’t picky!
As everyone raised their glasses high, a completely uncoordinated chorus of toasts erupted:
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Payday!"
Whatever kind of happiness it was, it was still happiness. This gathering was nothing like what anyone had imagined—including the newcomers, who felt the same way.
Non-Champion Little Brother clutched at Lucky Queen Big Sister’s sleeve. "Why did I end up in such a high-end gathering? Sniff... Do I even deserve this?"
Sister Cut You seemed to vaguely overhear someone lacking confidence. She turned and zeroed in on the target. "You’re Non-Champion Possessed? Perfect, I’m training Little Master Chef this afternoon. You and Bian come along too—you three are probably around the same skill level, so I’ll just take you all together."
Non-Champion Possessed never expected someone on the fringes like him would get personally called out by Sister Cut You. Overwhelmed with excitement and shyness, he pressed his lips together and nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Bian had been happily munching on an orange, enjoying the warm atmosphere—a must-have scene in the early days of a team’s growth. Boss Whirlwind might not talk much, but every word counted. He was improving too.
Just as he was basking in the moment, he heard he’d be dragged off for training in the afternoon. His mood instantly soured—suddenly, the orange didn’t taste so sweet anymore.
Then, Broken Moon Promise suddenly raised her hand. "Sister Cut You, do you remember me?"
Dongfang Yuan froze, instinctively glancing at Qi Xu for help.
Qi Xu whispered, "You threw her off the arena!"
Dongfang Yuan, now confident, declared, "Oh, right! The one who cried after I tossed her off the stage. Haha—uh..."
Qi Xu facepalmed. Thank goodness Sister Cut You wasn’t as talkative as Zhu Fu, or the damage would’ve been even worse.
The poor girl’s lips were already trembling again.
"You’re coming to train too!"
Broken Moon Promise’s expression shifted lightning-fast—mission accomplished. "Yes!"
See? Opportunities favor the bold. One moment of boldness, and you get to spend quality time with your idol!
Bian had originally been in the same server as Panda Panda and China Specialty 196, so they already had history. Now that they’d reunited, the conversation was even livelier.
As for Egg Seven’s old teammates? They had already fully integrated into the group.
Unbreakable Bonds Uncle and Vitality Brother sat together the whole time, the two of them truly kindred spirits. Trading lines of poetry back and forth, occasionally sipping liquor—it only fueled their poetic fervor!
Magic Little Sis couldn’t sit still either, borrowing Boss Whirlwind’s camera to take endless photos. The only downside? No photo-editing, which cut the fun in half!
Even the little hedgehog waiter watched with great interest. The only regret? Two hours flew by way too fast...
The goodbyes alone took forever. Everyone lingered outside the buffet restaurant, reluctant to get into their vehicles.
Finally, Hedgehog Buddy couldn’t take it anymore and ran out to say, "If you all come back at the end of next month, I’ll give you another private room party pass! Just two survival coins each—I won’t lose money, and I love seeing you all gather like this!"
..........
