First Dinner Gathering

"Huh?"

Seeing the information on the big screen, everyone was stunned for a moment.

Wang Yongxin was the first to stand up. "What's going on? I solemnly declare, I definitely voted 'yes'!"

The others were equally confused.

"I voted 'yes' too."

"Who would vote 'no' on something that benefits everyone?"

"It's okay, one 'no' vote won't change the outcome."

"It's true it won't change the outcome, but it means we have a mole among us!"

"The basic rules state that there's a special group of players who specialize in designing games to harm us. Could it be that our community has one mixed in?"

After a brief moment of shock, everyone started discussing animatedly, and the entire hall descended into chaos.

But it was clear that under the rules of anonymous voting, it was almost impossible to identify the person who voted 'no'.

"Everyone, please be a little quieter."

Li Renshu's voice wasn't loud, but it was steady, and the hall gradually quieted down.

"This is just a minor, insignificant interlude. I don't think everyone needs to dwell on it too much.

"When you know that seven votes are enough to pass a motion, casting a single dissenting vote is meaningless in itself.

"Therefore, I believe the only purpose of the person who voted 'no' was to sow suspicion and division within the group.

"The more this happens, the more we must not fall for it.

"As long as we trust each other as much as possible and unite as one, those with ulterior motives will never find an opportunity."

Fu Chen nodded in agreement. "Exactly, everyone must not panic.

"Moreover, we can't purely consider this matter from a rational perspective. We also cannot ignore the possibility that someone accidentally voted incorrectly or deliberately played a prank.

"Although this possibility is low, it's not entirely impossible in reality."

Their speeches eased the atmosphere in the hall slightly.

After a brief silence, Xu Tong said with some anticipation, "Then, can we have a big meal today to celebrate?"

A while later, it was 9:30 AM.

On the big screen, more information appeared.

[Chips obtained by players in "Blood Poker" will be converted into Visa Time.]

[New rules related to the "Community Security Fund" have been discovered and are being calculated.]

[Initial "Community Security Fund" balance: 52775 minutes of Visa Time.]

[A minimum living allowance will be distributed to all players at a standard of "80 minutes of Visa Time/person/day".]

[Distribution complete.]

[Current "Community Security Fund" balance: 51815 minutes of Visa Time.]

[Remaining chips will be converted into each player's Visa Time.]

[Conversion complete. You can check your personal Visa Time balance at any vending machine or personal computer.]

"Got it, got it!"

Yang Yuting stood in front of a vending machine and checked. She found that a new line had been added to the "Currency" section.

The first line was her current remaining Visa Time, and the second line had a special icon representing the minimum living allowance distributed by the Community Security Fund, which was 80 minutes of Visa Time.

"80 minutes of Visa Time for a lunch!

"I can't even imagine how extravagant that would be!"

Yang Yuting quickly scrolled down. Sure enough, there were quite a few expensive delicacies listed.

For example, the ones she had seen before:

[Braised Pork Stir-fry: 1 hour 20 minutes]

[Whole Roast Duck: 2 hours]

[10-inch Durian Pizza: 2 hours]

And various other dishes.

Originally, 2 hours of Visa Time was extremely expensive for everyone, and no one had ever dared to order anything. But now, they were not so out of reach.

After all, 80 minutes of Visa Time came from the welfare fund, and it was "use it or lose it." She only needed to pay an additional 40 minutes.

Xu Tong was also browsing the menu on another vending machine.

"Hey, I have an idea.

"Since, according to the rules, supplies purchased using the 'Community Security Fund' can be freely distributed among players and are not considered a transaction, does that mean we can pool this money together and eat it all at once?"

If everyone paid for their own meals, it would be difficult for everyone to truly enjoy themselves.

Foods like roast duck and pizza cost two hours per serving.

Eating like this meant the dishes would be limited, but ordering more would be even more expensive, and one person couldn't possibly finish it all.

If everyone pooled their minimum guaranteed visa time to purchase different dishes, it would clearly be a more cost-effective plan.

Li Renshu smiled and said, "We considered this when we proposed the motion.

"If everyone wants to have a group meal, they can pool the money together; if they don't want to have a group meal, they can choose to eat separately."

Xu Tong was delighted, "That's great! Then let's look at the menu for the group meal.

"Today is our first collective participation in the game, and it's worth celebrating properly. Everyone will choose to have a group meal, right? No one will be selfish and eat alone at a time like this, will they?"

Su Xiucen quickly chimed in, "Even if it's a group meal, there's no need to order all finished dishes, they're too expensive!

"We can order some semi-finished ingredients, and I can handle the cooking for the simple dishes."

Xu Tong nodded, "Okay, then we look forward to Aunt Su's cooking!"

The group began discussing the lunch menu in a lively fashion and finally decided to use their entire 960 minutes of visa time for the day.

They would order some finished dishes, such as roast duck, pizza, and drinks, which they couldn't make themselves. For the rest, they would buy ingredients to prepare, like vegetables and home-style dishes.

Soon, ingredients were continuously delivered from the vending machine, and the group headed to the kitchen to get busy.

Su Xiucen was the head chef, Yang Yuting and Fu Chen were her assistants, and the others helped out casually. For a while, the entire hall was quite lively.

After a few dishes were served, they went to the vending machine to buy the finished dishes.

Before long, a sumptuous banquet was ready.

"Come, let's fill our glasses!"

Xu Tong offered the red wine to Jiang He's cup beside her.

Jiang He quickly covered the rim of her cup, "No, thank you. I don't drink."

Xu Tong shook her head slightly, "If you have an alcohol allergy or for health reasons, I won't insist. If not, then just have a little. Don't worry, no one will pressure you to drink more.

"After all, today is a day worth celebrating."

Jiang He thought for a moment, then moved her hand away from her cup, "Alright then. I'll pour it myself."

This bottle of red wine was also purchased from the vending machine. It cost one hour and twenty minutes of visa time, and they bought two bottles in total.

Although it was the cheapest red wine from the vending machine, drinking it at this moment still felt delicious.

Cao Haichuan sighed, "If we have group meals every day from now on, doesn't that mean I can use my basic living allowance to buy cigarettes and then freeload off everyone else's food and drinks every day?"

Li Renshu smiled, "You can, but smoking is bad for your health, Officer Cao."

Cao Haichuan waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, at a time like this, who cares about being healthy?"

He immediately realized his words were a bit of a buzzkill and quickly changed the subject, "Alright, alright, let's toast everyone. Let's start eating before the food gets cold."

With that, everyone picked up their wine glasses, "Cheers!"

In the community hall, there was for the first time the clinking of glasses and bursts of laughter.