First Group Meal

"Huh?"

Everyone froze for a moment when they saw the information on the big screen.

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

The others were similarly confused.

"I voted in favor too."

"Who would vote against something that benefits everyone?"

"It's fine, though. One opposing vote doesn't affect the result."

"It doesn't affect the result, but it means there's a traitor among us!"

"The basic rules said there's a special group among the players that secretly designs games to harm us. Could there be one mixed into our community too?"

After the brief shock, everyone began talking over one another, and the entire hall descended into chaos.

But under the rules of an anonymous vote like this, it was clearly almost impossible to identify the person who had voted against it.

"Everyone, please calm down a little."

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

"This is just an insignificant little incident. I don't think everyone needs to take it too seriously. Knowing that seven votes were enough to pass the proposal, casting one opposing vote had no real meaning in itself."

"So I believe the only purpose of the person who voted against it was to create suspicion and division within the group."

"The more this is the case, the less we can fall for it."

"As long as we trust one another as much as possible and stand united, those with ulterior motives will never find an opening."

Fu Chen nodded in agreement. "That's right. Everyone, don't lose your composure. Besides, we can't consider this matter purely from a rational perspective. We also can't ignore the possibility that someone accidentally voted wrong or deliberately played a prank."

"Although that possibility is small, it isn't completely impossible in reality."

Their words eased the atmosphere in the hall somewhat.

After a brief silence, Xu Tong said expectantly, "Then to celebrate, can we have a big meal for lunch today?"

A little while later, it was 9:30 in the morning.

More information appeared on the big screen.

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

[New rules related to the "Community Security Fund" detected. Calculating...]

[Initial "Community Security Fund" balance: 52,775 minutes of Visa Time.]

[Minimum living allowances will be distributed to all players at a rate of "80 minutes of Visa Time per person per day."]

[Distribution complete.]

[Current "Community Security Fund" balance: 51,815 minutes of Visa Time.]

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

[Conversion complete. You may check your personal Visa Time balance at any Vending Machine or Personal Computer.]

"It's here!"

Yang Yuting checked the Vending Machine in front of her and found that an extra line had appeared under the "Currency" section.

The first line showed the remaining Visa Time she currently possessed, while the second had a new special icon representing the minimum living allowance issued by the Community Security Fund: 80 minutes of Visa Time.

"Eighty minutes of Visa Time for lunch!"

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

Yang Yuting quickly scrolled down. Sure enough, there was quite a lot of expensive food available.

For example, the items they had seen before:

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

[Roast Duck set: 2 hours]

[10-inch Durian Pizza: 2 hours]

There were all kinds of other dishes as well.

Originally, two hours of Visa Time had been extremely expensive for everyone, and no one had tried ordering anything at that price. But now, those items no longer seemed quite so unattainable.

After all, the 80 minutes of Visa Time belonged to the security fund. There was no reason not to spend it; they only needed to pay another 40 minutes themselves.

Xu Tong was also browsing the menu at another Vending Machine.

"Hey, I have an idea."

"Since supplies bought using the Community Security Fund can be freely allocated and used among players without being considered a transaction, does that mean we can pool the money and eat together?"

If everyone spent their own money, it would still be difficult for them to really enjoy the meal.

Food like Roast Duck and pizza cost two hours per serving.

That would make the selection rather limited, but ordering more food would be even more expensive, and one person would have trouble finishing it all.

If everyone pooled their minimum allowance Visa Time and bought different dishes, that would clearly be a more cost-effective plan.

Li Renshu smiled. "We had considered that when we proposed the motion."

"If everyone wanted to have a group meal, they could pool the money and eat together. If they didn't, they could each eat separately."

Xu Tong was delighted. "That's great! Then let's take a look at the menu for the group meal. Today is the first time we've all participated in a game together. It's worth celebrating properly. Everyone will choose the group meal, right? No one's going to eat alone at a time like this, are they?"

Su Xiucen quickly leaned closer. "Even if it's a group meal, we don't need to order only finished dishes. They're too expensive!"

"We can order some semi-prepared ingredients instead. I can cook the simpler dishes."

Xu Tong nodded. "All right, then we'll be looking forward to Aunt Su's cooking!"

Everyone began discussing the lunch menu at once, eventually deciding to spend all 960 minutes of Visa Time available for the day.

They ordered some dishes ready-made, such as Roast Duck, pizza, and drinks that they could not make themselves. For the rest, they bought ingredients to prepare dishes such as greens and home-style meals.

Soon, ingredients began coming out of the Vending Machines one after another, and several people headed to the kitchen to get busy.

Su Xiucen took charge as the chef, with Yang Yuting and Fu Chen assisting her. The others helped out however they could, and the entire hall became lively for a while.

Once several dishes had been brought to the table, they went back to the Vending Machines to buy the ready-made dishes.

Before long, a lavish feast had been prepared.

"Come on, fill them up!"

Xu Tong held the red wine bottle toward Jiang He's glass beside her.

Jiang He hurriedly covered the mouth of her glass. "No, thank you. I don't drink."

Xu Tong shook her head slightly. "If you're allergic to alcohol or have some physical reason, I won't press you. But if not, just have a little. Don't worry, no one will force 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 glass. "All right, I'll pour it myself."

The red wine had also been bought from the Vending Machine. It cost one hour and twenty minutes of Visa Time per bottle, and they had bought two bottles.

Although it was only the cheapest kind of red wine available in the Vending Machine, it still tasted exceptionally good at that moment.

Cao Haichuan sighed. "If we have group meals every day from now on, wouldn't that mean I could use all of my allowance to buy cigarettes, then mooch off everyone else's food and drinks every day?"

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

Cao Haichuan waved it off carelessly. "Come on, at a time like this, who still cares whether something's bad for their health?"

Then he realized that his words were rather mood-killing and hurriedly changed the subject. "All right, all right, let's raise our glasses. Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold."

With that, everyone raised their glasses. "Cheers!"

For the first time, the community hall was filled with clinking glasses, laughter, and cheerful voices.