Mission Complete, Raw Materials Explode

Under the inexplicable sense of humiliation, Ji Yan opened the bag. Inside were some common rations.

Bread, compressed biscuits, unidentified jerky...

Though they were coarse staples, in the Eerie World, this kind of human food was already considered a luxury.

With this amount, Ji Yan wouldn't have to worry about food for at least a week.

"Alright, what do you want to borrow?"

"Blood Lyre."

At the mention of Blood Lyre, the Bewitching Eerie immediately understood: "You're that Dead Drunkard's kid from 404."

"Yeah. My father's leg is hurting badly, so he sent me here to get medicine."

"Who told you that was medicine?"

"That alcoholic bastard is always eyeing my stash of booze. I didn't think he'd actually stoop to playing the sympathy card."

The Bewitching Eerie sneered, thoroughly disgusted by that Gourmand Eerie.

Ji Yan frowned in confusion. "Why didn't he just say so outright?"

The task was mandatory. Whether Blood Lyre was wine or medicine, the Player had to complete it. What was the point of all this unnecessary scheming?

The Bewitching Eerie propped her chin on her hand and chuckled lightly. "To keep you from having any other ideas."

"He never expected you to come back alive. From the start, you were just a bargaining chip."

"I made a deal with that guy—if he sent a kid over, I'd reward him with half a bottle of Blood Lyre."

In other words, this was a single-supply chain.

Whenever a Player spawned in 404, the Gourmand Eerie would use the task to lure them to 101, offering them up as nourishment for the Bewitching Eerie.

Not only did they each get what they wanted, but they also didn't break the Apartment's rules.

Ji Yan's expression darkened upon hearing this.

So this was the real trap...

The Bewitching Eerie tossed over a bottle the size of a soy sauce container. Ji Yan caught it hastily. "According to the deal, I should only give you half."

"But I'm in a good mood today, so here's a full bottle. Take it back and report."

Ji Yan stared at the liquid inside the bottle. It was dark red, almost black, and looked very thick.

He couldn't help but wonder—what kind of wine was this, that it made the Gourmand Eerie so desperate for it?

"If you're curious, you can sneak a sip. But don't blame me for whatever happens after."

"Besides, you'll never guess what I brew this wine from~"

Hearing the Bewitching Eerie's slightly teasing tone, Ji Yan shuddered for no reason.

He didn't dare to think about it, nor did he want to.

He just wanted to finish the task honestly.

Hopefully, the Gourmand Eerie would drink himself to death!

"Can I leave now?" Ji Yan asked, afraid this female eerie might get too fixated on him and force him to stay, turning him into her permanent supply.

The Bewitching Eerie did want to.

But the game task was mandatory. As an NPC, the eerie couldn't override it; violating it would bring punishment.

"Go ahead."

"But I am curious—how did you figure out I had that kind of tendency?"

Ji Yan coughed twice and forced himself to lie through it. "That kind of thing doesn't need to be said outright."

"Sometimes, you can tell from a single glance."

The Bewitching Eerie's smile turned dazzling and seductive. "You look so honest on the outside. Didn't expect you to be even more twisted than me, huh?"

"..."

To survive, whether he was an innocent good boy or a sadistic pervert, Ji Yan didn't care. It was all just a performance.

The door behind him slowly creaked open. Just as Ji Yan turned around, the Bewitching Eerie's meaningful farewell reached his ears: "See you next time, little brother."

Ji Yan didn't reply. In his mind, only a fool would come back.

He turned and stepped out of the unsightly room.

Watching Ji Yan flee like he was escaping, the Bewitching Eerie unhurriedly stubbed out her cigarette and lifted her pale, slender leg.

"With that Dead Drunkard as your father, you're not getting away."

"I've got my eye on you!"

The Bewitching Eerie licked the corner of her mouth with lingering interest, gently touched the healing wound on her cheek, her gaze growing hazy as she savored the memory...

The door opened, and Cheng Fang, who had been planning to drag Ji Yan out, came trotting over with a cart in tow.

But when he saw Ji Yan walk out instead, he froze on the spot.

"Holy shit! Are you a person or an eerie?!"

Ji Yan shot back: "Do I look like an eerie to you?"

Staring at Ji Yan's bloodstained clothes, Cheng Fang stood there, his brain momentarily short-circuiting.

"You didn't... kill that female eerie, did you?"

"No, that can't be. You must have found some loophole."

He knew how terrifying that Bewitching Eerie was. If she could be killed, so many Players wouldn't have fallen victim to her.

Ji Yan said: "I told you before I went in—just satisfy That Eerie."

As if to prove Ji Yan's words, the Bewitching Eerie's voice came from inside the room: "Little Cheng, clean up the room."

"I'm going to sleep."

Cheng Fang quickly replied. This time, the look in his eyes toward Ji Yan had completely changed.

Every time her lust faded, the Bewitching Eerie would fall into a deep sleep, often for days at a time—this period was also Cheng Fang's most peaceful.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Ji Yan picked up the Blood Lyre and turned to leave.

But Cheng Fang grabbed his arm, his eyes full of admiration: "Bro, don't rush off! Can you at least tell me what Hidden Strategy you found?"

"Here, I'll trade you three days' worth of Rations!"

"Five days! Sit down and let's talk slowly!"

For a Player stuck in Room 101, Cheng Fang lived in constant fear facing the Bewitching Eerie every day.

If he could find a way to subdue her, it would be a permanent fix!

Ji Yan naturally had no intention of revealing the method he'd worked so hard to obtain.

Anything loses its novelty. He might have to deal with this Bewitching Eerie again next time. If he told Cheng Fang and the guy used it repeatedly, the new discovery she'd just found would quickly grow stale, and it wouldn't work next time.

That would be cutting off his own escape route.

"No strategy. Pure skill."

"I told you—good weapons are useless if you don't have enough firepower. Otherwise, even a 32cm Gun is just decoration."

With that, Ji Yan turned and left.

Leaving Cheng Fang standing there with a ridiculous expression, unsure whether he believed it or not...

Stepping out of Room 101, the task was finally complete.

Ji Yan let out a long sigh of relief. This life-or-death first game mission had finally been finished, albeit through twists and turns.

Without lingering, he turned and ran upstairs.

Soon, he was back in Room 404.

Liu Yitong and Dong Chu hadn't returned yet. Ji Yan walked straight into the Gourmand Eerie's room.

"Damn brat, you haven't left yet?"

The Gourmand Eerie's face turned grim the moment he saw Ji Yan.

He instinctively assumed Ji Yan hadn't even set out.

According to his private deal with the Bewitching Eerie, if Ji Yan went to Room 101, he couldn't possibly come back alive.

The only one who would return to see him was the Bewitching Eerie, sending the Blood Lyre via Cheng Fang.

"Father, I've already gotten the medicine."

Ji Yan took the Blood Lyre from his waist and set it on the table.

"What did you say?" The Gourmand Eerie was stunned at first, staring at the bottle of dark, murky red liquid.

One glance was enough to confirm it was the Bewitching Eerie's Blood Lyre.

He looked at Ji Yan's completely unharmed body in disbelief, all kinds of guesses flooding his mind.

How did this kid come back alive?

"How did you get it?"

"That Sister was very easy to talk to. I told her my father's leg was rotting badly and he couldn't sleep at night. She was deeply moved after hearing it, so she gave it to me."

Hearing Ji Yan's shameless fabrication, delivered without a blush or a tremor, the Gourmand Eerie's face instantly darkened.

That woman, moved?

He wouldn't believe that bullshit even if he were dead!

But the moment he saw the Blood Lyre, the Gourmand Eerie's mind was consumed by it, to the point he couldn't even bother thinking about how this bargaining chip had survived.

He twisted off the cork and greedily gulped it down...

Soon, Ji Yan caught an extremely foul smell.

The stench was overwhelmingly fishy!

It smelled like alcohol but not quite—why was it so irresistible to the Gourmand Eerie?

"Get the hell out of here. Stop being an eyesore!"

The Gourmand Eerie's eyes began to glaze over with intoxication as it spat impatiently at Ji Yan.

Even though Ji Yan had secured a full bottle of Blood Lyre, he still got no better treatment.

In its eyes, these Players were there to serve it—more like slaves than children. If it got annoyed, it would just kill them and swap in a new batch.

Ji Yan said nothing, turned, and left the room.

As he closed the door, he heard the Gourmand Eerie's voice, laced with both love and hate.

"That bitch's blood down there—how the hell is it brewed? I've never drunk such amazing wine in my whole life!"

Ji Yan choked.

A wave of revulsion hit him.

Damn!

So the raw material was menstrual blood. The stuff in this Eerie World really was more unhinged with each new thing.