The Area Ahead

At the entrance to the village stood a metal gate, secured with a thick iron chain.

On the inside of the gate were three bamboo baskets covered with cloth.

As Yimo approached, he unexpectedly caught the aroma of flour.

Without hesitation, Yimo lifted the cloth covering the top basket. The contents appeared before him through the steam.

The bamboo basket was piled full of steamed buns, with at least fifty by a conservative estimate.

Yimo casually picked up a steamed bun. It was not as white as the ones sold outside, but it looked better-made and very appetizing. Its temperature was just right and it did not burn his hand.

Yimo squeezed it and was about to take a bite when Dieyu stopped him.

"Mr. Siba, be careful. It might be poisoned~" Dieyu leaned over, her body tilting slightly forward, and reminded Yimo with a smile. Half of the snow-white view beneath her shawl and above her skirt was exposed, and it was far more appetizing than that steamed bun.

Yimo glanced at Dieyu and said, "Want one? It's noon already."

Well, this was something...

She had warned him that it might be poisoned, and he had invited her to have one.

What a guy. Absolutely incredible!

Although Yimo's reply had been terribly tactless, Dieyu did not seem to mind at all. "No, no. To be honest, I don't really have an appetite~"

That made sense. This was a Death Game, and not much time had passed since they entered. It was normal not to be able to eat.

"Food is as essential as iron and steel. Skip one meal and you'll go hungry!" Yimo said as he took a bite directly from the bun. After chewing, he found that it tasted excellent—better than the ones sold outside.

Actually, that was not quite right. Yimo usually ate mostly convenience foods: instant noodles and boxed instant rice, noodles, vegetables, and the like.

They might taste good once in a while, but eating them every day had made them hard to swallow.

Yet Yimo had something of a masochistic streak. Despite being quite wealthy, he had maintained this habit.

Now, eating what looked like a handmade steamed bun, he found it tasted wonderful after a few chews.

Then he looked at Dieyu and said, "If the food had been poisoned, the game designers would be way too malicious. That seems unlikely. Really, you don't want some?"

Dieyu shook her head and refused. She did not eat any.

Pikachu found scallion pancakes in another bamboo basket. She picked up a piece without hesitation, took a bite, and said, "Mm, this is good flour. It was made properly, too."

Pikachu ran a restaurant, so she was quite familiar with foods like this that people commonly made.

Naughty Cat was pleased to see Yimo and Pikachu eating happily. When she noticed the third bamboo basket contained more than a dozen small wooden bowls, each with a wooden lid, she opened one and found stir-fried dishes that smelled delicious. She picked it up with both hands and asked, "Um... do you want some food?"

Pikachu was not at all reserved. She pulled a pair of pure-silver chopsticks from her pocket, picked up a few bites, and did not say anything about Naughty Cat.

Yimo shook his head and refused. After finishing the steamed bun in his hand, he clapped his hands and walked toward the iron gate, thinking:

Where did this food come from?

If the game system had spawned it, there was no reason for it to spawn it at the entrance to the village.

If someone had placed it here, the players could be ruled out first.

They had been the first people to arrive after the game began.

Then...

Did that mean there were other people in this game?

As for a third group of players, Yimo felt it was unrealistic for this game to have yet another faction.

That led him to consider the possibility that NPCs existed in the game.

Once he thought of that possibility, Yimo wanted to contact an NPC and see whether he could obtain some information.

Judging from the temperature of the steamed buns, Yimo guessed that the food had probably been placed here in the morning.

And the quantity was enough for twelve people to eat their fill at three meals a day.

With that in mind, Yimo decided to get up early the next morning. If he was still alive, he would definitely come to the gate and see whether an NPC really existed!

Of course, he did not share this thought with the others.

He then began climbing the iron gate.

"Hey, hey, hey... Siba Jungler... be... careful..." Naughty Cat reminded him anxiously from behind.

That iron gate was pretty high!

"It's fine."

Yimo's physical fitness was poor, but he believed climbing an iron gate would not be a problem. He finally reached the highest point and was just about to climb over when the system's notification sounded in his mind.

"Please come back and explore the area ahead later!"

Well, that wording was familiar!

Was Yimo the sort of person who would obediently listen?

Of course not!

He specifically wanted to see whether he could force his way over.

Besides, didn't some games reject you several times, only to trigger a hidden storyline if you kept insisting through the dialogue?

And so...

"Please come back and explore the area ahead later!"

"Please come back and explore the area ahead later!"

"Ding ding ding. Game rules violated. Eleven points deducted from the player."

Yimo's vision went black. His body lost control and he fell backward toward the ground.

"Damn...!"

Two meters was not very high, but falling uncontrollably from that height was still unpleasant!

"Roar!!!"

Fortunately, Pikachu was powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a sturdy frame. With a roar, she sprang forward and grabbed Yimo by both shoulders, catching him like a chick and setting him down on the ground with ease.

"Little brother Siba Jungler, are you all right?" Her concerned voice was impressively forceful!

Yimo looked a little embarrassed. He turned his head and said, "Um... thanks... I'm fine..."

"It just hurts a little..."

Only after Yimo said that did Pikachu awkwardly release him.

Yimo rubbed his arms and seriously wondered whether Pikachu had practiced wrestling or weightlifting before opening her restaurant...

Among the players in this game, if they fought, perhaps only the burly True Martial Emperor could hope to match her.

Dieyu walked over, pinched her earlobe, and lightly curled her left hand into a fist before her mouth. With a playful smile, she said, "Forcibly violating the rules will cost you points, you know~"

"Mr. Siba, do you have a lot of points? Aren't you worried about wasting them?"

Yimo looked at Dieyu. Although she seemed to be asking casually, he did not dare answer carelessly.

"I'm doing fine, I guess. I have enough to use."

"It's just that losing eleven points bothers me a little. It's not an even number, and I have a slight obsession with that."

"The system is as maliciously playful as ever. I suppose that's understandable."

Dieyu kindly said, "That's good. I don't have many points, so I really can't afford to waste any~"

"Looks like we can't leave this village. What should we do next?"

Yimo glanced outside the gate at the narrow path worn through the ground, the lush woods on either side, and the cicadas chirping incessantly beside his ears. Then he turned his head and said, "Let's go back and find somewhere cool to wait for the results from the other groups!"

"Yeah. Time to slack off!"

With that, she took the lead and walked back alone.

Yimo thought to himself that both Dieyu and Pikachu were far from simple.

The former was clearly perceptive and extremely courageous. She had not shown the slightest fear or tension in this Death Game.

As for the latter's physique, she could probably beat up several people like him.

As for Naughty Cat, she still needed to be observed.

As Yimo, Dieyu, and Pikachu all walked back, Naughty Cat stared thoughtfully at the food and did not leave right away.

Pikachu noticed that she had not followed and turned her head. "What are you trying to do, you green tea? Don't tell me you're planning to poison us!"

"Hey, hey, hey! How could I?"

"I... I... was just wondering whether I should carry the food back. None of us has eaten lunch either." Naughty Cat put on a concerned expression and tugged at the small bamboo basket, but with her strength, simply lifting it was already extremely difficult.

Pikachu suddenly laughed. "Are you stupid? Nobody asked you to handle it. Wait until those men are done and have them carry it."

"Hurry up and leave. Don't think about pulling any little tricks. I suspect you're a wolf."