086. Where Did That Huge Piece of Meat Go?

The bright September sun shone on Lu Ban's balcony. He looked at the air beside him and asked a question.

"You can talk?"

There was no echo in the air, as if what Lu Ban had just experienced was all an illusion.

He reached out to touch the spot where his Air Friend" was, but received no response.

"I always thought you could only listen to me and not talk to me."

Lu Ban said, but there was no response from the other party.

"Or perhaps, you were contaminated in the silt, which caused the mutation?"

When Lu Ban went deep into the mud to retrieve the statue, he was completely enveloped by the mud that emitted a metallic stench. His Air Friend, must have been in the mud as well.

The silt not only pollutes the mind, but also alienates humans into monsters.

Since that's the case, it seems there's nothing wrong with the Air Friend mutating and starting to talk.

Lu Ban didn't get a reply, but it didn't matter.

His phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Qin Tiantian.

[Wang Chuan]: Someone has gotten through to your video!!!

She put a lot of force into it, and typed three exclamation marks.

[Motionless]: Oh.

[Wang Chuan]: Give me some reaction! Shouldn't you be saying something like, "What? My carefully designed puzzle has been solved? I really can't underestimate humans!"

[Motionless]: Be normal.

[Wang Chuan]: You're trying to make it sound normal, but it just doesn't feel normal at all.

[Wang Chuan]: Want to have dinner tonight? I found a new restaurant nearby that's cheap and delicious, and most importantly, I've never tried it before!

[Motionless]: I have something to do. My Air Friend just spoke.

[Wang Chuan]:???

[Wang Chuan]: Are you kidding me?

[Motionless]: No, my greatest virtue is honesty.

[Wang Chuan]: I believe it.

[Motionless]: Well then, if you're not worried, I'll take my Air Friend out to dinner tonight.

[Wang Chuan]: Let's meet at the entrance of the community at six o'clock.

Qin Tiantian put down her phone.

"Air Friend? That's something only kids believe in, isn't it?"

She knew that Lu Ban's behavior and thoughts were a bit strange, but it didn't matter; he was still a good person.

She turned her gaze back to the screen, where precise walkthroughs for clearing the game were already circulating in the streamer group.

This guide is a sprawling fifty-page A4 sheet of paper, complete with illustrations and text, explaining the origin of each ending and how to achieve it.

One particularly rigorous aspect is that you must use a stopwatch to follow the video guide, meticulously recording the timing of clicking options, the pause points, and the angle and direction of moving the panoramic video.

It has transformed a video adventure into a hardcore game that requires memorization and skillful gameplay.

Even so, many people are unable to achieve the true ending and can only watch those skilled streamers play.

After the true ending was revealed, people had a complete understanding of the plot.

In the group chat, the streamers who had completed the game and knew the ending were all discussing it.

[Li Bai Tu]: So in reality, the Hai family can't escape the fate of becoming monsters no matter what. In the past, we could only save some people outside the town. This ending is too nihilistic.

[What Mango Eats Today]: The series of choices in the final true ending was quite captivating, giving a feeling of constantly questioning one's inner self. I was so tense while watching it!

[Seabird]: Putting everything else aside, I feel that the two main characters are really adorable. Trist, this kind of serious but awkward guy, is most suitable to be restrained by a naturally cunning and scheming person.

[Gakuen Zhang]: Be normal, don't go into heat in the hallway.

[Hanhan is a Shark]: This video can be made into a game. I feel that it would be very interesting if it could be made into a virtual reality version!

Qin Tiantian chatted in the group for a while, then, seeing that it was almost time, changed her clothes and went downstairs.

As a homebody who eats, sleeps, plays games, and is too lazy to go out shopping or socialize, Qin Tiantian wore almost no makeup, a loose-fitting T-shirt even though it was a size S, denim shorts, and flip-flops.

She walked slowly toward the entrance of the residential area, and waited there for a while before seeing Lu Ban arrive late.

"Sorry, it took a while to clean the drain."

Lu Ban's expression remained normal as he followed Qin Tiantian forward.

Sure enough, a new restaurant, a Northeastern-style barbecue, opened nearby on the back street of Jiangcheng University.

Northeastern-style barbecue is grilled on paper, and the meat is usually seasoned. It's completely different from high-end Wagyu charcoal grilling and is very down-to-earth.

The restaurant owner seemed to be from the north; he spoke heartily, served food generously, and even helped other customers grill meat—he was incredibly hospitable.

"Please come in, both of you."

The boss called out, but Lu Ban held up three fingers.

There are three of us.

"Oh, there's one more person arriving later, right? Please have a seat."

The boss didn't pay any attention, but Qin Tiantian looked at Lu Ban with a strange expression.

"I'm telling you, don't joke with me."

She sat down opposite Lu Ban and watched as Lu Ban carefully set out three sets of bowls and chopsticks.

"That's really creepy."

"It's okay, he shouldn't bother us."

Lu Ban poured Qin Tiantian a glass of cola, then poured one for the empty seat next to her, and finally poured one for himself.

There wasn't much smoke in the shop, but it was full of lively atmosphere, and the TV hanging on the side was playing the evening news of Jiangcheng.

Jiangcheng Industries recently announced a renovation plan for the Jiangcheng Grand Theater. According to our reporter, the site will be developed into an arts industry park, including an art gallery, a history museum, and a planetarium.

"Due to the influence of Typhoon Coral, the tenth typhoon of this year, our city will experience heavy rainfall over the next seven days. Please plan your travel accordingly."

Police are appealing to the public to actively provide clues so that the serial killer who has recently appeared in our city can be brought to justice as soon as possible.

"Serial killers, things really don't look peaceful."

Lu Ban thought of the two police officers who had kindly reminded him and even drove him to the zoo, and couldn't help but sigh.

"I don't even know who should be panicking if you encounter that murderer."

Qin Tiantian said awkwardly.

"Of course it's me. How can a law-abiding citizen like me fight against a vicious serial killer?"

Lu Ban said matter-of-factly.

"Hehe."

Qin Tiantian picked up a sizzling piece of pork belly and put it in her bowl, smiling without saying a word.

At this moment, Qin Tiantian suddenly noticed that the Coke that she had placed next to Lu Ban for her "Air Friend" was now empty.

"Huh? Did you sneak a drink of Coke just now?"

She pointed to the empty cup and questioned it.

"I don't have it, mine is here."

Lu Ban shook the cola he had only drunk halfway through.

"It's probably because he likes to drink Coke."

As he spoke, Lu Ban refilled the empty cup.

"I think you just want to drink more!"

Qin Tiantian said something, picked up her chopsticks to eat the meat in her bowl, but found that the piece of meat had disappeared at some point.

"Where's my meat? Where's this big piece of meat of mine?"

"It's probably because he likes to eat meat."

Lu Ban said earnestly.