Too Hungry

Too Hungry

On a deserted highway late at night, Feng Ling finally drove the Small Truck off course.

She was hungry again.

She could endure pain, but hunger was something she truly could not bear.

She had never known an empty stomach could be so torturous. Her entire stomach felt hollow, as though she had not eaten for eight hundred years. She was so hungry she felt she might digest herself from the inside out, until even her mind grew hazy from hunger!

Su Yuqing had said that his Apartment had been vacant the whole time, so there probably would not be anything to eat there. Feng Ling could only search along the streets for somewhere that sold food.

Ever since Xenomorphs had run rampant, many shops closed as soon as night fell. She searched for a long, long time before finally finding a vending machine by the roadside.

Most of the vending machine was stocked with drinks. Only the bottom shelf held several boxes of Self-heating Rice.

Feng Ling bought them all.

Cradling the Self-heating Rice, she climbed into the back of the Truck, unwrapped them one by one, and poured bottled water into each one—the heating packs quickly reacted with the water, releasing steam.

Feng Ling sat in the cargo compartment, staring intently at her food.

Huangfu Miaomiao huddled in the corner of the compartment, not daring to make a sound—she was still agonizing over whether she had made the wrong choice.

Although she had indeed sensed no malice from Feng Ling, the pressure and sense of danger the other woman brought lingered in her heart, only growing stronger.

But what else could she do? Her Demon Card was too weak in its initial state, yet it was also a high-tier Card. As a result, not a single Player she had tried so hard to befriend had sincerely wanted to team up with her. Every one of them wanted to take her Card!

She desperately needed someone to protect her. Otherwise, she would not survive!

Would the woman before her protect her?

...She probably would, right? Players killed Players for Cards, for Points, or even for the thrill of killing, while humans usually killed Players out of hatred.

So as long as she did not cause trouble or make mistakes, the other woman had no reason to kill her, right?

Besides, she could detect malice. The moment she noticed anything wrong, she would run! Yes, that was right! As long as she did that, she would be safe!

Huangfu Miaomiao's mind was a mess as she thought about her future.

Then Feng Ling suddenly asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Huangfu Miaomiao froze briefly. Following Feng Ling's finger, she looked at the Self-heating Rice giving off steam, hesitated for two seconds, and answered, "Self-Heating Meal?"

"No," Feng Ling replied.

Huangfu Miaomiao: "???"

She had been logged into humanity for less than two months, but she could read! The package clearly said: Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork Self-Heating Meal!

"This is a weapon." Feng Ling pointed at the meal box. "The heating pack releases a massive amount of heat in a very short time, making the water boil. If you flip the meal box over right now and slap it onto my face, my eyes would be scalded instantly, and I'd inhale some boiling water into my airway. The blindness and pain would make it impossible for me to accurately judge your position. You could take the chance to escape the cargo compartment. When I heard the commotion, I'd instinctively chase after you. Then you could circle around to the front, get into the driver's seat, reverse quickly, run me over, kill me, and obtain my Points and my Card—oh, right, can you drive?"

After saying that, Feng Ling looked at Huangfu Miaomiao with bright eyes, as though she were anticipating something.

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

What are you talking about?!

Ah!!!

Didn't we already agree to cooperate?! Why are you saying such terrifying things?! Could you please stop warning me like this?!

"I-I can't drive!" Huangfu Miaomiao stammered, her thoughts in disarray.

She thought she saw the faintest trace of regret on Feng Ling's face.

"Then that's too bad." Feng Ling withdrew her gaze and continued staring at the meal box. "I'll teach you another day. Driving is a very useful skill."

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

I don't want to learn!

And I don't want to kill a Boss!

I know you're testing me. Give up already! I'm not falling for it!

Feng Ling's meal was ready.

She snapped apart a pair of disposable bamboo chopsticks, then glanced at Huangfu Miaomiao again. Her gaze was full of encouragement, as though saying: Are you really not going to try it?

Huangfu Miaomiao turned her head away and curled herself even farther into the corner.

Feng Ling lost some of her enthusiasm. She opened the meal box and started eating by herself.

She did not eat quickly, deliberately observing her body's reaction. After eating three boxes in a row, the burning hunger in her stomach eased only slightly. She was still hungry.

Feng Ling kept eating.

The food traveled down her esophagus into her stomach, where it was rapidly broken down and digested. After eight boxes of Self-heating Rice went into her stomach one after another, she was finally no longer hungry, though she still did not feel noticeably full.

That left her somewhat depressed.

Her monthly salary had only ever been enough to keep her fed and clothed. Now even eating her fill was so difficult. How was she supposed to live from now on?

She really hoped the bonus would arrive soon.

Feng Ling sighed miserably for herself, packed up the empty meal boxes and threw them into a roadside trash can, then began pondering the matter.

No matter how she thought about it, it did not make sense. The prompt she had received clearly stated: You possess a strong physique and inexhaustible strength.

Where was this inexhaustible strength?

All she had now was inexhaustible appetite.

Especially after her body consumed energy to repair her wounds, the hunger inside her was etched into her bones!... Could it be that "inexhaustible strength" had to be obtained by eating?

There was no eternal energy in this world. Even the sun would one day collapse and go dark.

But if energy could be accumulated in large quantities, then once it was stored up to a certain extent, could it create the illusion of being "inexhaustible"?

Feng Ling found her line of reasoning interesting and worth testing.

After thinking for a moment, she knocked on the side of the cargo compartment and said, "Come on. We're going back to my place to move some things."

"...Huh?" Huangfu Miaomiao poked half her Skull Mask out of the cargo compartment, looking very surprised. "G-going home?"

Feng Ling had already taken the driver's seat.

Huangfu Miaomiao jumped down from the cargo compartment and hurriedly climbed into the passenger seat. As she fastened her seat belt, she asked, "Wouldn't that be dangerous? What if the Player who logged out finds helpers and goes to your place for revenge?"

Feng Ling started the engine and asked while gripping the steering wheel, "If she could find helpers, why didn't she bring them with her to the Supervision Bureau to kill me from the start?"

Huangfu Miaomiao blanked for a moment. "She went to the Supervision Bureau to kill you? But that's not what she said. She said she went to the Supervision Bureau to pick up leftovers. She never mentioned encountering a Hidden Boss... Ah! I get it!"

Huangfu Miaomiao suddenly realized. "She couldn't bear to split the Points with anyone else! So she hid the information!"

Feng Ling asked curiously, "How many Points am I worth?"

"I don't know the exact amount, but a Boss-level target should be worth at least 3,000 Points," Huangfu Miaomiao answered.

Feng Ling asked again, "Then how many Points can you earn from missions normally?"

"Six Points. I got lucky last week and received a mission worth ten Points!" Huangfu Miaomiao looked thoroughly satisfied.

Feng Ling: "..."

She wanted to mock her for being so promising, but then remembered her own position as a human, making it hard to judge.

Forget it.

The two chatted on and off in the Truck, completely unaware that someone else had been waiting long enough to breathe fire—

At the entrance to Xiuyuan Mansion, a disheveled-haired man squatted beside a motorcycle, talking on the phone.

"Su Yuqing, can you be any more reliable?! I've been waiting downstairs from the Apartment for nearly two hours and haven't seen a single Ghost Shadow! Damn it, did you tip her off so she could hide?! You made me waste two hours of sleep! I'm going to kill her!"

Su Yuqing looked at the road surveillance footage, wanting to speak but stopping himself. In the end, he silently hung up.

I made a Big Eyes red-envelope cover. I'll release it in a few days as an event reward for you all, hehe~