"He actually agreed?" Huangfu Miaomiao was incredibly surprised.
Even if he did not know much about Cards, he should have been able to tell from the name that the Jellyfish Card was better suited for water and would be difficult to use effectively in a Tunnel.
"Just as expected." Feng Ling smiled, set down her tablet, and got up to dry her hair.
Huangfu Miaomiao picked up the tablet to take a look, then turned to Feng Ling. "Are you going too?"
"I am." Feng Ling smiled at her. "You're coming with me."
"I'm going too?!" Huangfu Miaomiao panicked. "I haven't slept all night, and I haven't eaten yet!"
"Can't you just suck down a few bags of jelly?"
"Jelly?"
"The stuff you were sucking on in the car," Feng Ling said.
Huangfu froze for a moment before realizing what she meant. "That's Nutrient Paste! You have to buy it with points! A tiny bag costs two points!"
"Two points?" Feng Ling found that funny. She asked Huangfu Miaomiao, "How many points do you have left?"
Huangfu Miaomiao pursed her lips. "Sixteen."
This time, Feng Ling truly could not hold it in. Clutching the hair dryer, she burst out laughing!
She had always thought she was poor, but this little xenomorph was even poorer than her. Sixteen points—how could anyone be that broke?!
"You wanted to sign a contract with me when you only have sixteen points, giving me 50 ml of Restorative for free every day?" Feng Ling mocked her mercilessly. "Won't you go bankrupt after just two days?"
Huangfu Miaomiao bit her lower lip, unconvinced. "If we sign a contract, I'll definitely do as many missions as possible and earn more points."
She was pretty inspiring, actually, Feng Ling thought.
"There are still two bags of instant noodles in the kitchen. Cook them yourself if you want to eat. I'm heading out." Feng Ling set down the hair dryer, ran her fingers through her hair a few times, tied it into a simple ponytail, and went to the bedroom to change.
They were both women, so Feng Ling had nothing to hide and did not close the door.
Huangfu Miaomiao followed behind her like a tail, anxiously asking, "Where are you going? What are you going to do? When will you be back? Don't you need rest? Aren't you tired?"
Feng Ling really did not feel tired. Her energy seemed unusually abundant. The only issue was that she had eaten too many instant noodles last night, all the same flavor, and now she felt a little nauseated.
"You have too many questions. You only get to ask one." Feng Ling pulled on a hoodie and a pair of athletic pants.
Huangfu Miaomiao hesitated, opening and closing her mouth as she watched Feng Ling dig her ID and bank card out of her suitcase before heading for the door.
Seeing that Feng Ling was about to leave, she finally could not hold back. Chasing her to the doorway, she asked, "What if you run into Players outside?"
"Call the police, obviously~"
Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."
It was so strange. Like a madman suddenly saying something only a normal person would say.
Click—
The front door closed.
Huangfu Miaomiao stood dazed beside the door for a while before returning to the sofa and sitting down in a fog.
The apartment was large, and with Feng Ling gone, it felt even more empty. Huangfu Miaomiao felt at a loss.
She was hungry, exhausted, and sleepy. Ever since those two men, one fat and one thin, had captured her, she had not rested properly.
The sofa here was so soft. Maybe she should sleep first... But what if a Player ran into the Hidden Boss? She had only just found some peace. She did not want anything to happen to Feng Ling!
Huangfu Miaomiao opened the Player Forum and carefully read through the new posts from today.
She clicked on every post with "Boss Hunt" in its title, afraid that someone might expose Feng Ling's whereabouts on the Forum.
As she read, the words seemed to turn to paste, becoming sticky and abstract... Her eyelids began fighting each other, and she finally could not hold on any longer. She lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.
When Feng Ling returned, Huangfu Miaomiao was sleeping soundly.
Her small body was curled up on the sofa, her cheeks and mask covered by messy hair. Her severed arm was exposed on the outside, making her look especially pitiful. Though the wound had healed after being injected with Potion, the half of her arm that had melted away would never grow back.
Feng Ling watched her from beside the sofa. She looks like a dog.
She actually liked small animals. But ever since she was young, stray cats and dogs had always taken detours around her. Even animals in pet stores bared their teeth at her, so she had never kept a proper pet.
Who would have thought that she would end up raising a xenomorph?
Feng Ling placed the children's clothes, shoes, and socks she had bought beside the sofa, then sat down nearby and took out her new phone.
—Super Strong Super was going to add her to a group, and it was inconvenient not having a phone. So she had gone out early in the morning, found a cash machine to withdraw money, then visited a service center to get things set up. She had even gotten Huangfu Miaomiao a secondary SIM card. In short, she had spent the whole morning running around.
After installing her usual apps, Feng Ling joined Super Strong Super's group.
The moment she entered, she saw someone complaining that there was not enough time to buy a suitable Train Ticket.
Super Strong Super said: Can't you buy a plane ticket?
That person immediately snapped back: There isn't even any proof about the xenomorph yet, and you expect me to buy a plane ticket? I haven't seen a cent of the reward, but I'm supposed to throw in several thousand first? Do you think everyone's money grows on trees?
That makes sense, Feng Ling thought.
The next second, Super Strong Super kicked that person out of the group.
Super Strong Super: We enter the Tunnel by 7:00 tomorrow morning at the latest! Anyone who can't make it can leave the group themselves!
Super Strong Super: Those staying, change your names to your Forum IDs so it's easier to recognize each other!
People left the group one after another.
In the end, only six people remained.
Someone named "Energetic Girl Li Kui" said in the group: How about tonight? The sooner we finish, the sooner we get paid.
Super Strong Super seemed to be in a hurry too and asked everyone: Does tonight work? Can everyone make it?
Feng Ling glanced at the sleeping Huangfu Miaomiao and replied: Too rushed. Let's stick with 7:00 tomorrow morning.
Super Strong Super: Then it's 7:00! Get to Jiangkou City Train Station first. I'll send the exact location at 6:00 tomorrow morning! Don't be late!
Jiangkou City was a small fourth-tier city near Qingjiang City. It only took two hours to drive there.
Feng Ling opened her map app, selected Jiangkou City, and zoomed in—
The terrain there was relatively flat, and there were no industries like coal or iron mining. From the map alone, there was no way to tell where an underground Tunnel might be.
"Looks like I can't scout the place out in advance~" Feng Ling was a little disappointed.
She liked acting according to organized plans.
Even if she could not scout the area, she still had to prepare what she needed. The lighting in the Tunnel would probably be poor, perhaps nonexistent. She needed to buy emergency lamps and flashlights, as well as sturdy rope and non-slip shoes. Hammers, axes, and shovels would also be useful—they could serve as both tools and weapons...
Feng Ling's fingers slid across the screen as product images from an online Shop filled her view.
Why was nothing cheaper? An axe was priced at eighteen hundred. Why didn't the seller just rob people outright?
Ding—
A text message notification popped up:
Your online banking account received a deposit of 1,000,000 yuan at 10:25 on May 11.
Feng Ling paused slightly.
She tapped place order and confirmed the payment.
An axe was priced at eighteen hundred. The seller had to have a reason for it.
Before you continue