Chapter 155: Wholesale Items
“Who? Who was it?!”
Zhou Yong’an roared in fury, waving his pistol wildly at the crowd before finally aiming it at Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang.
They were his prime suspects. But when he looked closely, he saw only three chopsticks on their table.
“Get out. You’re disturbing our meal.”
Xu Huazhang leaned lazily against his chair, tapping the tabletop with a few fingers of his right hand, staring coldly at Zhou Yong’an. Even with a gun aimed at him, he didn’t take him seriously in the slightest.
“Who do you think you are?” Zhou Yong’an pulled the trigger.
From beneath the table, a gun barrel poked out. Mu Lantu propped his cheek in one hand, smiling silently. If Zhou Yong’an actually dared to fire, let’s see if he wouldn’t be “bounced back” to death! Ever since obtaining the Rebound Word Spirit, Mu Lantu had never tested it. Zhou Yong’an would make the perfect guinea pig.
Zhou Yong’an’s accomplices lost their nerve.
He could gamble on being faster than Mu Lantu, but he didn’t dare. Swallowing his anger, he took a step back.
With his retreat, his allies’ morale collapsed completely.
Outside the restaurant, a male player complained, “That’s it? We’re just gonna let it go? Damn it, I don’t want to die like this!”
“Use your damn brain for once!” Zhou Yong’an snapped.
The man stifled his dissatisfaction and forced a smile. “Brother Zhou, what’s your plan then?”
Zhou Yong’an’s eyes gleamed viciously. “Keep watch on the restroom. Grab anyone who’s alone!”
His men quickly showered him with flattery. “Brother Zhou is brilliant as always!”
But Zhou Yong’an had no idea: no matter how he schemed, he couldn’t escape his fate. The moment he crumpled his baseball cap and threw it to the ground, his path to the underworld had already begun.
Ten minutes later, Zhou Yong’an and his crew stared grimly at a corpse before them.
They had tortured a woman to death, yet she hadn’t revealed a single word. That could only mean one thing: she couldn’t.
“Heh heh…” Yu Chengfeng let out a strange laugh. “Even if I die, I’ll drag some of you down with me!”
“What the hell are you planning?” someone asked.
Yu Chengfeng cackled madly and sprinted away.
*
After eating, Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang found a soft patch of grass behind the service area, took a short nap, and then returned to the parking lot.
1:15 p.m.
The bus was locked. The other players stood outside listlessly.
All the curtains inside had been hooked up neatly, making Mu Lantu’s heart sink.
This dungeon’s challenge wasn’t ordinary. The afternoon sun was fiercer than in the morning. Naturally, once players boarded, their first instinct would be to pull the curtains down. Since it hadn’t killed them in the morning, they’d be even less cautious now. Little did they know—it would only hasten their deaths.
Before long, the driver and tour guide arrived.
As soon as the door opened, Zhou Yong’an rushed up the steps ahead of everyone.
The corpses from the morning had vanished. The seats they once occupied looked perfectly untouched, as if no one had ever sat there.
Only then did Mu Lantu realize why Zhou Yong’an had bolted like a man possessed—he and another man had stolen his and Xu Huazhang’s seats.
Scanning Zhou Yong’an’s original seat, Mu Lantu spotted his discarded cap still under the chair.
“So, he really is rushing headlong to his death,” Mu Lantu thought.
Xu Huazhang gestured for him to sit in Zhou Yong’an’s old row by the window. Xu Huazhang himself sat in Zhou Yong’an’s stolen seat, bent down, and picked up the cap.
Mu Lantu leaned closer.
“Condition: No scratching an itch.”
Xu Huazhang calmly tore the cap apart and tossed it into the trash.
“Baby, let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.”
Kong Tingxue had claimed a window seat and sat quietly.
Ming Ruizhao, Ren Qiudong, and Fang Menglei had also taken window seats.
If the clueless players were paying attention, they’d notice a pattern: all of them wore hats, none had lowered their curtains. If they thought a step further: since they feared the sun, why not pull the curtains down?
Chen Feifei sat beside Kong Tingxue. Being next to another girl gave her a sense of safety.
After a while, Kong Tingxue still hadn’t lowered her curtain. Irritated, Chen Feifei shot her a glare, then yanked the curtain down herself.
She wasn’t the only one who reacted that way.
Kong Tingxue gave Chen Feifei a complicated look, wanting to put the curtain back up—but some unseen force prevented her. She could only turn her head away in silence.
A male player muttered something, then pulled down the curtain beside Mu Lantu before sitting in the same row. He secretly congratulated himself on his “cleverness.” If he had sat first and then gotten up again, maybe that would have triggered the death condition!
Mu Lantu removed his own hat in silence. This was the worst batch of players he’d ever seen. Utterly hopeless!
Not that they were stupid—just stripped of calm and judgment.
Xu Huazhang ruffled his hair. “Tired? If you are, lean on me and nap a little.”
“Mm, I’ll take a doze.” Mu Lantu rested his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes.
Xu Huazhang pulled out a black steam eye mask and slipped it onto him.
The air inside was even more suffocating than in the morning. Those who hadn’t figured out the condition sensed something wrong, their eyes darting restlessly, sweat pouring down.
Hu Shun beamed. “Ten minutes until departure. Let’s take roll call like this morning.”
This time he called only the living players.
Mu Lantu, not yet asleep, listened. Seven players failed to answer.
When time was up, the bus engine started.
Inside the luggage compartment, a man and a woman hid, drenched in sweat.
“Are we really safe doing this?” the woman whispered.
“Trust me! There’s definitely a killing mechanism in the cabin. Hiding here is absolutely safe. Even if the condition triggers, without a mechanism, we’ll be fine!”
“You… might be right.” The woman smiled faintly, brushed sweat-soaked hair from her face—and suddenly screamed. Then silence.
“Ah!” The man’s face drained. His legs shook, and he wet his pants. How? How?! His reasoning should have been correct!
Mu Lantu pushed up his eye mask. “What was that noise?”
Xu Huazhang pressed his head back onto his shoulder. “Someone’s hiding in the luggage compartment.”
Mu Lantu shook his head silently. Did they really think they could exploit loopholes in this dungeon?
This time, he actually fell asleep.
When Xu Huazhang woke him, the sky outside had darkened.
“Baby, almost there.”
“Okay. Let me wash my face.”
Mu Lantu freshened up with a wet wipe, then surveyed the cabin. Only fifteen players remained alive.
Zhou Yong’an was dead.
Mu Lantu wasn’t surprised at all.
His condition had been: no scratching. With sweat, itching was inevitable—and so was death.
Hu Shun stood cheerfully. “Everyone, we’ve arrived at Huofu Mountain! You may disembark!”
A few who had survived by sitting motionless without triggering anything rushed out first, collapsing on the ground in relief.
At the mountain gate, a young man with a Polaroid camera approached with a smile. “Would you like a souvenir photo?”
“Yes! Yes!” Ren Qiudong shouted.
“Alright then—say cheese!”
Click.
The picture developed. The young man handed it to Ren Qiudong.
[Item Discovered!]
[Living Buddha Mountain Gate Photo: One-time offensive item, imbued with faint spiritual energy. Capable of killing low-level ghosts.]
Ren Qiudong clutched the photo to his chest in joy.
“Everyone, hurry and get one!”
They all lined up for photos, surprised and delighted.
Looking back, this dungeon had been brutal—but the rewards were generous. Every survivor obtained an item, and an offensive one at that—practically a talisman!
A holographic screen popped from Mu Lantu’s watch:
“Congratulations, player, on completing the mission. Reward: 2 credits, 400 gold coins. You may remain in this world for 48 hours. Leave now? [Yes][No]”
From Xu Huazhang’s watch:
“Congratulations, player, on completing the mission. Reward: 2 credits, 900 gold coins. You may remain in this world for 48 hours. Leave now? [Yes][No]”
The others didn’t hesitate to choose [Yes], vanishing on the spot. Only Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang remained.
Forty-eight hours of optional stay… Mu Lantu suspected there were still secrets worth exploring. He hesitated.
Xu Huazhang read his thoughts. “Baby, whatever you choose, I’ll stay with you.”
Mu Lantu clasped his hand and decided to give up.
They had only completed four dungeon runs—not nearly enough experience. Staying to explore might not end well.
“Let’s leave.”
“Alright.”
Ding ling ling—
The dismissal bell rang in their ears.
“Baby, shall we skip class?” Xu Huazhang asked.
“Skip,” Mu Lantu replied without hesitation. Using a Skip-Class Card meant no class, but still gaining credits and base coins—well worth it. “I’ll buy my own. I have enough coins.”
He checked his stats:
Player: Mu Lantu
Year: Freshman
Class: Geology, Class 2
Level: 0
Credits: 6
Coins: 750
After spending 444 coins, he had 306 left.
Xu Huazhang bought a Skip-Class Card too.
After using them, both left the classroom.
The other students were too tired to even say “jealous.”
Outside the teaching building, free from suffocating tension, Mu Lantu revived completely and leapt onto Xu Huazhang’s back.
Xu Huazhang grinned, holding his legs firmly.
“Cafeteria?”
“Yeah! We’ve never been there since becoming players.” Mu Lantu sighed. “We’ve only been at Infinite University for less than a day, but it feels like a year already!”
Xu Huazhang squeezed his thigh comfortingly. “Besides lychee shrimp, what else do you want?”
Mu Lantu rattled off happily: “Spicy fish cakes, salt-baked chicken, sliced pork in chili broth, crispy roast goose!”
Xu Huazhang agreed to all.
Mu Lantu asked, “How many coins do you have now?”
Xu Huazhang replied, “823. The last dungeon gave me 900.”
Mu Lantu said, “I only got 400. The extra 200 should be from gaining the tour guide’s favor. As for why you got 500 more than me, it’s probably because you received a permanent item.”
