Chapter 3: My Sister-in-law, Like a Mother, Decides for Me
Hearing about the menu, the twin-tailed girl’s face turned pale. “How is this considered lucky?”
T smiled as he assessed the twin-tailed girl and Rongyi. “It’s not an arm, not a leg, not any vital organs, just lips. The area is small, easy to stop bleeding, isn’t that considered lucky?”
The twin-tailed girl shrugged, hesitatingly asking, “If, if we cut off the lips, they will regenerate when we leave the instance, right?”
“Not very likely,” the strong man said with a nonchalant tone. “Our punishment for failing the mission is leaving behind body parts. If the injuries inside the instance are reversible, then what’s the point of punishment?”
T shook his finger. “Well, you can’t say that. Once you accumulate enough points, you can buy anything from the carnival store. Whether you want Gong Li’s lips or Julia Roberts’, you can have them.”
The twin-tailed girl looked at Rongyi with a terrified expression. Rongyi seemed smart and strong, and they mostly relied on her to pass the first two levels.
Moreover, she remembered Rongyi said her skill was related to cooking. The strong man and T would definitely keep her as the chef!
That meant the one who would be eaten was likely herself…
Fear and anxiety overwhelmed her, tears welled up in her eyes. Her legs gave in, and she sat down on the ground.
Rongyi thought for a moment, stroking her lips. She looked up to find the strong man’s gaze shifting between her and the twin-tailed girl. T wore a look of “let’s see who decides to sacrifice themselves” amusement.
With no one else aware of it, the ogre is currently experiencing loss of appetite, so even if they offer up a woman’s lips, he is highly unlikely to eat them. Sacrificing in this way would be futile.
However, the current situation is clear: sacrificing a female player will lead to completion of the level, and T, the experienced player, seems to be stirring the pot, while the strong man is the type to hold onto his gains tightly.
Rongyi considered suggesting that the twin-tailed girl try to draw a realistic pair of lips. But after checking her own skill, “Meet the Parents,” she changed her mind.
The skill’s usage instructions were straightforward: say “Activate” followed by the skill name to trigger the skill, and say “Stop” followed by the skill name to interrupt it. The skill can be used for a maximum of 30 minutes per day, resetting at midnight.
This suggests three things:
1. The specific function of the skill needs to be explored by the player themselves.
2. Her skill is most likely time-limited, unlike the strong man and twin-tailed girl’s skills, which are one-time uses.
3. The most crucial point: the skill’s usage is limited.
Indeed, it is highly likely that the twin-tailed girl’s skill also has a daily limit.
Nobody knows what situations they will encounter next. Rongyi saved the twin-tailed girl once, and although she is timid, she can be considered an ally with some level of trust. Her materialization ability will be crucial support for Rongyi. Creating a pair of ogre lips that the ogre won’t eat would be a waste of a valuable opportunity.
Moreover, the mission rules clearly state, “Do not attempt to deceive Mr. Ogre.” Using the materialization skill to create non-edible lips might be considered deception.
If it is considered deception, doing something explicitly prohibited by the game rules could lead to severe punishment.
Amidst her complex thoughts, the hall’s broadcast came on, and the man’s voice was still filled with a mischievous delight:
“Congratulations, players! You’ve received tonight’s menu and studied it carefully. Mr. Ogre is waiting in the restaurant, and the dishes are ready. You can go find him at any time. Wishing your culinary skills the best!”
As the broadcast ended, the wall where the handsome male mannequin stood rose, revealing the elaborately decorated restaurant behind.
In the center of the restaurant, a man in a white suit sat with his back to them.
The burly man took a sharp breath and whispered, “The ogre… The ogre…” He quickly checked the time, “It’s almost half past five!”
They had one hour left before the final serving deadline.
He and T exchanged glances, and when T nodded slightly in agreement, the burly man rushed to the cooking area and grabbed a watermelon knife.
The twin-tailed girl understood immediately; the burly man was about to take action! She forced her weak legs to stand up and rushed to the other side of the hall to escape.
“Activate! See Wind Steer!”
The burly man teleported back to his original position, right in the middle of the straight line between him and the twin-tailed girl.
Rongyi estimated it was about 15 meters.
In other words, his teleportation had a range limit of 15 meters.
She quickly moved behind the handsome male mannequin and shouted to the twin-tailed girl, “Come here!”
The twin-tailed girl, in a state of panic, hurriedly ran towards Rongyi.
The burly man spat on the ground and glared angrily at Rongyi, “Are you stupid? Help her? There are only two women here. If I don’t cut her, are you suggesting that I should cut you?!”
Having used all four teleportations in his excitement, the burly man found himself right in front of the handsome male mannequin.
Rongyi observed that the burly man’s skill was like playing billiards, aiming for a straight-line teleportation in one direction until reaching the target position or the maximum distance.
She calculated correctly that the straight-line distance from the burly man’s previous position to where they were standing was 15 meters, exactly where the handsome mannequin was.
The mannequin opened its mouth and greeted, “Hello.”
After the greeting, it swung its wooden arm and prepared to strike!
The burly man shouted, “Activate! See Wind Steer!”
However, he was still hit while remaining in the same spot.
“See Wind Steer! See… See Wind Steer!!”
Rongyi understood that the burly man’s skill had a limitation not only in distance but also in usage times. It seemed he was restricted to using it four times a day.
He had become too overconfident and neglected to carefully examine the skill description. Now, having used all four teleportations, he was left defenseless and could only cry out in pain, unable to fight back.
T helped the burly man up, wearing a solemn expression as he looked at Rongyi and the timid girl. “You might not fully accept my point of view since you’ve just entered the game, but in this world, sacrifices are always inevitable. When I first came here, we were four players. When we left, there were only two and a half of us.”
Rongyi couldn’t help but feel surprised by the sudden shift into storytelling mode. The gravity of the situation became apparent as T shared his past experience with the game. Sacrifices were an unavoidable reality in this dangerous world.
The burly man’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, yet he still played along, asking, “Why was it… two and a half?”
In sync with his act, T immediately continued, wearing a look of distress as he said, “That time, our menu was braised human leg…”
The burly man shivered in response, then turned to angrily shout at Rongyi and the timid girl, “See that? We’re lucky enough already! Why do you still want to act recklessly and be unsatisfied?!”
Rongyi finally understood T’s intentions. He wanted them to see the so-called “reality” and give up their resistance. She glanced at him coldly and said, “Take out the ‘us.’ You are lucky because it doesn’t concern you. Since you’ve already given up using your brain, I suggest you give up talking as well.”
The burly man was caught off guard by her words, his eyes wavering. He turned back to T with caution and asked, “If this is considered as half, then what about the other half?”
T sighed, “There’s still one more. Another newcomer. He didn’t believe there had to be sacrifices and insisted on attacking the Ogre. The result…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood the outcome.
T sighed with world-weariness, “If I’ve learned anything from my numerous close calls in this game, it’s to follow the rules and prioritize collective interests.”
The burly man nodded in approval.
One is a troublemaker, the other overly clever. Having experienced many workplace confrontations, Rongyi had encountered numerous cunning individuals. Their tactics were crude and predictable, and only those who lost their composure in panic could be fooled.
But she wasn’t one of them.
She patted the timid girl’s shoulder and said, “Stay here, don’t get too far from the mannequin.” Then, she turned and walked away.
The timid girl, having given up hope after T’s speech, held onto Rongyi’s clothes with teary eyes and said, “Sister, where are you going? I’ll go with you! Even if they want to cut my lips, I won’t let them come!”
Rongyi replied, “Ah, I’m going to find the Ogre. It’s best if you don’t follow.”
The timid girl looked puzzled, but T couldn’t understand and shouted, “Didn’t you hear what I said? The right thing to do now is to cut her lips!”
Rongyi responded calmly, “Didn’t you hear what I said? I need to see the Ogre urgently. We’ll talk about everything when I come back.”
Without looking back, Rongyi walked confidently, the sound of her high heels echoing on the marble floor. She walked as if heading towards a negotiation table for a multi-billion deal.
However, the upcoming negotiation was much more important than any multi-billion deal. It concerned her life and death.
Leaving aside the fact that she completely disagreed with the game’s rule of “there must be sacrifices,” sacrificing someone without solving the Ogre’s anorexia issue would be in vain.
In terms of both personal and moral reasons, she had to find the Ogre first.
T couldn’t fathom what this short-haired woman was planning and how she was thinking. All the behavioral patterns and psychological weaknesses of past newcomers seemed to have no effect on her!
As a complete newcomer, she boldly marched right under the boss’s nose?!
Thinking it over, there was only one possibility: her innate skill must be formidable! That’s why she was so fearless.
What was her skill, though…
T looked at Rongyi walking into the dining hall and licked his lips.
*
Seeing the Ogre’s appearance from the back, Rongyi found it to be… well, it could only be described as monstrous.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his pale face stretched out into a hideous demon-like visage with bulging eyes and sharp teeth. Mucus dripped from his transformed fangs, and his hands on the table were abnormally skeletal, with long sharp nails protruding from the fingertips like monkey paws.
The first two levels were intellectual puzzles, but seeing this horrifying appearance, Rongyi felt a real sense of “Ah, this is a horror game.”
X was messaging her again.
X: Rongrong, don’t be afraid…
It turned out that despite its terrifying appearance, the Ogre was actually quite polite. When it saw Rongyi, it spoke in a gentle tone, “Hello, my chef. Where’s tonight’s dinner?”
Rongyi, empty-handed, apologized, “I’m sorry, I haven’t finished preparing it yet. I came here to…”
But the Ogre immediately raised its monstrous head, opened its dripping sharp teeth, and let out an inhuman scream as if countless tortured souls were angrily roaring, “No human flesh! No human flesh! Deceiver! Deceiver!”
The putrid breath sprayed onto Rongyi’s face, and she took a few steps back, enduring the foul smell.
Rongyi thought, “I thought being polite also included brushing one’s teeth daily.”
X interjected, “Wait, this must be part of the game’s progression. You didn’t bring the designated dish to meet it, so it went berserk!”
X continued, “Quick, activate your skill! This is the gift I tailored for you after hacking into the system!”
Rongyi replied, “That’s too cringy; please avoid doing that.”
X complied, “Okay!”
In the midst of the terrifying atmosphere and the cannibal’s furious roar, Rongyi summoned her skill, “Activate! Meet the Parents!”
Rongyi couldn’t help but feel curious about the skill X had customized for her. She wondered what kind of skill it would be that tailored to her personality. According to the observations from Da Vinci’s egg drawing of Shuangmawei and the wind-redirecting skill of the muscular man, the innate skills must be tailored to the user’s characteristics.
As she activated her skill, Rongyi couldn’t help but wonder how she was perceived in her little boyfriend’s eyes. Was she capable? Wealthy? Full of charm? These thoughts occupied her mind even in the midst of the terrifying atmosphere created by the Ogre’s rage.
Suddenly, the Ogre seemed to have spotted something monstrous and took several steps back in a hurry. Then, to Rongyi’s surprise, it knelt down before her.
Stunned, Rongyi stood there, realizing that she was being respected by the Boss. The atmosphere took an unexpected turn as the Ogre addressed her with sorrow, “Sister-in-law! Like a caring elder, the game system does not show mercy. Please, sister-in-law, make the decision for me!”
Rongyi was taken aback, not expecting such an unexpected turn of events. She hesitated, unsure of how to respond to the Boss’s plea.
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