Unused Kitchen

Similarly to Madam Liu, Sister Hong died with her limbs twisted in crooked angles and her neck broken. Even at her last moment, her eyes were still wide in fear and unwillingness, so vivid it was as if she could spring up at any second and revive as a vengeful ghost.

"I… I didn't hear anything at all last night…" Xinxin whispered tremblingly.

Tang Ye's face was grim. "Me too."

Nian turned to Jin Jiuchi with questions in his eyes. He had witnessed how sharp and acute Jin Jiuchi's senses were and if there was someone who noticed the ruckus last night, then it could only be him. In response, Jin Jiuchi, who was draped bonelessly over the dining table, replied in a careless tone, "Ah… I seemed to have heard an argument and some fighting last night?" However, he had not paid it too much attention for he was quickly growing numb having to hold the same position for so long last night.

Seeing his unusually low spirit, Tang Ye couldn't help but ask in concern, "Brother Yang, are you okay…?"

It was still fine if Tang Ye did not bring it up, but now that he did, Jin Jiuchi could not contain the sorrow and grief in his heart anymore. He straightened up and shot an accusing look at the jade doll. "Isn't it Nian'er's fault?! He kept me up all night, tired me down to the bones and forced me to keep the same exhausting position! My waist, arms and calves are still sore now!"

Xinxin almost spurted out the water she was drinking. She coughed while covering her mouth, "S–Sorry…"

Tang Ye's face turned red. W–What was he thinking?! Little Brother was just a child, for God's sake! Moreover, both of them were brothers! But why did Jin Jiuchi's words sound so…

"Shut up!" Nian snapped at him angrily. What the hell was up with this crazy pervert? What 'kept me up all night'? It was only two hours, for God's sake! Hadn't he learned his lesson from last night?! Or did he want to get stabbed again?!

Just in time, Zhi walked in through the door and a hushed silence immediately fell over the table. All of them had an inkling that Sister Hong's death must have something to do with him, yet no one dared to confront him about it at all. The initial seven people were reduced to five within the span of a day. The dining hall had never felt as spacious as it was today.

"G–Good morning, Brother Zhi…" Tang Ye greeted him nervously, only to receive no reply in return as Zhi sat down on another table for two on the other side of the hall, adding on to the awkwardness in the air.

Cloaked in this tense atmosphere, they waited and waited but the cooks who were supposed to bring their food did not come at all.

Jin Jiuchi rubbed his growling stomach and pretended to lay down like a corpse, his spirit was at an all-time low. "I'm going to die… I'm going to die this time for sure…"

Sensing that something was off, Xinxin stood up from her seat and tugged on her bangs clipped with cyan blue hairpin. "Um… let me check the kitchen."

"Oh, me too!" Tang Ye volunteered to accompany her, and both of them left the dining hall.

After the two of them disappeared from sight, the jade doll made a move to jump down from the chair. "Wait!" Jin Jiuchi caught his wrist in a hurry. "Nian'er, where are you going?"

Nian shrugged him off with an impatient look. "None of your business. Stay here and don't bother me."

Jin Jiuchi let out a sharp gasp and clutched his chest as if the jade doll's words had physically hurt him. But Nian was unmoved and resolutely ignored him with a frosty expression. As such, Jin Jiuchi could only watch, aggrieved, as the jade doll strode toward Zhi's table and took a seat opposite the other. At first, Zhi did not even deign to give the silver-haired boy a glance, but then Nian said something to him that caused Zhi to show a look of surprise, and the two of them started to talk in a quiet, hushed voice.

The distance between them was too far for ordinary people to hear what they were saying. But how could it ever deter Jin Jiuchi from eavesdropping? With a sullen look, he pricked up his ears and concentrated all his senses on that table and eventually, pieces of faint conversation drifted to his ears.

"...deduce the death condition…"

"That's right, I have discovered almost all of them."

"What do you want?"

"Simple, let's cooperate and—"

Xinxin and Tang Ye burst in through the door with a panicked look on their faces, distracting Jin Jiuchi into missing out on the last sentence Nian was saying. "I–It's bad!" they fumbled to say. "Everyone disappeared!!"

"What?!" Jin Jiuchi shot up to his feet, aghast. "What do you mean by that?!" If there was no one to prepare food in this place, how was he supposed to eat?! Did it mean he had to starve himself again?!

The three of them ended up following Tang Ye and Xinxin to the kitchen located in the back of the apartment, accessed through a narrow hallway.

The heavy door creaked open to reveal a dimly lit room. Dust covered every inch of the surface, including the old wooden cabinets and shelves that lined the walls. A large cast-iron stove sat in the inner part of the room with its top covered in layers of grime and cobwebs. The oven door hung open to show a dark and sooty interior. There were no dishes or utensils in the sink or on the counters, only a few old cans and bottles scattered around the room, some of which were filled with murky and dubious liquid. The stale and musty air was heavier and more intense than usual, it was as if this room had long been forgotten and left alone for decades until Tang Ye and Xinxin opened it up.

Everyone's faces turned grim when they took in the abandoned kitchen that was permeated with a sense of neglect and decay.

"What the hell…" Jin Jiuchi blurted out as he stared at the large spider hanging from the cobwebs on the ceiling. "When was this room last used? What about our food yesterday…"

Just the mere thought of them eating the food produced from this filthy kitchen was enough to send a wave of nausea over their stomach.

Without a word, Zhi turned to the staff quarters near the kitchen, and the four of them trailed behind him like baby ducklings. For the entire morning, they turned the whole floor upside down, yet aside from the players, no one remained in the large apartment.

Xinxin swallowed and voiced the doubts in everyone's mind, "Is it because of Madam Liu's death…?"

The main NPC's death caused an imbalance to the entire Cycle, resulting in the disappearance of the cooks who should have sustained the players' stomach for their entire stay here. It made sense when they thought of it, but now, they were faced with an extremely grave problem.

They still needed to stay in this Cycle for three more days, so what should they do about the food?!