Infinity, The Arcade Age

[World: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Act 1]

[Number of Adventurers: 5]

[Difficulty Level: D]

[Main Task: Kill one elite enemy or five regular enemies]

[Task Reward: 1,000 points, 1 free attribute point]

[Task Failure: Lose 1,000 points. Failure to have enough points will result in elimination.]

[Optional Task: Participate in killing the Act 1 Boss, Tyger]

[Completion Reward: 2,000 points, 2 free attribute points]

[Failure: No penalty]

[Note: This world operates in slaughter mode, encouraging combat between adventurers. A Scarlet Key will drop if an adventurer is killed.]

As Qin Ming stared at the rapidly appearing text on the TV screen on the wall, he sat in a corner, lowering his head, struggling to control his heartbeat, trying not to expose himself.

Despite his efforts, his slightly pale face still made him stand out from the surrounding crowd.

Grinding his teeth, he grabbed a nearby shot of baijiu and downed it in one gulp. The heat surging through his stomach brought a flush back to his pallid face, and he let out a long breath, signaling a server with a stern face to order more food.

There's a saying that liquor can bolster courage. With the aid of the alcohol, he quickly blended back into the crowd, now seemingly indistinguishable from everyone else—at least, in his own mind.

As for whom he was hiding from?

His companions—or rather, his peers.

In this situation, they could easily turn into enemies.

In slaughter mode, fellow adventurers were also considered prey. And since they were all rookies with no real abilities, hunting each other was often easier than taking down NPC enemies.

Once they met, a fight to the death was inevitable.

After all, in the Nightmare World, there were no such things as teammates.

Feigning calm, Qin Ming finished ordering food and requested another drink. He ate and drank silently, carefully observing his surroundings.

The bar was filled with a mix of patrons, probably numbering in the dozens.

Among them, besides himself, were four other adventurers.

But who were they? Was it the anxious-looking chef? The burly drinker? Or maybe the hostess sitting nearby, nervously glancing around?

Watching the environment without betraying any emotions, Qin Ming couldn't quite figure things out and didn't dare make any rash moves. Leaving abruptly would only alert others and mark him as a target.

As he absentmindedly toyed with his glass, a man suddenly stood up from the crowd, paid his bill, and briskly walked out of the bar. Almost immediately after, the burly man who had been sitting silently also stood up, paid, and followed him out.

Seeing the hulking figure leave, Qin Ming's pupils constricted, and he quickly lowered his head, pretending to drink, hoping not to attract attention.

There was no way he was going to mess with someone that huge—especially when the man's arms were thicker than his own legs. Whether they were fellow adventurers or not, Qin Ming wasn't about to test his luck.

He wasn't hunting—he'd be walking into a death trap.

As he lowered his head, a waitress, having finished serving a table, turned and walked toward the kitchen, nodding at the bartender as she passed.

Her departure went unnoticed by everyone in the bar, including Qin Ming.

Moments later, as Qin Ming was about to discreetly slip away along with the departing patrons, his nose twitched.

He caught a faint, but familiar scent.

It was… gas!

Realizing something was wrong, Qin Ming shot to his feet and strode toward the restroom. But when he reached the door, he found it locked from the inside.

His face changed, and without a second thought, he began pulling at the door, even kicking it violently.

With a loud crack, the lock broke, and Qin Ming kicked the door open.

Inside, a woman sitting on the toilet looked up at him in shock, her eyes wide as she screamed.

Before her scream could fully escape, Qin Ming yanked her out by her collar, dragging her from the small restroom—so quickly that she didn't even have time to pull up her pants.

He slammed the door shut behind him and pressed his body against it with all his might.

The bar patrons were all caught off guard, staring dumbfounded at the half-naked woman now lying on the floor, swearing and pulling up her pants as she was helped up by other customers.

Two burly men with dark expressions walked up to the restroom, kicking the door and demanding Qin Ming come out.

Among the crowd, a thin man stealthily gripped a fruit knife in his pocket, his expression gradually turning vicious as he inched closer, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Just as he was about to make his move, a sudden explosion erupted from the bar's kitchen.

The next moment, a blinding flash of fire tore through the room, shattering the windows and launching tables and chairs into the air with terrifying force.

Everyone in the bar was caught off guard, many of them tossed like ragdolls by the blast. Most of the patrons were dead before they hit the ground, their bodies pierced by shards of glass and splinters of wood.

Even those who survived were mangled, bones broken, lying in the wreckage without the strength to move.

This included the men who had been kicking the restroom door, as well as the thin man who had been creeping toward Qin Ming.

The fire roared, and the bar fell into an eerie silence.

After a long pause, the faint sound of footsteps broke the stillness.

A small head peeked out from behind the charred restroom door, cautiously looking around.

Seeing no threats, a young woman in a waitress uniform stepped out, carefully avoiding the broken glass on the floor.

Surveying the carnage, she grinned, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for something.

After a moment, her eyes lit up, and she skipped toward a twitching figure on the ground.

Staring at the thin man still spasming in front of her, the girl smiled brightly.

"Found you!"

She grabbed a broken piece of wood from nearby, raised it high over her head, and—

Bang!

(End of Chapter)