Do the dishes

Jiang Qi⁠‍‍⁠‍‍​‌‌⁠‍‍‌⁠⁠‌​‌⁠​⁠‍‌‌ was awakened the next morning by knocking at his door. Opening it with a displeased expression, he found several people standing outside.

Gu Siyu, at the front, looked somewhat awkward. “They said it’s almost breakfast time, and we need to start preparing food.”

“What breakfast? Can’t we just grab some cornflakes from the fridge and soak them in milk for her?” Jiang Qi’s eyes were half-closed, looking entirely half-asleep.

“Ah… but if we do that…”

“Mary’s from abroad, right? They show it on TV all the time. Foreign breakfasts are just instant cereal with milk, they eat at the cafeteria for lunch, and only cook a proper meal at dinner.” As Jiang Qi spoke, his eyes were almost shutting again. “Besides, our task explicitly stated that what we need to make is dinner.”

“Even so, you should still get up.” A young girl standing in the back row knitted her brows. “We need to find the menu before dinner, and we have plenty of things to do afterward.”

Jiang Qi looked down at the little girl who barely reached his waist, glaring up at him reproachfully. “Little kid, how old are you?”

“I am not a little kid. My name is Yu Siwei, and I’m already fourteen years old this year. I can already be called a woman.” Yu Siwei was extremely dissatisfied with Jiang Qi’s form of address.

“Alright then. In deference to a fellow woman and the little rabbit, I’ll clean myself up and come out in a bit.”

“Hmph.” Yu Siwei turned her head away and left.

The rooms provided for players inside the instance were equipped with basic daily necessities, including a complete set of fresh clothes, except…

Jiang Qi looked at the closet full of uniform, casual-style hoodies, offering virtually no freedom of choice. He offhandedly picked an off-white hoodie to change into, casually tied up his shoulder-length hair, and stepped out.

In the kitchen, everyone except him had already found a seat. There were no special dishes on the table, only the same cornflakes soaked in milk, with an already prepared bowl placed beside Gu Siyu’s empty seat.

Jiang Qi naturally sat down there, bade everyone a smiling good morning, and began eating breakfast.

Everyone watched Jiang Qi eat, and after confirming he was fine after taking a few bites, the others gradually started eating as well. Gu Siyu handed Jiang Qi a piece of paper as he ate: “This is the schedule we found this morning. It records the times for Mary’s school commute as well as various daily living arrangements for Mary’s mother.”

Jiang Qi glanced over it. Mary’s breakfast was at 9:00, she left for school at 9:40, returned home at 19:00, and dinner time was at 20:30. In between were various trivial chores such as watering flowers, taking yoga classes, feeding the puppy, and supervising Mary’s homework.

“What we need to pay attention to is that after Mary gets home, there’s still an hour and a half before dinner. Since the NPC will be in the same room with us, accidents can easily happen. So we must prepare protective measures for our dinner in advance.” Gu Siyu said with a stern and composed face, “Therefore, dinner must be ready by 19:00, and the time following that will be a defense battle.”

Jiang Qi tilted his head. “Are those the exact words your brother told you?”

Gu Siyu froze for a second. “How did you know?”

“Too rigid. Like an eagle.”

Gu Siyu muttered softly at this strange analogy, “Why is everyone an animal…”

Jiang Qi looked toward the corner at Gu Ming’en, who had deliberately kept his distance from the crowd. Gu Ming’en’s right hand was loosely curled as if holding something, his wrist twitching subtly from time to time. Without looking closely, one wouldn’t notice his movements.

However, Jiang Qi caught it: he was observing all the players. His skill was likely able to compile player profiles through observation and recording.

Gu Ming’en’s hand stopped moving. After meeting Jiang Qi’s gaze, Jiang Qi shifted his eyes back to the schedule. “Her mom’s life sure is exciting. I wonder if I can attend this yoga class?”

“I really can’t listen to this anymore!” Zhu Gan slammed the table and glared in rage. “Even if you’re a newcomer, you should be able to distinguish priorities, right? Even if players don’t actually die in the instance, the pain and experience at death are synchronized with reality. Do you really hold your own life in such low regard?”

“Even if you don’t care about your life, don’t drag the rest of us down!”

“You care so much about my life. Are you treasuring human life, or…” Jiang Qi replied in a calm tone, “…are you worried that I won’t die when I’m supposed to, or to be precise—die in your place?”

Zhu Gan choked up. Jiang Qi continued, “Finding the menu is a collective task; as long as any single person finds it, that’s enough. Once the menu is found, everyone will prepare their own dish. Even if I fail to cook mine, it won’t affect your survival. The way you constantly berate me makes me feel like you have ulterior motives regarding my life.”

Zhu Gan wanted to refute, but for some reason, he suddenly recalled Jiang Qi’s expression from last night.

The cold, contemptuous gaze and intense murderous aura.

Every time he sensed that from an instance boss, he was never far from death, and the vibe Jiang Qi emitted was remarkably similar to those bosses.

No, this is just a newcomer. It’s all his imagination.

Zhu Gan composed his emotions again, intending to regain lost ground and use his skill to teach the guy a harsh lesson.

“You won’t find the menu!” Mary appeared in the kitchen. “I’ve said it many times, you cannot possibly find the menu.”

Looking at Mary, who had suddenly appeared, Zhu Gan didn’t dare act in front of the NPC and quickly reined in his skill.

During the daytime, Mary’s eyes were no longer blood-red, making her look no different from an ordinary person. She hopped onto a stool and swung her small feet. “Where’s my breakfast? Why are you all eating breakfast, but there’s no portion for me? Mary is going to get angry…”

“My dear Mary, you are already an elementary school student. I believe you can already handle breakfast by yourself, right? As for us, we were invited by your mother to prepare dinner. Before dinner, I reckon you can take care of yourself—and even… help me wash the dishes.” Jiang Qi pushed his empty bowl in front of Mary, a warm and friendly smile on his face. “Your teacher at school must have taught you the same, right?”

Mary: “……”

Mary’s face immediately fell.

The players watching from the side were terrified. Just when everyone thought Jiang Qi was about to be violently torn apart by Mary, she actually picked up the dirty bowl and walked over to the sink to wash it.

“How could this…” Gu Siyu’s tone was filled with astonishment from the side, unable to hold back his look of admiration. “How did you do that?”

Jiang Qi tapped the schedule. “Homework also includes housekeeping chores. Helping to wash dishes and mop the floor at home all count. That’s how it’s portrayed on TV.”

The rest of the group was also more or less surprised. This was the first time they faced an instance NPC without having to tiptoe around, and even managed to make the NPC do chores for them.

Yu Siwei’s eyes lit up. She drank the remaining cornflakes from her bowl in one gulp and raised her bowl high. “Mine needs washing too!”

Mary gloomily turned her head and walked toward her. She glaringly gave her a fierce look, took the bowl, and turned back around. Gu Siyu found this extraordinary and handed over his own bowl as well.

Sure enough, despite Mary’s non-stop glare attacks, she still obediently washed the bowls.

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Mary, who was already uncomfortable while eating, turned her head around discontentedly: “What else do you want?”

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“It seems I’ll have to work hard for the sake of a sandwich.” Jiang Qi stood up and stretched. “By the way, when they aren’t used to scare people, your shark teeth are quite cute.”

Mary was stunned for a second. But as soon as she lowered her eyes and saw the plate messily smeared with butter, she couldn’t help grinding her teeth again: As long as I find a chance tonight, I’ll eat him…

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In the living room, several players gathered together with worried expressions. Gu Siyu asked, “Are we sure only the doghouse hasn’t been checked yet?”

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“We’re sure,” the woman who had been silent all along spoke up, instantly defusing the tense atmosphere.

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She possessed formidable combat abilities, but unlike Xu Badao, she wouldn’t use her powers to slaughter the innocent.

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The more instances he experienced, the more Gu Ming’en realized that players were sometimes even more critical than instance details. Therefore, upon entering the instance, he had immediately pulled up the corresponding data on every player to facilitate his deductions about the game’s progression.

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Gu Ming’en withdrew his gaze and pushed up his glasses. “A coincidence.”

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“We were just discussing whether the menu was hidden inside the doghouse. You haven’t seen that doghouse, Jiang-ge. It’s two stories tall and as big as…” Seeing Jiang Qi, Gu Siyu couldn’t help explaining, hoping for some insight. Yet halfway through his sentence, the smile on Jiang Qi’s face completely vanished. His eyes turned freezing cold, staring at him as if looking at a dead man.

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“O-Okay.”

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Only after Jiang Qi had completely left did Gu Siyu raise his head, looking thoroughly aggrieved. “Ge, what did I say wrong just now? He suddenly became so terrifying…”

“It’s fine, just change how you address him.” The Feather of Vanity in Gu Ming’en’s hand finally moved, scribbling a line under Jiang Qi’s profile.

[Taboo: Does not allow others to call him “ge“. Reason: Uncertain. Whether it is a weakness: Uncertain.]

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Just as Gu Ming’en was racking his brain over how to persuade the players to head to the doghouse to search for the menu together, the booming broadcast echoed through the room once more.

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[Congratulations to the players for successfully finding “Mary’s Weekly Menu.” Today is Monday, hurry up and prepare a delicious dinner for Mary~]

Everyone froze in astonishment. Yu Siwei was completely bewildered. “Did someone go to the doghouse to fetch the menu?”

No one answered. In truth, the question was entirely redundant. All the players had been gathered in the living room discussing the menu, leaving them no time to search elsewhere. Only one person had been absent—the newcomer they all looked down upon.

Just at that moment, the door pushed open, and the absent man returned.

Jiang Qi held a bouquet of small daisies and a bag of pet food. “Why are you all still here? Since the menu’s been found, hurry up and gather the ingredients. Weren’t you all rushing earlier?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Jing was the first to stand up and leave. As Xu Badao passed Jiang Qi, he offered a rare word of praise. “You little noob is much more useful alive than this bunch.”

Jiang Qi didn’t respond. Brushing past him, he walked straight to the coffee table, poured water into an empty vase, and arranged the small daisies inside.

Having finished her breakfast in the kitchen, Mary walked out and glared viciously at Jiang Qi, clearly having heard the announcement about the menu.

Jiang Qi gestured toward the vase in his hand. “Pairing these flowers with rabbit heads, doesn’t it feel just like a picnic in the countryside?”

“Finding the menu won’t save you! I want to eat ten rabbit heads, and they must all be delicious!” Mary furiously grabbed her schoolbag from the sofa. “If they taste terrible, I won’t eat them!”

Mary slammed the door heavily behind her, leaving only Gu Ming’en and his two companions standing by the sofa, staring at Jiang Qi.

Gu Siyu’s admiration for Jiang Qi had reached unprecedented heights. Curiosity burned inside him, but he didn’t dare speak, terrified of saying the wrong thing and offending him again.

“Laoshi… Jiang-laoshi…” Gu Siyu stammered softly, deliberating over the title, only for Yu Siwei to cut in ahead of him.

“Jiang-laoshi, may I ask how you accomplished this?” Yu Siwei adopted an exceptionally well-behaved demeanor, looking like a proper fourteen-year-old girl for once.

Jiang Qi set down the vase and replied offhandedly, “It’s very simple. Just ask the neighbors.”

“Ask the neighbors?” Seeing that his reaction was pleasant, Gu Siyu chimed in hastily, “Jiang-laoshi, why did you think to ask the neighbors?”

Gu Ming’en seemed to realize something. “The daily schedule.”

“Precisely, the schedule.”

“But why the schedule?” Gu Siyu still hadn’t caught on.

Jiang Qi glanced at Gu Ming’en, and the latter picked up the explanation immediately. “The schedule listed every single task down to specific, whole hours, indicating that the person who made it has a strong sense of OCD. Furthermore, judging from the nursery rhyme, ‘Mommy’ deeply detests anyone who doesn’t understand or follow the rules.”

“Making Mary wash the dishes this morning… Was that to test to what extent the schedule had to be strictly obeyed?” Gu Ming’en asked thoughtfully. Had this man already deduced everything the moment he saw the schedule?

“No, I purely just didn’t want to wash the dishes.”

Gu Ming’en: “……”

Gu Siyu urged, “So, ge, you still haven’t explained what this has to do with the menu!”

Gu Ming’en cast a helpless look at his foolish younger brother. “For someone who acts strictly by the rules, it’s impossible for the menu to be brand-new for just this week. It’s highly likely she eats specific foods on specific days of the week.”

“Therefore, one only needed to ask the neighbors what ingredients ‘Mommy’ bought on which days to figure out the exact menu.”

Gu Siyu was struck by a wave of realization. “So that’s how it works!”

“But the NPCs in these instances aren’t that kind,” Yu Siwei noted. “How did you get the NPCs to tell you the truth?”

“Nothing special. We just exchanged a few tips on growing flowers and raising pets. They gave me these flowers and pet food as a thank-you for sharing my experience.”

“You even have experience raising this kind of dog?” The Feather of Vanity in Gu Ming’en’s hand began to twirl rapidly. This was a creature half the height of a house; compared to normal large breeds, it bound to have countless terrifying differences.

“Of course. Though the dog in this instance is on the smaller side, it’s essentially no different from the ones I raised before.”

Gu Siyu was incredulous. “I only recently left reality… Have dogs already mutated to be that huge?”

Even though Gu Ming’en had entered the game ten years ago, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that barren planet could breed such massive beasts. Sensing an ominous presence, he asked the question that concerned him most: “Where did you raise your dogs?”

“The Confinement Zone.” Jiang Qi tore open the bag of pet food, his warm, pleasant smile turning bone-chillingly eerie. “I raised quite a few.”

Yu Siwei and Gu Siyu cried out in unison, “You come from the Confinement Zone!”

As expected, there was something deeply wrong with this newcomer from the very start.

Gu Ming’en’s right hand began to tremble uncontrollably, shaking so violently that he had to shove it into his pocket to hide it.

As the Feather of Vanity wrote frantic strokes in secret, a line of blood-red text materialized before his eyes:

[Origin: Confinement Zone.]

[Danger Level: DANGER! Seek immediate assistance from a Supervisor upon encounter.]

[Mini-Theater]

Q: When Jiang Qi and You Sui meet for the first time, who should they thank?

Jiang Qi: At the end of the day, they should thank Gu Ming’en and his pen.

Gu Ming’en: I was terrified at the time, my hand was shaking like I had Parkinson’s.

Feather of Vanity: I was terrified too, wuwuwuwuwu…

Barring any surprises, God You will make his grand entrance in the next chapter, hooray!!!!

PS: In reality, Qi-zai isn’t a tabby cat, but a spotted linsang
. Though in Qi-zai’s eyes, they’re all just little kitties =.=… Also, Qi-zai will cut his hair later on. The main reason he grew it long is simply because there are no hairstylists in the Confinement Zone.