Chapter 30: A Fool's Flash of Inspiration

An Li’s words struck like a sudden awakening to those still dreaming. Had she not spoken, it might have passed unnoticed, but once mentioned, the other players instantly felt an overwhelming hunger creeping upon them, barely bearable.

“What’s going on? I already ate breakfast,” one protested.

“This probably isn’t about whether we’ve eaten or not. Hunger… perhaps it’s a negative buff inherent to this dungeon?” another suggested.

“Try to sense it carefully—do you feel a slight fatigue? My stamina seems to be diminishing bit by bit.”

“Mine too, though it’s subtle. I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out.”

“Uh… if our stamina keeps dropping, won’t we eventually collapse and die from exhaustion?”

After a thorough self-examination, all the players recognized their current state and realized the situation was precarious, especially the continuous loss of stamina.

An Li promptly pulled out a stamina recovery potion and drank it.

This act drew the attention of the others—just drinking a potion so casually? So extravagant? She must be wealthy!

Cao Yu, knowing An Li was a modestly affluent young lady, wasn’t surprised. He simply asked, “How do you feel?”

After assessing her condition, An Li shook her head lightly. “The hunger remains, and the lost stamina hasn’t recovered.”

After a moment’s thought, she deduced, “Though stamina is decreasing, the rate is slow. At this pace, we should be able to hold out for about fifteen hours.”

“Hmm…”

Cao Yu had roughly estimated the same duration. As players evolved, their mental strength sharpened, allowing them to finely control and perceive their physical and mental states. They developed a vague sense of what full stamina and spiritual power felt like in their minds, becoming acutely aware of their consumption.

The higher the level of evolution, the more delicate the perception.

Estimating how long before stamina is exhausted was not difficult; how precise the estimate was depended on their mental arithmetic skills.

“So, in about fifteen hours, our stamina will be completely depleted?” the swordswoman asked with a grave expression.

“Probably less than fifteen hours, unless we stay put and avoid any stamina-consuming activities,” the fitness instructor speculated. “I imagine there must be a way to replenish stamina in this dungeon, otherwise…” He shook his head and left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood his implication.

At that moment, a young-looking, clear-featured boy, somewhere between adolescence and youth, looked toward An Li and said, “Sister, do you have any theories or clues about how to restore stamina?”

“No,” An Li replied coldly.

“Uh…” The boy continued, “You were the first to notice the hunger and you’re clearly observant and intelligent. Don’t you have any guesses?”

This exchange caused some subtle glances among the group.

Despite the fact that An Li wore a helmet resembling a Pikachu head, judging by her figure, demeanor, and style of dress, she was certainly quite young.

Why did this clear-featured boy call everyone “sister”?

Cao Yu, looking at the boy, silently dubbed him “Mr. Flirt.”

The group included the fitness instructor, a merchant, the swordswoman, a bespectacled man, and “Mr. Flirt.” Cao Yu then scanned the remaining three players.

One was a bald man whose gaze subtly lingered on An Li.

Another was a round-faced woman looking somewhat lost.

The last was a poised woman dressed in a business suit, exuding the aura of a corporate executive.

The female executive spoke up, “We’ve just entered the dungeon and haven’t even left this plaza. There are too few clues to speculate meaningfully. Perhaps we should ask the NPCs inside—they might know something.”

She seized the moment to propose, “This is a supernatural dungeon, and any that involve the dead are never simple. Let’s form a team and move together. It’ll be safer to watch out for one another. What do you all think?”

“Count me in,” the swordswoman was the first to agree.

“Add me too. The girls can form a team,” the round-faced woman quickly chimed in, then glanced at An Li. “Are you coming?”

An Li ignored her.

The executive woman was silently exasperated. What a fool! Why emphasize gender in a situation like this? That only makes people see you as trouble immediately!

As expected, the fitness instructor shook his head and said, “We have too little information and no clear direction for exploration yet. Forming teams now is inefficient. It’s better to split up and explore first.”

“I agree, separate exploration is better,” the merchant smiled, nodding toward the fitness instructor. “I’ll pair up with him.”

“Won’t reconsider?” the executive woman tried to persuade, smiling. “Going solo in a supernatural dungeon is a bad idea.”

“Going with fools is even more dangerous,” the merchant replied, shaking his head. “Let’s set a time to regroup and exchange information. How about before nightfall, we meet back here at the plaza?”

“Sounds good.”

The bespectacled man, not the executive, gave the response. After speaking, he led the bald man away.

It was clear they knew each other; the bald man had a fierce aura, but he deferred to the bespectacled man’s more refined demeanor in their actions.

At this point, “Mr. Flirt” approached the executive woman. Upon nearing, he greeted the executive, the swordswoman, and the round-faced woman, then smiled warmly.

“Three sisters, may I join you?”

The swordswoman remained silent.

The round-faced woman immediately replied, “Of course. But since we’re all girls, you’ll have to protect us.”

“That’s a joke, sister. You all look much stronger than me,” he laughed. “But don’t worry, I won’t hold you back.”

Truthfully, he most wished to join An Li’s “bandit squad.” Cao Yu had displayed remarkable strength, and An Li was likely a young wealthy lady, not lacking in items. Unfortunately, both were hard to approach.

He had to settle for second best.

“Everyone else has left, so let’s set off,” the executive reminded her teammates. “This city, given the climate, should be in summer. If it matches the real world, less than two hours remain before nightfall. We need to act quickly.”

…

After leaving the plaza, An Li directly asked Cao Yu:

“Why didn’t you persuade the others to act together this time? Do you already know how to clear the dungeon and don’t need them?”

Cao Yu was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to the many implied criticisms in her words.

Suppressing his bewilderment, he replied in order:

“First, I never persuaded anyone; that’s called cooperation. Miss An, you misunderstand me deeply.

Second, the dungeon’s background and hints provide very little information. Splitting up to explore, then regrouping to share findings, is undoubtedly more efficient.

Lastly, the dungeon has only been open for less than ten minutes. Why would you think I already know how to clear it? What do you take me for?”

“Just call me An Li, no need to be so formal,” she reminded him. “We’re comrades in this. By the way…”

She took the initiative.

“Those two people you killed earlier, do you want me to help you forge them into corpse puppets?”

“…” Facing someone so single-minded, Cao Yu gave up explaining and played along. “No need, I prefer to just chop people up. By the way, do you have a safe channel for buying and selling items?”

An Li nodded. “The Liu family is just a small clan. The two items you got aren’t even hot potatoes. I can help you sell them.”

Cao Yu couldn’t help but appreciate the advantage of dealing with a clever person. He only hinted at his intent, and she immediately grasped it, saving much effort.

At the same time, he marveled at how quickly one could profit from killing and looting. Two items required participating in two dungeons to obtain normally; now, he had them simply by killing two players. No wonder so many players liked such shady dealings.

Of course, someone like him—with great character and noble morals—could naturally resist such base desires.

“Selling items can wait until we leave the dungeon. Just come find me then,” An Li continued. “Right now, we have two places to investigate: the police station or the cemetery. Which do you choose?”

“The cemetery…” Cao Yu glanced at his player panel.

[Hint: The dead will rest forever in the cemetery.]

He didn’t pick from An Li’s two options but instead asked,

“How do you interpret the dungeon’s name, ‘Common Grave’?”

“For now, only literally,” An Li answered. “Many people buried in the same grave—that’s ‘Common Grave’.”

“Do you think there’s already a ‘common grave’ built within this dungeon?” Cao Yu pondered aloud. “If so, how large might it be? How many are buried there…”

“…”

An Li instinctively scanned the surrounding blocks.

The bustling streets, people coming and going.

Passersby cast curious glances at their “Pikachu bandit” costumes.

Everything appeared normal.

Yet Cao Yu’s words triggered a foreboding sense deep in her heart…