Chapter 29: The Supermarket Descends; Time to Recruit Xiaomei Again

"Damn it! Brother Wang, are we just going to let it slide like this?" In Dormitory 33, a dark-skinned youth looked at Wang Ao and asked.

At this moment, all of Wang Ao's lackeys were gathered inside the room. Although the dormitory rules theoretically prohibited others from staying over, it was fine as long as they didn't overstay for more than an hour.

"Of course we can't just let it slide!" Before Wang Ao could speak, another person clamored.

"Shut the hell up, all of you! If you're so brave, why didn't you charge in earlier?" Wang Ao roared. The group was instantly silenced.

Wang Ao knew that this matter absolutely could not end easily. If he lost his authority, it would be difficult to lead the team. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "We need to plan this carefully. That pistol of his is too much of a cheat!"

One lackey muttered, "Brother Wang, didn't you awaken a fire-breathing ability?"

Wang Ao's mouth twitched. "That ability has a maximum range of ten meters. Do you think its range can compare to someone else's bullets?"

The others realized he was right.

"We can only try to ambush him and catch him off guard," Wang Ao continued. "But the dormitory building is only so big, and with so many eyes, there's no guarantee someone won't tip him off."

The dark-skinned youth was truly at a loss. "Then what should we do?"

"Wait," Wang Ao spat out the word.

The others looked confused, only to see Wang Ao offer a scornful smile. "Wait for a chance when Xu Lang comes out. I don't believe he will stay inside forever. With so many resources at the resource point, can he really resist? As long as we seize a single opportunity, I can take his life!"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up. This was a good plan.

...

In Dormitory 200, Xu Lang was sleeping soundly. Having just finished a battle, he felt a bit tired. To be honest, he had never been this strong before, so he had enjoyed himself quite thoroughly. Furthermore, he felt his "driving skills" were improving; occasionally pulling off a drift or an extreme vehicle swap was no longer a problem.

Cao Yaxuan and Tong Qi were also sleeping soundly. The refreshed environment had left them very satisfied, and they both wore smiles in their sleep.

...

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Xu Lang woke up and immediately checked his gains.

[Base Nightmare Coins: 40; Conversion rate: 196%; 118 Nightmare Coins produced over eight hours]
[Total Nightmare Coins: 182]

Xu Lang had spent 200 Nightmare Coins upgrading his Colt earlier, leaving him with only 64. Now, after a single nap, his balance was trending back toward 200.

However, Xu Lang was somewhat dissatisfied with this progress. "The base Nightmare Coin production of the Nightmare Bed is too low. I need to upgrade it quickly. Plus... I can recruit a new 'Xiao Mei'!"

"Damn it! I should have recruited a girl the moment the dormitory upgraded. Missing out on dozens of coins this time meant I couldn't upgrade the Nightmare Bed, so the snowball effect didn't take off!"

Xu Lang felt a pang of regret. He mentally scrolled through the appearances of the female players and decided that Wang Yazhi was the most aesthetically pleasing to him. She was dignified, gentle, had no scandals on campus, and possessed the scholarly aura unique to a junior student.

Thinking of this, Xu Lang did not immediately send Wang Yazhi a private message. Instead, he looked at the wall clock, combined with the cooldown of the Nightmare Bed and the game countdown, and formed a rough estimate of the current time.

"It's 5:00 PM. The game started at 6:00 PM, and the Nightmare Bed resets at 9:00 AM."

Right now, the remaining hour of the 14-hour extension on the 7-day and 14-hour game countdown was about to run out. This extra 14 hours was likely a reward for ending the previous game early. Under normal circumstances, the rest period would probably only be seven days.

Xu Lang got up and began to exercise. Exercising now definitely had no downsides, and he had plenty of food. As his constitution improved, his perception followed suit. Xu Lang felt he could work out every fine detail of his muscles, and the results were excellent.

Ten minutes before 6:00 PM, Xu Lang stopped to wipe off his sweat and rehydrate. He had a premonition that something new would happen at 6:00 PM.

He was right. Tong Qi and the others were roused from their groggy state by a system broadcast.

[Dormitory Broadcast: The supermarket is now open. Everyone, please enter to make your purchases.]
[Before the second round of the game begins, new residents will gradually move into the Mad King Dormitory Building.]

"A supermarket!?" Cao Yaxuan’s spirit was instantly lifted upon hearing the word.

"Brother Lang, it looks like we can go out and buy things," Tong Qi said to Xu Lang, feeling a little excited.

Xu Lang nodded. "Pack up. Get ready to head out."

At this moment, the chat room was in an uproar.

[1 Jin Xin: Damn, finally a supermarket!]
[9 Sun Heng: Nobody fight me for it! The first one to enter the supermarket might get a reward!]
[186 Wu Huihui: Everyone on the tenth floor, gather up!]

Footsteps and shouting began to echo in the hallway, though it was far less lively than on the first day of the game. Back then, there were 400 people. Now, there were only about 50 left. Five people per floor was a lot; many floors were completely empty. The tenth and first floors had the most people.

Hearing the commotion outside, Cao Yaxuan and Tong Qi moved even faster. A supermarket—that was a symbol of civilization!

"Ding-dong, ding-dong~"

The doorbell rang. Xu Lang went to check and found Wu Huihui standing outside.

"What is it?" Xu Lang asked.

"Xu Lang, do you want to go to the supermarket together?" Wu Huihui asked.

"Alright, wait for me a moment."

Being too much of an outlier was not suitable for survival. To prevent Wang Ao and his group from causing trouble, following the main crowd might be a good choice. Of course, he would also have to be on guard against Wu Huihui.

Xu Lang said to Cao Yaxuan and the other girl, "Clear out anything you don't need from your backpacks. We'll likely be buying things at the supermarket."

"Okay!" The two women agreed in unison.

...

"Sister Hui, when did you get so close to Xu Lang?" Wang Tingting asked curiously.

"We can just talk to each other, that's all," Wu Huihui shook her head.

The people surrounding her had non-committal expressions, their minds racing with questions. Could Wu Huihui actually be interested in Xu Lang? If Wu Huihui ever became as strong as Xu Lang, would it be possible for her to recruit male companions too? After all, that was exactly what Xu Lang did.

Not long after, Xu Lang emerged. He had a long blade strapped to his waist but was not carrying his gun. Yet, no one dared to underestimate him. Xu Lang's dominance had already left a deep impression on everyone.

Before leaving, Xu Lang casually turned off the lights. Turning on the lights also cost copper coins, though it was relatively cheap. These expenses were automatically deducted from his account as the room owner. Being the head of the household was a high-pressure job.