Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 40
A girl holding a white plush cat walked over and said, “Hello, are you just turning 18 and haven’t chosen a religion yet?”
“Although most people continue their parents’ faith when they become independent, adults at 18 are free to choose their own religion.”
“Whatever your parents believe in, please consider joining our Meow Meow Religion!”
A man walking by with a Labrador quickly interjected, “No, no, no. You should join the Woof Woof Religion.”
“As everyone knows, the protection provided by dogs is continuous, ensuring better safety from evil spirits.”
The girl holding the cat retorted, “But our Meow Meow Religion’s cats, though they provide protection less frequently, offer a higher level of protection!”
The cat in the girl’s arms meowed softly in a high-pitched voice, as if to support her argument.
The Labrador barked a few times, standing firmly in front of its owner to cheer him on.
Lin Qiao didn’t understand what these two were talking about, but he had a vague idea. Just then, the system’s voice sounded. Lin Qiao could tell something was off; the usually cold tone was much weaker.
[The “Meow Meow Religion vs. Woof Woof Religion” dungeon has been activated.]
[Due to the host’s status as an illegal immigrant, the host has been placed in the dungeon one day before its start.]
[Host’s identity: Undetermined.]
[Number of players expected: 200. Number of players arrived: 0.]
[Players have “23 hours, 15 minutes, and 27 seconds” left to arrive…]
The system paused, explaining the current situation.
[In this city filled with evil spirits, survival depends on joining either the Meow Meow Religion or the Woof Woof Religion. Unfortunately, the two player factions are hostile to each other.]
[Dungeon task: Collect likes from live-stream viewers and pet emotion values.]
[Game duration: 30 days.]
Lin Qiao couldn’t help but ask internally, “Your voice sounds really bad. Are you hurt?”
[Yes.]
Before Lin Qiao could ask anything else, the girl with the cat leaned in and asked, “So, which one will you choose—Meow Meow Religion or Woof Woof Religion?”
Everyone around, holding cats or dogs, looked at him intently.
Lin Qiao pursed his lips, interrupting his conversation with the system, and spoke gently, “But I just want to be kind to them. As long as we treat them with sincerity, whether it’s continuous protection or a large amount at once, it doesn’t really matter…”
Lin Qiao cleverly avoided the question, and it was clear that his answer was good. The people around him softened their expressions: “That’s right, we mainly want to be kind to our cats and dogs.”
“Young man is right. Only sincerity can earn sincerity.”
“Being kind to them is more important than anything. Only those who truly love cats and dogs can receive protection!”
Lin Qiao nodded, “Yes, yes, that’s right.”
Taking the opportunity, he subtly probed the NPCs, calling them “brother” and “sister” in a very sweet manner. Soon, Lin Qiao understood what this dungeon was about. It was a world filled with ghosts and spirits. The cats and dogs provided protection values to keep humans safe from being consumed by evil spirits. This led to the formation of the Meow Meow Religion and the Woof Woof Religion. Every adult would be chosen by a cat or dog from the respective religion, or stray cats and dogs would approach humans on the street. The pets in this dungeon were very spirited, and it was rare to find someone with both a cat and a dog.
After dealing with the NPCs, Lin Qiao finally had time to continue his conversation with the system.
“So I’ve been placed in the dungeon world one day before it starts. The other players will arrive tomorrow.”
“What about the murderer consumed by the terrifying shadow? He’s also a player. Did he come in with me?”
Lin Qiao checked his inventory and found the terrifying shadow, curled up there looking quite pitiful. Seemingly aware of Lin Qiao’s concerns, the system added: [Game time and real time are not synchronized.]
So Lin Qiao and the murderer disappeared together in reality, but Lin Qiao was placed one day before the dungeon started, while the murderer was placed at the time of the dungeon’s start tomorrow. Lin Qiao was safe in reality.
Lin Qiao marveled, “I have an extra day to learn a lot. System brother, you’re so amazing.”
After praising the system, Lin Qiao quickly thought, “The last dungeon had a fixed plot, a closed space, and fixed roles. Although the NPCs were flexible and could make different decisions based on player actions, the disaster in the dungeon was fixed.”
“This dungeon is different. It existed before the game started…”
Lin Qiao realized there might not be a dungeon reset here. It was more like another world, with a past and a future, and even the NPCs were not fixed.
The system confirmed Lin Qiao’s guess, and he became a little worried: “In that case, System brother won’t be able to get the power to reset the game.”
“I’ll definitely try my best to pass the dungeon and earn lots of points to help System brother recover.”
The system: […]
The system didn’t speak, but it was happy because the next second, Lin Qiao’s phone in the dungeon rang with the sound of money arriving. The system had given him ten million.
This was more than the points Lin Qiao had earned in the last dungeon. He was stunned: “I, I can’t accept this.”
Then there was another “ding dong,” and another ten million appeared on his card.
The system’s tone was cold and concise: [Fought, won.]
Lin Qiao was shocked. So you sound so weak because you went to fight and earn points?
“Is that even possible…” Lin Qiao muttered, “That’s amazing.”
Another “ding dong,” and another ten million arrived.
Lin Qiao was already numb. The system reminded him: [You deserve it.]
At this moment, the innocent Lin Qiao did not realize the deeper meaning behind the system’s words. His task was to find a place to stay, as he would be living there for a month. Additionally, he needed to adopt a cat or dog, as this world was haunted by ghosts. Owning a pet was essential for safety and to blend into this world.
Lin Qiao quickly rented a standalone villa, the kind where you can move in with just a bag. Both Lin Qiao and the players would be assigned identities upon entering the dungeon, along with the relevant documents. Lin Qiao did not arouse the suspicion of the world’s natives, as he was an illegal immigrant with an NPC identity as his trump card.
In this world, pets had to be adopted from the church. Lin Qiao fiddled with his phone and hailed a taxi, though the signal was not very good. After getting in, the driver remained silent. Lin Qiao stated his destination, and the car began to move slowly. Lin Qiao grew increasingly sleepy, yawning uncontrollably. He felt drowsy and wanted to sleep, sensing that something was amiss. Ah, yes, the driver had no pet in the passenger seat.
“Driver, stop the car,” Lin Qiao said weakly. “If you don’t stop, I’ll…”
The driver did not respond but instead increased the speed, going faster and faster. In broad daylight and under everyone’s watchful eyes, the driver, who seemed to be a male ghost, was abducting a civilian.
Without hesitation, Lin Qiao slapped the driver’s shoulder. The driver’s body jolted, and his head rolled off to the side. It looked like it wanted to roll into Lin Qiao’s lap. Lin Qiao panicked, “Watch the road! How can you watch the road with your head gone? You’re driving!”
In a flurry, Lin Qiao grabbed the ghostly head and placed it on the front windshield, trying to get the driver to focus on the road. Realizing what he was doing, Lin Qiao was stunned and his face turned pale.
As Lin Qiao was in the back seat, he had to get up and crawl to the front seat to put his things away, inadvertently exposing half of his waist. For some reason, the driver’s body, with its icy cold hand, placed itself on Lin Qiao’s waist. Lin Qiao’s fear was interrupted again, and he blushed, realizing it was a gay game for sure!
He shook off the driver’s hand, and the head on the front windshield slowly turned around and grinned at Lin Qiao. Great, Lin Qiao was scared again. But suddenly, the car braked sharply. Due to inertia, the head didn’t have time to do anything and rolled under the seat. Lin Qiao looked up to see a black cat standing on the car’s hood, with golden eyes that seemed to glow.
In this dungeon, Lin Qiao’s phone prompted: “Protection value increased by 30.” Then the taxi began to reveal its true form.
The seats and car walls inside quickly aged, becoming tattered and emitting a strong smell of blood. There was no taxi at all; it was just a scrapped car. The glass was all broken, with a thick layer of dust. The leather cushions were in tatters, and there were several mouse carcasses inside. The steering wheel was missing half, and the car door was on the verge of falling off.
After Lin Qiao got out, the black cat jumped down from the hood, raised its front paw with a condescending air, and stepped on Lin Qiao’s shoe.
Lin Qiao squatted down and asked, “Did you save me? Do you want to be my little kitty?” The black cat came closer, sniffed Lin Qiao, and haughtily rubbed against his leg. Lin Qiao was delighted and picked up the black cat to cuddle. The cat seemed not very accustomed to the hug, pretending not to care and looking elsewhere, but its tail wrapped around Lin Qiao’s wrist and wouldn’t let go.
At this moment, Lin Qiao’s phone rang.
After answering, a sweet voice came through: “Is this Mr. Lin Qiao? Our appointment time has arrived.”
Lin Qiao apologized, “Sorry, I encountered an evil spirit. It was a black cat that saved me. He chose me to be his… servant.”
The person on the other end was clearly surprised and reported something to someone else, finally saying, “We still need you to come over, as our dog has been waiting for a long time. He is a handsome boy and very popular. He really wants to meet you.”
Lin Qiao couldn’t refuse, so he quietly consulted with the cat: “Do I have to go?” The black cat turned its back on Lin Qiao, and he understood: “Sorry, the cat will be upset.” The person on the other end gave up, but just as Lin Qiao thought they had given up, someone knocked on the door of his villa that night.
At this moment, Lin Qiao had just bought a bunch of cat supplies and was setting up a room for the black cat. After hearing the knock and confirming that it was a person outside, he opened the door.
The visitor was wearing a hat and brought in a handsome and imposing Doberman.
The black cat’s haughtiness was shattered as it assumed an attacking posture towards the Doberman. The Doberman, however, stared straight at Lin Qiao and politely tried to approach him. The black cat blocked the way, and the two animals confronted each other.
Lin Qiao nervously asked, “What, what should I do?” The church representative took a deep breath and said, “Please share the love equally!”
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