Chapter 15 They're Gone

Having already been mistaken for a teammate by Lu Xiaoyao, Mingmei simply couldn't believe she was being mistaken for a player again.

Was it that obvious she was a person?

Instead of nodding or shaking her head, Mingmei could only try to force a tiny, insincere smile onto her stiff face as she continued, "If you two gentlemen are still hungry, there are some other treats here..."

"Hey! Who eats in a survival game? Be careful you don't get tricked. Take my word for it, it's best to eat as little as possible."

Charlie finished speaking and patted Mingmei on the shoulder, offering his advice earnestly.

Mingmei: ...I advise you to keep your hands off beautiful women's shoulders!

Mingmei could only place her hopes on the other player, but when she turned to him, he had the same cautious expression, saying, "Yeah, Charlie's right, it's best to eat as little as possible in the game, if you can avoid it."

Mingmei watched as a maid slipped out of the tent unnoticed while the three of them were talking.

The glaring six-hour countdown above the two players' heads instantly made Mingmei retract her pitiful, meager smile and return to her usual blank expression.

"Sis, are you angry?"

Charlie hadn't even had time to marvel at how quickly Mingmei's face changed when a group of fierce Chu Rong soldiers barged in without a word.

Then, amidst unintelligible Chu Rong chatter, Charlie and Julian were tied up like dumplings and dragged away. As they were being taken away, they belatedly realized something.

Charlie: "Was that our teammate just now?"

Julian: "I don't... think so."

Charlie: ???

"Then... were we exposed?"

"Ah... maybe."

"Why?"

"You're asking me? How would I know?"

Mingmei, who had witnessed the entire scene, stood quietly among the crowd, expressionless.

Good heavens, when those fierce soldiers rushed in to arrest people, Mingmei's heart leaped into her throat for a moment, fearing she'd be caught as well.

After all, the head cook in the kitchen had dared to threaten people with a whip that morning. Who knew if these other NPCs would also mistake her for an accomplice of the assassins and arrest her?

When the ordinary-looking maid who had come in with the soldiers stepped forward to identify them, she deliberately stood in front of Mingmei, seemingly shielding half of her.

After the soldiers took the men away, she followed the crowd and began tidying up, intending to leave with the other maids.

Standing in the line of maids, the maid who had reported the players happened to be standing in front of Mingmei. Unable to suppress her curiosity, Mingmei stared blankly at the other woman's back.

Gui Gui had said earlier that there were many NPCs in this game, and after gaining sentience, each NPC had their own consciousness and their own thoughts.

Therefore, was the other woman helping her conceal her presence out of ulterior motives, or was it simply that her data settings only allowed her to report players?

Mingmei was staring blankly at the other woman's back when the other woman suddenly turned around to look at her and said, "Here."

"What?"

"The food box you brought earlier, it was over there. We're about to leave, have you already forgotten?"

The other woman's reminder instantly made Mingmei vigilant. The food box she had brought not only contained the black wheat buns that the NPCs were supposed to eat, but also the boxed meal hidden at the bottom!

When she had gone to peddle the boxed meals earlier, she had been afraid that holding the lunch box in her hand would attract attention, so she had hidden the food box containing the lunch box in a corner. It was true that she had forgotten, but when had this person noticed?

Thinking this, Mingmei forced a smile and said, "Thank you, I forgot about it just now..." She immediately took her food box back from the other woman.

"If you can't smile, don't force it." The maid who had turned around stared at Mingmei's face for two seconds before adding, "You don't look good when you smile like that."

Hearing the other woman say this, Mingmei's awkward smile froze on her face. The next second, Mingmei dropped her smile and rolled her eyes inwardly.

Hmph!

Complaining about her smile?

With a wooden face, Mingmei stood behind the other woman, unhappily staring at her back, thinking to herself that NPCs really did become unlikable after gaining sentience.

"Rest well after you get back, you'll be busy tonight."

Just as Mingmei was about to continue grumbling inwardly, the other woman suddenly said this gently.

It's always unnerving when someone suddenly shows concern.

Mingmei looked suspiciously at the other woman's back, which was slightly taller and sturdier than her own. As everyone left the tent, Mingmei took small steps to get closer to the other woman's back. Just as she was about to say something, Mingmei clearly sensed the other woman's back suddenly stiffen.

"What are you doing?"

Mingmei: ?

For some reason, Mingmei suddenly felt that the other woman's voice might be slightly trembling because of her sudden approach.

"I, I just wanted to say—thank you?"

Actually, she wanted to ask if they knew each other, but according to what she currently knew about her own character background, there was no one like the person in front of her.

But she wasn't sure if asking directly would reveal anything.

"No need." She glanced at Mingmei sideways before quickly turning her head back. "Just call me 'A-Chen.'"

"Huh? Which *chen*?"

"*Chen* of the *chenshi* hour (7-9 am)."

"A-Chen!"

Mingmei had just finished speaking when she saw the other woman suddenly turn around and lower her head. Just then, a group of soldiers walked past them, and the smell of blood on their bodies instantly assaulted her.

Mingmei also subconsciously lowered her head, frowning slightly. The Chu Rong army was currently stationed outside Hualiang Capital, and the two sides had not officially started fighting, but the smell of blood on these soldiers was so strong that it was as if they had just returned from killing people somewhere.

She could also hear the Chu Rong soldiers speaking in their dialect, and their boisterous laughter was accompanied by snippets of conversation that gradually reached her ears.

The vague words "village massacre" and "sweep" made Mingmei feel uncomfortable from the bottom of her heart.

Bai Xiao, who had missed out on the boxed meal, was currently watching the live broadcast and saw the look of shock and anger on Bai Xiao's face after overhearing the Chu Rong soldiers' conversation.

"Bai Xiao, what's wrong?"

Lu Xiaoyao, who had missed out on the boxed meal, couldn't help but ask what she had heard that made her expression so terrible.

"They... they massacred the people in the nearby villages, saying... it was practice."

As she spoke, Bai Xiao felt as if she was about to grind her teeth into pieces. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly, and these things triggered other memories.

Seeing this, Lu Xiaoyao quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, saying nothing to comfort her, only saying, "Hang in there, we must succeed tonight!"

"Mm."

As the two women encouraged each other on the live broadcast, Mingmei had already returned to her small tent to rest. The chat was filled with angry comments about the Chu Rong army's actions in the *Thorn Emperor* plot!

[Damn it! They're all people! How can they do that!]

[My family is in the outer star field... my grandfather said that it was like this when we fought the Zerg before...]

[The Zerg must die!]

[The Zerg! Must die!]

[Daughter, go for it! Kill the tyrant!]

A group of people couldn't help but associate the Chu Rong's brutal actions with the Zerg. As soon as they made this connection, the effect was instantly maximized, and everyone hated the Chu Rong army's behavior. They all wished Lu Xiaoyao and the others success tonight.

However, Mingmei, who had just witnessed two out of five people being arrested, really didn't know what to say.

Watching the live broadcast, Mingmei gently shook her head, opened the food box she had just taken back, and was dumbfounded.

"Huh? Where's the boxed meal?"