Chapter 85: Successful In-Person Meet

"The Service Area is only five kilometers away, but the Endpoint is fifty kilometers?" the woman in a red down jacket frowned. "That gap is way too big."

"Fifty kilometers, we have only eight hours; walking fifty kilometers in eight hours is almost impossible," Yang Yunsheng adjusted his glasses. "But the Service Area is too close; the system won't let us reach it easily—there must be a trap."

"Not necessarily?" Qi Yue sighed, standing before everyone. "For those ordinary people from the previous world, walking fifty kilometers in eight hours is indeed difficult..."

Qi Yue scanned the group; everyone fell silent, their gazes almost all fixed on him, waiting to hear what he would say.

"You've all definitely seen that kind of attribute‑boosting medicine, right? We're no longer ordinary people; what if the system set it just right? With effort we could achieve the goal, but once we head to the Service Area we couldn't achieve it. What should we choose?"

That made some sense.

For a moment everyone fell into silence, then Lao Da impatiently spat.

"What's the point of all this talk? After all that rambling we still don't know the situation! Who's that? The ex‑soldier!"

Lao Da glared at Qi Yue, let out an impatient snort, and complained, "If your dad hadn't already left! You all just waste time here! I'm heading out first!"

As the words hung in the air, Lao Da turned and walked toward one end of the road.

Cheng Shuili said nothing, silently watching Lao Da resolutely choose the fifty‑kilometer option.

A few people in the crowd looked hesitant; the thing the system sign displayed couldn't be fake, could it?

With the boost of attribute points, they had indeed left the realm of ordinary people, but achieving the fifty‑kilometer goal was still difficult.

Thinking this, a few people left the group, Min Chun keeping pace with Lao Da.

Cheng Shuili counted: six had left, fourteen remained standing, and the one who called herself "Wan Yi" had said nothing and made no move.

Qi Yue glanced at the departing few, sighed, and said, "Alright, everyone, since we've all chosen to stay, you must want to check out the Service Area—shall we move together?"

Yang Yunsheng and the woman in red nodded first; the remaining few had no objections.

Cheng Shuili had no objection either; besides these two routes there was no other choice, the Endpoint was too far, and if it were a mistake the trial‑and‑error cost would be too high.

The Service Area was close; even a round trip wouldn't take much effort.

Her attribute points were flawless; since the server opened, she had earned the most rewards of anyone.

Cheng Shuili's attribute points were low—almost intolerable.

Even if the Service Area had nothing, Cheng Shuili was confident she could catch up with them later.

But... we must seize the time!

We can't keep wasting time here!

Cheng Shuili understood, and Qi Yue and the others understood as well.

Qi Yue cleared his throat lightly; Cheng Shuili furrowed her brow, thinking he might say some formalities, but he took a big stride and led the way toward the Service Area.

The others followed behind Qi Yue and his group.

Perhaps fearing danger at the rear, they squeezed forward one after another.

So naturally, only Cheng Shuili and that Lin Wan Yi were left at the back.

Cheng Shuili quietly assessed Lin Wan Yi's appearance; he wore a hood, and his silhouette looked pretty cool.

Yet his profile contrasted sharply with the aura he projected; he had that serene, stable look, and just from his face one could only sense "dignity."

Cheng Shuili couldn't help but glance again; his face was round, an egg‑shaped face, almond eyes, the eyes were black, white, or both, looking very clean.

Cheng Shuili stared several times before suddenly realizing, "That's not right."

She had never seen a photo of Wan Yi, after all.

What's the point of looking at a face? She needed him to take off his coat so she could see his arm!

Only then could she tell whether this person was her dearest chef!

But that would be too awkward.

The best way is to ask outright.

Yet Cheng Shuili worried the people ahead would notice they knew each other, because everyone else was strangers fighting alone; a sudden pair acting in unison would be suspicious...

How could that work?

If a situation forced them to attack players, Cheng Shuili and Wan Yi would become the target of everyone's arrows!

That would be bad.

Cheng Shuili frowned, thought briefly, then suddenly raised her hand and grasped the person beside her, quickly rubbing the palm with her fingertips!

Got it!

There's an old callus! And it's a thick one!

The kind ordinary people never have!

It's definitely Wan Yi!

No escape!

Cheng Shuili's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth lifted.

She was about to say something when she turned and saw Wan Yi looking at her with a strange gaze, as if she were a pervert, about to call others over the next second!

Cheng Shuili quickly moved closer, whispering, "I am Wu Ya."

Wan Yi was stunned at first, then understood Cheng Shuili's meaning.

Two sparkling eyes met instantly.

They matched!

Wan Yi didn't know why Cheng Shuili didn't ask directly, but Cheng Shuili was the leader; the leader must have a purpose.

Since they were assigned to the same team, Wan Yi would definitely stay by Cheng Shuili's side today.

Wan Yi wanted to show off for the first time within the four‑person group.

Who's that lucky? The team Instance got carried away by the leader!

After that Cheng Shuili said nothing, and Wan Yi remained quiet; the two walked shoulder‑to‑shoulder at the back of the team, looking like strangers.

Qi Yue occasionally turned his head to check whether everyone was keeping up.

From the road sign to the Service Area, nothing unexpected happened on the way—let alone monsters, there wasn't a single living thing.

The Service Area stood beside the highway, its gray-white building complex looking especially out of place under the overcast sky.

On the concrete plaza, several rusted cars lay haphazardly, their windows long shattered, tires deflated and sunk into the ground cracked and overgrown.

The neon sign on the main building's roof was missing half its letters, and the remaining tubes occasionally burst with crackling electric sparks.

It looked as if it had been in disrepair for a long time.

The group didn't rush inside; standing at the entrance, they could vaguely see that to the left after entering was the Convenience Station, to the right the restroom, straight ahead the Jia You Zhan, and behind it a building resembling a service center.

Qi Yue carefully drew a dagger from the inside of his boot, looked back at the others gripping their weapons, then stepped into the Service Area with a solemn expression.

His boots struck the cracked tiles of the Service Area, and the clear footsteps echoed in the empty hall.