Chapter 73: Danger Looms, the Ball Is Coming! (Please Follow!)

Everyone left the Starlight Bar.

The Bat Man remained there forever.

None of the others could even retrieve any equipment or props from him to enhance themselves; the Bat Man died with zero value, not even leaving behind residual warmth.

After fully becoming a Drink Man, the bartender had the Starlight Bar's security staff drag the corpse away and dispose of it, warning them in the process.

"You are all esteemed guests; such dirty work will not soil your hands, and desecrating a corpse is a profoundly impolite act."

The meaning was clear enough.

You are forbidden to touch the corpse!

They reluctantly left.

Could they really stay here for a drink?

No one had the confidence to replicate the bartender's cocktails; they were unworthy to drink them.

"Hey! Do you really believe that Masked Knight can mix every cocktail?" Young Lady Rose couldn't help asking.

Young Lady Black Cat also nodded: "Indeed, he must have used some kind of prop, and the rare wines he took from the bartender might be useful items—should we go find him?"

"But this ship is enormous, with over a thousand passengers—where do we even look?" Thorns Dandy sighed helplessly.

Only North Wolf remained in deep thought.

Then, uncertainly, he said:

"What if… he really can mix them?"

The other players: "?"

What the hell are you talking about?!

Who would waste time learning to mix drinks, let alone perfect the skill to the point where even a veteran bartender feels ashamed?

He immediately chuckled at himself: "Yeah, who'd be that bored?"

The group continued discussing where to go next.

A few servers beside them exchanged glances.

One stepped forward, smiling: "Esteemed guests, mealtime has arrived. Please proceed to the nearest dining hall—this way."

With that, she led the way.

The remaining servers followed the players silently, never leaving their side.

Strangely, every server's step frequency and stride length were perfectly identical, as if copied and pasted from a single person.

As they walked, the players felt sweat begin to bead on their skin.

Separately, the servers seemed unremarkable, but together they radiated an uncanny unease.

It was like the uncanny valley effect.

They finally endured their way to the dining hall entrance.

Before entering, they saw it was packed.

Yet it was utterly silent.

The vast dining hall echoed only with chewing and the clink of cutlery against plates—no trace of liveliness.

The eerie sensation was like a centipede crawling up the spine, sending chills and sweat breaking out.

"Esteemed guests, one does not speak while eating or sleeping. The captain dislikes loud noise in his dining hall. Please enjoy your meal in silence," the server smiled.

With that, she led them to an empty table, precisely seating five.

After the players sat down,

all the servers stood beside them like exquisite porcelain dolls.

At every table stood one or two such servers; though their appearances and skin tones varied, they seemed drawn from every corner of the globe.

Yet without exception, all were beautiful and elegant.

Even standing beside the table, they were more than worthy of the term "a feast for the eyes."

If each guest was assigned one server as standard,

this cruise ship had at least a thousand servers!

It was impossible to fathom where the dance party's organizer had found so many high-quality women and trained them to such perfection.

Clang—

"Mmmmm… help…"

Before anyone could order, a diner at a nearby table suddenly collapsed, clutching his throat with both hands.

His expression was agonized beyond measure, his face swollen into deep purple-red.

Foam poured from his mouth, making his words unintelligible.

But everyone could see his head growing longer, with strange shapes bulging from his eyes and forehead.

His back curved tighter and tighter until he curled into a ball like a boiled shrimp…

No! Not like!

Within ten short seconds,

the fallen diner had fully transformed into a gigantic fresh shrimp, even wriggling and hopping on the spot from dehydration.

The server assigned to serve food saw this.

Immediately stepped forward and pinned it down.

It was unimaginable how these slender female servers managed to pin down a shrimp taller than a man, holding it utterly motionless.

"Take it to the kitchen for processing," one server finally dropped her ever-present smile.

At these words, everyone was stunned.

They whispered as quietly as possible: "Could you explain… what exactly happens in the kitchen?"

They had not yet ordered or begun eating.

So speaking did not violate the rules.

But the waiter turned around, his face once again plastered with that copy-paste smile, and denied it: "Distinguished guests, I do not understand what you are saying. This cruise ship has no kitchen at all, and please do not ask about such ethereal matters."

You just said "kitchen" yourself a moment ago!

The players' expressions were extremely ugly.

But they had no choice.

Could they possibly resort to force?

Using force in a Nightmare-level instance is the stupidest behavior!

The waiter continued: "By the way, if any of you have allergies to certain dishes, you must state them in advance; otherwise, once the dish is served, it cannot be returned. Wastefulness is shameful."

The one just now most likely ate seafood he was allergic to.

Everyone shook their heads repeatedly, indicating no dietary restrictions.

But in this oppressive environment.

Everyone still ordered only the simplest bowl of plain water noodles.

Afraid of eating something unclean.

They finished lunch in ten minutes.

They didn't even want to sit here for a single second.

Everyone hurriedly stood up and fled in a panic.

However, about half an hour after they left.

A magenta Kamen Rider Diend walked into the restaurant.

As soon as he reached the entrance, he started shouting loudly: "I want Australian giant lobsters! Bluefin tuna and South African Kong Que abalone!"

The staff member in charge of taking orders in the restaurant answered awkwardly: "Mr., we do not have those things you mentioned here."

Wu Wang angrily retorted: "Why! Aren't you the most luxurious cruise ship in the world, the most legendary ball? You don't even have these common dishes? I want to complain about this restaurant!"

Regarding his peculiar line of thinking.

The female waiter accompanying him seemed already accustomed to it, stepping forward to help her colleague out of the predicament: "Please stop being unreasonable."

"This is a Chinese restaurant."

Wu Wang, like a child being coaxed, mumbled: "Oh, then give me a portion of egg fried rice, no eggs, no rice, large portion, I am very hungry."

Restaurant staff: "..."

Damn it! Is this person here to pick a fight!

————

After finishing the meal and leaving the restaurant, several players did not continue to gather together; they separated again to explore this cruise ship.

Even with the precedent of the Bat Man, it was impossible not to learn about this place at all, right?

Sitting and waiting for death would only lead to a more miserable end.

It was just that this exploration was even more cautious.

Almost upon reaching every public area, before entering, they had to stand outside and observe for over ten minutes, only daring to walk inside after roughly understanding the rules within.

Nightmare-level instance! So terrifying!

Everyone's steps were extremely difficult!

Afraid that one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation!

They simply couldn't believe that madman who had run out so early, having conducted no information exchange with them at all; how should he deal with these nonsensical rules?

Oh, perhaps he is already dead.

The group had already assumed that only five players remained alive to continue the instance game.

This exploration took a very long time.

Until nearly eight o'clock in the evening.

The waiter by each person's side, as if programmed, reminded them:

"Distinguished guests, the first night's ball is about to begin. Please follow me to the venue."

Everyone on the entire cruise ship, led by the waiters, gathered in one direction; the scene of people coming and going made the players unable to help but start feeling nervous.

Their main quest was 【Before the ball on the last night, find your own partner to attend together】.

Now it is the first night's ball.

This ball is especially important!

It concerns their understanding of the ball rules, as well as the true difficulty and completion method of the main quest!

There can be no carelessness!

So, after everyone regrouped, they mustered ten thousand percent of their spirit and proceeded together.

A grand and dazzling venue! Guests in various magnificent costumes! Countless masks on the road made their vision dizzy and confused.

But this still could not stop them from seeing...

Seeing the pink Kamen Rider Diend standing at the entrance of the venue!

Such an outfit is hard not to see!

Diend was smiling at every guest entering: "Entry fee is 648 yuan per person, no refunds or ticket exchanges. Hello, have you bought a ticket? If not, please come here to pay."

But the most critical part was not here.

What made all players grind their teeth to pieces was—

Standing beside him was a familiar female waiter, the very one who had led him away during the day.

She was now wearing a bunny girl outfit.

A devilishly fiery figure paired with a heart-warming natural smile left many passing guests staring in awe.

At this moment, she was reaching out to accept the money tickets being handed to her.

The so-called entry fee Wu Wang mentioned.

Looking every bit like she was in cahoots with them.

"Damn! What did I just see? Am I hallucinating?" Thorns, unable to contain himself, yanked out two of his own whiskers.

Miss Rose also gnashed her teeth in confusion: "What exactly did he do? How can he make NPCs obey like this?"

Having spoken, she glanced at the waiter beside her.

Still wearing a standardized professional smile, showing not a trace of a living person, as if merely a robot executing a task.

North Wolf was stunned too.

He suddenly seemed to understand.

Why Old Xiezhi, before entering the game, had told him to add 【Yan Shuangying】 as a friend, so that after the other party joined the game for a duo run, he could seriously remind him:

"Do not contact him in advance."

"Once inside the dungeon, whatever he does has his reasons."

"You may question, you may disobey, but do not disrupt his rhythm. I believe he can save you."

Good heavens! What a big shot!

In just a single day.

They were still struggling to move forward!

And here, he was already like a fish in water, training the waiters around him into bunny girls?

How did he do it!?

At this moment, Wu Wang also spotted them in the crowd.

Waving his hand, he shouted boldly in their direction:

"Hey, gentlemen! Come in and play!"

"Welcome to the First Night Ball!"

Peril everywhere? That doesn't matter.

What matters is—

The ball is about to begin!

May everyone have a wonderful time!