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

Everyone left the Star Bar.

The Bat Man remained there forever.

None of the others could extract any equipment or items from him to enhance themselves; the Bat Man died with no value whatsoever, not even leaving behind residual warmth.

After fully becoming a Drink Man, the bartender had the 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 withdrew.

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 Rider can mix every cocktail?” Miss Rose couldn’t help asking.

Lady Black Cat nodded in agreement: “Indeed, he must have used some kind of item, and the rare wines he obtained from the bartender might be useful tools—should we go find him?”

“But this ship is enormous, with over a thousand passengers—where do we even begin looking?” Thorny 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 cocktails, let alone master it to the point where a veteran bartender feels ashamed?

He immediately chuckled at himself: “Yeah, right—no player would be that bored.”

The group continued discussing where to go next.

A few nearby waiters exchanged glances.

One stepped forward with a smile: “Esteemed guests, mealtime has arrived. Please proceed to the nearest dining hall—this way.”

With that, she led the way.

The remaining waiters followed silently behind the players, never straying far.

Strangely, their step frequency and stride length were perfectly identical, as if copied and pasted from a single person.

As they walked, the players felt sweat breaking out on their skin.

Separately, the waiters seemed unremarkable; 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 creeping dread felt like centipedes crawling up the spine, bringing cold sweat.

“Esteemed guests, one does not speak while eating or sleeping. The captain dislikes loud noises in his dining hall. Please enjoy your meal in silence,” the waiter smiled.

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

After the players sat down,

all the waiters stood beside them like exquisite dolls.

At every table stood one or two such waiters, their appearances and skin tones varying, as if drawn from every corner of the globe.

Yet all were uniformly beautiful and elegant.

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

If the standard was one per guest,

this cruise ship had at least a thousand waiters!

It was impossible to fathom how 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 guest at a nearby table collapsed, clutching his throat with both hands.

His face twisted in agony, turning deep purple-red.

Foam poured from his mouth; his words were unintelligible.

But everyone could see his head elongating, 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 seconds,

the collapsed guest had fully transformed into a gigantic fresh shrimp, wriggling and bouncing on the floor from dehydration.

The waiters responsible for serving food immediately rushed forward and pinned him down.

It was unimaginable how these slender female waiters could hold down a shrimp taller than a man, rendering him utterly motionless.

“Take him to the kitchen for disposal,” one waiter finally dropped her ever-present smile.

At these words, everyone froze.

They whispered as quietly as possible: “Could you explain… what exactly is the kitchen?”

They hadn’t ordered or eaten yet.

So speaking didn’t violate the rules.

But the waiter turned back, her face once again plastered with that copied smile, and denied: “Esteemed guest, I do not understand what you mean. This cruise has no kitchen. Please refrain from asking about such vague matters.”

But the server turned around, his face once again plastered with that same copied smile, and said firmly, “Esteemed guest, I don’t understand what you’re saying. This cruise ship has no kitchen whatsoever, and please don’t ask about such vague matters.”

The players’ expressions turned grim.

But they had no recourse.

Could they use force?

Using force in a Nightmare-level dungeon is the stupidest thing possible!

The waiter continued: “By the way, if any of you have food allergies, please declare them in advance—once the dish is served, returns are impossible. Waste is shameful.”

The man earlier must have eaten seafood he was allergic to.

Everyone shook their heads, insisting they had no dietary restrictions.

Yet in this oppressive atmosphere,

each person ordered only the simplest dish: plain clear noodles.

Afraid of consuming something unclean.

They finished lunch in ten minutes flat.

Not a single second longer than necessary.

Everyone scrambled up and fled in disarray.

Yet, about half an hour after they left,

a crimson Masked Rider entered the dining hall.

At the door, he began shouting: “I want Australian lobster! Blue-flag tuna and South African peacock abalone!”

The staff responsible for taking orders replied awkwardly: “Sir, we don’t have those items here.”

Wu Wang snapped back: “Why?! Isn’t this the most luxurious cruise in the world, the most legendary dance party?! You don’t even serve basic dishes? I’m filing a complaint!”

Wu Wang snapped back angrily, “Why not! Aren’t you the most luxurious cruise in the world, the most legendary ball? You don’t even have home-style dishes? I’m filing a complaint against this restaurant!”

seemed to have already bored the accompanying female waiters; one stepped forward to defuse the situation: “Please don’t cause trouble.”

“This is a Chinese restaurant.”

Wu Wang, like a child placated, muttered: “Oh, then give me fried rice—with no egg, no rice, and a huge portion. I’m starving.”

Wu Wang, like a child placated, mumbled, “Oh, then give me a plate of fried rice with eggs—no eggs, no rice, but make it a huge portion. I’m starving.”

You’ve got to be kidding me—this guy’s here to cause trouble!

Fuck! This guy’s here to cause trouble!

After leaving the dining hall, the players did not regroup. They once again split up to explore the cruise ship.

Even with the Bat Man’s fate as precedent, they couldn’t possibly avoid learning about this place entirely.

Sitting idle would only lead to a worse death.

But this time, their exploration became far more cautious.

Almost every time they reached a public area, they stood outside for over ten minutes, observing, learning the rules before daring to enter.

Nightmare-level dungeon! How terrifying!

The players struggled with every step!

Afraid that one misstep would lead to eternal ruin!

They couldn’t imagine how that lunatic who had bolted out early, without sharing any information with them, could possibly handle these bizarre rules.

It was hard to believe that the lunatic who had bolted out early without exchanging any information with them would know how to handle these bizarre rules.

The group now assumed only five players remained alive in the dungeon.

Several had already assumed only five players remained alive in the dungeon game.

This exploration took a long time.

It wasn’t until nearly eight o’clock at night.

Each person’s server, as if programmed, reminded them:

“Dear guests, the first night’s ball is about to begin. Please follow me to the venue.”

Under the servers’ guidance, everyone on the cruise ship gathered in one direction; the bustling crowd made the players grow tense.

Their main quest was to [find a partner to attend the ball on the final night].

Now was the first night’s ball.

This ball was especially important!

It concerned their understanding of the ball’s rules, as well as the true difficulty and method of completing the main quest!

No room for carelessness!

So, after regrouping, everyone tightened their focus and moved forward together.

A grand, dazzling venue! Guests dressed in lavish attire! Countless masks blurred their vision.

Yet this still couldn’t stop them from seeing…

Seeing the garish pink Diqi standing at the venue entrance!

It was impossible not to notice such an outfit!

Diqi was smiling at every guest entering: “Entry fee is 648 yuan per person—no refunds. Hello, have you bought your ticket? If not, please come this way to pay.”

But the real key wasn’t here.

What made every player grit their teeth was this—

Standing beside him was a familiar female server—the one who had led him away during the day.

She now wore a bunny girl outfit.

Her devilishly alluring figure, paired with a natural, refreshing smile, left many passing guests staring dumbfounded.

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

That is, Wu Wang’s entry fee.

She looked exactly like an accomplice.

“Damn! What did I just see? Am I hallucinating?” Jingji Soubao tore off two of his own mustaches.

Miss Rose also ground her teeth in confusion: “What did he do? How did he make the NPCs obey him like this?”

She glanced at the server beside her.

Still the same standardized professional smile—no trace of humanity, as if merely a machine executing tasks.

Bei Lang was stunned.

He suddenly felt he understood something.

Why, before entering the game, his boss Xiezhi had told him to add [Yan Shuangying] as a friend, so that when the other entered the game in a duo, he had seriously warned him:

“Don’t contact him ahead of time.”

“Whatever he does inside the instance, he has his reasons.”

“You may doubt him, you may ignore him—but don’t disrupt his rhythm. I believe he can save you.”

My god! What kind of expert is this!

In just one day.

They were still struggling to take a step forward!

Here, he had already turned the servers around him into bunny girls like fish in water?

How did he do it!?

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

He waved his hand and shouted loudly toward them:

“Lords! Come on in and have fun!”

“Welcome to the first night’s ball!”

Danger everywhere? That didn’t matter.

What mattered was—

The ball was about to begin!

May you all enjoy yourselves!