Chapter 155: Welcoming Party

Qi Xia thought for a moment and asked,“Ying Xin Hui?”

“Yes,” Yun Yao nodded. “It was supposed to be held last night, but last night we drove to find Xiao Nian... so it was postponed to today.”

Lin Jian interjected, “Is this necessary? We've already lost so many teammates... This ‘Ying Xin Hui’ sounds really ironic...”

“I know, that's why I said it's a bit presumptuous...” Yun Yao gave a bitter smile. “Never mind, you all rest then. I'll go ask others.”

Before Yun Yao could leave, Qi Xia called her back.

“What's the main purpose of this ‘Ying Xin Hui’?”

Yun Yao thought for a moment and replied, “It's mainly to introduce everyone to each other and make coordination easier for future actions... Oh, and we'll also serve beer to everyone.”

Upon hearing that, Qiao Jia Jin suddenly stood up with a “thump.”

“Damn... That sounds really important. We have to go.”

Han Yi Mo seemed confused: “What's so important about it?”

“Ying Xin Hui! Writer boy...” Qiao Jia Jin grabbed Han Yi Mo's hand excitedly and said, “It just sounds so important...”

Han Yi Mo looked at Qi Xia in puzzlement. He still didn't get what was so special about the “Ying Xin Hui.”

Qi Xia sighed helplessly: “What deep plans do you think Qiao Ye has? He's practically got ‘I want beer’ written all over his face.”

“Yeah...” Qiao Jia Jin chuckled awkwardly. “I've only had beer once in the past four years, and that was before I died...”

Although Qi Xia didn't really want to attend the “Ying Xin Hui,” Qiao Jia Jin did, and Qi Xia knew he rarely took the initiative like this, so he decided to go along with it.

When the four of them set out, Han Yi Mo insisted on bringing Zhao Yi Sheng along. He said that in the previous cycle, Zhao Yi Sheng had tried to save him by stitching up his harpoon wound and keeping him conscious with conversation, so he must be a good person.

Qi Xia couldn't say whether Zhao Yi Sheng was a good person or not, but he was certainly a competent doctor who had shown great professionalism in saving lives. As for his character... people are complex and multifaceted, so it was best not to judge.

The “Ying Xin Hui” was held in the school cafeteria. They had stacked all the tables in the cafeteria together to form two long tables, with many candles lit on them, illuminating the modest space brightly.

Cans of food, snacks, dried fruits, and drinks were piled on the tables, looking quite impressive.

Who knew where Chu Tian Qiu had found all these things?

The five of them found a spot and sat down slowly. There were already over thirty people there.

At the front, Chu Tian Qiu, Zhang Shan, and Yun Yao were greeting people as they came and went.

It seemed just as Xiao Yan Jing and Jin Yuan Xun had described—everyone here had been brought by Chu Tian Qiu.

“Why haven't we seen that Xiao Laoshi?” Lin Jian asked. “Has she gone out?”

Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jin both turned to look at Zhao Yi Sheng.

“I don't know...” Zhao Yi Sheng shook his head. “I haven't seen her in a while either.”

“Good riddance,” Qiao Jia Jin said, picking up a drink from the table and examining it. “That woman was getting on my nerves.”

Even though he said that, Qi Xia still felt a sense of unease.

Qiao Jia Jin didn't pay it any mind. He rummaged around on the table for a bit, then suddenly looked serious: “Oh no... We've been tricked!”

“Ah?” Han Yi Mo, sitting next to him, jumped in fright and quickly looked around. “Wh-what's going on? Who tricked us?”

Qiao Jia Jin turned back with a straight face and said, “Writer boy, there's no alcohol here! We got duped!”

Seeing Qiao Jia Jin's expression, Qi Xia felt like giving him a punch.

He had never shown that face even when facing the black bear—was “no alcohol” scarier than the black bear?

“I'm telling you... don't scare Han Yi Mo like that,” Qi Xia advised. “He's timid, and if he gets too frightened, it'll be trouble.”

“Timid?” Qiao Jia Jin put his arm around Han Yi Mo. “Writer boy, with me and the trickster here, what could we possibly not handle?”

Han Yi Mo smiled: “When you put it that way, you're right...”

Once everyone was seated, Chu Tian Qiu, standing at the front, spoke up.

“Everyone... Although we've all met before, I still want to introduce myself.” He nodded politely to the group. “My name is Chu Tian Qiu, and I'm currently the leader of Tian Tang Kou.”

He gestured to the person beside him: “This is Yun Yao, the deputy leader of Tian Tang Kou. If I'm not around, she's in charge of all logistics and task assignments.”

The group greeted Yun Yao, as most had seen Chu Tian Qiu before, but not all had met her.

Her harmless demeanor and friendly smile left a good impression on everyone from the first meeting.

“And on my left is Zhang Shan,” Chu Tian Qiu continued. “He's also a deputy leader of Tian Tang Kou, mainly responsible for leading everyone in the games.”

Zhang Shan nodded to the group.

“There's no need to be too tense,” Chu Tian Qiu said. “This is our endless cycle of desolation. No matter how many times you die, I'll bring you back to Tian Tang Kou—you're all part of it forever. So, you can set aside all worldly concerns and focus on our goals.”

With that, he glanced at Zhang Shan and gave him a signal with his eyes.

Zhang Shan understood and nodded, then brought out two cases of beer from under a nearby table.

“Today is the ‘Ying Xin Hui,’ so we'll provide plenty of food resources for everyone, but starting tomorrow, you'll need to use ‘Dao’ to buy food. Those who can't will have to leave Tian Tang Kou—we don't keep idle people here.”

At that moment, Qiao Jia Jin quietly raised his hand.

“What is it?” Chu Tian Qiu asked, looking at him.

“Can ‘Dao’ be used to buy alcohol?”

“Yes,” Chu Tian Qiu nodded. “But alcohol is more expensive than regular food.”

“That’s fine,” Qiao Jia Jin smiled. “I'm tougher than the average person.”

“Very good,” Chu Tian Qiu replied with a smile. “From tomorrow, Zhang Shan will lead the ‘Di Ji You Xi’ games. High risk means high rewards, so if you're interested, contact him. But we don't recommend newcomers—only those with memory retention.”

Qi Xia remembered that on the second day of the previous cycle, Zhang Shan had also led a team, and they had encountered each other in the “Di Niu” game.

Zhang Shan distributed the beer to the tables, one bottle per person.

Qi Xia and Han Yi Mo didn't drink, so they gave theirs to Qiao Jia Jin, who looked especially happy.

He bit off the cap with his teeth and gulped down several mouthfuls, showing an expression of enjoyment. But after a while, he said a bit disappointedly, “It's room temperature—not great.”

“That's enough,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Where do you expect to find ice in a place like this?”