Chapter 240

Chapter 240

This was truly an unforeseen path.

People arrived, food was unlocked, and an additional physical restaurant emerged. Ji Xinghai felt the joy of being showered with candies.

He didn't have time to examine it closely; he first congratulated Yuan Bing. "It seems you can now travel the world with me."

Ji Xinghai guessed that Yuan Bing would like this idea.

As expected, for the adventurous Yuan Bing, this was indeed the best outcome. Even after dying once and being forgotten on the snowy mountain, Yuan Bing still had a restless heart.

After turning into something strange and staying alone on the snowy mountain for years, this heart yearned for freedom even more.

"Thank you, boss. I will draw more landscapes from around the world in the future."

With the flag planted at the summit, the journey to the snowy mountain ended. Ji Xinghai returned to the Art Gallery, where the large oil painting before him had transformed.

The golden peak covered in sunlight featured three people.

The one leading the way removed his goggles, looking at the sacred sky and sun with a stunned expression. Behind him were two others; one stood close but hid himself modestly in the shadow of the young man in front, sharing a tacit understanding and trust.

Behind them was a blurry silhouette, seemingly using all its strength to gaze at the sky. Though the face was unclear, the emotions seemed to leap off the canvas.

"This is painting," Ji Xinghai said, surprised by the person in the picture who looked like him yet wasn't him. It was more like Yuan Bing's impression and emotional projection, an artistic creation based on reality.

Anyway, he didn't think he had such radiant moments in daily life.

Golden light fell on the young man's face, casting a warm glow, while behind him were the cold colors of snow and sky. It was as if the whole world was highlighting the light on his face, making it very sacred and warm.

"Are you embarrassed?" Qin Yu, usually quiet and unassuming, suddenly asked.

"How could it be?" Ji Xinghai rubbed his face and changed the subject. "Let me check out the new physical restaurant." He then took out the equipment card and examined it closely.

Qin Yu seemed to smile, but when he looked again, he was only focused on the card in Ji Xinghai's hand.

**Snow Hut**: A restaurant atop the snowy mountain, shaped like a giant igloo made of snow bricks (regardless of technical feasibility, it is indeed an igloo), capable of accommodating up to three hundred guests.

If you can withstand the harsh cold of minus twenty-seven degrees, you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the snowy mountain top and a 20% enhancement of chilled foods. This is a reward for the brave and fearless.

Diners can stay for one to three hours after consumption.

Newly Unlocked Food: Fruit Snow Beauty

Soft and chewy glutinous rice skin wrapped around whipped cream, cake pieces, Oreo crumbs, and random fruit chunks, better enjoyed chilled.

Though it appears cold and untouchable on the outside, it has a soft and sweet core inside. The random fruit chunks represent a changing inner world, but no matter which, they are romantic and free.

If you are about to engage in a potentially life-threatening action and feel a strong sense of unease, buy a Snow Beauty.

After eating it, a 'death photo' will appear. If there is no one on the front, the action will be safe; if there is someone, there is a possibility of death, and you might pass away in image form.

Feature: Death Forecast. Price: 130.

"Wow." That was Ji Xinghai's reaction.

"Oh." That was Qin Yu's.

Impressive, even death forecasts are available. From now on, whenever uncertain, just have a Snow Beauty.

No wonder the genius painter who became a domain anomaly through dramatic means unlocks such outstanding food.

Ji Xinghai immediately ordered two servings, one for himself and one for Qin Yu. Then he collected the changed oil painting and other exhibits in the Art Gallery before walking out while eating.

Due to the snowy mountain domain, the Art Gallery was protected from the white fog, but that wouldn't last. He saw the white fog seeping in through the windows and doors.

"It's mango and dragon fruit mixed flavor. What's yours?"

Their figures gradually disappeared into the white fog. Soon, the food truck with its colorful lights appeared, pausing briefly at the Art Gallery entrance before heading towards the thickest part of the fog.

Might as well hunt a few anomalies along the way; the delivery staff is short-handed.

Elsewhere.

"Huh? Another physical restaurant for the Magic Food House?" A student squatting in a corner of a domain anomaly pulled out their phone, pale light illuminating their greenish face. "Everything about them is great, except their slogans are always weird."

As he spoke, the anomaly's big boss was already nearby. The student noticed the bell on their wrist ringing incessantly and looked up to meet the boss's gaze.

The boss opened its mouth wide, a bright red tongue extending from its six-split mouth, dripping saliva that corroded holes in the ground.

Seeing the monster about to pounce, the student calmly said, "Wait a moment, let me heal first." Then he yelled into the phone, "Struggle against heaven, endless joy!"

Whoosh! The student vanished, and the monster crashed face-first into the ground, biting its own tongue in pain.

"Huh?"

Where did the person go?

Such incidents weren't limited to this corner or this time. The appearance of the physical restaurant completely changed the students' mindset.

Because the survival of the civilization behind them was at stake, the students always acted cautiously. Now, they were taking risks, fighting fearlessly.

How long had they been here? Each student had already taken down twenty to thirty anomalies.

The students who came to this world had entered a routine of eating, sleeping, and fighting anomalies, while those left behind in the other world were just beginning to feel the world's malice.

"Students must enter the exam venue within three days, or their exam qualifications will be canceled."

They had received this message not long ago.

At the time, the students scattered around the world, venturing out every midnight to diligently fight monsters in the white fog, were all stunned.

What the heck?

Testing ground?

Isn't this the testing ground?

The students thought about their efforts in slaying anomalies, only to be told that they hadn't even entered the testing ground and thus couldn't have any scores. They felt utterly dejected.

It was like staying up for three days to memorize vocabulary words, only to find out today's exam was on math.

No, it was more like spending half a day writing an exam paper, only to realize they were in the wrong classroom!

"Could it be?"

The students, who were slow to react, recalled the rumor circulating secretly half a month ago. It said that someone had opened a path leading to the other side of the white fog, gathering other students to explore that area together.

At the time, they dismissed it as a trick to lure people into killing anomalies, but could it be...

I'm the clown?

The students immediately contacted the local anomaly handling department to inquire if the previous matter still stood. The officials laughed in frustration. Previously, when they asked for help, no one came, and now they remembered?

Too late.

After those thirty thousand people left, Aoki City was left with a passage to another world. Unfortunately, this passage was only accessible to 'non-humans.'

However, the officials provided another piece of potentially useful information: through constant monitoring, they discovered that the unknown cracks sometimes experienced magnetic disturbances, creating reverse passages.

Among their collaborators were anomalies. Through experiments, they found that some of these passages allowed human passage. However, which ones and at what times depended entirely on luck.

The students stranded on the other side began preparing for a desperate 'illegal crossing.' Meanwhile, Ji Xinghai had just finished clearing high-level anomalies from the second white fog circle. The originally crescent-shaped white fog circle shrank into an ellipse, and the fog became much thinner.

The areas vacated by the first and second white fog circles were quickly occupied by human forces, who started issuing missions to clear the remaining anomalies. The remaining anomalies were mostly low-level and manageable.

"Not just here, I've heard that nearby bases have also appeared powerful cleaners. I must stay alive; perhaps there's a chance to see a world without white fog." The impact of the thirty thousand students and extraordinary beings was just beginning to show.

Another effect was that the team previously stationed at the second white fog circle decided to leave and go where they were needed more.

"With this, we can go anywhere." They only took the phone left behind by Ji Xinghai.

"Now we're in Jinniu District of Bauhinia City, including University City, where Bauhinia University is located." After leaving the second white fog circle, the food truck immediately entered the third white fog circle, still within the territory of Bauhinia City, which was considered the largest white fog area in the city.

University City had the most things because each school had its own terrifying anomaly legend, and these schools were built on mass graves.

Ji Xinghai sat cross-legged on the back of the truck, the dense fog coiling around him like spider webs.

In the thick fog where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face, sharp laughter occasionally echoed, as if something invisible was watching the truck and Ji Xinghai on top, following them constantly.

Despite having been cleared once by the departing students, this place remained a paradise for anomalies.

Suddenly, a tall, thin figure appeared in the white fog, striking towards Ji Xinghai on the truck roof like a black lightning bolt.

Powerful extraordinary beings were excellent nourishment for anomalies. Sitting exposed on the truck roof in the white fog, Ji Xinghai had already attracted a large number of anomalies.

"Hehehe, got you... What?!" Its sharp forelimbs had clearly pierced through the human's back, yet there was no solid sensation. Upon closer inspection, it turned out there was no one on the roof; it was just an afterimage.

As soon as the anomaly realized this, a terrifying killing intent erupted behind it.

"Aaahh—" A long knife split it open from top to bottom, scattering energy-coagulated anomaly coins all over the ground.

The little rats lurking in the shadows were about to rush forward to snatch these pearls that could enhance their strength, but the food truck extended a mechanical arm, quickly collecting all the rolling anomaly coins before retracting and concealing its presence, disguising itself as an ordinary car.

Ji Xinghai reappeared on top of the food truck, sitting cross-legged, emitting the aura of an extraordinary being that was 'highly nourishing.'

"The area of the third white fog circle is larger than the combined areas of the first and second circles. The number and quality of anomalies have also increased. University City truly is a place teeming with hidden talents."

During breaks from fishing, Ji Xinghai would analyze the situation. With a super-large domain anomaly in charge, the concentration of negative energy in this white fog circle was too high. Even after clearing high-level anomalies, the numerous low-level anomalies would quickly evolve new leaders, making it difficult to clear the area.

The abundance of anomalies was closely tied to the unpredictable and playful nature of college students. If not for their creation and spread of rumors and legends, such a high density of anomalies wouldn't exist.

And if not for the legend of 'millions of enemy soldiers buried on the hill' being so well-known among college students, the third white fog circle wouldn't have produced such a ferocious domain anomaly like the 'Ghost Yin Soldiers.'

"Should we avoid this place?" Qin Yu, who had been asked to remain invisible and not interfere with his fishing, appeared on the truck roof, but only his voice was heard, directly transmitted to Ji Xinghai's ears.

Ji Xinghai, who was wiping his demon sword with oil-soaked cotton, smiled upon hearing this: "Avoid what? If anyone should avoid, it's them."

He took out his phone: "I've already contacted several dozen bases nearby, trading a thousand phones for their cooperation in completing a task."

Although Qin Yu followed him constantly, he didn't always participate in everything, so he didn't know about the task Ji Xinghai mentioned.

However, Ji Xinghai didn't intend to keep it a secret: "Language is an invisible spell. As long as one believes, anomalies will exist. This can refer to the foreign soldiers occupying half of University City or the soldiers guarding the country and civilization from beyond the grave in Heroes Memorial Hall."

He chuckled: "We won't avoid it; let's bury them again on the hill."