Chapter 21: The Twenty-First Cup

Chapter 21: The Twenty-First Cup

Apart from the Combat Department, He Wuning also received some ordinary players today.

The number of people in the Combat Department's milk tea buying squad was so large that they couldn’t be ignored at the edge of the safe zone. At first, ordinary players thought that so many combatants gathering must mean something significant was about to happen, until they saw them queuing up in front of an oddly shaped pink milk tea truck.

Players: "…"

Some brave souls quietly joined the back of the queue and, upon realizing they weren’t being dragged away, more players followed suit.

Zhao Yantong glanced back and walked up to the window, asking, “Can I have a menu?”

"Of course!" Q-jam enthusiastically handed her the menu and then conjured another one out of thin air, kindly reminding her, "This can't be used as a flyer; it will disappear automatically if you move too far from the milk tea truck!"

Zhao Yantong nodded in thanks and took the flyer to the back of the queue.

He Wuning glanced over and noticed she seemed to be explaining the effects of various milk teas, helping them decide what to order in advance.

She looked rather serious and not easy to approach, but in reality, she was quite enthusiastic.

Once the materials in his backpack ran out, He Wuning looked up and said to the player at the window, "I can only make two more original flavors."

"I'll take both!" The player at the window immediately bought them with glee.

Ignoring the groans from behind, He Wuning finished making the last two original milk teas and handed them out. A player just one spot away clung to the window of the milk tea truck, "No more? Really nothing left?"

He Wuning lifted an eyelid, "Tomorrow at eight."

He paused, "Actually, half past eight, to avoid the combatants."

"Oh, okay!" The players nodded immediately, having no issue with the official priority, only pleading, "Boss, save some for us!"

He Wuning didn’t bother with pleasantries and simply raised the barrier.

A player muttered discontentedly, "Why so snobbish?"

Someone behind him whispered, recognizing He Wuning, "That’s He Wuning, ranked second on the player list. He’s the one who released all the strategies for level ten and below monsters on the first day of the game update!"

Players: "…"

Another added, "I heard someone saw a pink milk tea truck ramming a boss on the grassland, super brave! They say Yi Luo is teamed up with him now!"

"I think I saw Yi Luo painting the milk tea truck earlier..."

"Don’t be silly, how could painting by a master be just painting? It must be buffing!"

The player who had complained quickly changed his tune, "Cool, really cool, master, you’re so cool when you act like that!"

Yi Luo, who had just finished painting the milk tea truck pink and was about to get in for Q-jam to check, passed by and asked curiously, "What are you guys doing?"

Yi Luo was well-known in the safe zone, and everyone knew he was easygoing. Someone gathered the courage to ask, "Master Yi Luo, what were you doing?"

Yi Luo lifted the paint bucket and pointed towards Q-jam in the truck, "Painting the truck, it likes pink."

The players looked at his paint bucket with subtle expressions, clearly misunderstanding something, and could only nod repeatedly, praising, "Pink is great! From afar, this pink milk tea truck looks so festive!"

"Yeah, this color is perfect for a tough guy like Master He!"

"Pink is fine, boys can wear pink!"

Yi Luo was stunned for two seconds before realizing what they meant, almost unable to hold back his laughter. Instead of explaining, he nodded in agreement, "Right, it suits him."

"Next time, have him wear a pink apron while making milk tea... why are you blushing?"

He suddenly looked at a tall player in the crowd who was blushing, who scratched his head awkwardly, "Ah, I just imagined it and thought he looked cute..."

Yi Luo’s face turned stern, and he raised an eyebrow unhappily, "What nonsense are you thinking?"

He turned and got into the truck. Several players exchanged glances, and Xue Xun couldn’t help shaking his head, muttering, "Only the officials can set fires, but not the commoners light lamps," before getting into the truck with Zhao Yantong.

Seeing Xue Xun, He Wuning nodded as a greeting. Xue Xun looked somewhat uncomfortable, but He Wuning wasn’t one to care about others’ expressions. He spoke directly, "I just leveled up and unlocked a new skill—Dual Customization. I can freely combine two ingredients for the milk tea."

"It wasn’t useful before, but now that milk tea comes with buffs, you can get double buffs, though it will be more expensive than buying two separate cups."

"Alright, I understand. I’ll pass the message along and have them adjust their daily purchase plans." Xue Xun was still as efficient when it came to business. He nodded and then asked worriedly, "But if the purchase numbers drop, your experience..."

Q-jam chimed in, "Experience is related to the price of the milk tea; the higher the price, the more experience!"

"That’s good, that’s good." Xue Xun nodded, glancing at Yi Luo.

Yi Luo, with his hands in his pockets, sat in the driver’s seat, "You said it yourself."

He Wuning lightly kicked the seat, "Move to the back. You haven’t slept all night, do you want to drive tired?"

"I’m not sleepy." Yi Luo blinked but obediently moved to the passenger seat.

Xue Xun hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "There’s good news and bad news..."

He Wuning showed no expression, "No choice, say it together in one sentence."

Xue Xun: "The officials collected new fragments based on the samples and wanted to give them to you, but I reported Yi Luo’s situation just now, so now they hope you can try them on Bai Yan."

Xue Xun almost couldn’t catch his breath, his face flushed red as he guiltily glanced at He Wuning, explaining softly, "About this..."

He Wuning showed no reaction; he had intended to let the officials test if there were any other usable fragments anyway. Yi Luo, however, didn’t seem pleased.

He scoffed, "So quick to report? Couldn’t you wait until we got the fragments and made it a done deal?"

Xue Xun, who was usually patient with He Wuning, wasn’t as accommodating with Yi Luo, "If you hadn’t bragged to me about installing those anti-collision bars on the milk tea truck, would I even know about this?"

They refused to back down, bickering like elementary school kids. Yi Luo raised an eyebrow, "Why didn't you mention the fragment first? It's because you were too slow to speak!"

Zhao Yantong glanced at him, "Why are you acting like spilled water?"

"Shut up." He Wuning lifted his eyelids, "Are we going now?"

Xue Xun rubbed his nose, clearly feeling awkward, "If it's convenient for you..."

"Let's go, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can grind."

He Wuning led the way out.

...

Bai Yan was recuperating at the treatment center.

As soon as He Wuning stepped into the treatment center, receptionist Xiao Yao immediately tensed up, casting a skill at him. Seeing that he was in good condition, she sighed with relief and muttered, "Strange, I never thought I'd see you walk into the treatment center with full health."

He Wuning: "..."

Yi Luo chuckled, "See? You've scared her so much she has PTSD."

He Wuning barely managed to hold back from rolling his eyes.

Bai Yan was in a room next to Teacher Yan. Although he was recuperating here, he would help with treatments when the center was busy.

Bai Yan was alone in the room. Xue Xun looked around, and Bai Yan spoke up, "I sent everyone else away. The fragment is with me."

He looked past the group at He Wuning, who also looked at him.

He appeared quite refined, with thick, long hair and a slight smile on his lips, exuding an air of a well-read intellectual. If not for being in a wheelchair, he might have seemed like a poet.

No, perhaps it was precisely because he was in a wheelchair that he seemed even more like a poet.

Bai Yan smiled and pointed at his legs, "Don't worry, they weren't just broken. They've been like this for a while."

He Wuning nodded, "I know."

He was well-known on the forums; almost all players knew he had been born unable to walk properly.

Bai Yan turned to Xue Xun, "Can I talk to him alone?"

Before Xue Xun could respond, Yi Luo stepped forward, "That won't be possible. I need to stay."

He Wuning glanced at him, and Yi Luo emphasized, "Teammate."

Bai Yan nodded understandingly, "Then can I talk to both of you?"

Xue Xun hesitated but finally nodded.

They left the room, and Yi Luo pulled a chair to sit by the door, "Talk as if I'm not here."

He Wuning glanced at him. This guy was clearly watching the show, almost as if he were munching on sunflower seeds. How could anyone think he wasn't there?

"I've heard about you," Bai Yan said, looking at He Wuning. "On the forums and from those who have visited me recently. They told me you're very capable, not only in combat but also after awakening. They have high hopes for you, just as they did for me."

He Wuning raised an eyebrow, and Bai Yan continued candidly, "Don't misunderstand, I'm glad."

He took out the fragment and handed it to He Wuning, saying softly, "Can you take it?"

He Wuning frowned, staring at Bai Yan, "Why?"

Bai Yan caressed the fragment, lowering his eyes, "This game maintains a delicate balance. My crippled body gave me powerful abilities. If you want to enhance my abilities further, the cost will be significant."

"That's not a reason," Yi Luo, who claimed he wasn't there, said seriously. "It's an objective limitation, not a subjective choice."

He asked bluntly, "What's wrong with you?"

Bai Yan was silent for a moment. He looked at Yi Luo, whose gaze was straightforward and unaverted. Finally, Bai Yan looked away.

His gaze fell on his legs, and he began speaking without context, "We always needed a hero to keep hope alive."

"At first, it was Yi Luo. With his exceptional solo combat skills, he could face any monster and come out unscathed. People believed he could defeat all monsters and end this game."

"But since awakening, Yi Luo's abilities have been limited, while I gained extraordinary healing powers. People started believing I could save them."

He whispered, "But I know it's a lie. I can't save them in the dungeons, or in the wilds, or even right in front of me."

"I am a fabricated hero, a golden statue of clay, incapable of saving anyone."

He Wuning furrowed his brow, his expression sour.

Bai Yan spoke frankly, "I failed the psychological evaluation and am no longer suitable for the combat team. They still haven't given up on me, thinking that if I gain some combat ability, my guilt might lessen."

"But I know it's useless. I've already given up."

He handed the fragment to He Wuning, "Take it. It's a waste on me."

Gratitude to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Mu Zi Li Ga 120 bottles; Su Zi 12 bottles; Yi Chen, Fei Qiu Ben Qiu 10 bottles; Ling Cha, Tang Zhu Zhu Meng Meng Chong 5 bottles; Si Yi, 2 bottles; Tianertf 1 bottle;

Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard!