Chapter 545 Can Look But Not Eat

Chapter 545: A Feast for the Eyes Only

The aroma of the various drinks and alcohol in the dining hall was overwhelmingly sweet and fragrant. Su Bai could hear the people around him swallowing—a craving to drink something to soothe their parched throats, a desire that, once kindled and left unsatisfied, would only intensify.

Before entering the dining hall, even Chi Yan, who had been afflicted with the bizarre "Thirst Disease," could resist. But once they saw and smelled the array of drinks in the dining hall, this desire spread through their bodies like stones tumbling down a mountain, faster and faster.

Even Su Bai felt this way, let alone the other players, who could only stare longingly at the drinks, not daring to touch a drop.

In these seventy-two hours, under such bizarre rules, thirst could kill them even more easily than hunger.

"I never thought water could taste so good," Xiang Feiyu said from beside him, his tone tinged with greed. "That large transparent water bucket seems to have mint leaves and lemon floating in it. Taking a sip of that must be..."

"Shut up! You know we can't drink it!" Xu Rui quickly cut off his friend. "Idiot, isn't this clearly trying to make us break the rules?"

"The four things we need to watch out for: don't have all four limbs on the ground at once, don't consume liquids or liquid-based foods, don't be alone, and don't hug the medical staff." Chi Yan's voice now sounded weary. "Not consuming liquids or liquid-based foods shouldn't be particularly unbearable for you all, so you absolutely must hold back on this one."

"Chi Yan, what about you?" Feng Xuelan's voice no longer held its timid quality, but concern was still evident. "Your illness..."

"I'll grab some fruit to fill my stomach first. Even if the rules don't mention it, going hungry in the Nightmare World is dangerous too." Chi Yan's voice did indeed sound like he was holding something back. Then, with a tone of frustration, he added, "Damn it, that so-called administrator said to use fruit to quench our thirst, but the only fruits here are bananas, hawthorn berries, and... is that jackfruit? Eating these won't quench much thirst."

Because of the rule against being alone, Chi Yan couldn't even leave the dining hall by himself.

But complaining was useless. Everyone knew the Eerie Entities hiding in the shadows were deliberate from start to finish. The rules it set were precisely meant to entice players to break them.

From what the others said, Su Bai realized that not only rice and pastries, but even noodles seemed dehydrated. The cooked meat dishes were naturally dry and lacking moisture. Some meat dishes smelled delicious, but taking a bite revealed a high-salt, intensely savory taste that only made one hungrier.

So, despite the spread of delicacies and fine drinks laid out before them, they had no choice but to abstain.

In the end, everyone could only choose some staple foods and a few side dishes to go with them.

However, perhaps because everyone felt the fourteenth floor, with its individual patient rooms, was safer than the thirteenth, the group ultimately decided to pack up as much food as they could, each in their own way, and return to the fourteenth floor to continue the game.

It was while the players were splitting off into smaller groups that Su Bai and Le Shiya finally had a rare chance to be alone.

"I thought you'd ask me why I was pretending it was such a strain to use my ability," Le Shiya said after waiting a while for Su Bai to ask, unable to hold back herself.

"That's normal. Aren't I also pretending to be a useless blind man?" Pretending was second nature to Su Bai. He could even think of dozens of reasons to conceal one's true strength in front of strangers, so of course he wouldn't ask.

"Actually, actually, I'm not really pretending that much!" Le Shiya moved a little closer to Su Bai. "When I first mastered this ability, I really would be left gasping every time I used it..."