This game instance is one where food is scarce. The new arrivals are causing trouble, but the earlier players can’t conjure up food for them.

A group of people gathered and went to find the robots.

Surprisingly, they actually managed to find one.

But the robot ignored them.

It just kept repeating the same phrase:

“According to reasonable calculations, the available food is sufficient. As long as there is no wastage, every person can eat their fill. If any unexpected circumstances arise, please resolve them yourselves.”

No matter how they reacted, the robot would only say the same thing:

“According to reasonable calculations, the available food is sufficient. As long as there is no wastage, every person can eat their fill. If any unexpected circumstances arise, please resolve them yourselves.”

Those who had eaten stayed inside the cafeteria, refusing to come out, while only those who arrived late and missed the meals were making a scene.

They had already been hungry and thirsty for two days. Even speaking made their throats feel like they were on fire, and each of them looked like a starving refugee.

Some with short tempers even resorted to violence—but the robots did not tolerate such behavior.

Anyone who dared to attack the robots was immediately eliminated.

This instantly subdued the crowd.

Yet, there were still some bold ones who grabbed onto the robot and continued to protest.

This time, the robot didn’t take any action. It just kept repeating the same phrase, over and over again.

After shouting for a while, some people looked like they were about to pass out.

They were genuinely afraid that after completing the mission, they might collapse right at the final moment.

Gradually, the number of people causing trouble dwindled.

Everyone else was too exhausted to say much. They just sat down somewhere to rest, holding their empty stomachs and waiting for the instance to end.

[Time’s up. All players who failed to reach the Little Sen Pharmaceutical Factory within the required timeframe have failed and will be disqualified. You are now being removed from the instance.]

Ji He took one last look at the warehouse in front of her, which still had more than half of its supplies left. She sighed.

She really wished she could take it all, but there just wasn’t enough time. Next time, she had to work faster to complete the mission!

---

When she got home, Ji He was immediately hit by a wave of heat. It felt like stepping out of an air-conditioned room into a sauna.

Sweat quickly formed on her forehead.

As she quickly stripped off her outer clothes, she glanced at the clock.

1:00 AM.

It seemed like this time, she had been in the game for about an hour.

She had stayed inside the game longer than before, yet the time outside hadn’t changed.

Unable to make sense of it, Ji He pushed the thought aside. It was too hot.

Just then, a game notification sounded in her ears:

[Borrowing Five Billion from Heaven, congratulations on successfully completing the game.]

[Now calculating instance rewards: Mission completion grade: A. Rewards obtained—Bread x1, Bottled Water x2, Biscuits x1, Small Cabbage x1, 1 Silver Coin, 10 Copper Coins.]

[The marketplace has now opened free trading mode. Players are welcome to explore it on their own!]

[The next game time is unknown. Please stay tuned.]

As soon as the notification ended, several items appeared on the table in front of Ji He.

She got up to check them.

The bread was just a plain whole-grain loaf, about the size of her fist, wrapped in a piece of paper.

The bottled water had no brand—just a simple plastic bottle that looked like a generic, unbranded product.

The biscuits were in a paper bag. Ji He carefully opened it and counted—there were about ten pieces inside.

The small cabbage was pitifully tiny. Ji He measured it with her hand—it was about the size of her palm. If she rationed it carefully, she might be able to stretch it into two meals.

These supplies could probably sustain one person for about three days—assuming they didn’t exert too much energy.

With the silver coins she received, she might be able to last a week if she was careful.

Ji He waved her hand, storing everything in her designated storage box, then moved it into her inventory space. She took out a Pralán and stuck it onto her body, finally feeling like she could breathe again.

She had only been back for a few minutes, yet the heat was already making her feel suffocated.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened the chat channel.

The chat was bustling with activity—seemed like everyone had entered the game.

[Hiberlica]: Damn it, I worked my ass off and only got a C-rank completion. All I got was a bottle of water and a dry, hard piece of bread. Who the hell can survive on that?

[Ten Years]: Be grateful. I only got a pound of vegetables—barely enough for my family to eat for two meals! I need more grains.

[Never Forget]: Big bro, you’re amazing. I envy you. Vegetables are so precious…

[Foggy Forest]: I’m different from all of you. The system gave me five packs of instant noodles! Haha, that’s enough for three days!

[Spring Breeze and You]: If anyone is struggling, you can come to me. I’m not particularly talented, but my company is among the Fortune 500. As long as you’re willing to protect me and help me complete missions, we can talk about supplies! If you want to maintain your pre-disaster lifestyle, it’s not impossible!

[Moon Jiao]: I vouch for him! Boss is telling the truth!

[Forget Worries]: This round, I participated in the farm instance. After completing the mission, there was a cafeteria where we could eat. That seems to be a benefit given to official players. If nothing changes, we should get a meal every time we finish a mission.

[Never Forget]: Waaah! I finished my mission late, and by the time I got to the cafeteria, the other players had already eaten everything! I had to go hungry. I want to cry…

[Old Blade Still Sharp]: XXXX! They ambushed us while we were inside the game? Good thing I was cautious and hid my stuff in advance! You just wait, this isn’t over!

[Happy Little Genius]: Serves you right! Did you really think you were the only official players in the game? Let me tell you, the military has tons of official players, and they all belong to the state. They understand the game way better than you disorganized fools. If you ended up like this, you only have yourselves to blame!

[Old Blade Still Sharp]: XXXX, don’t let me run into you in the game! Happy Little Genius, huh? I’ve got your name memorized!

[Stamina Expert]: Never Forget, why are you still pretending to be weak in the chat? With your Venomous Widow ability, you’re still acting all innocent? I’m about to puke!

[Salute]: Game currency can be used to buy food, so don’t spend it recklessly. When you’re desperate, it might just save your life!

[Happy Little Genius]: Salute is right. Too bad the marketplace is inaccessible inside the game. I nearly starved these past two days. I even ate wild grass and got poisoned!

[Spring Breeze and You]: If anyone wants, I can trade real-world money for game currency. DM me for the exchange rates.

[Stamina Expert]: Everyone, be careful around Never Forget. Don’t let her find out your abilities—she can control people’s bodies! If she gets a hold of you, she’ll be able to manipulate you! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! If I hadn’t met a kind person, I’d be dead by now!

[Never Forget]: Don’t listen to his nonsense! He tried to pursue me, I rejected him, and now he’s just bitter!