Ji He heard the shouting but didn’t stop—in fact, she ran even faster.

Who wants to team up with you?

She had already gathered all the necessary items. Now, all she had to do was turn in the mission materials, and this level of the game would be cleared!

What’s the point of teaming up with you?

Nian Nian Bu Wang stomped her foot in frustration as she watched Ji He disappear without even looking back. Her face darkened.

“What kind of person is she? How can she be so selfish? We’re all players who entered this game together—what’s wrong with helping each other?”

A chubby guy beside her immediately tried to comfort her. “Exactly! She has no manners! Nian Nian, don’t be mad at her. Next time we run into her, I’ll teach her a lesson for you!”

Nian Nian Bu Wang’s face remained unsightly. Right now, including her, there were only three people in her group.

Yi Ma Ping Chuan was supposed to be her bodyguard, but he wasn’t available, and the chubby guy alone wasn’t enough to be her substitute!

She glanced at the chubby guy, who was looking at her with fawning admiration. Disgust filled her heart, but she still managed to put on a sweet smile.

Meanwhile, Ji He ignored the insults behind her and quickly disappeared into the forest.

The last challenge left for her was finding the Little Sen Pharmaceutical Factory deep in the woods.

Ji He wasn’t very familiar with the path and had no prior experience surviving in a forest.

She could only rely on her instincts, heading toward the densest part of the jungle.

That should be the right approach, right?

Wrapped in her cloak, Ji He moved cautiously through the forest. She would rather come across herbs than other players.

By now, the others had likely been starving for a day and a half. She didn’t want to run into a desperate, hungry crowd.

Along the way, she continued collecting Pralan plants. Now that she wasn’t under immediate mission pressure, she was even more motivated to gather them.

She didn’t leave a single Pralan behind in any area she passed.

As she moved through the forest, she saw several players gnawing on tree bark and wild grass.

The entire forest had no water sources. If they didn’t eat something soon, forget fighting—many of them probably wouldn’t even be able to reach the forest’s center.

Watching them crouch down and dig for roots, Ji He couldn’t help but sigh.

Pitiful. Truly pitiful.

Good thing I’m not the one chewing on tree roots.

By noon, Ji He hid in a bush to eat.

As usual, she chose food with little odor—plain mantou.

Thinking about those people squatting down to chew on grass roots, Ji He found her mantou and pickled vegetables especially delicious.

After finishing her meal, she didn’t linger and continued working with her shovel in the forest.

In the afternoon, she tried testing out other plants, but her talent seemed to have “malfunctioned” again—there was no reaction at all.

With no other choice, she focused on harvesting Pralan.

Compared to the unknown, securing what she already had was more important.

That entire afternoon, Ji He wandered in circles through the forest until she finally caught sight of the Little Sen Pharmaceutical Factory.

Excitement surged in her heart, but she didn’t rush in immediately.

First, she carefully put away her green cloak. Then, she used vines from the forest to bundle up the herbs she had gathered and secured them to her back.

After confirming she had everything, she picked up her shovel and slowly approached the factory.

The factory’s main gate was made of steel and stood three meters tall, making Ji He look tiny in comparison.

She walked up cautiously, but the gate didn’t budge—there was no obvious way to open it.

Does it only open at a certain time?

Just as Ji He was wondering, a small door suddenly opened in the middle of the gate. If it hadn’t moved, she wouldn’t have even noticed it was there.

Ji He carefully walked toward it.

A robotic voice suddenly rang out:

[Beep! Scanning. Please wait.]

[Congratulations on completing the mission. Please place the medicinal materials into the collection basket.]

As soon as the voice finished, a mechanical arm extended forward, holding a large bamboo basket.

The basket was spacious enough for Ji He to place all her herbs inside.

Once she had done so, a laser beam scanned each item one by one.

[Qualified! Please enter! You have earned an employee meal. Please proceed to the cafeteria.]

After the mechanical arm retrieved the herbs, Ji He cautiously stepped through the small door.

As soon as she entered, the door shut tightly behind her, leaving no trace of its existence.

Impressive!

Ji He took in her surroundings while searching for the cafeteria.

The robotic voice had mentioned an employee meal, right?

Unlike the farm, this factory was highly modernized, filled with massive mechanical workshops.

If she had a choice, she would rather be at the farm—there, she could “pluck wool.” But here… what could she possibly take advantage of?

Can I pluck medicine instead?

Medicine?

A thought suddenly struck her.

Maybe she could check the factory’s waste disposal area later—perhaps there were defective, improperly packaged medicines?

Others might reject them, but she wouldn’t. As long as they were usable, even if they were broken or incomplete, she could make do.

With a plan in mind, Ji He quickened her pace.

She wanted to eat quickly while there were still fewer people, then explore the factory afterward.

The cafeteria wasn’t hard to find—it was in a small building with its doors wide open.

Ji He lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

Immediately, a blast of cold air hit her, followed by a strange mist of icy water spraying all over her face.

The scent was… indescribable. A bit odd.

She wiped her face and opened her eyes to see several people scattered around, eating in silence.

Three of them glanced at her briefly before resuming their meals.

The others never even looked up, focused entirely on eating.

Are these all the players who completed the mission early?

They all seem pretty strong.

Ji He only gave them a quick glance before shifting her attention away, heading toward the food counter.

On the counter sat a large tray of food and a bowl of soup.

The food consisted of long, thin strips covered in white fuzz, coated in a sticky, yellowish sauce. Just looking at it killed her appetite.

The soup was a dark green color, resembling the witch’s potion from old movies.

Ji He fell silent.

Countless thoughts ran through her mind, but in the end, she picked up a plate, served herself half a portion of food and half a bowl of soup, then carried it to a corner seat.

She preferred sitting where no one was behind her—it made her feel safer.

Staring at the food in front of her, Ji He’s hands trembled.

How much courage does it take to eat this?

But the others had seen her enter. If she suddenly left without eating, it would look suspicious.

Everyone’s been starving for two days—why shouldn’t I eat?

Wouldn’t that make others suspect she had hidden food?

At that moment, one of the players stood up, walked to the counter, and refilled their plate and bowl to the brim before returning to their seat and digging in.

Ji He: “…”

Gritting her teeth, she thought, If they can eat it, why can’t I?

She shut her eyes, grabbed her fork, and shoved a piece into her mouth.

…Huh?

The moment she bit down, her eyes flew open in shock.

This taste…?

Damn, it’s delicious!

If she ignored its ugly appearance, the flavor was incredible—hard to describe, but absolutely amazing.

It might look awful, but it’s got inner beauty!