The three of them, Jing Minghe and the others, cleaned the kitchen while discussing the instance.
"Brother Hao," Jing Minghe moved closer to Chi Hao and washed dishes with him, "do you have any thoughts about this instance?"
Chi Hao washed a plate and handed it to Jing Minghe, replying, "It's not difficult. Your idea is correct. Although there are no NPCs in this instance, the background story is very important."
Jing Minghe raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You understand me best, Brother Hao."
After speaking, he heard a very faint, almost imperceptible laugh from Chi Hao. Jing Minghe lowered his head and thought for a moment. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard Chi Hao say, "There's something you're not allowed to do. If you insist, I'll do it."
"Huh?" Jing Minghe guessed what Chi Hao meant but pretended to be clueless, "Do what?"
Chi Hao stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Jing Minghe, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
"No, Brother Hao, I really don't know what you're talking about."
Jing Minghe was puzzled. He did indeed want to try something, but he was still considering whether to tell Chi Hao. After all, the current Chi Hao seemed to care about him quite a bit. What if he didn't want him to take risks?
Although thinking this way was a bit too self-congratulatory, maybe Chi Hao couldn't wait for him to try.
No, absolutely not. My Brother Hao isn't that malicious, at least not to me. I'm such an excellent and perfect partner. Besides me, can he find anyone better?
"Minghe," Chi Hao said, frowning slightly as he looked at Jing Minghe, who had suddenly drifted off into space.
"Ah?" Jing Minghe was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't know if Chi Hao would stop him out of concern, he decided to keep it from Chi Hao. "Um, Brother Hao, I think I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I'm not that selfless. Sacrificing my life to pave the way for others? Whoever does that is a fool."
Chi Hao's lips curved slightly. He leaned towards Jing Minghe and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you a fool?"
Jing Minghe immediately replied, "Of course not, absolutely not."
While Jing Minghe and Chi Hao were whispering, Tong Zheng deliberately kept his distance from the two of them, diligently washing the items he deemed necessary for cooking.
Soon, You Mi and the others brought back the ingredients.
You Mi asked Shen Rong if she could help her cook, which would be faster. However, Shen Rong said she couldn't cook and didn't even want to help. She simply said she was too tired from searching the fifth floor and turned to leave, leaving behind a sentence: "Don't call me when it's time to eat."
Ke Wuwen voluntarily stayed to help.
Jing Minghe stepped forward with a smile and said, "I can cook simple dishes too, Sister You Mi. Let's do it together."
"Okay," You Mi didn't stand on ceremony with Jing Minghe, "I didn't expect you could cook."
She then looked at Chi Hao, "What about Mr. Chi? Do you want to join?"
How could Chi Hao cook?
Jing Minghe glanced at Chi Hao from the corner of his eye, wanting to see how this gentleman would answer.
"I can help," Chi Hao glanced at Jing Minghe, "Let's split into groups. You and Minghe will each do your own thing."
You Mi looked at the items Jing Minghe and the others had tidied up and smiled, "Okay, we have plenty of extra cooking utensils anyway."
After speaking, You Mi pulled Ke Wuwen and began their work. Sudan Novel Network.
Jing Minghe poked Chi Hao and asked, "Brother Hao, are you really going to help me?"
Chi Hao grunted and then said in a very low voice, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll cook for you separately."
Jing Minghe didn't hear clearly what Chi Hao said and turned to give him a questioning look, but Chi Hao indicated that they could start working.
Tong Zheng, who was on the side, took a look and found that there seemed to be no use for him, so he walked to the kitchen door, pulled over a chair, and sat down.
While cooking, You Mi scanned the surroundings and noticed that only the five of them were left in the dining room. She then spoke softly, "Minghe, when I was treating Jia Dong's wounds earlier, I subtly asked him some questions. He probably saw the warning from the instance. Although he was confused, he was intentionally avoiding the crucial questions."
"Is that so," Jing Minghe said while working on his task, "It's okay. We still have time. The rules and clues will eventually come out."
You Mi nodded and smiled, saying, "However, I didn't come away empty-handed. He said a few things to me: 'The crying voice is luring me to death,' 'children,' and 'those who have done wrong must be punished.'"
"Children?" Jing Minghe was confused, "Why children?"
Tong Zheng poked his head in and said, "So, the boss of this instance is a ghost child? Is the crying voice also that of a child? Is a child's ghost luring him to commit suicide?"
He paused, then continued, "I don't know if Jia Dong's situation is the same as Lu Da or Huang Rongfei. If it is, then those two died, but he lived. What's the reason? Different willpower? Oh, You Mi, did you ask how Jia Dong got injured?"
"Oh, I asked about that," You Mi said, "He answered that it was himself."
Tong Zheng looked surprised, "What? He injured himself so badly? Could it be that he survived because he self-harmed?"
Jing Minghe shrugged, "Possibly. If he was being lured, self-harm could indeed be a way to force himself to stay awake."
"Alas," Tong Zheng couldn't help but sigh, "this instance is a complete mystery so far."
Jing Minghe grunted, "It seems we still have to find a way to understand the background story. What caused this cruise ship to sink? Where did everyone on the ship go?"
"Oh, and there's one more thing, I don't know if you noticed," You Mi suddenly added.
"What is it?" Jing Minghe and Tong Zheng asked in unison.
You Mi paused her work for a moment, "During the game, the cabin doors couldn't be opened. At least, I tried several and couldn't open them."
"Oh?" Tong Zheng replied, "I didn't notice that. I went downstairs and didn't go to the cabins."
"I tried," Ke Wuwen raised his hand and said, "Just like Sister You Mi, I couldn't open the cabin doors."
A flicker of doubt crossed Jing Minghe's mind. He could clearly open them. But as he was about to say it, three large red warning signs flashed in the void before his eyes.
So that's how it is. Even if he accidentally tried to reveal his hiding place, he would be warned by the instance.
However, even though Jing Minghe said nothing, someone else got the answer.
Chi Hao said in a low, confident tone, "You can."
Jing Minghe just smiled without speaking, a hint of bitterness flashing in his eyes. He really wanted to know why he was different from everyone else, and what this difference meant.
Chi Hao handed the washed vegetables to Jing Minghe and said, "Don't worry."
"I know," Jing Minghe replied while skillfully cutting the vegetables, "Worrying is useless. Let's just go with the flow for now. We'll know eventually."
No one explicitly said it, but they all knew what the other was talking about.