Chapter 17: Exploration and Encounter
Taking advantage of her free time, Su Ning wondered if she could find something else worth collecting in other areas of the dungeon.
She walked out of the farm she was managing. Thanks to her identity as a breeder, the Moke tribe guards stationed nearby didn’t stop her.
Unless she acted like the player who tried to steal valuable items from the farm yesterday, the guards wouldn’t intervene.
The breeding farm was enormous, and different areas raised different creatures.
Su Ning’s farm housed Giant Bloom Flowers and Plump Chickens. At this point, the Plump Chickens had already been sent to the slaughterhouse due to Su Ning’s overfeeding.
“I wonder if there’s anything I can scavenge from the slaughterhouse?”
But Su Ning wasn’t overly hopeful—entry into the slaughterhouse was difficult due to strict rules.
As a breeder, she was only allowed to operate within the breeding farm.
Unless she obtained an identity card for another area, she couldn’t wander freely.
This made Su Ning realize just how crucial identity cards were.
“Looks like identity cards are a key clue in this dungeon.”
Su Ning observed that even within the breeding farm, there were various levels.
The higher the level of the farm, the more dangerous the creatures raised there—and of course, the more valuable.
Take the Starfruit she saw yesterday as an example. That farm was guarded by countless Moke tribe members, yet a player still managed to succeed in stealing one.
“Could the player’s talent be what allowed him to evade all those guards?”
But in the end?
It was the Starfruit’s own traits that gave him away.
Once picked, Starfruit emits a unique fragrance and glows like a star, which is how it got its name.
Even if the player had stealth abilities, the glow and scent would eventually reveal him.
“If it were me, I’d have stuffed it straight into my inventory. Even if it lit up, no one would notice.”
Thinking about the Starfruit’s abilities, Su Ning felt a strong desire to obtain one.
“Excuse me! Did you complete your task?”
A cold voice suddenly rang out beside her, startling Su Ning.
She turned to see a man in a white protective suit. He had a cold aura that Su Ning could tangibly feel.
Su Ning frowned. She didn’t think he was here just to make small talk.
Very few players had managed to complete tasks like she had within the farm.
Then Su Ning noticed that the emblem on his chest didn’t belong to the breeding farm staff.
“A slaughterhouse employee?”
Su Ning was surprised but quickly understood.
“How did you get into our area?”
As far as she knew, employees weren’t allowed to leave their designated zones.
This man was clearly from the slaughterhouse, so how did he enter the breeding farm?
Fu Qingge looked at the girl before him with surprise as well. This dungeon wasn’t easy by any means. He could only complete his butchering tasks because of his unique talent.
But how had this girl managed to complete her task on her own?
Still, he wasn’t here for chit-chat. He answered Su Ning’s question succinctly.
“Because of a mission,” he said, pulling a white card from his pocket.
Su Ning saw the words “Pass Card” written on it. To travel between zones, one needed a pass card.
The reason Fu Qingge shared this with Su Ning was that he wanted her help completing a task. After all, she knew the breeding farm much better than he did.
Giving her this information was also a way to earn her cooperation.
After understanding the situation, Su Ning caught on.
“So, you want my help to complete a mission?”
“Yes.”
Su Ning nodded. “Then what’s in it for me?”
Fu Qingge replied, “A piece of information—a treasure chest. I’ll trade that information with you.”
He then explained, “But to get the treasure chest, you’ll have to rely on your own abilities.”
Su Ning’s interest was piqued. From his words, she gathered that Fu Qingge knew the location of a treasure chest, but couldn’t access or obtain it himself.
Su Ning had encountered treasure chests before and knew they contained rare and valuable items, so she readily agreed. Even just the info was worth it.
“Alright then. What’s the task? What do I need to do?”
Fu Qingge said, “The slaughterhouse is right next to the cafeteria. The head chef issued a task—they need a special ingredient. The breeding farm hasn’t supplied it for two days, so I was sent here to pick it.”
Su Ning asked curiously, “What ingredient?”
Fu Qingge calmly replied, “Giant Bloom Fruit.”
Su Ning: …
She went silent after hearing his answer.
The breeding farm hadn’t supplied any Giant Bloom Fruit for two days. Su Ning wondered if it was because Zhang Kexin had been eaten by a Giant Bloom Flower, which prevented the fruit from being harvested.
Noticing Su Ning’s strange expression, Fu Qingge asked, “You know about the Giant Bloom Fruit?”
Su Ning nodded. “This task is a bit dangerous. My roommate had it on the first day and… well…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but Fu Qingge understood. Still, he wasn’t worried about danger.
He knew every task in this dungeon was risky and challenging.
His own roommate had died on the first day too—killed by the toxic ink of a giant squid in the slaughterhouse.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just lead me to where the Giant Bloom Fruit grows, and I’ll tell you the treasure chest info.”
Su Ning nodded and led him to the neighboring farm she managed—Zhang Kexin’s former farm.
Su Ning warned, “Here it is. Those Giant Bloom Flowers are the danger. The fruit grows beneath the flower buds, but once you touch it, the flower will swallow you whole.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll tell you the chest location now—whether you get it or not depends on your skills.”
Su Ning nodded.
Fu Qingge then shared what he knew.
“The chest is inside the manager’s office. Normal people can’t get in, but I saw it glowing from outside. It’s a special light—and the Moke tribe can’t see it.”
“So it’s in the manager’s office? How do you know?”
Fu Qingge didn’t answer. Everyone has their secrets, and Su Ning didn’t push further.
She returned to her farm and watched Fu Qingge head into the neighboring one.
Curious how he would harvest the Giant Bloom Fruit, she hadn’t told him the correct method—and had no reason to.
But the next second, her eyes widened at what he did.
Even though she had warned him that strong force would trigger the flower’s attack, Fu Qingge did exactly that.
Yet, unlike Zhang Kexin who had been swallowed whole, a wave of cold energy erupted around Fu Qingge and froze the Giant Bloom Flower in place.
(End of Chapter)
