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 didnât stop her.
Unless she acted like the player who tried to steal valuable items from the farm yesterday, the guards wouldnât intervene.
The breeding farm was enormous, and different areas raised different creatures.
Su Ningâs 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.
âI wonder if thereâs anything I can scavenge from the slaughterhouse?â
But Su Ning wasnât overly hopefulâentry 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 couldnât wander freely.
This made Su Ning realize just how crucial identity cards were.
âLooks like identity cards are a key clue in this dungeon.â
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 thereâand 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.
âCould the playerâs talent be what allowed him to evade all those guards?â
But in the end?
It was the Starfruitâs 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.
âIf it were me, Iâd have stuffed it straight into my inventory. Even if it lit up, no one would notice.â
Thinking about the Starfruitâs abilities, Su Ning felt a strong desire to obtain one.
âExcuse me! Did you complete your task?â
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 didnât 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 didnât belong to the breeding farm staff.
âA slaughterhouse employee?â
Su Ning was surprised but quickly understood.
âHow did you get into our area?â
As far as she knew, employees werenât 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 wasnât 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 wasnât here for chit-chat. He answered Su Ningâs question succinctly.
âBecause of a mission,â he said, pulling a white card from his pocket.
Su Ning saw the words âPass Cardâ 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.
âSo, you want my help to complete a mission?â
âYes.â
Su Ning nodded. âThen whatâs in it for me?â
Fu Qingge replied, âA piece of informationâa treasure chest. Iâll trade that information with you.â
He then explained, âBut to get the treasure chest, youâll have to rely on your own abilities.â
Su Ningâs interest was piqued. From his words, she gathered that Fu Qingge knew the location of a treasure chest, but couldnât 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.
âAlright then. Whatâs the task? What do I need to do?â
Fu Qingge said, âThe slaughterhouse is right next to the cafeteria. The head chef issued a taskâthey need a special ingredient. The breeding farm hasnât supplied it for two days, so I was sent here to pick it.â
Su Ning asked curiously, âWhat ingredient?â
Fu Qingge calmly replied, âGiant Bloom Fruit.â
Su Ning: âŚ
She went silent after hearing his answer.
The breeding farm hadnât 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 Ningâs strange expression, Fu Qingge asked, âYou know about the Giant Bloom Fruit?â
Su Ning nodded. âThis task is a bit dangerous. My roommate had it on the first day and⌠wellâŚâ
She didnât finish the sentence, but Fu Qingge understood. Still, he wasnât worried about danger.
He knew every task in this dungeon was risky and challenging.
His own roommate had died on the first day tooâkilled by the toxic ink of a giant squid in the slaughterhouse.
âYou donât need to worry about that. Just lead me to where the Giant Bloom Fruit grows, and Iâll tell you the treasure chest info.â
Su Ning nodded and led him to the neighboring farm she managedâZhang Kexinâs former farm.
Su Ning warned, âHere 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.â
âThanks for the warning. Iâll tell you the chest location nowâwhether you get it or not depends on your skills.â
Su Ning nodded.
Fu Qingge then shared what he knew.
âThe chest is inside the managerâs office. Normal people canât get in, but I saw it glowing from outside. Itâs a special lightâand the Moke tribe canât see it.â
âSo itâs in the managerâs office? How do you know?â
Fu Qingge didnât answer. Everyone has their secrets, and Su Ning didnât 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 hadnât told him the correct methodâand 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 flowerâs 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.




