While the other players were tormented by the three meal sets, sweating profusely, Wen Nan glanced at the three girls who had retreated to the wall, similarly facing a difficult choice.
In the end, most players gritted their teeth and chose the decayed snakes, bugs, and rodents.
"No way... Cockroaches and creepers... Absolutely not... Only... all vegetarian it is!"
Some players, driven by desperation, ultimately chose the red stone.
Then, after the players had each made their choices, Wen Nan, sitting on one side, raised his hand and began to eat.
At that moment, everyone’s gaze in the room fell on him simultaneously.
They watched as he lifted his hand and picked up the largest rusty nail from the surprise set on the right side...
The sister in a white dress opposite, with her hair in a bun, immediately beamed with joy, but before her smile could fully bloom, she saw—
Wen Nan picked up the nail but didn’t swallow it directly; instead, he skewered the "lively" all-meat set beside it, like a kebab, and placed it horizontally into the all-vegetarian set on the far left, rolling it back and forth in the yellow mixture, coating it in "soup."
Then he lifted it, meat with soup and skewer, and stuffed it into his mouth, munching heartily.
[*Don’t raise flags*: (ఠൠఠ)]
[*Don’t raise flags*: What, bro, what kind of operation is this?]
[*ygs.qs*: Damn! How can he get that down? How is he not gagging?]
[*Short and Fat*: Not only is he not gagging, he seems to be enjoying it]
[*ygs.qs*: Impossible, what did this guy do before, to eat a red stone with such a pleased expression?]
[*Don’t raise flags*: Whether it’s red stone or bugs, it’s not important anymore. Now the issue is, swallowing such a big rusty nail, wouldn’t it tear his esophagus? How can he keep a straight face, feeling no pain at all?]
[*ygs.qs*: Could it be that he has skills like Iron Skin or extra armor?]
[*Short and Fat*: No, he hasn’t added any skill points to armor, agility, or strength]
[*Don’t raise flags*: Then what exactly did he add to?]
[*Don’t raise flags*: Damn! These point allocations... it’s crazy...]
[*Don’t raise flags*: Who on earth is this holy figure?]
In the dining room, the other players watched Wen Nan swallow down excrement, bugs, and nails, dumbfounded.
Sitting next to Wen Nan, Xu Dongsheng kept his gaze fixed on the president’s throat, swallowed hard, and trembled as he asked, "President, are you okay? Does it hurt? Can you manage? I have a bottle of universal healing ointment..."
He realized halfway through that in this map, all equipment and items were locked, and his bottle of medicine was useless, so he shut his mouth again, his gaze traveling from the president’s throat down to his chest.
"Hm?" Wen Nan glanced at him, his speech somewhat muffled due to a mouthful of "food," "No need, just a bit scratchy in the throat. I don’t know if it’ll be uncomfortable going to the bathroom tonight, but the meal’s taste is actually quite good."
"...Quite good?!... Tasty?!... Gulp."
Xu Dongsheng’s eyes glazed over, swallowing constantly.
Wen Nan watched him for a while, wondering, why does this kid seem like he’s been hit with some shock, looking a bit foolish?
By this time, the short-haired girl in the yellow dress and the long-haired girl in the purple dress had each pushed a dining cart in, serving the guests one by one based on the choices made.
When the meal sets were placed in front of everyone and the lids lifted, all seven faces turned pale as wall plaster.
No matter what, it was unpalatable...
Indeed, a boss like the president was beyond the reach of regular players...
"Guests, what’s the matter? Why isn’t anyone moving?" The housekeeper, Jiang Xueying, stepped forward at that moment, walking to the table, her gaze sweeping back and forth among the remaining seven players, "Is the manor’s food not to your taste?"
The players were silent as cicadas in winter.
In this situation, saying the food isn’t to taste would certainly have dire consequences.
Seeing no one speaking, Jiang Xueying’s smile deepened, "Don’t be shy, go ahead and eat, and when you’re done, we still have other arrangements to get to."
At this, Luo Wei and Liang Yiming, two muscular level-4 players, finally raised their hands, picked up utensils, each grabbing a cockroach with its antennae tangled, and putting it in their mouths.
The long-haired girl in the purple dress smiled and asked, "How does it taste?"
Luo Wei forced a smile more ugly than crying, mimicking the president’s complimentary words, "Chicken, chicken flavor, crispy, even, even juicy..."
Xu Dongsheng stared at the brownish mixture in front of him, lacking the courage to pick up the spoon.
He’s been afraid of bugs since he was young, especially cockroaches, so he couldn’t bring himself to choose the all-meat set and finally opted for this dish...
But now that it was in front of him, Xu Dongsheng regretted it. Red stone is much harder to chew than those "crispy snacks"...
Thinking of this, tears of regret rolled down Xu Dongsheng’s face.
Wen Nan’s three meal trays were already by his feet, and seeing the player beside him silently shedding tears, he was shocked and whispered, "Not to your taste?"
Xu Dongsheng was startled, thinking, why does the president’s tone when asking this sound exactly like that female manager?
Is this a question of taste?
Then he heard the president continue to ask, "If you really don’t want to eat it, share it with me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Dongsheng seemed to see a savior, and his tears began to flow again.
Wen Nan was startled and hastily said, "Just give it to me quickly, don’t let the others see."
Xu Dongsheng stopped crying, pushed the tray towards Wen Nan, then, picking up the largest spoon, scooped a spoonful and was about to transfer it when a woman’s voice came from behind:
"What are you doing?"
Jiang Xueying had somehow moved behind Xu Dongsheng, bending down, her face close to his back, speaking so that her breath fanned over his earlobe.
Xu Dongsheng was so startled he trembled, and the spoon in his hand flew out, landing perfectly on the decorative crystal vase at the center of the table.
Seeing the spoon’s trajectory, Jiang Xueying’s expression shifted dramatically.
With a "whoosh," she extended a slender tentacle from behind, smoothly catching the spoon in mid-air.
She slammed the spoon forcefully onto Xu Dongsheng’s tray with a crisp sound that scared him so much he was about to jump out of his chair.
Jiang Xueying raised her hand, gripping his shoulder tightly, pressing him back down into the chair.
At this moment, Jiang Xueying no longer showed even a hint of a smile, her face turning unusually cold.
"In this manor, there are two rules I hope guests will remember—
"My snow porcelain, do not touch.
"My little treasures, do not touch."