Chapter 10: Suspicious Meals and Deadly Truths

The cramped, dim, rundown room is empty at a glance.
The landlord, hand over his nose, chuckles awkwardly: “He was just here…”

The room’s not messy, just poorly lit and old, giving a “dirty” first impression.

A sharply dressed man lingers at the doorway.
Confirming no hiding spots, he turns to leave.
The landlord scurries after, shamelessly demanding payment.

The man, openly disdainful, tosses him some cash to shoo him off.

Underestimated him. That kid’s quick.

But no matter where he hides, school starts in two months—he’ll show up eventually.

Cold water drips from Yun Shi’s chin.
In the mirror, he studies the face staring back.

Youthful features, not fully mature, pale from lingering weakness.

It’s a face eerily like his at 18.

But their lives clearly diverged.

Lifting a hand, Yun Shi sees calluses—rough, not delicate.
The original owner likely survived by fixing machines from a young age.

From the cheap, dilapidated rental, Yun Shi took little: the butler robot, an old game helmet, and a secondhand mechanical learning chip, carefully stored in a box.
An orphan, self-reliant, poor but not barren.

Why would someone target such a kid?

Who’d he cross?
Or was it something else?
Where did that lethal nutrient fluid come from?

Yun Shi strains to recall, but the memory’s blank.
Beyond the small room, he knows nothing of the original’s relationships or past.

Unable to remember, he gives up, wipes his face, and leaves the bathroom.

The new place is far from the recycling station.
The 50-Star-Coin trip was worth it—Yun Shi’s pleased.

Clean, well-lit, small but not claustrophobic like the old place.
Best of all, it’s across from a school, with a police-like station two streets away.

Yun Shi feels safer.

But his newly earned Star Coins are nearly gone.

Rent’s 1600 Star Coins monthly.
The place has only basic furniture.
After buying sheets, blankets, and essentials, he’s broke again.

Half a day’s hustle, and 30 minutes remain until his four-hour guild deal expires.

Yun Shi logs back into the game.

He spawns near the village, [Bear Island Raid] quest ready to turn in.

A team invite pings from CherryWhatFlavor.

Yun Shi accepts, joining Cherry’s team.

In the team, Cherry sends a [kneeling slowly] emoji.
He didn’t expect Wind Bro to make waves again while he was offline sleeping.

Compared to soloing a dungeon, threatening an NPC for gear or triggering a hidden plot feels trivial.

The forums are ablaze.
Not just their server—Clouds and Breezes is the only player across all servers to solo [Bear Island].
Speculation runs wild: is he a pro gamer?

Clouds and Breezes is gaining fame among Breath of Life players.

Seeing him online, Cherry instantly sends the invite, partly to ride the hype, partly curious how this wind user soloed.

“Wind Bro, can you carry me through the dungeon?”

Yun Shi: “Sure. 80 gold or Star Coins per run.”

A quick calculation shows it’s fair, but Cherry wants more.
“Uh, Wind Bro, can I stream it? Appearance fee… 1000 Star Coins, cool?”

Cherry’s no newbie.
He knows first-clear videos can be public or paid, set by the player.
Other servers have cleared, but hours later, and Clouds’ solo clear is a huge draw.
Streaming could pull massive traffic.

He could stream secretly, but that’s shady and risks bad blood.
A hotshot making headlines from day one isn’t someone to cross.

1000 Star Coins means publicizing the guide.
Later, selling the first-clear video might fetch less, but paid carries—mostly for lazy spenders—won’t take much hit.
It’s a level 15 dungeon; at 20, players hit the main city with new dungeons.
Long-term, 1000 might be a loss, but it’s only sellable for a day or two.
After that, at level 20, [Bear Island]’s irrelevant.
Plus, Yun Shi’s broke—desperately so.

After thinking, Yun Shi nods.
“Fine, but wait 30 minutes. I promised guilds four hours.”

No issue for Cherry.
A team application pops up.
As captain, he asks: “MistInTheView and StarKnight applied. Your friends, Wind Bro?”

Yun Shi: “Sort of.”

Cherry lets them in.

[StarKnight]: Yo! Big shot, we meet again!
[MistInTheView]: Where you at?
[Clouds and Breezes]: Near the village, about to turn in the dungeon quest.
[StarKnight]: We haven’t turned in either. Together, big shot?
[CherryWhatFlavor]: I’m in!

Three minutes later, the four gather near the village entrance.

They head in to find the village chief, the NPC for the [Bear Island Raid] quest.
Called the chief, he’s a middle-aged man, a former corporate exec before the disaster.
His leadership skills made him the survivors’ leader on Twin Islands.

They quickly find him.
Hearing they’re turning in the raid quest, his expression flickers oddly for a moment before shifting to praise.
“You’re truly skilled, unlike us ordinary folk without abilities.
With those mutant bears gone, we can rest easy.
Hard work deserves reward—join me at my place for dinner.”

StarKnight, aka Jiang Shu, grins.
“NPC’s treating us to food? Sounds like a feast!”

Cherry, who hasn’t cleared, can’t join but tags along, as excited as Jiang Shu.

In Breath of Life, food tastes near-real.
A single gourmet dish in the real interstellar world costs thousands of Star Coins.
No satiety, but tasting it’s a win!

Yun Shi trails behind, frowning at the NPC’s back.

He’s sure—the chief’s odd look mirrors the landlord’s shock at seeing him alive.

A look of disbelief at someone who should be dead.

He recalls the bear mother’s cave—those skeletal remains.
A simple raid quest hides something darker.

Bo He doesn’t notice the NPC, instead glancing at the pensive Yun Shi.

The chief’s home is close.

His wife sets a lavish table, meticulously cooked, its aroma tempting everyone.

At the chief’s invitation, Jiang Shu dives in, his delighted expression making Cherry jealous.
Unable to eat without clearing, Cherry can only watch.

Yun Shi and Bo He haven’t touched the food.

The chief looks at Yun Shi, who says, “Not hungry yet. Can I pack it to go?”

The chief smiles.
“Of course!”

Yun Shi receives a purple-quality dish.

[Delicious Feast]: Four dishes, one soup—makes your taste buds dance!
(+100 attack, +100% crit rate, +100% crit damage for 1 hour)

It smells divine, unlike anything Yun Shi’s tasted in this world.
But he doesn’t eat.

Bo He follows suit, packing his portion.
Once Jiang Shu finishes, the four leave.

In the team, Cherry tries buying Yun Shi’s feast.
Jiang Shu, still craving, begs Bo He for his share.

Just a casual ask, but Bo He actually trades it to him.

Jiang Shu, holding the feast, is shocked and thrilled.
“Bro, you’re really giving it to me?”

Bo He pats his cousin’s head.
“Eat if you want.”

Jiang Shu’s touched.
“Bro! You’re my real bro!”

Bo He smiles warmly.

Cherry looks hopefully at Yun Shi.
“Wind Bro, you’re my bro too. Sell it to me?”

Yun Shi, with a merchant’s conscience, warns, “I’d advise against eating.”

Cherry, confused: “Why?”

“Because…”

The feast’s buffs are insane.
Jiang Shu plans to rerun the dungeon with them, but as the four exit the village—

Urp!
StarKnight clutches his throat, collapses, and turns into a corpse.

Yun Shi finishes: “…it’s poisoned. Eat it, you die.”

Jiang Shu’s experience plummets.
On the ground, he glares at his smiling cousin.
“Bro, you’re really my bro!”