CHAPTER 1390: CHAPTER 1391 FAIR VOTING

Li Kun spoke easily, but his eyes remained on Xu Huo’s face. The gazes of No. 201 and No. 202 also wandered between the two of them. Then No. 201 walked over to Li Kun, smiling as he asked, "Are you two old acquaintances?"

The atmosphere in the room was momentarily stagnant, but quickly relaxed with Xu Huo’s nod.

Li Kun discreetly breathed a sigh of relief, supported by Player No. 201 as he sat on the bed. After resting for a while, he began to inquire about clearing the game.

If they could successfully take the water purifier out, there would be no need to make a trip to the New District Government City later.

"We can’t clear the game at night; we have to wait until tomorrow," Xu Huo said, pulling up a chair to sit down.

The night banquet is the domain of the Cannibal Player. Those who haven’t tasted "dishes" won’t be able to clear the game even if they vote.

"Ordering just one dish most likely won’t clear the game," said the female player No. 202. "I ran into the female player who suggested this method earlier outside. If she’s still in the instance when it gets light, then it’s confirmed."

"As for our idea, it can only be verified tomorrow."

"Public voting does not allow cheating, but gourmets exchanging preferences and recommending their favorite dishes before making their choice should align with the voting process," said No. 201. "The only uncontrollable aspect is the number of people."

Coercing other players to vote the same way is impossible. Consulting with other players ahead of time will result in a similar outcome to selecting only one dish during the day.

"I didn’t expect the difficulty to lie in this fair voting," No. 202 sighed. "The players who come later order different dishes; if the winner is truly based on tasting the best flavor, then clearing the game is up to chance."

Moreover, with large daily changes in personnel, it’s difficult to convince later players, even if early arrivals have more say.

"It’s our third day today," Li Kun said. "When the three days of free food and accommodation are up, who knows what changes will occur in the restaurant."

"Actually, we can recruit ordinary people," No. 201 glanced at Xu Huo, "They are a disadvantaged group in the instance. With a little care, they can surely rally together."

At that point, these people will naturally follow them to vote without being prompted.

"Does this violate voting principles?" Li Kun questioned.

"For now, it’s the only way," No. 201 replied. "If it’s genuine voting, who knows when we’ll actually clear the game."

With one or two hundred people, it’s indeed difficult to monitor, let alone those who want to exploit loopholes or vote multiple times, making vote invalidation also an issue.

"It’s worth a try," Xu Huo nodded. "Let’s hope that the numbers don’t double by tomorrow."

After entering the room, no Cannibal Players came to harass them that night. However, upon returning to the restaurant after dawn, aside from Xu Huo and the other two, none of the players who appeared there last night were seen again, leaving their fate unknown—whether they were killed or cleared the game.

And while around one hundred eighty people entered the restaurant yesterday, today there were barely fifty left.

"Over a hundred people in one night—can this restaurant hold them all?" Dai Song gritted his teeth and said.

"It can’t all be the restaurant staff doing the killing; plenty died at the hands of other players." To avoid trouble, Li Kun had specifically changed his appearance, though he worried too much; the waitstaff who worked the day shift didn’t interfere with the night’s events and continued to serve them with cheerful smiles.

Maris came over to greet Xu Huo’s group and sat beside them.

"Not too badly hurt?" Xu Huo glanced at him. Yesterday, the two injured players and the evolving woman were gone, leaving only the Duck Tongue Cap female player Xiao Wan and the one with a scarf—three injured, Xiao Wan severely so, struggling even to breathe without pain despite her best efforts to hide it.

"Ran into the high heels," Maris lamented his poor luck, "I thought he’d only check the rooms in the latter half of the night."

Xu Huo remained silent. Last night, the high heels should’ve left the kitchen with the gentleman player, later meeting with the Raincoat Cleaner, indicating he was active in the restaurant all along.

"This man’s strength likely surpasses the Cleaner and the Butcher. Did you see his true face?" he asked afterward.

Maris’s expression turned slightly awkward, "It’s a man."

Seeing he didn’t want to elaborate, Xu Huo did not push further, raising a hand to greet Zhou Donghe, who was sneaking into the restaurant among a crowd, "Sit here."

Zhou Donghe, looking miserable, approached, maintaining a sensible distance, "Brother, I didn’t offend you yesterday, and you made a profit, so there’s no need to hold a grudge."

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow and smiled, "When did I ever hold a grudge?"

"Wasn’t that kick from you?" Zhou Donghe wasn’t foolish—in thinking momentarily, he realized it was the Raincoat Cleaner’s words, who wouldn’t do something so redundant.

Xu Huo waved his hand, "One hit each, we’re even."

Zhou Donghe had used the room to lure people to knock yesterday, so he had nothing to say now, "You better not retaliate tonight, then."

"You’re not planning to leave?" Xu Huo seemed slightly surprised.

"Why leave when there’s food, drink, and props to take? What place can compare to this?" Zhou Donghe discovered the garbage pile on the first night. He wasn’t as bold as Xu Huo, picking through without drawing the Raincoat Woman’s attention, "Not clearing the game anyway, and every night you can scavenge a bit—much more profitable than running instances... if not for last night’s incident."

"My apologies, then." Xu Huo chuckled, "Have you been to this instance before? Or have you been here a long time?"

"We just agreed we’re even, now don’t try to trick me into talking," Zhou Donghe glanced at the group, "Clear the game if you want; I’m not leaving."

After speaking, he backed away cautiously, striking a fighting stance to ensure his safety before confidently turning away.

"Shall we bring him back?" Dai Song asked, "He seems to know how to clear the game."

"This one’s full of nonsense, with barely a truthful word to offer. Asking might get us nowhere," Xu Huo shook his head.

"Last night he also claimed to enter the restaurant, but that wasn’t the case at all," Li Kun added. Had he really entered, he couldn’t have escaped so easily, "Maybe he just got some information from the earlier players."

Maris was unclear about the restaurant’s nighttime events, thus he inquired.

"At night it’s the Cannibal Player’s domain," Xu Huo summarized.

The gentleman player used an invitation to enter the restaurant; it suggested controlled access at night, which could be random as Zhou Donghe described or restricted like the gentleman player’s invitation. However, it didn’t significantly matter for them since entering at night didn’t guarantee clearing and only added unnecessary risks.

With this, Maris did not ask further but instead turned to the other side, "What’s with them?"