After finishing their rice, Bai Jiang and Lin Wei left the restaurant together.
"Clothing store… it should be nearby, right?" Lin Wei glanced around uncertainly.
Bai Jiang had already noticed a store with a simple sign that read [Apparel Shop] not far from the restaurant. "Over there."
The two headed toward the shop. Inside, racks of clothing were neatly displayed. A floating screen near the entrance showed prices in points.
"Wow… clothes are expensive too…" Lin Wei whispered as she checked the screen. Most of the clothes cost 1 to 2 points each.
Bai Jiang silently looked through the racks. She didn't care about style—functionality was what mattered. In the end, she chose a set of plain, dark-colored sportswear and a pair of lightweight sneakers. The total came to 3 points.
Lin Wei picked a similar set. After paying through the floating screen, the clothes immediately appeared in their hands.
Changing rooms were available at the back of the store. After changing out of their bathrobes, the two looked at each other and felt more grounded.
"This feels much better." Lin Wei stretched her arms. "I feel like I can finally run without worrying about tripping!"
Bai Jiang nodded. After surviving that first life-or-death instance in just a bathrobe, this feeling of security from proper clothing was real.
"Bai Jiang, how many points do you have left?" Lin Wei asked.
"0.5 points."
"I have 0.5 too… Damn, we're broke already!"
Bai Jiang said calmly, "We'll just have to do the next instance quickly."
Lin Wei smiled bitterly. "You're right… But aren't you scared? What if it's something worse than the fire?"
"Being scared won't help us survive."
"…True." Lin Wei took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll follow you."
The two returned to the Mission Hall. New players kept arriving, and the hall remained noisy.
The large screen in the hall displayed the names of available instances. Bai Jiang saw many instance names flash past, each marked as either Basic or Horror.
A new Basic instance had just opened:
[Instance: Broken Elevator]
Type: Basic
Difficulty: Low
Points Reward: 4
Current Capacity: 1/20
Bai Jiang's eyes sharpened.
She quickly clicked [Join], and a notification sounded in her mind:
[You have joined Instance: Broken Elevator. Please wait for the instance to open.]
She looked at Lin Wei. "Do you want to join too?"
Lin Wei hesitated, her face pale. But then she gritted her teeth and said, "Yes!"
Just as Lin Wei was about to click Join, the instance filled up. The screen now showed:
Current Capacity: 20/20
Lin Wei looked stunned.
Bai Jiang was surprised too. "It's full?"
Lin Wei looked like she was about to cry. "What now? I missed it!"
"It's fine. Wait for the next instance."
"But I don't want to go alone…"
"You won't." Bai Jiang said firmly. "I'll clear this instance, and then we'll regroup."
Lin Wei reluctantly nodded. "Okay… Be careful."
Bai Jiang didn't say anything else. She calmly walked toward the white circle that represented the instance entrance. A moment later, her figure disappeared.
Watching Bai Jiang vanish, Lin Wei felt even more anxious.
She looked back at the screen, her heart racing.
In this strange, cruel world, separating from the only person she trusted made her panic. But Lin Wei knew… she couldn't rely on Bai Jiang forever.