Chapter 155: Welcome Party

Qi Xia pondered for a moment before asking, “The ‘Welcome Party’?”

“Yes,” Yun Yao nodded. “It was supposed to be held last night, but we were out driving to look for Xiao Nian… so it was postponed to today.”

“Is this really necessary?” Lin Qin interjected. “We’ve already lost so many teammates… this ‘Welcome Party’ just sounds so ironic…”

“I know, which is why I said it might be a bit inappropriate…” Yun Yao smiled wryly. “It’s fine. You all rest up. I’ll go ask the others.”

Before Yun Yao could leave, Qi Xia called out to her again.

“What’s the main purpose of this ‘Welcome Party’?”

Yun Yao thought for a moment before replying, “Mainly to introduce everyone to each other, to make future cooperation easier… Oh, and we’ll also serve beer.”

At this, Qiao Jiajin sprang to his feet.

“Dang it! That sounds really important. We’ve got to go.”

Han Yimo seemed confused. “Why is it important?”

“The ‘Welcome Party’! Writing Boy…” Qiao Jiajin grabbed Han Yimo’s hand excitedly. “It just sounds important, you know?”

Han Yimo glanced questioningly at Qi Xia, still not understanding what the big deal was about a “Welcome Party.”

Qi Xia sighed helplessly. “You think Qiao Ye has some grand plan? He might as well have ‘I want beer’ written on his face.”

“Yeah…” Qiao Jiajin chuckled sheepishly. “In the past four years, I’ve only had beer once—right before I died…”

…

Although Qi Xia didn’t really want to attend this “Welcome Party,” he knew Qiao Jiajin rarely showed such initiative, so he decided to indulge him.

As the four of them prepared to leave, Han Yimo insisted on bringing Dr. Zhao along.

He explained that in the last cycle, Dr. Zhao had tried to save him—stitching up his wounds from the harpoon and keeping him talking to stay conscious—so he must be a good person.

Qi Xia couldn’t say for sure if Dr. Zhao was a good person, but at the very least, he was a competent doctor who had shown professionalism when saving lives.

As for his character… people were complex and multifaceted, so it was best not to judge.

The “Welcome Party” was held in the school cafeteria.

All the tables had been pushed together to form two long tables, lined with numerous candles that illuminated the modest space brightly.

Cans, snacks, dried fruits, and drinks were piled high on the tables, creating quite a spectacle.

Where on earth had Chu Tianqiu found all this stuff?

The five of them found seats and sat down. There were already over thirty people present.

At the front stood Chu Tianqiu, Zhang Shan, and Yun Yao, greeting everyone as they arrived.

Just as Little Glasses and Jin Yuanxun had described, it seemed everyone here had been gathered by Chu Tianqiu.

“Why haven’t we seen that Teacher Xiao yet?” Lin Qin asked. “Did she go out?”

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin both turned to look at Dr. Zhao.

“I don’t know…” Dr. Zhao shook his head. “I haven’t seen her for a while either.”

“Good riddance,” Qiao Jiajin muttered, picking up a drink from the table and examining it. “That woman was driving me crazy.”

Despite his words, Qi Xia couldn’t shake a nagging sense of unease.

Qiao Jiajin, oblivious, rummaged around the table before suddenly looking serious. “Crap… we’ve been tricked!”

“Huh?” Han Yimo, sitting beside him, startled. “Wh-what? Who tricked us?”

Qiao Jiajin turned to him with a grave expression. “Writing Boy, there’s no beer here! We’ve been lied to!”

Watching Qiao Jiajin’s reaction, Qi Xia almost wanted to punch him.

Even when facing a black bear, he hadn’t looked this distressed. Was “no beer” scarier than a bear?

“Listen… you really shouldn’t scare Han Yimo like that,” Qi Xia chided. “He’s skittish. If he gets too scared, it’ll be trouble.”

“Skittish?” Qiao Jiajin threw an arm around Han Yimo’s shoulders. “Writing Boy, with me and Liar Boy here, what could possibly go wrong?”

Han Yimo smiled faintly at that. “When you put it that way…”

Once everyone had settled in, Chu Tianqiu at the front began speaking.

“Everyone… though we’ve all met before, I’d like to introduce myself properly.” He gave an elegant nod. “My name is Chu Tianqiu, and I’m currently the guide of ‘Paradise Port.'”

He gestured to the side. “This is Yun Yao, the deputy leader of ‘Paradise Port.’ If I’m not around, she handles all logistics and assignments.”

The crowd greeted Yun Yao warmly. While most had met Chu Tianqiu before, not everyone had seen Yun Yao.

Her harmless demeanor and approachable smile left a favorable first impression.

“And on the left is Zhang Shan,” Chu Tianqiu continued. “He’s also a deputy leader, primarily responsible for leading everyone in the games.”

Zhang Shan nodded to the group.

“There’s no need to feel too tense,” Chu Tianqiu said. “This is the desolate land where we cycle endlessly. No matter how many times you die, I’ll bring you back to ‘Paradise Port.’ You’ll always belong here. So let go of all worldly worries and focus on our goal.”

With that, he glanced at Zhang Shan, who understood the cue and pulled out two crates of beer from under a nearby table.

“Tonight is the ‘Welcome Party,’ so we’re generously sharing our food supplies. But starting tomorrow, everyone will need to spend ‘tokens’ to buy food. Those who can’t contribute are free to leave ‘Paradise Port’—we don’t carry deadweight.”

Qiao Jiajin raised his hand.

“Yes?” Chu Tianqiu looked at him.

“Can ‘tokens’ buy beer?”

“They can,” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “But beer is pricier than regular food.”

“Then it’s fine,” Qiao Jiajin grinned. “I’m better than most people.”

“Good.” Chu Tianqiu smiled. “Starting tomorrow, Zhang Shan will lead teams into ‘Earth’-level games. High risk, high reward. Those interested can sign up with him. But tomorrow’s session is for memory retainers only—no newcomers.”

Qi Xia recalled that in the previous cycle’s second day, Zhang Shan had also led a team into a game, where they’d encountered him in “Earth Ox.”

Zhang Shan distributed the beer—one bottle per person.

Neither Qi Xia nor Han Yimo drank, so they gave theirs to Qiao Jiajin, who looked ecstatic.

He bit off the cap with his teeth and gulped down several mouthfuls, savoring the taste before sighing in disappointment. “Room temperature. Not great.”

“Give it a rest,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Where are we supposed to find ice in a place like this?”