Chapter 84

Diluc instantly felt a wave of regret—he had forgotten that March 7th had a long infection range.

Now that he had become a zombie, he had to follow the rules of the game and charged toward Zhongli and the others.

Kaeya quickly opened fire on Diluc.

Although they managed to push Diluc back, March 7th and the others had already caught up.

Seeing this, Kaeya didn't hesitate—he jumped straight off the rooftop, decisively abandoning Zhongli and the others.

Paimon, who had only scored 12 points throughout the entire game, looked up and saw a gift from the heavens dropping toward her. She reached out and caught it.

[Paimon infected Kaeya]

Paimon was moved to tears by the one extra point that finally appeared on her scoreboard.

"I finally scored!"

Her previous 12 points had all come from the guaranteed 1-point-per-round minimum.

After entering the game, she lost her ability to fly and had to waddle around on her tiny legs. She couldn't even jump onto crates and could only move on flat ground.

As a result, she was always among the first to get infected in every round.

On the rooftop, Zhongli heard a prompt in his mind.

[You can transform into a Ghost Hunter. Transform?]

Without hesitation, Zhongli chose to transform.

Jing Yuan and Huaiyan did the same.

A flash of light appeared, and the three of them now held a pair of kukri knives.

Zhongli charged toward March 7th, slashing at her with a knife.

March 7th saw her health drop by 700 points in an instant.

She raised her hand and struck Zhongli with a bolt of lightning.

Zhongli checked his HP—still 6000. That meant each hit from March 7th took 1000 HP. A head-on fight wouldn't end well.

He quickly dodged her next attack, keeping his distance.

Jing Yuan and Huaiyan rushed toward other regular zombies to create an opportunity for Zhongli to take down the Terminator.

Zhongli relied on his agility to keep dancing around March 7th.

She was getting frustrated. "What is he, an eel?! I can't even land a hit!"

March 7th checked her health—only 5000 left. To play it safe, she decided to retreat for now.

She jumped down from the rooftop. Zhongli didn't follow.

There was only one access point to the rooftop, so he wasn't worried about being surrounded.

But on the ground, he'd be open to attacks from all directions.

Zhongli, Jing Yuan, and Huaiyan took turns guarding the entrance.

It was hard to hold the line without taking damage.

Seeing this, Stelle shouted to encourage everyone.

"Keep pushing! They're about to crack!"

March 7th, having recovered her HP, rejoined the fight and pushed Jing Yuan to low health.

Jing Yuan had to retreat, leaving Huaiyan to take the front.

March 7th activated her shield and traded blows with Huaiyan, keeping an eye on her own health. As soon as it dropped below 3000, she backed off.

After a round of fierce attacks, both Jing Yuan and Huaiyan were down to 1000 HP.

Only Zhongli still had 5000 HP left.

Jing Yuan glanced at March 7th, who had started healing again down below, and shook his head.

"Mr. Zhongli, it's all up to you now."

With that, he and Huaiyan jumped off the roof.

Instantly, all the zombies turned their attention to the two of them and gave chase.

A few seconds later, Jing Yuan was cornered in an alley and taken down by Kiana.

Kiana stared wide-eyed at the +5 points on her screen.

"These Ghost Hunters are worth a fortune! I just got 5 points in one hit!"

She looked toward Huaiyan in the distance—didn't think she'd reach him in time. So she turned back to go after Zhongli.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Huaiyan at the staircase.

A quick swipe, and he was down.

[Kiana killed Huaiyan. +5 points!]

Kiana was overjoyed.

At that moment, Stelle and March 7th caught up.

They came chasing in, panting.

"Geez~ Why did Huaiyan run right into me? What a lucky break!" Kiana chuckled.

Now with 10 extra points, she had jumped to second place, not far behind the top scorer, Silver Wolf.

On the rooftop, Zhongli was also nearly out of HP. Three regular zombie corpses lay at his feet.

Kiana jumped up and clawed him down.

[Kiana killed Ghost Hunter Zhongli]

Kiana was thrilled—she'd racked up all these points just by picking off the weak. What a game!

Round Two.

As expected, the rooftop was quickly crowded.

Stelle was the first to arrive, camping the entrance with a Negev LMG. Everyone else was stuck outside the hallway.

March 7th yelled at Stelle to move.

"Stelle! Stop blocking the way! Move! You're gonna transform soon!"

Stelle grinned.

"If you don't transform, how will I become the Hunter? Hehe~"

March 7th rolled her eyes.

Soon, the countdown ended.

Good news: the Terminator wasn't here.

Bad news: both virus carriers were.

Stelle still crouched at the entrance, spraying bullets at the two carriers.

Thanks to everyone's effort, the carriers only managed to infect three people before being driven back.

While attacking, March 7th yelled again.

"Stelle! Let me up already!"

Stelle cheekily shook her head.

"Nope nope. I'm waiting for you guys to get infected."

As more safe zones fell, waves of zombies began swarming in.

Stelle comforted March 7th.

"Don't worry. Just wait to transform!"

March 7th looked around.

"We might not even get the chance. Maybe the other zones haven't fallen yet."

Stelle reassured her.

"Relax, we definitely will. We have the most people here—definitely the last to be hit.

Just think, with the Terminator out there, anyone hiding elsewhere is doomed."

March 7th nodded—Stelle actually made a good point.

As the zombie attacks intensified, both Stelle and March 7th successfully transformed into Ghost Hunters.

Stelle brandished her dual kukri knives.

"Hehe, points! Here I come!"

She leaped off the rooftop and slashed at Lumine nearby.

Lumine was furious.

"Everyone, over here! Stelle's here!"

With that shout, everyone who'd been infected earlier because of Stelle's block came swarming in.

Surrounded, Stelle looked around, dumbfounded.

"Uh... is it too late to apologize now?"

Lumine gave the order.

"Get her!"

[Kiana killed Ghost Hunter Stelle]

Stelle was close to tears. She finally became a Hunter—just to earn 2 measly points.

Zhongli shook his head at the tragic sight.

"Outsmarted by her own cunning."

Soon, all 17 rounds ended.

Kiana never transformed into a Hunter, but her insane luck helped her rack up Ghost Hunter kills like crazy.

She secured first place.

Silver Wolf came in second, scoring with stealth using her VSS rifle.

Zhongli took third, transforming into a Hunter the most times and taking out several regular zombies each time with his skills.

***

Award Ceremony

Kiana stood tall on the first-place podium, the corners of her mouth uncontrollably rising with joy.

This was her first time standing in this position.

Back in school, she had always been at the bottom of the class, watching others climb onto this podium time and time again.

Back then, she used to imagine what it would be like to stand on the first-place podium herself.

Now, that wish had finally come true.

Ye Yun held the microphone and announced:

"Let's congratulate Kiana for winning first place in this dungeon event! The reward is 3,000 Star Coins!"

Stelle was the first to clap and cheer, showing support for her new bestie Kiana.

"Nice! Kiana's awesome!"

March 7th, Hu Tao, and the others also cheered for her.

Kiana happily accepted the 3,000 Star Coins handed to her by Ye Yun.

She looked down at her cheering friends and raised the prize money high.

"Dinner's on me tonight—instant noodles for everyone!"

Stelle clapped and cheered again.

"Yeah! Kiana is awesome! Kiana is the coolest!"

The award ceremony ended, and everyone was teleported back to Ye Yun's shop.

Kiana kept her promise and ran to the little bar to buy a whopping 500-Star Coin's worth of super deluxe, ultra-tasty instant noodles.

Paimon and Yunli were thrilled at the thought of free food.

The two of them rushed to the bar, pulling out their food bowls and started washing them eagerly.

Xiangling glanced at the growing pile of instant noodles on the counter.

"Hu Tao, come help me lift the pot."

Hu Tao, who was just about to head out and have fun, turned back around.

"Got it~"

Hu Tao and Xiangling carried a large pot over to the stove.

Ye Yun sat on the sofa, sipping tea leisurely.

"Finally, a day I can rest."

Jing Yuan smiled slightly from across the room.

"Indeed. You're usually the one cooking in the kitchen.By the way, aren't you all heading to your next destination tomorrow?"

Himeko chimed in from the side.

"Yes, we've been invited by the family to attend the Harmony Ceremony."

Jing Yuan responded with interest.

"Oh? The Harmony Ceremony? The family also invited the Luofu, but unfortunately, we've just been through a major battle and need time to recover. We couldn't make it."

Ye Yun grinned.

"You'll regret not going."

Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why is that?"

Ye Yun smirked.

"I don't know about anything else, but there's a lot of Stellar Jade and Pinocony goodies waiting there."

Jing Yuan froze mid-sip.

"Are you serious?"

Ye Yun replied calmly.

"Would I lie about something like this?"

After a moment of thought, Jing Yuan suddenly stood up.

"Everyone, I have matters to attend to. Please excuse me."

Jing Yuan hurriedly left the train and returned to the Divine Strategy Mansion via Starskiff.

Just then, Kiana walked out from the bar with a glass of juice and saw Jing Yuan leaving.

"Huh? Why's General Jing Yuan leaving? I thought I invited everyone for instant noodles?"

Ye Yun chuckled and said,

"He's got urgent business. Let's enjoy our noodles."

Himeko agreed,

"General Jing Yuan has a lot on his plate, managing the entire Luofu."

Kiana looked a little disappointed. These noodles were just too good to miss out on.

Soon, Stelle and Eula carried the huge pot of noodles to the table.

Kiana's eyes sparkled when she saw the noodles and rushed to the table.

She picked up her chopsticks and bowl, looked around, and noticed everyone watching her.

"Why are you all looking at me? Let's eat~"

At her words, everyone started grabbing noodles.

Kiana served herself a big bowl, sat down happily, and began eating.

She ate with gusto, chatting and joking with Stelle, March 7th, Hu Tao, and the others while eating.

After the meal—

Kiana patted her stomach, about to wipe the oil off her mouth with her hand, when she noticed Himeko watching her.

She laughed sheepishly and grabbed a napkin instead.

Xiangling walked over with a large food container.

"Kiana, this is the one you asked me to pack earlier. Here you go."

Kiana took the box gratefully.

"Thanks, Xiangling."

She planned to take this back to Mei.

This noodle was just too good—Mei had to try it.

"See you all tomorrow~"

Kiana stepped into the portal and returned to St. Freya Academy.

The portal's position was awkward—it exited right in her wardrobe.

Kiana stepped out of the closet and immediately saw Mei sitting in her room.

"Mei, I'm back~"

Mei looked over, worry written all over her face.

"Kiana! Where have you been all day? Everyone's been looking for you!"

Kiana scratched her head.

"Huh? Where I went? Well, let me explain…"

She excitedly recounted her whole day to Mei—meeting new friends, the ultra-deluxe instant noodles, the dungeon game, and how she got first place. The more she talked, the happier she looked.

Today had been amazing—great fun, great food, and even rewards.

After listening, Mei finally understood.

So Kiana had traveled to another world, met lots of new people there, and discovered a magical shop selling things from across the multiverse.

Mei lowered her head in thought. Kiana had said so much—she needed time to process it all.

Kiana looked at the box in her hand and grinned.

"Mei~ Mei~ Let's go eat some noodles! I brought this back for you—it's super delicious!"

Mei was pulled back to reality by Kiana's voice. She looked at the food box in Kiana's hand.

"Alright, let's go to the living room."

Kiana smiled and agreed.

Then, the two of them sat in the living room and opened the boxes.

A rich, fragrant aroma filled the room instantly.

Kiana rushed into the kitchen and brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

"Mei! Try it, this was cooked by Xiangling—she's an amazing cook~"

Mei nodded and picked up a bite of noodles.

Just then—

"Kiana! Did you find her?" Theresa and Himeko rushed through the door, clearly worried.

Kiana looked up in surprise.

"Aunt Theresa! Auntie Himeko! You're just in time—try this ultra-deluxe super tasty instant noodle I brought back!"

At the moment, both Theresa and Himeko were too focused on Kiana's safety to notice how she had just addressed them.

Theresa asked,

"Kiana, where were you today? We've been searching for you all day!"

Only then did Kiana realize she had completely forgotten to let everyone know she was safe.

She scratched her head awkwardly.

"Well, today I…"