Chapter 142

—

Dear Mom:

I miss you very much. I wonder if you're doing well now?

I'm doing great. I’ve wanted to reach out to you for a long time, but unfortunately, messages never went through, and phone calls were always out of service. Now that I finally have the chance to send a letter, I wrote this one...

Since leaving home, I’ve been to many places and met all sorts of people. A lot of them are kind-hearted, and they all really like me. Don’t worry about me—I’m not lonely at all. I’ve made new companions, and my fanbase is growing. Are you still working hard at your stall?

Please don’t overwork yourself. Your daughter is very capable now—she can make her own money.

...

I hope you stay safe and healthy.

Signed—

Your loving daughter.

—

Shi Jian rambled on in the long letter, sharing the sights and interesting experiences she encountered in each instance. Stripped of the horror and danger, it read just like a real daughter writing home to describe her travels.

The monster mother could clearly sense Shi Jian’s "journey," because attached to the back of the letter were several photographs.

There was one of Shi Jian wearing an expensive couture gown, a crown on her head, standing like a regal princess in a grand, opulent hall.

That scene came from the Royal Cruise instance.

There was another of Shi Jian wearing sunglasses and a suit at Renxin Hospital, standing front and center among the patients, and another where she looked every bit the Forest Queen, sitting imposingly atop a zombie vehicle...

The monster mother gently flipped through the photos, her gaze softening, her heart turning to mush with pride.

Her precious girl was truly amazing.

Every photo of Shi Jian was vivid and full of life. In many of them, Tang Tian could be seen alongside her.

The monster mother recognized her—she was her daughter’s good friend.

She realized, just like Shi Jian had said, that the number of companions around her really had grown.

Even though she flipped through them slowly—and even though Shi Jian had stuffed in a lot of photos—she eventually reached the last one.

The final photo seemed to be taken in a shopping mall. Shi Jian, smiling like a flower, stood at the front holding the camera. With her other hand, she propped up the corner of a little girl’s mouth with her index finger, making her do a one-sided smile. Tang Tian stood close beside her, smiling brightly, and behind them was a tall, long-legged young man.

The young man looked slightly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected a photo to be taken. His gentle and handsome face showed a touch of shock.

The monster mother lingered on the young man and the little girl, her tentacles fluttering about.

She was thinking—are these her daughter’s new companions?

They probably are, right?

Knowing that her daughter was doing well, the monster mother showed a gratified expression. She was just a little puzzled—the little girl beside Shi Jian looked a bit too gloomy and not lively enough.

But that was fine.

The monster mother thought: as long as she’s by my adorable, beautiful, and cheerful daughter’s side, that child will surely brighten up and feel happy too.

The monster mother flipped through the letter and photos countless times—so many that she could almost recite them from memory—before reluctantly and carefully putting them away.In addition to sending a letter and photos, Shi Jian also sent a thick wad of money.

For her mom to spend.

Shi Jian had stuffed the mailbox to its maximum capacity.

The monster mother reacted strongly to the money. She muttered to herself as if Shi Jian could hear her, “Sending a letter and photos is enough, why send money too? Your mom’s not short on cash, just keep it for yourself!”

In a fluster, she tried to send the money back, but the item was one-way only.

…

The weather was nice today. Many residents in the Xingfu (Happiness) Complex were outside chatting and taking walks.

Parents gathered together couldn’t help but talk about their children.

One woman was shelling beans while showing off, “Didn’t No.1 High just have exams recently? My Juanjuan got straight A’s again.”

A man playing chess beside her sighed deeply when he heard that. “Your kid’s really something. Mine’s a mess at school… But I already ate him.”

After saying that, he even smacked his lips, like savoring the taste.

“My kid’s super filial—said he’d buy me a huge villa!” another resident started bragging.

“My child sent me a letter.”

Amid all the child-bragging, that one sentence brought everyone to a halt. They all froze in their actions, eyes staring straight at the monster mother.

“A letter?!”

Everyone’s faces instantly turned into a mix of envy, jealousy, and bitterness.

None of their sons or daughters who had left ever sent back even a single word. The sweet promise of a grand villa, of course, was just empty talk.

With pride beaming on her face, the monster mother declared loudly, “Yes.”

“Not only did she send me a letter, she also sent me lots of money. Think about it—out there working hard, and she’s still thinking of me… I’m saving all of it for her.”

“My daughter graduated from No.1 High with straight A’s.”

“Look, here’s her photo. Isn’t she beautiful?” The monster mother showed off the photos Shi Jian had sent to the nearby residents.

She declared to her neighbors without a shred of doubt, “She’ll be the most famous star.”

…

The last photo Shi Jian sent to the monster mother had been taken spontaneously. At the time, Shi Jian was fiddling with her phone when she noticed the lighting was just right, so she called out quickly, “Come on, everyone, look at the camera.”

Tang Tian reacted fast and naturally leaned in close to Shi Jian.

The bride ghost looked extremely reluctant, and Shi Jian manually pulled her into a smile.

As for Xu An, he seemed like someone who didn’t take photos often, so he looked a little dazed at the camera, but overall still photogenic.

And that photo was preserved.

Three people and one ghost, all facing the lens together in this strange little group.

Shi Jian was quite fond of that picture—she, Tang Tian, and the bride ghost all looked great, with creamy smooth skin.Tang Tian liked the photo too—she had already asked Shi Jian to send it to her earlier, and Shi Jian conveniently sent a copy to Xu An as well.

Xu An quietly accepted it.

Because of preparing a suitable weapon for Tang Tian, researching the bride ghost's changes, sending a letter to her mother, and a series of other things, Shi Jian ended up spending what felt like a very long stretch of time at the transfer station.

She really couldn’t sit still anymore. It felt like she'd been playing around too much, letting herself get distracted and indulgent.

She couldn’t lose her drive—even if she had the capital and resources, she still had to hustle!

So after some self-reflection, Shi Jian asked her teammates, “Should we go into a new dungeon now?”

The audience was still waiting for her—she needed that attention.

Tang Tian and Xu An had no objections.

It had indeed been quite a while, even though by their usual dungeon pacing they could’ve taken another two days off.

After training together under the Gongfu Company, they all unanimously decided to go straight into a team dungeon this time.

Tang Tian said, “You learn through doing—real teamwork needs real combat.”

“And I want to test my new weapon.”

Just talking about it made Tang Tian both emotional and excited.

The new weapon was the most beautiful and perfect one in the world—a gift from her sister, Shi Jian.

When Tang Tian first received the surprise, she burst into tears on the spot.

So now, it was time to charge in!

If the livestream audience had seen this scene, they probably would’ve spammed the chat with: [Tang Tian gradually simplified.]

As Shi Jian’s group went to apply for entry into the team dungeon, they happened to pass by Xue Fu’s group.

Xue Fu looked just like before—dressed glamorously, her makeup flawless, as if she’d never experienced a single hardship. She was carrying a bunch of high-end shopping bags. As a canary kept by a rich patron, shopping and dressing up was her daily life.

Behind her were a few women with similar vibes, all carrying bags and boxes.

Shi Jian wasn’t close to Xue Fu, but they’d spoken a few times before, so she nodded at her in greeting.

Xue Fu gave a friendly smile and nodded back, and that was it—no further interaction.

There was no need.

Xue Fu was wearing a very beautiful dress today, but Shi Jian’s gaze quickly moved past it.

She no longer looked longingly at other people’s dresses like she did when she first arrived at the transfer station—because now, she could afford her own.

Shi Jian was now something of a rich lady among the streamers.

Her attention was on the bride ghost, and when she discovered what the bride ghost was doing, she was both amused and annoyed.

Shi Jian questioned her, “Do you really think you can trip me and kill me?”

The bride ghost hadn’t changed her original intent—she still wanted to stab Shi Jian.

Though she had lost her combat power, the bride ghost had been putting effort into other areas. For example, while Shi Jian and Xue Fu were nodding to each other, the bride ghost had already quietly stretched out her leg in front of Shi Jian.Her attempt at mischief was incredibly obvious.

Shi Jian: ???

With those stubby little legs, she thought she could trip her?

Shi Jian in heels could probably break the bride ghost’s leg first.

Three adults and one small ghost laughed and joked, but Xue Fu’s gaze lingered on Shi Jian for a long time, unable to look away.

Xue Fu thought, Shi Jian’s side really had become more and more lively.

She knew Shi Jian had gained a new psychic-type teammate, knew that she had an unknown-ability little girl by her side, and also knew that Shi Jian had squeezed into the ranked streamer leaderboard displayed on every floor's big screen.

Rank 63.

Xue Fu had only seen it today, and she couldn’t put into words the shock she felt in that moment.

Recently, even William had been mentioning Shi Jian frequently—not in a romantic sense, but talking about her chainsaw, about how strong she was in the dungeons…

Shi Jian clearly had all the makings of a pampered canary, yet she had stubbornly chosen a completely different path.

A path that, ever since Xue Fu was dragged into this terrifying game, she had never even considered.

Lost in thought, a sudden notion popped into Xue Fu’s mind—

What would her life be like now if she hadn’t relied on William?

“Xue Fu, why did you stop? What are you looking at?”

Her companion gave her a tug, jolting Xue Fu out of it.

If she didn’t rely on William, she would die!

Xue Fu couldn’t even imagine herself wielding a chainsaw and fighting dungeon monsters head-on. Just the forced monthly dungeon quota—being carried by William without lifting a finger—still left her with nightmares for nights on end, needing therapy and expensive sleep-inducing incense to recover.

Staring in the direction where Shi Jian was gradually walking away, Xue Fu murmured, “She’s amazing… she shines so brightly.”

It was exactly because she knew how hard that path was… exactly because she knew how beauty could make everything easier… that Shi Jian earned her deepest respect.

…

There wasn’t much difference in applying for a team dungeon versus a solo one—just a separate entry channel. Once all the procedures were completed, and after the system prompt, Shi Jian and her group entered a new dungeon.

Cold. Bone-chilling cold. And not just that—the wind was howling. Shi Jian felt like she was about to be blown away.

What kind of place was this!?

When Shi Jian opened her eyes, all she saw was a vast frozen land, blindingly white. Snowflakes kept falling and swirling, but the blizzard was so intense that it stripped away any beauty from the scene.

They were standing in front of what looked like a mountain resort lodge. As far as the eye could see, everything was covered in thick snow—no other buildings, no shelter.

Shi Jian’s eyes immediately found Tang Tian and Xu An in the group.

The bride ghost was there too, not far off, her pitch-black eyes locked tightly on her.

Originally, they weren’t even sure if the bride ghost could follow them into the dungeon—since she couldn’t go into a spirit pet ball, the best guess was: if she could come out of a dungeon, then maybe she could go into one too.

Now it seemed that was indeed the case, and Shi Jian could finally relax.Then Shi Jian quickly pulled a stylish coat and scarf from her inventory and wrapped herself up. Tang Tian and Xu An did the same, and the other streamers also acted fast.

No kidding—if they didn’t bundle up, they’d freeze solid!

Of course, not every streamer had heavy clothing, so some could only layer whatever they had.

Before anyone could say anything, a voice spoke up.

“Sorry, travelers. Our lodge requires advance reservations to check in… Even if you offer money, it’s no use. It’s a strict policy—no exceptions.”

The speaker was wearing a uniform and looked like the lodge receptionist.

The lodge was the only building in sight, but they weren’t allowed inside. Not even for money.

The streamers had just been dropped here—who could’ve made a reservation ahead of time?

Without access to the lodge, in these freezing temperatures, it was clearly a death sentence.

Anxiety spread among the streamers. Many furrowed their brows, and it was at that moment that Shi Jian spoke up. “Hello.”

She politely greeted the receptionist.

The receptionist smiled back at Shi Jian. “Hello,” and gave a listening gesture.

Shi Jian clutched her coat and asked, “Have you ever seen the owner of your lodge?”

Other streamers: ???

Tang Tian: ???

Receptionist: ???

No one knew why Shi Jian was asking this—what did that have to do with getting into the lodge?

Shi Jian continued looking at the receptionist, waiting for an answer.

The receptionist still responded, “No, I haven’t. Why?”

Shi Jian understood now—so she hadn’t seen the owner…

She casually flipped her hair. “Well, now you have. That’s right, this lodge is my property.” She pointed to the building with a delicate finger.

Not a hint of shame or hesitation.

If the receptionist had said she had seen the owner, then Shi Jian would’ve claimed to be the goddess the lodge owner was madly in love with.