The next morning, as the sun began to rise, Wu Wang finished his night-long exercise, drenched in sweat. He glanced at the Number Five waitress, who lay sleeping on her side, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes.

Of course, it was a proper exercise. No strange plot developments had unfolded.

After the ball ended, guests were no longer permitted to linger outside. Everyone had to return to their rooms. The Number Five waitress had reminded him that anyone who violated this rule would be thrown overboard to feed the fish.

Wu Wang wouldn’t drown, of course. But there was no way he could chase down a massive cruise ship by swimming in the open ocean. Being thrown off would mean the end of the Instance, and he had no desire to be trapped here forever.

So, he had returned to his room. Since Number Five had taken his place as a guest, she had to stay in his room to avoid arousing suspicion. Fortunately, the rules didn’t forbid a waitress from spending the night in a guest’s room. Otherwise, all their swapping would have been far more troublesome.

Wu Wang didn’t need to sleep. Once Number Five was asleep, he began his usual nightly routine. He exercised, using his ability to die and revive to keep his body in peak condition. His immortality was one thing, but maintaining a physique at the absolute pinnacle of a normal human took sheer force of will.

Click.

He opened the door. His clothes silently shifted into the Decade outfit. He walked to the room of the player Bei Lang and gently pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

The soundproofing on the cruise ship was excellent. Aside from Bei Lang himself, not even the Thorny Show-off in the next room could hear the sound.

A moment later, the door opened.

Bei Lang checked the peephole. Seeing it was Yan Shuangying, his drowsiness vanished instantly.

The big shot needed him for something!

Wu Wang stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He sized up Bei Lang’s handsome, middle-aged appearance.

“So,” Wu Wang asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice, “did you feel any… unusual excitement last night?”

He knew, after all, that Bei Lang was a family man. Though they had only been dancing, who knew what was going through the other’s mind?

Bei Lang gave a bitter smile.

“Big Shot Yan, please don’t joke with me.”

He quickly added, “Is there anything you need help with, or do you have instructions for me?”

He hadn’t felt any excitement. After he’d regained his senses, his dance partner had been the Fox Loli. It felt more like playing house with a child than anything else.

During their conversation yesterday, the players had confirmed they were all adults. The Fox Loli had even quietly mentioned that she believed what Yan Shuangying said about the 【Lie】 Curse.

She confessed that she also had a Curse. The reason she, a twenty-four-year-old, still had such a petite figure was due to a Curse she’d received in a previous Instance.

Wu Wang thought for a moment.

“I need your help to verify something about the ball.”

Bei Lang agreed without a second thought.

“No problem! Just tell me what it is!”

He added desperately, “As long as you don’t ask a clumsy oaf like me to dance with a woman again. I’m really no good at it! Who knows what the hell I was doing last night!”

“Oh,” Wu Wang said. “I want you to go find a woman to dance with tonight.”

Bei Lang froze.

Are you just trying to mess with me?

Wu Wang wasn’t finished.

“And you need to find Xiaoxiao to dance with. Do everything you can to make sure she doesn’t go off flirting with other women. You two have to be partners the whole time.”

Bei Lang was speechless.

Big Shot, isn’t this going a bit too far? This is like chasing someone down to kill them after they’ve already escaped!

Xiaoxiao was the Fox Loli’s player ID. The look she’d given him on the way back to her room yesterday was already unnerving, as if she was staring at a pervert. If he just walked up and asked her to dance tonight…

She’s going to kill me, Bei Lang thought frantically.

“No, she won’t,” Wu Wang said expressionlessly.

This statement sent a jolt through Bei Lang. His hands began to tremble as he subconsciously activated his Title Skill, 【Prophet】.

The skill gave him a vague premonition of short-term danger. It was the only reason he dared to be so bold in recording anomalies. The premonition could also be precise about things that had just happened.

Right now, he could sense it clearly.

The big shot wasn’t lying.

Holy crap! Did he really see through my thoughts?

The feeling of being completely seen through by some unknown ability sent Bei Lang into a panic. A faint sense of dread crept over him.

No wonder Boss Xiezhi told me not to get in his way! What kind of monster is this guy?

For some reason, his fear of the man before him intensified, and his legs began to feel weak. He had no idea that Wu Wang’s Title, 【Fear Monger】, was beginning to take effect.

“Fine… I understand.” Bei Lang had no choice but to agree. “So, Big Shot, what area do you plan on exploring today?”

He wanted to get out of this Instance alive. With a powerful ally right in front of him, he had to take the chance.

“I’m going to the Back Kitchen,” Wu Wang said, turning to leave.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be back before the ball, so I’m telling you now. Remember, no other women. No matter what you have to do, you can only dance with Xiaoxiao.”

The Back Kitchen!

The words struck Bei Lang’s mind like a hammer. Yesterday in the restaurant, the waitress had been perfectly clear.

【The cruise ship does not have a Back Kitchen.】

Had they been lied to?

“Don’t overthink it. Just focus on your part,” Wu Wang said.

He felt a bit helpless. Normal players didn’t need to find the Back Kitchen or gain Mary’s Favor. They just needed to survive the final main quest to clear the Instance.

But he couldn’t do that. He wanted to replace the ball’s host and become the new master of the cruise ship. He couldn’t afford to miss a single side quest.

Then, under Bei Lang’s admiring gaze, he left the room.

When he returned to his own room, he found Number Five already awake. She had changed back into her normal clothes. Now, there were two Decades in the room.

“My stomach is upset,” Wu Wang said, turning and entering the restroom.

【Heilan Home Brooch】!

【Fake Smile Mask】!

His face and figure morphed into a perfect copy of the Number Five waitress. His clothes changed into her normal uniform, not the bunny girl outfit. That one was a bit unsuitable for exploring.

He finished his disguise and walked out of the restroom, glancing at the real Number Five, who was about to go in to wash up.

Wu Wang didn’t waste a second.

“Are there any areas on this ship that are completely off-limits? A place that isn’t considered a public or private area.”

The Number Five waitress froze. She scrutinized his expression, then let out a sigh.

“Yes, there is.”

“Would you like to go now?”

Normally, she could have chosen not to answer. But who could she blame? Mary herself was intensely curious about him. She had even granted him permission to enter the 【Back Kitchen】.

Since permission had been granted, there was no reason to hide it. Mary’s will always superseded the ship’s rules. Only the waitresses knew this. In fact, no one else even knew “Mary” existed.

Of course, what she didn’t know was that Wu Wang, with his Abyss God cheat, had long known about the connection between Mary and the waitresses.

“The sooner, the better. Lead the way,” Wu Wang said, getting up to open the door.

To his surprise, Number Five simply walked to the wall. She tapped it gently with her hand and nodded.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Wu Wang frowned, confused.

“Ready for what—”

He never finished his sentence.

Number Five grabbed his clothes, lifted him like a helpless chick, and with terrifying, monstrous strength, smashed him headfirst into the wall.

Given the strength she’d displayed earlier, that single blow should have been enough to turn him into a meat patty. She could have plastered him to the wall so thoroughly he’d never be scraped off.

But strangely, the moment his body hit the wall, he clipped right through it. It was exactly like a clipping bug in a video game.

Wu Wang found himself stuck halfway into the wall. Only his head remained on the outside, looking back at Number Five in a daze.

Seeing this, she walked over with a smile.

“On the Mary Cruise Ship, when you detach from the real world in the wrong way, you get stuck in the Back Kitchen.”

The prerequisite, of course, was having permission to enter. She didn’t say that part out loud.

“Hmm… It seems you’re not stuck in there quite right.”

She beamed. “Don’t worry, I’ll help!”

With that, Number Five executed a beautiful roundhouse kick. Her size-37 shoe slammed viciously into Wu Wang’s face, sending his head into the wall after the rest of his body.

He had a strong suspicion this was her revenge for him messing with her the day before.

Wu Wang’s indignant shout echoed in the room as he disappeared.

“This isn’t a damn Back Kitchen!”

“This is the freaking Backrooms!”