Famine 130: Infinity Pool

Infinity pool!

The two of them instantly perked up, exchanging a glance that revealed the yearning in both their eyes.

There was water in the Abyss—some hanging plants would drip moisture—but it wasn’t much, just enough for drinking, not like the Lava Lands where everyone nearly died of thirst. As for bathing, well, forget it. No one could remember the last time their skin touched water; the first thing everyone did upon reaching the inn was take a glorious hot shower.

But a shower is only a shower, after all.

An infinity pool! To swim, to soak in the water… just the thought was almost too much to bear.

“We…” Yan Cheng turned as if to speak, then nearly jumped—

At some point, the whole squad had crowded up, surrounding them completely.

Every pair of eyes was shining, eager with hope.

“Captain…” Hua Ning collapsed into her chair, voice as faint as dying breath (though in truth she was just full), her face drained of color, “Are we really leaving tomorrow…”

“Are we really going to be this cruel to ourselves?”
“Ugh, there’s so much good food… Why can’t we pack up the buffet, damn it…”
“Looks like Dr. Ye is settling in; do you need an apprentice? I scored 85 out of 100 in high school biology.”
“Captain, can’t we rest another two days? Just two days.”
“I miss swimming so much, I wish I were dead.”
“Oh, after staying a month you unlock the pool… What if we stay another month, Captain, just one more month!”

“Captain!! We beg you!! Let’s stay a few more days at the inn, Captain!!”

Yan Cheng could only laugh and sigh. “You all…”

Someone worked up the nerve to ask Nidhogg, “Do you really have to have stayed a month before you can use the pool?”

Nidhogg leaned back. “Nope. Pay for the room, make a reservation, and you can go any time you want.”

“Oh, right! Long-term guests get 50 points off the buffet every day—just 200.”

“Captain!!”
At this, the squad erupted, the cheers almost deafening. Whether faking it or not, Hua Ning and Hua An sat side by side, heads tilted back, eyes red, putting on their most pitiful looks.

Ye Xianqing, arms folded, laughed and turned away, catching Yan Cheng’s gaze with smiling eyes.

After a moment, Yan Cheng heaved a long sigh. “…Fine. All things considered, I have no reason to refuse.”

Hands in his pocket, shaking his head, he grinned at Nidhogg. “Sir, please extend our stay.”

“Oh!!! Captain, you’re brilliant!!!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the cheers behind him broke out anew.

On Si Zhiyan’s end, a decisive chime sounded at once—

[Ding! Mission progress updated.]

[Side Mission—Longing Dream]
[Mission objective: Gather 500 living humans in the Abyss. Current progress: 57/500.]
[Mission time limit: 25 days.]

They’d done it!

Go on a quest? Hunt for nutrient paste?
Why? Was pork knuckle and pasta not good enough?!

The main god’s meal to support “vital signs” couldn’t hold a candle to this all-you-can-eat feast.

“The days of daily buffet meals have arrived!!”

Hua Ning and Hua An jumped up together, hugging each other, as the rest of the squad burst with joy—some even pounded on the table in their excitement.

Amid all that clamor, Ye Xianqing, ever responsible for logistics, straightened his glasses. “Let’s agree first—only one month. Most of us only have enough points saved for a month’s vacation. If anyone’s short, let’s total up our balances, and I’ll start organizing some small task squads for missions… Hey, is anyone listening to me?!”

No one! Everyone was in such high spirits that it was pointless to talk sense.

Yan Cheng, never one for wasted words, simply ordered, “Head to the front desk and line up to pay.”

That got results. Once everyone had swiped their points, pain and regret were written on all their faces.

Thirty days’ vacation, three hundred points a night—that’s nine thousand points!

Add in daily buffet costs, and that number was almost doubled.
The Glimmer Inn was wonderful—worth every bit—but far from cheap!

Fortunately, these were elite players, more likely to invest points in upgrades and gear. Not a single one was turned away for lack of funds—though their tears and clutching hearts spoke to the cost.

A few, after paying up, wandered off to find Ye Xianqing, dejectedly inquiring about forming smaller quest squads…

If you want to enjoy, you have to earn!

Ye Xianqing adjusted his glasses, giving a cold chuckle. “Hah. Didn’t I tell you so?”

In sharp contrast, Si Zhiyan sat contented, sipping his tea and listening to the never-ending string of notifications—

[You have received 9,000 points.]
[Ding! You have received 9,000 points.]
…

Wait—wasn’t there an extra payment? Si Zhiyan raised his brow, studying the details. Ah—Yan Cheng had silently paid for Ye Xianqing as well: both the room and daily meals.

The inn had finally turned a profit; just this one squad, joining for a month in full, meant around half a million points in revenue.

And this was just the first group of fifty-five.

Once word spread, and more people in the Abyss needed a place to stay, the future was boundless.

Who could deny it? Food and sleep were every bit as essential as water—revenues here would rival any business.

Si Zhiyan sipped his tea, and nodded, very pleased.

……
…

After lunch settled, the infinity pool officially opened.

Since the pool was about as big as a public bath, capacity at one time was limited—only forty people could enter.

Yan Cheng gave the word, and Ye Xianqing prepared lots; they drew straws to choose the first-day swimmers.

The winners were over the moon; the unlucky moped and whined, but did so in good spirits, waiting for tomorrow’s chance.

While Shi He took names and laughed.

He could see it clearly—this squad was as close as family, and Yan Cheng didn’t put on airs. The vibe was truly wonderful.
In the famine game, every step was survival, and squads like this were rare. Most teams were like Gu Haoping’s, Silver Ring Alliance, and the Spring Grass Mercenaries. Gu Haoping and the Silver Ring sisters’ forces were well known among the farm folk; while Chen Chunsheng had run his mercs with seasoned, authoritative discipline. That was considered decent—many squads were even more strictly, almost militarily, managed.

It was only at the farm, with leaders like Gao Zhai and Liang Qingshuang, that things loosened up a bit.

Maybe it was better living conditions, or maybe it was the farm’s protection, but here, people seemed freer.

When Bian Xu led the Xu Bei squad, with both the best “chosen” and overwhelming personal strength, his friendly, easy-going ways made him a social outlier among other team captains.

Now, people like him were becoming more common at the farm.

…If only Bian Xu were still here, he’d have been delighted.

Shi He gave a soft sigh, handing a guide card to the final guest.

“Please follow me, sir.”

——They entered a pool floating out over the inn’s cliffside.

Built against the rock face and made entirely of glass, the pool shimmered with a dusky blue light, water gently lapping at its edge.

The temperature seemed to be constant—not hot but pleasantly cool. The water was crystal clear to the bottom, leaving a sensation of comfort and freshness.

Ye Xianqing didn’t swim much, so he lingered at the rocky edge, a little apprehensive. Yan Cheng dove in, checked the depth, and turned back with a smile, “Come on in, it’s shoulder-deep.”

Ye Xianqing nodded, carefully stepping into the water.

Bit by bit, the cool liquid surrounded him, soaking into every inch of parched skin.
Even the flesh seemed to scream in relief with each contact.

He closed his eyes, feeling the gentle rocking of the water.

Suddenly, someone called out, “Look over here!”

Ye Xianqing sprawled on the pool edge and peered out.
Slowly, the chattering players grew quiet.

What lay ahead was a miracle built from rock and fire.

The whole cluster of inn castles sprawled beneath their feet. In this velvet-black, impenetrable Abyss, only the inn’s gentle luminescence burned on. Every building glowed; soaring spires rose at different heights, connected by bridges that seemed to stretch and breathe like living things. Lava seeped through every stone, glowing a thick orange-red—like honey, or radiant blood—lighting up the very veins of rock that held the castles together.

Like burning stars, stubbornly shining in the darkness.

“So beautiful…” Ye Xianqing murmured, eyes wide as he lay on the pool’s edge.
He wasn’t nearsighted—the glasses were there to help monitor teammate health. Without the glass, the sheer light of the castles reflected in his eyes was breathtaking.

Yan Cheng stood beside him, head bent with a smile, gazing at Ye Xianqing’s face. “Yeah.”

Laughter drifted from the rest of the squad behind them. Yan Cheng said, “Hold onto me, want to try going under?”

Ye Xianqing gripped his hand, drew a deep breath, and ducked his head beneath.

The water was perfectly clear, the pool bottom transparent. Bodies moved through below, currents swirling and reflecting the castled lights into ever-churning, dreamlike patterns on the rippling surface.

Ye Xianqing squinted relaxedly.

The view before him, the warmth in his hand, the person close at his side, the distant laughter, the cool water caressing his body…
It all made him feel perfectly safe.

The cost of staying here was worth every point… no, it went beyond that.

Eyes closed, Ye Xianqing let himself smile beneath the water.

Meeting the farm had been a stroke of incredible luck.
To be here—it was simply wonderful.

[Ding!]

Suddenly, all players heard a voice in their ear.

[You have lingered in the Ice Cliff Spring for over 30 minutes. Buff acquired: ‘Gaze of the Yeti.’]

[Gaze of the Yeti]
You have wandered into a lonely secret land.
Something is watching you. It feels a curiosity toward you.

For the next 48 hours, you have a 20% chance to dodge any non-causal attack.

Splash!!

Ye Xianqing shot upright, nearly choking on the water. The rest of the squad surfaced as well. He and Yan Cheng exchanged a look, both seeing their own shock reflected in the other’s face.

Any attack!

Twenty percent dodge chance!

And it lasts—48 hours?!

In the famine game, there was no such thing as a dodge stat. The “game” was really the main god’s sadistic joke; for humans, it was no game at all. If you took a hit, you took the hit—break your arm, lose your leg, you died, you died. Nobody could save you.

Dodge chance!
A literal life-saver!

There was actually a way to stack this stat! Unbelievable.

The squad was in uproar:

“Holy shit, where did this buff come from?!”
“These 9,000 points are worth it for the buff alone. If an abomination pulls something nasty and it procs, it’ll be glorious.”

Ye Xianqing’s hands shook with excitement.

“This is the kind of buff that could change the course of battles… No, it’s even more than that.”

“If we have a dodge chance like this… maybe… it’s not just us; a lot more people could make it to the Cliffside Zone.”

Suddenly, Yan Cheng drew a deep breath, as if making a decision.

“Xianqing, I want to go back to the nest—bring everybody here.”