Black Raven Prison (4) The Prison Mess Hall

Mu Xinning walked in slowly. When the creature’s tentacles hung down, they felt heavy, but when it lifted them, she no longer sensed any weight.

Jin happily extended a tentacle to cleanly devour the eyeball monster, excitedly exclaiming, “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten eyeball monsters! I’ve really missed this taste!”

This single effort settled the matter easily. It seemed the eyeball monster wasn’t a high-level alien creature—Jin simply wanted to eat it.

She couldn’t help but reflect inwardly on the vast disparity in strength.

The “Newcomer Killer” dungeon, once a source of dread in her previous life, had become nothing more than a simple meal for this creature.

Though she had this incredible ally, today’s experience made her realize something important.

Having Jin as a hidden weapon was excellent, but she herself needed to grow stronger.

Even though she had made a pact with him, she couldn’t expect to rest easy relying on his help alone.

The answer was clear: she had to become strong herself.

Only by wielding power in her own hands could she become a sharp blade, rather than mere meat on the chopping block.

She held the doll tightly in both hands, pressing it against her chest, her gaze resolute.

Though Jin was gluttonous, he understood the principle of letting prey fatten before eating them. “Let’s raise those in the other rooms a bit longer—they’re not fat or big enough yet, so they wouldn’t be satisfying to eat.”

“Now that you’re full, it’s my turn to handle serious matters,” she said, glancing at the clock on the second-floor wall. It was almost eight o’clock, and time was running short.

Though she had eaten before coming here, there was still some time left, so she planned to check out the dining hall floor.

Then she headed up to the third floor.

On the third floor of the prison, she saw a large door wide open as soon as she reached the top of the stairs. Above it hung a large sign reading “Prison Dining Hall.”

She noticed many players inside, but none sat down to eat.

She first glanced at a nearby notice board, then surveyed the dining hall. There was a side door leading to an indoor playground, connected by just a single door.

Suspended in midair was a large screen displaying the menu with prices.

[One bowl of fried rice: 10 yuan
One bottle of mineral water: 5 yuan…]

There were many types of food, even snacks and soda, but all required payment.

She had overheard players discussing this earlier and saw Zhou Kui instructing his thirteen subordinates, followed by Feng Xuanyuan and Zhang Dafu.

Nearby, a group of players already formed a party, talking anxiously.

“What do we do? We didn’t bring any money, so we can’t buy food…”

“Wait, there’s a notice board over there. Let’s check it out!”

Mu Xinning felt their despair would only deepen after reading it. Her original purpose for coming up was to scout the third floor and maybe grab some food.

But after seeing the notice, she knew there was no chance of eating today, so she returned to the cell.

[This dining hall recycles items! Exchange currency available!
One hundred strands of hair: 1 yuan
One finger: 20 yuan
One pound of flesh: 50 yuan
Any single body organ: 100 yuan]

“This… this…” The man from before had hoped to earn some money through manual labor, but it turned out the price was paid with human tissue!

“Heavens! Isn’t this forcing us to kill each other?” someone finally shouted in outrage.

Zhou Kui stepped forward to calm the crowd. “Stay calm. We can still exchange hair. That should last us a few days…”

But his words did little to soothe the others.

“Who knows what the clearance conditions are? If we’re stuck here long-term, even balding won’t be enough!”

Many agreed—this was no solution for the long haul.

“Right! Remember the guy who died at the prison gate? He’s already dead. Maybe we can use him to…”

Here, humanity began to reveal its ugliness.

“You’re crazy!” some still held onto their principles, refusing to accept such a notion.

The group split into two factions: some believed since the man was dead and no one had food, using him as payment was justified, and they could pay their respects afterward.

Others felt that everyone was human, and the deceased deserved dignity, not to be treated as a commodity.

Finally, Zhou Kui intervened to halt the argument. “Stop fighting. We can’t go back to the starting point. The staircase leading underground has disappeared.”

At this revelation, faces grew pale—some nodded in agreement, some gasped, some were frightened, and others filled with regret.

Many had not noticed before but now realized there was no way back down.

“So we can’t even use it! Our good bodies will just be left there.”

“Don’t just think about the living—how can you target a dead man like that? Have you no humanity?”

“Why are you angry? I’m just trying to help everyone get food…”

“Enough! Don’t get caught up in that! Don’t you find it more concerning that the stairs back to the initial floor are gone?”

Voices rose, and a fight seemed imminent.

Seeing the situation spiraling, Zhou Kui acted decisively, leading two others away before things worsened.

When the three returned to their cell, Mu Xinning had already taken a seat on the right upper bunk.

Zhang Dafu breathed a sigh of relief seeing everyone safe, then asked her, “You’re back? Did you find anything to eat?”

The word “eat” darkened the expressions of the three, and Feng Xuanyuan was too upset to speak, standing silently with the words from the dining hall swirling in her mind.

It was utterly heartless.

“I just walked around other floors. I didn’t find any food,” she answered quietly.

“Oh… well, Brother No. 4, do you have any ideas?” Zhang Dafu sat down on the lower left bunk, helplessness in his voice.

Zhou Kui sat on the upper left bunk, admitting he had no solution yet. “Sorry everyone, I don’t have a plan. But we must leave this dungeon soon, or we’ll starve before we clear it!”

Zhang Dafu offered a temporary plan. “To avoid starving, we can exchange hair for money to buy food for now… but it’s not a long-term solution.”

Before they could talk further, the cell’s automatic door slammed shut and locked.

It was nine o’clock.

“Remember the rules? After ten, no leaving the room or making loud noises. Say anything you need now,” Zhou Kui reminded them hurriedly.

“I have nothing to say. I’m just really hungry…” Feng Xuanyuan said plaintively. She hadn’t eaten dinner before entering the game nor lunch that day.

She longed for real life, sitting down on the right lower bunk, covering her head with a blanket as if it could shield her from reality.

Zhang Dafu, a laborer in real life, hadn’t had time to eat before entering the game. “Sigh… we just have to endure until tomorrow morning and exchange hair for food. Even if we’re hungry now, we can’t go out.”

Feng Xuanyuan was displeased. After years of growing her hair, now it was to be traded for a small bowl of fried rice and a bottle of water?

But she didn’t protest, knowing this was her only chance to survive.

“Finally, a reminder from my experience: something will definitely happen tonight. No matter what, don’t make any noise or move around!”

After the others agreed, Zhou Kui relaxed and lay down, repeating his warnings before resting.

“All right, rest well for now. I know you’re scared. Save your energy for what’s to come. We don’t know what will happen next.”

His words calmed the group, and silence fell as their minds drifted.

But the peaceful atmosphere didn’t last long.

At ten o’clock, all the corridor lights went out, plunging the cell into complete darkness.