IMC Chapter 3

Life on the starship is still very simple and comfortable. Apart from taking a bath every day, Shu Bao also goes to the restaurant to enjoy delicious food. Fortunately, all the fees after registration are covered by the Interstellar Alliance, otherwise, Shu Bao would have to pawn some items first.

On this day, Shu Bao put on a bib at the dining table, holding a mini knife and fork, ready to enjoy his big meal: a roasted grasshopper!

It can be said that no mouse can resist the temptation of the grasshopper. With practiced motions, he went to remove the wings, cut off the antennae, and skewered the grasshopper, ready to send it to his mouth when suddenly, a stranger sat down across from him.

This surprised Shu Bao a bit, as he knew that in the past few days, aside from the little green snake, no other competitors had approached him voluntarily. In everyone’s eyes, mice were seen as weak and not even capable of posing a threat.

“Hello, my name is Xing Meng.” The person opposite had a bright smile on his face. That smile seemed to carry a hint of warmth, which could easily arouse the favor of others.

Shu Bao quickly grasped the key information. Xing Meng was the representative of the luck faction. “Hello, my name is Shu Bao.”

Xing Meng smiled again upon hearing this. “I know you; you’re quite famous now. Although the luck-based and strength-based factions are at odds, no one has ever dared to openly provoke them until you. You’re the first.”

Shu Bao looked around and noticed that everyone nearby was intentionally or unintentionally paying attention to the scene.

“They’re paying attention here not just because of me, but also because many want to know how long someone who offends Fu Qing can survive.” Xing Meng looked around as well and then spoke casually, “In this survival competition, luck alone isn’t enough. So, what do you think? Want to join my team? You could be our mascot.”

Shu Bao was somewhat tempted when he heard the word “team”. After all, it was difficult for a mouse to integrate into a new world alone. However, the term “mascot” doused his enthusiasm with cold water. Shu Bao lifted his fluffy little head and looked at Xing Meng earnestly, “Do you think I can push open the door by myself?”

This question left Xing Meng a bit puzzled, but looking at the tiny mouse in front of him, he reminded, “The doors here are all automatic and sensor-operated.”

Shu Bao finally understood that, in everyone’s eyes, his inability to push open the door reflected a bottomless pit of combat power. Although he hadn’t aimed to be at the top, it was indeed a bit disheartening for him. “Sorry, if possible, I’d still prefer to win through strength rather than as a mascot.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the restaurant fell silent. The competitors who had been observing the situation all showed expressions of immense shock as they looked at the fluffy little mouse at the table. How could someone openly offend Fu Qing and then refuse Xing Meng? What was going on? Had that mouse’s head gone bad?!

Xing Meng was also very shocked, his sunny smile disappearing for a moment. However, after the surprise, he quickly regained his composure. “Alright then, I’ll wait and see.”

He had come this time partly due to some pressure from public opinion; otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered recruiting a mouse into the team. Given the current outcome, he was actually satisfied. After all, having too many people in the team was not ideal, so saving an extra spot was a good thing.

Shu Bao noticed Xing Meng’s subtle mood changes and realized that the other party did not really want to recruit him. So, he shifted his attention back to the feast in front of him. After thinking for a while, he finally asked out of courtesy, “Roasted grasshoppers, do you want some? I can give you a grasshopper leg.”

Xing Meng, “…No, thank you.”

“I knew that humans don’t like to eat roasted grasshoppers, so I’ll dig in now~” The mouse’s expression instantly brightened, and then he took a big bite, gnawing off half of the roasted grasshopper.

Looking at the furry ball’s chubby cheeks as it kept chewing and its expression of great enjoyment, Xing Meng couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

He thought that the little fluff ball in front of him shouldn’t be participating in the survival competition livestream but should be on an eating show instead; it would definitely become a hit. Feeling a bit inexplicably hungry himself, Xing Meng stood up to leave. But before departing, he spoke meaningfully, “Don’t get too close to Lan Qing; it’s not good for you.”

Shu Bao put the remaining half of the roasted grasshopper into his mouth and watched Xing Meng leave. When he turned around, he saw the little green snake behind him.

Shu Bao: “…” Was Xing Meng doing this on purpose? That one remark before leaving made both the mouse and the snake feel very awkward.

However, the little green snake didn’t seem to hear that remark and looked at Shu Bao with wide eyes full of gossip and admiration. “You’re so brave! You actually refused Xing Meng. But doesn’t that mean you’ve offended both sides?”

“Otherwise, what? Become a mascot?” Shu Bao thought to himself that he wasn’t that much of a loser yet.

“How about…” The little green snake hesitated, almost twisting herself into a dough knot, and finally continued to speak under Shu Bao’s curious gaze, “How about we drink coconut milk oatmeal porridge tonight!”

Shu Bao: ???

After a moment of confusion, Shu Bao nodded, “Alright.” He then patted his fluffy little belly and added, “By tonight, I think I can eat twenty grains of oatmeal.”

Lan Qing: “…” Why do you have to say such things in the tone of a glutton!

That night, the big eater Shu Bao finished twenty-eight grains of oatmeal and let out a satisfied burp before asking, “So, do you want to team up with me?”

Lan Qing, who was slurping the porridge across from him, was stunned. He stood there for a while before uncertainly asking again, “Do you want to team up with me?”

“Yes. Didn’t you want to ask this at noon today? So, do you want to team up?” Shu Bao remained very calm.

The little green snake froze for another two seconds before starting to nod vigorously, nearly plunging headfirst into the porridge from excitement. After nodding, he couldn’t help but grin widely, showing his little fangs.

Once the excitement subsided, the little green snake quickly patted his chest with his tail and promised, “Don’t worry, I will definitely protect you!”

Shu Bao raised his hand calmly, “No, you just need to stay a vegetarian.”

Lan Qing: “…”

In the past few days, aside from his daily leisure, Shu Bao had gathered quite a bit of information. Apart from news about the competition, he had mostly inquired about Lan Qing since he was the snake living next door.

After some inquiries, Shu Bao found out that Lan Qing was quite famous in the live broadcast circle for being a vegetarian and was even expelled from the family because of this. Apart from that, there was no more information. After knowing that Lan Qing had been a vegetarian for many years, Shu Bao finally felt relieved. As for more secrets, Shu planned to let nature take its course.

Shu Bao thus gained his first teammate. In the following days, Shu Bao felt the double exclusion from the luck faction and the strength faction. Obviously, after he rejected Xing Meng, he offended the luck faction, while the strength faction became unscrupulous because he had no one to rely on.

However, the participants didn’t take any substantial actions, as they hadn’t yet reached the barren galaxy. Conflicts would bring no benefit to either side.

After successfully forming a team, the happiest was undoubtedly the Little Green Snake. Every day, upon encountering others, it would wrap its tail around Shu Bao proudly and declare, “This is my teammate, a particularly lucky little fluff!”

Then the two of them would be looked at as fools by others. Obviously, in the eyes of everyone, the combination of Lan Qing and Shu Bao was nothing but cannon fodder. Once the starship landed, these two people would have no room to survive.

Whether from the Luck Faction or the Strength Faction, both would snatch away their resources and seize their territory, leaving them with no chance for development at all. This was the consequence of offending both sides. Moreover, this Lan Qing was also a freak. He lost the protection of his family and couldn’t even protect himself, but he still found such a teammate. Was this what they meant by “birds of a feather flock together”?

The gazes of the crowd didn’t affect Shu Bao as he ate roasted grasshoppers, nor did it affect Lan Qing as he drank porridge. However, every time he saw Lan Qing drinking porridge, Shu Bao always had the illusion that there was an oversized green straw standing opposite him, especially when Lan Qing quickly finished a bowl of porridge, making that feeling even more pronounced.

Two months of peace passed like this. The starship had undergone two space jumps and was now very close to the barren galaxy. During these two months, everyone on the starship had mostly formed their teams. Of course, there were also lone wolf players, such as Fu Qing.

In the past two months, Shu Bao had imagined countless times that one day when he opened the door, Fu Qing next to him would also open the door. Then he would proudly use the tip of his claw to easily push the door, which would surprise Fu Qing.

Unfortunately, Fu Qing rarely left his room, and most of his meals were delivered, which prevented Shu Bao’s plan from being realized.

Lan Qing had no idea about Shu Bao’s intentions; he was just curious why Shu Bao never used the automatic door opening function and why he occasionally took out a nail clipper to groom his nails, even though they seemed perfect in his eyes.

Originally, Shu Bao planned to execute his plan after the starship landed, as even the most reclusive would have to disembark then. However, this plan was ultimately disrupted one night by a sudden, piercing alarm.

“Warning! Warning! Warning! The starship is experiencing unknown spatial conditions and is about to disintegrate. All personnel please follow the instructions to the escape pod area!”

“Warning! Warning…”

Along with the prompt, there was also a very piercing alarm. Shu Bao, who had been sleeping, instantly jumped up from his bed and saw his wristband glowing, projecting a blue arrow into the air. Combined with the warning voice, Shu Bao immediately realized the severity of the situation.

Thanks to the good habit of the mouse storing all items in the spiritual space, he rushed to the door without wasting a second. Just as he was about to push the door open, the starship suddenly shook violently, as if it had encountered some unknown attack.

Shu Bao lost his balance and crashed into the door. The door sensed the owner’s rapid approach and opened automatically to avoid a collision. Shu Bao rolled out and bumped into someone’s foot. When Shu Bao looked up, he saw Fu Qing.

Fu Qing didn’t look flustered at all, he just said calmly, “The automatic door opening function is quite useful.”

Shu Bao, “…” He really wanted to scratch that big foot in front of him, so that the time he spent sharpening his claws would not be in vain.

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