Chapter Four: No Takeout from the Cosmic Buffet

“Identity is a story someone else left unfinished,” the thief said. “You protect yours with paper. A napkin against a flood.” Zhaoye drew his sword. “At least the napkin has my name on it.” With a snap, the thief sealed his teammates behind glass. A golden counter rose between them. 【Hidden rule: Only one player may pay.】 【Price: your teammates’ memories of you. Each memory is worth 250 points.】 Exactly one thousand. Behind the glass, Xiaogao shook her head and wrote in frosting: SELL OUR MEMORIES AND I’LL TURN YOU INTO CAKE. Once, Zhaoye would have chosen the shortest route. Now he understood that an optimal answer could simply be the answer the system wanted. He split the golden counter with his sword.