Chapter One: The Bloody Restaurant
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“Character card generating…”
“ID: Liu Zheng (modifiable)”
“Level: lv1”
“Strength: 14”
“Constitution: 12?”
“Mental: 11”
“Perception: 10”
Staring at the character panel before him, Liu Zheng was bewildered.
He had merely filled out a survey, and now some hellish game had chosen him.
Have these main gods become so casual about recruiting people?
Even sales reps at least ask about your family situation.
“The dungeon will begin in one hour. Please prepare yourself, player.”
The mechanical voice sounded again, and a countdown appeared on the panel.
“Sending someone with ALS into a dungeon—isn’t that a bit too heartless?”
Liu Zheng was speechless.
He had only a few months left to live, and this trip out was meant to pick a cemetery for himself.
He’d already planned his requirements: must be a spacious apartment, facing north to south, and ideally with a nineteen-year-old JK girl next door.
“You have signed a wager contract, player. You must obey the game rules,” the system said coldly.
“What wager contract?” Liu Zheng looked at the survey, only to find it had completely changed.
“Name: Wager Contract
“Type: Item”
“Quality: ???”
“Effect: The user's clearance rewards will automatically be replaced by those related to their wish until the wish is fulfilled. The user will be forcibly converted into a player and must achieve an A-grade rating in every clearance until the wish is fulfilled, or else be erased.”
“Note: Kids don’t cry every day, and gamblers don’t lose every day.”
What was his wish again?
Liu Zheng scratched his head, then remembered.
A long, healthy life.
A rather tactless request for someone with a terminal illness.
“Alright then.”
He sighed.
Better a swift end than lingering pain; erasure was slightly preferable to waiting for death.
What can one do in an hour?
Watch a movie, enjoy a feast, write a will, indulge in revelry…
But Liu Zheng did none of those. He simply turned on his car stereo and played “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Then,
He watched the countdown reach zero.
“Dungeon Name: Bloody Restaurant”
“Dungeon Type: Novice Trial”
“Dungeon Size: Single-player”
“Mission Objective: Survive for 72 hours”
As the system’s prompt sounded, a ball of black fire instantly engulfed him, vanishing from the car.
When Liu Zheng awoke from his dizziness, he found himself standing at the entrance to a residential complex, holding a letter in his hand.
He looked at the gate; the sign “Splendid Golden Court” was mottled with rust, the stone pillars weathered and eroded.
Looking inside, the buildings were where they ought to be, but when Liu Zheng tried to focus, everything became blurred.
At the same time, a sharp pain stabbed through his brain.
“Warning: Rationality declining.”
The system’s prompt sounded.
Liu Zheng quickly looked away.
If even looking is forbidden, entering the complex was out of the question.
So, he raised the envelope in his hand.
The clue for his next move must be inside.
Liu Zheng tore it open; inside was a folded A4 sheet.
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Opening it, he saw it was a notice.
“Dear human citizen,”
“We regret to inform you that you have not worked for two months. Please proceed to the designated location for an interview. Failure will result in loss of citizenship and entry into processing procedures.”
“Municipal Employment Security and Promotion Office.”
No job, no citizenship—this hellish game is keeping up with the times.
Wait—human citizen?
He suddenly noticed something.
If there are human citizens, there must be non-human ones.
And considering the so-called ‘processing procedures,’ things took a sinister turn.
“Interesting.”
Liu Zheng felt a surge of excitement.
This was the world he wanted—a strange, abnormal world.
Flipping the notice over, he found a map.
There were five red markers: one a pentagram, the other four dots.
No need to guess—the pentagram was surely the designated location.
The other four were likely for side quests or follow-up tasks.
If he were a more whimsical player, maybe he’d check out the four dots first.
But Liu Zheng’s character was direct—he’d go straight for the heart.
Following the map, he saw no pedestrians, not even small animals, and the buildings all had tightly shut doors and windows.
Yet Liu Zheng felt countless hidden gazes fixed on him.
From those indistinct cracks and shadows, many figures stirred restlessly.
“Can’t linger outside.”
His danger sense warned him, and Liu Zheng quickened his pace.
After half an hour of brisk walking through deserted streets, he arrived at his destination.
A three-story villa, isolated within a hundred meters of empty space.
The feeling of being watched vanished as Liu Zheng entered the area.
“Bloody Restaurant.”
Liu Zheng’s pupils contracted as he saw the enormous sign.
Because the restaurant’s name wasn’t painted—it was formed from human limbs.
Long strokes were arms; short strokes, fingers.
They were nailed to the wooden board with rusty iron nails and kept writhing, as if welcoming him.
“Warning: Rationality declining.”
The system reminded him again.
Liu Zheng quickly lowered his gaze, avoiding the sign.
“What is rationality?”
He asked to distract himself.
“A hidden attribute. When rationality drops below a certain threshold, symptoms such as decreased intelligence, mental confusion, fainting, or temporary insanity may occur.”
“What if rationality reaches zero?”
“Permanent insanity or…”
Liu Zheng couldn’t catch the rest.
“Those lunatics in asylums—are they all players with zero rationality?”
He joked.
As expected, the system didn’t reply.
Liu Zheng took a deep breath and stepped inside.
A series of crisp snaps sounded behind him—the fingers snapping.
Were they welcoming a new colleague, or celebrating something else?
Inside, Liu Zheng was surprised.
Unlike the hellish scene he’d imagined, the restaurant’s hall was immaculate and bright, grandly decorated.
A subtle fragrance filled the air, and lively piano music played in the background.
Though Liu Zheng saw no performer.
“Is anyone here?”
He called out.
“We aren’t open yet. Please come back later, guest.”
A calm voice replied.
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Liu Zheng looked up and saw a woman appear on the second floor, dressed in a high-necked blouse and draped in a white wool coat.
Her hair was styled in a tall bun, her face serene—like a noblewoman from a Republican-era drama.
A teardrop sapphire circled her pale neck and slid into a fathomless gorge.
Such a beauty would captivate any man at first sight.
Yet Liu Zheng felt only a chill in his heart.
“I’m here for the interview,”
He raised the notice.
“City Hall has dumped another piece of trash on me,”
The woman frowned.
Her comment didn’t stir him in the slightest.
He’d heard worse.
“I’m the owner here, Si Xue. There are three positions left. Which do you want?”
She glanced at him.
“May I ask what the three positions are?”
Liu Zheng asked politely.
“Delivery, kitchen assistant, waiter.”
Si Xue replied coolly.
Of the three, waiter sounded safest.
The kitchen meant blood and violence, and delivery meant venturing outside the restaurant’s world.
Though nothing happened on his way here, that was likely plot protection.
Judging by the restaurant’s decor, its patrons must be wealthy.
Serving the rich in reality was troublesome enough; in this bizarre world, the rich must be even harder to handle.
“Boss, I’ll do whatever you assign me. With your judgment, I’m sure you’ll pick the role best suited to me.”
Liu Zheng said after a moment’s thought.
“Interesting—a bit clever for trash.”
Si Xue’s lips curled, her sudden radiance dazzling him.
Liu Zheng quickly calmed himself, suppressing the surge within.
A single smile nearly broke his composure—too dangerous.
This woman was definitely not human.
“Then you’ll deliver food.”
Si Xue’s smile vanished, replaced instantly by an icy expression, as if the prior warmth was an illusion.
“Alright, boss.”
He nodded.
Fine—he’d delivered food before; he had experience.
“Oxhorse, take him for handover.”
Si Xue said indifferently, then stepped up the stairs, disappearing around the corridor’s corner.
“Yes, boss.”
With a muffled voice, an oxhorse emerged from the corner.
It had a horse’s body and an ox’s head, two oily black horns gleaming.
Yes, literally an oxhorse.
“What are you staring at? Never seen an oxhorse before?”
It said gruffly.
“Sorry, I’ve never seen such a handsome oxhorse. I was momentarily stunned.”
Liu Zheng withdrew his shocked gaze and apologized.
“Good taste. I forgive you.”
The oxhorse snorted.
Clearly, it was pleased with Liu Zheng’s compliment.
“The boss is right. For a human, you really are clever.”
The oxhorse raised a forehoof and patted his shoulder.
“Work hard, human. Don’t make me eat you.”
It parted thick lips, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
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