Chapter 67: Werewolf Community 04

Chapter 67: Werewolf Community 04

Qin Fei led Lin Ye, followed by Phantom Flames and San Tu at a distance, as the four of them walked towards the commercial street.

Almost half of the players chose to follow Qin Fei's group in the same direction.

Others dispersed, some attempting to gather information from the residents, while others wandered around the neighborhood, studying the terrain.

By the time they arrived at the commercial street again, it was already past 8 in the morning. More and more residents were out looking for food, making all the eateries bustling with activity.

Qin Fei turned his head, revealing a gentle yet slightly artificial smile, characteristic of an NPC.

He asked Lin Ye, "What would you like to eat?"

Lin Ye replied, "Anything is fine with me."

Qin Fei acknowledged his response and, appearing nonchalant, turned towards the nearest establishment. "Let's go here then."

Lin Ye looked up and noticed a red sign hanging above, bearing six large characters:

"Madam Boss's Liver Stir-fry Shop"

...Stir-fried liver.

As a pure southerner, this kind of food was entirely unfamiliar to Lin Ye.

Furthermore, in a haunted instance, the name "Stir-fried Gizzard" somehow sounds a bit eerie.

To be honest, Lin Ye would have preferred to visit the nearby "Morning Morning Breakfast Stall" or "Dad's Hamburger Shop." Unfortunately, the task he had been assigned was ghost hunting, leaving him no choice but to steel his nerves and enter.

The four of them stepped onto the staircase.

Behind them, a group of players crept up, their actions shrouded in secrecy.

Just as Qin Fei was about to step fully into the shop, a woman clad in an apron lifted the plastic curtain at the entrance and emerged from within.

With a disgruntled expression, she exuded a strong odor of grease, carrying a massive wooden barrel in her embrace.

Surrounded by a crowd at the entrance, she paid them no attention and descended the steps on her own, stopping beside a nearby drain.

A passerby greeted her, "Good morning, Madam Boss!"

Madam Boss, with a seemingly bad temper, acknowledged the greeting without lifting her head.

With a loud "splash," she emptied the contents of the bucket into the drain.

A mixture of dark red and putrid green goo spread across the ground, emitting an unpleasant odor. Within it floated indistinguishable chunks.

Lin Ye swallowed softly, his expression less than pleasant.

Just what kind of goods did this shop deal in...

He looked up at Qin Fei, who had already stepped inside the store. Seeing that, he hurriedly followed.

There was only one table in the shop, and Qin Fei seemed to have already set his sights on it. Upon entering, he headed straight for it.

San Tu and Ghost Fire also joined them, filling up the table for four.

Players at the entrance tried to squeeze in as well but were stopped by the proprietress who had just finished taking out the trash:

"There's no more space. You should go to another place."

The air around her reeked, making it difficult to distinguish if the smell came from her mouth or the bucket she was holding.

One player rubbed his hands together and suggested, "We can wait inside."

But the proprietress shot him a glare, firmly stating, "No way!"

The player opened his mouth to argue but was pulled back by someone next to him.

That person pointed at the wall, gesturing for him to look.

On the wall hung a "Proprietress's Fried Liver Shop In-house Rules":

1. The fried liver shop has six tables, each capable of seating exactly four people only.

1. Should the establishment be full with patrons, kindly wait outside in case of a queue.

2. Loud disturbances and physical altercations are strictly prohibited within the premises.

3. This restaurant serves solely liver stir-fry; ordering is mandatory upon entry.

4. Operating hours: 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM. No service will be provided outside of these times.

It seemed as though this community instance was riddled with restrictions, with new rules emerging at every new sub-scene.

The rules, written in black on white paper, deterred any further misbehavior from the players outside.

While not all rules necessarily led to fatal consequences, no one was eager to test their luck.

The players reluctantly departed, casting longing glances back at the shop as they walked away.

The proprietress approached Qin Fei's table, and he glanced at her head.

"Stir-Fry Liver Restaurant Proprietress: Favorability 5% (The proprietress shows little interest in you but can barely recognize you as a neighborhood resident)."

Seemed like an ordinary NPC.

"What would you like?" the proprietress asked.

"I'll have..." What?

Ghost Fire almost instinctively responded with that question but caught himself just in time, biting down hard on his tongue. "Four bowls of stir-fried liver."

After saying that, he couldn't help but slap his own cheek, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Before entering the shop, he had also read the rules posted at the entrance, which clearly stated that the only dish available was stir-fried liver.

If he had asked what dishes were available, would this fierce-looking proprietress take it as a provocation?

The proprietress noted down their order expressionlessly and turned to leave. Lin Ye lowered his head, sneaking a peek through the gap between San Tu and Ghost Fire, observing the outside world.

"There's a Butterfly Underling lurking outside," Lin Ye whispered.

Qin Fei nodded.

Since he appeared before them, the butterfly had been openly staring at him without any concealment.

It was uncertain if it was simply sizing Qin Fei up or if it found him familiar.

Regardless, it didn't matter now that Qin Fei's identity as a guide NPC had been confirmed. For the time being, no one would rashly do anything to him.

The offal restaurant's service was prompt. Barely had the four of them sat down and exchanged a few words when the proprietress arrived with a tray in hand.

Despite the bustling business, only she seemed to be handling everything from front to back, including the kitchen.

She served each of them a large bowl with great efficiency, then stood by the table, watching them with a smile on her face.

There was an indescribable stiffness to her smile, like a wax statue or a delicately carved puppet. The longer one gazed at her, the more uneasy it made them feel.

Bumps rose on Lin Ye's skin, and he whispered to the proprietress, "Thank you, thank you. We can manage from here. Please attend to your other customers."

But the proprietress responded irrelevantly, "Is it delicious?"

Lin Ye was taken aback.

The proprietress asked, "Is it good?"

Their gazes involuntarily fell onto the bowl in front of them.

It was a common large white porcelain bowl seen at street-side eateries, appearing quite clean, but the contents inside were somewhat unbearable to look at.

Every piece of food in the bowl had been chopped into extremely fine bits, making it impossible to discern its original form. It provoked an extremely unpleasant association.

Was it really pig's liver in this bowl...

Lin Ye's heart began pounding again.

He couldn't help stealing glances at Qin Fei.

But Qin Fei seemed completely oblivious to any irregularities in the bowl. With a composed expression, he scooped a spoonful of the food into his mouth.

As Lin Ye looked at Qin Fei's unperturbed demeanor, for some reason, the scene from the Shadow Village instance where Qin Fei nonchalantly plucked out his own eyeball during the village banquet flashed before his eyes.

A muscle twitched at the corner of Lin Ye's eye.

Suddenly, he felt that drinking a soup made from unidentifiable organs didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

Somehow, he found himself imbued with courage, and he mimicked Qin Fei by scooping up a spoonful and putting it into his mouth.

To his surprise, the taste was unexpectedly decent.

It had a savory, rich flavor.

Not daring to savor it too much, Lin Ye swallowed the food in his mouth whole and forced a slightly unnatural smile at the proprietress. "It's incredibly delicious."

Seeing that everyone at the table had taken a bite and given the answer she wanted, the proprietress left contentedly.

The goosebumps on Ghost Fire's body finally subsided after several minutes. He lowered his voice and said, "I'm sure there's something wrong with that proprietress!"

The way she had been staring at them—her eyes were dark and sunken, with more white than black in her pupils, and there was no emotion in her gaze. Yet, the corners of her mouth were lifted in a wide grin.

It was absolutely terrifying!

Qin Fei couldn't agree more.

San Tu observed the other customers in the shop with a composed expression. After a moment, he concluded, "We have to finish everything in our bowls."

Each and every guest sitting in the shop had polished off their bowls completely.

Lin Ye & Ghost Fire: "…."

It was hard to tell if it was a physical or mental torture.

So, they both held their noses and began eating.

The psychological pressure was immense, so Ghost Fire started a conversation to alleviate it. "Should we cooperate?"

Although this was a team-based competitive mission, losing wouldn't result in death, and team allegiances could be switched. Under these circumstances, forming an alliance wasn't a bad choice.

San Tu shot Ghost Fire a speechless look, feeling that his teammate was truly naive. He hadn't learned his lesson from being tricked by the opposing team last time, and now he was rushing into it again.

Oddly enough, despite being deceived by Qin Fei, San Tu didn't feel too frustrated or angry – perhaps because Qin Fei's last action of eliminating the pollution source and forcefully closing the mission had been too impressive?

In short, San Tu didn't object, effectively accepting Ghost Fire's invitation.

Qin Fei nodded. "Sure."

"So." He lifted his gaze to the others. "What team are you on?"

Ghost Fire hesitated for a second before conceding at lightning speed. "Red Team, we're all on the Red Team."

Lin Ye chimed in. "I'm on the Red Team too."

The three of them exchanged glances, a strange premonition stirring within them as they turned their attention to Qin Fei.

With impeccable grace, Qin Fei extended his hand to retrieve a napkin, wiping his mouth as if he hadn't just finished a bowl of stir-fried liver resembling wallpaper paste but had instead indulged in a luxurious French dinner averaging 2,800 yuan per person.

After wiping away non-existent stains from the corners of his mouth, he uttered a statement that left everyone at the table astonished.

"I'm also on the Red Team."

Ghost Fire's expression instantly fell.

San Tu was incredulous. "How could it be such a coincidence?"

There were four people at this table!

Qin Fei, however, wasn't surprised.

Was it really just a coincidence?

Perhaps not.

But the strange, inexplicable connection between Qin Fei, the source of corruption, and the system was not something he could share with outsiders.

So he said nothing, drew another piece of paper, pinched it between two fingers, and meticulously wiped the yellowed, grease-stained table in front of him.

"We're both on the Red Team," Ghost Fire said with a long face. "What's the mission for the White Team?"

It was great that they were on the same side.

But at the same time, it also meant they had lost the chance to gather information about the other team.

Furthermore, the Red Team was currently at a disadvantage.

Back at the entrance of the property management office, the Red Team's mission had been disclosed by the female player named Cui Ran and the new recruit with a crew cut.

They were in a situation where their enemies knew them, but they didn't know their foes – an unfavorable position for the Red Team.

How unfortunate!

Ghoul Fire cursed his luck silently.

"Since it's a competitive game, if the Red Team's mission is to find the ghosts hiding in the community, then might the White Team's mission be to protect those ghosts?" Lin Ye speculated.

Ghoul Fire and San Tu shared the same thought.

Opposite to the task of finding a ghost, it would naturally be to protect the ghost – or even impersonate and become one.

"Thinking about it this way, the White Team's mission seems much more challenging," Ghoul Fire hissed.

The White Team's mission appeared to delve deeper into the storyline. Compared to that, he felt that perhaps he wasn't so unlucky after all.

Qin Fei, however, held an entirely different opinion: "I believe that the White Team's mission might be similar to the Red Team's."

When the crew-cut man revealed the Red Team's mission, Qin Fei had been observing the players' reactions from a distance.

At that moment, several of them had fleeting flashes of anger on their faces.

They were clearly part of the Red Team.

Yet, there were also a few who perked up their ears and listened intently the moment the crew-cut man declared he was from the Red Team.

After the crew-cut man finished explaining that the Red Team's mission was to catch ghosts, their expressions immediately turned to surprise.

Some even frowned, deep in thought.

"If the White Team's mission is the opposite of the Red Team's, they wouldn't have shown such reactions."

Because if the White Team's mission was to aid or impersonate ghosts, it would have been easy for them to deduce that the Red Team's mission was to catch ghosts, rendering surprise unnecessary.

Qin Fei's analysis made perfect sense.

But.

Ghostfire was stunned. "Wait, I was observing them too. How come I didn't notice anything?"

What on earth did this guy do in reality? Was he an expert in micro-expressions?

With this level of observation, he could probably win a round on 'Super Brain', the ultimate intelligence competition.

Unbeknownst to Ghostfire, his internal complaint had inadvertently grazed the truth.

In summary, Qin Fei believed that the System had played a subtle word game in its rule explanations.

It deliberately placed identical mission requirements within different factions.

Moreover, players could only view these requirements in their own attribute panels, imbuing faction missions with a sense of secrecy, matching the color of their respective factions.

This made players subconsciously believe that these tasks were something that should not be disclosed to the opposing faction.

"The so-called competition is actually just a straightforward race after dividing into two teams," Qin Fei concluded.

This was a ploy by the System to mislead them.

The reason for such a setup might be to add some excitement to the live broadcast. After all, watching two teams with identical objectives suspicion and strategize against each other would undoubtedly create dramatic tension for the viewers on the other side of the screen.

"Why are we still sitting here then?" Ghostfire's eyes widened in realization.

If it was indeed a pure race to see who could catch more ghosts, being the first to act would hold significant importance. There couldn't possibly be an infinite number of ghosts in a single instance. If the opposing team managed to catch all the easy targets, wouldn't they be at a disadvantage?

"Right now, the White Team knows it's about speed, but the Red Team doesn't. And the White Team also knows that the Red Team is unaware," Ghostfire said, his words twisting like a tongue twister.

"White Square will definitely take action swiftly!"

Given that the missions were identical, no matter how much White Square tried to conceal their tracks, they would eventually be exposed by Red Square.

Both factions had high-level players. With their sharp senses, it wouldn't take more than half a day for them to uncover the details of the opposing faction's mission.

Thus, anyone with half a brain in White Square should seize the opportunity to snatch those easy identification points before Red Square reacts or makes any moves, while they're still observing the situation in White Square.

—Just like the owner of the fried liver shop, whose abnormality could be seen at a glance.

With this thought, Ghost Fire stole another glance at the proprietress.

She stood stiffly in the corner, like a mannequin, her face still wearing a mechanical smile.

How could someone whose expression outside could kill flies suddenly change so much upon entering the room?

"Should we try to probe her first?" suggested Ghost Fire, rubbing his hands together.

There were quite a few items in the dungeon that could be used to test whether an NPC was human or not, and he had two such items on him.

Though not with perfect accuracy, it was sufficient to discern a general direction.

Let's put aside other matters. The simplest action would be to light a spirit candle, hold it in front of the proprietress, and observe her reaction. Surely that could be done?

Qin Fei still shook his head. "There's no rush."

The ghostfire had a valid point.

Right now, someone on the White Side would undoubtedly try to seize the advantage by exploiting information disparities and swiftly acquire the easiest points.

But this might not necessarily be a good thing for them.

"When people become anxious, they tend to make mistakes."

Moreover, inexperienced lower-tier players were more prone to panic.

Sides could be switched.

Losing a contest wouldn't result in death.

But dying in the instance dungeon means truly disappearing.

As for those White Team players who had lost their composure and fallen into disorder...

Pathfinder.

The other three people at the table instantly had the same word surface in their minds.

Meanwhile, as if to substantiate Qin Fei's recently spoken words on purpose.

A blood-curdling scream suddenly ripped through the sky above the streets outside!

"AHHHHH——!"

Even from across half the street, one could sense the owner of the voice trembling with paralyzing terror.

Lin Ye lost his balance, and the tip of his chopstick pierced the tabletop.

"What's going on?!" Phantom turned in astonishment.

San Tu's gaze darkened. "Something's not right."

In the tripe stew shop, the NPCs at other tables ignored the screams outside as if they hadn't heard them at all, each eating their breakfast with expressionless faces.

The street seemed unaffected by the scream as well; there was no commotion stirred.

But other players had already rushed over from the other side in a hurry.

Lin Ye was eager to go out and see what was happening.

Gui Huo and San Tu stood up. Lin Ye glanced at Qin Fei.

None of the other NPCs moved. Under these circumstances, it wouldn't be appropriate for Qin Fei to join them.

Qin Fei nodded. "Go ahead first, I'll stay in the shop."

The three of them hurriedly walked out of the shop.

After Lin Ye and the others left, Qin Fei also stood up. However, he didn't leave the tripe stew shop but turned around and headed for the counter instead.

With so much time elapsed, breakfast hours were long gone, and the bustling atmosphere in the fried liver shop had dissipated.

The proprietress lounged lazily behind the counter, half-asleep with her eyes barely open.

Qin Fei approached and rapped his knuckles on the countertop. "Proprietress."

Startled awake, she asked, "Paying up?"

Qin Fei acknowledged with a soft "Mm-hmm," then handed over two ten-yuan bills. He'd taken them from the foyer table at Wang Mingming's place before leaving.

Taking the money, the proprietress lowered her head to record the transaction. Qin Fei, however, didn't leave the counter but stood silently in front of it. His honey-colored eyes, seemingly infused with a caramel hue, blinked gently as he hesitantly looked at the proprietress.

At first, she pretended not to notice.

But after being stared at for a while, she began to feel uneasy.

"Little brother, why haven't you left?" she asked, putting down the ledger in her hand.

Since graduating and starting work, this was the first time Qin Fei had been called "little brother." "… Mm, I have something I want to ask you."

Should he thank Wang Mingming's school uniform for allowing him to relive his youthful days as a student?

"May I ask, Madam Boss, do you need any volunteers here?" Qin Fei leaned on the counter with both hands, his body half-forwards, his eyes curved in a warm smile.

"Madam Boss, my name is Wang Mingming. I live in Building 12 just behind. I'm in Grade 11 this year, and our school requires us to do volunteer work during the summer vacation. Would it be possible for me to assist in your store?"

"I won't ask for any payment. You can have me do anything, and at the end, just sign my name on a piece of paper," Qin Fei offered.

Indicating the spot where he had just been sitting, he continued, "I'm very good at cleaning. If you don't believe me, look at how clean that table is."

The boss lady was momentarily taken aback.

She raised her head and looked in that direction.

The table was indeed spotless, polished so brightly that it could almost reflect one's image.

"It's possible, yes," the boss lady said with a peculiar expression on her face.

For the convenience of the neighborhood and to get a free helper, why not, right?

However—

The proprietress lowered her head and coughed. "But when you work tomorrow, you'll need to wipe the tables with a cloth."

Her gaze drifted once more to the table where Wang Mingming had just sat.

Underneath the table was a trash bin, half-filled with used paper towels, a sight that pained the proprietress deeply.

What a waste this child is! He has no concept of environmental protection!

Qin Fei nodded obediently. "No problem, just show me how to do it tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll pick it up quickly!"

He perfectly mimicked the overconfidence of a teenager going through puberty.

The proprietress's favorability meter towards him couldn't help but tick upward a little.

"What a good boy you are!" she exclaimed.

Only model students would place such great importance on trivial tasks assigned by the school.

"The mischievous kid at my home is about your age. As soon as he's on holiday, he vanishes without a trace, and hasn't returned for days!" the proprietress grumbled.

...

While Qin Fei was engaged in a lively conversation with the proprietress, Lin Ye and his companions were briskly walking down the commercial street.

They were followed by a few other players who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

Soon, they successfully located the source of the scream.

It was Chenchen's Breakfast Shop, which Lin Ye had contemplated visiting half an hour ago.

The breakfast shop was just as bustling as the fried liver restaurant, with two long queues forming in front of it. A couple was bustling around inside the shop.

The husband was in charge of making pancakes, while the wife took care of frying dough sticks, sugar cakes, and preparing tofu pudding.

Despite the crowd waiting in line, the couple moved swiftly and coordinated their actions flawlessly.

Taking orders, preparing meals, and handling transactions.

Both the proprietors and the residents queuing at the entrance appeared relaxed, occasionally engaging in casual conversations about the weather or their children's studies.

Seemingly oblivious to the grim reality, within that large pot filled with fried dough sticks, there floated an eerie human head, silently submerged.

Beneath the pot, flames burned fiercely, causing steam to rise and fill the air.

The hair, features, and skin were all charred and fused together, rendering the original appearance unrecognizable.

Yet, those eyes, wide open in a deathly stare, remained intact. The shriveled eyeballs, cooked by the scorching oil, nestled in hollow eye sockets, bobbing up and down with the movement of the head in the boiling oil.

Though unidentified,

that head in the oil pot was undoubtedly that of a player.