Chapter 13: The Man-Eating Hot Pot Restaurant (Part 2)

Chapter 13: The Man-Eating Hot Pot Restaurant (Part 2)

"The mission has been accepted successfully. Please complete it before dawn."

After Zhu Ning finished reading the content of the "grave post," the page suddenly flickered and then displayed an address. Immediately after, the post self-destructed, completely disappearing no matter how many times she refreshed.

Zhu Ning searched online for keywords to find more information but only found a thirty-two-year-old post saying that the restaurant was personally tested and delicious.

The information was too scarce. The system said to complete the mission before dawn. It was now 12:06, with sunrise at 6:02, giving her roughly six hours.

She entered the address into the navigation app, relieved that it could still be found; otherwise, she wouldn't even know where the mission location was.

Before leaving, Zhu Ning stood in front of a box of standard weapons, contemplating what kind of weapon would be suitable for a hot pot restaurant.

In the end, Zhu Ning chose two guns, two daggers, and added a bomb from her system panel capable of destroying a thirty-story building.

Compared to the last encounter with the fisherman, this time she had ample firepower. She put on her protective suit to avoid being parasitized by contaminated spores, then donned her helmet and packed a full set of cleaning tools.

Before leaving, she glanced at the mirror, seeing a woman dressed in a "motorcycle suit" carrying a black backpack over a meter long, with a black helmet covering her face, reflecting a cold light from its high-tech material.

Well, perfect, just like a criminal.

Zhu Ning lived in the slums, in a neighborhood called Hive. The population density was high, and most residents were rejects. Since no one checked identities, there might be other strange tenants as well.

She guessed she probably had some fugitives or wanted criminals as neighbors, given that the shop downstairs dealt in illegal goods.

Time was tight, so Zhu Ning couldn't walk to the scene. She needed a mode of transportation, but if she boarded a public flying car in this outfit, she'd be reported to the Cleaning Center immediately.

A cool motorcycle was parked outside the black market shop. Zhu Ning's eyes lit up; its sleek lines and perfect body resembled a crouching leopard, perfectly matching her. It seemed almost named for her.

The wavy-haired boss lady was smoking at the entrance, sizing Zhu Ning up, trying to gauge if she could afford it.

Zhu Ning, now with money, felt confident. "Boss, how much is this bike?"

The wavy-haired boss lady replied, "Four million new coins."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Great, she deflated. Why couldn't she buy a small motorcycle despite all her hard work?

Zhu Ning asked softly, "How about renting?"

The boss lady flicked her ash, "No rentals."

Zhu Ning whispered, "Then..."

"I'll take you wherever you need to go," the boss lady offered. "Five hundred new coins per trip."

That price was acceptable. Zhu Ning's confidence had already diminished. In front of the boss lady, her standard weapons didn't make her feel any tougher; she felt as soft as a lamb.

"Shall we go?" The boss lady extinguished her cigarette.

"Let's go."

This conversation was turning out like hailing an unlicensed motorcycle at a train station.

The boss lady glanced at the address Zhu Ning gave her. Zhu Ning, being cautious, didn't ask to be dropped off right at the hot pot restaurant but instead at a store two streets away.

"Are you sure this is the place?" the boss lady asked.

Zhu Ning: "Yes."

The boss lady: "You're quite clever, little girl."

Zhu Ning: "?"

She looked down at the store she had randomly chosen. It was a duck house with a minimum consumption of 8,888 new coins to keep one of their famous ducks.

Zhu Ning: "..."

She was grateful she wore a helmet today! With the helmet on, no one knew who she was!

The boss lady, a woman of few words, dropped Zhu Ning off at the duck house without asking any questions, then drove off on her motorcycle, leaving behind a trail of exhaust.

Zhu Ning stood under the pink "Noble Queen" sign, looking like a lost child abandoned by her parents.

A man stood at the entrance of "Noble Queen," likely the owner of the duck house. He leaned against the railing, slender and pale, looking quite handsome, like a minor celebrity.

Seeing Zhu Ning, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Try it?"

Those simple words shattered Zhu Ning's last bit of confidence. Her night had been eventful enough.

She had intended to casually inquire about the nearby hot pot restaurant but hesitated upon seeing his dark purple turtleneck sweater.

Zhu Ning had survival skills for the apocalypse, not for dealing with duck houses. This man was clearly experienced; she feared getting tricked.

"Thanks, but I'm not here to spend," Zhu Ning managed to say.

Mission, she reminded herself. She had a mission. It was now 12:56, leaving her five hours until the deadline. Time to hurry.

The man: "Oh, no problem, just asking."

He was puzzled by Zhu Ning's backpack, her appearance late at night in a motorcycle suit, masked, and carrying a backpack, resembling a murderer.

He raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Where are you going? Need directions? The roads around here are confusing."

Most shops here were run by lowlifes, with winding streets like a maze, causing many people to get lost. Was this man really offering help?

Zhu Ning: "I'm looking for a hot pot restaurant."

"Hot pot restaurant?" The store owner's face visibly changed. "Good Again?"

"What's wrong?" Zhu Ning asked.

He glanced at Zhu Ning and said slowly, "We all avoid that place. It’s rumored to be a haunted restaurant. It’s been closed for decades, but every time I pass by that street, I can still smell the hot pot. It’s too strange."

Zhu Ning frowned. According to her research, this restaurant had closed down thirty years ago, yet there was still a hot pot smell?

"Pretty eerie. There’s also an inexplicable meaty aroma. I can’t tell what kind of meat it is; it feels like something I’ve never tasted before. Definitely not pork, beef, or mutton. Many people say it’s human flesh, but I don’t know if it’s true."

Zhu Ning: “?”

Human flesh in hot pot?

Zhu Ning asked, "Why did the restaurant close down?"

"I heard that our area often sees businesses open and then close. This particular restaurant operated the longest. It used to be very popular; you had to queue for three hours just to eat there. Then the owner fell ill and couldn’t keep it running. He didn’t want to sell it, so he closed the shop to focus on his health."

"Fell ill?" Zhu Ning asked. "What illness?"

"I don’t know. It’s a shame, such a thriving business just disappeared."

Zhu Ning pondered for a moment. Something wasn’t right. In the wasteland, medical expenses were extremely expensive. If the owner was sick and needed money, why didn’t he sell the restaurant?

Such a popular hot pot restaurant would have a long line of buyers if it were up for sale. Was the owner already that wealthy?

Zhu Ning asked, "Is there anyone living inside?"

"How could there be?" He laughed. "It’s been thirty years, sis. That’s a dead restaurant. If someone were still living there..."

He paused, looking at Zhu Ning with a strange expression, and asked, "Do you think they’re human or a ghost?"

That makes sense. Why would the system ask her to rescue survivors from a restaurant that has been closed for thirty years? Could this person who survived in the contaminated zone for thirty years still be human?

If not human, why would the system ask Zhu Ning to rescue them?

This system seemed to be a good one, with a noble goal of purifying contaminated lands and saving humanity. It wouldn’t likely ask Zhu Ning to do something dirty.

Zhu Ning asked, "Do they still open the doors?"

"You won’t believe it, but I did pass by once and took a look. The door is bricked up. I don’t know who did it, maybe to prevent others from entering by mistake."

Zhu Ning thought it made sense. If the restaurant were still open, it would have been sealed off.

"Why are you going there?" He found Zhu Ning increasingly suspicious.

Zhu Ning: "Hard to explain."

Store owner: “?”

After so many years, he had seen all kinds of people. Zhu Ning should at least make up a lie. What does she mean by hard to explain?

"Well, I won’t ask further. Let me give you directions. Your GPS won’t find it. Turn right at the next intersection, then right again, and right one more time. After three turns, you’ll be there. If you still can’t find it, follow the smell."

"Hope to see you tomorrow."

Zhu Ning, still trying to remember the directions: “…”

Thanks for your blessing.

Zhu Ning left the Queen’s Shop and followed the directions to another street. This street was desolate, with no one around. A prominent warning sign stood on the street: "The area ahead is contaminated. Please detour."

Zhu Ning, undeterred, crossed the warning line and easily found the hot pot restaurant. As the duck store owner said, it smelled very good.

The spicy oil hot pot mixed with a meaty aroma was indeed a strange scent. Her brain could identify it as meat but couldn’t determine what kind.

Inappropriately, she felt hungry in the middle of the night.

Half of the restaurant was sunken underground. It seemed the hot pot restaurant owner couldn’t afford ground-level rent and chose a semi-underground location.

Based on Zhu Ning’s previous scavenging experience, this location would have been perfect for a bustling restaurant. When it was operational, it must have been delicious.

The restaurant sign was still lit, albeit flickering and tilted. The words "hot pot" kept flashing due to a short circuit.

Next to it was a small line: "Open 24/7."

Before entering to face potential death, Zhu Ning wanted to take out an insurance policy.

She needed to let someone know she entered the contaminated zone. Even if she failed, the Cleaning Center needed to react quickly enough to contain the spores before they spread further.

Zhu Ning thought about it and found Li Nianchuan’s contact information. The employee bracelet automatically displayed the status of employees.

Behind Li Nianchuan’s name was a string of small characters: "Mental contamination, hospitalized."

Since they were colleagues now, Zhu Ning decided to check on Li Nianchuan and sent a message: "Are you okay?"

Li Nianchuan didn’t reply immediately. Zhu Ning thought he might be undergoing treatment and unable to communicate. After about a minute, she received a message: "Sis! Woof!"

Zhu Ning: “…”

She felt embarrassed by the "woof." Kid, when you recover from mental contamination, you’ll regret seeing your chat history.

Li Nianchuan didn’t receive any further messages from Zhu Ning and sent a very plaintive emoji.

Zhu Ning steeled herself and continued chatting, "Your contamination hasn’t cleared up yet?"

"They drew a lot of blood and gave me many injections," Li Nianchuan sent a crying emoji.

What, is this a plea for comfort?

Li Nianchuan: "Can you give me a gift?"

Zhu Ning: "What?"

Li Nianchuan: "I want a pair of flaming wings."

Zhu Ning slammed the communication page shut. This was abnormal; this person was too abnormal!

Zhu Ning took a deep breath and chose to send timed messages to Xu Meng and Fang Ying, as well as the official technical support department.

The speed inside the contaminated area was different. If she didn't come out after an hour, she should be considered in danger. The distress message she set up would automatically be sent to Xu Meng and Fang Ying so they could track her movements.

Of course, Zhu Ning didn't really want to rely on this safety measure.

After setting everything up, Zhu Ning walked down the stairs slowly, constantly observing her surroundings. The stairs were covered with moss, fallen leaves, and some discarded trash.

From the outside, it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

The shop wasn't fully open; the roller shutter was halfway down, making it hard to see what was inside from the outside. Zhu Ning noticed there was no stone wall as the duck shop owner had mentioned.

A warm red light leaked out, along with the scent, making it seem like someone was inside a shop that had supposedly been "dead" for thirty years.

Zhu Ning had dealt with fish people before and was much calmer this time. This place was definitely within the contaminated area. She had watched some demon hunter courses at home today, learning how to quickly eliminate contaminants.

Unfortunately, eliminating contaminants was a vast subject, and Zhu Ning had only completed three lessons. The rest of the course was stored in her secondary brain, to be reviewed when she had time.

The roller shutter was plastered with many notices.

Job Posting: Seeking a cashier, room and board provided, requires high school diploma or above, age 35 or younger, salary 3,500 new coins per month.

Job Posting: Seeking a kitchen helper, room and board provided, no education requirement, no age limit, five years of relevant experience required, salary 5,000 new coins per month.

Job Posting: Seeking a deputy manager, room and board provided, requires bachelor's degree or above, age 35 or younger, salary 10,000 new coins per month.

There were ten job postings, indicating they needed all kinds of workers—dishwashers, cleaners, kitchen helpers, servers, even garbage collectors.

Next to the job postings was a help wanted notice.

Help Wanted: Family member is severely ill with genetic defects, urgently seeking C-type gene marrow match. Generous compensation will be provided to any kind-hearted person.

Beside the help wanted notice were bounty posters.

Bounty: Seeking eyes, willing to pay 300,000 new coins.

Bounty: Seeking kidneys, willing to pay 800,000 new coins.

Bounty: Seeking mutant genes, willing to pay 1.5 million new coins.

Bounty: ...

The more Zhu Ning read, the more uneasy she felt. It was understandable to need one or two positions filled, but why did they need every organ? With the organs listed, they could practically create a new person.

Even mutant genes were listed—were these the sixth-class citizens Fang Ying mentioned?

Before leaving, Zhu Ning had refreshed her knowledge. A single spore escaping could contaminate the entire area, which made the role of cleaners crucial.

From these bounties and notices, she deduced that perhaps a mutant had died here? As she pondered, she suddenly heard a muffled sound.

The roller shutter was suddenly pulled up from the inside, revealing a man standing there.

He wore a butcher's outfit, a black leather apron, holding a large knife in his left hand, and atop his neck was a pig's head.