Three Towers Game

Chapter 416 Fighting Hunger to Quench Thirst
(Disclaimer: All ingredients mentioned in this book are not from the same species as humans.)
Although Reed and Sheehan didn't hear a woman's voice, they soon heard other voices.

You feel a tearing thirst. The liquid flowing from the tap seems to be the only definite source of water in this place.

After the three arrived in the kitchen, a new clue appeared.

The body's underlying code is simply wanting to drink water when thirsty and wanting to eat when hungry.

In the most difficult circumstances, a person's only desire is to survive.

Right now, the sudden, intense thirst made all three of them feel like they had been walking in the desert for a long time.

From the kitchen sink, the sound of water dripping could be heard.

The voice was almost fatally attractive.

“Water…” Sheen couldn’t help but mutter.

"I want to drink water, I want to drink lots and lots of water!"

Sheen felt as if he had countless horsehair worms inside him; he ran towards the sink almost uncontrollably.

But at that moment, Wen Xishu instinctively turned around and glanced back.

That's just how he is; the stronger a goal he feels that compels him to shift his focus, the more he'll look at the environment outside of that goal.

He looked toward what was usually another place with water.

The shower curtain was heavy with dampness, and behind it was a straight, unnatural human shadow.

The other person seemed to be staring at me with venomous eyes.

This sent a shiver down Wen Xishu's spine. Wen Xishu had a premonition that some evil spirit was related to water.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva that wasn't even there, his throat feeling like it was being rubbed with sandpaper. He approached the faucet step by step.

By this time, Sheen had already drunk the water.

With a whoosh, the water gushed out as the tap was turned on, and Sheen made gurgling sounds, appearing extremely satisfied.

Sheen seemed perfectly fine, only feeling much less thirsty.

This undoubtedly lowered the guard of Wen Xishu and Reid, who both had stronger willpower.

Reid also tried to drink water, but was quickly pulled back by Wen Xishu.

"Don't drink it!"

Wen Xishu's throat was dry, and his voice sounded hoarse.

Reid stopped abruptly, and only then did he see the bizarre scene before. The normal water in his eyes was gone.

The water in the sink was the color of diluted rust.

As the water increased, Sheen finally felt satisfied and incredibly refreshed.

But soon, he seemed to see something unbelievable; his mouth opened wide, his eyes widened, and his face was filled with terror.

The "liquid" in the sink has changed.

A thick, black, almost living liquid was silently overflowing.

It wasn't water; it was more like countless tangled, filthy, wet hairs, slowly and stubbornly spreading across the floor tiles, and creeping toward Sheen's feet.

"Help! Help!"

The barrage of comments appeared above Sheen's head.

In that instant, Wen Xishu touched the barrage and discovered a classic horror character. A pale-faced woman wearing a long blue robe, soaking wet, with hair reaching her knees, was slowly wrapping her snake-like hair around Sheen.

A mournful opera performance began.

My lover is in a happy place,
When my heart was broken,
Feeling aggrieved has a month to know,
It is not easy to meet, but easy to part.

The abandoned woman now regrets her actions too late.

Hair emerged from Sheen's mouth. Reid wanted to do something, but Wen Xishu stopped him with a look.

The thirst was intensifying, but the appearance of the female ghost and the overwhelming fear finally made Wen Xishu suppress his physical desires.

Sheen died, and his death was gruesome.

His eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth were all oozing black, lifelike hair.

His body began to be devoured by the hair, his bones and flesh slowly dwindled, and finally, the hair receded like a tide...

They turned into water again and left through the drain, like resentment lurking underground.

Wen Xishu felt that the impact of this scene was no less than that of the ghost with the character "奠" (meaning "offering") that he had just seen at the door of Pig Lao San's house.

In particular, the rules here amplify one's "desire." This desire is used to force players to make mistakes.

The process of Sheen being dismembered was like the process of countless termites eating away at a corpse, leaving not a trace, as if Sheen never existed.

The process was so swift that it sent chills down Wen Xishu's spine.

"Another one died..."

Now only Wen Xishu and Reid remain.

"The first test tests courage, this test tests willpower."

Wen Xishu made a judgment in his mind.

Reed couldn't help but say:
"I'm still very thirsty... I feel like I'm dying of thirst."

His voice was also hoarse, as if his throat was on fire.

Wenxi Tree is still the same now; its thirst for water remains strong.

He glanced back; the unnaturally upright, humanoid shadow was still there. It seemed to have tilted its head slightly.

The tap turned on automatically, and for a moment, Reed almost couldn't resist taking a drink.

Because what Red saw was no longer a strange liquid, but ordinary water.

"It's deceiving us; once we actually drink it, it won't be the same."

Wen Xishu stopped Reid.

Rhett gradually suppressed his desires with rationality.

"Thank you... If it weren't for you, I would definitely be like Sheen... Damn it, I was so embarrassing."

As a fellow Lionheart brand owner, Reed felt incredibly ashamed at that moment.

He admired Wen Xishu and had great trust in him, thinking that if he returned to Lion City, he would definitely praise this guy in front of the Leo Lord.

But soon, a sense of confusion and helplessness welled up in his heart again.

This is only the beginning, the second stage, and many people have already died. Can I really hold on?

[You're truly cruel to yourself. If you can resist the urge to water for the next thirty minutes, the master of water will spare you. Need a heads-up? Next, gourmets with an extreme pursuit of and curiosity about food will prepare an exquisite dinner for you hungry souls.]

Dinner should be the third round, right?
Wen Xishu suddenly had an idea.

Reid said:

"I feel like I can't stand it for even a minute, but I have to fucking endure this thirst for half an hour? Half an hour?"

He was somewhat desperate. Being so thirsty, and hearing the rushing water, he felt it was truly unbearable.

Wen Xishu said:
"We need to find something to do. The next challenge is food. It seems that what will test us is... hunger?"

"I would make a reasonable and bold guess that we might encounter a competitor similar to Hannibal Lecter."

"No matter what, we have to do something."

Reid said:

"I really want to burn these evil spirits."

Wen Xishu began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and soon found an exquisite glass wine bottle.

This bottle is clearly meant to hold expensive and pricey wines, because the bottle itself is a work of art.

Often, selling wine is simply selling the bottle. This is especially true for higher-priced wines. Drinking wine is a form of satisfaction, but the process of opening the complex packaging and revealing the wine itself is also a form of satisfaction.

Except for the lack of a door, everything else in Pig Brother Three's house looks quite proper.

Wen Xishu said:
"Don't forget, we not only need to survive, but also to earn points. If we get too few points, we'll be overtaken by the unknown."

Reed was puzzled:

"So what do we do?"

Wen Xishu said:
"We need to prepare for the next level."

Wen Xishu poured the water from the sink into the exquisite glass wine bottle.

"What are you doing?"

"This water is undrinkable, and this bottle can be sterilized?" Reed asked a cute question.

Wen Xishu shook his head:
"Of course it's not for us to drink."

Thirty minutes have finally passed.

As time passed, the intense thirst suddenly subsided.

Although they didn't drink any water, Wen Xishu and Reid both felt as if they had had a refreshing drink, and they both felt very comfortable.

People who have been normal for too long can no longer experience the joy of being normal.

But if you get sick occasionally and recover quickly, you'll experience the satisfaction of not having any problems at all.

There was a knock on the door.

"Gentlemen, my master has prepared a sumptuous dinner. Please follow me to my master's residence."

Outside the door, an elderly butler with red eyes and a receding hairline waited elegantly.

Looking at the old butler's red eyes, he suddenly thought of vampires.

"Please lead the way." Wen Xishu was quite polite.

Reed was like a greenhorn, wondering how Wen Xishu had gotten into the zone so quickly. [You accepted the invitation and successfully resisted your physical instincts; I acknowledge your willpower and award you five points.]

You now have five minutes to travel.

Wen Xishu has 20 points now, and there are still 40 points to earn before she reaches 60.

Next, he planned to make a big profit.

There were five minutes left before reaching the "gourmet's" room. Wen Xishu guessed that he might have five minutes to talk to the butler or something.

"By the way, old butler, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, feel free to ask."

The butler was very polite, which Wen Xishu could tell from the words he used when he knocked on the door and his posture after opening it.

This character is set up here, there must be a reason for it.

"In this small town, is there only one resident in every house?"

Wen Xishu hadn't actually thought of any valuable questions, so after a moment's thought, he inquired about the "structure" of the place.

The scene remained unchanged, but Pig Brother Three had disappeared, and in his place was the monster "Chu Renmei" in the kitchen and bathroom.

Pig Brother Three must have possessed immense strength, preventing monsters from invading, but Chu Renmei appeared after Pig Brother Three disappeared.

Wen Xishu was very curious.

The old butler indeed provided the answer:

“In time slots, sir.”

This was a very short sentence, and it was clear that the old butler was unwilling to reveal too much, but out of politeness, he had to answer a little.

Wen Xishu understood immediately.

Indeed, in the same room, the night may belong to one person, and the deep night to another...

"Is it possible for a house to have two owners at the same time during a certain period of time?"

"Or is there any way to wake someone up in advance?"

The old butler suddenly stopped and said with a serious expression:

"Sir, I refuse to answer your question. Please continue on your way."

Wen Xishu shrugged.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, the scene began to change.

The dinner has begun, and you have entered the gourmet's house. In the warm and luxurious dining room, you are already seated.

After a slight dizziness, Wen Xishu and Reid were indeed sitting at the round table.

At that moment, two familiar faces appeared on the giant screen.

Perhaps we weren't that close before, but now we are, very close.

The food critic stood below the screen, introducing the food with great interest.

This food critic does indeed have a face like Mads Mikkelsen. Wen Xishu could tell what the food was today just by looking at his face, without even looking at the screen.

But he still looked at the screen.

Martina, tall and imposing like a female knight, had already taken on a crispy, almost burnt appearance, like Peking duck.

Clearly, Martina, who chose to go to Pig Brother's house back then... didn't fare well.

And then the gourmet's footsteps slowly began to sound:

"Gentlemen, welcome to join me for tonight's dinner. I am the head chef, and you may call me the gourmet."

The gourmet opens his arms wide.

Looking at Martina's charred and raw body on the screen, Reed, despite having experienced all sorts of brutal wars, still felt the urge to vomit at the sight of this scene so directly.

But here's the weird part.

You're incredibly hungry right now. And you can never resist a gourmet's food. A gourmet's food brings happiness, and you'd give anything for that happiness.

On a silver plate, the adventurer from not long ago is displayed.

As the rules came into play, Red began to feel a frantic hunger again.

The food critic said:
"This dinner will consist of sashimi and cooked dishes."

"I have prepared the cooked food for you all. Trust me in my mastery of the art of grilling."

"But I haven't found the ingredients for sashimi yet. I think the two of you will have to provide them for me."

"Next, please enjoy the cooked food with me."

Reid probably guessed it: sashimi... Could it be him and Wen Xishu?
He began to think that if he ate the gourmet's food, he would be controlled by the gourmet. Next, the gourmet would make him mutilate himself and cut off pieces of his own flesh, and he would probably do so.

Having guessed all of this, he began to fight against the feeling with all his might.

But I have to say, Martina... is quite appealing.

That smell made Reed start salivating uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, the gourmets not far away had already begun to use their forks to cut off a piece of greasy roasted meat and put it in their mouths.

Wen Xishu wasn't so resistant. He took a satisfied sniff of the aroma of the roasted meat and said:

"This is truly top-quality meat, but to eat it directly like this is a desecration of the delicious food you have prepared, sir. Don't you ever cleanse your tongue? What a waste."

The food critic was somewhat curious:
"What do you mean?"

Wen Xishu said:
"In my hometown, there is a beverage that tastes as good as Guojiao (a famous Chinese liquor) when chilled. One sip and you'll feel incredibly delicious, but if you drink it straight, you won't be able to taste its essence."

"Many people think that adding ice is the essence, but the essence is that you have to make yourself sweat, make yourself tired, and go through a strenuous exercise first. When you feel tired and sweating profusely, you will feel an explosive happiness when you take a bite."

“Gourmet, you may know how to cook, but you don’t know how to eat. You’ll have to have a sip of this first.”

Wen Xishu decisively took out the glass bottle and poured a glass of water for herself and the gourmet.

Reed's eyes widened:

"This...no, give this to me! This is too precious, don't waste it!"

Reed reacted relatively quickly.

He suddenly understood the meaning behind Wen Xishu's previous actions, and so he began to cooperate with Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu had not forgotten those words.

[Next, food connoisseurs with an extreme pursuit of delicious food and a thirst for knowledge will prepare an exquisite dinner for you hungry souls.]

He kept thinking, if he couldn't kill the ghost, what method could he use to exorcise it?

Pig Brother Three made him understand that ghosts dare not fight ghosts, so the best way is to use ghosts to fight ghosts.

Food connoisseurs have an extreme pursuit and curiosity about food.

These two things are enough to make a gourmet lower his guard.

The solution lies within the problem itself.

The food critic was indeed fooled:

"This...what is this?"

Wen Xishu said:
"This is something that can make any food a hundred times more delicious. Once you drink it, you'll find that you never knew anything about food before when you taste it again."

The gourmet looked at the exquisite glass bottle and was convinced that it must contain some kind of fine wine.

He also knew that some foods are best enjoyed with other foods first, as this allows the flavors to reach their full potential.

Just like how red wine poured over foie gras creates a wonderful reaction.

Wen Xishu very gentlemanly extended his hand, inviting the gourmet to taste the food first.

The gourmet was very satisfied and curious. Without hesitation, he picked up his wine glass and drank the water in one gulp.

But soon, he showed a strange expression:

"This seems to be... just ordinary tap water? It even has a rusty smell?"

Wen Xishu remained silent.

To be honest, he wasn't entirely confident this time either. If he failed, he would probably really have to reset to death.

Seeing that Yuuki's expression had turned serious, the gourmet seemed to realize something; he felt he had been tricked.

At this moment, Reed held his breath, wondering what would happen next? Would he have to endure the wrath of the gourmet?

The gourmet felt as if his refined stomach had been contaminated:

"How could you make me drink such filthy stuff!"

It was furious, but the next second...

He couldn't speak anymore because hair started seeping from his mouth.

That familiar, mournful Cantonese opera melody once again appeared in Wen Xishu's ears.

The blue figure had somehow become tightly entangled with the gourmet.

In that instant, Wen Xishu knew he had done the right thing!
Red jumped up excitedly because he found that the feeling of hunger had disappeared.

This shows that the food critic has suffered a major blow, and its rules have been disrupted.

More and more hair tightly wrapped around the gourmet, who then began to gnaw on the hair, and the two monsters started attacking each other.

But in the end, the gourmet, whose internal organs were pierced by hair, seemed to fail first.

Wen Xishu finally felt relieved. This should earn him a lot of points, right?

(End of this chapter)