After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 55 Catfish Boss Hot Pot Restaurant (3)

When the catfish vendor said this, his voice carried a strange sense of pleasure and rhythm.

But to everyone else, it sounded as if Death himself was whistling in their ears.

An Jing's eyes narrowed, and he almost immediately noticed that something was wrong with those words.

The food is served.

So, are people just vegetables?
At that moment, the body of the boy who had been pushed to the bottom of the pot was effortlessly pulled out of the pot by two shadowy waiters. He was swollen from being submerged, his skin was an unnatural red, his eyes rolled back, his lips were stiff, and he was completely lifeless.

No one mourned his death.

No one raised any objections.

Because everyone understands that they are now just the next dish.

The body was quickly taken away and dragged into a dark crevice in the corner that had appeared out of nowhere, where it was instantly swallowed up.

A few seconds later, the gap closed, as if nothing had happened.

The catfish restaurant owner, however, subtly flicked his sleeve, revealing a sinister smile: "Ordering time is about to close. Please hurry and select your dishes. If you do not finish within the allotted time, you will be considered to have automatically forfeited your dining privileges, and then... you will have to leave the restaurant."

His words were quite meaningful.

Some people's eyes lit up upon hearing this, as if they had found a way out, and they began to whisper among themselves:

"Can I leave without ordering food?"

"If this is a test, then why don't we just not participate?"

"Since we're already trapped once we go in, we might as well take a gamble..."

But many others remained silent.

They witnessed the fate of the couple they had just met, and they knew that leaving would never be a dignified way to go out.

It is highly likely that this is an invitation for you to walk into death.

"Order," An Jing said in a low voice. "Quickly."

She glanced at the time progress bar on the menu, and sure enough, a light red timer had appeared in the lower right corner of the menu.

Two minutes.

The countdown has begun.

No prompts.

There were no warnings.

Her eyes darkened, and she quickly looked at the other three: "Let's choose vegetarian dishes, not meat. Don't pick anything complicated."

Shao Ling immediately realized what she meant and nodded: "Tofu, enoki mushrooms, winter melon?"

An Jing: "Okay."

She quickly tapped with her fingertips, avoiding all menu items containing the word "animal," and then checked off the three dishes without hesitation.

“Hand it over,” she said.

A dark-skinned waiter happened to stand right next to their table.

She handed the menu over.

The shadowy waiter took the menu with unhurried movements, as if scanning it, then bowed slightly. The next moment, his body began to blur and slowly dissipated from the spot.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

At other tables, many people were still hesitating and wavering.

Some were bolder and were discussing whether they could order only one dish, while others were arguing quietly about whether to choose meat or vegetables.

As the countdown reached zero, the catfish boss slowly raised his hand.

"time up."

Its smile was extremely gentle.

But as soon as that smile appeared, people at three tables simultaneously screamed in terror.

"Wait, I haven't!"

"I ordered the wrong dish! No, I don't want this!"

Before they could even hand over the menu, they saw the shadowy waiter standing beside them suddenly reach out, his arm extending at a visible speed, stretching like rubber, accurately grasping the menu, and the next moment—

"boom!"

A middle-aged man was dragged onto the table and shoved face down into an empty pot in the center of the table.

The bottom of the pot was empty, but the next second, the pot was automatically filled with boiling hot red oil!

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

He struggled violently, kicking his legs wildly, but no one could help him.

Everyone froze in place.

The sound was not only chilling, but also a stark warning:
Not ordering food means refusing to follow the rules. Following the rules will result in punishment.

The punishment was something no one could bear.

"hiss…"

Xu Xiaoyi couldn't help but gasp, hugging her arms and shrinking back in her chair, whispering to An Jing, "What do you think... the payment method will be?"

Her voice trembled, and she regretted what she said as soon as she finished.

But the words have already been spoken, and all that's left to do is wait for a reply.

An Jing glanced at her and slowly shook her head.

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully, “but it definitely wouldn’t be a normal payment.”

"Then... what if we can't finish eating?" Shao Ling asked in a low voice.

"The rules require you to finish your food, otherwise..."

“Otherwise, it would be against the rules.” An Jing’s tone was calm, but with a hint of heaviness. “I guess… if they can’t finish their food, they’ll either be forced to eat or disposed of directly.”

“But we can’t eat indefinitely, can we?” Shao Ling frowned. “If we have to order three dishes every round, eventually our human bodies will reach their limit. If we can’t hold on, will we die?”

These words immediately made the atmosphere heavy again.

Bai Tianjiao's face turned pale, her knuckles were white as she gripped her knees, and she pursed her lips without saying a word.

She has begun to realize that this is a deadly loop.

Once you're inside, no matter what you do, you can't escape the issues of "eating," "paying the bill," and "rules."

Eat, pay the bill, and you'll die.

If you keep eating without paying the bill, the punishment is that you can't finish your food, and the punishment is predictable: death.

"Then did I ruin things for you all..." Xu Xiaoyi suddenly looked distressed and said in a soft voice, "If I hadn't insisted on eating hot pot... we wouldn't have come in..."

Her tone was like a deflated balloon.

An Jing looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Do not blame you."

How can you blame her?

An Jing thought to herself.

If anyone's to blame, it's her.

Shao Ling said softly, "This is something we had to face sooner or later. It's just... a little earlier."

She's quite open-minded.

An Jing solemnly promised them:

"This time, I'm here."

"I will take you out."

Her tone was calm, yet it inexplicably carried a reassuring power.

Like a glimmer of light breaking through the darkness of night, it is not warm, but it truly exists.

Xu Xiaoyi was taken aback for a moment.

She blinked, her eyes a little red: "Then...you have to take me out of here."

Xu Xiaoyi only felt that these words were meant to comfort each other.

"Ah."

An Jing glanced at the hot pot on the table; the broth was still bubbling.

The first batch of dishes had already been served.

Enoki mushrooms and tofu were neatly arranged on a long tray, and a shadowy waiter silently placed them on their table.

The tofu was tender, white, and smooth, and the enoki mushrooms were neatly arranged as if they had been washed clean.

It seems... there really is no problem.

But no one dared to let their guard down.

“Next, we’ll have a taste test,” An Jing said.

She glanced at her three roommates, her tone very soft:
"Don't rush, let's take it slowly."

The aroma of the hot pot still lingers, tempting yet dangerous.

The three dishes were thrown into the pot together and simmered, steaming hot.

The group watched nervously, but then the catfish vendor smiled and spoke.

"This vegetarian dish is really filling."

(End of this chapter)