Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 13 First Soup
So, should we go see it or not?
That light, like a moth-attracting lamp, lured all things from the outside world with its flickering glow.

Zhou You was thus caught in a dilemma.

Go ahead, such a bright light suddenly appearing in this ghost town is probably a trap. Don't you often see this method of using light to lure victims in horror movies?

But if we don't go, this thing is right in the middle of the road, and there's no way to get around it without being noticed.

After thinking for a long time and glancing at his resurrection count, Zhou You finally made up his mind.

He first tied on the brass bell given to him by Building No. 4—which he had kept hidden in his clothes to avoid startling someone into a sudden attack—then took a deep breath and walked toward the light.

Although there are no more unlimited coins now, we still have so many resurrection attempts and this warning bell, so we should be fine.
Bar?--
Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the light was actually from a small stall.

This was quite common in the city where Zhou You grew up. It was one of the last remnants of heavy industry, and the stall owners were mostly laid-off workers. They usually set up a cart, put one or two stoves on it, and that became their small stall.

Zhou You lifted the greasy curtain and the first thing he saw was a face full of vicissitudes.

Judging from his age, he wasn't very old, probably only in his forties, but time had etched too many marks on his face. His whole body was hunched over, and his waist was bent deeply like a heavy ear of wheat. He was even missing a few fingers. At first glance, he didn't look like a middle-aged man, but rather an old man in his sixties or seventies.

At that moment, the middle-aged man, with somewhat bewildered eyes, said something to Zhou You.

"Young man, are you here for a meal?"

Zhou You had only intended to investigate the situation, but since the other party had already said this much, he had no choice but to sit down.

But just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly stopped.

Right next to his ear, the mechanical female voice suddenly rang out.

"Dear player, you have triggered the side quest: Drink Soup."

"Task requirement: Obtain a bowl of normal soup from the shop owner."

"Reward: A special enhancement effect limited to this instance, and a green-quality consumable."

Are there side quests in this dungeon?
"—Guest, what's wrong?"

Hearing the boss's somewhat impatient greeting, Zhou You ignored the prompt, looked up, gave a polite smile, and then sat down.

The benches and counter were covered in grease, sticky and uncomfortable. Unlike ordinary food stalls, there were no barbecue grills or braised snacks on the stall, but two large pots were bubbling and steaming.

Although you can't see what's simmering inside because the pot is covered, judging from the occasional whiff of aroma, the food doesn't taste too bad.

Smelling the enticing aroma, Zhou You involuntarily swallowed—at this moment, it was as if something was surging in his heart, urging him to have a bowl—but he ultimately suppressed this inexplicable impulse and simply smiled at the hunched man.

"Boss, you've worked hard, setting up your stall so late?"

The cart owner simply gave a completely numb smile.

"What else can I do if I don't set up my stall? My family depends on this business to make a living. If I don't set up my stall, everyone will starve to death. So no matter how late it is, I have to stay up."

Zhou You paused for a moment, but then continued the conversation as if it were just casual chat.

"But boss, isn't this location a bit bad? There's no one around here, who are you going to sell it to?"

"Nobody here? This place is quite lively." The cart owner looked up and glanced around, his already not-so-good expression darkening further. "Sigh, maybe a bunch of people just left earlier, but we have to hang in there. Things will get better when those young people come out for late-night snacks. By the way, what would you like to eat, sir?"

No, in this strange and inexplicable environment, how could I dare to eat your food?

Zhou You smiled and wanted to politely decline on the spot, but...

—I'm not hungry right now.

Before he could even utter those words, they were forced down his throat.

At that moment, the owner had already opened one of the pot lids, and the milky white broth was bubbling inside. The emerald green color mixed with the red and white meat. The aroma was initially faint, like a lingering itch through a boot, but it quickly became rich and fragrant. The richness of the meat and the freshness of the green vegetables were constantly stimulating his senses. In just a few seconds, Zhou You felt ravenously hungry and even couldn't wait to devour the entire pot of soup.

But right now.

"Ring ring ring." Suddenly, a bell rang.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was enough to startle one's thoughts.

In just a moment, Zhou You regained his senses.

When he looked at the pot of soup again, there was hardly any salted meat or vegetables left.

There was only one head that had been boiled until it turned white.

"Guest, guest?"

The hunched-over owner stirred the soup pot, still calling out to Zhou You with a kind expression, but his voice had become increasingly sinister compared to before, and his face had begun to distort and rot.
"Paji."

Half of his rotten face fell into the pot, but the owner seemed oblivious and continued talking.

"Guest, what's that thing that keeps ringing in your hand? It sounds pretty nice."

Zhou You stared at the pot of soup for a while, then suddenly smiled. He then boldly placed his hand on the table, letting the owner see the brass bell with bloodstains on it.

"It's nothing special, just a handbell that a friend gave me before. It rings when the wind blows. Maybe it's because the wind is too strong tonight, so it's making a bit more noise. I'm really sorry to bother you."

Seeing the genuine expression on Zhou You's face, the shopkeeper tilted his head but didn't suspect anything. Instead, he took out a porcelain bowl from a hidden compartment in the cart, scooped a spoonful from the soup pot, and then pushed it in front of Zhou You.

"Since you haven't ordered yet, I've taken the liberty of serving you this. Drink it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."

No, it was completely cold by the time I drank it, wasn't it?

Looking at the strange soup, Zhou You began to carefully consider what countermeasures he should take.

Can one enter a state of selflessness and meditation, withstand the attack, and simply run away?

Zhou You glanced at the dark street outside the stall, then at the owner's increasingly rotting body, and gently shook his head.

What lies ahead remains unknown. Moreover, he is unfamiliar with the surrounding terrain, and in this extremely dark condition, even if he wanted to run, he estimated he couldn't go very far.

So, you drank this bowl of soup?

From any perspective, this is an instant death effect; moreover, the option of seeing rotten flesh and pus floating on the soup is definitely not within Zhou You's consideration.

However, the other party was unwilling to wait for him for so long. Seeing that he was reluctant to speak, the stall owner's face became more and more distorted, and the head in the pot floated up again, opened its already boiled mouth, and suddenly laughed mockingly.

"If you don't drink it, you'll end up like me."

"If you drink it, you'll end up like me."

"No matter what, you can't escape, hahahahahahaha!"

Zhou You ignored him.

He has two very obvious personality traits. One is that he is petty and extremely petty. If someone offends him, he will definitely find a way to get back at them.

Secondly, he remains calm. The more critical the situation, the calmer he becomes. In life-or-death situations, he can even calmly consider ten ways to escape.

So, even now, facing a food stall that is about to become a ghost town, he still has the leisure to think.

"From a game perspective, since they specifically arranged this scenario for me, it's impossible that it was just to let the ghost rush in my face and give me a resurrection coin."

"So there must be some clues here."

“But all my conversations should be correct. The evidence is that he didn’t become a ghost at the beginning. There must have been some key point that I missed.”

So what exactly is the point I missed?

"Oh, right, the newspaper!"

(End of this chapter)