Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

When he first entered Ge Ming's house, he smelled this peculiar astringent smell. Ge Ming later said that it was "herbs to prevent the corpse from rotting".

Now that I think about it, the taste and aroma of the filling in the steamed buns are exactly the same!

"There's something wrong with the taste!"

Shen Zhen's voice trembled, and a layer of cold sweat had broken out on her back.

"This smells like the herbs from Ge Ming's stitched-up claw!"

He soaked the corpse in these herbs, and this is the filling for the buns…”

Shen Zhen was abruptly interrupted by Lei Lie before she could finish speaking. His eyes were full of impatience, and even a hint of anger at being disturbed while eating.

"Nonsense!"

Ge Mingming had already buried the body; the smell of herbs might just be a coincidence!

"Were you scared out of your wits by the ghost story in Ruanjia Lane?"

His temples seemed to be throbbing faintly, as if he were fighting against some invisible erosion.

Shen Zhen guessed that Lei Lie's mental power was being suppressed by a strange force without his knowledge, and he had even lost his most basic vigilance.

Seeing this, Ren Fei unconsciously reached out to pick up the soiled bun from the ground:

"There are plenty of herbal medicine vendors in the city, so it's normal for the shopkeeper to use herbs to remove the fishy smell."

Xiao Shen, don't waste it!

Just then, the shop owner behind the counter suddenly laughed.

His originally gentle face began to writhe, his features slowly shifting and rearranging, eventually settling into a distorted, grotesque face with a mouth in the center of his forehead and eyes squeezed into his cheeks, his pupils turning green.

And there's something even more horrifying.

The boss's neck was slowly elongating, revealing several dark, old scars.

He slowly picked up the cleaver beside him, then casually placed the blade on a scar on his neck, tilting his strange face and scanning the crowd with his green pupils.

"For human spirit protectors, having an overly sensitive nose is not a good thing."

However... you're much more perceptive than these idiots, that's interesting...

The boss's words were like an icicle, piercing straight into Shen Zhen's heart.

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared.

puff!

A section of his neck snapped off instantly, and he held it in his hand. There was hardly any blood at the cut, only a little viscous, dark liquid seeping out.

He displayed it like a work of art, lifting the still slightly pulsating "neck" and then casually and precisely tossing it into an empty steamer.

"This is the most nutritious essence; you must finish it."

He seemed to be imparting cooking secrets.

At the same time, he casually tied the remaining two ends of his neck into a knot, then gently rubbed and pinched them together, and the wound actually healed.

Only a hideous scar remains.

This bizarre scene, which defied common sense and disregarded one's own physical body, struck Lei Lie and the others, who had just been struggling, like a thunderbolt, briefly bringing them to their senses.

Their stomachs churned with extreme nausea, but the sweet aroma mixed with the scent of herbs acted like a hook, instantly pulling their reason back and giving rise to the desire to swallow.

They were unable to completely break free.

Instead, they fell into a deeper fear of "being soberly aware of the nausea, yet unable to control the urge to eat."

Steam rose again from the steamer.

The sweet aroma, mixed with the scent of herbs, became even more intense.

The aroma carried a compelling force, drawing people in even though they knew the steamer contained a strange neck. They couldn't help but want to get closer and taste it.

"What... exactly are you?"

Shen Zhen suppressed the churning in his stomach, focused his mental energy, and used the power of the mid-stage first rank to barely resist the strange power that was causing him to lose his appetite.

What am I?

Shouldn't you ask what you're eating first?

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Miao Erhu already had the copper bell in his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than one of the steamed buns in front of him suddenly burst open with a "poof," spilling its filling onto the table of a nearby diner.

The diner was not annoyed at all; instead, he stuck out his tongue and licked the food clean, a satisfied smile on his face.

Finally, the diner seemed to have swallowed something foreign and pushed it out with his tongue.

Shen Zhen saw it clearly; it was a strand of hair from a garment, the same color as the swaddling clothes in Ge Ming's house.

He was shocked; this case was indeed related to Ge Ming.

Lei Lie, Ren Fei, and Miao Erhu immediately understood.

The nausea in my stomach worsened, but the urge to eat did not diminish at all.

This is the terrifying aspect of how appetite can control things; the fear brought by the truth cannot overcome the distorted instincts.

Lei Lie was furious:

"What kind of steamed buns are we being given?!"

He then yelled at the other three team members, "Wake up!"

But they were completely lost in the delicious food, and could only respond to Lei Lie's calls with silly smiles.

They watched the bizarre scene of the boss's severed neck being reassembled, but instead of feeling any fear, they drooled and stared intently at the steamer containing the neck, reaching over the table to snatch it.

"What kind of steamed buns are these?" The boss's face twisted with a mocking expression.

"It's a good thing that makes that idiot Ge Ming crave something every day, and he even says it's good for satisfying his anger."

You can probably smell the herbs too, right?

That's for soaking corpses; it prevents the meat from rotting and removes the fishy smell, making it taste better for you to eat.

Lei Lie's face instantly turned ashen, the veins on his hand gripping the long sword bulging. He suppressed the churning stomach acid and roared:

"Who are you?! What did you do to Ge Ming?"

"Since you're so eager to know, then... I'll reluctantly tell you." The boss sneered from the mouth on his forehead.

"I am the owner of Cai's Steamed Bun Shop."

That idiot Ge Ming, he's clinging to a filthy woman and treating her like a treasure...

He was slept with by a wild man, so he grabbed a knife and chopped them both down. It felt so good!

But the mess still needs to be cleaned up, doesn't it?

He walked to the steamer basket containing the "essence" and inhaled the rising steam, which was infused with the exotic aroma of herbs.

"I taught him that if you hate someone to the core, you have to swallow it down."

"Eat those two scoundrels' brains while they're hot, so they'll learn their lesson in their next life." He paused, glancing at Shen Zhen, his green eyes full of mockery.

"He actually believed it, eating and laughing at the same time. It was so satisfying..."

The rest of the body was chopped into filling, and this fool still came to buy steamed buns every day without realizing it.

What you just ate was the tenderest part of that woman's arm, and the muscular meat from that man's leg...

How is it? Isn't the texture smoother than pork and finer than lamb?

"No!" Shen Zhen also suppressed her urge to vomit, clinging to a sliver of hope, and said:

"Ge Mingming clearly said he buried the body."

"Buried? Hahaha..." The boss seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He casually lifted the lid of a ceramic pot that had been simmering over a low flame and stirred the thick broth inside with a long spoon.

"I let him bury it."

However, I let him dig up two graves in the mass grave, exhume the remains, bury them on the hill behind his house, and then pour two ladles of hot oil rendered by that couple on top...

"Tsk tsk tsk, you spirit mediums, weren't you completely fooled by me?"

He scooped up a spoonful of soup and slowly poured it over the neck that was changing color in the steamer, making a sizzling sound.

"You would never have been able to solve this case."

The bones are buried, the oil is spilled, and even the soul can't recognize its own body...

"What a pity..." He glanced at Shen Zhen with a strange look, his voice suddenly turning cold.

"Someone with an incredibly keen sense of smell has arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature inside the store plummeted.

Lei Lie's eyes were bloodshot, and his long sword was drawn with a roar. His fury and extreme disgust made his whole body boil with murderous aura.

He recalled every bun he had just eaten, and the smooth, tender texture of them. His stomach churned violently, and a metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat.

Ren Fei and Miao Erhu were both deathly pale.

All the greed and satisfaction I felt for the steamed buns just now have now turned into a deep-seated fear and nausea.

Miao Erhu could even feel the minced meat he had just praised burning in his stomach.

"You...you...you all..." Lei Lie was on the verge of losing his mind.

"What's wrong with everyone?" the boss asked with interest. He scooped out half a spoonful of thick soup from the earthenware pot, its aroma filling the air. He gently blew on it and handed it to a second-team member who was closest to him and whose eyes were completely glazed over.

"Come, try this original soup; all the essence is in it."

The team member's eyes flickered with struggle for a moment, and then he actually opened his mouth blankly.

"Damn it!" But he quickly returned to his confused state.

Ren Fei finally snapped. Extreme fear and nausea overwhelmed his reason. He pointed at the boss and screamed out the most primal human curse:

"You beast! You demon!"

"Beast?" The boss paused, his mouth slowly opening to reveal a strange expression, a mixture of confusion and mockery.

He drank the spoonful of soup himself, his green eyes narrowing as if savoring it.

"You humans always love to use your pathetic moral standards to judge everything in the world." He shook his head, his tone almost pity.

"I am not an animal."

He spread his hands, pointing to the steamer, the earthenware pot, the shop full of fascinated diners, and finally to his own chest.

"I am accumulating good deeds and resolving sins."

Ge Ming's hatred needed an outlet, and the man and woman needed to atone for their sins.

And you, the spirit healers, after all this hard work, don't you need some comfort?

I... can meet all your needs.

Isn't this an act of immeasurable merit?

You... should be thanking me.

His logic is self-consistent, cold, and completely contrary to human ethics, carrying a mockery that tramples on all order.

Shen Zhen's temples throbbed with excitement. He caught a key point and questioned sharply:

"Did you attract the [Memory Filth] on Ge Ming's body?"

What exactly do you want?!

The boss tilted his head, seemingly thinking about it seriously.

"That little thing that only repeats fragments of memory?"

It was just a fly attracted by the smell of the feast.

His green eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze towards Shen Zhen held a deeper meaning.

As for what I want to do...

The greatest joy for a good chef is seeing his diners...

I genuinely enjoy eating his food.

His gaze swept over the three obsessed teammates.

And the restaurant was filled with zombie-like diners. Finally, the focus returned to the faces of Shen Zhen, Lei Lie, and the others, which were filled with shock and anger, and the curve of their mouths became increasingly eerie.

"look!

Their appetites are so intense right now, and that's the finest ingredient for my dishes.

He suddenly tapped the edge of the steamer with a long spoon.

clang!clang!clang!

The crisp sound echoed through the deathly silent shop.

At the sound, all the diners in the restaurant, including the three team members, stopped what they were doing at the same time.

They slowly and in perfect unison turned their heads, refocusing their gaze on Shen Zhen and the others.

Then, the corners of their mouths began to twitch upwards in unison, revealing a chilling smile exactly like the mouth on the boss's forehead.

"Look,"

The boss's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it rang clearly in everyone's minds.

"My guests... can't wait to see the next main course."

"So, should we steam it? Or braise it?"

His green eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, locked onto Shen Zhen firmly amidst the billowing steam.

The crisis has not been resolved.

Instead, it's like a fishing net that's constantly being pulled in, ready to catch them all.