My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

Zhang Ying stepped forward and blocked Jack's path.

"Jack, before I take you to see that thing," Zhang Ying said slowly, "I want to ask you a few questions first."

Jack tilted his head, a hint of curiosity in his blue eyes. "Ask away, my friend. The great Jack will answer any question."

Zhang Ying hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What is this town like in your memory?"

"What's it like?" Jack stroked his chin, as if seriously considering the question. "The whole town is warm, but shy."

"Passionate yet shy?" Shen Yugang muttered to himself, not quite understanding.

Jack grinned. "Everyone's very friendly and greets each other when they see each other. But they all prefer to stay indoors; I rarely see anyone wandering around outside. Maybe it's because the sandstorms here are too strong. You know, ladies' skin can't withstand that kind of abuse."

As Zhang Ying listened to Jack's words, he quickly made a mental calculation.

Jack's description of "always preferring to stay indoors" and "rarely seeing anyone strolling around outside" clearly describes the current state of the town; everyone is dead inside their homes, and the streets are naturally deserted.

But Jack said it in a relaxed tone and with a natural expression, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal.

Did he not know what had happened in the town, or did he already know that it had become a dead town but was unwilling to say?

Zhang Ying couldn't see any flaws.

Since Jack has already come along, let him see the truth for himself and see how he reacts.

"Let's go," Zhang Ying turned around and walked towards the other side of the street. "I'll take you to see that thing."

Jack shrugged and followed casually. Shen Yugang walked at the very back, glancing back at the tavern every now and then.

The three walked on the empty street, the sunlight casting long shadows of them.

Zhang Ying led Jack to a small hut.

Even before they got close, a strong stench of decay seeped out from under the door, filling the air. Zhang Ying stopped and turned to look at Jack.

"Can you smell something?"

Jack took a deep breath, a look of rapture on his face.

"Of course I can smell it," Jack smacked his lips. "It's my favorite stinky cheese. This smell must be French; only French stinky cheese has such a strong flavor."

Shen Yugang listened in the back and was dumbfounded.

Stinky cheese?

This is clearly the stench of a rotting corpse, and Jack is calling it stinky cheese?

Zhang Ying frowned slightly, but didn't dwell on the issue. He changed the subject.

Do you know who lives in this little house?

Jack glanced at the closed wooden door and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Of course I know," Jack said in a low voice, with a hint of gossip in his tone. "There's a couple in love living there. I've seen them kissing passionately in the alley countless times, and the sights are...tsk tsk tsk."

Jack shook his head, looking like someone who'd been there all along.

"They might be kissing passionately in the house right now; it's best not to disturb them. People in love don't like being interrupted."

Zhang Ying stared at Jack's face, trying to find a flaw in his grinning expression.

But he couldn't find it.

Jack's expression was so natural, his tone so certain, as if a living couple really lived in that room, rather than two rotting, stinking corpses.

Zhang Ying thought Jack must have gone mad.

Or perhaps, the world has gone mad.

Without further hesitation, he stepped forward and reached out to grasp the doorknob.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jack shouted from behind, "Don't—"

Zhang Ying pushed the door open forcefully.

The door creaked open, and sunlight flooded into the dim room.

Then Zhang Ying was dumbfounded.

There was a man and a woman standing in the room.

The man was wearing brown overalls, and the woman was wearing a floral dress. They were embracing tightly, their lips pressed together, passionately kissing.

The sound of the door being pushed open startled them. The two separated abruptly, the woman screaming in alarm, while the man, his face flushed, waved his arms toward the door and shouted for them to get out.

"Sorry, sorry," Jack quickly stepped forward, blocking Zhang Ying's way, and closed the door with a smile. "My friend was being presumptuous. We'll be leaving now."

The wooden door closed again, shutting out the shouting and cursing from inside.

Jack turned around, spread his hands, and looked at Zhang Ying.

"See? I told you not to open the door. People in love hate being disturbed."

He patted Zhang Ying on the shoulder, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Alright, friend, what exactly are you taking me to see? You're not just going to show me other people kissing, are you? Although that scene is indeed quite interesting, the great Jack doesn't have time to do that kind of thing with you."

Zhang Ying stood there, stunned.

His mind was in chaos, as if something was repeatedly clashing with his perceptions.

In this small town ravaged by smallpox, the streets were deserted, every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and rotting, stinking corpses were everywhere.

There were actually two living, breathing couples passionately kissing inside the house?

How is that possible?

How did they survive?

Don't they know what's happening outside?

This is what it says——

Seeing Zhang Ying standing there motionless, his expression constantly shifting, Jack shrugged.

"Well, it seems my friend is still half asleep." Jack pulled his wide-brimmed hat down further, turned and walked back the way he came, waving behind him without looking back. "Goodbye, you impetuous friend. Great Jack, on your way to continue your adventures."

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Shen Yugang stood to the side, glancing between Zhang Ying and Jack's departing figure, unsure of who to follow.

"Brother Ying," Shen Yugang whispered, "Jack is gone."

Zhang Ying did not move.

He stared intently at the wooden door that had closed again.

Jack's figure disappeared at the end of the street. He led the brown horse away, the sound of its hooves fading into the distance, and the street returned to deathly silence.

Zhang Ying took a deep breath.

He stepped forward again and reached out to grasp the doorknob.

This time, he didn't hesitate and pushed the door open forcefully.

A thick, putrid stench emanated from the room, stronger and more intense than before, as if something had been brewing inside for a long time and had finally found its outlet. The smell assaulted Zhang Ying's senses, making it impossible for him to open his eyes, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

He squinted, looking into the room through his tears.

Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the living room.

There was no longer a couple deeply in love in the house.

There was only one pair of highly decomposed corpses lying face down on the table, dead from smallpox.

Two corpses lay slumped on the table, dressed in brown overalls and floral skirts, but the clothes were so rotten they were stuck to their skin. Their skin was covered with black patches and festering sores, their swollen fingers stiffly curled up, half of their nails missing, revealing the dark red flesh beneath.

Flies buzzed around the room, and maggots crawled out of the corpse's nostrils and ears, wriggling on the table.

Zhang Ying's hand gripped the door frame, his knuckles turning white.

He slowly closed the door and took a few steps back.

Shen Yugang's heart skipped a beat when he saw Zhang Ying's expression.

"Brother Ying... what's wrong? Where's that couple?"

"There were no couples," Zhang Ying said in a low voice, "only corpses."

Shen Yugang was stunned.

"But just now...we clearly saw..."

“I know what we saw,” Zhang Ying interrupted him, “but it’s not real.”