Feeling the powerful sense of control, Chen Mu was somewhat intoxicated. Now he was the owner of the Midnight Diner, and in the anomaly apocalypse, what this meant was probably clearer to Chen Mu than anyone else.
After buying the Midnight Diner, it didn't mean the diner would exit the anomaly scene. In other words, there would still be others receiving tasks related to the Midnight Diner in the future. Once those people entered the diner, they would have to adhere to its rules, and any decisions about rule violations would rest solely with Chen Mu.
In essence, if Chen Mu wanted someone dead, there would be no way for that person to leave alive. Conversely, if Chen Mu wanted to protect someone, even in dire circumstances within the diner, they would remain unharmed.
Simply put, Chen Mu was the god of the Midnight Diner scene! This sense of control and power drew countless individuals towards him.
One could imagine that as the anomaly apocalypse continued, more and more people would receive tasks related to the Midnight Diner. Their life and death would be in Chen Mu's hands.
Suddenly, Chen Mu had a feeling that he was merging with the anomaly apocalypse itself...
If one day he could buy all anomaly scenes and hire all anomalies, wouldn't that mean he became the sole ruler of the apocalypse?
Of course, such talk was far off, and Chen Mu wasn't aiming too high. Everything needed to proceed step by step.
With experience from his previous life, Chen Mu had no doubt he could swiftly grow the Midnight Diner into the Midnight Hotel.
After signing the contract, the relationship between the Midnight Diner and the skeleton boss was severed, and it became entirely Chen Mu's domain.
The skeleton boss was quite tactful; after receiving 7.5 million ghost coins, it disappeared in a flash.
Now, in the private room, only Chen Mu, Li Xiaoxiao, and the several girls who had participated in the task remained. As for Zhao Mengmeng, she had died earlier due to violating the rules.
The remaining girls looked at each other in astonishment; it had only been an hour ago when Chen Mu was just a waiter, and now he was the big boss in this anomaly scene?
This incredible reversal left them profoundly shocked. Chen Mu appeared even more mysterious and powerful in their eyes.
Chen Mu spoke, "In this anomaly task, Rule 4 of the Midnight Diner:"
He paused, glancing at his watch. It was now 1:04 a.m.
"At 1:04 a.m., all waitstaff may leave the Midnight Diner. Leaving the diner signifies completion of the task. If this rule conflicts with others, this rule takes precedence!"
Chen Mu announced his first rule in a calm tone and assertively declared that his rule would prevail.
The girls didn't quite understand what was happening at first.
A moment later, squad leader Ye Chuxue cautiously asked, "Chen Mu, can we leave now?" Chen Mu nodded; he still needed to address matters concerning the diner's staff, and these girls were of no use here. It was better to let them return home early.
"Thank you, Chen Mu."
The girls expressed their gratitude to Chen Mu and left the diner, still shaken from their near-death experience.
As expected, after leaving the diner, they faced no punishment. This indicated that Chen Mu had indeed become the master of this anomaly scene.
Meanwhile, the diner's employees had gathered in the lobby according to Chen Mu's instructions.
When Chen Mu emerged from the private room into the lobby, over twenty anomalies stood there.
The anomalies had all sorts of bizarre appearances—decaying corpses, floating ghosts, and even humanoid figures with two heads...
Seeing a human approaching, the anomalies began to whisper among themselves, occasionally casting strange looks at Chen Mu.
As the manager, Li Xiaoxiao addressed the employees, "This is our new boss, Chen Mu! The boss has promised to pay our overdue wages. As long as everyone works well under the boss, the boss will treat us well!"
Upon hearing this, the employees, who had been owed wages by the previous boss for half a year, erupted in cheers after a brief moment of astonishment.
In their eyes, Chen Mu was not only not dismissing them but also paying them their wages, making him far more than just a benevolent person.
Compared to the strictness of the previous boss, Chen Mu was treating them a hundred times better!
"Don't call me boss; call me whatever you like."
Chen Mu felt somewhat uncomfortable with the business-oriented title of boss.
"Yes, Master." Li Xiaoxiao replied respectfully.
Next, with ghost coins in his left hand and the contract in his right, Chen Mu began to individually sign contracts with the anomaly employees.
With each contract signed, Chen Mu gained control over them. They must obey Chen Mu's commands and never harm him.
At the same time, Chen Mu assessed the strength of the employees.
In the anomaly apocalypse, anomaly strength could generally be divided into five levels:
Anomaly King, Anomaly General, Anomaly Chief, Anomaly Soldier, Anomaly Citizen.
Clearly, due to the Midnight Diner still being in its early stages, the employees' strength was generally low, mostly at the level of Anomaly Citizens.
Among all the employees, only Li Xiaoxiao and two other chefs had barely reached the level of Anomaly Soldiers.
"Not enough; the strength is still too low."
Chen Mu shook his head helplessly. He had initially planned to contract with an anomaly so he could have one at his disposal for protection. Despite signing so many contracts, there was a distinction between contracts and covenants.
A contract only applied within the anomaly scene of the diner; within the Midnight Diner, these employees must obey Chen Mu's commands and not harm him.
However, once outside the diner, the contract became ineffective.
The best way to ensure an anomaly always obeyed commands was by signing a covenant. However, one person could only sign a covenant with one anomaly, so Chen Mu cherished this opportunity greatly.
After buying the Midnight Diner, Chen Mu's strength had also increased. This was the buff effect bestowed upon him by the diner.
Currently, Chen Mu possessed strength equivalent to that of an Anomaly Citizen.
During the contract signing, Li Xiaoxiao left for a while.
Shortly after, Li Xiaoxiao returned, holding an anomaly in her hands.
Chen Mu focused and realized it was the anomaly customer who had earlier tried to harm him.
"Master, I have captured it. Please dispose of it as you see fit."
Li Xiaoxiao spoke respectfully. By now, the anomaly was trembling with fear; it had thought escaping the Midnight Diner would save it, only to be brought back by Li Xiaoxiao.
It was just a low-level Anomaly Citizen; Li Xiaoxiao easily subdued it.
Only at this moment did the anomaly truly regret its actions, realizing it had gotten itself into serious trouble.