"Character Card generating..."
"ID: Liu Zheng (modifiable)"
"Level: lv1"
"Strength: 14"
"Constitution: 12?"
"Spirit: 11"
"Perception: 10"
Looking at the character panel in front of him, Liu Zheng was a bit bewildered.
He had just filled out a survey, and now he was chosen by Hell's Game.
Have the gods running these games become so random now?
Even people who try to recruit for pyramid schemes inquire about family situations.
"The instance will start in one hour, please prepare," announced the mechanical voice, and a countdown timer appeared on the panel.
"Expecting me, someone with a terminal illness, to enter the instance, isn't that too inhumane?"
Liu Zheng was somewhat speechless.
He didn't have many months to live, and his trip out was supposed to be to pick out a grave.
He had his requirements all figured out.
It had to be a large plot, facing south from the north, ideally with a nineteen-year-old JK girl as a neighbor.
"Player has signed the wager agreement, you must comply with the game's rules," the system stated indifferently.
"What wager agreement?"
Liu Zheng looked at the survey form, shocked to find it had completely changed.
"Name: Wager agreement"
"Type: Item"
"Quality: ???"
"Effect: The user's completion rewards will automatically be replaced with desires-related ones until the desires are fulfilled. The user will be forced to become a player, each completion must not be rated below A before the desires are fulfilled, otherwise, they will be erased."
"Remark: Where there are children crying every day, there are no always-losing gamblers."
What was his desire again?
Liu Zheng scratched his head, then remembered.
Health and long life.
A rather disrespectful request for a terminal illness.
"Fine then."
He sighed.
Better a swift pain than a lingering one, getting erased would be a bit better than slowly waiting for death.
What can be done in an hour?
Watch a movie, have a feast, write a will, have a party...
But Liu Zheng did none of that, he just turned on his car's stereo system and played "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Then.
He watched as the countdown reached zero.
"Instance name: Bloody Restaurant"
"Instance type: Newbie Trial"
"Instance player count: Solo"
"Mission target: Survive 72 hours."
As the system's prompt sounded, a burst of black fire instantly enveloped him, disappearing inside the car.
When Liu Zheng came to from the dizziness, he found himself standing at the entrance of his residential complex, holding a letter in his hand.
He looked at the complex's gate, "Jinxiu Xinyuan" sign full of patchy rust, and the stone columns also full of wind erosion marks.
He then looked inside the complex; the buildings were still in their original places, but when Liu Zheng tried to discern them more clearly, he found everything blurred.
At the same time, a sharp pain transmitted through his brain.
"Warning, rationality decreasing,"
the system's prompt sounded.
Liu Zheng quickly diverted his gaze.
If he wasn't even allowed to look, entering the complex was definitely out of the question.
So, he raised the envelope in his hand.
The clues for his next move should be inside it.
Liu Zheng tore open the envelope, which contained a folded A4 paper.
Upon opening it, he found it was a notification letter.
"Dear human citizen:"
"We regret to inform you that you have been out of work for two months, please head to the specified location for an interview as guided, failure in the interview will result in the loss of citizenship and entry into the processing program."
"City Hall Employment Security and Promotion Department."
No job means no citizenship; this Hell's Game is quite up to date with current affairs.
Wait, human citizen?
He suddenly noticed a crucial point.
If there are human citizens, then naturally there would be non-human citizens too.
Thinking about the so-called "processing program," things immediately became chillingly serious.
"Interesting."
Liu Zheng was somewhat excited.
This was the world he wanted, a world that was abnormal and out of the ordinary.
Turning the notification over, there was a map on the back.
It had five red markings, one of which was a pentagram, and the other four were dots.
No need to guess, the place marked with the pentagram was the so-called specified location.
And the other four places, probably related to subsequent missions or side quests.
If it were a player with a quirky personality, they might go to the four dot-marked places first to explore.
But with Liu Zheng's personality, he naturally aimed directly for the main objective.
He followed the map, and along the way, he saw no pedestrians or even small animals, and the surrounding buildings all had their doors and windows tightly closed.
But Liu Zheng always felt as if countless hidden eyes were watching him.
In the barely visible gaps of those unseen doors and windows and in the shadows of buildings, many figures seemed to be stirring.
"Can't stay outside for long."
Liu Zheng's sense of danger warned him, and he quickened his steps.
After briskly walking through the dead silent streets for half an hour, he finally reached his destination.
A three-story mansion, and within a hundred meters of it, there were no other buildings.
That feeling of being watched also quietly disappeared after Liu Zheng entered this area.
"Bloody Restaurant"
When Liu Zheng saw the huge sign clearly, his pupils involuntarily constricted.
Because the name of the restaurant was not painted, but composed of limbs.
The long strokes were arms, the short strokes were fingers.
They were nailed to the wooden boards with rusty nails and kept writhing, seemingly welcoming him.
"Warning, rationality is decreasing."
The system reminded him again.
Liu Zheng quickly lowered his head, refusing to look at the sign any longer.
"What is rationality?"
He asked the question to divert his attention.
"A hidden attribute. When rationality decreases to a certain level, symptoms such as decrease in intelligence, mental daze, fainting, or even temporary insanity may occur."
"What happens when rationality drops to zero?"
"Permanent insanity or..."
Liu could not hear the rest of the sentence.
"Those lunatics in the insane asylum, they aren't all players who ran out of rationality, are they?"
He made a joke.
As expected, the system did not respond.
Liu Zheng sighed and stepped into the restaurant.
"Snap snap snap"
The crisp sounds of snapping fingers came from behind him, belonging to those fingers.
He didn't know whether they were welcoming a new colleague or celebrating something.
As he walked into the restaurant, the scene in front of him surprised him.
Unlike the hellish scene he imagined, the lobby of the restaurant was very clean and bright, and the decor was grand and majestic.
A delicate fragrance filled the air, and a cheerful piano tune could even be heard in the background.
Though, Liu Zheng did not see the pianist.
"Is anyone there?"
He called out.
"We haven't opened for business yet, please come back later."
A detached voice responded to him.
Liu Zheng looked up and saw a woman in a high-collared undergarment and draped in a white wool coat, who had appeared on the second floor at some point.
Her hair was styled in a high bun, her face exuded a serene confidence, resembling a noblewoman from a Republican-era drama.
A tear-shaped sapphire necklace hung around her fair neck, descending into her deep cleavage.
She was a great beauty that could captivate any man at a glance.
But for some reason, he felt only a slight chill in his heart.
"I'm here for an interview."
Liu Zheng raised the notification letter he held.
"City Hall is dumping trash on me again."
The woman frowned.
Such an assessment didn't stir any feelings within him.
For he had heard far worse.
"I am Si Xue, the owner of this restaurant. There are three openings right now; which one would you like to apply for?"
The woman glanced at him and said.
"May I ask what the three positions are?"
Liu Zheng politely inquired.
"Delivery, kitchen help, waitress."
Si Xue said indifferently.
Among these, being a waitress seemed the safest.
The kitchen itself symbolized blood and violence, and making deliveries meant venturing into the world beyond the restaurant.
Although he had arrived uneventfully, that must have been plot protection.
However, considering the decoration of the Bloody Restaurant, its clientele must be wealthy and distinguished.
Serving the rich in the real world was troublesome enough; these peculiarly wealthy beings would definitely be more difficult.
"Boss, whatever you assign me is fine. With your insight, the position you choose for me will certainly be the most suitable,"
Liu Zheng thought it over and then said.
"Interesting, a somewhat clever piece of trash."
Si Xue's lips curled slightly into a dazzling smile that momentarily dazzled him.
Liu Zheng quickly steadied his breath, managing to suppress the surge of emotions.
One smile almost broke him, far too dangerous.
This woman was definitely not human.
"Then you'll go on delivery."
Si Xue's smile vanished as quickly as it appeared, her expression returning to one of icy indifference, making him wonder if the earlier moment was just a hallucination.
"Yes, boss."
He nodded.
That worked; he had experience with deliveries in the past.
"Niu Ma, take him to hand over."
Si Xue stated flatly; then she walked away, disappearing around the corridor corner with each step.
"Yes, boss."
Following a muffled voice, a literal Niu Ma sprinted out from a corner.
It had the body of a horse and the head of a bull, both horns reflecting a greasy light.
"What are you looking at? Never seen a Niu Ma before?"
It said in an unfriendly tone.
"Sorry, I've never seen such a handsome Niu Ma before, I didn't react in time."
Liu Zheng retracted his shocked gaze and hurriedly apologized.
"Good eye, I forgive you."
Niu Ma snorted.
Clearly, it was very pleased with Liu Zheng's compliment.
"The boss was right, for a human, you're quite smart."
Niu Ma lifted its forelimb, patting him on the shoulder.
"Do well, human, and don't make me eat you."
It opened its thick lips, revealing saw-like sharp teeth within.