"Senior, please accept my kneel."
The girl bowed her head in worship, almost causing her bath towel to fall off.
"That's really not necessary,"
Liu Zheng reached out a hand as if to help her up.
But he was afraid he'd get chopped into mincemeat if he made real contact.
"Yesterday, I revised my manuscript just as you suggested, and it passed review right away. Plus, the editor thinks highly of it and said they'd arrange some promotion for me,"
the girl said excitedly.
"Congratulations,"
"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance. By the way, what gift would you like? I'll go buy it right now,"
the girl asked.
"Just remember this, I'll tell you when I think of something,"
Liu Zheng thought about it and then said.
He didn't have anything special in mind at the moment, so it was better to keep this opportunity in reserve.
This woman seemed quite capable; she might come in handy when the time was right.
"OK, then take down my phone number,"
the girl recited a series of digits.
Liu Zheng remembered them in one go.
Spiritual Attribute seemed to have something to do with memory; he now had an almost photographic memory.
"By the way, what's your name?"
he asked.
Even though he couldn't save the number, he still needed something to call her by.
He certainly couldn't call her "deadbeat."
Upon hearing this, the girl seemed conflicted.
"What's wrong?"
Liu Zheng voiced his confusion.
"Well, sorry about this, but we aren't that familiar with each other yet,"
the girl said hesitantly.
How close do you have to be just to give out a name? She was even more squeamish than the Japanese.
He was somewhat speechless.
But considering the weirdness of this world, maybe names held a different significance.
"Alright, then I'll just call you 'novelist,'"
Liu Zheng shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm really very sorry,"
the girl bowed deeply.
It was big, and it was deep.
When she lifted her head up, naturally, she saw Liu Zheng's gaze had deepened even further.
"How about I show you my chest instead?"
She had a sudden inspiration and began to untie her bath towel.
"I'm in a hurry, maybe next time for sure,"
he waved a tentacle.
"Alright, if you need it, just come over anytime. Other parts are also available,"
the girl said earnestly.
Seeing her sincere eyes, Liu Zheng didn't know whether to call her conservative or bold.
It could only be said that she looked human only on the surface.
"I'm off,"
Liu Zheng left building 3A and went to building 1.
Apartment 201 didn't have a doorbell, so he had to knock on the door with his tentacle a few times.
It didn't hurt—the tentacles were very tough, almost like rubber in texture.
It was just that the surface had a layer of chitin-like scales, and the sound of them hitting the metal door was scraping, making it uncomfortable to listen to.
Fortunately, he didn't have to knock many times before the door opened.
"What is it?"
A little boy in a one-piece panda pajama set stared at him expressionlessly.
"Delivery,"
Liu Zheng lifted the delivery bag.
"Oh,"
the panda boy took the delivery bag.
"Eh, that's it?"
he said somewhat surprised.
"What else?"
the panda boy retorted.
"Aren't you supposed to refuse the delivery?"
Liu Zheng said.
Up to now, there hadn't been a single person who had signed for the delivery without any fuss.
Mr. Li had signed for it, but she didn't eat it either.
"You think I'm like those nobodies?"
the panda boy said coldly.
In an instant, Liu Zheng felt a deep malice.
He instinctively wanted to jump back, but found that he couldn't move.
The panda boy glanced at him, then opened the delivery box.
He picked at the intestines with chopsticks and then picked up one to chew.
The yellowish-green filling flowed down the corner of his mouth, making Liu Zheng feel nauseated.
"Quite fresh,"
the panda boy smiled with satisfaction.
"Thank you for your recognition of our restaurant's cuisine,"
he said politely.
"Hmm?"
The panda boy's gaze suddenly focused on Liu Zheng's abdomen.
"Your intestines look good, too,"
he said with an innocent smile.
"Sorry, that's not included in the delivery range,"
Liu Zheng said calmly.
"When you're ready to sell, come find me, and make sure you're well-fed."
Panda Boy patted his belly, then closed the door.
"Phew!"
Liu Zheng let out a heavy sigh of relief.
If he hadn't spotted the flaw in the first serving of large intestine sashimi, he would probably be dead by now.
In front of Panda Boy, Liu Zheng didn't stand a chance to escape.
That guy was terrifying.
Liu Zheng raised his tentacles and wiped the fluid seeping from his scalp.
He took a deep breath, and the familiar smell of plant decay gradually calmed him down.
"Feeling a bit swollen there."
Liu Zheng laughed at himself sarcastically.
He had thought that as long as he didn't court death, protecting himself shouldn't be a problem.
Now it seemed he was still far from safe.
Back at the entrance of the residential area, the security guard was still smoking in the guard booth.
Seeing Liu Zheng come out, he just gave him a cold glance and ignored him.
Liu Zheng didn't bother with small talk either and headed straight outside.
When passing the landscape rock at the entrance, suddenly, a tuft of disheveled hair burst out from the shadows.
"Been waiting for you."
He sneered inside.
Even though he wasn't a smoker, he knew that three cigarettes were for the dead.
Liu Zheng didn't hesitate to use his skateboard shoes, his figure instantly turning into a blur, reappearing a hundred meters away.
A blood-red path extended from the entrance of the residential area to right beneath him, covered with countless bits of flesh and blood.
"Hiss!"
Liu Zheng looked at his lower half, severed at the waist, and gasped in shock.
The cut was neat and clean, even cleaner than what a limb-saw could make.
It was a shame it had been worn down too badly by the ground, or it could have served as material for a surgery textbook.
Not only his lower half but all his tentacles were also cut off.
It was clear that the security guard had learned his lesson, aiming first to destroy his mobility before slowly cooking him.
Too bad for him, Liu Zheng had his skateboard shoes.
He turned to look back at Green Garden; a humanoid figure made of black and white hair was staring at him desperately, yet didn't take another step forward.
"See you around."
Liu Zheng shouted loudly.
If the circumstances had allowed, he would have even given a hand wave goodbye.
The humanoid opened its mouth and let out a piercing scream before collapsing into pieces.
"Mm-hmm, I'll bring you cigarettes next time."
Liu Zheng said earnestly.
"Rubbing on the slick floor, rub, rub..."
He hummed a song while crawling forward on his stomach.
It would take some time for his tentacles and hooves to grow back, so might as well treat it as an abs workout while he was at it.
He wormed his way back to the Bloody Restaurant, where Niu Ma was cooking something.
On the large alcohol stove sat a stainless steel pot, bubbling away.
More intriguing than what was inside the pot was how Niu Ma had managed to light it without having any tentacles.
"You got beaten up again, didn't you?"
Niu Ma glanced at him and smirked at his misfortune.
Liu Zheng had gotten even thinner since he left the house.
"It's hard to avoid knives in the rivers and lakes,"
he replied casually, waving his hand.
"I don't get knifed."
Niu Ma said smugly.
"Look, just slaughtered."
It pointed to the pot and said.
A thick green liquid was filled with heads with split skin and flesh, floating on the top.
Judging by the facial features, they looked very much like humans.
But by their size, they probably weren't human.
After all, even dwarf heads wouldn't be as small as half a palm.
And if they were babies', the hair shouldn't be so thick.
Plus, they were too ugly, both old and hideous.
"What the heck is this stuff?"
Liu Zheng asked with disdain.
"Mouse Skin Man. Tried to steal the takeout, so I wiped out the whole nest."
Niu Ma replied.
"Someone dared to steal the takeout?"
He sounded surprised.
From what he could see, the restaurant had quite a reputation.
Those who picked fights with him always used deception and trickery; even a street bully like French Plane Tree didn't dare lay a hand on him directly.
Green Garden's security guard dared to ambush him, probably because he had struck first before.
"There's always someone willing to risk their life for money. Oh, it's ready."
Niu Ma cheerfully said.
It picked up the stainless steel pot, about to pour it into its mouth, when it suddenly noticed Liu Zheng's gaze.
"Want some?"
It asked reluctantly.
"You enjoy it all by yourself."
He politely declined.
"You don't know what's good, Mouse Skin Man is the best aphrodisiac, I don't tell just anyone."
Niu Ma said mysteriously.
"What are you trying to do?
He looked at Niu Ma warily.
In this lounge, there was only the two of them.