Chapter 3 - Steamed Poison Human Brain, reward Red Dragon!
Qin Nuo's words might have been an attempt to lighten the mood, but the tense Wang Yang and Liu Jiaqi didn't respond.
The guests outside the door entered.
Vague, indistinct shadows took their seats at the dining table.
It didn't seem that scary after all.
Wang Yang and Liu Jiaqi both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rat, you're in the way."
A dull voice came from behind, making their hair stand on end.
Liu Jiaqi turned around and nearly fainted.
In front of them stood a person who seemed to have been cut into pieces and sewn back together with needle and thread. Two human heads were sewn onto its neck, one with its skin peeled off, a bloody mess.
The other head was missing half its skull, its brain exposed to the air, with blood vessels clearly visible.
The three quickly stepped aside, their hearts pounding.
"Rat" was their term for humans, likening them to despised creatures that everyone wanted to kill.
More terrifying ghosts continued to enter, some with their stomachs hollowed out and intestines hanging outside, others with faces devoid of features, just mouths...
"You have been assigned to serve Table 4. Complete the customer's needs, achieve an average rating, and complete three orders to finish the F-level task!"
In the game, tasks are divided into five levels: A, B, C, D, and F.
After completing a task, there are five ratings: terrible, unsatisfactory, average, satisfactory, and very satisfactory.
Achieving satisfactory or very satisfactory ratings earns a random reward.
Terrible or unsatisfactory ratings result in punishment.
Qin Nuo noticed Wang Yang and Liu Jiaqi looking a bit distracted, realizing they had also received tasks.
Wang Yang: "I've been assigned to Table 10."
Liu Jiaqi: "I've been assigned to Table 6."
Qin Nuo touched his nose: "Table 4, good luck to everyone."
At the corner table, there was only one guest, wrapped entirely in bandages, with dark blood seeping through.
On the table, there was also a bouquet of roses.
The empty seat opposite had tea, suggesting it was waiting for another guest.
"Guest, may I ask what you need?" Qin Nuo approached and asked politely.
The rotten restaurant uniform, though filthy and foul-smelling, was a lifeline. Wearing it marked you as a restaurant employee, and generally, ghosts wouldn't harm you.
The Bandage Ghost didn't speak, pushing the menu over with its selected dishes.
"Steamed Poison Human Brain."
"Alright, please wait a moment." Qin Nuo took the menu, nodded slightly, and left.
At the neighboring table, Liu Jiaqi was wide-eyed in shock at Qin Nuo's service attitude.
Her guest was a ghost with a chest split open, protruding ribs resembling the Mouth of the Abyss, and even its internal organs visible, making her face pale with fear.
Following the instructions, Qin Nuo reached the kitchen.
It was more of a slaughterhouse than a kitchen.
Bloody corpses were thrown onto chopping boards, the sound of chopping meat making one's scalp tingle.
Approaching a chef, Qin Nuo handed over the menu: "Table 4 guest, one order of Steamed Poison Human Brain."
The chef was a ghost with features twisted like a pretzel. It stared at the menu, then at Qin Nuo, and spoke in a sinister voice: "We're out of human brains, use yours!!"
Qin Nuo remained calm.
Seeing Qin Nuo unfazed, the chef was somewhat surprised, snatching the menu with a malicious look.
Qin Nuo appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was racing.
Some ghosts with employee status in the restaurant harbored hostility towards human temps, but due to the restaurant's rules, they couldn't harm humans, only intimidate them for some thrill.
This reaction left the Chef Ghost dissatisfied.
Qin Nuo remembered one thing: as long as he did his job honestly, there wouldn't be any danger.
The dish was soon ready.
"Done."
A black clay pot was placed on the counter, and Qin Nuo picked it up to leave, avoiding any trouble from the Chef Ghost.
But halfway there, Qin Nuo, to be safe, opened the clay pot, holding back his nausea to look.
"Ding, skill Eye of Analysis triggered."
"Eye of Analysis: Sadly, he didn't hold on until his girlfriend returned, being painfully cut open by a thug."
"Human skin is what he hates the most, reminding him of that painful memory."
"Why add a few pieces of human skin inside? To make it taste better, or for another reason?"
Seeing the Eye of Analysis prompt, Qin Nuo's face darkened.
That chef was indeed up to no good, adding human skin to the Steamed Poison Human Brain to frame him!
What to do?
If he delivered it, the Bandage Ghost would tear him apart upon seeing the human skin!
If he didn't deliver it, he wasn't a match for the Chef Ghost!
After a moment of silence, Qin Nuo decisively covered the pot and returned.
"Is there something else in the dish?"
In the kitchen, Qin Nuo placed the clay pot back in its original spot.
The chef looked up, its face menacing and terrifying: "You lowly rat, dare to doubt my cooking, tired of living?
I may be lowly, but the guest saw the dish and was furious, saying this is your last chance. If you can't make a satisfactory dish, you'll be eaten!"
Seeing the chef's face already contorted, Qin Nuo continued: "That's the esteemed Bandage Lord, personally received by the manager. Can you afford to offend him?"
The chef was very surprised.
Why was it being blamed?
Shouldn't it eat this rat first?
But it didn't dare think too much. In the Horror Kingdom, on the surface, various rules and mechanisms were established, seemingly a civilized nation of law.
But in reality, in front of truly powerful ghosts, these rules were as fragile as paper.
A restaurant once made dishes that didn't suit the taste, and that ghost devoured all the ghosts in the restaurant.
If the Bandage Ghost wanted to eat it, the manager wouldn't stop it, as its dish had issues first.
"Wait."
The chef took back the clay pot and soon sent out another dish.
Qin Nuo held it in his hands, coldly scolding: "You scoundrel, next time, I'll put you on the table!!"
"What did you say?"
The chef's expression twisted almost upside down, wishing to swallow Qin Nuo whole and chew him up.
"That's also what the Bandage Lord said!" Qin Nuo left this sentence and walked away.
The chef trembled violently but didn't dare pounce. It wasn't sure if those were Qin Nuo's words or words entrusted by the Bandage Ghost.
"That was thrilling, I actually cursed a ghost." On the way back, Qin Nuo's heart was still pounding.
That last sentence was to vent some anger, but thinking back, it was too risky.
What if it couldn't hold back and pounced to eat him?
[Demon's Eye triggered: You successfully angered the Chef Ghost, earning 3 Red Dragon items!]
"So that's how the Demon's Eye works."
Qin Nuo's eyes lit up, not knowing what this Red Dragon was, but it sounded impressive.
"Extract Red Dragon item."
A warm, heavy object fell into his palm.
Looking down, Qin Nuo was so disgusted he almost threw it away.
Damn it!
It was actually a sanitary pad, and a bloody one at that, utterly disgusting!