Chapter 1: Non-existent Restaurant |
"Xiao Shan, I'm leaving now. Keep an eye on the time and don't work too late..."
The girl across from him stood up from her workstation, waved to Guan Shan, and whispered softly.
Under the light, the girl's slightly chubby face looked serious. Her fair skin had a pinkish hue, and her dark eyes were bright and clear, reflecting Guan Shan's image.
This girl was Shen Dinghua, a photographer for the local newspaper called "Hangzhou Evening News."
Guan Shan, on the other hand, was a reporter for the same newspaper.
The two had grown up together, childhood friends.
Guan Shan didn't look up: "Got it. I'll leave once I finish editing this article."
Shen Dinghua pouted, moved closer to Guan Shan, and muttered, "You said the same thing last time, but when I called you at two in the morning, you were still working... Staying up late is bad for your health."
"Don't make it sound like the newspaper is exploiting me. I just couldn't sleep at home and decided to finish some leftover work."
"Don't be mean to me..."
The girl immediately squatted down, hugging her head with her hands, looking pitifully at Guan Shan. She raised her fingers like antennas and said, "Because your house is right across from mine! If I just pull open the curtains, I can see your bedroom light still on."
Guan Shan flicked the girl's forehead: "Smart as always."
"Ouch!"
The girl panicked, letting go of her hands and losing her balance, falling backward.
Guan Shan was startled and immediately reached out to catch her, only to have his hand grabbed instead. He looked up to see Shen Dinghua winking at him, not at all falling.
She stood up with a laugh and asked mischievously, "Xiao Shan, why do you fall for it every time?"
Guan Shan turned his head, annoyed: "How should I know!"
No matter how much the girl pouted, he remained silent.
"Alright... I'm really leaving now, Xiao Shan—remember not to come home too late. I'll be watching you."
"Got it, got it."
Despite saying that, Guan Shan left the newspaper office late at night.
Hangzhou's night was not silent, with lights and traffic forming another galaxy. The summer night's breeze carried a hint of coolness.
"Grumble~"
Guan Shan touched his empty stomach, realizing he had forgotten to eat dinner.
At this hour, the usual restaurants he frequented were closed... Should he go home and have instant noodles?
Just as he was thinking this, he saw a glowing advertisement lightbox.
[This restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat meat buffet, 30 yuan per person, generous portions]
Guan Shan looked up, seeing a large sign, wondering, "A meat restaurant? I haven't seen this before. Is it a new place?"
It was already past midnight, with few pedestrians around, but the restaurant was brightly lit, filled with lively noises.
The bright lightbox at the entrance attracted many moths and mosquitoes, which kept hitting the box. The ground was covered with their corpses, indistinguishable in the shadows.
Through the glass window, he could see diners engrossed in their food, each table piled with various dishes, some unrecognizable meat stews.
Guan Shan sniffed, catching a rich meat aroma mixed with spices and salt, incredibly tempting.
"So fragrant!"
The meat's scent was like a hook, drilling straight into his stomach, dragging out his appetite, making it irresistible.
Though the hygiene seemed questionable and the price suspiciously cheap, it smelled so good... he was so hungry...
"Swallow!"
Guan Shan swallowed his saliva, the meat's aroma filling his nose and mouth, making his stomach restless, with stomach acid and saliva simultaneously secreting.
The hunger took over his mind, leaving him with only one thought.
So fragrant... so hungry... I want to eat!
Want to eat, want to eat, want to eat...
When Guan Shan came to his senses, he had already pushed open the glass door and walked into the restaurant.
Inside, the lively noises he heard outside vanished.
Chewing, swallowing, and clinking dishes formed a noisy background, with no one talking. All the diners were focused on devouring the meat on their plates.
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A smiling waiter approached: "Hello, sir. How many?"
"One."
Guan Shan swallowed again, smelling the meat aroma, feeling ravenous, unable to pay attention to anything else.
After paying, he spotted an empty seat and immediately walked over.
Squeezing between two tables, he accidentally knocked over a plate.
"Plop!"
Guan Shan looked down and saw a piece of fatty intestine on the floor.
The white fat oozed from the intestine, seeming to have faint blood streaks under the warm light.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Guan Shan quickly apologized, but the middle-aged customer didn't look up, ignoring his dirty clothes, continuing to stuff meat into his mouth, making beast-like grunting noises.
Seeing this, Guan Shan scratched his head, not wanting to disturb others, and continued to his seat.
He sat down, swallowing again, waiting for the waiter to bring his food.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Shen Dinghua on QQ.
[Shanwai Qingshan]: "There's a new buffet near the newspaper office that seems pretty good. Let's try it next time?"
[Ruixiang]: "You're working this late again [○｀Д○]!"
[Shanwai Qingshan]: "It's not that late. It's not even midnight. This is just the beginning of nightlife."
[Ruixiang]: "Excuses! Hmph, I was waiting for you and made some goji berry red date soup. Come and have some! ヽ(`Д)ノ"
[Ruixiang]: "By the way, what buffet? There's no new restaurant near the office."
[Shanwai Qingshan]: "A buffet called Meat Restaurant, just turn left across from the office."
[Ruixiang]: "?"
[Ruixiang]: "Turning left across is that SX snack shop that's closed. I was there today taking photos. There's no buffet. Are you mistaken?"
She sent a photo, clearly showing today's date, with the location of the lightbox Guan Shan saw.
The lightbox had words like "fried noodles, fried rice..." and behind it was an SX snack shop.
Guan Shan's pupils shrank, feeling his scalp tingle.
If this place was always the SX snack shop, then where had he entered?!
"Bang."
A heavy tray was placed on the table with a thud.
Guan Shan looked up sharply, seeing the waiter smiling: "Sir, enjoy your meal."
"Th-thank you..."
Guan Shan forced a smile, reassuring himself it was just overthinking. The waiter seemed normal, then froze.
A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his ears, and lines of text appeared before him.
[Host conditions met, Horror Game Simulator starting... Start complete.]
[This simulator randomly triggers horror game content based on different scenarios for the host to experience. All effects are based on reality. Please ensure personal safety during gameplay. Enjoy your game.]
[Note: All items and scenes generated in this simulator are virtual. Do not take them seriously.]
[Scene scan complete, generating horror game...]
[Horror game generated: Meat Restaurant]
[Loading plot, please wait...]
[Status bar, inventory, and item bar unlocked]
Guan Shan's vision blurred, and a simple game interface appeared in his view.
The top left showed health and stamina bars, and the bottom left had four empty item slots.
At the same time, Guan Shan looked over the waiter's shoulder, seeing the kitchen.
Through the half-open door, a chef was slowly chopping meat with a knife.
The chef's figure was unusually tall, at least over two meters by Guan Shan's estimate. His bulky body crowded the small space like an elephant in a fridge.
The chef lifted his hand, hanging the chopped meat on a hook.
That wasn't meat... It was a hand.
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