Chapter 24: Transaction

By the time Zhou You walked out of the orphanage, the sun had already begun to descend toward the west.

Although he had no timekeeping device on hand, judging solely from the sun’s position, it was probably a little past two in the afternoon.

Based on his previous experience, this scenario would likely enter its nighttime state around five o’clock, forcibly dragging him back into the security room.

Yet despite the somewhat pressing time limit, Zhou You showed no sign of anxiety.

If anything, he seemed rather relaxed.

Before leaving the orphanage, he had managed to find a well-preserved, sturdy hemp rope.

If he failed to discover a clue for clearing the scenario and saw signs of night approaching, he would immediately find a suitable spot and hang himself.

Once the scenario reset, he would start again from noon.

Wouldn’t that instantly give him plenty of time?

Passing through the alley, he arrived once more at the crossroads.

Just as before, every road remained shrouded in bottomless fog.

It seemed that the moment someone stepped into it, they would completely lose their sense of direction.

By now, Zhou You had more or less figured it out.

The area that could be explored during the day was directly proportional to the area he explored at night.

The farther he traveled at night, the more places he could reach during the day.

Otherwise, dense fog would block the path and inform him that the route was inaccessible.

“That’s actually a good thing. At least it tells me the boundaries of the exploration area. I won’t have to wander around like a headless fly.”

Muttering to himself, Zhou You turned neatly around and headed elsewhere.

Unlike nighttime, where only a single main road was accessible, the daytime district contained many winding side streets.

Most of them eventually looped back to the starting point after a maze of twists and turns.

Only a few led to unusual buildings.

Unfortunately, nearly all of those buildings were locked and impossible to enter.

Zhou You had neither the time nor patience to test them one by one.

After some thought, he chose a much more efficient approach.

On the first day, he had already memorized the route map posted at the entrance.

What he needed to do now was simple.

He would eliminate all routes that were probably unrelated to the crossroads, places like rehabilitation centers and colorectal hospitals, and focus entirely on locations that might be connected to the mystery, or roads that had never been marked on the map at all.

That immediately shortened the search considerably.

Still, it was ultimately no different from a blind cat stumbling into a dead mouse.

Everything depended on luck.

After fumbling around for a full hour, Zhou You finally encountered an anomaly he had never seen before.

It was a pitch-black door.

Nothing was written above it.

There was no signboard like those found outside ordinary shops.

Only a line of small words on the plaque.

Granny Zhao’s Trading Hut.

Beneath it was an additional note.

“No Taoists or monks welcome. No penniless beggars welcome. Anyone matching the above descriptions who enters without permission shall bear the consequences.”

Incidentally, the words “bear the consequences” had been written in bright red dye.

The edges had even been designed to resemble dripping liquid.

At first glance, it looked as though the warning had been written in blood.

Zhou You examined himself.

“First of all, I’m not a religious practitioner, so that’s fine.”

Then he checked his pockets.

As expected, there was absolutely nothing inside.

Yet he displayed no embarrassment whatsoever.

“Although I currently don’t have any money on me, I previously possessed a substantial amount. It has merely been temporarily transferred into someone else’s hands. Broadly speaking, I’m still a wealthy man, so I don’t count as a penniless beggar.”

Having reached this flawless two-part conclusion, Zhou You confidently pushed open the black door.

The next instant, however, all of that confidence shattered.

Tears and snot streamed down his face as he staggered back out.

The reason was simple.

The smell inside was simply too powerful.

It felt as though a slab of pork had spent a week in a warm, damp environment, then three days fermenting in a cesspit, before being handed to some deranged chef for special preparation.

In short, the stench lay completely beyond the limits of human tolerance.

After recovering outside for several minutes, Zhou You finally regained his composure.

Soon afterward, however, he returned inside wearing the expression of a man marching toward his execution.

Perhaps because the place had been aired out a little.

Or perhaps because his sense of smell had become partially numb.

Either way, this time Zhou You was not immediately driven back out.

Pinching his nose, he surveyed the room.

The furnishings were surprisingly ordinary.

Rows of shelves filled the interior, lined with all sorts of old jars and containers.

At first glance, it looked like a completely normal second-hand shop.

An elderly woman, easily in her seventies or eighties, sat at the far end.

Her head drooped slightly as if she were napping.

Occasionally, heavy snores could be heard.

She appeared completely unaware that someone had entered.

Everything seemed normal.

Yet Zhou You did not lower his guard.

He had not forgotten that monsters still existed even during this comparatively “safe” daytime period.

One mistake could be fatal.

Even someone as seemingly harmless as the female cleaner could transform without warning.

Therefore, Zhou You merely approached cautiously and called out softly.

“Ma’am...”

No response.

“Ma’am.”

His voice rose slightly.

The woman still did not move.

“Ma’am!”

A little reaction this time.

But not much.

Finally, Zhou You took a deep breath and roared at the top of his lungs.

“MA’AM!!!!”

This time, he finally woke her up.

The old woman raised her head, revealing a face covered in wrinkles.

“Nee corpse snake?”

“...Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

The old woman did not answer.

Instead, she opened her shriveled mouth and attempted to make several sounds.

After failing, she shook her head and rummaged beneath the table.

At first, Zhou You assumed she was searching for a set of dentures.

After all, many elderly people struggled to speak clearly after losing their teeth.

To his surprise, however, what she pulled out was a jar.

A jar filled with formaldehyde.

And inside it floated a human head.

The old woman removed the lid.

Amid a burst of mournful wailing, she fished the head out of the pungent liquid.

The thing was still alive.

Then she forcibly tore off its mouth, removed her own, and attached the other mouth to herself.

After opening and closing it several times in satisfaction, she placed the jar back beneath the table.

“Oh dear, sorry about that. I’ve been using that mouth for more than ten years already. It seems to have started malfunctioning lately. Fortunately, I still have plenty of replacement parts.”

She paused.

“Anyway, you’re here to buy something, aren’t you?”

Or rather, it was no longer accurate to call her a she.

The creature spoke with enthusiastic warmth.

“So, what are you planning to offer in payment?”

“Money?”

“An item of equal value?”

“Your limbs?”

“Your organs?”

“Or perhaps... your life itself?”