Chapter 26: “My Corpse”

It seemed his guess had been correct. The method for getting through this intersection was hidden inside this shop.

Only, this requirement...

Well, the prices truly were not fatal things. If he only bought one item, a person could still survive after losing a section of intestine or a kidney. Even the liver, the most dangerous one, could barely maintain the body’s vital functions after losing one-third of it.

But honestly, Zhou You did not want to give any of his internal organs to anyone.

And judging from the appearance of this shop, there probably were not any operating rooms or similar facilities here. Who knew what method this old woman would use to extract those things?

Not to mention that, from her earlier words, the probability of this thing scamming him was far higher than the probability of conducting an honest transaction.

So...

Seeing the hesitation on Zhou You’s face, the shopkeeper revealed an exceptionally kind smile.

“What is it? Haven’t you found anything you like?”

The tone was friendly enough, but it still sent a chill through him.

It felt less like she was asking, “Have you made your selection yet?” and more like she was asking, “What product would you like to become?”

Zhou You had absolutely no desire to become one of those heads soaking in formaldehyde, so he quickly pushed the suspiciously human-skin catalog back and said with a smile,

“I did see a few things I liked, but right now... my pockets are a little empty. I can only choose one.”

As he spoke, Zhou You lightly tapped the catalog.

The shopkeeper finally showed a satisfied smile.

“You truly have excellent taste, customer. Then how do you intend to pay? Our shop treats everyone fairly. This item only requires your two legs, one eye, or...”

Before she could finish, the system answered on Zhou You’s behalf.

He opened his hand, revealing a handful of objects resting in his palm.

The soulstones, which had previously existed only as a number, had become dull, dark cubes in reality.

The shopkeeper’s smile froze for a moment, then suddenly grew even brighter.

“These are... high-quality yin-refining blocks? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Rare things these days. Ever since those old Daoists died off, there have been very few people capable of condensing yin energy into physical form like this... This product does accept that form of payment, so...”

The shopkeeper waved a hand.

A jar on one of the shelves floated before her. The lid opened by itself, and accompanied by a familiar foul stench, a pale hand trembled as it stretched out from inside, placing the merchandise onto the counter.

It was the Bloodstained Dagger.

From its appearance, it was merely a small black dagger. The design was ordinary and unremarkable.

But the moment Zhou You grasped the handle, a strange impulse suddenly arose within him.

To plunge the dagger into his own flesh.

To slowly carve out his own organs.

To let blood soak every corner of the blade...

Until...

What am I thinking?

Zhou You abruptly raised his head, only to see the shopkeeper’s face wearing that eerie smile.

“What is it? Are you satisfied with it?”

Zhou You stared into those malice-filled eyes for several seconds before suddenly smiling as well.

“Of course I’m satisfied. If possible, I’d even like to give you a five-star review. One star for the product, four stars for the service. But speaking of which...”

He tucked the dagger into his clothes and casually added,

“Does your shop stay open at night?”

“...Why do you ask?”

Looking at the shopkeeper’s wary expression, Zhou You’s smile remained perfectly natural.

“Nothing special. Mainly because I took a liking to a few other items. Unfortunately, like I said earlier, I’m a bit short on funds at the moment. I’ll probably have enough money by tonight, so I wanted to ask whether you’re open after dark.”

But upon hearing that, the shopkeeper, who had been handling everything with ease until now, suddenly hesitated.

“Open? Yes, I’ll be open. But I should warn you. If you come here at night, you’d better be careful. Things haven’t been peaceful lately after dark. My shop is hidden fairly well and can block their perception to a certain extent, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to provoke those existences. You can shop if you want, but don’t bring trouble to my doorstep. Understand?”

The words were full of threat.

The system prompt sounded in the next instant.

“Please note: The player has unlocked the nighttime route, Creepy Granny’s Shop. The player may reach this area without being restricted by nighttime limitations.”

Zhou You replied with complete sincerity.

“Don’t worry. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Absolutely.”

Now that he had obtained the clue for clearing the stage, Zhou You could not be bothered searching for a place to hang himself anymore. He simply waited for dusk to arrive.

When he opened his eyes again, he was still inside the security office.

But unlike during the daytime, the security office at night showed no signs of damage. Everything appeared exactly as it had before he left.

Zhou You walked around the room, then stopped before the battered television and knocked on the screen.

Perfectly sealed.

Completely intact.

“Things were such a mess during the day, so why has everything been restored at night? Even if someone cleaned up afterward, tables and chairs could be put back in place, but I clearly remember this television being completely smashed. How could it be perfectly intact? Even replacing the screen would leave some traces.”

“Which means...”

The corners of Zhou You’s mouth curled upward into an amused smile.

“Can I boldly assume that daytime and nighttime are actually two different spaces?”

He glanced down at the security uniform that had somehow been put back on him.

“Or, to be even bolder, perhaps even I am two different people.”

Naturally, nobody answered those questions.

Only after quite some time had passed did a knock suddenly sound at the door.

Looking up, Zhou You discovered that the security captain was curled up by the doorway.

It was quite an amusing sight.

The security captain stood well over 1.8 metres tall (~5 ft 11 in), with a fierce-looking face. Combined with his shiny bald head, he could intimidate countless street vendors just by standing there.

Yet now, this same man was huddled beside the doorway like a frightened quail, occasionally peeking into the security office with eyes full of terror.

The contrast was almost...

Well, not cute at all.

Zhou You took a step forward.

The security captain immediately shuddered.

“Hm?”

Zhou You’s next step landed a little more heavily.

The captain’s trembling became even more violent.

As though he had discovered an entertaining game, Zhou You deliberately made each step larger than the last. The security captain grew increasingly terrified, until he looked as though he were about to burst into tears.

Finally, Zhou You stopped directly in front of him and smiled.

“Captain, what are you doing crouching out here? It’s pretty cold outside. Come on in and have a seat...”

To his surprise, a scream immediately rang out.

“Don’t touch me!”

The captain scrambled backward, trembling uncontrollably. His expression was on the verge of complete collapse.

“You shouldn’t be here. You absolutely shouldn’t be here. Impossible. Impossible. There’s no way you could still be alive. I saw your corpse with my own eyes...”

At that point, the security captain suddenly glanced into the room.

His face instantly changed color.

Without hesitation, he sprang to his feet and fled on all fours, as though escaping from something unimaginably terrifying.

Zhou You instinctively wanted to stop him, but a system notification immediately sounded.

“Please note: You cannot interfere with this entity’s actions today. If you forcibly intervene, this scenario will fail immediately.”

The description had changed once again, from “temporarily” to “today.”

And besides...

“Why is he so certain that I’m dead? And what exactly did he mean by seeing my corpse?”