Chapter 32: The Contents

Zhou You glanced at the bodhisattva out of the corner of his eye.

Its face was ferocious, as though eager to devour people. Beneath its lotus throne lay countless wronged souls, while forests of bones surrounded its body.

There was no difference from before.

So he continued reading.

However, after that sentence, the diary suddenly changed direction.

Rather than continuing to discuss the bodhisattva, it began talking about Liu Shang himself and his family.

September 12.

“My wife’s illness is getting worse and worse. Honestly, I don’t care whether she lives or dies, but that bitch actually signed away all her company shares in a charitable donation agreement and wants to build some orphanage. What a joke. After you die, that money will be mine. What right do you have to spend my money on charity?”

September 15.

“I had a huge argument with her. I thought that after all these years together, she’d at least show some understanding. Who would’ve thought she’d bring up my marrying into her family again? Yes, my first fortune came from her family. My business was supported by them. When my venture failed, it was only thanks to part of her family’s inheritance that I recovered. But what does any of that have to do with me becoming the richest man in the city later?”

September 16.

“I took out the poison I used to kill her father back then. But after thinking it over, I put it back. Things are different now. If I poison someone, it’ll be easy to trace.”

September 30.

“Some people from one of my companies came demanding unpaid wages again. I’ve been in a terrible mood lately. I had security break a few of their legs and throw them all out.”

October 3.

“Damn it, how did that reporter catch me? And he even managed to get the story aired. That bastard wouldn’t take bribes and wouldn’t accept favors either. Fucking...”

October 10.

“Damn damn damn damn damn! When someone’s luck turns bad, even drinking cold water gets food stuck between their teeth. The public opinion crisis still hasn’t been dealt with, and now the company’s stock price has suddenly crashed. That bitch is clearly dying soon, yet she still wants to hold some kind of board meeting. Maybe I should...”

October 15.

“That person came. He called himself an agent and brought up the bodhisattva again. That thing really can grant wishes? What? It requires sacrifices? That’s wonderful. I happen to have the perfect sacrifice!”

October 20.

“My wish really came true!!! My wife was declared missing by the police. That reporter accidentally fell into a river and drowned. Aside from the orphanage project that had already begun site selection and couldn’t be canceled, everything else belongs to me now. It’s all mine! All mine!”

The brown handwriting stopped for a while at that point.

It seemed that after achieving this wish, Liu Shang had been completely satisfied.

What followed was a great deal of self-praise and rambling nonsense, along with records of bribing television stations and government officials.

Scattered among them were occasional accounts of exploiting employees.

Most of the remaining pages were meaningless garbage.

Zhou You skimmed over them and quickly turned to the pages written in blood.

March 1.

“The orphanage has been completed. Through my intervention, the cheapest location was selected, the worst construction materials were used, and every possible expense was cut. The food budget was reduced to the absolute minimum. They’re just a bunch of unwanted brats anyway. Potatoes are good enough for them. Why waste money on them?”

April 12.

“The doctor actually diagnosed me with the same illness as my wife!! Fuck, how is that possible!!!!!!”

May 7.

“In less than a month it’s already deteriorated this badly. It’s progressing even faster than that bitch’s illness. It must be her lingering ghost seeking revenge on me. No. I can’t die like this. Right, I still have the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva can save me!”

May 16.

“...I never expected that orphanage to have another use. I secretly took several brats out and sacrificed them to the bodhisattva. Over the following days, my condition improved dramatically. It wasn’t cured completely, but at least it stabilized. After that, all I had to do was bring another brat every so often.”

February 24.

“No. This can’t continue. So many children have disappeared that the higher authorities have become suspicious. Even the director refuses to take my money anymore. He says that if this keeps up, he’ll be finished too. What a joke. You’re just a dog I raised. And now the dog wants to rebel against its master??”

March 1.

“I had that orphanage burned down. The staff, the director, the evidence, and the remaining brats. I wiped them all out with a single fire. No one can investigate anymore. But where am I supposed to find sacrifices now? If there are no sacrifices, the bodhisattva will start eating me next.”

March 26.

“The bodhisattva is indeed merciful! He actually granted me a temporary reprieve and gave me another method. As long as I fulfill the conditions, I can realize any wish I want. And what is my wish? Obviously immortality!”

April 11.

“All preparations are complete. I deliberately poisoned that vendor to death, dug up the bones of the children I burned years ago and buried them at the alley entrance. Then I killed my daughter, my son, and my most loyal subordinate. I used their corpses to suppress the three temples. After that, I hired Ghost Granny to trap the only monk capable of stopping me. Finally, I had my security company hire one ignorant fool as a sacrifice every day. Everything is finished now. All that’s left is to wait for the bodhisattva’s blessing.”

April 16.

“Tomorrow the bodhisattva will grant me immortality. I am about to ascend to Buddhahood. Today is the last day of my life as a human. Tomorrow I will transcend mortality and attain sainthood, becoming an existence completely different from you ordinary mortals!”

April 17.

“No, no, this isn’t the immortality I imagined! Bodhisattva, you deceived me! He deceived me too! All of you deceived me!!!! Wait, why am I still writing in this diary? Why can’t I escape? No, no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no! I don’t want to become this! Please, please, someone kill me! Someone kill me! Kill me me me me!!!!!!”

With that final passage, written entirely in vivid scarlet blood, the diary came to an end.

At the same time, a System notification appeared.

“Your night patrol has been completed.”

“Congratulations, player. You have uncovered the main storyline clues of this scenario.”

“Scenario completion has increased.”

“You have obtained an additional green talent: All Five Viscera Connected.”

“Effect: Reduces the negative effects caused by missing internal organs.”

“You killed Ghost Granny, discovered a Sanhua Temple, completed the patrol mission before Day Four, achieved the objectives of the Vendor Boss and Playing Games quests without engaging in any direct combat, and finally extracted the diary clue from the undying Liu Shang.”

“The scenario’s hidden character, Monk Huipu, and the final storyline have now been unlocked.”

“Please view them during daytime.”

“After previewing the storyline, the player may directly complete this scenario without needing to endure the full five days.”