The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 145: Niu Ma Must Be Beaten

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Niu Ma Must Be Beaten

Grave No. 10086 wasn’t too far from Grave No. 18703.

It took the tomb-sweeping team about ten minutes to reach their destination.

A tomb chamber built with concrete and painted white on the outside.

But instead of the common cross seen atop Western tombs, there was a metal airplane model.

In front of the tomb chamber stood a black tombstone.

Liu Zheng looked at the tombstone from a distance and slowed his pace.

"What’s up?"

Vampire Sister asked curiously.

"I’m considering which pose would look coolest for when I have to make a run for it."

He replied offhandedly.

"It’s just tomb-sweeping, what are you scared of? We’re here to protect you,"

Vampire Sister claimed, puffing up her unremarkable chest.

"Just you guys?"

Liu Zheng cast a glance at her head that barely reached his waist, then at the anemic-looking Nightingale and Sea Girl.

Forget about facing Mr. Red Pig, who could scare Niu Ma from even showing up to sweep graves; San Huamao could probably wipe them all out.

"Give it up, if you guys don’t use me as a human shield when the fight breaks out, that’ll be the day you’ve learned a bit of humanity."

He rolled his eyes and walked towards Grave No. 10086.

Arriving at the tombstone, the offerings had indeed been neatly laid out.

The packaging seemed normal, without any particular graveyard flair.

Liu Zheng picked up the bottle of red wine and gave it a gentle shake, revealing an ancient bronze nail inscribed with talismans faintly visible in the liquid.

Okay, so it was kind of special.

He looked at the tombstone where a huge pig’s head filled most of the photo.

Compared to Oynk, Mr. Red Pig seemed much more amiable, exuding a festive New Year vibe.

Wearing sunglasses, a round top hat, a red tie, a neat suit, and two upward-curly mustaches by the mouth.

If Oynk looked like trouble personified, then Mr. Red Pig seemed like a gentleman with a story.

He shifted his gaze to the information about the tomb’s occupant.

"Name: Mr. Red Pig"

"Cause of Death: Execution by shooting"

"Crime: Illegal piloting of an aircraft across the border"

Several more lines of text were below, but they were covered by black paint and unseen.

Liu Zheng clicked his tongue as he read the tombstone.

The guy was a tough cookie, crossing borders with a plane. And here he was, freshly aware of the border situation from Niu Ma, looking at someone bold enough to actually do it.

Though executed, buried in a public cemetery meant City Hall was somewhat humane.

He unwrapped the cake and pizza, popped the cork on the red wine, and placed everything at the base of the tombstone, right in front of the photo.

"Mr. Red Pig, my name is Liu Zheng from the Bloody Restaurant, and these are my friends. We’re here on behalf of Niu Ma to sweep your grave."

"Not sure what you’d like, so we went with a Class B meal. A bit simple, but hope you don’t mind."

"Wishing your spirit be as vast as the Eastern Sea, your soul as stable as Mount Nan, may you rest in peace beneath the Nine Springs."

After Liu Zheng finished the auspicious phrases, he hesitated with the bottle of red wine.

In reality, the wine would either be poured on the ground or on the tombstone.

But since Mr. Red Pig’s spirit was still around, that somehow seemed inappropriate.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to just leave it be.

"Let’s go,"

Liu Zheng said, turning to Nightingale and the others.

But as he turned around, he saw the trio looking as if they had just seen a ghost.

He stiffly looked back and, sure enough, a pig-headed man in a suit was half out of the tomb chamber, watching him with arms crossed.

"You said you’re here on behalf of Niu Ma?"

Mr. Red Pig asked calmly.

"Right?"

Liu Zheng desperately wished he could slap himself twice.

The odds were the mention of Niu Ma’s name had lured this one out.

"Is that so or not?"

"Exactly, I’m Niu Ma’s underling. It sent me to sweep your grave."

He blurted out.

"Why didn’t it come itself?"

Mr. Red Pig inquired.

"It fears you’ll beat it up."

Liu Zheng bluntly replied.

"Do you know why I’d beat it up?"

Mr. Red Pig asked with a sneer.

"I don’t know, and I don’t want to know,"

He shook his head.

The more secrets he knew, the less he could tell which one might be the last straw to break the camel’s back.

"But I’ll still tell you, less you feel too wronged if I end up beating you to death,"

Mr. Red Pig shook his head.

"Then, go ahead. Would you like a drink first?"

Liu Zheng lifted the cup of wine.

"You suddenly seem unafraid."

Mr. Red Pig said with interest.

It could smell the scent of fear on living beings, but the scent on this human had almost vanished.

"Fear comes from the unknown. You’ve already decided to make trouble for me, so what’s there to fear? Worst case, I’m in for a fight to the death,"

Liu Zheng stated frankly.

"Interesting. Then let’s drink and talk. How about you, the three lovely ladies over there? Care to share a drink with me?"

Mr. Red Pig extended an invitation to Nightingale and her companions.

It seemed Niu Ma’s intel was correct; he was more benevolent towards females.

"Sure,"

Nightingale confidently took Sea Girl by the hand and approached the tomb chamber.

She could sense this ghost was very powerful but was confident in her ability to escape if needed.

Vampire Sister also hopped over to Liu Zheng’s side.

Although she wasn’t as powerful as a nightingale, the cemetery was her home turf; she certainly wouldn’t die.

Of course, protecting Liu Zheng was beyond her capabilities.

"Ladies, please wait a moment."

Mr. Red Pig withdrew back into the tomb chamber, and a moment later, reemerged with five tall wine glasses in his hand.

"Give me the wine."

He took the red wine from Liu Zheng’s hands and poured a third into each glass.

"Please enjoy. This wine has a unique flavor; don’t drink too much on the first sip, especially the young lady from the Blood Clan."

Mr. Red Pig distributed the wine glasses to everyone.

His tone was so gentle, and his movements so delicate, that no one would have seen any sign of his temper.

Following his advice, Liu Zheng sipped lightly; the sweet wine slid into his mouth, wetting his tongue.

Then, a thick, metallic taste overwhelmed his taste buds.

He felt as though his brain was suffocated by this metallic taste, almost unable to think.

Liu Zheng violently shook his head and took a while to break free from that terrible sensation.

He looked at the others and saw they wore similar expressions.

Vampire Sister simply cosplayed a statue on the spot; it looked like it would be a while before she’d snap out of it.

Well, it wasn’t like they were relying on her to fight, so it wasn’t a big issue.

"The story has to start from one evening three years ago."

Mr. Red Pig put down his glass and said.

"Ah, here it begins."

Liu Zheng sighed inwardly but had to pretend he was eager to listen.

"That day, the small plane I was piloting crashed in a forest."

"I miraculously survived and walked along a path, seeking help, only to wander into a tunnel."

"Huh?"

It felt like he had heard this prelude somewhere before.

Mr. Red Pig ignored Liu Zheng’s shock and continued.

"After passing through the tunnel, I arrived in a strange world. It was a bustling street full of bathhouses."

"I was enthusiastically pulled in by the staff there. They offered me countless delicacies, even surpassing Bloody Restaurant, and all for free."

This damn story sounds even more familiar; don’t think just because you have the same director you can mix up the plotlines.

"Let me guess, after eating that food, you turned into a pig?"

Liu Zheng said, his gaze empty.

"Correct, I was put into a pigsty and fattened for a few days, ready for slaughter."

"But the girl guarding the pigsty couldn’t bear it and stole some medicine to lift my curse. Unfortunately, it was discovered halfway, and half was stolen, so I’m still stuck with this pig’s head."

"She wanted me to escape alone, but how could I do such a thing?"

"So, I took her and fled the fishing street, escaping back to where my plane was."

"Luckily, I managed to fix the plane and left the forest with her, returning to Metropolis."

Mr. Red Pig said.

So this bizarre city was called Metropolis, which seemed quite imposing indeed.

Liu Zheng thought to himself.

"After returning, I arranged for her to work in the logistics of my flight school."

"A month later, I confessed to her, and she accepted."

"Three months later, she proposed to me, and I accepted."

Wait a minute, can you hold on?

Never mind, it’s okay, carry on.

"Half a year later, we were planning to have a child. I worked even harder to create better conditions for our child."

"But then, misfortune struck."

Mr. Red Pig’s tone shifted from warm to heavy.

"She suddenly fell ill, and her condition rapidly worsened, so much so that within a month, she could barely stand."

"I tried many methods and asked many people for help, but no one could cure her."

"Lastly, through a connection, I found out that her race had migrated from abroad and after they did, they developed this hereditary disease."

"I thought if I could take her back to her homeland, she might recover without medication."

"So, on a blood moon night, I flew her over the border in my beloved plane."

"But the moment I crossed the border, the boundary defense’s anti-aircraft guns shot us down."

"Do you know why?"

Mr. Red Pig stared at Liu Zheng and asked.

"It wasn’t Niu Ma who betrayed you, was it?"

He asked, somewhat apprehensively.

While Niu Ma was not exactly evil, he certainly wasn’t all that good either.

If the price was right, it wasn’t impossible for him to forsake his loyalty.

"No, that’s not it."

Mr. Red Pig shook his head.

"Whew, that’s a relief."

If Niu Ma had truly done such a thing, his credibility would have taken a hit.

"But what it did is even more unforgivable than betrayal."

Mr. Red Pig’s expression darkened, and a cold wind began to howl around them.

"What did it do?"

"Before we departed, I gave most of my wealth to Niu Ma and told him if we were caught, he had to preserve my wife’s spirit and have her buried in the cemetery."

"But when I woke from the chaos, I saw my own tombstone!"

"Niu Ma! Why didn’t you keep your promise?!"

"Niu Ma! I trusted you so much, why didn’t you fulfill my last wish?!"

"Niu Ma! Qian Zao isn’t in the cemetery at all, where did you hide her?!"

Mr. Red Pig’s tone grew more and more agitated until it turned into a roar.

In his vision, everything blurred except for one figure standing before him.

And that figure was not Liu Zheng; it was Niu Ma.

"Niu Ma! Give Qian Zao back to me!"

Mr. Red Pig swung a furious and despairing punch towards the Niu Ma standing in front of him.