The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 429 - 362 The True Nature of the Bloody Restaurant_2

Chapter 429: Chapter 362 The True Nature of the Bloody Restaurant_2

"It’s Secretary Li’s voice."

Old Four immediately said.

Since she could make a sound, it meant that the ordeal was over.

Liu Zheng looked at him with a weird expression, and then pushed open the office door.

The cashier had left, and there was no sign of Secretary Li.

Only a dark-brown mass lay on the ground, its surface covered with viscous liquid and a melted shell, looking like a licked piece of chocolate.

"Secretary Li, how come you’ve revealed your true form!"

Old Four exclaimed in shock.

"Huh? Secretary Li’s true form is a piece of chocolate?"

Liu Zheng was even more shocked.

Crickets turning into spirits still fell within his realm of understanding, but chocolate doing the same was a bit too much.

What’s the final stage, then? Returning to the ancestral form as a cocoa tree?

"What chocolate, it’s a sycee. Her family is all transformed from sycees, the main branch is named Yuan and they are all gold sycees; the other branches have their own surnames, with gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, you name it,"

Old Four explained.

"So what kind of sycee is Secretary Li?"

"Judging by looks, maybe a clay sycee?"

Old Four said, not very certain.

"Pfft~"

Liu Zheng, a professional, usually did not laugh unless he couldn’t help it.

"Damn Old Four, can’t you speak properly? I’m clearly a gold sycee."

Secretary Li’s voice, as faint as a mosquito’s, came from the "chocolate block."

"Oh, Secretary Li, you’re not dead?"

Old Four said joyfully.

"What? You hoping I died?"

"What are you talking about? What’s our relation, how could I bear to see you die?"

Old Four said with an aggrieved look.

"If you can’t speak properly, then don’t. By making such a scene, you’re making it seem like we’ve got something going on."

Secretary Li scolded.

"Hey, you’re too suspicious. Who even thought about it that way? Secretary Li, how did the cashier cash you in, how did you survive?"

Old Four asked eagerly.

He had seen Bloody Restaurant’s cashier first-hand, and it wasn’t something he dared to brag about even while drinking and bullshitting.

"How would I know? I just felt something lick me, and then I knew nothing. When I came to, I heard you two assholes bad-mouthing me."

Secretary Li said irritably.

"Can you turn back into your human form?"

Old Four asked.

"No, I seem to be missing something, can’t muster the strength. What could I be missing?"

Secretary Li pondered.

"Stop thinking about it, just being alive is victory. When the boss comes back, we’ll get a doctor to thoroughly examine you. Worst comes to worst, we’ll shape you back into a human form. A little smaller is fine, usable enough."

Old Four consoled.

"Old Four, you son of a bitch, don’t stand there talking..."

Secretary Li’s voice grew fainter and ultimately fell silent.

"Secretary Li, Secretary Li?"

Old Four called out a couple of times, and seeing no response, he bent down and picked up the "chocolate block."

"Sticky and smelly, is this all saliva on the surface?"

He sniffed it disdainfully and said.

"Possibly."

Liu Zheng nodded.

All landmarks seemed to be alive and had their own unique functions.

If Metropolis was also considered to be a living being, then the sewer would be its intestines, and Bloody Restaurant was probably its mouth.

"With this condition, even if it turned back into human form, it wouldn’t be presentable."

Old Four shook his head.

"Doctor Nile, who accompanies me, is a master of his art; he might have a way."

Liu Zheng said.

"That would be great. This should count as a work injury for Secretary Li; the bathhouse can cover all the medical expenses."

Old Four gave him a knowing look.

Liu Zheng indeed understood.

Since the medical expenses could be reimbursed, naturally, they could be a bit more bold with the medication and supplies, prioritizing the effects of treatment.

"Then I’ll call him over now. Is that okay with you, Manager Four?"

He asked.

"Okay, of course, with things like this, what’s not okay?"

Fourth Brother replied:

"The boss is already missing, what’s a little privacy compared to that?"

Besides, all the important stuff is in the safe, there’s nothing that can’t be looked at."

Since he said that, Liu Zheng made a call and asked Dr. Nile to come over.

"Who licked this chocolate, what a waste, at least have it with some black tea."

Dr. Nile complained as soon as he entered.

"If Secretary Li hears you say that, she’d definitely go all out against you."

Liu Zheng said with empty eyes.

Unexpectedly, Dr. Nile seemed serious but was actually a real troublemaker.

Thinking about it, anyone who mixes with a guy like Niu Ma couldn’t be too upstanding.

"If she could hear me, she’d be too busy thanking me."

Dr. Nile retorted.

"So, what exactly happened to her?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"She was eaten."

Dr. Nile replied.

"That’s obvious, I’m asking what was eaten."

"Part of her ’meat’ was missing, there was a chunk missing from her ’flesh,’ the flavor of her soul was also fainter, and the fluctuations of her vitality weakened... In short, she lost a little of everything."

Dr. Nile said.

"How much is ’a little’?"

Liu Zheng asked again.

"How would I know that, but if I have to say, it’s about one-tenth."

Dr. Nile guessed after some thought.

"One-tenth and she ended up like this?"

"Do you think everyone’s like you, capable of regenerating ’flesh’ as you do? Moreover, the overall loss of one-tenth causes more damage than just one-tenth. It’s already pretty good that she’s still alive."

Dr. Nile said irritably,

He genuinely envied Liu Zheng’s "Blood and Flesh Rebirth."

If he had that ability, he’d dare to book a private room at the Bloody Restaurant and specifically request that traitor to serve him.

"One-tenth..."

Liu Zheng silently pondered the number, feeling like he had heard it before.

"Right, the tithe!"

He suddenly had a realization.

In reality, the Church uses the "Gospel" to claim "one-tenth of the agricultural produce belongs to God" and levies a tithe on the people, often exceeding the standard of one-tenth including major tithes (grain), minor tithes (fruits and vegetables), and blood tithes (livestock).

If the Bloody Restaurant is considered part of the Metropolis, then could the so-called ordering fees also be a form of tithe levied by the Metropolis, in addition to the taxes of City Hall?

However, judging by the frequency of external takeaway orders, even for the Bloody Restaurant, the collected tithes are a mere drop in the bucket, let alone for the entire Metropolis.

Then, what’s the point of this taxing method of forced takeaway orders?

Liu Zheng expressed his confusion.

Or perhaps, the amount of tithe is not important, but the act of collecting it is, similar to the various rules that are rife in the Metropolis—could it be part of a ritual, and moreover, the most important part?

He looked at Secretary Li, now a block of chocolate, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

Dr. Nile asked.

"I’m wondering what the purpose of the Bloody Restaurant’s existence is, and what’s the significance of the forced delivery."

Liu Zheng candidly said.

After all, Niu Ma didn’t specifically tell him not to discuss it in the precautions he provided.

"Forget it, you’re courting death."

Dr. Nile said bluntly.

"In the Metropolis, both knowledge and secrets are treasures, but they are also calamities. The more you know, the more danger you’re in. It’s not just that others want to get it from you; they themselves are sources of danger."

"Especially for something like the Bloody Restaurant, once you understand its essence, you’re very likely to become a part of it."

"As a Priest of a God, my advice to you is, you can believe in Them, but don’t try to understand Them."

He continued.

"Understood."

Liu Zheng sincerely said.

What Dr. Nile had said was deeply revealing.

Beings that exist on a rule level are in themselves huge sources of pollution.

Whether it’s the righteous gods that Dr. Nile believes in, the Evil God that has given blessings to Liu Zheng, or the higher beings of Yate City, they are no different in that respect.

Sometimes, it’s not that They want to hurt others; Their mere existence is inherently harmful.

Or perhaps, in Their eyes, whether it’s the physical mutations or mental transmutations, none are considered harm.

And the entity or creator of Hell’s Game is probably a similar being, just on a higher level.

As he was contemplating, Liu Zheng’s phone rang.