The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 52: Taking Inventory of the Harvest

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Taking Inventory of the Harvest

"Tick-tock."

"Tick-tock."

Blood ceaselessly flowed from Liu Zheng’s wounds, dripping onto the cage beneath him.

A nest of white mice, with eyes blood-red, eagerly anticipated each drop, rushing to lick the blood as it fell.

And their actions were systematic, each mouse could lick only once before the next turn.

Only one mouse, speckled with a few tufts of grey fur, was an exception; it could lick twice.

Liu Zheng noted that its gaze was older than the others but also clearer.

He even counted its whiskers, totaling fifty-three.

The right side had two more than the left.

The reason he engaged in such a trivial task was, of course, because Liu Zheng was terribly bored.

At that moment, he was hung up on the wall by the Feather Chicken, with several drills piercing his limbs and chest.

The drills continued to rotate, preventing his blood from clotting.

"When will you put me down?"

After counting the grey hairs on the mouse again, Liu Zheng finally couldn’t bear it any longer.

Pain was secondary, the main problem was the sheer boredom.

And being posed in such a way, he also felt slightly embarrassed.

Having become a Tentacle Monster already, if someone mistook him for a PLAY enthusiast, then he would really be at a loss for words.

"Just hang in there, we’ll talk after I’ve finished helping in the kitchen."

While flipping dough for pies, Niu Ma responded.

It really had a knack for baking, whipping up pies so large they could serve as blankets.

"When will you be done helping in the kitchen?"

"About five or six hours,"

Niu Ma checked the wall clock.

"Ah, being a delivery man was so much better."

Liu Zheng lamented.

Free and easy, he could even chat and joke around with the French Plane Tree.

"You’re just realizing that now. If you had started in services or the kitchen, I would be eating meals made by you."

Niu Ma taunted.

"I think you’re PUA-ing me, and I have evidence."

"If you’re unhappy, switch your position. I’ll talk to the boss, she’ll definitely agree."

Niu Ma rolled its eyes.

"No need for that, once a delivery man, always a delivery man. No other place could ever suit my soul."

Liu Zheng said earnestly.

"Souls can be made into dishes too. Want to try?"

The Feather Chicken, carving a turnip, shot a sharp look at the two slackers.

"..."

Liu Zheng tilted his head, slipping into an infant-like sleep.

Niu Ma flipped the dough even harder, seemingly planning to make a carpet for the kitchen.

"Hmph, the delights of being in delivery."

After resuming its work on the turnip, the Feather Chicken continued, most likely sculpting the Eighteen Arhats.

When the clock struck ten in the evening, kitchen help finally ended.

By the time Liu Zheng was taken down, he had shrunk to half his original size.

"Serves you right."

Niu Ma showed not an ounce of sympathy.

He rolled his eyes, too tired to argue further.

"Are you leaving now, meow?"

San Huamao bounced over.

"Yeah. It was nice getting to know you."

Liu Zheng smiled and reached out to scratch under its chin.

He strongly suspected that San Huamao actually knew what he had done but chose not to report him for unknown reasons.

"It was nice meeting you too, meow."

San Huamao comfortably narrowed its eyes.

That man’s face reappeared, wary as he looked on, but he said nothing more.

"Napoleon, you’re leaving, huh?"

Niu Ma greeted.

The Feather Chicken dismissively waved its hand and headed toward the straw nest in the corner.

Back in the break room, Niu Ma reached out its hoof again.

"Hand it over."

"For what?"

Liu Zheng pretended to be clueless.

"It’s for protection money. Without me protecting you, the White Feather Chicken would have slaughtered you for sure," Niu Ma said, glaring at him.

"It has no proof, so why would it slaughter me?"

He argued reasonably.

"Proof? The restaurant only needs rules, not proof," Niu Ma scoffed.

"Hurry up, no money means a beating,"

"Niu skin-flayer,"

Liu Zheng muttered discontentedly but still pulled out his money.

"It’s Niu Ma,"

Niu Ma emphasized, happily returning to his nest and then fell into a deep sleep.

He had been making pastries all day and was really exhausted.

Liu Zheng also sat down on his stool, which felt quite comfortable after he turned smaller.

Niu Ma’s snoring was thunderous, keeping him awake. He simply started to sort through his collections.

Currently, he had eight items in total.

The first item, "Human Bone Cane."

It was the first item Liu Zheng obtained, simple and practical in effect.

A 10% speed boost might not seem much, but after all his attributes significantly increased, this boost became quite substantial.

It was just the icing on the cake when delivering fast food, but it could prove very useful if he needed to run away.

The second item, "Legendary Delivery Man’s Armor."

This was the first perfect-grade item Liu Zheng had obtained and his most powerful equipment.

Its effect was simplistically powerful; without the Legendary Armor, he wouldn’t be able to walk upright in this instance world.

The third item, "Legendary Delivery Man’s Delivery Box."

This was the second perfect-grade item Liu Zheng obtained and part of the Legendary Delivery Man set.

This area-scaled item would generate rewards that could surpass its own quality, as long as he delivered enough meals.

The fourth item, "Sick Leave Note (Disposable)."

This was a double-edged sword item, avoiding one risk while introducing another.

Whether to use it or not was something Liu Zheng still needed to think about.

The fifth item, "Jiahe New Residence Honorary Homeowner Medal."

Collection of five homeowner medals would allow him to move freely in most residential areas in the city, and customers wouldn’t refuse his deliveries anymore.

Once he owned both the Legendary Delivery Man set and the Honorary Homeowner Medal set, delivering meals would be almost effortless.

He even felt a bit excited thinking about competing for the "Excellent Employee" title.

The sixth item, "Tendaros’s Teething Stick (Disposable)."

This tool was impressive; though not high in quality, its power was substantial.

It could take him and his enemies away together.

Of course, Liu Zheng definitely wouldn’t use it unless he was in a desperate situation.

Of course, pulling it out to scare someone occasionally was quite effective too.

The seventh item, "Icon of the Sphere Sect."

This was given to him by the high priest Garcia, and without a doubt, there was a catch inside.

But Liu Zheng didn’t plan to throw it away.

Who knows when it might come in handy?

After all, even a piece of toilet paper has its uses.

The eighth item, "Heart of the Ocean (Enhanced)."

After two enhancements, this item’s effect had become quite impressive.

Though it was only of excellent quality, its effect in certain environments was almost as good as the perfect quality Legendary Armor.

Moreover, because it could swap the souls it absorbed, it could also be considered a growth-type item.

What’s more, it could be taken out of the instance.

Among the items Liu Zheng currently owned, only the "Heart of the Ocean" and "Human Bone Cane" could be taken out of the instance.

All other items would just expire and become invalid.

It’s unknown if there would be any subsidies at the end of the instance’s calculation; otherwise, it would indeed be a loss.

After sorting through his items, Liu Zheng felt quite awesome.

He didn’t know about other players, but he had a hunch that the difficulty of his instance was definitely abnormal.

Since he entered this instance, every step was fraught with deadly traps.

Thanks to his thirty percent smarts, seventy percent ruthlessness, and ninety percent luck, Liu Zheng was still alive.

However, luck wouldn’t always favor him, even if he really was a joker.

To pass with an A or higher rating and satisfy the conditions of the "Hedging Agreement" to avoid being eliminated, surviving the minimum 72 hours was nowhere near enough.

He had to get the Legendary Delivery Man’s Hat, the first piece of the successful puzzle.

Liu Zheng’s gaze passed through the doors of the resting room, looking out into the perilous world outside.