1,Chapter 1: A Mysterious Arrival! The Hidden Class: An Tu Sheng! [Meme Battle Zone]
...
Jiangcheng, late at night.
The "Childhood Dream" doll restoration shop in the old town.
Su Ming held a sharp awl in his hand and skillfully repaired the eyeballs of a wooden doll.
suddenly.
A piercing electrical crackling sound exploded in Su Ming's mind.
[WARNING! Horror games are coming in droves!]
[Blue Star plane locked, all of humanity forced to load...]
The mysteries and strange tales that once lurked in the shadows will now dominate reality.
Want to live? Then pick up a weapon, or become food for a vengeful ghost!
Su Ming's hand paused for a moment, and the awl almost pierced his finger.
He frowned and looked around.
The air has changed.
The shop, which was originally just a bit old, was now filled with a strong smell of mold and the stench of corpses.
The streetlights outside the window flickered wildly as if they had been touched by a lightning bolt, and finally went out completely with a "snap," leaving only endless darkness.
"놊 is a terrible drama."
Su Ming calmly put down the puppet in his hand and stood up.
As a craftsman who deals with eerie dolls year-round, his mental fortitude far surpasses that of ordinary people.
Just then, a virtual panel emitting a faint red glow appeared on his retina.
Blood dripped from the edge of the panel, and the background was filled with the howling of countless twisted, wronged souls.
[Locked Player]: Su Ming.
[Depending on player traits and environment, initial gacha attributes are randomly selected...]
[Environment for judgment]: An old toy shop filled with resentment.
[Characteristics]: Calm, skillful, and extremely destructive.
[Draw complete!]
boom!
A stream of black energy appeared out of nowhere and rushed into Su Ming's body through his seven orifices.
Su Ming felt a sharp pain in his brain, as if countless voices were whispering in his ear, telling one cruel and absurd story after another.
A few seconds later, the pain disappeared, replaced by a feeling of complete control.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have awakened the only hidden class: Dark Fabler - Antusheng!]
[Profession Trait: You can consume Mystic Energy to modify and edit fables and fairy tales, and materialize the characters within them to fight for you!]
[Note: You are the writer of darkness, and the source of fear.]
Su Ming narrowed his eyes, looking at the information on the panel, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"The only hidden profession? An Tu Sheng?"
"That's interesting."
Is this the Summoner?
Moreover, he's a powerful summoner who can customize summoned creatures.
In this bizarre world, no matter how much you fight, you're still afraid of being ganged up on.
The optimal solution for survival is for 땣 to summon a group of perverted henchmen to gang up on the vengeful ghost, while 놇 stands behind and watches the show.
Without the slightest hesitation, Su Ming immediately asked, "System, how do I begin the creation process?"
The system immediately popped up a notification:
You can now open the job panel and select Modified Creation.
[New Player Bonus: First modification is free, requires no Mysterious Beans, and is guaranteed to succeed!]
Should we start immediately?
Su Ming immediately opened the panel.
Name: Su Ming.
[Level]: Mortal.
[Occupation]: Dark Fabler Antoinette (Unique).
[Strange Quantity]: 0/100.
[No fables included]
He clicked the "Modified Creation" button, which still showed signs of bleeding.
In an instant, the surrounding space seemed to freeze.
A piece of jet-black human skin paper and a pale bone pen floated in mid-air in front of him.
Su Ming gripped the bone pen; its touch was icy cold.
Since it's a dark allegory, let's make sure it contains things that are true, good, and beautiful.
It has to be ruthless, wicked, and perverted!
His gaze fell on the puppet on the workbench, which had just been partially repaired.
A long nose, stiff limbs.
That's Quinocco from "The Adventures of Pinocchio".
"Let's start with you."
Su Ming narrowed his eyes and quickly wrote on the parchment paper.
[Original setting: Gonnocho is a puppet who loves to lie; his nose grows longer whenever he lies.]
Su Ming crossed it out directly, his pen strokes sharp as knives:
[Modified Settings:]
[1. Ginnoc despises human hypocrisy; he yearns for real flesh and blood.]
2. Any creature that lies to him will have a bone forcibly removed and stuffed into Kimocho's body.
3. His nose wasn't made of wood, but rather a "spear of lies" that could extend infinitely—his weapon of execution!
4. He is the executioner of lies, the tyrant among puppets!
As Su Ming finished his last stroke, the human skin paper suddenly burst into flames, and a ball of eerie green flame directly entered the body of the dilapidated wooden puppet on the workbench.
"Snap... Snap..."
A chilling sound of bones grinding together rang out.
The puppet, which was originally only the size of a palm, began to swell and twist wildly.
The paint-colored eyes, which had been somewhat dull, were now bloodshot, and the corners of the eyes even cracked, flowing out black, oily tears.
In just a few seconds.
A terrifying monster, two meters tall and made entirely of famous black wood and bloodstained bones, stood before Su Ming.
His nose was as sharp as a bloodstained steel needle, half a meter long, and gleamed with a cold light.
[Ding! Modified to 녌!]
[Summoned Item]: Liar Executioner - Kimocho!
[Rank]: D-rank Fiend (Starts as an elite monster!)
Loyalty: 100% (You are the god who gave him new life)
Ginoca stiffly turned his neck to look at Su Ming, then slowly knelt on one knee, making a sound like two pieces of rotten wood rubbing together.
"Honey… I smell… the stench of lies…"
Su Ming nodded in satisfaction.
A Class D Fiend!
Based on the common knowledge just transmitted by the system, monsters in horror games are classified into levels F, E, D, C, B, A, S...
New players are probably only at the F-rank level, which is terrible.
This is my starting point.
They brought along a Class D vicious dog!
At that moment.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The shop's tightly closed roller shutter door was suddenly slammed loudly from the outside.
The force was immense, each blow shaking dust off the door frame.
Immediately afterwards, a high-pitched, effeminate voice, like that of a eunuch, came from outside the door:
Is anyone there?
I want to buy a toy for my child.
"Nobody's talking? Well, I'll just come in and get it myself, hehehe..."
Accompanied by a strange laugh, the roller shutter door, as if made of paper, was torn open by a pale and swollen hand!
A strong, fishy smell wafted over.
That's the smell of a corpse soaking in water for seven days and seven nights!
The initial test is here!
Every player who enters the game will encounter this "door-opening kill" on their first night.
Su Ming stood still, even casually patting Kuno Cao's hard wooden shoulder.
"Go."
"This is your first dinner."
Gonnocho slowly stood up, and the drawn grin on his face now looked incredibly ferocious.
"Yes, sir... my dear."
"Everyone lies to me!"
Chapter 2 The Price of Lies! First Blood and Global Panic! The Moment the Roller Shutter Was Torn Apart.
A cold, damp mist suddenly rushed into the toy shop.
Accompanied by the sound of wet footsteps, a bulky figure squeezed in.
This is a man whose whole body is swollen, his skin is white and wrinkled from being soaked in water, like a layer of plaster about to peel off a wall.
His abdomen was swollen high, and something seemed to be wriggling inside, making gurgling sounds from time to time.
What's most disgusting is his face; his features are all swollen together.
Its eyes bulged out, with a few wet water plants hanging from them, and foul-smelling black water dripped continuously from its mouth.
"Water ghost."
Su Ming's eyes were calm, and he even took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, his brows furrowing slightly: "It stinks, you've dirtied my board."
The water ghost seemed surprised that this human was not afraid at all, and even dared to despise him.
His bulging, dead-fish eyes twitched, then he let out a sharp, eerie laugh:
"Hehehe... It doesn't matter if the board is dirty, just wash it clean with your blood..."
"But before that, I need to buy my son a toy... I think this puppet in front of you is pretty good, give it to me!"
As the water ghost spoke, it stretched out its pale hand and greedily grabbed at Pinocchio, who was standing in front of Su Ming.
In his eyes, this somewhat eerie-looking puppet was nothing more than an inanimate object.
However.
Just as his finger was about to touch Pinocchio.
Pinocchio, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly raised his head.
Those scarlet electronic eyes were fixed on the water ghost, and its cracked wooden mouth opened and closed, emitting a chilling grating sound.
"You want to...buy me?"
The water ghost was startled by the sudden commotion and instinctively withdrew its hand, but quickly became enraged.
"You dare to pretend to be a ghost with a piece of broken wood? I'm not only going to buy you, I'm going to dismantle you and burn you for fuel!"
"You're lying!"
Pinocchio's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a sense of judgment.
"You have no money, and no son... You just want to eat my father."
"Lies...have a price to pay!"
Before he could finish speaking...
"Pfft!"
A muffled thud as a sharp blade pierced leather suddenly rang out!
Before the water ghost could even see what was happening, it felt a sharp pain in its chest.
He looked down and was horrified to discover that the puppet's nose, which was originally only half a meter long, had suddenly stretched to more than two meters, like a sharp spear that pierced straight through his chest!
Black ghost blood gushed wildly from the smooth wooden tip of his nose.
"He...he..."
The water ghost stared wide-eyed, wanting to scream, but no sound came out; it could only squeeze out bursting bubbles from its throat.
"Since you don't have any money..."
Pinocchio tilted his head, a grotesquely twisted smile appearing on his terrifying wooden face:
"Then use one of your bones... to pay off the debt!"
The next second.
Pinocchio suddenly pulled his nose back.
But he didn't stop. Instead, he stretched out his blood-stained, bone-pieced hand and plunged it into the water ghost's pierced chest!
"Tear—"
It's like tearing open a piece of rotten dough.
Amidst a series of cracking sounds, Pinocchio actually managed to pull a rib, still dripping black blood, out of the water ghost's body!
"ah!!!"
The water ghost finally let out a shrill scream.
His body, having lost the support of the demonic energy, quickly shrank, like a deflated balloon.
But Pinocchio gave him no chance to catch his breath.
He pressed the rib directly against his chest.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The rib belonging to the vengeful ghost actually merged directly into Pinocchio's body, becoming part of him.
As the ribs merged in, Pinocchio's aura became even more terrifying, and a strange, watery sheen appeared on the originally black wood.
"This tastes awful..."
Pinocchio disgustedly shook the black blood off his hands, then raised his sharp nose again and stabbed it fiercely into the dying water ghost!
This time, it was aimed at the head.
"puff!"
It's like puncturing a rotten watermelon.
The water ghost's head exploded instantly, turning into a pool of foul-smelling black water that completely dissipated into the air.
Sold out instantly!
This was an outright massacre!
This water monster, which initially drove ordinary players to despair, didn't even have a chance to fight back against the modified version of Pinocchio.
[Ding! Slayed the E-rank vengeful spirit "Drowning Ghost", gained 20 points of eerie energy!]
Your summoned creature, "Pinocchio the Liar," has devoured a vengeful ghost's rib, resulting in a slight attribute boost!
[Loot Obtained: Water Ghost's Shroud (Rank F Material)]
[Unlock Skill: Insight!]
The system notification sounded in Su Ming's ears.
Su Ming looked at the pool of black water on the surface and nodded slightly:
"Well done, but a little too violent. Next time, be careful not to splatter blood everywhere."
Pinocchio immediately withdrew his nose, obediently walked back to Su Ming's side, and lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong:
"I'm sorry... Father, I will improve."
Su Ming nodded, then looked at the virtual panel in front of him.
At this moment, the world channel icon in the lower right corner of the panel is flashing wildly.
On a whim, he opened the channel.
In an instant, countless messages filled with despair and fear flashed by.
[Help! Help! A woman with only half a head is crawling out of my bathroom and she's knocking on my door! The door is about to break down!]
[Can anyone tell me what this is? I just went downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes, and I was chased for three blocks by a bunch of shadowy monsters!]
[Aaaaaah! My boyfriend was eaten by his dog! And that dog grew a human face! It's looking at me!]
Are there any police? Are there any soldiers? Is this a terrorist attack? Why can't I get through to the police on my phone?!
I killed a tiny rat and got a broken knife, but my leg is broken. Someone please save me! I have money, I'll give you a million!
...
Tens of thousands of messages are refreshed every second.
All the portraits were of what they looked like before they died, and many of them had turned gray—a sign of death.
Just those few minutes when the horror game begins.
Tens of millions of people worldwide have probably already lost their lives.
This is a catastrophe for all of humanity.
The weak wail, the strong survive.
Su Ming looked at the SOS messages, a cold glint in his eyes.
He is not the Virgin Mary.
In these apocalyptic times where even survival is at stake, compassion is the cheapest thing.
"20 points of eerie energy..."
Su Ming glanced at his panel.
We are 80 energy points short of the 100 energy points needed for the next modified fairy tale.
In other words, at least four more water ghosts like the one we just saw need to be hunted down.
"Hiding in the store is certainly safe, but it's a slow death."
"The rules of horror games are obvious: if you don't move forward, you fall behind."
"To survive, or even to live better, one must take the initiative and plunder resources."
Su Ming looked out the window.
In his field of vision, countless wisps of gray-black energy drifted outside.
That was a grand feast for vengeful ghosts.
He casually picked up the shroud from the cloth.
[Water Ghost's Corpse Wrap (Rank F Material)]
[Introduction]: The shroud wrapped around the water ghost has a heavy yin energy and can be used to make low-level armor, or... a modified material?
"Modified materials?"
Su Ming's heart stirred.
Antosheng's profession not only allows him to drastically alter stories, but also seems to incorporate existing materials.
What would happen if we added this shroud to the next fairy tale character?
"interesting."
Su Ming put the shroud into the system's built-in storage space, then turned and walked deeper into the shop, picked up a sharp axe for carving, and tucked it into his waistband.
Even with Pinocchio by his side, he himself couldn't be without his own iron.
"Let's go, Pinocchio."
"Tonight's performance has only just begun."
"Yes, Father."
Pinocchio moved stiffly, his tall figure casting a distorted shadow in the darkness, closely following behind Su Ming.
Su Ming kicked open the torn roller shutter door and stepped into the endless night.
The streets were deathly silent.
The streetlights were all out, and only the moon in the sky, which had turned blood red at some point, cast an eerie red glow.
At the intersection not far away, a woman in a red dress was squatting on a stool with her back to Su Ming, seemingly gnawing on something, making a series of chilling chewing sounds.
Su Ming's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile even more sinister than that of a demon.
"Second prey found."Chapter 3 Bizarre Props: The Greedy Red Shoes! Using the moonlight overhead, Su Ming stopped and finally saw the woman's movements clearly.
She lay on a corpse that had just died.
He clung tightly to the corpse's leg with both hands, frantically gnawing at the shinbone as if he were gnawing on sugarcane.
"Hungry...so hungry..."
"I can't dance anymore... I don't have the strength to dance anymore..."
The woman chewed while mumbling incoherently.
But what attracted Su Ming's attention the most was not her cruel way of eating, but the bright red high heels on her feet that looked as if they were about to bleed.
The shoes were exquisitely crafted, yet also extremely eerie.
It didn't seem to fit properly; the upper of the shoe was digging tightly into the woman's flesh.
The heels were like two nails, deeply embedded in the bones of the heels.
Even while eating, the red dancing shoes continued to tremble, causing the woman's feet to rub and kick on the ground, as if an invisible force was compelling her to dance.
[Passive Insight Triggered!]
[Observation Target]: The Cursed Red Shoes (Host: Hungry Dancer)
[Hazard Level]: E+.
[Introduction]: Wearing these shoes, you'll be the most dazzling star on stage, but the price is... you'll never be able to stop dancing until your feet rot and you die from exhaustion. To maintain her strength, she must constantly eat high-calcium bones.
"The Red Shoes?"
Su Ming narrowed his eyes, and the image of the poor girl in the fairy tale who wore red dancing shoes because of her vanity and ended up begging the executioner to cut off her feet flashed into his mind.
In this thriller game.
The fairy tale has clearly become a darker reality.
Pinocchio.
Su Ming called out softly.
The tall puppet behind him immediately stepped forward.
The pair of scarlet electronic eyes left two afterimages in the darkness.
It was this subtle movement that startled the woman in the red dress who was eating.
She abruptly stopped chewing, her neck slowly turning eight degrees at an extremely stiff and strange angle.
That face... it can already be called a face.
Due to prolonged high-intensity exercise and extreme hunger.
Her cheeks were deeply sunken, her cheekbones were high, and her mouth was surrounded by dark red scabs and bits of flesh.
The moment I saw Su Ming and Pinocchio.
Her cloudy eyes lit up instantly, revealing an extreme greed.
"What...perfect...leg bones..."
Her gaze was fixed on Pinocchio's body, which was pieced together from various bones, especially his long, slender legs.
"Click! Click!"
The red dancing shoes pounded the ground frantically, making a crisp and rapid sound.
The next second.
This "hungry dancer" has moved!
She was incredibly fast.
Those red dancing shoes seemed to grant her an explosive power that defied the laws of physics.
In the blink of an eye, she had covered the two-meter distance.
Like a red phantom, it pounced on Pinocchio with a gust of bloody wind.
"Give me your leg...!!!"
The woman shrieked, and her withered, claw-like fingers reached straight for Pinocchio's knee joint.
"So fast."
Su Ming's pupils contracted slightly.
My body instinctively took two steps back to create a safe distance.
Is this an E+ level agile ghost?
In comparison, the previous clumsy water ghost was practically a sitting duck.
Faced with this sudden attack.
Pinocchio's reaction seemed slightly slow.
Although he is a D-rank ghost, as a "puppet," his agility is clearly his strength.
"Sizzle—"
The woman's fingernails scraped fiercely against Pinocchio's leg bone, sending sparks flying and leaving deep white marks on the hard black wood and bones.
The woman did not stop after the first blow.
Using the rebound force of her red dancing shoes, she completed a bizarre spin in the air, and her high heel, like a dagger, kicked hard at Pinocchio's head!
If that kick lands solidly, it can even puncture a hole in an iron plate.
"Pinocchio, restrain her!"
Su Ming calmly issued the command.
Just as the sharp heel was about to pierce Pinocchio's eye.
Pinocchio suddenly opened his mouth.
"Lies... need to be restrained!"
Click!
Pinocchio's chest suddenly opened, and several pale white bone spurs, like ribs, shot out like animal traps!
This is the prototype of his new ability, [Bone Cage], which he evolved after devouring the water ghost's rib!
"Pfft!"
The woman in the red dress in mid-air had no way to dodge and was directly pierced through the shoulders by two bone spikes, like a roasted chicken skewered on a stick, and was nailed to mid-air!
"Ah!!! Let me go! I want to dance! I want to dance!"
The woman let out a piercing scream and struggled frantically.
Her red dancing shoes vibrated violently because they couldn't touch the ground, causing her legs to kick wildly in the air, sending splinters flying from the wood on Pinocchio's chest.
"What a madman."
Su Ming shook his head as he watched this scene.
This female ghost was less controlled by desire and more possessed by those shoes.
"Pinocchio, end her suffering."
"Aim at those shoes and chop off her feet…"
Su Ming's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth.
Since the red dancing shoes are the core, then destroy the vessel.
Pinocchio tilted his head, and his signature long nose began to grow again, its tip gleaming coldly.
"Yes, sir... my dear."
This time, he did not hesitate at all.
Its long nose, like a spear, pierced the air with deadly accuracy, striking the woman's frantically kicking ankle!
"puff!"
"puff!"
Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously.
The woman's feet were severed at the heel!
The pair of red dancing shoes, still tumbling wildly, lay on the ground with two broken feet, yet they continued to bounce tirelessly, as if they were freer now that they were no longer part of the body.
The woman in the red dress, who had lost both her feet, seemed to have had her soul ripped out, and instantly stopped struggling.
She stared blankly at her empty legs, the frenzied greed in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a sense of relief and despondency.
"Finally...it's finally...stopped..."
She murmured to herself, then her body transformed into countless red specks of light, dissipating in the night wind.
All that remained were the pair of red dancing shoes on the ground, still twitching slightly.
[Ding! Slayed the E+ level vengeful ghost "Hungry Dancer", gained 30 points of eerie energy!]
[Current eerie energy: 50/100]
[Loot Obtained: Cursed Red Shoes (E-Rank Rare Item)]
Su Ming stepped forward and picked up the shoes that were still trembling slightly.
Upon closer inspection, the leather of these shoes is incredibly fine.
If you look closely, you can even see the fine blood vessels under the skin—this is clearly made of human skin.
The Cursed Red Shoes (E-Rank Rare)
[Effect]: The wearer gains +20 Agility and a 20% increase in movement speed.
[Side effect]: Once you put them on, you must perform a vigorous dance every 10 minutes, or your legs will be swallowed by the shoes.
[Comment]: Either dance or die, what an elegant instrument of torture.
"The side effects are a bit...."
Su Ming fiddled with the red dancing shoes in his hand, showing no intention of putting them on himself.
"However, it's not bad as material for modification."
"What if Cinderella wore these shoes... or the Little Mermaid?"
Several wicked thoughts flashed through Su Ming's mind in an instant.
The core of Antu's profession is "modification".
These bizarre items with strong side effects are a hot potato in other people's hands, but in his hands they are the best parts to enhance summoned creatures.
After putting away the red dancing shoes, Su Ming looked at his own panel again.
50 points of energy.
More than halfway done.
"After hunting two or three more vengeful ghosts, I can unlock the second modified character."
Su Ming took a deep breath; the pungent smell of blood in the air excited him.
Just as he was preparing to take Pinocchio to continue the hunt.
"Help...help me...!"
A faint cry for help.
Suddenly, it came from a dead-end alley next to it.
The sound was very soft and trembled violently; if you listened carefully, it could easily be drowned out by the sound of the wind.
Su Ming paused.
A living person?
On this street overrun by vengeful ghosts, how could there be any other survivors besides him who dared to run around outside?
He turned his head and looked at the dark alley.
Pinocchio also silently turned around, his electronic eyes flashing red, clearly having detected something.
"Dear… there's… the smell of lies in it."
Pinocchio said in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed excitement.
Su Ming raised an eyebrow.
"The taste of lies?"
"interesting."
In this world, sometimes the living are more terrifying than vengeful ghosts.
But for Su Ming, who possesses the "Executioner of Lies," this seems to be... a strange energy pack delivered right to his doorstep?
Su Ming straightened his slightly disheveled collar and gave a gentle smile.
"Let's go, Pinocchio."
"Let's go see who's calling for our help."Chapter 4: The Idea for the 1st Fairy Tale! The dead end was deep, with slippery moss growing on the walls on both sides, and the air was filled with a musty smell that was even stronger than outside.
Su Ming led Pinocchio inside at a leisurely pace.
At the end of the alley, behind a pile of discarded cardboard boxes, huddled a shivering figure.
She was a girl in a school uniform, who looked quite young, with tear stains all over her face, looking pitiful.
Her left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Seeing Su Ming approach, a glint of desperation flashed in the girl's eyes, as if she had grasped at a straw.
"Brother! Save me! Please save me!"
"I accidentally broke my leg and can't run anymore... There are monsters everywhere outside, I'm so scared..."
The girl cried with tears streaming down her face; her delicate appearance was enough to arouse any man's protective instincts.
In this terrifying apocalypse, when encountering someone like yourself, especially such a helpless and vulnerable person, a normal person's first reaction is usually to be wary. However, when faced with such a miserable situation, wariness often turns into sympathy.
Su Ming stopped and stood a few meters away from the girl, looking down at her.
A concerned smile graced her face.
"Don't be afraid, I'm a shop owner nearby. Are you badly injured?"
The girl nodded hurriedly, sobbing as she pulled up her trouser leg, revealing her bruised and swollen calf:
"It hurts so much... I feel like my bones are broken. Brother, can you help me up? My house is nearby. If you take me home, my dad will give you a lot of money!"
"money?"
Su Ming shook his head and sighed, "These days, money is just worthless paper."
"but..."
Then, she changed the subject and pointed to Pinocchio behind her: "I happen to have a doctor here who knows a bit about orthopedics. Let me take a look at you."
The girl paused for a moment, then looked at the tall shadow behind Su Ming.
Because of the dim lighting, she hadn't been able to see Pinocchio clearly before, only assuming he was a tall bodyguard.
At this moment, Pinocchio slowly walked forward, his scarlet electronic eyes particularly glaring in the darkness, and the strong smell of blood emanating from him was overwhelming.
The girl's expression changed slightly, and she instinctively shrank back: "This...this is a doctor?"
"certainly."
Su Ming said with a smile, "You're best at handling bones."
Pinocchio walked up to the girl, but instead of squatting down to check her injuries, he stood straight up, his long nose pointing directly at her face.
"Miss..."
Pinocchio spoke, his voice hoarse and mechanical: "You said... your bones are broken?"
The girl shuddered at the eerie voice, but still nodded with a forced smile, "Yes...yes, it's broken, it hurts so much..."
"You're lying!"
Pinocchio's electronic eyes flashed bright red instantly, and his voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a chilling aura:
"There's absolutely no bone in your leg!"
"Not just your legs, your whole body... is limp!"
"You're not human! You're just a shell!"
The moment the words left her lips, the girl, who had been crying, froze on the spot.
That kind of solidification is not an adjective, but a physical sense of "rigidity".
The tears on her face stopped flowing, and the pitiful curve of her lips became stiff, like a mask drawn on paper.
One second.
Hehehe...
A sharp, piercing laugh came from the "girl's" mouth.
Her face began to twist and shift, and her originally delicate features collapsed like a melting candle, revealing a bloody face with blue fangs and no skin!
"We've been discovered..."
"I originally intended for you to die in a life of luxury... Since that's the case, then I'll devour you alive!"
"Tear—"
The school uniform on the "girl" suddenly ripped apart, and her severed left leg stretched out like a snake, wrapping around Pinocchio's neck!
A notification popped up in front of Su Ming's eyes.
[Name]: Painted Skin Ghost (E+ level)
[Introduction]: A type of demon who enjoys peeling human skin and wearing it. They are masters at disguising themselves as the weak, exploiting human compassion to hunt. Remember, a beautiful exterior often conceals the ugliest desires.
"It really is a painted skin."
Su Ming stood to the side, not even lifting his eyelids.
From the very first second they entered the alley, Pinocchio told me that the smell of lies here was so strong it was nauseating.
"Pinocchio, I hate it when people lie to me the most."
"I understand... Father."
Faced with the soft flesh that was clinging to him, Pinocchio did not retreat but advanced.
"For liars... the only way is to pierce them!"
Clang!
Pinocchio's long nose once again transformed into a deadly spear, even faster than before!
Although the Painted Skin Demon is flexible, it cannot withstand such close-range thrusts.
"puff!"
The long wooden nose pierced straight through the painted skin ghost's shoulder, pinning her to the wall behind her!
"Ah!! My skin! You ruined my skin!"
The Painted Skin Ghost screamed hysterically; she seemed more concerned with the perfect human skin than with the pain.
She writhed wildly, her limp body twisting as she reached for Pinocchio's face.
But Pinocchio didn't give her a chance at all.
"A cage of bones!"
Click click click!
Pinocchio's ribs snapped shut again, closing violently like a Venus flytrap, trapping the painted-skin demon's upper body, the bone spurs digging deep into the flesh.
"You... what kind of monster are you!?"
The painted-skin demon stared in horror at the puppet before him.
As an E+ level vengeful ghost, she was practically untouchable in this area, so how could she be so easily suppressed by a puppet?
"I am... the terminator of lies."
A cruel smile appeared on Pinocchio's wooden face.
놛伸눕꺶꿛, grabbed the edge of the already torn human skin of the Painted Skin Ghost.
"You don't deserve this hypocritical facade."
"Sizzle—!!!"
A chilling tearing sound rang out.
Pinocchio actually tore the human skin off the Painted Skin Demon alive!
It's as easy as taking off clothes!
Having lost its human skin, the painted-skin ghost was completely transformed into a bloody, mangled monster, writhing and howling in agony on the ground.
"It's noisy."
Su Ming frowned.
Pinocchio understood immediately and thrust his long nose sharply at Dan.
Pfft!
The world is quiet.
[Ding! Slayed the E+ level vengeful ghost "Painted Skin Ghost", gaining 30 points of Weirdness Points!]
[Current amount of weirdness: 80/100]
[Loot Obtained]: Damaged Beauty Skin (E-grade material)
"80 points..."
As Su Ming watched the gradually filling saturation bar, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Only 20 points away.
If I kill just one more imp, I'll reach 100 points.
At that time, Ngb began writing his first "dark fairy tale".
She picked up the human skin from the ground. Although it had a hole in it, it felt as smooth as silk.
[Damaged Beauty Skin (E-grade Material)]
[Description]: The most treasured collectible of the Painted Skin Demon, possessing an extremely strong disguise. Although it's broken, it can still be used after some mending.
"Human skin...Red dancing shoes..."
In Su Ming's mind, the idea of the 6th summoned creature gradually became clearer.
At this moment, the ghostly aura on the street outside seemed to become even stronger.
From the darkness in the distance, the faint sound of orderly and heavy footsteps, along with the scraping of metal armor, could be heard.
That is... an even stronger presence is patrolling.
But Su Ming did not back down in the slightest.
"The last 20 points."
"Tonight, I will bring a new demon god down to earth."Chapter 5 Global Collapse! A Scene of All Beings and a Battlefield of Hell! Night deepens, and the blood moon hangs high.
The catastrophe of this "horror game" is not limited to just this corner of Jiangcheng.
At this very moment, in every corner of the planet Earth, whether in bustling international metropolises or remote rural towns, the same drama of despair is unfolding.
The once brightly lit financial center is now mostly shrouded in deathly darkness.
Only scattered fires and flashing police lights signaled the collapse of order.
...
Jinghai City, Yunding No. 1 Villa District.
This is the wealthy district of Gyeonggi-gum, home to the city's most powerful elites.
Pyeonggi-ri has the most stringent security system; not even a fly can get in.
But now, those high-tech infrared sensors, bulletproof glass, and private bodyguards seem so pale and powerless in the face of the bizarre.
"I am the chairman of the Wang Group! I have money! I have plenty of money!"
Inside a luxurious villa, a portly middle-aged man slumped on a chair, waving a thick stack of checks and gold bars, his expression manic as he roared at the air in front of him:
"One million? Ten thousand? Or one hundred million? As long as you kill me, I'll give you as much as you want!!"
A figure dressed in a tattered maid outfit floated in front of him.
The "maid" had no feet and held a silver plate in her hand. The plate contained not black tea, but a still-beating human heart.
That was the heart of the special forces bodyguard that Chairman Wang had hired at great expense.
"money?"
The maid tilted her head, a mocking smile appearing on her pale face:
"Sir, do you have any ghost money?"
"If not... then please, may you continue on your journey."
"놊!!!"
With a piercing scream, the image of the richest man in Jinghai City instantly turned into a grayed-out funeral portrait on the world channel.
...
The live stream of a well-known survivalist blogger.
This blogger, who teaches everyone how to survive in the countryside, is currently hiding in a seemingly sturdy basement, trembling in front of the camera.
"Family members... remember, if you encounter zombies, shoot them in the head; if you encounter wild animals, use fire..."
"I'm fully equipped now, with a flamethrower and a riot shield. I'm sure I'll survive..."
However, he hadn't finished speaking.
The shadow behind him suddenly stretched out eerily, slowly stood up, and formed a black entity holding a pair of pitch-black scissors in its hand.
"Snap!"
With a gentle snip, the shadow cutter makes a cut.
Bo's head rolled off without warning, his neck smooth as a mirror, without even a drop of blood.
Tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream witnessed this scene, and the chat froze instantly, followed by a deeper level of panic.
This is no life-or-death crisis! Physical attacks are ineffective!
[It's over, it's all over. No matter if you're a millionaire or an expert, you're just an ant in this game!]
Only the awakened! Only those who have awakened their powerful talents can survive!
...
On the world channel, the speed at which information is refreshed is so fast it's dizzying.
[Americas Region Report: A Class S-level bizarre "giant abyssal worm" has appeared in Times Square, New York. The army has been routed and requests reinforcements!]
[Eurozone Region Report: Countless Ghost Knights have been resurrected at Tower Bridge in London and are slaughtering civilians!]
[Warning! Warning! Everyone immediately seek shelter in buildings with statues of gods or Buddhas. Do not trust any strangers at this time!]
Panic, chaos, betrayal, slaughter!
The evil in human nature was magnified infinitely at this moment.
Former friends can turn against each other in order to seize a safe hiding place.
To allow the vengeful ghost to be satiated and leave, the husband can push his wife into the abyss.
This is a selection process for all of humanity.
...
Our gaze returns to Jiangcheng.
Su Ming ignored the wailing and howling in the channel.
"80 energy points, just one more point needed."
He stood on the street, his gaze fixed on an abandoned library on the street corner.
In his perception, the yin energy there was as heavy as ink, definitely hiding something big.
"Let's go take a look over there."
Su Ming, with Kuno Cao by his side, pushed open the rusty door of the library.
...
The reading room on the first floor.
The only old desk lamp illuminated the dusty room.
A beautiful woman in a white dress was huddled in front of a heavy wooden table, trembling like a sieve.
She, Lin Wan, was reading in the library when the game started. Her initial task upon awakening was to finish reading a horror novel.
She was trembling, having just finished reading the last page.
"Sizzle—"
The pages of the book turned on their own without any wind, suddenly flipping open!
A lizardman covered in jet-black scales suddenly emerged from the shadows of the book pages!
It stands two meters tall, walks upright, and has a mouth full of sharp teeth like intersecting saw teeth. When it lands, it stomps two holes in the board, and its tail swings behind it, making a crackling sound as it sucks the air in.
"hiss--"
The black-scaled lizardman flicked its forked tongue, sniffed the scent of a living person, and its vertical pupils instantly contracted as it stared intently at Lin Wan.
Lin Wan was so frightened that her heart almost stopped. She wanted to run away, but her legs went weak and she couldn't stand up.
At this desperate moment.
"Squeak—"
The library doors were pushed open.
Lin Wan turned around in surprise, thinking that reinforcements had arrived, but when she saw who it was, her face turned even paler.
A cold-faced man stood by the door, toying with a bloodstained axe in his hand.
Behind him followed a monster over two meters tall, its body pieced together from bones and rotten wood, its red electronic eyes casting terrifying beams of light in the darkness.
Lizards in front, monsters behind.
Lin Wan was utterly desperate.
Su Ming glanced around the library.
When he saw Lin Wan, he frowned slightly: "There are still survivors?"
However, he quickly looked away and his gaze fell on the black-scaled lizard.
[Name]: Black-scaled Lizard (D- grade)
[꿰绍]:Its explosive power is extremely strong, its scales are as hard as iron, and its claws contain neurotoxins.
"D-level? Perfect."
A satisfied smile appeared on Su Ming's lips.
This lizard has enough energy for him to collect 100 points.
"Gonocao, take down that big guy."
"Yes, Father."
With heavy steps, Ginoca walked toward the black-scaled lizard.
Sensing the provocation, the black-scaled lizard roared and charged forward like a cannonball with a powerful leap from its hind legs.
Those venomous claws slashed down viciously at Nocturne's head!
"careful!"
Lin Wanren suppressed her gasp.
However, Su Ming didn't even blink.
"when!"
A loud clang of metal colliding.
The black-scaled lizard's sharp claws, capable of cutting through iron like mud, managed to tear off only a few wood chips from Gonocao's body!
Nocturne is a puppet; he's not afraid of poison at all, and he feels pain!
"Heh heh..."
Ginoca tilted his head, his wooden face full of mockery.
The next second, he moved.
"I am... an honest tough guy!"
This time, Giorno didn't use his nose; instead, he swung his large, bone-assembled fist and slammed it into the lizard's chest.
"boom!"
A muffled thud.
The black-scaled lizard's chest, which was said to be pierced by spears, was actually smashed in half!
Its massive body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, smashing the rows of seats behind it to pieces.
"roar!!"
The lizard roared in pain, trying to get up.
But Nozomi doesn't give him a chance at all.
He rushed forward, stepped on the lizard's belly, and grabbed its two arms with both hands.
"Liars...must be exposed!"
"Snap! Snap!"
A chilling sound of bones cracking rang out.
Ginoca actually tore off the black-scaled lizard's two arms like tearing apart a roast chicken!
Black blood spurted out.
Lin Wan huddled in the corner, watching this brutal scene, so frightened that she covered her mouth and didn't even dare to breathe.
That's incredibly brutal!
That lizard was scary enough, but this puppet monster was even more like a demon than a lizard!
"Stop playing around, let's send it on its way," Su Ming said calmly.
Nocturne understood immediately, and his long nose instantly lengthened.
"puff!"
It pierced right through the lizard's head.
[Defeat the D-rank "Blackscale Lizard" to gain 40 points of Mysterious Energy!]
Your Gonnocho has been fused with the ribs of a Blackscale Lizard, greatly increasing your defense!
Current Energy: 120/100
[Energy has overflowed; the next modification is now possible!]
We've finally collected them all!
Su Ming was in a great mood.
He didn't even glance at Lin Wan in the corner, and turned to leave with Gu Nuocao.
"Let's go home."
Now that we have enough energy, there's no need to waste time in this shabby library.
Su Ming's figure disappeared completely.
Lin Wan finally dared to breathe deeply; her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
"Who... is that man?"
"He can actually control that kind of monster?"
"Could he be the hidden boss of this game?"
Lin Wan took out her phone with trembling hands.
She had inexplicably recorded the battle.
Although the lighting was dim, it was just the right moment to film Nocturne tearing apart the lizard and the man coldly giving the order.
She hesitated for a moment, then posted the video to the world channel.
[Title: Is this Jiangcheng's BOSS?! Run for your life if you see this man!]
[Content: I saw it with my own eyes in the library! That puppet monster tore a lizard apart! That man is even scarier than the monster! He looked at me like I was dead! Everyone, please don't mess with him!]
The moment the video was posted, the world chat exploded.
Holy crap! Tearing apart a lizard with bare hands? That's incredible!
That was a D-rank monster! I just saw a D-rank monster kill an entire company of soldiers!
Who is this person? Could it be the chosen one?
[Attention, friends in Jiangcheng! Avoid this man with the puppet; he's a killer!]
Before Su Ming's name had even spread, the title "Terrifying BOSS with Puppet" had already gone viral among the players.
At this moment, Su Ming...
They have already returned to their own shop.
He closed the door, his eyes burning as he stared intently at the control panel.
"100 energy points (position)".
"The second dark fairy tale is about to begin."
He took out the pair of red dancing shoes and the skin of a beautiful woman.
"Cinderella...I'm here."Chapter 6 Evil Modification! A New Pair of Shoes for Cinderella! Inside the shop, there was deathly silence.
Su Ming sat at his workbench, with the delicate-feeling [Beauty Skin] and the pair of [Red Dancing Shoes] still twitching slightly in front of him.
"System, activate the modification."
Su Ming's voice rang out in the empty shop.
A familiar black current surged, and the blood-smelling human skin paper and bone pen reappeared out of thin air.
Please select the subject of this modification: Cinderella
Su Ming gripped the bone pen, a crazy smile curving his lips.
Since it's a dark fairy tale, and since there's such dark material in it, then don't blame him for changing the story beyond recognition.
He wrote with flowing strokes of ink on the paper, mercilessly erasing the originally heartwarming fairy tale with black ink.
[Original setting: Cinderella is kind-hearted and suffers greatly from her stepmother and stepsisters. Finally, with the help of her fairy godmother, she puts on the glass slippers and marries the prince.]
"Kindness? In this cannibalistic world, kindness is suicide."
Su Ming sneered, and with a sharp stroke of his bone pen, he wrote:
[Modified Settings:]
[1. Cinderella wasn't kind; she was a born fanatic, willing to do anything for beauty and status.]
2. She peeled off her stepmother's well-preserved skin and sewed it into her most beautiful dance dress. (Materials required: Damaged Beauty Skin)
[3. Like cutting off one's feet to fit the shoes, Cinderella personally chopped off her eldest sister's toes and her second sister's heels, forcibly stuffing their feet into shoes to enjoy their screams.]
4. The glass slipper was originally transparent, but it turned red after absorbing blood! It is no longer a token of love, but a greedy predator! (Consumes material: Cursed Red Shoes)
With the final stroke completed.
The "beauty skin" on the workbench suddenly seemed to come alive, wriggling wildly.
Finally, it floated into the air and automatically sewn together into a gorgeous dress with an eerie flesh-colored sheen.
And those red dancing shoes made a crisp "click-clack" sound.
The original leather quickly crystallized, transforming into two bright red crystal high heels with heels as sharp as two boning knives.
"Merge!"
Su Ming gave a low shout.
The black flames instantly engulfed all the materials.
A few seconds later, the flames died down.
A tall, curvaceous woman appeared in front of Su Ming.
She wore a dress made of "beauty skin," her skin was so white it glowed, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll.
But his eyes held a chilling allure and madness.
What's most striking are her scarlet crystal shoes; with each step she takes, a bloody footprint is left on the floor.
[Ding! Modification successful!]
[Summoned Item]: Desire Dancer - Cinderella.
[Rank]: D+ (Huge potential, can be advanced through killing)
[Characteristics]: Charm (passive), Cutting one's feet to fit the shoes (active skill, the crystal shoes can cut through all obstacles, especially bones)
Loyalty: 100%.
Cinderella slowly opened her eyes and looked at Su Ming in front of her.
She lifted her skirt and gracefully curtsied, her voice soft and sweet, yet tinged with a sickly tremor:
"Father...look, my new shoes...aren't they pretty?"
Su Ming looked at her and nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to Pinocchio's simple and brutal physical destruction style, this Cinderella clearly takes the "control + assassin" route.
If those crystal shoes were to kick a ghost, the tingling sensation would surely be doubled.
"very good."
Su Ming stood up and patted off non-existent dust.
"Pinocchio is in charge of taking the hits and fighting head-on, while you're in charge of reaping and controlling the enemy."
"This setup is more than capable of easily defeating D-rank monsters."
Just as Su Ming was admiring his masterpiece.
The sky outside the window, which was originally pitch black, suddenly turned a pale white.
Immediately afterwards, the chilling blood moon slowly disappeared, and the long-awaited sunlight pierced through the clouds.
That cold, robotic voice once again resounded in the minds of all survivors around the world.
[Warning! First night over!]
As the sun returns to the earth, all supernatural creatures will temporarily retreat to the shadows.
[Congratulations to the surviving players! You've been given a brief respite.]
The outdoor area is currently a safe zone.
Su Ming glanced at the street outside the window, which was gradually brightening up.
Is it dawn yet?
He yawned and then put Pinocchio and Cinderella back into the system's fairy tale space.
Since it's a safe time, I should take a good nap.
After all, this is just the beginning.
When the sun sets again, something even more terrifying will probably crawl out.
...
At the same time.
Jiangcheng, the highest operational command center.
The room was brightly lit, and several bigwigs in uniforms sat around a huge conference table, the atmosphere as tense as a fire about to explode.
A video was playing on a loop on the large screen.
Although the image is dark and shaky, it is still clearly visible.
A cold-blooded young man directed a terrifying puppet to tear a Class D monster to shreds!
"Smack!"
An elderly man with white hair, sitting at the head of the table, slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Su Ming on the screen:
"Have you investigated? Who exactly is this person?"
"Is it a ghost? A demon? Or... the hope of our Jiangcheng?!"
The meeting room was completely silent.
Soon, an intelligence officer wearing glasses stood up shakily, holding a newly printed document in his hand.
"Reporting...reporting to the commander!"
"We've investigated! Through facial recognition and big data screening, we've confirmed that the target is a local resident of Longcheng."
"Su Ming, 24 years old, owner of Tongmeng Doll Shop in the old town. Orphaned, he is a loner who rarely leaves his hometown and has no criminal record."
Upon hearing the words "doll shop owner," the expressions of the bigwigs present all turned strange.
How could a doll repairman be so skilled?
That's a D-rank monster!
Last night, the army sacrificed an entire reinforced platoon to deal with the same D+ level monster. Even rocket launchers couldn't kill it, and they only managed to force it back by dawn.
And where did this person go?
With a puppet in hand, he tore it up in no time?
"Is this the power of talent...?"
The white-haired old man took a deep breath, and the shock in his eyes gradually turned into fervor.
"The horror game has arrived; the old order has collapsed. Guns and cannons may still be somewhat useful, but in the end... they belong to these awakened ones!"
He pointed at Su Ming's indifferent face on the screen and said decisively:
"This person must be won over!"
"Whatever he wants—money, power, women—as long as it doesn't violate our principles, give him everything! Even if we can't get him into the government, we absolutely cannot let him become our enemy!"
"in addition..."
The old man paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:
"Classify this video as top secret and block the news. Don't let other forces contact him first."
"yes!"Chapter 7 Fare? How about I pay with my life?! (Children's Dream Doll Shop)
Just as the officials were arguing fiercely over Su Ming.
The person in question was fast asleep, lying on a recliner in their own shop.
Although it was supposedly a "safe time" outside, Su Ming did not wander around.
In this chaotic world, preserving one's body is more important than anything else.
Until point 떘꿢꾉.
As the sun began to set, that unsettling, chilly atmosphere started to permeate the air once more.
Su Ming opened his eyes right on time.
I ate some compressed biscuits from the store's stock, drank half a bottle of water, and then slowly and methodically tidied my clothes.
It's getting dark again.
He glanced at the wall clock.
[Warning! Night is falling!]
[Attention all players, the second night survival mission is about to be released...]
The system notification sound arrived as scheduled.
A red light flashed before Su Ming's eyes, and a new pop-up window appeared.
[Personalized Mission: Night Taxi]
[Mission Description: The director of Jiangcheng People's Hospital seems to have lost something very important and is currently extremely agitated. You need to go there.]
[Mission Objective: To flag down a night taxi and arrive alive at Jiangcheng People's Hospital.]
[Task Rewards: Depends on completion rate (may include rare modified materials).]
[Failure Penalty: Annihilation.]
"Jiangcheng People's Hospital?"
Su Ming narrowed his eyes.
This is a notorious 놅눓뀘.
In the original urban legend, it was a haunted den that one could neither enter nor leave.
And they even took a "night taxi" there?
This is clearly a trap.
Everyone knows that Ghost Taxi is notorious for refusing to take fares.
"However... since there are modified materials available."
Su Ming's gaze lingered on the words "rare materials" for a second, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
With Cinderella and Quinocco as her two protectors, Dō is now quite confident.
"Perfect timing, I'm still missing quite a few characters in my fairy tale book."
"Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty... all require good materials to make them."
Su Ming pushed open the shop door and walked into the street that was gradually being swallowed by darkness.
At this moment, the streets were deserted.
Last night, the surviving humans all hid at home, trembling with fear, praying that they would survive the night.
Su Ming stood by the roadside as if nothing had happened, waving at the empty street.
"Sizzle—"
Not long after, two stark white headlights pierced the darkness.
A dilapidated taxi, covered in rust and dark red bloodstains, silently glided up in front of Su Ming.
The car window slowly rolled down.
In the driver's seat sat a driver wearing a baseball cap.
The hat brim was pulled low, obscuring the face, and I heard a sound like someone had phlegm stuck in their throat:
Where to?
Su Ming opened the car door, ignoring whether there was any unidentified liquid on the back seat, and plopped down, calmly announcing his purpose:
"Jiangcheng People's Hospital".
The driver's hand visibly trembled.
Through the rearview mirror, those eyes—with only whites and no pupils—stared intently at Su Ming, and he let out a sinister laugh.
"That place… is not easy to walk through."
"Did you bring any money? The kind that's like ghost money."
Su Ming leaned back in his chair, pulled a carving knife he used in the shop from his pocket, twirled it between his fingers, and grinned more sinisterly than a ghost:
"I have no money."
"But... I have a life, do you?"
"Or... do you want to give me your life?"
The temperature inside the taxi instantly dropped to freezing.
The driver, wearing a baseball cap, clearly hadn't expected this.
This human is not only unafraid, but also dares to threaten me in return.
"Hehehe..."
The driver let out a loud, bellows-like laugh and suddenly turned his head.
The face was as pale as paper, half of the skin drooping, revealing dark red gums underneath. There were no eyeballs in the eye sockets, but two flickering will-o'-the-wisps.
"If you don't want to pay, then leave your body here!"
"Perfect timing, I'm just missing a few pieces of human skin for my car seat cushion!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the car door clicked shut and locked automatically.
The worn-out seatbelt seemed to come alive, tightening instantly and binding Su Ming's chest and limbs tightly, as if trying to strangle him in two.
The driver extended his withered, ghostly claws, his nails growing three taels, and with a gust of foul wind, he grabbed directly at Su Ming's throat.
However, Su Ming didn't even lift his eyelids.
Just when the demon claw was one centimeter away from the throat.
"Smack!"
A pair of high heels, shimmering with a blood-red glow, suddenly emerged from the back seat and stomped hard on the driver's ghostly claw!
"ah!!"
The driver let out a piercing scream.
Those beautiful crystal shoes were now like red-hot branding irons, burning black smoke directly onto my hand, and with their sharp heels, they pierced right through my palm!
"Who gave you permission to... touch my father with your filthy hands?"
A lazy yet dangerous female voice rang out in the carriage.
The driver looked up in alarm.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I noticed a woman dressed in a gorgeous flesh-colored dress had appeared out of nowhere.
She was sitting sideways in the back row, playing with a strand of hair in her hand, but her eyes were as cold as if she were looking at an insect.
Especially the clothes she was wearing...
As a taxi driver who often mingles in the ghost world, he recognized it at a glance as top-quality human skin!
And that aura...
D+ rating!
This is a much stronger demon than any other demon!
"Sir... have mercy on me!"
The driver's fierceness instantly turned into fear, and he didn't even dare to scream in pain as his palm was pierced by the nails.
In this dog-eat-dog world, hierarchy is the absolute truth.
Su Ming then slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and patted the wrinkles on his chest.
Leaning slightly forward, he approached the driver's seat and gently tapped the driver's drooping cheek with his carving knife.
"Do we still need to pay for the ride?"
The driver trembled with fear, shaking his head vigorously: "No...no need! It's free! I'll take you to the hospital right away!"
"Then why aren't you driving yet?"
Su Ming sheathed his knife, leaned back in his seat, and said calmly, "Cinderella, put your feet down, don't get your shoes dirty."
"Yes, Father."
Cinderella obediently withdrew her foot, not forgetting to wipe the black blood from her heel on the driver's clothes.
The taxi started up again.
This time, the car was going incredibly fast.
The wandering ghosts and spirits that had been lurking by the roadside, trying to flag down the car, were terrified and scattered when they saw the car rushing towards them like a madman.
What was originally a half-hour journey was shortened to ten minutes by this driver.
"Sizzle—"
With a sudden stop, the taxi came to a halt in front of a gloomy, enormous building.
Jiangcheng People's Hospital.
The place was completely shrouded in thick black fog. The broken red cross sign at the entrance flickered with an eerie red light in the darkness, like a bloodshot eye.
Before I even got into the car, I could hear heart-wrenching wails coming from the hospital.
"Big... Boss, we've arrived."
The driver cautiously looked back, fearing that this might also be a "final stop".
Su Ming opened the car door and drove off with Cinderella.
Standing outside the car door, looking at the trembling ghost driver inside, I suddenly laughed:
"The service was good."
"This is for your tip."
Su Ming casually pulled a piece of bone, about the size of a fingernail, from his pocket and tossed it into the car.
That was the residue left when Ginnoch crushed the zombie, stained with a trace of D-level zombie poison and resentment.
For a brat of this E-rank, this is a great tonic.
The driver's eyes widened instantly. He grabbed the piece of bone, greedily stuffed it into his mouth, and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much, sir! Please feel free to call me anytime you need a car, I'll be there whenever you need me!"
Watching the taxi speed away, Su Ming turned to look at the hospital gate in front of him.
If the streets outside are a mass grave, then this hospital is a true hellscape.
"The mission objective is... the dean lost something?"
Su Ming touched his chin.
"I hope there's some fun material here, so you won't disappoint me."
He stepped onto the stairs.
Just then, the system notification sounded again.
[Player detected arriving in the instance area: Howling Ward (Rank D area)]
[Side quest triggered: Death Registration.]
To see the hospital director, you must first become a patient here. Please proceed to the registration desk to obtain your medical record.
[Note: Please do not cut in line; the ghost nurse has a bad temper.]Chapter 8 Death Registration Office! Push open the glass door covered with a thick layer of grease.
An air thick with the smell of formaldehyde, moldy paint, and a strong stench of blood rushed towards us.
The lobby of Jiangcheng People's Hospital was not as deserted as the streets outside; on the contrary, it was quite "lively."
The dim fluorescent lights crackled overhead, and in the flickering light, dozens of figures formed a long, winding queue that stretched all the way to the registration window deep inside the hall.
However, very few of these "people in line" were actually human.
At the very end of the line was an old man wearing a hospital gown.
He was carrying a plastic bag that was still dripping blood, and inside the bag appeared to be his own head.
Because his neck was completely empty, and black bubbles were bubbling out from the broken end.
In front of him was a pregnant woman with a large belly.
But the belly was strangely transparent, and it was clear that there was no baby inside, but a tangled mass of black venomous snakes, coldly watching the outside world through the belly skin.
Besides these, there were also those missing limbs, those charred black as if they had just crawled out of a fire, and even those dragging half their bodies on the ground...
This is the usual "wailing ward".
In a corner of the hall, there were a few shivering living players.
They were clearly unlucky souls forced to come by a mission, and now they were huddled together, looking at the terrifying queue with terrified expressions. They wanted to join the queue but dared not get close, and could only shrink back in despair.
"Father, the smell here...it's nauseating."
Cinderella lifted the hem of her gorgeous human skin dress, frowned in disgust, and gently covered her mouth and nose with her other hand.
Her crystal shoes clicked and clattered on the sticky floor, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet hall.
This noise instantly drew everyone's attention.
Whoosh!
The dozens of ghosts in line turned their heads in unison, staring intently at the two people at the door.
Greedy, malicious, and hungry gazes surged in like a tide.
The players in the corner stared wide-eyed.
"Holy crap... what is that thing?" A male player wearing glasses pointed at Cinderella with trembling eyes. "Is that a female ghost? How can she be so... so beautiful?"
"Shut up! Do you want to die?" His companion shoved a hand over his mouth, horrified. "Look at that man! He's swaggering in with a female ghost! He's definitely a big shot! Or maybe an even more terrifying monster!"
Su Ming ignored all the gazes around him.
He put his hands in his pockets, casually glanced around the hall, and finally his gaze fell on the registration window at the far end.
There sat a huge, ghostly nurse.
She was wearing a pink nurse's uniform that looked like it was about to burst, and her face was covered by a huge mask.
But this mask wasn't hung on the ears; it was sewn directly onto the face with rough stitching!
Blood seeped out from the stitches, staining half of the mask red.
At this moment, she was impatiently tapping a pair of rusty magic scissors on the table.
"Next! Hurry up! If you dawdle, believe me, I'll cut off your last leg too!"
A man with a broken leg, who was registering at the window, trembled with fright. He quickly handed over the ghost money from his guild, grabbed a bloodstained form, and ran away, forgetting even to take his cane.
"Tsk, what a temper."
Su Ming chuckled softly and walked towards the window.
Instead of queuing, he walked straight to the front of the line.
This action immediately caused a commotion.
"Is this guy crazy? Does he want to die?" a player in the corner exclaimed. "The quest message clearly says not to cut in line!"
really.
Just as Su Ming stepped past the headless ghost and prepared to walk directly to the window.
A burly man in the third position in line—or more accurately, a muscular, rotting monster—suddenly turned around and blocked Su Ming's path.
This monstrous creature was a full 2.2 meters tall, even more robust than Pinocchio, carrying a spiked mace, and reeking of a nauseating stench of decay.
[Obstructor detected: Violent psychopath (Level E+)]
[Description]: In life, he was an extremely volatile fighter; even in death, he still believes that might makes right. He hates it when people cut in line, unless you're even more violent than him.
"roar--!!"
The violent maniac roared at Su Ming, spitting everywhere.
"You little bug... get out of here! This... is my spot!"
He raised the spiked club in his hand, poised to smash it down.
The surrounding ghosts all wore expressions of anticipation, eager to see the human being smashed into a pulp.
The few living players were so frightened that they closed their eyes.
However.
Faced with this overwhelming sense of oppression, Su Ming merely raised his head slightly, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Get out of the way."
He only said two words.
"court death!!"
Enraged, the violent maniac slammed his spiked club down with a whooshing sound!
But at this moment...
A red afterimage flashed by.
"Smack!"
A crisp crack of a whip rang out.
The spiked club, powerful enough to smash rocks, abruptly stopped in mid-air.
Cinderella had appeared in front of Su Ming without him noticing.
She raised one hand, and that seemingly slender and delicate hand actually caught the spiked club steadily!
"Such a crude toy is not suitable for waving around in front of a lady."
Cinderella tilted her head, a sickly smile playing on her lips.
The next second.
The allure in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by extreme brutality.
"Since your 꿛 is so disobedient, then 늀... just get rid of it."
A flash of cold light!
Cinderella's right foot, clad in her glass slipper, kicked high at an incredible angle, like a red battle axe, and slammed into the violent maniac's wrist!
"Snap!!"
The sound of bones cracking echoed in the hall.
The thick arm that was holding the spiked club was actually severed cleanly at the root by this seemingly light kick!