Picking a Fight Before Finishing His Milk Tea

"You can have an ability like this."

Zhu Yan was completely captivated by those words.

An ability to alter an entirely regulation-compliant ID, or perhaps obtain some kind of item?

Hot air rushed against his face. Swept along in the crowd, Zhu Yan looked up at the high-rises around him, their lights twinkling here and there. His heart began to pound.

It had been placed right in front of him. Why would he turn it down?

His situation was critical, and he had no way out.

Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he had to seize it!

Scarlet "yes" and "no" options floated before his eyes. Zhu Yan decisively chose "yes."

"Attention, player. You will enter the instance [Devouring Villa] in three hours."

"Thriller creature level: Lv. 4–5 Cannibal House landlord."

That was new.

Following the announcement, Zhu Yan unconsciously raised his eyebrows.

Did 4–5 mean its level was between four and five, or was there more to it?

The announcement continued.

"Instance mission: Kill the Cannibal House landlord and seize the most precious treasure in the house."

"Instance time limit: None."

"Instance location: Villa No. 12, Remote Suburban Isolation Zone."

The announcement ended.

Zhu Yan sipped his fruit tea. Its icy sweetness coated his throat, helping him keep his composure.

Zhu Yan pulled out his phone and searched for "Remote Suburban Isolation Zone" as he walked.

It was a small cluster of villas on the outskirts of Anwu City. From the map, it was surrounded by mountains on all sides and about seven hundred meters from the nearest subway station.

"There's actually a subway station that far out," Zhu Yan murmured.

But the subway would take three hours. He wouldn't make it in time, and Zhu Yan would die for being late.

He was currently near the center of Anwu City, and a taxi would take only fifty minutes.

He walked over the old concrete paving bricks, stopped in front of a bank, and booked a ride.

From that angle, he could see the police cars lined up neatly a little over fifty meters away.

Under the night sky, the lights of the mall and the various shops and high-rises illuminated everything. Zhu Yan saw people running toward him, terror on their faces.

A young couple hurried past, both deathly pale and looking ready to throw up at any moment.

"It just chewed two people up like that... That was terrifying..."

"Maybe we should stock up at the supermarket. It feels like that, what do you call it, zombie virus..."

In that short span of time, the Pseudo-human had actually eaten two people.

His ride arrived. Zhu Yan pulled the door open, climbed in, and urged the driver to hurry.

More and more people were fleeing. If they didn't leave now, the roads would be completely blocked!

The driver stepped on the accelerator and drove onto a narrow road.

"Goodness, what's going on around here?"

Zhu Yan shook his head, indicating that he had no idea.

He sat in the back seat with his back rigid, concentrating on his thoughts.

[Merry Happy Land]'s mission this time was interesting.

It was one thing for the monster's level to be so vague, but the instance actually required him to kill a thriller creature.

It wouldn't be easy.

Zhu Yan needed to use the time before the instance began to look for information and see what skills and items he could use.

It was lively outside the window, and the brightly lit nightscape was beautiful.

But Zhu Yan had no attention to spare for it. He stared at his palm for three seconds and entered the forum in the player center.

If he dug through the forum posts carefully, he could still find useful information.

In the last instance, he had easily handled a level-three Pseudo-human thanks to a comment under a post.

Zhu Yan stared at the search icon at the top of the forum and entered "Cannibal House landlord."

...No results.

After some thought, he searched for "landlord" and "Cannibal House" separately.

More than half the posts that appeared under "landlord" were about people's landlords turning into Pseudo-humans. A few others were about landlords dying suddenly or trying to kick their tenants out.

That was no use.

There was only one post under "Cannibal House," published by an account called "Nightmare Bookstore."

Unlike ordinary player accounts, this account's name appeared in bright red letters, giving it a rather creepy look.

The account's profile picture was a sheet of parchment covered in strange symbols.

Zhu Yan opened the post and found a short advertisement that had only been published the previous night.

"Exciting news—[Nightmare Bookstore] has obtained official permission to join the Player Forum!"

Hmm, it looked like a shop run by thriller creatures.

Was it some kind of special account belonging to [Merry Happy Land]?

Zhu Yan read on.

"Are you still troubled by how little you know about thriller creatures? Are you still completely unfamiliar with the customs and culture of the new world? Have you made it through several instances relying entirely on brute force and luck?"

"[Nightmare Bookstore] proudly recommends—'Coexisting with Forbidden Things'!"

It looked a lot like an encyclopedia.

Zhu Yan continued reading carefully and finally spotted the words "Cannibal House."

"This book covers more than 300 types of thriller creatures, including but not limited to Pseudo-humans, Cursed Corpses, all kinds of dolls, witches, demons, Slender Man, embroidered shoes, Cannibal Houses..."

Huh? This was interesting.

"1,444 pages in total, with comprehensive content. Of course, the book does not reveal the weaknesses of thriller creatures, as that is not permitted."

"The book is currently priced at 2 Bone Coins. Please visit the online store for details!"

The post also included a few photos.

Zhu Yan looked through them. The book appeared to contain plenty of illustrations alongside the text, and there was no language barrier, either.

He wanted to check the comments for feedback from players who had already bought it, but the post seemed to have pitifully few views. There were no likes, let alone comments.

There were three advertisements on the account's homepage in total. Apart from this one, there was a book produced in collaboration with some [Demon Department Store].

This could work!

Zhu Yan exited the forum and opened the online store.

The store's interface was clear and simple.

The product categories were displayed at the top: weapons and items, healing supplies, food, and books.

He was about to browse them more carefully when a line of red text suddenly popped up.

"Welcome, player!"

"The store operates on a tiered access system. Items of the corresponding tiers will be made available to you based on your personal player level and ability level."

Did that mean the higher a player's level or ability level, the more items they could buy?

"At present, you can purchase a total of 10 items across 4 categories. Please choose carefully!"

The text flickered and disappeared.

Zhu Yan involuntarily leaned forward, focusing on the interface.

The weapons and items section contained only one melee weapon: an unremarkable-looking short dagger priced at 20 Bone Coins.

Zhu Yan opened the product details page. The description was brief and clear.

"Short dagger: Available to players level 2 and above. Can damage thriller creatures of level 4 and below."

There was only one kind of healing supply too: [Panacea] in a glass bottle, also priced at 20 Bone Coins.

"Panacea: Available to players level 2 and above. Can heal injuries inflicted by thriller creatures of level 4 and below."

Zhu Yan turned to the food section.

There was more food, seven items in total: human limbs, a human head, a human torso, and a barbecued pork rice and lemon black tea set meal.

The first few cost three Bone Coins each, while the last cost three Bone Silver Coins and was available to players level 2 and above.

For once, Zhu Yan was silent inwardly.

...Where did they get the limbs and heads?

Weren't most of the people who entered instances eaten on the spot?

Somewhat speechless, he glanced out the car window.

They were still traveling through the city, and there were people out for evening walks on the streets.

Their figures overlapped with the product images of severed body parts on the translucent interface. Zhu Yan frowned, a sense of absurdity rising within him.

He quickly looked away and focused again.

In all fairness, he thought the food might be more useful than the short dagger.

If he ran into a thriller creature, he could throw food at it. He might actually escape with his life.

Zhu Yan sighed softly and opened the books section.

The final item floated quietly in midair.

"'Coexisting with Forbidden Things': It won't tell you the weaknesses of thriller creatures, but it will help you learn more."

Zhu Yan didn't hesitate any longer.

He stared at the checkout button for a few seconds, then followed the red text's instructions and gently held the player mark on his left palm against the interface, completing the payment.

The next second, his legs felt a weight.

Zhu Yan looked down. A thick hardcover book roughly the size of a sheet of A4 paper had appeared out of nowhere, resting silently on his thighs.

Its cover was scarlet, embossed with the black caged bird he knew so well.