Who Let You Set Up a Stall Here!

Creak--creak--

The sound of wheels rolling over uneven concrete ground, emitting a grating friction.

In the dead silent alley, this sound was amplified several times, like someone scraping glass with rusty fingernails.

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness at the alley entrance.

He hunched his back, pushing an old wooden cart. A string of small red lanterns hung from the cart, their dim red glow outlining his hunched silhouette.

As he appeared, the overbearing aroma of meat instantly intensified to its extreme.

Qin Feng hid in the shadows, holding his breath, but the scent permeated everything.

His saliva secreted uncontrollably, and his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed.

"Clang."

A light sound broke the silence in the alley.

Then, a second sound, a third sound.

The doors of the old residential buildings lining the alley opened one by one.

Middle-aged men, wearing undershirts, with gaunt figures, emerged as if sleepwalking.

Their eyes were vacant, their faces etched with a numbness born of extreme hunger. They were so thin, like skin and bones, as if a gust of wind could blow them over.

They were like puppets controlled by the aroma, ignoring everything around them, walking straight towards the steaming cart. Then, they quietly and politely lined up in front of the stall.

The hunchbacked old man finally stopped. He raised his face and grinned at the first man in line.

The smile was as stiff as a mask, only the corners of his mouth moving. His cloudy whites held no emotion.

He slowly lifted the lid of the steamer.

"Hoo--"

A stronger wave of steam mixed with the scent of meat rushed out.

Inside the steamer, crystal-clear, plump, almost transparent soup dumplings were neatly stacked. The skin was so thin that the sloshing soup inside was visible.

The man at the front of the line could no longer resist. His eyes instantly turned blood red.

He didn't even use chopsticks, directly reaching out, grabbing a scalding soup dumpling, and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Sizzle--"

Rich soup exploded in his mouth, filling the air with fragrance.

The man closed his eyes in bliss, a muffled whimper escaping his throat.

Seeing this, the others followed suit. For a moment, the alley was filled only with the sounds of ravenous chewing and satisfied sighs.

This should have been a lively scene of late-night snacks.

But in Qin Feng's eyes, it was a vivid feast of gluttonous ghosts.

His vision had already pierced through the tempting facade.

What were those crystal soup dumplings in the steamer? They were clearly clumps of minced red meat, chopped into a pulp and haphazardly wrapped in some kind of semi-transparent film!

Within that sticky filling were curled black hairs from being burnt, fingernail clippings with a cloudy pink curve, and even a molar, still covered in dark red bloodstains, not yet fully rotten!

Those men ate with their faces smeared with oil, their faces beaming with happiness.

But in Qin Feng's vision, what was overflowing from their mouths was not soup at all, but thick, foul-smelling fresh blood!

He stared intently at one of the men eating the most voraciously.

The man was gulping down his food, his mouth smeared with meat paste, shaking his head in satisfaction.

And his own left index finger was visibly shriveling and shrinking at an alarming rate, as if all its moisture and flesh had been drained.

He was eating himself.

[Weird Tale Compendium Activated!]

[Target Locked: Human Meat Buns]

[Danger Level: D-Class (Threat Level: Dangerous)]

[Sin Points: 130 (Continuously Increasing)]

[Background Story: Please spare me, I'll never dare again]

[Rule Analysis: Uses one's own flesh and blood as bait, luring prey dominated by hunger and fatigue through supernatural aroma, consuming their flesh and blood to complete oneself.]

[Weakness Analysis: ??? (Insufficient Clues)]

"D-Class..." Qin Feng's heart sank.

D-Class Anomalous Events corresponded to Collaborators at the "Form Observation" realm. That was a full major realm higher than himself, who was at the "Spirit Touch" realm! If it came to a direct confrontation, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

He subconsciously wanted to awaken the Scissors of Truth on his right arm, but immediately suppressed the thought.

The system's weakness analysis was always accurate, but now it couldn't analyze it. This made him realize that he couldn't rely on brute force alone.

After a while longer, seeing that the man's index finger had shrunk to nothing but a layer of dry skin clinging to bone, Qin Feng knew he couldn't wait any longer.

If this drags on any longer, even if these people don't die, their souls and bodies will be completely eroded by these bizarre rules.

Since "force" can't be used, then only "rules" can!

Weren't you setting up a stall to do business?

Then I'll use the rules to deal with you!

Sizing up his clothes, Qin Feng took a deep breath, no longer hiding his presence. He adjusted his collar and stepped out from the deepest shadows of the alley with steady, measured strides, as if he had paced them out beforehand.

His footsteps were particularly jarring amidst the sounds of chewing.

"Tap, tap..."

The ravenous chewing came to an abrupt halt.

All the men who were eating froze and turned their heads in unison.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes, glowing red like those of addicts, fixed on him, the uninvited guest. Their gazes were filled with the irritation and displeasure of being disturbed.

The hunched old man also slowly turned his head. The stiff, smiling mask on his face now faced Qin Feng directly, the corners of its mouth seeming to stretch even wider, conveying a silent question and threat.

The temperature in the alley seemed to drop by more than ten degrees.

Facing the stares of these non-human entities, Qin Feng showed no fear.

He simply raised his hand, his gloved finger pointing disdainfully at the creaking wooden cart. Then, in a business-like tone devoid of any emotion, he shouted, shaking the very foundations of the alley:

"What are you doing! What is this! Who gave you permission to set up a stall here!"

His voice was loud and full of energy, creating a surround sound effect in the narrow alley that made eardrums ring.

The group of red-eyed men collectively froze. They forgot to swallow the "delicious food" in their mouths, and the ferocity in their eyes was quickly replaced by confusion.

The old man's eternally unchanging stiff smile showed a subtle flicker of solidification.

Qin Feng didn't give them any time to react. He took two quick steps to the stall, looked down at the diners, and finally settled his gaze on the hunched old man. He slightly raised his chin and questioned with official authority:

"Where's your business license? Your food hygiene permit? Do you have health certificates? Let me see them!"

He pulled out a small red booklet from his pocket, flipped it open with a "snap," revealed his identification, and sternly yelled:

"Municipal Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Management Comprehensive Law Enforcement Brigade, conducting a routine inspection! Put it all down! No more eating!"

"City... City Management Officer?"

The first man in line's mouth hung open. The "bun" in his mouth fell to the ground with a splat, dissolving into a pool of foul-smelling blood.

A deathly silence fell over the alley.

The smile on the hunched old man's face completely froze. For the first time, his cloudy white eyes showed a flicker of emotion – surprise.

The circle of small red lanterns hanging on his cart began to flicker violently, uncontrollably.