Daytime

Zhou You's memory wasn't exactly photographic, but it certainly wasn't the type that would lose everything he'd read a chapter ago in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, he quickly recalled the contents of those few newspapers.

"Accidents... frequent..."

"Hiring... urgent need... generous benefits..."

"A street vendor... died of overwork... his own family..."

That was it!

Zhou You raised his head and looked at the face that was only half-remaining, yet clearly etched with deep ravines of decay.

--Although it didn't name names, if this guy had worked himself into such a state, who else could it be but the one who died of overwork?

Seeing that face pressing closer and closer, to the point where the head inside the pot even began to float up from the broth, Zhou You didn't have time to think about anything else. He gave a light cough and spoke in a very gentle tone.

"Boss... working in your line of business... must be very tough, right?"

A few seconds later, the rotting human face stopped less than five or six centimeters away from him.

Zhou You let out a long sigh of relief.

--It seemed he had guessed correctly.

The other party didn't continue the attack, but instead slowly retracted its head and, like an NPC triggering a dialogue, began to sigh incessantly.

"...Sigh, how could our line of work not be tough? I have to prepare ingredients as soon as I wake up, busy until the afternoon, and before I can even catch my breath, I have to push the cart out to set up the stall, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to grab a spot. Then I work from evening until the early hours of the morning, go home so tired I fall asleep the moment I hit the bed, and the next day when I wake up, it's just another cycle... It was easier when I worked with my brother, but now that I'm the only one left, I can barely hold on..."

"Uh, may I ask, where is your brother?"

The stall owner didn't answer, but glanced toward the pot.

...Vaguely, that floating head looked somewhat similar to his own remaining half-face.

--Using your own brother to make soup, you really are something else.

--Ah, no, just pretend I didn't say anything.

During this brief pause, the other party's face seemed to start rotting again, so Zhou You hurriedly continued.

"Then what about your wife and children at home? They should be able to help out a little, right?"

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, the stall owner would sigh and lament even more heavily.

"How could I count on them? My wife has to go out to sweep the streets every day, and she doesn't earn much. As for my kid... he's a good child, obedient and sensible, and his grades are great, but the better he is, the less I can afford to hold him back. So, I have to shoulder everything myself... By the way, are you going to drink this soup or not?"

Well, it seemed he couldn't stall any longer.

The next moment, the only response the stall owner received was the bowl being firmly pushed back.

"Ah, I won't be drinking this soup." Zhou You said, and before the other party could react, he reached out and grabbed the meat cleaver from the side.

--Seeing this, the boss and the head in the pot were both stunned for a moment, then suddenly began to laugh in unison.

"Customer, you don't really think you can kill us with that thing, do you? You really are... quite delusional."

Who would have thought that Zhou You would actually nod, indicating his agreement.

"Indeed, I also feel that this task couldn't possibly be completed so easily, but I really don't want to drink your bowl of lousy soup, so..." Zhou You reversed the blade and smiled as he pointed it toward his own throat. "This thing is for ending myself."

The blade pierced down, and blood splattered everywhere.

"You have died."

"You died at the hands of a rusty, old kitchen knife."

"Your death was worthless."

"You did not unearth any Erosion Point, nor did you push the plot forward, so this death will receive no rewards."

"Your remaining resurrections: 14."

"Players can use 10 Soul Stone to replay the ten seconds before and after their death. Would you like to replay?"

"Please note: as the player has left the novice period and no longer enjoys special treatment, this skill can only be used once per script."

--Replay your head.

Listening to the all-too-familiar words, Zhou You rolled his eyes, but when he looked at the option to re-enter, he suddenly paused.

Next to the familiar re-entry option, a button to enter the daytime had suddenly appeared.

Only now did he remember that this script seemed to be a cycle where day and night alternated.

But after pondering for a while, Zhou You did not choose "re-enter," but moved his finger to the other side.

--Admittedly, his resurrection coins were still plentiful, and he could easily try a few more times at the stall without wasting this precious daytime opportunity. However, based on his understanding of the system, he felt there was something fishy here.

If Zhou You hadn't guessed wrong, this stall could probably only be dealt with during the day—not to mention this was a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the level's mechanics.

"Player has chosen to enter the daytime of the second day."

"Game progress will be saved automatically."

When Zhou You opened his eyes again, the scenery around him had changed.

It was still the same security office, but unlike the eerie atmosphere of the night, the place now felt peaceful and serene. Bright light filtered in from the window, bringing a touch of warmth to the small, cramped room.

"Moshi moshi, is anyone there?"

Zhou You called out a few times, but found no one in the room to answer him. He then looked up and glanced at the clock.

12:00 PM. Could it be that everyone had gone on their lunch break?

However, just as he was wondering where the day shift staff had gone, he suddenly noticed something unusual.

--His security uniform had been changed at some point. Compared to the previous one, this one looked clean and tidy, and the fabric was of much higher quality.

But this didn't serve as much of a clue.

Refusing to give up, Zhou You searched the area again, only to dig a wallet out from a hidden corner.

It seemed to be something someone had lost, but judging by its thickness, it clearly didn't belong to someone whose salary was "barely enough to scrape by," so that meant...

Whose was it, then?

Well, whatever, none of my business. It's not like I'm the one who lost the money.

Zhou You pocketed the money from the unknown owner with a clear conscience, then went to the door to carefully re-read the terms and the calendar before finally leaving the small security office.

The light outside was perfect, but for some reason, a faint mist lingered before his eyes. Although it wasn't particularly thick, it clung to him like fine gauze. Occasionally, a figure would pass through the mist, but before Zhou You could call out to them, they would vanish in the blink of an eye.

"It seems... this is some kind of restriction on me?" Zhou You reached out, catching a wisp of the thin mist and feeling the damp sensation slip through his palm. "The goal is to prevent me from getting more information from passersby. As for going into the building to find someone..."

He suddenly grabbed a nearby door lock and gave it a hard tug.

However, unlike the unit door at night that seemed to open with a single pull, the hallway door was locked incredibly tight this time; it would likely be difficult to break open even with tools.

"Fine, you win."

Seeing that the other side had considered everything so thoroughly, Zhou You could only shrug and walk in the other direction.

But the further he walked, the more wrong he felt.

--Even though there were voices and figures all around him, he was completely unable to interact with them. As time passed, even the roadside stalls became hazy and indistinct. Everything seemed to ignore him inadvertently, giving him the feeling that...

He was the one who was dead?

Zhou You shook his head, casting this hair-raising speculation out of his mind.

This main street wasn't long—especially since he had already walked it once—but upon reaching the location of that snack stall, he found that the mist had suddenly thickened significantly. It even seemed to have a disorienting effect; no matter how many times he walked into it, he would always emerge from the same exit.

However, Zhou You didn't show any sign of disappointment. He simply followed the map at the entrance of the security office, turned around, and headed toward a different path.

After about twenty minutes, a slightly damaged horizontal sign appeared before his eyes.

"Shanhe Environmental Services Co., Ltd."

Below it was a line of small text.

"Company Owner: Liu Shang. Company Scope: Municipal road cleaning, waste collection and disposal, urban landscaping, and..."

"The recruitment and management of all local sanitation workers."