Daytime

Zhou You's memory wasn't photographic, but he certainly wasn't the type to forget everything he'd read just a chapter ago.

So he quickly recalled the contents of those newspapers.

"Accidents... frequent..."

"Hiring... urgently needed... generous benefits..."

"A street vendor... died from overwork... his family..."

That was it!

Zhou You raised his head and looked at the face with only half of it left, its features clearly ravaged by deep furrows.

Although it hadn't named anyone, this guy's worked himself into this state. If he didn't die from overwork, who did?

As the face drew ever closer, until even the head in the pot began to float free of the broth, Zhou You had no 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 really tough."

A few seconds later, the rotten face stopped less than six centimeters from him.

Zhou You let out a long sigh of relief.

Looks like I guessed right.

The other party didn't continue attacking. Instead, he slowly drew his head back, then began sighing incessantly, like an NPC who'd just triggered a dialogue.

"...Sigh, there's no way to work in our line without suffering. You have to get up in the morning to prepare the ingredients, then keep busy until the afternoon. Before you can even catch your breath, you have to push your cart out to set up shop, or you won't get a spot. Then you work from evening until the early hours, and when you get home, you're so tired you fall asleep the moment you hit the bed. The next day, it all starts over again... It was easier when my brother and I worked together, but now that I'm on my own, I'm starting to struggle..."

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

The vendor didn't answer. He merely glanced into the pot.

...The floating head seemed vaguely similar to the half-face he had left.

You actually made your own brother into soup stock. You've really got it in you.

Ah, no, forget I said anything.

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

"What about your wife and kids? Surely they can help you out a little?"

Unexpectedly, hearing this only made the vendor sigh even more deeply.

"How could I count on them? My wife has to go out and sweep the streets every day. She doesn't earn much either. As for my kid... He's a good boy, obedient and sensible, and he gets great grades. But the better he does, 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, looks like he couldn't stall any longer.

The only response to the vendor's question was the bowl being pushed firmly back toward him.

"Ah, I won't be drinking this soup," Zhou You said. Then, before the other man could react, he picked up the cleaver beside him that was used to chop meat.

At the sight of this, the boss and the head in the pot both froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed together.

"Customer, you don't think you can kill us with that thing, do you? That's... quite the flight of fancy."

To everyone's surprise, Zhou You actually nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I also don't think this task can be completed that easily, but I really don't want to drink your lousy soup, either. So..." Zhou You turned the blade around and smiled as he pointed its tip at his own throat. "I'm using this thing to end my own life."

The blade plunged down, and blood splattered.

"You died."

"Killed by a battered old cleaver, rusted with age."

"Your death was utterly meaningless."

"You didn't uncover any Erosion Points or advance the plot in any way, so you won't receive any rewards for this death."

"Your remaining revivals: 14."

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

"Please note: Since you have left the beginner phase, you are no longer eligible for special treatment. This skill can only be used once per scenario."

Replay this, you big-headed ghost.

Hearing those now-familiar words, Zhou You rolled his eyes. But when he saw the option that had appeared again, he suddenly froze.

Beside the familiar option to re-enter, a button to enter daytime had appeared.

Only then did he remember that this scenario seemed to alternate between daytime and nighttime in a repeating cycle.

After thinking it over for a while, however, Zhou You didn't choose "Re-enter." Instead, he moved his finger to the other option.

Granted, I still have plenty of Resurrection Coins, so I could try the vendor again a few times. There's no need to waste this precious daytime opportunity. But, based on what I know about the system, I can't help feeling there's something fishy here.

If I'm not mistaken, that stall can probably only be dealt with during the day—and besides, this is a good chance to learn 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.

He was still in the security booth, but unlike the eerie atmosphere at night, it was now peaceful and quiet. Bright light streamed in through the window, bringing a little warmth to the tiny room.

"Moshi moshi, is anyone there?"

Zhou You called out several times, but no one in the room answered. He looked up at the clock.

It was noon. Could everyone have gone out for lunch?

But just as he was wondering where the day-shift staff had gone, he noticed something else was amiss.

At some point, he had changed into a different security uniform. Compared to the previous one, this one was cleaner and neater, and the fabric was much better quality.

But that wasn't much of a clue.

Unwilling to give up, Zhou You searched around again, only to find a wallet tucked away in some hidden corner.

It seemed to belong to someone who'd lost it, but judging by its thickness, it clearly didn't belong to someone whose salary was "just enough to get by." So...

Whose was it, then?

Well, never mind. What's it got to do with me? I wasn't the one who lost the money.

With a clear conscience, Zhou You pocketed the cash, though he had no idea who it belonged to. Then he went to the door, carefully read the notices and calendar once more, and left the little security booth.

The light outside was just right, but for some reason, wisps of mist lingered before his eyes. It wasn't particularly thick, but it clung to him like fine gauze. Now and then, a figure passed through the fog, but before Zhou You could call out to them, they vanished on the other side.

"Looks like... this is some kind of restriction on me?" Zhou You reached out and caught a wisp of mist, feeling its dampness slip through his palm. "The goal is to stop me from getting more information from passersby. As for going into the buildings to find people..."

He suddenly grabbed the lock on the nearest door and yanked hard.

Unlike the apartment building entrance at night, which seemed to open with a single pull, this one was locked tight. Even tools probably wouldn't be enough to break it open.

"Fine, you win."

Seeing that the other party had thought things through so thoroughly, Zhou You could only shrug and head in the other direction.

But the farther he went, the more wrong everything felt.

There were clearly voices and people around him, but he couldn't interact with any of them. As time passed, even the roadside stalls grew hazy. Everyone and everything seemed to ignore him without realizing it, giving him the feeling that...

He was the dead one.

Zhou You shook his head, driving the chilling thought from his mind.

The main street wasn't long—and besides, he'd already walked it once. But when he reached the snack stall, he found that the fog had suddenly grown much thicker, and seemed to have a disorienting effect. No matter how many times he walked in, he always came out at the same place.

Zhou You didn't look disappointed, though. He simply followed the map posted by the security booth, turned around, and headed down another small road.

A little over twenty minutes later, a slightly damaged sign came into view.

"Shanhe Environmental Services Co., Ltd."

There was a line of smaller text beneath it.

"Company owner: Liu Shang. Areas of responsibility: municipal road cleaning, garbage collection and disposal, urban landscaping, and..."

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