My Corpse

It seemed his guess was correct; the way to pass through this intersection lay within this shop.

It was just that the requirements...

Well, the costs weren't exactly fatal things. If one only bought a single item, a person could still survive without a section of intestine or a kidney. Even the most dangerous organ, the liver, could barely maintain the body's vital functions even if one-third of it were missing.

But to be honest, Zhou You didn't want to give his internal organs to anyone at all—and looking at the state of this shop, there probably weren't any facilities like an operating room. Who knew what method this old hag would use to extract these things?

Not to mention, judging by the previous conversation, the probability of this creature scamming him was far higher than the probability of conducting a normal business transaction.

So, then...

Seeing Zhou You's expression fall into hesitation, the shopkeeper revealed a very kind smile.

"Why, have you not found anything to your liking?"

The tone was very friendly, yet it couldn't help but make someone feel a chill.

The way the other party felt wasn't like they were asking "Have you picked something out yet," but rather "What kind of merchandise do you want to become."

Zhou You didn't want to turn into a head in a jar of formalin at all, so he hurriedly pushed the product catalog, which looked suspiciously like human skin, back and said with a smile.

"I did see a few things I liked, but right now... I'm a bit short on funds, so I can only choose one."

After speaking, Zhou You tapped lightly on the catalog.

The shopkeeper finally revealed a satisfied smile.

"You have a great eye, customer. Then, may I ask what you intend to use for payment? This shop treats everyone fairly. For this item, I only need your two legs, one eye, or..."

However, before it could finish, the system had already made a response on Zhou You's behalf.

He opened his hand, revealing a handful of items in his palm.

The Soul Crystals, which had originally been just a number, had turned into dim, dark blocks in reality.

The boss's smile suddenly paused, then abruptly became even more radiant.

"This is... high-quality Refined Yin Blocks? Tsk tsk, these are rare to see in this day and age. After all, ever since those Taoist priests died out, few people have had the means to refine Yin into substance... This item can accept this form of payment, so as I said..."

The boss beckoned, and a jar on the shelf floated in front of him. The lid opened on its own, and accompanied by a familiar foul stench, a pale hand tremblingly reached out from within and placed the goods on the counter.

It was precisely that blood-stained small knife.

From the outside, it was just a small, exquisite dagger, pitch-black all over, with a very ordinary style. But when Zhou You gripped the hilt, an inexplicable urge suddenly arose.

Stab this dagger into your own flesh, dig out your internal organs bit by bit, and let the blood soak every corner of the blade...

Wait, what am I thinking?

Zhou You suddenly raised his head, only to see the boss's face wearing an eerie smile.

"Why, do you find it to your liking?"

Zhou You stared at those malicious eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled back.

"Of course I'm satisfied. If possible, I'd even like to give you a five-star review, one star for the item and four stars for the service—but speaking of which." He tucked the dagger into his clothes and then mentioned it as if it were an afterthought. "Is your shop open at night, boss?"

"...Why do you ask?"

Looking at the boss's vigilant expression, Zhou You's smile remained very casual.

"Actually, it's nothing much. It's just that I had my eye on a few other things, but as I said just now, I'm a bit short on cash. I figure I'll have to wait until tonight to gather the funds, so I wanted to ask if you're open at night?"

But upon hearing this, the shopkeeper, who had been composed the entire time, suddenly hesitated.

"Open... I am open, but I must warn you, customer: you need to be careful when you come at night. It hasn't been peaceful lately. Although my shop is hidden well and can block their perception to a certain extent, ultimately, I don't want to provoke those existences. So, you can shop if you want, but don't bring me any trouble, understand?"

The words were filled with threats.

And the system's notification sounded the very next second.

"Please note, player has unlocked the night route: Ghostly Granny's Shop. Player can ignore night restrictions to reach this area."

Zhou You replied with an incredibly sincere attitude.

"Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble."

"Absolutely."

Since he had already obtained the clue to clear the level, Zhou You couldn't be bothered to find a place to hang himself anymore. He waited until dusk arrived, and when he opened his eyes again, he was still in the security room.

But unlike the daytime, the security room at night didn't show any signs of destruction. Everything seemed no different from when he left. Zhou You walked around it once, then came to the dilapidated television and tapped the screen.

Seamless and undamaged.

"It was in such a mess during the day, so how did it revert to normal at night? Even if someone had tidied up, tables and chairs could be put back, but I clearly remember this television being completely shattered. How could it be intact—you have to know that even if you replaced the screen, it wouldn't be possible to have no traces at all."

"So, then."

The corners of Zhou You's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a playful expression.

"Can I boldly assume that the day and the night are actually two different spaces?"

He looked at his security uniform, which had been changed back.

"Or, even more boldly, am I even two different people?"

However, there was naturally no one to answer his questions, and it wasn't until half a day later that a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Zhou You looked up and discovered that the security captain was curled up by the doorway.

Speaking of which, it was quite an amusing sight; the security captain stood at least 1.8 meters tall with a fierce appearance, and just by standing there with his gleaming bald head, he could intimidate a crowd of street vendors. Yet now, this man was huddled inside the door like a quail, occasionally casting a look of pure terror into the security room.

Given the contrast, it was almost...

...Well, not cute at all.

Zhou You took a step forward, and the security captain immediately shuddered.

"Hmm?"

Zhou You took his next step a bit more heavily, and the intensity of the captain's trembling increased accordingly.

As if he had found some interesting game, Zhou You made his strides larger and larger with each step, while the security captain became increasingly terrified, eventually on the verge of tears.

Finally, Zhou You stopped in front of him and suddenly smiled.

"Tell me, Captain, why are you huddled here? It's freezing outside, come on, hurry inside and have a seat..."

Who would have thought that a scream would ring out immediately.

"Don't touch me!"

The captain scrambled backward, his expression nearing a total breakdown.

"You shouldn't be here, you absolutely shouldn't be here. It's impossible, it's impossible, there's no way you could be alive, I saw your corpse with my own eyes—"

At these words, the security captain suddenly glanced into the room, his face changing drastically. He scrambled to his feet using both hands and feet, fleeing in a panic as if trying to get away from something unimaginably terrifying.

Zhou You instinctively wanted to stop him, but a system prompt sounded at that moment.

Please note: You cannot interfere with this entity's actions today. If you intervene by force, this scenario will immediately end in failure...

From "temporarily" to "today," the descriptor had changed once again.

And...

Why was he so certain that I died? And what did he mean by seeing my corpse at the end?