Strange Food, That Meat Was Delicious

As for the missing people, not a single word was mentioned.

It was an utterly ordinary report.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Su would glance at it and file it away in the back of her mind.

At most, she'd mutter a few complaints about how heartless the developers were.

But Yang Su had overheard that conversation, and now this report took on a different meaning in her eyes.

She even connected it to the mysterious Execution Department members, whose jobs she knew nothing about, yet who enjoyed absurdly high, unbelievable benefits.

Execution Department members had no base salary—only vague rewards after completing tasks and different monthly reimbursement limits.

Anyang Island's Lamp Mansion Festival—wasn't that the same name as the dungeon announced in the Horror Game?

What if this task wasn't an ordinary task?

Yang Su had always been a sharp person.

Her breathing grew noticeably heavier.

Strange—she'd seen it long ago, but it was as if something had been blocking her awareness, keeping her from linking the two together at all.

So that was it. If those people were doing this kind of "work," no wonder they enjoyed such high treatment.

After all, if the money for risking one's life wasn't enough, who would willingly sell their life?

In that instant, Yang Su completely withdrew all her curiosity about the Execution Department, along with any intention of joining it for its lavish benefits.

She wanted to make money, but she also needed to live long enough to spend it!

Logistics was just fine!

Yang Su no longer worried at all about the company going under.

With such a mysterious and powerful backing, how could the company easily collapse?

Yang Su focused entirely on her work.

In a company like this, maybe she could even look forward to a better future.

Elsewhere.

Bai Zuo was strolling lazily down the street.

He wore a listless expression as he yawned, a stark contrast to the bustling breakfast stalls around him, where people chatted while eating.

He walked alone, carrying an air of detachment that set him apart from the lively street, like someone unable to fit in, weary of the world.

Bai Zuo looked up at a particularly busy shop. Many people were lined up to buy from it, while the two breakfast stalls next to it seemed rather quiet by comparison.

It seemed this place made really good breakfast.

Anyone passing by would think the same, so people looking for breakfast naturally joined this line.

Bai Zuo waited nearby, bored. Quite a few people in the queue kept glancing back at him curiously.

"He's so handsome!"

"Is he some celebrity?"

"Who's he waiting for?"

"His expression is so gloomy—is he in a bad mood?"

But no one dared approach him. Probably because the faint malice Bai Zuo radiated was sensed by them, and an instinctive fear kept them at a distance.

"Hey! How dare you cut in line!"

The man who cut in shot the other person a fierce glare.

The one who spoke muttered a few words but didn't argue, silently accepting the line-jumper.

Bai Zuo seemed to notice something, and his perpetually drooping lips curled upward.

Finally, all here.

Where no one else could see, Bai Zuo opened his palm. A spider smaller than his hand dangled down, its red eyes fixed on the people in line.

Silent. Still.

Those people had come here for different reasons, drawn by the breakfast shop's aroma, and lined up together.

The prey didn't even realize they'd already fallen into the web.

And so, they lost their last chance to break free.

Bai Zuo approached the butcher chopping meat. In the owner's shocked gaze, he snatched the knife from his hand.

And swung it at the owner.

The owner raised his hands in shock to block. As blood splattered, a mechanical voice rang out in everyone's mind.

"Ding! You have triggered the Multiplayer Dungeon—Strange Food."

"Grade: D."

"Dungeon Hint: I'm very hungry. I always want to eat something. That meat is so delicious! Just smelling it makes my mouth water."

"Clear conditions: First, escape the International Grand Hotel within seven days. Difficulty: Normal."

"Second, kill the boss. Difficulty: Hard."

"Completing either of these will clear the Dungeon. After clearing, the Dungeon will temporarily close for a period. During the closure, the Weird inside cannot escape. Only by killing the Dungeon's ultimate boss will it be permanently closed."

"Based on the difficulty of the conditions the Conqueror fulfills, they will receive rewards of corresponding value."

The hotel owner, the guests, and seventeen people including Bai Zuo were pulled into the Dungeon.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing in a strange, luxurious dining hall.

The hotel owner gasped, clutching his arm. A long gash was bleeding profusely.

"Murder!"

The fat on the hotel owner's face quivered. Especially when he saw that his attacker was a thin, young-looking boy, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

Shouting, he lunged forward, trying to snatch the knife from Bai Zuo's hand.

The people around, still not fully processing what was happening, scrambled away, afraid of being dragged into it.

Bai Zuo made a light spin, dodging the hotel owner's reaching hand. He hopped back a few steps with nimble feet, a nasty grin on his face. "Hee~"

"How does it feel to be cut by your own knife? Does it hurt a lot?"

"This wound isn't big enough yet. If it had been a little lower, it would have hit the main artery. What~ a~ shame~"

With every word Bai Zuo spoke, the anger on the hotel owner's face grew more pronounced. His face reddened as he glared viciously at Bai Zuo, the murderous look in his eyes making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.

He kept chasing Bai Zuo, trying to attack him.

"Huff! Huff!" The hotel owner ran until his face was red and his neck was thick, being led around and around the dining hall by Bai Zuo.

Under the rapid drain of his stamina, he was drenched in sweat, but the stinging pain in his arm drove him mad, making him attack Bai Zuo recklessly.

"Ah!"

Seeing the hotel owner's crazed state, the others screamed and scattered in all directions, but due to an invisible restriction, they could never escape the dining hall.

After leading the hotel owner around one more lap, Bai Zuo seemed to finally tire of the game. He tossed the knife aside.

The hotel owner, eyes bloodshot, pounced and snatched it up.

"Hahaha! I got it!"

His eyes bulging with rage, he twisted his face into a ferocious grin. His gaze at Bai Zuo was venomous. He raised the knife, losing all reason in his fury as he swung it.

Another round of screams erupted around them, filled with intense terror.

The hotel owner was ecstatic inside. Yes, that's it! Scream! Be afraid!

You're nothing but a bunch of pigs that only know how to squeal!

Thud!

The hotel owner's forward-charging body stiffened. His brain sluggishly thought: Why is my vision flying?

He saw himself standing in place, holding the knife. His body remained, but the head on his neck was gone.