Carnivore (8): Scarcity

"Breakfast is ready, come and eat!" In the courtyard, Granny Su greeted the players for breakfast using the exact same words she had used before dinner.

Although they had seen three dead bodies that morning and their appetites had long since vanished, they still had to obey the NPC's instructions.

The players gathered one after another around the round table in the center of the courtyard.

Zhao Feng dragged his feet, his gaze lingering on the two corpses inside the room.

Human meat is still meat, and since three people had just died, the supply in that regard was quite sufficient...

There would likely be more deaths later, and even if this meat wasn't enough, there would be ways...

Zhao Feng lacked a sense of morality and had often played cat-and-mouse with the police in reality. His only concern was that in such a confined space where everyone saw each other constantly, behavior that violated public order and good customs would quickly exhaust the trust and goodwill of others. If someone were to use moral kidnapping against him, he would be at a great disadvantage.

Qi Si stepping forward to say those words had undoubtedly acted as a supporter, sharing the risk and moral pressure for him.

When the time came for someone to be sacrificed, he could easily push Qi Si out to take the fall for him.

Qi Si saw through Zhao Feng's psychology with perfect clarity, which was precisely the signal he wanted to convey to the latter.

For cooperation without a moral foundation to succeed, it is essential to make the other party believe they are gaining a greater benefit.

When meticulously planned, a villain is far more useful for doing dirty work than a good person.

As the other players walked away, Zhao Feng crouched down on the right side of the bespectacled man's corpse, reaching out to grope and study which piece of meat would be least likely to be noticed if cut.

Although feeding human meat to ghosts aligned with the principle of emergency avoidance and no one could truly blame him, he still possessed the self-awareness of being human and felt deep down that this practice was indecent.

Qi Si watched this, having no intention of changing the worldview of his tool. He fished a blade out of his special wristband and tossed it onto the ground.

"A weapon-type item, and a detachable, assemblable one at that..." Zhao Feng picked up the blade, his eyes complex. "You're really lucky. My first instance background was a medieval church; there was nothing but crosses."

Qi Si smiled, a very sincere smile. "Is that so? I thought everyone had weapons. You don't mean to tell me you don't have one?"

"..."

Having accepted a favor, Zhao Feng could only suppress the urge to curse. Holding the blade Qi Si had given him, he began to measure the side of the corpse's waist.

Qi Si nonchalantly shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward the center of the courtyard, taking his old seat at the round table.

On the table were steamed buns and pickled vegetables; compared to the lavish banquet of the previous night, the dishes were much simpler. Three seats remained empty, but Granny Su seemed not to notice, pulling A-Xi to sit at the table and watching the players with a cheerful smile.

Everyone searched their surroundings intentionally or otherwise, but the iron basin that held the God Meat was nowhere to be seen, silently conveying a dire warning.

Qi Si, however, remained calm and collected. The portion of God Meat the bespectacled man hadn't taken was lying quietly in his pocket; theoretically, he could use it to survive one more bout of hunger—he was quite happy to "live on with the dead man's hope."

He helped himself to a bun with his chopsticks, tore it open with the tips, stuffed it with pickled vegetables, and brought it to his mouth to take a bite.

Without that basin of God Meat hovering before his eyes, his appetite was even better than yesterday. He felt that although the farm-style food was simple, the craftsmanship was solid, and both the texture and taste were quite good.

Yang Yundong suddenly stood up and walked straight to Granny Su's side. "Granny Su, why is there no God Meat today?"

After what happened last night, the players were all counting on the God Meat to save their lives.

Granny Su sneered. "Tasting it once is enough for you outsiders; how could you expect to eat it at every meal? It's gone, there is no more God Meat."

Seeing Granny Su's unfriendly expression, Zhu Ling hurriedly walked over as well, saying gently, "Granny Su, you must know that once one has tasted this God Meat, it can never be forgotten. May I ask what we must do so you can give us more?"

Granny Su shook her head incessantly. "It's gone. This old woman has no more meat for you."

The players looked at each other, their faces grim.

They had originally thought that subsequent God Meat would need to be exchanged by completing dangerous side quests, but they hadn't expected that they wouldn't even be given the chance to complete tasks!

Qi Si had already finished his portion of buns and pickled vegetables. Whether it was because the Eerie Game had intentionally beautified it or not, the buns made by this rural household were surprisingly fluffy and soft, leaving a sweet aftertaste when chewed that made one's mouth water.

He suppressed the urge to eat another and looked at Granny Su with a smile. "The Village Chief is still in the village, staying at the 'Village Chief's House,' is he not?"

Granny Su froze, her mouth opening as if she wanted to argue, but no sound came out. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and say, "Yes."

The players simultaneously recalled the "Village Chief's House" landmark on the map in the Travel Guide. Could there be something special about this place?

Qi Si spoke again, his tone chilling. "Granny Su, you told me yesterday that the Village Chief also became an immortal. Is he the same kind of immortal as the one who bestowed the God Meat upon you?"

Granny Su did not speak, but the answer was self-evident. The players signaled to each other with their eyes, and they all had a plan in mind.

--The God Meat had a lead.

Inside the room, Zhao Feng held the blade, hacking messily at the corpse.

He watched with his own eyes as the flesh he cut off turned into points of light that scattered into the air, drifting and fading away like a drop of ink dissolving into a pool of spring water.

[The deceased's body has undergone a certain degree of mutation]
[Please note, mutated meat cannot be harvested]

Lines of prompt text refreshed. Reason told Zhao Feng that the instance mechanics would not allow him to use the dead man's meat as a substitute, and no amount of trying would change that; but emotionally, the desperation of being backed into a corner made it hard for him to accept.

He thought in vain, just one more time, just one more time...

Zhao Feng cut off another piece of meat, but before it could even hit the ground, it turned into nothingness in his hands.

And he could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

"Why, why is it like this?" Zhao Feng completely panicked.

To choose what he thought was a path to survival in a desperate situation, only for reality to tell him "this path is blocked"—what a grotesque joke this was.

Footsteps sounded from behind, and Zhao Feng whipped his head around to see the young man in the white shirt standing by the door against the morning light, a cryptic smile playing on his lips: "Looks like things aren't going too smoothly on your end?"

That smile looked exactly like mockery, and Zhao Feng nearly threw a punch at him. But he managed to maintain his composure, knowing this man was his only ally.

Thus, he described the situation he had encountered. His words were jumbled and chaotic due to his fluctuating emotions, but fortunately, he was able to make the state of affairs clear.

"As expected, then?" Qi Si lowered the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

The Eerie Game would certainly not allow players to muddle through so easily.

He had felt it all along; the players were drifting outside the entire background story. If they could be linked to "Sin" simply by eating God Meat, it would be far too far-fetched.

Now, he had a new hypothesis regarding the mechanics of this dungeon—it remained to be verified, but he was sixty or seventy percent sure.

Qi Si chuckled softly and muttered to himself: "Could it be a 'everyone is guilty' kind of setting?"

Zhao Feng thought he was about to offer some profound insight and hurriedly pricked up his ears, only to hear him make an ill-timed joke: "It seems the ghosts in this dungeon take food safety very seriously; they don't want anything that isn't fresh."

"You motherf..."

"Well then, let's just give them fresh food. Made to order and slaughtered on the spot—sounds good, doesn't it?"

Qi Si's smile was radiant, his eyes curving into crescents, yet the darkness beneath them brewed with surging malice and bloodlust that made one's skin crawl.

Zhao Feng couldn't help but turn solemn, stepping forward to press him: "What do you mean?"

Qi Si retreated outside the door, the smile on his lips fading slightly: "Exactly what I said. I gave you the blade, do you still need to ask?"

Zhao Feng subconsciously tightened his grip on the blade, his face twisting for a fleeting moment.

It was not just because he foresaw the decision he was about to make, but because he realized that when faced with that decision, he didn't feel a shred of guilt or hesitation.

I spent all day yesterday moving into the dorm and got settled in quite late, then I fell asleep at my desk while writing. I woke up, checked the time, and it scared me wide awake...