Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 582 Extraordinary
As a result, several days passed just like that.

For some reason, Zhou You didn't see any enemies at all—not even a hair on the so-called dead. Everything was normal until he finished handing over the mission.

The man who replaced him was bald, and it was said that he was a high-ranking monk who was specially invited from Long'an Temple at a high price. Zhou You only saw him from afar and didn't get a clear look at his appearance, but he was a cultivator after all. Putting aside other things, he could easily deal with some little devils.

So, after receiving his money, Zhou You was treated like a jinx and was impatiently thrown out of the film crew by Aida Maki—along with the stool he usually sat on.

Hu Shuang felt quite apologetic about this, but unfortunately, she was of low status and, because she needed to prepare for the awards ceremony a few days later, she couldn't spare the time to accompany Zhou You. So she could only say no, and then specially booked him a first-class ticket back home.

As a result, Zhou You suddenly found himself with plenty of free time.

To be honest, given the lessons learned from previous experiences, the fact that nothing happened this time was a bit unsettling for Zhou You. Fortunately, he was lazy and easygoing, so after thinking it over, he took the remaining money with a clear conscience and leisurely strolled around Kyoto.

However, this place truly lives up to its reputation as a famous tourist city, with plenty of food and entertainment, especially numerous temples and shrines. Unfortunately, he has never been particularly interested in cultural aspects, especially Japanese culture, so after a few days of superficial sightseeing, he decided to buy some souvenirs and head home.

"Hey boss, how much is this?"

Zhou You picked up a fox-shaped keychain from the stall and asked the old man behind him.

Unfortunately, the other person, whether hard of hearing or something else, just kept smoking and flipping through the newspaper in their hand, without replying.

Zhou You didn't urge him, but after thinking for a moment, he put the keychain down again.

He was mainly buying a gift for the little ghost girl, and he wasn't sure if the little one would like foxes, so after looking around, he found a small black cat-shaped doll and asked her.

"How much is this, boss?"

This time, his words were finally heard clearly. The old man put down his newspaper, looked him over carefully, and then drew five fingers.

"500 yen? That's a bit expensive for something this big. But oh well, I understand the prices at tourist spots. Could you please find me a bag to put it in?"

Unexpectedly.

The old man didn't take the banknotes the man offered; instead, he waved his hand and uttered a few words.

"It's not five hundred, it's five thousand."

Zhou You was taken aback.

But seeing the other person's meaningful smile, he immediately understood what it meant.

—This guy saw that I was a foreigner and was planning to take advantage of me!

Zhou You rolled his eyes, threw the doll onto the stall, and then turned to leave—but after thinking for a moment, he suddenly turned back.

The shopkeeper thought Zhou You wanted to bargain and was about to say something with a smile, but Zhou You simply patted the door and left.

The boss was left scratching his head, puzzled, before finally muttering something.

"Poor bastards should just stay at home quietly, why are you even going on vacation? Bah!"

The old man spat a thick wad of phlegm onto the ground, picked up the newspaper, and prepared to continue reading the gossip, so he could also see...
Without realizing it, the number of people around my stall seemed to have decreased considerably.

Zhou You only breathed a sigh of relief when the stall was out of sight.

He had a sudden inspiration and decided to use the newly acquired Calamity Reduction skill on that unscrupulous merchant—the Calamity Reduction was at the lightest level and didn't consume many Soul Stones or Faith.

The result was surprisingly good.

The fortune surrounding the old man vanished at a visible speed; even if he didn't go bankrupt, he would suffer for quite some time—although he was just an ordinary person, if the disaster reduction level were set to the highest.
In a battle between masters, a single move can be fatal—if you stumble at a crucial moment, it's no small matter as a simple fall!
"It seems this ability isn't as useless as I thought. Without the Death Curse, I do have fewer control methods, which could be a surprising way to win."

However, while he felt relieved, the plan to buy a gift was ruined. As Zhou You was looking around, trying to find a more reputable store...

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something.

He turned around and tilted his head back.

An interview program was playing on a screen in the mall, and the guest happened to be Maki Aida—unlike the universally disliked demon queen on set, she was behaving like a docile and kind-hearted girl—talking about her thoughts on receiving a recent award and her outlook for the future.
But Zhou You wasn't paying attention to these things.

A strange smell wafted through the crowd. Zhou You sniffed, and the Jing Shen Food Potion began to run on its own, analyzing each smell.

The smells of cigarettes, sweat, cosmetics, hamburgers, fruit, cola, and even a hint of marijuana.
But none of these are the main points.

The key point is that there is a rotten smell in it.

The smell of a corpse.

Moreover, it smells like human corpses.

Zhou You immediately thought of the dead stalker—however, when he looked up, he couldn't find anything unusual among the crowd of onlookers.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he suddenly burst out laughing.

"Interesting, are you playing hide-and-seek?"

Normally, he would have already taken the money and left, and everything after that would be none of his business—not to mention that the employer's attitude this time was not very good.

But the problem is
He's always been a busybody, and besides, even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least give her some face. Hu Shuang has always been good to him, so he should at least give her some face first, right?
Zhou You casually pulled out a talisman, looked at the crowd intently watching the screen, shook his head with a smile, and then lit it.

The next moment, a strong wind suddenly arose!

Its momentum was so fierce that no one could react in time; for a moment, gasps, screams, and a cacophony of chaotic sounds blended together—

However, with the help of the wind, Zhou You finally figured out where the taste was coming from.

—He was a man wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, who looked quite ordinary.

However, Zhou You suddenly grinned.

He had seen the stalker's photos; even though the body was rotting beyond recognition, Zhou You's experience allowed him to recognize him at a glance.
That man was the stalker himself!
"Walking corpses, zombies, or puppets that have been resurrected by some kind of magic?"

Zhou You uttered these words softly, and they vanished into the raging wind in the blink of an eye.

However, he knew that the other party must have heard him clearly.

Sure enough, the moment he realized he had been exposed, the man in the trench coat turned and fled without hesitation.

Zhou You didn't rush to chase after them.

This is Kyoto, after all, not a script. There are cameras everywhere, not to mention the constant stream of tourists just walking right there, which is just too conspicuous.

but
A moment later, he smiled, took a step, and walked casually in the direction the other person had fled.

The dragon at the foot of the mountain is also running.

Run for your life.

He didn't know why he was running, but instinct was still driving him to escape.

Originally, he was a typical loser—dropped out of school as a child, unemployed as a young adult, and could only make a living by doing odd jobs every day. He finally managed to save some money, but he spent it all on chasing after celebrities. Even his parents had given up on him.
But what's that saying? When someone's luck is at its worst, there's always a chance for their fortunes to turn around.
He was fortunate enough to seize that opportunity.

In just a few months, he got everything he wanted—money, respect, and even the opportunity to get close to the idol he had been following for a long time.
All he needed to give up were some insignificant things.

First, there was the dog we'd raised for years; then there was my aunt who always looked down on me; next was my dad, who kept telling me to find a stable job; and then there was my mom, who never stopped nagging.
But what did I sacrifice in the end?

My memory is a bit hazy, but they were all trivial matters.

If things continued like this, he would soon have Aida Maki in his grasp—but for some reason, a few days ago, he was suddenly ordered to stop all his actions.

Although they were unwilling, they had to grit their teeth and accept it because everything they had was given to them by the other party.

But who would have thought.

Today, I just had a sudden whim to enjoy watching live streams, but then this 'thing' suddenly popped up?
That's right, Yamashita Ryuya prefers to call that guy 'thing' rather than human.

They had already reached their maximum speed, and with the blessing of God, they had even overtaken many vehicles—yet for some reason, they still couldn't shake off the pursuer behind them.

The other person's pace wasn't fast either, at least compared to mine it was like taking a stroll, yet they were like a persistent leech, impossible to shake off no matter what.

The road became increasingly narrow, and his steps became increasingly frantic—finally, he only realized something was wrong when his body hit the wall.

Unbeknownst to me, I had already reached a dead end.

—Did that guy do that on purpose?
Yamashita Ryuya looked at the dim scenery around him, his expression one of extreme horror—but soon, he suddenly remembered his own situation.

—No, I have already been blessed and am now a being far beyond human beings. Why would I be afraid of such an ordinary person?

With that thought, courage finally returned to his body. He turned around slowly, wanting to face the guy who was relentlessly pursuing him.

However, all he saw was Zhang Ping's calm, slightly smiling face.

That 'thing' is just an ordinary young man?
Yamashita Ryuya suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his head and asked in a harsh voice.

"Why are you following me?"

However, the man did not answer.

The other person merely sized him up for a moment, then smiled and said...

The voice was polite and courteous, with no hint of murderous intent.

"Excuse me, are you Aida Maki's stalker?"

Is it really necessary to speak so bluntly?
Yamashita Ryuya was taken aback, but immediately, evil thoughts arose in his heart.

—He knows me.

—He understands me.

—That's why we have to kill him!!
This killing intent didn't even originate from the brain, but rather from instinct—the next second, Yamashita Ryu, with a ferocious expression, suddenly swung his palm at his opponent.

but.

Faced with this powerful and heavy blow, the opponent simply sighed softly.

The next moment, Yamashita Ryuya only saw a flash of cold light.

Then, as if his arm were no longer connected, it flew up into the air.

It took him several seconds to realize what was happening.

His hand was cut off.

It was cut off so easily and insignificantly.

The courage he had mustered vanished like the tide, and Yamashita Ryuya, clutching his severed arm, began to wail uncontrollably.

However, he didn't even get to cry for long.

Soon, the very thing that had severed his arm was placed across his neck.

The young man opposite him maintained his gentle smile, asking as if he were asking for directions.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Aida Maki's stalker?"

"."

Yamashita Ryu couldn't reply and could only nod frantically.

Fortunately, the young man didn't seem to care too much and continued to ask questions.

"Then let me ask you, how exactly did you come back to life?"

"?"

—What the hell is this guy talking about? When did he die?
Looking at Yamashita Ryuya's expression, the other seemed to understand something and sighed again.

"...Dead and unaware, looks like another idiot. Okay, next question, why were you following Aida Maki?"

This time, Yamashita Ryuya was finally able to speak, and he said in a trembling voice.

"I... I just want to be closer to Ms. Maki. I... I don't mean any harm. I've been her fan since her debut. I like her more than anyone else, but I've never been able to get close to Ms. Maki. If she spends some time with me, she'll definitely know how I feel."

Faced with his incoherent answer, the young man frowned in displeasure and asked again.

"So what do you plan to do to Aida Maki next?"

Yamashita Ryuya was speechless for a moment, but looking at the sharp blade that seemed capable of severing his head at any moment, he still managed to speak.

"I... I was told from above that as long as I get close to Maki-san after the ceremony, she'll be mine. No, no, it's because of my confession, so..."

"Above? And who is above you?"

"Of course."

However, even though those words were on the tip of his tongue, Yamashita Ryuya couldn't bring himself to say them.

He even felt his tongue swelling like an inflating balloon, growing larger and larger until it blocked his throat and even pressed against his trachea.

For some reason, Yamashita Ryuya suddenly thought of a completely unrelated term.

—Bloating after death.

But it was too late.

The next moment, a loud, explosive sound suddenly rang out in the alley!
(End of this chapter)