Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 632 Trading
Zhou You carefully examined the suit.

Unlike the goat-headed demon and the little girl, this man in the suit didn't exude any murderous aura. He simply sat there, his demeanor as if he were casually greeting a guest.

Seeing that Zhou You didn't speak, the man in the suit who identified himself as the mall owner spoke again.

"I sincerely apologize for the impact I caused earlier—as you know, in this day and age, it's really difficult to manage employees. Especially when everyone is trapped on their own floor and can't leave, I'm even less able to discipline them."

This person was very talkative, but his words were also very polite.

At this point, Zhou You suddenly interrupted.

"No need for apologies. After all, we came here uninvited. We have a few questions we'd like to ask the boss. Could you please help us answer them?"

The man in the suit stuck out one sleeve and made a casual gesture.

"Please say."

"First of all, who exactly are those two guys downstairs?"

The man in the suit was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"As I just mentioned, she's just one of my employees. Chef Hu is in charge of the catering department. Although he's a bit short-tempered, his cooking skills are undeniable, and he's very loyal. Several big restaurants in the province have tried to recruit him, but he hasn't accepted. As for the one at the amusement park, she's my sister-in-law. She's over forty and still unmarried. She's quite sharp-tongued and mean, but I can't fire her because of my wife."

"However, that girl looked like a six or seven-year-old girl."

Upon hearing this, the man in the suit burst out laughing—though his expression was unreadable, he was clearly laughing.

“Friends, at this point, it’s not difficult to peel off a new skin, especially for us. Changing bodies is as simple as eating and drinking for you.”

"Then why don't you change it?"

The man in the suit shrugged.

"I guess it's just a habit. Once you've worn the same outfit for a long time, changing into something else just doesn't feel right."

The two chatted idly, leaving Wang Xiaoer, who was standing nearby, completely bewildered.

You're chatting and laughing with a weirdo, or even a complete mutant, a weirdo who's the ruler of a region? Dude, just how brave are you?

Zhou You pretended not to see the astonished look on her face and asked the next question.

"Then, secondly, why did you become like this?"

The man in the suit answered very smoothly, without any reservations.

"I don't know—our business used to be pretty good. Although the new department store next door has taken away a lot of customers, we still have a good reputation and many regular customers come to patronize us."

Whether it was because he hadn't talked to anyone for too long, or because he was just naturally talkative, the man in the suit unknowingly went off-topic again—until quite a while later, he suddenly realized and brought the topic back on track.

"Uh, where were we? Right, I really don't know. After the blood moon rose that day, we all passed out, and when we woke up, we looked like this."

Zhou You asked slowly.

"So you mean, you were all human before?"

The man in the suit answered with a smile.

"Not only us, but the vast majority of strange creatures are transformed humans."

Zhou You remained silent, and when he spoke again, his words were devoid of any emotion.

"If you are human, why do you kill your own kind?"

The man in the suit burst out laughing.

“Friend, I know what you want to say, but I have to tell you this: the moment we are transformed, we lose all our human characteristics.”

As it continued speaking, its voice gradually became louder.

"You probably don't understand what this feels like—yes, that's right, I still have all the memories from before. I remember the career I fought for, I remember the little things in life, and I still remember my beloved wife—but that's all."

When it got excited, it started gesturing with its hands and feet.

"Besides that, there's nothing else—things like torture, manipulation, turning living humans into various devices, to be honest, are all driven by instinct. Even if my human memories tell me that it's wrong, my instincts still drive me to do it."

"—Just like breathing, let me ask you, can a normal human being live in this world without breathing? And the same applies to us."

Zhou You slowly uttered three words.

"Pleasure offender?"

"You can interpret it that way if you want, but as I said, even if it's not out of desire, but for survival, we have to do it."

Silence fell again.

Wang Xiaoer looked at Zhou You, unsure whether the man would make a move—but a few minutes later, Zhou You smiled.

He didn't pursue the matter further, but instead asked a third question.

"So, what are the goods being traded here? How can we get out?"

Wang Xiaoer was stunned.

Wait a minute, are you really that direct?

But to everyone's surprise, the man in the suit spread his hands and gave the same clean and crisp answer.

"The commodity being traded is very simple: human lives."

Zhou You directly denied it.

"But we've tried trading with human lives many times before, and none of them have succeeded."

The man in the suit waved his hand as if it were in the air.

"No, no, no, we don't accept simple human lives. Or rather, the human lives we need are very special."

"What special law?"

"The life of someone you love most and cherish most."

"What do you mean?"

The man in the suit explained with a smile.

"That's not complicated—it's about loving someone so much that you're willing to sacrifice everything for them, just so they can live a peaceful life."

Zhou You thought for a moment, then suddenly gave a mocking smile.

"You're playing word traps. Putting aside how many people would bring their precious ones to such a horrible place, the sacrifice alone is practically impossible to achieve—if they're willing to use someone as a bargaining chip, they're definitely not their closest loved ones; if they're not, then the deal can't be completed at all—seriously, is it even possible to achieve this condition?"

Surprisingly, the man in the suit gave an affirmative answer.

Yes, there is, although there is only one.

How did they achieve this?

The man in the suit leaned back in his chair and said nostalgically.

"They were a couple who seemed to have a seriously ill child and urgently needed money for medical expenses. Our store is a comprehensive shopping mall with a wide variety of goods, so they approached us. Unfortunately, they weren't very skilled and failed to steal anything; we caught them."

"The husband is a fairly straightforward person, not very cunning, but the wife is very clever. She actually guessed our terms of the deal in just a few words. To be honest, at that time I really wanted to switch her and let her manage the second level, so that I wouldn't have to put in so much effort."

Seeing that the man in the suit had gone off-topic again, Zhou You frowned and brought him back on track.

"What happens after that?"

"after?"

The man in the suit raised his sleeve, seemingly making a scratching motion on his forehead.

"The wife used a series of inducements to trick her husband into saying the word 'transaction,' so we had no choice but to turn her into merchandise—of course, I'm a person who values ​​talent, and even though the transaction isn't over, the relationship remains, so I didn't even keep her soul, just turned her body into a shelf—but the husband seemed unable to bear the shock, and seeing that he had sold his wife with his own hands, he couldn't help but commit suicide."

He spoke of it so casually, as if it were something completely ordinary.

Zhou You looked at the man in the suit, then let out a breath.

"So, what do you plan to have us do?" The man in the suit laughed.

"Don't be so nervous, I just want to make a deal with you."

Zhou You also curled the corners of his mouth into a smirk.

"Excuse me, I don't remember having anyone I cherish in this world. Oh, no, I think I do have a younger sister, but she didn't come with me. Are you suggesting I sell this little guy next to me?"

"Varied--"

Before Wang Xiaoer could exclaim in surprise, the man in the suit waved his arm.

"You've only known him for half a day. Although you're a very chivalrous person, there's no way he could be considered a commodity in a transaction."

"So what do you mean by this 'deal'?"

The man in the suit sat up and leaned halfway over the table.

Then, the laughter became increasingly malicious.

"Of course, rules are rules. As the owner of the mall, I always have a few privileges. By the way, you're planning to get this, right?"

As they were speaking, something was already floating in mid-air.

That was half a finger.

Upon seeing this thing, Zhou You's brows furrowed.

As if oblivious to the cold gaze, the man in the suit continued to laugh.

"I remember this thing is called the remains of a saint, right? It's a good thing. Just wearing it can slow down the erosion. The more you wear, the stronger the effect. But it's not very useful to us. We can't digest it if we eat it. It will also cause us to slowly weaken. We can only use it as a venting tool to torture ourselves. Otherwise, we wouldn't have let that kid pick up the other half."

As they spoke, the hand made of air suddenly tightened its grip.

The severed finger also instantly twisted!
"do not want!"

However, it was not Zhou You who shouted these words.

It was Wang Xiaoer.

Zhou You just watched the other person's movements, his expression calm as if it weren't his own body at all.

After a while, he spoke.

"what do you want?"

Unexpectedly, the man in the suit suddenly burst into laughter.

Then, he actually let go of his fingers and threw it over.

Zhou You reached out and took it, looking at him.

The man in the suit continued to laugh.

“I told you, this is a transaction. As for what you’re trading for, the thing you’re going to do next, that’s my reward.”

"."

Zhou You stared at the man in the suit, seemingly trying to glean something from the air—but in the end, he shook his head.

"So even monsters can kill each other?"

"Look at what you're saying, don't humans kill each other more often?" the man in the suit retorted sarcastically, then continued, "Of course, normally we would scheme against each other, but unless our own territory is invaded, we wouldn't fight each other like this. But things are different now."

"What's the difference?"

"Because the low tide is coming soon."

Zhou You had never heard of this term before; even the mayor and Ijon had never mentioned it.

"What is that thing?"

However, the man in the suit, who had always been responsive, did not answer the question and instead changed the subject.

"By the way, I was planning to throw this finger away anyway, so it's not really a trade item. Anyway, this is a shopping mall, so you two can each pick one thing, and I'll treat it as a sale to you."

Just then, the man in the suit pushed a shopping list over.

Zhou You really wanted to ask what this 'dry tide' was—it seemed to be closely related to the script—but unfortunately, the man in the suit didn't seem to be planning to answer.

So he had no choice but to accept the list—but immediately, the system's voice rang in his ears.

"Congratulations, player. You have met the requirements and will unlock the store list for Jiajiale Shopping Plaza."

"This purchase is free, but you can only choose one item from the list."

Words that sound both familiar and strange.

Come to think of it, I haven't opened a shop in the script since that witch at the very beginning, right?

Zhou You didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was the same as what the old woman gave him—just some items to help him pass the level. But after taking a closer look, he suddenly showed a surprised expression.

To be honest, it's a really challenging script, and the rewards they give out are quite generous.

The first thing that catches the eye is a purple item.

"Human skin coat"

Grade: Purple

"Effect: When worn, it will greatly increase the wearer's physical resistance. At the same time, most damage received (excluding limb amputation, disability, and curse corruption) will heal faster. Each scenario has three uses, which can be achieved at the cost of a large amount of human tissue to forcibly increase all of the wearer's attributes for 15 minutes."

"Curse: Become One"

"Effect: Once this item is worn, it cannot be removed unless a specific method is found. Over time, the item will gradually fuse with the wearer, causing intense pain and significantly increasing the level of contamination."

Made from the finest parts of twelve individuals, this piece is both prestigious and elegant, making it the perfect choice for your winter wardrobe.

To be fair, although it's only a purple-grade item, in terms of its effects, it's comparable to many silver-grade items.

However, Zhou You has never been interested in such strange things, and although the curse was delayed, it was still quite troublesome, so he simply skipped it.

The next one is a musical instrument.

"A violin that houses the soul"

Grade: Orange.

"Effect: The user needs to have a certain knowledge of musical instruments. When this instrument is played, all hostile beings in the vicinity will be affected by mental disorder (if they have any rationality), and will randomly suffer one of the following states: 'silence,' 'fear,' 'madness,' or 'delirium.' The duration and intensity of mental disorder will be limited by the strength of the hostile beings themselves."

"Please note that this item may upgrade and gain more uses as the user's skill level in playing the instrument increases."

"Curse: Whispers"

"Effect: Every time the strings are pulled, the user will be affected by the soul within. The longer the performance lasts, the more likely they are to lose their reason and eventually become a puppet of the soul."

In the stillness of the night, this object always suddenly plays a tune.

The effect of this is a bit abnormal.

Large-scale group control has few prerequisites and is also scalable—most importantly, the curse effect is not strong; a short performance time is basically negligible, while a long performance time can be countered by having a teammate nearby to wake the curse up.

Amidst a sea of ​​terrifying things, this is a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, Zhou You himself knew nothing about music theory, so he had to skip it.

Then, he flipped through a few more pages, and his gaze finally settled on something.

"Training brass knuckles for fighters"

"Rank".

"silver!"

(End of this chapter)