Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 7 Ghosts Die for Money
"Crack!"

The table, which had been turned over countless times, suddenly popped open a corner, revealing a hidden compartment that had never existed before.

There are three things in it.

— Just three very simple things.

One of the items was a cleaver with a blunt blade and a heavy iron chain attached to the handle. The blade was covered in rust, and dried blood and bits of flesh were scattered all over it. Even from half a meter away, you could smell the stench.

The other item was a meat grinder. It looked quite ordinary, but it appeared to have undergone some rudimentary modifications. Zhou You couldn't tell exactly how it had been modified, but judging from the dark yellow marks on the outlet, its purpose had likely changed from grinding meat to extracting fat.

The last item was a soldering iron. Although it was quite old, it still seemed to be working properly, and it was also the only item that was relatively well preserved.

They all looked like common items found in the market, but unfortunately, Zhou You had just seen that candle and the note specifically marked on it.

Hair as the core, yin oil as the base, two pounds of flesh and blood, one candle—cheap and affordable, honest and trustworthy.

The arm of a normal adult male, after removing the bone, weighs approximately four pounds.

Therefore, it goes without saying what the other party wants him to do.

After a while, Zhou You suddenly grinned.

There was no panic, fear, or despair in that smile; instead, it was like a neighbor greeting someone, showing only the usual calm and composure.

"No wonder the previous resident went crazy. After all, being stripped of all flesh and blood and then squeezed into oil is something most people can't endure. But it seems something happened to him on the fifth floor, causing him to fail at the last minute and ultimately die a tragic death in this haunted building. As for the reason for his failure..."

Zhou You picked up the cleaver, fiddled with it casually for a moment, but didn't use it. Instead, he glanced at the candle.

"Is it because the portion size is insufficient?"

he said to himself.

"Since such a crafting manual was specially created, and with the 'Shattered Existence' talent that seemed to have been specially given just now, I'll make a bold prediction here—if I want to escape this apartment building, I must first learn from this former resident and dislocate one of my arms. Then, relying on the candle he left behind and the two newly crafted ones, plus the talent I just obtained, I can barely escape."

At this moment, Zhou You looked up at the sealed window.

"So, am I right?"

No one answered.

However, Zhou You didn't expect any answer. He casually tossed the cleaver aside and prepared to proceed with his next move—

But just then, a familiar sense of unease returned.

The filth and grime vanished in an instant, replaced by a clean and tidy environment. A faint scent of aromatherapy filled the room. Stepping outside, all the neighbors greeted me with smiles. The landlady was as kind and approachable as ever, warmly inviting me to a simple meal. Everyone in the building cared for and supported each other—so why abandon such a wonderful community to return to that lonely reality? Think about it: your last remaining loved one is gone, and you've endured so much suffering. Forget it all; you can forget everything.
Zhou You suddenly clenched his teeth.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my mouth.

The strong smell of blood filled his throat, but Zhou You didn't care. He simply loosened his teeth that had just torn his tongue, raised his head, and although he still had a smiling face, there was no smile in his eyes.

A moment later, the mechanical voice sounded.

"You have been corrupted and your sanity has been impaired. Your current sanity is 75/100."

"Please note that the longer you stay in this instance, the deeper the corruption will occur, until you become completely integrated with the instance, so please complete the game as soon as possible."

This is yet another very obvious restriction.

But Zhou You didn't pay any attention to him this time. He simply extinguished the candle, saved the game, and then walked straight out of the house.

However, this time he did not rush upstairs.

Zhou You did have a way to get around the fourth floor, but he still remembered very clearly that the key chain for the entire apartment building was still in the landlady's hands. Even though he had candles now, he still had to find a way to get his hands on the key to the fifth floor first.

"Fortunately, it's not too difficult to survive. After all, although this guy is an instant-death monster, his weaknesses are too obvious."

"Disability, blindness, and most importantly, greed."

Zhou You muttered to himself as he closed the rusty, unusually heavy iron door, then pulled it a few more times to make sure it was locked. Suddenly, he raised his leg, spun around, and kicked upwards with tremendous force! The thick sole of his shoe struck the steel with a loud clang—several piercing screams erupted from the apartment doors below, but the sounds immediately fell silent as if sensing something.

Soon, accompanied by the sound of a prosthetic leg hitting the ground, the landlord, with a cold face, walked up.

—It took about two minutes.

Zhou You silently noted down the data in his mind, and then, the moment the other person saw him, he immediately put on an expression that was half frightened and half ingratiating, and hurriedly went to greet him. He kept muttering to himself in a panic.

"Landlady, I'm so sorry, I accidentally closed the door just now. I was in a hurry to call my parents to help with the rent, and in my excitement, I really broke the rules by accident. Please believe me!"

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, the landlord's face grew increasingly impatient, and his mouth grew wider and wider, the maggots wriggling as if they were about to transform into sharp, menacing fangs. But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, his movements suddenly ceased.

"You mean the rent?"

Because its upper and lower jaws have split open by nearly twice their original size, its speech is somewhat indistinct.

Zhou You nodded hastily, as if grasping at a lifeline.

"Yes, yes, rent! It's the rent. I'll be able to raise the money soon. I'll definitely give it to you. Please forgive me this once, just this once!"

Upon hearing this, the landlady finally shut her mouth. She first glanced at Zhou You, whose face was full of fear, and revealed a mocking smile before shakily taking out her keychain from her waist.

"Remember what you said. This is a one-time offer. If you bother me again next time, I'll have to start charging you 'interest' in advance. Oh, and don't forget what you said: pay the rent for the second half of the year early."

Seeing Zhou You nod in agreement again, the landlady finally began searching with satisfaction. However, due to poor lighting and eyesight, she had to rub her eyes several times before she finally found the spare key for room 304.

But just as she inserted the key into the lock and turned it off, an unexpected thing happened.

As if he had just been too frightened, Zhou You was still somewhat disoriented. Before the landlord could even open the door, he hurriedly tried to pull it open himself—

As expected, due to the interaction of forces, the landlord and he collided, both tumbling head over heels in front of the door. The keychain also slipped from their grasp and fell to the side. But the landlady didn't rush to pick it up. She slowly raised her head, looking at Zhou You with her distorted pupils, chuckling coldly, seemingly wanting to teach him a lesson he would never forget—

But before he could take action, he suddenly saw something bright red.

That's money.

The amount wasn't very large, but it was enough to make a noticeable impression.

—This is also the money that Zhou You had specifically saved up in half.

Dozens of hundred-yuan bills were scattered on the ground. Under the light of the corridor lights, their bright colors seemed to penetrate the eyes and gradually seep into people's hearts.

"my money!"

The feigned scream was barely begun before the landlady silenced it with a vicious glare.

"What do you mean, your money? This is my money! It's the rent I collected in advance!"

The monster couldn't care less about 'educating' Zhou You at this moment. It looked at the dusty banknotes and hurriedly started groping on the ground—but due to its poor eyesight, it couldn't find many after searching for a long time. So, it glared at someone next to it and scolded, "What are you standing there like a wooden stake for? Hurry up and pick them up for me!"

Zhou You's face flushed red and then turned pale, but faced with that overwhelming power, he could only squat down on the ground like a deflated balloon.

A few minutes later, the landlady casually fastened her keychain, pocketed a large wad of cash, and left the third floor satisfied.

Of course, Zhou You, who was completely bankrupt, wasn't too sad; in fact, he was quite satisfied.

Once he was sure the monster was completely gone, the shame on his face vanished like a receding tide. He then smiled broadly, rummaged in his pocket for a moment, and pulled out a key.

A key covered in grease, marked with 'fifth floor'.

This is something he accidentally 'picked up' while the landlady was picking up money, taking advantage of her poor eyesight.

Several thousand dollars were spent to replace this broken key.

This deal.
I don't know what others think, but Zhou You feels that what he did was very worthwhile.

(End of this chapter)