Chapter 49: A Meal of Meat or Self-Reflection?

Chapter 49: A Meal of Meat or Self-Reflection?

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The youngest daughter of the ghostly mother was overjoyed, feeling a wave of happiness wash over her as she was recognized for the very first time. She clung to Wan Qiu’s arm, her face alight with glee and excitement.

Inside their home, an overpowering, almost suffocating odor hung in the air. Despite this, Wan Qiu found himself entranced by the little girl’s infectious smile, feeling a strange reluctance to leave this peculiar, yet somehow endearing, environment.

Around Wan Qiu, shadows began to gather ominously. Abruptly, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside, followed by the unmistakable noise of someone fiddling with the lock.

The young girl, previously radiating joy, suddenly tensed, her smile fading. She turned to her elder sister, worry creasing her brow, and said in a troubled voice, “Those bad people are back again.”

Alarmed, Wan Qiu hurried to the door and peered through the spyhole. He observed two figures in the corridor, clad in the unmistakable garb of the Investigation Bureau, moving stealthily and marking each door as they passed.

Wan Qiu noted a chilling difference in these investigators compared to Gao Ming. Their attire had eerie black symbols, and their faces were etched with a grim urgency as if they were on a life-or-death mission.

“These investigators...” Wan Qiu mused, sensing something amiss.

The little girl’s anger flared as she recalled, “They’ve been here before. The nosy man living across the hall... they killed him.”

Wan Qiu was puzzled, “Investigators hunting down residents? How can they combat ghosts?”

“They’ve consumed meat, not the kind our mom prepares,” the elder sister explained with a grave tone, gripping her sister’s hand tightly. “But meat from the Shrine Restaurant. Stay inside, be safe and don’t wander.”

As she uttered these words, a knock resounded on their door.

...

Meanwhile, Gao Ming had been patrolling the Sishui Apartment complex for some time, but it was eerily quiet. There were no shouts or cries for help. It seemed like any ordinary building.

“Yan Hua’s usually so impulsive; there should have been some disturbance by now. Could they be hiding from some danger?”

Gao Ming knew his colleagues well; they were a team that typically ignored the unique rules of the building, save for Zhu Miao Miao.

The hallway grew more silent. Aside from Gao Ming and his two companions, it seemed like no other residents were venturing out.

As they descended the stairs, they started noticing greasy marks, and by the time they reached the ground floor, a tantalizing aroma of meat filled the air.

Surprisingly, Gao Ming, who normally showed little interest in food, felt a sudden hunger.

No guide was needed; the alluring scent beckoned them onward.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.

Gaze fixated on the glistening and quivering meat, he took a seat, and without the use of chopsticks, he began devouring the flesh, seemingly enraptured by its flavor, the juices dripping down his hand.

As he chewed, his eyes lost all sense of reason, and his feasting became frenzied. He devoured not just the meat but also started biting into his own sauce-covered hand.

As the investigator gnawed and gnawed, blood began to mix with the juices, creating a gruesome sight. He looked down at his palm, now maimed and bleeding, his eyes vacant and haunted. Within them, black characters seemed to writhe and shift unsettlingly.

With a sense of disorientation, the investigator rose and staggered towards the door.

Zhu Miao Miao, visibly disturbed by the aroma of the meat in the restaurant, which seemed to stir deep, unspoken cravings within her, suggested, “Should we follow him to see where he’s going?” She felt an urgent need to escape the restaurant’s influence.

As they geared up to trail the investigator, the restaurant door inexplicably slammed shut on its own.

Though seemingly mundane, the door resisted all efforts to open it, defying Gong Xi’s persistent attempts.

“Are we trapped here until we eat?” Bewildered and overwhelmed by the meat’s scent, Zhu Miao Miao swung her fire axe at the door in desperation.

The dull thud that followed suggested the axe had struck something more akin to thick flesh than wood. Shockingly, the door remained intact, oozing blood from the axe’s impact.

Zhu Miao Miao raised her axe for another strike, but Gong Xi halted her, his voice urgent, “Look around! The walls... they’re moving in on us!” Indeed, the restaurant’s walls appeared to be slowly closing in, the space around them growing ever smaller.

The blood from the door added to the already potent meat aroma, making it almost unbearable.

“What would you like to eat?” came the unbothered voice from the kitchen, ignoring their attempts to escape and inviting them to order.

The overwhelming scent of meat was now affecting them all, especially Gao Ming, who felt a deep, almost primal hunger, both physical and psychological. It was as if invisible forces were tearing at their very souls, distorting their true selves.

Zhu Miao Miao’s eyes, now bloodshot, fixated on the plate from which the investigator had eaten. She shakily reached out, tempted to taste the remnants.

“Gao Ming!” In a swift motion, he shattered the plate and grasped Zhu Miao Miao’s hands, preventing her from succumbing to her urges.

“Why resist your own desires?” The voice from the kitchen was laced with enticement. “If you’re hungry, come and see for yourself in the back kitchen. You’ll come to love this place.”

“What kind of meat are you actually serving here?” Gong Xi, terrified yet unable to suppress his own craving for meat, questioned. He had never consumed meat from the building due to his grandmother’s teachings, but now found himself battling an overwhelming desire to indulge, even to the extent of self-consumption.

“Have you ever noticed how many residents in this building are missing body parts? Ever wondered where those parts end up?” The man in the kitchen chuckled darkly. “It’s all voluntary. They willingly trade their own flesh.”

“They’re consuming... parts of their own bodies?”

“No, they offer their flesh, but what they eat is the manifestation of their deepest desires,” the man corrected, his voice growing more sinister. “When all is permissible for trade, people dare to try anything in desperate times. That’s the essence of human nature.”