ICUGW Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Man-Eating Hot Pot Restaurant (3)

The man's appearance was too sudden, Zhu Ning didn't have time to react. The two were too close to each other that she could even see the pores on his pig nose.

'Last time it was a fish man, this time it's... a pig man?'

The owner of the hot pot restaurant seems to be a pig-headed butcher...

Zhu Ning's helmet automatically notified:

[It has been confirmed that cleaner Zhu Ning has entered a contaminated area.

The pollution level is roughly estimated to be Class C.

Please report to the cleaning center's technical department.]

[The pollution concentration rate has reached 99%.

The contaminated area is estimated to be 5,000 cubic meters in size. Living contaminants are detected inside.]

[The contaminated area is growing and the pollution concentration is constantly changing. Please pay attention to safety when cleaning up.]

Zhu Ning discovered that this new helmet was different from the one she had used before. It was smarter and could automatically detect and report data internally, eliminating the need to calculate the pollution concentration herself.

Compared to last time, when she was still a complete rookie, Zhu Ning now understands the various data presented to her.

Currently, the pollution concentration is 99%, but based on Zhu Ning's previous experience, it will rise rapidly as outsiders continue to interact with the contaminants inside.

Additionally, the contaminated area was the size of two swimming pools. It was even larger than the sewers she had went to last time. This was quite unusual. Sewers were large, so it's understandable that the contaminated area was also large. But, how big could a hot pot restaurant be for it to be larger than sewers?

As for the pollution area rating, since Zhu Ning hasn't reported the area to the cleaning center, the helmet could only give a rough estimate of Class C. Even so, it was still more dangerous than her first mission.

Then it appeared again: the black lines squiggling in the air, visible yet untouchable.

Zhu Ning saw these lines on the last train of Line 1 last time. In her opinion, it felt like background effects for contaminated areas...

Zhu Ning looked back and found that the stairs she had come down from were gone. Behind her was pitch black nothingness, but at the same time, it also feels like something was wriggling in the darkness.

There was no way back.

The contaminated area expanded. Zhu Ning was trapped again. She had lost contact with the outside world.

Pig man: "What's the matter?"

He had a low voice and his pronunciation was very strange, as if his voice didn't come from his throat.

Zhu Ning said calmly, "I'm here to apply."

She had taken classes for witchers. Contaminants would retain their behavior from before they were contaminated. For example, the fish man would continue to look for the last train because it was the last thing it had done before it was contaminated.

The easiest way to enter a contaminated area is not to force your way in, but to wait for the contaminant to "invite" you.

The job recruitment notice posted on the rolling door provided Zhu Ning with a perfect reason for invitation.

"Applying for a job?" The pig man looked at her.

Zhu Ning has figured out some rules when it comes to contaminated ares: do normal things when in an abnormal place.

Zhu Ning: "Yes, I'm applying for the cashier position."

Zhu Ning doesn't have years of experience under her belt, so she can't apply for the position of store manager, but her bachelor's degree in mechanics is more than enough for her to be a cashier.

The pig man fell silent. He stood there for three full minutes like a stuck robot.

He didn't say a word or even blink for three minutes. Zhu Ning guessed that he didn't want outsiders to enter the hot pot restaurant, but he couldn't find a reason to refuse her.

A few minutes later, the pig man gave in and said, "Come in."

Sure enough.

Zhu Ning summed up another law of contaminants: as long as you conform to the other party's logic, he can't refuse you.

Click—

The rolling shutter door fell behind Zhu Ning, and this time she was really trapped.

Each contaminated area is different, but they all share some common underlying logic. If a person enters a contaminated area, the contaminants inside will find ways to contaminate the person.

If Zhu Ning wasn't wearing work clothes, contamination would be simple. As long as a contaminated spore landed on her body, she would be contaminated.

So the behavior of contaminants are predictable: they will either try every means possible to take off the clothes on her body and break down her defenses, or they will mentally pollute her, gradually making her crazy.

Zhu Ning stepped into the hot pot restaurant, and the first thing she noticed was that the restaurant was very strange.

As a hotpot restaurant, it was very quiet and everyone was just eating, no one was talking.

There were a total of twenty-eight tables in the lobby, all of which were already full. The red oil hot pot in the center of each table were all boiling, while the guests were eating with smiles on their faces.

Their eating styles were bizarre. Some people even dipped their arms into the red oil hot pot without anyone batting an eye. Not to mention that the food on their tables were far from delicious; the meat was rotten, she could see maggots crawling around and flies flying everywhere.

A customer in front of Zhu Ning put the tripe into the hot pot as if they didn't see anything. They didn't even boil it for a second before stuffing the rotten tripe into their mouth.

Then they smiled happily.

There were also tables with meat Zhu Ning couldn't identify. It was pitch-black, rotten slab of a mass. Looking at it was disgusting, but smelling it was a different topic. If Zhu Ning dared to close her eyes, the scent would be enough to have her eat those unidentifiable meat.

The dishes all exuded a fragrant aroma different from any hot pot Zhu Ning had ever eaten.

She also wants to try it.

It should be okay to try it...

Right?

Zhu Ning was suddenly startled. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a hot pot table and was about to reach out and pick up chopsticks to taste the food.

Mental pollution. Normal people doing abnormal things means mental pollution.

The more normal the actions were, the more a person would let down their guard. If someone kills someone here, the person will only be scared because the brain recognizes that killing is a terrifying thing.

But eating hot pot and catching the last train were normal actions that seem very harmless and can make people relax their vigilance.

'Isn't it okay to try it?'

If you think like that, you'll be easily contaminated.

The system in Zhu Ning's mind didn't prompt her that her mental state had dropped, but even so, she was affected. It was hard to imagine what would happen if Li Nianchuan was here.

"Boss," Zhu Ning asked, "where should I report to work?"

Pig man: "I'm not the boss, I'm the acting store manager, Yang Tao."

'Not the boss? Oh right, the boss must be sick.'

Yang Tao: "Come with me."

Zhu Ning followed Yang Tao to a counter. He pointed at the cash register and said, "You will work here."

Zhu Ning asked, "Starting now? No orientation?"

Yang Tao glared at Zhu Ning and asked, "You don't know how to use a cash register?"

Why does this feel like falsifying skill proficiency on her resume, and was hired because of it. But now that she was working for the company, the company found out that she was actually a fraud?

Zhu "Shameless" Ning: "I know how to."

Yang Tao: "Then work."

After working as a garbage cleaner whose salary per day exceeds ten thousand, she felt very uncomfortable being exploited again. Here, she didn’t sign a contract, wasn’t guided on the procedures, and then she was forced to start working directly within five minutes of getting hired.

The troubles of a worker!

After Yang Tao finished speaking, he went into the kitchen. From there, the sound of chopping meat could be heard.

There were not many employees in the hotpot restaurant, and the acting manager had to take on several duties. Zhu Ning could tell from the sound of chopping meat that he was chopping large pieces of meat. She doesn't know what it was and she didn't want to know what it was.

Zhu Ning was silent for a minute in front of the cash register. She swept garbage during the day and worked as a cashier in a cannibalistic hot pot restaurant at night.

Fortunately, the cash register wasn't difficult to operate. It opened after randomly pushing two buttons. After it opened, Zhu Ning wanted to close it back.

The inner compartments of the cash register drawer were filled with fingers of varying sizes.

The fingers were carefully classified according to size and thickness. Some still had rings on , some were broken and still bleeding. Some fingers were even twitching slightly.

Are these the currency of the hot pot restaurant? "Come Again, Okay? Hot Pot Restaurant,"? More like, "You'll Be the Next Dish Hot Pot Restaurant."

This was also a kind of mental pollution. If you look at the fingers for a long time, those fingers will wriggle wildly in the drawer as if they were alive. Then when you look away and look back again, you'll feel crazy.

Zhu Ning stuffed the cashier drawer back into the register. She felt that this hot pot restaurant was more upscale than the sewer, and the props were more complicated. No wonder it was a Class C mission.

The latest pollution data was displayed inside the helmet:

[Pollution concentration: 108%]

The cashier position is actually pretty useless because the diners does not seem like they would pay for their meals. They just sit in their seats and eat as much as they can.

Zhu Ning observed for a while and found something was wrong. The diners were not happy. They just kept smiling, but smiling does not necessarily equate to happiness.

They ate a lot. Eating meat without stopping and without talking, made their stomachs more and more swollen, as if they were pregnant.

Puff—

Zhu Ning heard a slight sound. One of the diner's stomach burst open; the meat in his stomach flowed out of his body. Even so, the diner was still eating with a smile on his face.

'Were they trapped here by something?'

Zhu Ning frowned. It was not the diners who were eating the hot pot, but the hot pot that was eating the diners.

After the diner's stomach split open, a mass of broken and rotten meat flowed out. They were moving slowly, eating the diner's internal organs and skin bit by bit.

The diner stared blankly at the rotten meat eating his flesh without any reaction.

It was disguting. This was no longer a question of whether this scene was mental pollution or not. It was just purely disgusting.

She had to admit that it was quite effective.

[Mental value decreased by 1%]

She has to get out early.

If there were no survivors inside, Zhu Ning could simply blow up the hot pot restaurant to complete the task, but there were survivors inside. So, Zhu Ning could only follow the traditional way–looking for the source of pollution.

According to the description of the Noble Queen's shop owner, the source of pollution might be the owner of the hot pot restaurant, but how can she contact the owner?

Zhu Ning decided to go to the kitchen to ask Yang Tao. She couldn't really stay and work at the cash register, since hot pot restaurant wouldn't really pay her.

Zhu Ning left her post without permission and went into the kitchen. It was very dark, so Zhu Ning's helmet automatically turned on the night vision function. Because the hot pot restaurant was open all year round, the whole kitchen was filled with the smell of oil.

The floor was covered in old grease and was very slippery. The walls were blackened and yellowed from the oil; if she touched them with two fingers she could pick off a sticky mass.

The structure behind the hot pot restaurant was very intricate. A very long corridor with four rooms on both sides, and at the end of the corridor and was a staircase leading to the basement.

To Zhu Ning's left should be the kitchen, from which the sound of chopping meat could be heard. To her right should be the freezer room, used to store meat.

Zhu Ning had no idea what was in the other rooms. Just as she was about to explore, a hand suddenly stretched out from the darkness and grabbed her wrist accurately.

Zhu Ning's hair suddenly stood on end. She instinctively reached for her gun.

'No, I shouldn't use my gun. Disturbing the source of the pollution could lead to it hiding deeper.'

But the hand that touched her was very cold and oily.

Zhu Ning caught a flash of cold light from the corner of her eye.

An axe.

Someone was standing quietly behind the curtain blocking the room. They were holding an axe, while the other hand grabbed Zhu Ning's wrist.

"What are you doing?" It was Yang Tao.

Zhu Ning took a deep breath.

'Act cool. Act normal. Don't make a fuss.'

Zhu Ning continued to brainwash herself.

Her danger perception was not triggered, proving that it was not dangerous at the moment.

"I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."

This excuse was perfect. There was only Yang Tao, the sole worker in the store, and he was in the kitchen chopping meat alone. It seemed normal for her to offer to help.

Sure enough, Yang Tao loosened his hand. He was silent for a moment, then turned and left.

Zhu Ning didn't rush into the kitchen, fearing that seeing something disgusting would cause her to lose her cool.

There was a rustling sound inside before Yang Tao came out. He handed Zhu Ning a black garbage bag and said, "Go take out the trash."

Taking out the trash is Zhu Ning’s main job.

Zhu Ning took the garbage bag and felt something was moving in it as soon as she held it. Whatever it was, it was twitching slightly, rubbing against the plastic bag and making a slight noise.

"What is this?" Zhu Ning maintained her grip and fought the urge to throw away the garbage bag on the spot.

Yang Tao: "It's rotten meat. It can't be eaten."

"The trash can is at the back door, go out from here." Yang Tao pointed to a door.

That was the third door on the left. It turned out that the door would not lead to a room, but to the back door. Now, she knew what were behind the three rooms. Only five remained.

Zhu Ning held the garbage bag. Her face expressionless like she had been throwing garbage for ten years.

She followed Yang Tao's instructions: pushed open the third door, walked through a three-meter-long corridor, and successfully arrived at the back door.

Because the entire hot pot restaurant was half-embedded underground, even after walking out of the restaurant, she did not reach the real ground. She felt like she was in a deep pit.

There was a trash can at the back door, and the trash were even sorted out. Zhu Ning wanted to see what kind of meat was in the garbage bag, but her mind told her not to open it.

Curiosity killed the cat. Better not risk it.

She threw the entire black garbage bag into the trash can. The moment she closed the bin, Zhu Ning heard a short scream, then silence.

What was that? Was the trash can alive?

'If the trash can was alive, then throwing rotten meat in it... feels like feeding it, no?'

Zhu Ning stared at the dark trash can, still trying to figure out what secrets were hidden in it.

But a slight thud interrupted her thoughts, goosebumps rising in her arms. The black trash can reflected a sudden cold light. She had seen that cold light earlier: the gleam of metal when light reflects on its surface.

An axe!

When did it come? Why so quietly?

She suddenly remembered what was said in the Witcher course: contaminants occupy the main territory in the contaminated area. The pig man was the host, and Zhu Ning was the guest.

The host controls the main territory.

It was too late to escape.

At that moment, Zhu Ning saw blood spurting out. The axe struck her neck accurately, severing half of her neck with one blow. Zhu Ning's eyes widened, and her body fell forward uncontrollably.

The black trash can began to shake violently. Something was climbing out.

Zhu Ning was just about to stand up and fight back when the lid of the black trash can opened and a large number of tentacles crawled out from it. The tentacles wrapped around Zhu Ning's body and dragged her into the darkness.

Boom—

There was another slight sound, but everything happened so suddenly. Her mind blanked.

[Primary Talent: Danger Premonition triggered.

30 second advance warning has been sent.

Please pay attention to safety.]

When she came to her senses again, the gleam of the axe was still high up in the air, her neck was still attached, and her body was still intact.

So what had she just seen? A preview of her own death?

So this was her talent...a preview of how she'd be killed in 30 seconds.

A fancy death notice.

Zhu Ning didn't even have time to marvel at her talent. Before the pig man could raise his axe, she pulled out her gun. With a quick pull of the trigger, she shot him in the head.

'Damn, I hate people who attack me by surprise.'

---

The author has something to say:

Pollution Area Classification Table

Class E contaminated area: less than 60%

Class D contaminated area: 60%-90%

Class C contaminated area: 90%-130%

Class B contaminated area: 130%-180%

Class A contaminated area: 180%-230%

Class S contaminated area: 230%-300%

Class S+ contaminated area: more than 300%

The translator has something to say:

As someone who's reading this while translating, i really thought Zhu Ning died and would have to spend points to repair her body...

---

Previous

TOC

Next