Chapter 76: The Kitchen
Shen Yu let out a slow breath.
The murderous pressure surrounding him had finally faded, and the grotesque stone face behind the child had retreated halfway into the tombstone. Although the favorability above its head had only risen to a positive value, it was enough to prove one thing.
He had survived the first trap.
Across the table, Mohan stared at him with narrowed eyes.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Mohan broke the silence.
"...How?"
His voice was calm, but the disbelief hidden beneath it was impossible to conceal.
"How did you figure out the seating arrangement?"
Shen Yu glanced at him indifferently before continuing to gently pat the frightened child sitting on his lap.
"Why should I tell you?"
Mohan’s expression darkened.
"You’ve been hostile toward me since we met."
"You dragged me into this operation without explanation."
"You’ve been treating me like disposable bait from the very beginning."
Shen Yu’s gaze became colder.
"So tell me..."
"What exactly did I do to offend you?"
Silence filled the table.
Naturally, Mohan couldn’t answer.
Was he supposed to admit that Future Echo had shown Shen Yu surviving every simulation?
Or that every other participant died while Shen Yu somehow continued moving forward?
Impossible.
That secret belonged to him alone.
His lips twitched before his face gradually turned expressionless.
"You really have no respect for your superiors."
A faint smile appeared on Shen Yu’s face.
"If the only thing you have left is your rank..."
"...then perhaps you’re not worthy of being called a superior."
"You—"
Before Mohan could explode, a creaking sound interrupted him.
The wooden door of the kitchen slowly opened.
Creeeak...
Everyone instinctively turned toward it.
Several villagers dressed entirely in white stepped out one after another.
Each carried an enormous serving tray.
At first glance, the dishes looked ordinary.
But when Shen Yu focused his eyes...
His pupils contracted.
The trays weren’t made of porcelain.
They had been folded from yellow spirit money.
Every bowl...
Every plate...
Every chopstick...
Had been painstakingly folded from funeral paper.
Even stranger...
The meat piled upon those plates was also folded paper.
Dark crimson paper had been folded into pieces resembling pork and beef.
Yet despite obviously being paper...
An unmistakable smell of cooked meat drifted through the courtyard.
The villagers’ eyes immediately lit up.
"The food is here!"
One enormous basin of folded paper meat was placed onto Shen Yu’s table.
Without hesitation...
Every villager reached forward with chopsticks.
But they weren’t feeding themselves.
Instead...
They gently lifted the folded paper meat toward the grotesque stone faces protruding from their backs.
The stone faces eagerly opened their mouths.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The horrifying chewing echoed across the courtyard.
Shen Yu’s scalp tingled.
They were clearly chewing paper...
Yet thick grease and fresh blood continuously dripped from the corners of their mouths.
The stone faces looked intoxicated.
Satisfied.
Even blissful.
"This village..."
"...is seriously disturbing."
Even Mohan frowned.
For the first time since entering Twin Tomb Village...
He didn’t dare touch anything on the table.
Taishan remained completely motionless.
Lucian also kept both hands beneath the table.
No one moved.
Shen Yu quietly hugged the little boy closer.
The villagers around him showed no reaction.
The child simply leaned against his chest as though everything happening was perfectly normal.
The eerie sounds of chewing continued throughout the courtyard.
Everywhere Shen Yu looked...
Stone faces happily devoured funeral offerings.
Meanwhile...
The bride lying inside the crimson coffin trembled almost imperceptibly beneath her red veil.
Her shoulders shook.
She seemed to be silently crying.
Shen Yu tapped his fingers lightly against the child’s arm.
What’s the objective here?
Escape?
Rescue the bride?
Or witness the completion of the burial ceremony?
Since Twin Tomb Village had already descended into reality...
There were no system prompts.
No dungeon objectives.
No guidance whatsoever.
Everything depended entirely on observation.
Just then—
Bang!
A loud slap struck the dining table.
An elderly villager suddenly stood.
His cloudy eyes burned with fury.
"Where’s my pig-heart soup?"
"I specifically ordered pig-heart soup!"
The entire courtyard froze.
From behind the old man’s neck...
The stone monument suddenly cracked open.
A gray figure slowly crawled outward.
Half of its body emerged like a giant serpent.
Its sinister eyes swept across Shen Yu and the others.
"You young people..."
"...did you bring pig hearts?"
The creature leaned farther across the table.
Its stone jaw slowly opened.
Rows of razor-sharp teeth extended outward.
Everyone felt a terrifying pressure descend.
Even Lucian instinctively held her breath.
At that critical moment—
Mohan suddenly moved.
He had clearly anticipated this situation.
Without hesitation, he stepped beside Taishan.
Drawing the small knife hidden inside his coat...
He sliced deeply across Taishan’s chest.
Slash!
A thick piece of flesh fell into Mohan’s hand.
Taishan didn’t even flinch.
Not a single complaint escaped his lips.
Almost as though...
He had already accepted this role long ago.
Mohan respectfully placed the bloody flesh onto the table.
"The younger generation doesn’t have pig hearts."
"But..."
"I offer heart meat."
The stone faces didn’t even wait for him to finish speaking.
The instant the meat touched the paper plate—
Dozens of twisted stone heads lunged simultaneously.
Crunch!
Rip!
Snap!
Like starving beasts...
They fought over the bloody flesh.
The sounds of chewing echoed violently.
Blood sprayed across the paper dishes.
The stone creatures devoured every last fragment within seconds.
"So good..."
"So good..."
"You understand our customs."
Satisfied sighs echoed one after another.
Only then did the oppressive atmosphere slowly disappear.
Shen Yu quietly watched everything.
His gaze drifted toward Taishan.
The muscular giant’s wound had already begun regenerating.
Fresh pink flesh wriggled across the opening.
Within moments...
The missing muscle had almost completely regrown.
Shen Yu’s eyes softened slightly.
So that’s why Mohan brought him.
Taishan wasn’t merely powerful.
He was a living supply depot.
A source of endless flesh.
From the beginning...
Mohan had planned to use him as payment for every obstacle inside the village.
Whether Taishan agreed...
Or whether he survived...
Apparently didn’t matter.
For the first time...
Shen Yu genuinely pitied the silent giant.
This man had probably never expected to return alive.
He had simply chosen to become everyone else’s shield.
Just then...
A soft tug interrupted Shen Yu’s thoughts.
He looked down.
The little boy in his lap was staring up at him innocently.
But behind the child’s neck...
The stone face slowly turned.
Its expression remained sluggish.
Its mouth stretched into an unnatural grin.
"Big Brother..."
The child’s voice sounded sweet.
"I’m hungry."
"You promised..."
"...you’d help me get food."
"Can you go to the kitchen for me?"
The moment those words fell...
Shen Yu’s smile stiffened.
He instinctively wanted to refuse.
Immediately...
The numbers floating above the stone face began changing.
+10
+5
0
-5
The goodwill plummeted at an alarming speed.
Shen Yu’s pupils narrowed.
Damn.
The request wasn’t optional.
Across the table, Mohan chuckled.
"So..."
"You’ve noticed it too."
"The problem at the dining table."
He folded his arms confidently.
"That’s why I specifically brought Taishan."
His smug expression suggested he had already solved this section of the dungeon.
Shen Yu ignored him.
Instead...
He silently studied Taishan again.
The giant remained expressionless despite losing another piece of flesh.
His eyes were calm.
Almost empty.
A man who had already accepted death.
Shen Yu couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
Mohan isn’t leading a team.
He’s consuming one.
Before Shen Yu could think further...
The child’s voice suddenly became much louder.
"Big Brother!"
"I want to eat!"
"I want to eat!"
Behind the child’s neck...
The stone face crawled farther outward.
Its upper body had almost completely emerged.
Gray arms wrapped around Shen Yu’s shoulders like a giant snake.
The pressure increased dramatically.
His bones creaked.
It felt as though two enormous mountains had settled upon his back.
Even breathing became difficult.
Nearby, Lucian’s expression changed drastically.
"Shen Yu!"
She instinctively took a step forward.
But Shen Yu slowly shook his head.
His eyes remained fixed upon the rapidly falling favorability.
-5
-10
-16
If it reached the point of complete hostility...
The stone creature would undoubtedly attack.
Taking a slow breath, Shen Yu carefully stood up while still carrying the child in his arms.
"...All right."
"I’ll go see what’s in the kitchen."
As soon as he spoke...
The crushing pressure eased ever so slightly.
Without another word, Shen Yu walked toward the kitchen.
Behind him, every villager silently watched his departing figure.
No one noticed that the faint smile on Mohan’s face had gradually disappeared.
Because even with Future Echo...
He had never dared step inside the Bone Kitchen.
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