The Sausage Factory Weird Tale

Wu Xi's figure turned into a pufferfish of anger in Ye Yu's eyes, but Ye Yu didn't care if she was angry or not. She was currently pondering the situation. Although she wore the Weird Tale's cloak, she hadn't been marked, so she could leave at any time. However, Tang Nian Ke and Wang Xia couldn't. Currently, there were only two ways to save them. The simplest and most brutal method was naturally to directly kill the Weird Tale's本体 (main body), digging out its core. This would make the entire Weird Tale domain disappear. But a fifth-level Weird Tale... was difficult to deal with.
Although Ye Yu possessed a fourth-level Ghost Bus, this only increased her escape ability. Her offensive and defensive capabilities were still very lacking. She didn't want to risk provoking this giant fifth-level monster. Therefore, she chose the second, more cautious escape method: quickly helping Tang Nian Ke and Wang Xia find the escape rules for this Weird Tale.
Thus, Tang Nian Ke saw the Mirror Woman in the mirror once again playing with her old phone. Through the wide mirror surface, Tang Nian Ke could vaguely see the red and black interface on the old phone screen. The Mirror Woman seemed to be browsing the Bi Wen Lu Weird Tale forum?
Tang Nian Ke's breathing hitched. Although the Bi Wen Lu Weird Tale was a Weird Tale itself, its forum was naturally also created by a Weird Tale. But when she saw the Mirror Woman, a Weird Tale, actually using a mobile phone like a human, and even browsing forum posts, she still felt a bit of a chill down her spine.
They were very human-like. The more intelligent Weird Tales were, the more human-like they became, and the more they made people feel the Uncanny Valley effect. Tang Nian Ke couldn't help but wonder. When she and Wang Xia posted for help, how many Weird Tales were watching their cries for help at that very moment?!
The Mirror Woman's voice interrupted Tang Nian Ke's unpleasant thoughts.
"Where are your employee handbooks?"
Tang Nian Ke and Wang Xia were still wearing gray factory uniforms. The two fumbled in their uniform pockets and pulled out two palm-sized, pale leather booklets.
A pale, bloodless hand reached out from the mirror and took the two booklets. Then, the Mirror Woman lowered her head and began to read.
《Normal Employee Conduct Rules》
1: Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant is a long-standing food processing plant of the Jin Yang brand. For many years, it has consistently been loved by the public. As an employee of the Happy Sausage Processing Plant, please always remember that this job is not easy to come by, and always be grateful.
2: Employees should cultivate a sense of responsibility towards the factory, strive to complete their work, fulfill their duties, embody the spirit of enduring hardship, diligence, and hard work, and resolutely prevent fraudulent methods, dereliction of duty, perfunctory work, and other irresponsible behaviors! Life never stops, work never stops! As long as you are not dead, work until you die!
3: Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant is a warm big family. Every employee is a member here. Please discard vulgar monetary concepts and fully integrate into this family. Strive to contribute to the prosperity of this family.
4: Normal employees must always obey the arrangements of their superiors and actively complete tasks assigned by their superiors. Resolutely support all orders from their superiors.
5: Please strictly adhere to the factory's designated working and resting hours. Do not be late or leave early, do not leave your post without permission, or switch shifts.
6: This factory currently only has three workshops: A, B, and C. Normal employees are in Workshop A. Only the most diligent and excellent employees are qualified to be promoted to Workshops B and C. Please do not go to the wrong workshop.
7: During work, it is necessary to sterilize according to workshop standards, wear work clothes properly, to avoid contaminating food. Loud noises, laughter, snacking on food, or secretly taking happy sausages out of the workshop in your pants to sell personally are prohibited.
When Ye Yu first read the first few conduct rules, she only complained to Wu Xi that this Weird Tale factory was too cunning. But when she read the seventh rule, the corner of her eye twitched.
【Who wrote this rule? Who would put that thing there and take it out? This is too outrageous, isn't it?】
Wu Xi also said with disdain: 【You should ask, who would actually buy that kind of thing?】
Leaving that aside, the first dozen or so rules in the handbook were barely normal. What was bizarre were the last few rules.
13: Cats are truly hateful creatures. They not only enter the factory to steal raw materials and finished happy sausages, but their fur and dander also contaminate the workshop's hygiene. If employees find cats in the factory, please do not approach them to avoid being attacked by cats or contaminated by cat fur and dander, which would affect subsequent workshop operations. Please immediately move away from the cat and find a patrol dog to chase the cat away.
14: Please do not feed happy sausage heads to stray cats.
15: Dogs are friends of humans, and also friends of our Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant. Our boss loves dogs the most. He raises many large guard dogs to protect our factory's safety. If you encounter danger, such as being attacked by stray cats, please immediately shout for help. Loyal and reliable large dogs will immediately come to protect you.
16: Please do not feed happy sausage heads to guard dogs.
17: At night, please make sure to close the doors and windows tightly.
18: Employees are prohibited from fighting with factory guard dogs or eating dog meat.
19: Employees are prohibited from fighting with stray cats or eating cat meat.
The contents of the two handbooks were identical. Ye Yu flipped through them once, her gaze lingering for a few seconds on the rules concerning cats. Although it repeatedly mentioned stray cats, Ye Yu thought of the Shi Miao (Corpse Cat) that had chased Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke earlier. Shi Miao would attack employees; were they the death rules of this Weird Tale? So, could the survival rules of this Weird Tale factory also be related to those strange Shi Miao?
The back of the handbook also included a normal employee's work schedule and a rough map of the factory. Work started at 7:00 AM, and ended at 7:00 PM, a twelve-hour workday, with no rest days. Very good, this cunning Weird Tale factory truly treated people like donkeys. No, that's not right, even a donkey production team wouldn't use them like this.
Suddenly, the Mirror Woman thought of something, opened her phone, and checked. In five more minutes, it would be one o'clock, and the factory's lunch break was from 12:00 to 1:00.
Seeing that the Mirror Woman had been silent for a long time, Wang Xia cautiously asked, "Sister, what should we do now?"
Tang Nian Ke also looked over eagerly. Neither of them knew that the terrifying Weird Tale Mirror Woman, whom they called "sister" repeatedly, was actually Ye Yu, a little sister two or three years younger than them.
The Mirror Woman decisively said, "Return to Workshop A."
"Huh? Return where?"
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke's minds immediately failed to react.
"Return to your work posts and work hard. Hurry up, there's not much time."
The Mirror Woman urged coldly, much like a slave driver with a whip.
Although Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke were not very brave, they had a very good advantage: they were obedient. Hearing the Mirror Woman's command, even if they were afraid in their hearts, they still bit their lips and quickly ran towards Workshop A.
The two almost arrived at the workshop just in time. When they arrived, the other employees were already neatly dressed and standing at their work posts. The pot-bellied male supervisor glared at them unhappily.
"Why are you two dawdling? Hurry up and get dressed for work. If this happens again, you'll be counted as late!"
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke mumbled a response, put on their masks and headscarves, and ran to a corner to move boxes. The finished products packaged in the workshop needed to be loaded onto trucks and transported to the warehouse. This was manual labor. No wonder Wang Xia complained of sore arms and a backache in the morning.
However, this time he didn't complain again. Instead, he quietly glanced around. Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant was a long-standing brand factory, which also meant old factory equipment. Such a large workshop only had three surveillance cameras installed.
Wang Xia, under the cover of Tang Nian Ke and the boxes, quietly slipped into the surveillance blind spot. He secretly took out a mirror from his clothes, hid it in a corner, and then perfectly concealed it with cardboard boxes around it.
Although this somewhat obstructed the Mirror Woman's vision, the mirror was fragile, so this was relatively safer. Perhaps because Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke had followed the rules this time, appearing at their posts on time and working hard. Therefore, the loudspeaker announcing the end of the lunch break and the start of afternoon work had no effect on them.
If Ye Yu hadn't known beforehand that this was a fifth-level Weird Tale, just looking at all the employees in Workshop A working with their heads down, occasionally exchanging a few words, this place would truly be no different from countless ordinary production workshops in this world. Even that annoying workshop supervisor was no different from other cunning supervisors in this world.
The images here, the atmosphere, and even the people here were too normal. So normal that it made people sleepy, unable to raise any vigilance.
But Ye Yu already knew this was a dangerous fifth-level Weird Tale, so the more normal the atmosphere was at this moment, the more it represented the great terror hidden beneath the calm surface!
Mirror Woman: "You two are temporarily out of danger. I need to leave for a while. Work well and don't violate the rules."
Wang Xia, who was moving boxes, immediately became anxious: "Wait..."
But the Mirror Woman had no intention of discussing with them. Before Wang Xia could finish speaking, her figure disappeared into the mirror.
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke's faces immediately showed apprehension and unease. It was funny to say, they knew very well that Weird Tales fed on humans, yet at this moment, this terrifying Weird Tale Mirror Woman had become the source of all their sense of security. Even if the Mirror Woman did nothing, with her here, they felt at ease. Even moving boxes felt more energetic. But as soon as the Mirror Woman left, they immediately felt truly panicked.
But she was a high-level Weird Tale, cold and arrogant in nature. She came and went as she pleased. How could they, two mere humans, restrain her? They could only take a deep breath, obediently work hard, and anxiously await the quick return of their 'sea-stabilizing needle'.
Ye Yu also knew the two were scared, but she couldn't not go. After all, in the eyes of her senior sister and brother, she was just going to the restroom. It was understandable to leave for ten minutes due to an upset stomach, and twenty minutes wasn't out of the question, but it was almost half an hour now. If she stayed longer, she didn't dare imagine what kind of image she would have in her senior sister and brother's eyes.
Wu Xi let out a malicious taunt: 【If you don't know how to explain, I do have a suggestion. You can tell your dear senior sister and brother that a Weird Tale appeared in the shopping mall's restroom, and you fell into the restroom Weird Tale, battling the fat star-devouring monster for 300 rounds, and finally managed to crawl back to the human world from the sewer.】
Ye Yu: 【...Good suggestion, don't suggest it next time.】
*
Just as Ye Yu thought, she had been gone too long. An Cheng Xi was a bit worried about her and had gone into the shopping mall's restroom, turning left from the coffee shop a few minutes ago.
"Ye Yu? Ye Yu, where are you?"
No one replied. An Cheng Xi's gaze swept around. The first cubicle was empty, the second cubicle was also empty, the third cubicle was slightly ajar, she gently pushed it, and there was no one.
Swish, the fourth closed cubicle door opened, and along with the flushing sound, a young girl came out to wash her hands. She glanced at An Cheng Xi in confusion. She was not the Ye Yu An Cheng Xi was looking for.
The fifth cubicle was still empty. The sixth cubicle was locked, but An Cheng Xi keenly noticed that she couldn't see anyone's feet under the door gap. So she directly walked up and knocked on the door.
"Ye Yu?"
The sixth cubicle still did not produce any sound.
An Cheng Xi frowned and waited for the girl to leave. Taking advantage of the empty restroom, she used her height advantage, directly grabbed the top of the cubicle door, jumped up with force, and clearly saw the situation inside the sixth cubicle. The cubicle was empty, still no one!
Ye Yu wasn't here. She clearly said she was going to the restroom, but she wasn't in the restroom? Why was that? Where did she go?
An Cheng Xi's brows furrowed. She quickly walked out of the restroom. Just as she hesitated whether or not to tell Gu Ming Ri about this, she suddenly saw Ye Yu in the distance, standing on the escalator, coming up from downstairs.
After seeing An Cheng Xi, she immediately smiled and quickly walked over. "Senior Sister Cheng Xi."
Suspicion flashed in An Cheng Xi's eyes: "Ye Yu? Didn't you say you were going to the restroom? How did you go downstairs?"
Ye Yu said shyly, "I did go to the restroom. The restroom on this floor was packed with people. I waited in line for a while, and my stomach hurt so badly, so I ran downstairs."
"No wonder I couldn't find you just now." An Cheng Xi suddenly understood, then said with concern, "How's your stomach? Does it still hurt? If it hurts particularly badly, it could be acute gastritis or appendicitis. If you're particularly uncomfortable, it's better to go to the hospital. We transcendent beings just have a few special abilities more than ordinary people; we're not really superheroes."
"Much better, Senior Sister, don't worry. My body is usually very good. It's really just from eating bad food. But I'm so embarrassed to have kept you waiting for so long."
Because of the 712's extreme nature, Ye Yu got off at a bus stop near the shopping mall, then rushed back to the shopping mall. Fortunately, it was like this. Otherwise, if An Cheng Xi had checked the restroom on this floor and found no one, and then she came out of the restroom, it would be difficult to explain.
Ye Yu secretly exclaimed how dangerous it was, but on the surface, she just smiled shyly. "It's just lunchtime. I know there's a really good barbecue restaurant here. How about I treat Senior Sister and Senior Brother to try it?"
An Cheng Xi was about to politely decline, but Ye Yu insisted again, so she agreed.
An Cheng Xi, Gu Ming Ri, and Ye Yu were all not reclusive or shy personalities. Before one topic was finished, another had already been brought up, and the atmosphere was friendly and not awkward at all.
During this time, An Cheng Xi and Gu Ming Ri often gave Ye Yu some common knowledge and experience about Weird Tales and transcendent beings. Ye Yu listened humbly. An Cheng Xi and Gu Ming Ri satisfied their sense of accomplishment as seniors teaching juniors, and Ye Yu also gained a lot of new knowledge from this. A sumptuous barbecue feast and cold Coca-Cola ended, and the relationship between the two sides grew much closer.
It wasn't until two hours later that the three of them happily walked out of the shopping mall and said their goodbyes. After they had gone far, Ye Yu immediately turned into a deserted alley and took the 712 bus towards the Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant.
*
In the corner of Workshop A, the mirror blocked by cardboard boxes showed a pale face. The Mirror Woman looked around. Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke had missed lunch and had been forced to work for so long for nothing. At this moment, they should be tired and hungry.
But the two were obedient. The Mirror Woman told them to work hard, and they truly did, ignoring their rumbling stomachs, diligently moving boxes for over two hours. Even though there was cold air in the factory workshop, the Mirror Woman could still see sweat on their foreheads.
The Mirror Woman did not immediately speak to indicate her return. Instead, she turned to look at the other workers on the production line, watching as workers and machines operated, and happy sausages, wrapped in their outer casings, were placed into boxes one by one. She stared at those people, lost in thought.
Weird Tales are born from the collision of an异世界 (otherworld) and the current world, creating a rift. The evil forces of the otherworld infiltrate and contaminate the current world through the 'door crack', giving rise to these contaminations known as Weird Tales. The initial strength of a Weird Tale is related to the size of the 'door crack' and the amount of evil force that invaded. In other words, the more forces from the otherworld that invaded at that time, and the higher the degree of contamination, the higher the initial level of that Weird Tale.
50 years ago, a certain village once transformed into a seventh-level domain-type Weird Tale overnight. However, due to the peculiar death rules and survival rules of that Weird Tale, except for those who were near the 'door crack' at the time and were directly contaminated, instantly mutating into the Weird Tale's main body, most people who were caught off guard and contained within the Weird Tale domain would not immediately die.
They would experience low-intensity contamination, with most exhibiting cognitive distortion. Their subconscious would not perceive anything abnormal about the Weird Tale domain and they would continue to operate within it until they triggered the death rules and were 'eaten'. This process was called 'digestion' by the investigation team.
Jin Yang Happy Sausage Processing Plant is a very famous local industry in Jin Yang City. It has now become a fifth-level Weird Tale, but there is no information about it in the 'Monster Hunting Alliance' bounty hall. It seems the investigation team is not yet aware that this processing plant has a problem.
Therefore, Ye Yu was confident that it hadn't been a Weird Tale for long, which also meant... there might still be some living people in this factory who hadn't been 'digested'.
As the saying goes, one tree does not make a forest. This Weird Tale factory was too large. If she could find some help here, it would naturally be a good thing, but the problem was... she couldn't distinguish whether those were living people or human-like composite derivatives manipulated by the Weird Tale.
Regarding this point, it was also a persistent headache for the investigation team. Just like An family's parents, who had clearly been dead for many days, yet still appeared to be alive, able to talk and walk in front of Ye Yu.
It was said that within a domain, it was very difficult for others to distinguish between human-like composite derivatives and living people. If one rashly teamed up with them, a slight carelessness could lead to being stabbed in the back.
Some people also thought of using machinery for detection, but the more precise the instrument, the more easily it malfunctioned within the domain. Similar to the meter Uncle He used to measure Ye Yu's level, Ye Yu also received one after joining the investigation team, but it could only be used externally. After entering a Weird Tale domain, most of its functions would directly malfunction, only serving as a clock.
At this time, it was just like an investigator's certificate, merely a tool for investigators to verify each other's identities.
Currently, apart from investigators relying on experience to distinguish, only a very few individuals with special transcendent abilities, such as those who could see others' information, predict, or divine, could differentiate between Weird Tale composite derivatives and living people.
Because there had always been cases of investigators trying to rescue people within a domain, only to be stabbed in the back and killed by disguised Weird Tale composite derivatives, many years ago the investigation team explicitly issued a directive: the primary task of investigators was to resolve Weird Tales, as this was the best way to protect all humanity. In situations where it was impossible to determine whether one encountered a human, one must prioritize self-preservation.
The Mirror Woman pondered for a moment and did not inform Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke of her conjectures and ideas. She merely whispered a reminder that she had returned.
After hearing the voice, Wang Xia first secretly glanced at the supervisor walking around, then lowered his head to look at the reflection in the mirror, happily whispering, "Sister! My good sister, you're finally back!"
Wang Xia at this moment was like a big golden retriever relative, his butt seemingly wagging a tail. He wished he could pull out a banner to warmly welcome Sister Mirror Woman. One could no longer see his previous appearance of being so scared by the Mirror Woman that his heart trembled.
Tang Nian Ke immediately went over to block his view, and also told him to restrain himself a bit.
Mirror Woman: "Has anything happened since I left?"
"Nothing, we've just been moving boxes until now, I'm exhausted." Wang Xia whispered, "I wanted to report our safety to Uncle Hu, Ye Yu, and Zhao Yan Chun. But we didn't dare take out our phones to play. That... Sister Jing, could you help us post a message on the forum?"
Wang Xia was quite sweet-talked. At this moment, he had changed from "sister" to "Sister Jing." Unfortunately, the Mirror Woman had a cold personality and was unmoved by this. She just glanced at him and said.
"You can go tell that supervisor that you need to go to the restroom."
"Restroom?" The student, whose eyes were full of clarity and foolishness, suddenly understood. Was this the legendary "bringing back new feces" after a break?
Wang Xia immediately accepted the suggestion and ran to find the supervisor. Evidently, Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke's escape attempt in the morning had left a very bad impression on the male supervisor. Even though Wang Xia had been diligently working all afternoon, the male supervisor still cursed him, saying lazy people have too many bodily functions, and then impatiently waved him away.
Wang Xia pretended not to hear, and quickly walked to the workshop restroom. He entered the last cubicle and closed the door.
Forum.
Wang Xia: Brothers, I, Hu Han San, am back again!
Wang Xia: Thank heaven, thank earth, thank Sister Jing, Tang Nian Ke and I are both alive!
Zhao Yan Chun: Did you escape safely?
Zhao Yan Chun: Why is Tang Tang's phone still unreachable?
Wang Xia: Alive, but haven't escaped. Sister Jing said we've been marked by this hateful, cunning factory, and we can't get out until we find the correct escape rules.
Hu Kai Liang: What exactly happened? Would you mind telling us in detail?
Wang Xia, of course, didn't mind. He typed quickly, recounting his situation. He particularly emphasized and exaggerated Sister Jing's vast divine abilities and the cunning and despicable nature of this Weird Tale factory.
However, facing Wang Xia's enthusiastic praise for the Mirror Woman, Hu Kai Liang couldn't help but be startled. After all, from Wang Xia's description, that Mirror Woman was clearly another intelligent, high-level Weird Tale.
High-level intelligent Weird Tales were not commonplace. From this, it seemed that the King of Weird Tales behind the scenes possessed at least two high-level Weird Tales.
And that 712 Ghost Bus... A Weird Tale whose core had been dug out and was utterly dead had actually revived. It was even freely used by the Mirror Woman. The two previous speculations in the group about the King of Weird Tales' abilities, one had been confirmed: the deity truly had the ability to revive dead Weird Tales and use them for their own purposes!
Fear value +200
+100
+50
...
Zhao Yan Chun wasn't stupid; she also thought of this point. However, compared to this, she was more concerned about her friend's safety.
Zhao Yan Chun: Even 712 couldn't get you out. Is that Weird Tale factory that strong?
Wang Xia: It's strong for us, but Sister Jing said it's just a mere fifth-level Weird Tale. Don't worry, Sister Jing is amazing. She's clearly a high-level Weird Tale; she can definitely lead us to victory!
Zhao Yan Chun and Hu Kai Liang's minds quickly flashed with an idea.
If she was a high-level Weird Tale, then why couldn't she deal with a mere fifth-level Weird Tale? Why did she need to explore the escape rules? Was it because the Weird Tale's rules were too restrictive, or did the Mirror Woman herself have some condition? Mr. System said the Mirror Woman had been very idle recently, which was why she was assigned. Why was she idle? Was she injured, and her strength reduced, requiring recuperation?
The two were very curious about this but didn't ask directly. After all, according to Wang Xia, not only Mr. System but also the Mirror Woman would read the forum. If the Mirror Woman was indeed in a weakened state recuperating, then their prying actions might provoke her anger.
The Mirror Woman was indeed reading the forum at this moment, feeling the constantly increasing fear value. Her eyes were filled with delight.
On the other side, Wang Xia exchanged a few simple messages on the forum, then returned to the workshop, enduring the male supervisor's displeased glare as he returned to his post. While moving boxes, he shared with Tang Nian Ke.
"Why don't you also go to the restroom? Don't even mention it, 'bringing back new feces' is truly the happiest thing in this world!"
Tang Nian Ke looked at her foolish cousin with an expression that said "you're an idiot": "Wake up, we're working for free here, we don't even have a salary."
If there's no salary, where does "bringing back new feces" come from? At most, this is a slave whipped by a whip, stealing a moment of laziness in the restroom amidst their busy work. And then coming out and sighing about how good life is. Damn, thinking like that, she felt so miserable she wanted to cry, what to do? QAQ
Wang Xia's body stiffened when he heard this. The little joy in his heart was instantly extinguished by pain. He also wanted to cry. QAQ
*
At 7 PM, the loudspeaker sounded on time, announcing the end of the workday. The exhausted workers, unable to wait, left the workshop.
Wang Xia, under the cover of Tang Nian Ke and the cardboard boxes, once again stuffed the large mirror hidden in the corner back into his clothes. It wasn't that Wang Xia wanted to take advantage of the Mirror Woman, nor did the Mirror Woman want to take advantage of Wang Xia. It was simply that Tang Nian Ke's figure was petite, and the mirror's width exceeded her small waist. If she were to hide the mirror, it would be too obvious.
Grumble...
A strange sound came from Wang Xia's stomach, reaching the Mirror Woman's ears. Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke had not eaten lunch and had done a day of heavy manual labor. They were probably starving.
After quickly leaving the workshop, Wang Xia found a secluded spot and took out the mirror. "Sister Jing, what do we do next?"
The pale face in the mirror said, "Go to the cafeteria."
"Go to the cafeteria to eat? Here? Isn't that bad?"
Although Wang Xia was starving, his timid nature made him restless at the thought that this was a Weird Tale domain. How could he dare to eat here? Who knew what kind of things Weird Tale food would be?
The Mirror Woman evidently had no time to comfort the two humans. She merely gave a cold command. "Go take a look first."
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke, though somewhat hesitant, still followed the map printed in the employee handbook, and the crowd of workers heading to the cafeteria, quickly found their destination.
The fastest workers had already gotten their food and chosen seats, sitting in small groups, chatting and eating dinner. Gradually, a long line formed at the food serving window.
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke, wearing their factory uniforms, blended in and didn't attract attention, though occasionally someone would look at the large mirror Wang Xia was holding in confusion, but it was just a quick glance.
The Mirror Woman's reflection was no longer in the mirror; it looked like an ordinary mirror, but a whispered command came from within.
"What did you find?"
"Basically, it looks like a normal cafeteria. The line was too long earlier to see the food situation clearly, but I noticed quite a few workers wearing black masks. Most of those not wearing masks are eating in the cafeteria, but the workers wearing black masks all choose to pack their food to go."
Tang Nian Ke paused and added, "Workshop A workers all wear normal white headscarves and white masks. They are different from us; they should be Workshop B or C employees. Oh, I also found a cafeteria regulations sign on the wall."
"Well done."
Workers wearing black masks, and also taking food from other workshops? A whispered compliment came from the mirror. Tang Nian Ke's brows relaxed, like a child praised by an elder. Then the two heard the Mirror Woman's instruction. "Read the regulations to me."
Wang Xia immediately snatched this task, standing tall to see far, and read the paper posted on the wall.
1: The cafeteria only provides meals from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. No waiting after hours.
2: Take as much as you can eat; clean plate action starts with you and me. Please do not waste food.
3: Happy sausages are a benefit of our factory. You can enjoy them to your heart's content in the cafeteria, but they are limited to consumption within the cafeteria. Taking extra portions is prohibited.
4: Rabbit meat happy sausages have been discontinued. The cafeteria does not provide happy sausages without rabbit meat. If employees find expired rabbit meat happy sausages in the cafeteria serving area, please hand them over to the cafeteria supervisor. Do not consume them yourself to avoid food poisoning.
5: Non-kitchen staff are prohibited from entering the back kitchen.
Passing workers occasionally glanced at him, but only thought he was muttering to himself.
Inside the mirror, the Mirror Woman pondered for a moment. These five rules were simpler and clearer than the employee handbook, and seemed to have nothing special about them.
"Get some food. If you're worried, just get vegetarian dishes, and take one of each kind of happy sausage."
Wang Xia's face was full of suffering. "Really eat it?"
Mirror Woman: "Eat."
The identity of an official investigator was most useful to Ye Yu because she could access a lot of information and experience that others couldn't. Those were all experiences summarized by the investigation team's seniors with blood and sweat.
For example, food. Food within a Weird Tale domain was either real or energy-created. But no matter which type, as long as it was confirmed that the Weird Tale's death rules were not related to food, then one could eat some to replenish physical strength as appropriate. This would maximize one's state to cope with sudden situations.
Tang Nian Ke and Wang Xia, two ordinary people with no special abilities, could only rely on their physical strength when escaping. If they didn't even have the strength to run in a critical moment, then they would truly be finished.
Wang Xia took a deep breath, handed the mirror in his arms to Tang Nian Ke, and told her to find a seat. He, on the other hand, with an expression of heroic sacrifice, took two plates and went to get food. His posture, if one knew he was lining up for food, was fine, but if not, one would think he was going to a battlefield.
However, when he reached the food serving window, he saw that the food, from its appearance, had no problems whatsoever. The steaming hot dishes emitted an enticing aroma, making his already rumbling stomach growl even louder.
Sweet and sour pork tenderloin? Braised ribs? Spicy pig intestines? Steamed turbot? Garlic chili fish skin? Winter melon and bone soup? Wow, all his favorites! Wait, no! Wang Xia swallowed a mouthful of saliva, forcing himself to calm down.
This must be a cunning trick by this Weird Tale factory. Perhaps those meat dishes were human ribs, big bones, large and small intestines, plus skin from the back. He wouldn't fall for it!
Wang Xia, who considered himself well-versed in horror movie plots, resolutely resisted the temptation and only chose three bland vegetarian dishes.
Inside the window, the cafeteria chef, wearing an apron and mask, holding a serving spoon, had a friendly attitude, serving Wang Xia's food spoonful by spoonful. He looked no different from the uncles and aunties in Wang Xia's school cafeteria... No, there was still a difference. At least these two had no intention of using their "trembling hand divine skill" when serving food. So much so that Wang Xia instinctively said thank you after getting his food.
Soon, Wang Xia carried two plates of food and sat opposite Tang Nian Ke. Except for the various happy sausages (pork, beef, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp) that the Mirror Woman specifically requested, Wang Xia only took vegetarian dishes and rice. A plate of green vegetables made meat-eaters' faces turn green.
Mirror Woman whispered, "Put the happy sausages into my mirror. Be careful not to be discovered."
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke paused, then exchanged glances, and immediately began to cooperate. Wang Xia held his rice bowl, straightened his back, and pretended to eat diligently to help block the view, while Tang Nian Ke pretended to eat with her head down, secretly hiding the happy sausages in her sleeve. Then, her hand slowly dropped below the table, and the happy sausages in her sleeve were pushed out, sinking into the mirror under the table like a clay ox entering the sea.
Ye Yu caught the happy sausages and carefully inspected them. Unfortunately, these happy sausages looked no different from normal, and with limited clues, she couldn't immediately analyze anything. However, thinking of those prohibitive rules concerning happy sausages, she still transferred the happy sausages to the Ghost Bus for storage, planning to test them later.
Suddenly, a huge shadow enveloped the two. Wang Xia looked up and saw it was the chef who had just served him food. He didn't know when he had come out of the kitchen.
He hadn't noticed through the window earlier, but now Wang Xia realized this chef was truly tall, a head taller than him. He was corpulent, with a fierce face. His rolled-up arms were covered in dense hair, making him look like an upright wild boar.
With his arrival, the other workers in the cafeteria couldn't help but stop eating and turn to look. The originally noisy cafeteria immediately fell silent, except for his loud voice.
"1, 2, 3, 4..."
This person extended his long, hairy, thick fingers, carefully counting the happy sausages on Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke's plates. With each count, Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke's bodies stiffened a bit more.
After the burly, pig-like chef finished counting, he looked at them with an excited and greedy gaze.
"I saw with my own eyes that you took one of each kind of happy sausage, a total of ten. How come there are only six here? Have you already eaten them?"
A strong sense of crisis made Wang Xia's breathing quicken. He was about to bite the bullet and say yes. But then the tall, broad chef immediately added.
"But that's not right. If they were eaten, where are the peeled skins? It's not possible that you ate them skin and all, is it?"
The burly, pig-like chef's smile widened even further. The corners of his mouth crazily curled up, growing wider and wider, reaching behind his ears, revealing two rows of unhygienic, yellowish teeth.
His mouth was truly too wide, so wide that when it opened and closed, everyone could see the blood-red oral cavity inside, the plump tongue, the unknown blood-red meat fibers in the gaps between his teeth, and his inky black throat.
"Cafeteria regulations must be observed! If you attempt to secretly take extra happy sausages, you will be punished!"
When the chef said the word "punished," he extended his plump tongue and greedily licked his lips.
The surrounding workers merely watched, either silently or fearfully, but there were no screams or attempts to flee. As if this chef's inhuman, wide mouth was nothing unusual.
In their contaminated and distorted perception, it was completely normal for someone who dared to secretly take happy sausages from the cafeteria to be eaten by the chef. Just as it was normal for them to work diligently in this factory without receiving a single cent of salary.
"We didn't steal anything, we... Ugh!"
Wang Xia's eyes were filled with terror. He quickly covered his mouth. He was too scared, so much so that his old illness recurred, but he didn't dare spit out the rice he had just eaten, fearing that this chef would accuse him of wasting food, and then use that terrifying wide mouth to bite off his head!
"It's not 'you didn't' just because you say so." The chef, who hadn't eaten yet, licked his lips and reached out towards Wang Xia, who was closest. "Come, let me see where you've hidden all the happy sausages."
He was so close that Wang Xia could smell a sticky, greasy, and bloody stench. It was nauseating and made his scalp tingle.
On the other side, Tang Nian Ke's nerves were also stretched to their limit. Her limbs were cold with fright. At this moment, she had no idea what to do and could only frantically call for help from the Mirror Woman in her heart. It was then that she suddenly felt something fall onto her leg, catching her peripheral vision.
"Wait!" Tang Nian Ke suddenly spoke. "Who said we didn't peel them? Aren't they right here? They just accidentally fell onto the ground!"
"Don't quibble, I clearly saw just now..."
Tang Nian Ke's voice made the chef pause. He impatiently tilted his head to look at the ground, wanting to crush these two struggling little snacks. Who knew that upon seeing it, he, who was hastily eating, almost popped his eyes out.
He saw that several sausage casings had appeared by Tang Nian Ke and Wang Xia's feet. Counting them, it was exactly the four skins from the eaten sausages.
"No, what's going on?"
The chef suddenly squatted down. With such a corpulent figure squatting, his pants fabric tightened around his thighs, making him look like a large green frog lying on the ground. He used his thick, hairy fingers to pick up the sausage skins on the ground. He said incredulously, "Impossible! I clearly saw nothing on the ground just now!"
"Then... then you must have been seeing things, right?" Facing this monstrous, human-like creature revealing its ferocious face, Tang Nian Ke was naturally scared, but she didn't dare show it. She stubbornly said.
"We already said, we didn't steal any happy sausages. Anyway, we can eat them every day in the cafeteria, so who would steal such a thing? You yourself were seeing things and mistook us, and now you're blaming us."
The chef squatted on the ground, still looking utterly bewildered, staring at the trash in his hand. "These sausage casings..."
Tang Nian Ke quickly said, "Is there a problem with the sausage casings? The cafeteria regulations didn't say that happy sausage skins can't fall on the ground, did they?"
"Well, no, it didn't."
Her words diverted the chef's attention. Seeing the little snacks flying away, the chef's face fell, and he stood up. As he was getting up, he suddenly noticed the mirror Tang Nian Ke was holding in her arms. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Strange... why are you holding a big mirror while eating?"
Tang Nian Ke's body stiffened: "Because... because... I'm beautiful, you see! A beauty with a flower-like face and moon-like countenance, a beauty that could topple nations, rarely seen in this world. What's wrong with me carrying a mirror to admire myself every day?"
She, who had been stammering a bit, spoke more and more smoothly, straightening her back and saying, "What's wrong? Does our factory have any rules that prohibit employees from carrying mirrors to admire their own beauty at any time?!"
Wang Xia, standing by, stared blankly at Tang Nian Ke's outburst. His breathing gradually became smoother. He quickly stammered in support.
"Yes... yes, my sister is so beautiful, a peerless beauty. What's wrong with carrying a mirror to admire herself while eating? Do you understand what it means to be 'beauty so captivating it could be eaten'? Does the cafeteria have any rules that prohibit employees from carrying mirrors while eating?!"
The surrounding workers: ...
The chef: ... Damn it, mentally deficient.
The corpulent chef's terrifying wide mouth had somehow returned to its normal appearance. He silently watched the two for a moment, then turned and left.
Mommy said, eating with such mentally deficient people easily affects one's IQ.
As soon as he left, Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke exchanged glances, then let out a huge sigh of relief. They then quickly gobbled down their food, leaving not a single grain of rice, and quickly left the cafeteria, hugging the mirror.
Wang Xia: "That was close, that was close. That wide-mouthed chef's gaze was truly terrifying; it scared me to death."
Tang Nian Ke: "I was almost scared to death too. Luckily, Sister Jing acted in time."
"Your reaction speed was good."
The Mirror Woman also knew she had put them in a difficult position just now. She first praised them, then instructed them to find the employee dormitory. She wanted to see what the situation was with those workers wearing black masks.
*
Because it was summer, it was still sunset at past 7 o'clock. The setting sun, like blood, shone upon the earth. Workers who had eaten their fill or taken extra food walked through the factory. Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke mingled among them, heading towards the employee dormitory in the southeast corner.
They walked all the way to the dormitory building without any incidents. The nerves that had been tense in the cafeteria gradually began to relax. But just as Wang Xia couldn't help but look up to admire the sunset, suddenly, a black shadow quickly flew past him, leaving behind an unpleasant stench.
"Meow!!!"
"Ah!!!"
A sharp cat's cry, followed by an even more piteous scream, immediately cut through the silent twilight.
Wang Xia and Tang Nian Ke quickly looked over and saw a foul-smelling dead cat clinging tightly to a worker's head. The worker was groaning in pain, frantically trying to pull the cat off with his hands.
The cat, however, used its sharp claws to deeply embed itself in the opponent's neck and scalp, cruelly gnawing at his head. It bit its prey, like a lion shaking its head violently, emitting a fierce growl from its throat. After a nearly inaudible tearing sound of flesh and blood, blood splattered everywhere!
"Ah ah ah!!!"
The worker covered his bloody and mangled face, groaning in agony. His piteous screams echoed to the heavens, while the Shi Miao (Corpse Cat) fell to the ground, fiercely chewing a large piece of bloody flesh torn from its prey's body—it was a large piece of bloody facial skin!
Wang Xia stood close by, and a drop of that warm blood splattered onto his face. He immediately froze on the spot, his hand stiffly wiping the blood from his face. His eyes stared blankly at the tragedy before him, his mind empty.
Tang Nian Ke was also terrified. She immediately pulled Wang Xia back. Wang Xia woodenly followed, retreating a few steps, then suddenly bent over, clutching his stomach.
"Ugh!"
White and green vomit splattered all over the ground. The dinner they had just managed to eat was thus contributed to the earth.