Chapter 3

There were only thirty seconds left on the blood-red countdown in midair.

I took a sip of premium Da Hong Pao and glanced at the wildly writhing lump of flesh by my feet.

“Enough, stop massaging.”

I kicked the Flaying Manager’s eyeball-covered belly.

“Settle this month’s water and electricity bill for me, I’m in a hurry to get back and take a nap.”

The Flaying Manager shuddered and desperately forced out a fawning smile.

“My lord, it is our honor that you would lower yourself to stay here, so how could we dare take your money!”

The Drowned Ghost quickly chimed in and pulled a large stack of blood-dripping ghost money from his swollen belly.

“Exactly, exactly! This is our property dividend as tribute to you!”

He held tens of thousands in large-denomination ghost bills with both hands and humbly offered them to me.

【Ding! Detected that the player has paid the water and electricity bill... wait?】

【System correction in progress... Congratulations, player, you have received a reverse property dividend of one hundred thousand ghost bills!】

【Mandatory side quest: pay the water and electricity bill, completed far beyond requirements!】

The livestream comments instantly fell into dead silence.

Immediately afterward, exclamation marks filled the screen like an erupting volcano.

【Holy fuck fuck fuck fuck! Paying utilities turned into collecting property dividends?!】

【Even the system was dumbfounded, hey! That “wait” killed me!】

【How is he a player? He’s here to collect protection money like everyone’s living ancestor!】

I casually stuffed the ghost money into the pocket of my floral beach shorts and yawned.

“I’m leaving.”

The Flaying Manager quickly scrambled over to open the door.

“Creak—”

The heavy blood-red iron door was slowly pushed open.

Outside the door, Scarface was holding the skinny guy with a broken leg, gasping heavily.

The female player was covered in blood, and half her scalp had been shaved off, making her look like an evil ghost.

They had just happened to endure thirty minutes of the corridor’s killing traps.

Hearing the door open, Scarface suddenly raised his head, and wild joy and malice burst from his eyes.

“Hahaha! The door’s open! That kid definitely doesn’t even have bone dust left!”

The female player also laughed crazily.

“Serves you right! That’s what you get for showing off, now do you know how to spell death?”

I slowly stepped over the threshold, still holding the fruit platter offered by the Drowned Ghost.

“It is pretty hard to spell.”

I stuffed a crystal-clear grape into my mouth and spoke unclearly.

When they saw me, Scarface’s laughter stopped abruptly.

Three pairs of eyes stared at me, so wide their eyeballs almost fell out.

“You... how could you still be alive?!”

The skinny guy pointed at me, his voice filled with extreme fear.

“Not only are you alive, you’re eating grapes?!”

The female player also screamed in collapse.

“Impossible! Where is the Flaying Manager?! How could he let you go!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a huge mass of rotten flesh squeezed out from behind me.

Scarface was so scared his soul nearly left his body, and he scrambled backward on all fours.

“The monster’s out! Run!”

However, the infamous Flaying Manager did not even look at them.

He obsequiously offered me a blood-dripping hot towel.

“My lord, wipe your hands, and please have a safe trip.”

The Drowned Ghost also poked out a pale head and waved his claws reluctantly.

“My lord, come visit often! Next time, I’ll brew you mother-tree Da Hong Pao!”