Standing in front of the elevator, Kanzaki Rei glanced at the time.
Four minutes left.Good. The elevator was already waiting on the first floor—he should make it.
Ding.
The doors slid open. Rei darted inside and slammed the Close button like his life depended on it.
Thankfully, nothing went wrong during the ride.
Twenty seconds later, the doors opened again.
Rei exploded out of the elevator like a horse breaking free of its reins, sprinting straight to the door marked 503.
"Hello! Your delivery is here."
He knocked as he called out.
No response from inside. No footsteps. No door opening.
"Hello! Your delivery is here!"He raised his voice and shouted again.
Still nothing.
"Open up—your food's here!"
Rei's knocking grew increasingly feral. He even started kicking the door.
After a full minute of deadlock, the person inside finally snapped.
"Stop yelling. That's not my delivery."
"You didn't even look—how do you know it's not yours?" Rei shot back.
Apparently finding that reasonable, the door to 503 finally creaked open.
A grotesquely obese man filled the doorway. He was massively built, his body radiating an overwhelming stench.
It was the kind of smell you'd get if a large dog had been roaming outside all day without a bath—and then eaten half a kilo of shit.
"Give me the receipt."
A thick, hairy hand reached out.
"Here."Rei handed it over.
The fat man glanced at it once. "This isn't my order. I'm not taking it."
"Is this Merlin Gardens?"
"Yes."
"Is this Building 3, Room 503?"
"Yes."
"Then since this is Merlin Gardens, Building 3, Room 503—what right do you have to refuse it?"
Rei's voice rose again.
"I don't care. I didn't order it, so I'm not taking it. Unless…"The man let out a strange, leering chuckle.
"Unless what?"
"Unless you give me a piece of meat."
He licked his lips, revealing a mouthful of yellowed, blackened, rotting teeth.
"Heh."
Rei sized him up from head to toe, weighing the feasibility of completing the delivery through violence.
Conclusion: extremely unlikely.
Even without factoring in anything supernatural, the man had to weigh at least four hundred jin. In barehanded combat, weight-class advantage was absolute.
Not to mention his vital points were buried under layers of fat—there was barely any room for technique.
"What, you wanna hit me? Heh—ptui!"
The fat man sneered and spat a glob of thick phlegm onto the floor right in front of Rei.
"I'm just a delivery guy, huh? I won't take it. What can you do about it?"
He opened his mouth wide, spewing breath so foul it could qualify as a biochemical weapon.
Rei held his breath and checked his phone.
One minute left.
"Running out of time, huh? Don't hesitate."The fat man's voice suddenly softened."A piece of meat for a life. That's a great deal."
The low-frequency sound seemed to resonate inside Rei's skull, producing an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Thirty seconds.
"Why didn't you spit on me just now?" Rei suddenly asked.
"I'll spit wherever I want. None of your business," the fat man snarled.
"You didn't dare," Rei said calmly. "You were afraid you'd spit on my uniform."
"Bullshit!"
The man's expression twisted in fury.
Before he could react, Rei suddenly hurled the takeout box straight into the apartment.
Five seconds.
"No—!"
The fat man let out a deafening scream and lunged for the food.
"As far as I'm concerned, I delivered it. Eat it or don't—I don't give a damn."
Rei slammed the door shut and threw his shoulder against it.
Almost instantly, a massive force crashed from the other side.
Rei was sent flying, smashing into the hallway wall.
A metallic sweetness surged up his throat. A burning pain spread across his back.
No fractures—probably.
The door was blown open as well, slamming into the opposite wall. The echoing impact thundered through the corridor.
The fat man emerged again, still clutching the takeout box.
"This. Is. Not. My. Or. Der."
He spoke each word separately, teeth chattering.
His eyes rolled upward with effort, as if deliberately avoiding looking at the box.
"I don't care what you think," Rei said, pushing himself upright against the wall."I care what I think."
"And besides—time's up."
He smiled.
First delivery complete: 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
"No—!"
The fat man let out a terrified howl—then it stopped abruptly.
His expression went blank. The stench pouring off his body intensified.
"Thank you."
Under Rei's guarded gaze, the man spoke mechanically, then shut the door.
Only a lingering odor—something disturbingly close to corpse rot—remained in the hallway.
"Must've been an expensive order," Rei muttered, glancing once more at the 503 doorplate before heading back to the elevator.
"Congratulations. You survived your first order."
Back at the Bloody Restaurant, Ushiuma stomped his hooves in encouragement.
"Thanks, boss. Your warning helped a lot," Rei said politely.
"Of course it did. I'm a three-time 'Outstanding Employee' of the Bloody Restaurant."
Ushiuma puffed out his chest with pride.
"But you didn't tell me customers could refuse orders," Rei said, frowning slightly.
"I'm not obligated to tell you everything. Extra information costs extra—and what do you have left to pay with?"
Ushiuma replied indifferently.
"You're right."Rei nodded.
"Good. You've got sense. Besides, didn't you deliver it anyway? Even if you paid a little price."
Ushiuma glanced at Rei's arm.
"You can see it?" Rei raised his arm. There was nothing visibly wrong.
"Everyone can see it—except you."
"Why?"
"Only the whole can see what's missing."
Ushiuma looked at him, his gaze somewhere between pity and mockery.
"Since you're a decent kid, when you finally get eaten hollow, I'll let you pick how you die."
"Then I choose to drink myself to death on Maotai."
"You wish. If something that good existed, why would it be your turn?"
Ushiuma rolled his eyes.
"By the way, boss… you still got any Maotai?"
Rei asked casually.
"No Maotai. I've got Maotzi-tai though. Want some?"
"Sounds itchy. Pass. Can you get another bottle?"
"You getting addicted?"
"No. Planning to trade it for something."
Rei answered honestly.
"I can get it. What are you offering? No credit this time."
"Meat?"
"With the scraps on you? Not even worth one bottle."
Ushiuma eyed him with open disdain.
"Name your price," Rei said bluntly.
"Alright. Go clear Snake—full clear. Whatever the reward is, I'll trade you one bottle of Maotai for it."
Ushiuma thought for a moment, then added,"Ascension Maotai. 53 proof."
"Fine, fine. Ascension Maotai, 53 proof. You humans are always so calculating."
Ushiuma snorted.
"And if there's no reward?"
"I'll still trade. Happy now?"
"Deal."
Rei nodded.
"Oh—boss. If an order only has an address, does that mean delivery counts as long as it reaches the location, even without a signature?"
Thinking back on the earlier delivery, he asked.
"Correct. That's why I said you were lucky. Those are the easiest orders."
"And if they won't open the door?"
"Then you trick them. If that fails, scare them. If that still doesn't work—climb in through a window or smash the door. There's always a way."
Ushiuma answered without hesitation.
"Impressive. No wonder you're an 'Outstanding Employee.'"
"Three-time 'Outstanding Employee,'" Ushiuma corrected, raising three legs.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, violent pounding erupted from inside one of the storage lockers.