⚠️ Blood and corpse eating mentioned
One hour later, Luo Shengle tugged her baseball cap lower and straightened the name tag on her chest, moving through inconspicuous corners as a newly “acquired” staff member.
Please don’t notice me. Please don’t look closely…
She prayed silently, step after step.
But her luck didn’t last.
At a hallway corner, a blue collar supervisor spotted her and called out loudly, “Hey! You there! Come here and give me a hand.”
Luo Shengle froze mid step. Running away wasn’t a permanent solution. She pulled her hat lower, walked over obediently and listened as the woman scolded her:
“B Hall’s workload is enormous and everyone else is busy to death and you? Wandering around doing nothing? What’s your name?”
Her heart pounded wildly. She exhaled slowly to calm herself and muttered the name on the tag, voice deliberately muffled. “Lin Ye.”
“Oh?” The supervisor saw her bow her head deeply, assuming she was ashamed of slacking off. She didn’t suspect a thing. “Lin Ye… So you’re the newcomer starting today? Since it’s your first day on the job, I won’t pursue it but work properly from now on.”
Hearing that she had passed without issue, Luo Shengle felt a rush of joy and nodded repeatedly.
What a coincidence.
The random person she had knocked out just happened to be a first day employee, nobody knew her appearance or her voice.
Such luck… was this the Narrator’s benevolence?
With gratitude and reverence, she stole a brief glance at the nearby glass panel. She dared not linger, nor speculate on the reasons behind the mysterious being’s appearance.
Seeing that she seemed earnest, the supervisor didn’t make things difficult. She checked the time on her wristwatch, then urged, “Go to the supply room and grab a few clean buckets. Deliver them to Section B. Quickly!”
With that, she rushed off, just as abruptly as she had arrived.
Fortunately, Luo Shengle had already explored the aquarium structure in advance. It wasn’t hard to find the employee only areas. Wearing the uniform, she slipped inside, located the supply room, picked up several buckets and headed out.
Meanwhile, Yi Fengchu sat at home, fixated on observing her every move.
Since Luo Shengle no longer carried her phone, he could only monitor the instance through smooth, glass like reflective surfaces acting as pseudo screens.
In the glass corridors, the view was clear enough. But once she entered the passage between Halls A and B, surrounded by solid walls, Yi Fengchu’s perspective became limited.
After staring at the display for a while, he frowned. “Was your viewpoint inside instances always this restricted? Why does everything look unusually blurry this time?”
【I’m not sure either,】 the phone responded, unusually uncertainly. 【It feels as though some kind of power… something similar to me… is blocking my perception of this instance.】
“No wonder you labeled this instance as troublesome,” Yi Fengchu murmured.
He tapped the screen rhythmically, deep in thought.
He too wondered, why had Luo Shengle happened to choose that particular employee? Why had the coincidence been so perfect?
Inside the dangerous instance, Luo Shengle had no time or spare energy to investigate this question. She optimistically attributed the “luck” to supernatural assistance.
But Yi Fengchu, acting as the Narrator, knew very well that he had done nothing at all. The phone’s direct influence within an amusement park instance was extremely limited.
Which made the coincidence feel even more intentional.
“Perhaps,” Yi Fengchu mused quietly, “there was never any coincidence to begin with. Maybe… it was inevitable.”
The administrator’s attitude was so casual, so utterly indifferent, that it almost felt routine, perhaps he had long grown accustomed to wave after wave of new recruits joining the aquarium staff, only to vanish forever from their posts for some unknown reason, like logs tossed into a furnace and burned away one batch after another.
As for why the staff turnover was so absurdly frequent, there was no need to ask. The problem obviously lay with the aquarium itself.
“‘The shadow looming over the aquarium’… what exactly is it referring to?”
Yi Fengchu curved his lips into a faint, intrigued smile.
While he was lost in thought, Luo Shengle quickly arrived at Building B.
She had come here earlier in the afternoon but at that time the entrance to Building B had been tightly sealed. A thick chain, nearly as thick as her wrist, had been wrapped around both door handles and multiple security guards patrolled back and forth, leaving her with absolutely no chance to slip inside.
Yet now, by sheer coincidence, things had taken a turn. The security guards merely cast her an uninterested glance before losing all concern and the once sealed doors now stood wide open, allowing staff to pass in and out freely.
The moment she stepped across the threshold, Luo Shengle felt the air grow heavy and thick, a sticky humidity carrying with it a salty, damp smell laced with a faint stench of fish that rushed straight into her nose.
Her hands were full, she was carrying buckets in both, so she secretly activated her ability, letting a stream of fresh, clean air gather around her like a thin protective film.
Inside Building B, reflective surfaces were even more abundant. Out of the corner of her eye, Luo Shengle caught another line of shimmering silver words. The narrator seemed curious, almost entertained:
【In your perception, the smell here is rather unpleasant?】
Why did it feel as though the entity was observing her from behind a glass curtain, like someone watching a tiny ecosystem in a bottle and becoming interested in the creatures’ reactions?
Fish… yes, that was exactly like watching fish behind glass, because they were harmless. Whether watching them lazily drift around the tank or watching them chase and nip at each other over a handful of fish feed, everything became strangely fascinating. Time would slip away without notice…
Could this be how that mysterious, lenient higher being viewed the players, watching them from above, as if staring down into a tank?
Luo Shengle’s thoughts drifted on their own, though her expression remained steady. She gave the silver words a slight nod, indicating confirmation, then began observing her surroundings.
Compared to the clean, beautifully decorated Building A, Building B felt crude and unfinished, almost shabbily utilitarian. The overhead incandescent light had a corner of its casing broken, revealing a few strands of wiring; the walls were stacked with red blue white tarps meant for dust proofing, draped messily onto a pitted concrete floor.
Due to the doors and windows being sealed for too long, air circulation was terrible. The stagnant humidity carried a suffocating fishy stench that soon had beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
In a way, claiming that Building B was closed to the public due to “ongoing reconstruction” wasn’t completely untrue. With this crude, half finished construction site appearance, no tourist would willingly enter even if the doors were wide open.
Struggling a bit, she raised an elbow to wipe her forehead, then carried several large water buckets forward, weaving around scattered tools and debris. Ahead, she saw numerous workers in identical black uniforms gathered around two rows of tanks.
Some were checking oxygen tubes and filtration systems, others stood on ladders feeding the tanks, while another held a small notebook, meticulously observing and recording the conditions of the fry.
Ignoring the environment, the scene was a picture of orderly and efficient labor, busy yet not chaotic.
The moment the new staff member arrived, one employee hurried toward Luo Shengle, moving so fast he was like a gust of wind. He shoved a long bamboo pole into her hands, the top fitted with a large net, urging briskly:
“You’re new? Then start with something simple. Scoop out the rotting water plants from the tanks.”
He paused, then his expression hardened, extremely solemn as he emphasized,
“Remember, whatever you do, absolutely, absolutely do not harm the fish. They’re the aquarium’s most valuable assets.”
Still dazed, Luo Shengle accepted the bamboo net pole. With the fishy odor growing stronger and more pungent by the second, she imitated the others, carefully scooping out decaying water weeds into the empty bucket.
After glancing down a few times, she noted something unsettling. The fish displayed in Building A had at least looked normal, without strange growths or additional limbs but the fish in the tanks here…
They were outright bizarre.
Take the tank she was working on: the creature inside was half the length of a person but sprouting from either side of its tail were two short, thick, human like legs curled up tightly. Its skin was wrinkled and pale from soaking, giving off a ghastly grayish tone.
Luo Shengle forced down the surge of discomfort in her stomach, maneuvering the bamboo pole with extreme care so as not to touch the “human legged fish.”
Fortunately, its eyes were dull and lifeless; it simply curled weakly in the corner, making her job much easier.
But in Yi Fengchu’s vision, these so called “fish” were far more grotesque.
The human legged fish, for instance, wasn’t a fish at all in his eyes, it was a half human, half fish monstrosity. The bloated, corpse pale human torso had a half grown fish body fused to its abdomen and every time the creature flicked its fin, the scales and fleshy nodules at the connecting point would tremble grotesquely.
Human flesh nourished the birth of the “fish.” This was likely the origin of many of the specimens displayed in Building A.
What Yi Fengchu was witnessing now was a creature caught mid transformation, an incomplete process.
And he also understood that the reason this “human legged fish” was remaining obediently in the corner was that no matter how violently its fish fin moved, it could not break free from the swollen corpse fused beneath it. It was physically incapable of leaving that spot.
More disturbing still was the discovery that the decaying, corpse like torso actually retained a shred of consciousness.
The pair of sunken eyes at the bottom of the tank stared upward unblinkingly. The mouth opened and closed in agony, as if trying to plead for help from Luo Shengle above.
But Luo Shengle couldn’t see any of it. She simply focused on scooping water plants, her gaze unintentionally meeting those pleading eyes several times before drifting away again, each time giving the corpse a fleeting flash of hope, only to extinguish it unknowingly…
Perhaps noticing Yi Fengchu’s attention on the creature at the bottom, the phone explained:
【The instant the fish began growing from his abdomen, he died. What you’re seeing now is only a corpse with a lingering scrap of consciousness.】
【In this dungeon, the only ordinary player you can save is your senior.】
Yi Fengchu fell silent for a moment, then decided, for now, not to tell Luo Shengle the truth about the “fish.”
He was certain that the staff’s earlier warning, “under no circumstances must you harm the fish”, was an iron rule.
If Luo Shengle learned that she was surrounded not by fish but by the corpses of former players, she might panic, lose control and make a fatal mistake.
Better she continue believing that the “fish” were merely fish.
While scooping out the rotting plants with earnest diligence, Luo Shengle kept her ears open, listening to the workers’ conversations.
Despite the creatures’ bizarre and horrifying appearances, the staff acted as if nothing were amiss. They replaced water, checked oxygen and pressure levels, fed the tanks and even showed signs of concern:
“This fish barely ate today and it’s moving so sluggishly. Could it be sick?”
Another leaned over, checked carefully, then sighed in relief. “No problem, it’s perfectly healthy.”
“…”
Watching from his screen, Yi Fengchu glanced at the half corpse creature before them, an eight eyed fish grafted onto the forehead of a body and felt utterly speechless.
Then the phone suddenly let out a low, mocking laugh. The mechanical voice carried an unmistakable tone of ridicule:
【Someone is about to be unlucky.】
Yi Fengchu switched to an overhead view and quickly spotted a staff member leaning over a tank to feed the fish. The man’s footing slipped slightly; he instinctively grabbed for support and his fingernails scraped across the smooth, scale less fish, leaving a shallow scratch.
The noise was not subtle, metal legs of the ladder scraped against the cement floor, creating a piercing echo that filled the building.
And then Luo Shengle suddenly realized something was wrong.
The area had fallen eerily silent.
She looked up and saw that almost everyone had stopped what they were doing, standing motionless as their blank gazes locked onto the employee who had made the mistake.
Yet the man being stared at seemed unconcerned. His attitude was calm and normal as he openly reflected on his error. Then he smiled, bright and cheerful.
“…So, to make up for my mistake, I will take full responsibility and ensure it never happens again.”
With that, he took two steps back, then violently smashed his forehead against the tank.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Bang! Bang! Bang…!
Under Luo Shengle’s frozen expression, after several sickening impacts, the man’s body finally went limp. He slid down along the glass, his face a blurred mess of blood and mangled flesh, sticking grotesquely to the tank. Fresh blood dripped steadily onto the floor, forming a spreading red pool.
Two employees stepped forward on their own, lifted his corpse and tossed it into an empty tank.
They sighed with satisfaction and genuine hopefulness.
“Wonderful. Now we can cultivate even more fish.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Behind every translated chapter is someone who probably needs caffeine.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Mysterious letterChapter 2 · Divine MessagesChapter 3 · Gamer ForumChapter 4 · Invitation from GodChapter 5 · JudgeChapter 6 · TerminalChapter 7 · Destruction of recordsChapter 8 · Whale Bone Aquarium (1)Chapter 9 · Whale Bone Aquarium (2)Chapter 10 · Whale Bone Aquarium (3)Chapter 11 · Whale Bone Aquarium (4)Chapter 12 · Whale Bone Aquarium (5)Chapter 13 · Whale Bone Aquarium (6)Chapter 14 · Whale Bone Aquarium (7)Chapter 15 · Whale Bone Aquarium (8)Chapter 16 · Whale Bone Aquarium (9)Chapter 17 · Whale Bone Aquarium (10)Chapter 18 · Whale Bone Aquarium (11)Chapter 19 Part 1 · Whale Bone Aquarium (12)Chapter 19 Part 2 · Whale Bone Aquarium (12)Chapter 20 · Interlude: His ApostlesChapter 21 · Echoes in the pupa (1)Chapter 22 · Echoes in the pupa (2)Chapter 23 · Echoes in the Pupa (3)Chapter 24 · Echoes in the Pupa (4)Chapter 25 · Echoes in the Pupa (5)Chapter 26 · Echoes in the Pupa (6)Chapter 27 · Echoes in the Pupa (7)Chapter 28 · Echoes in the Pupa (8)Chapter 29 · Echoes in the Pupa (9)Chapter 30 · Echoes in the Pupa (10)Chapter 31 · Echoes in the Pupa (11)Chapter 32 · Echoes in the Pupa (12)Chapter 33 · Echoes in the Pupa (13)Chapter 34 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (1)Chapter 35 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (2)Chapter 36 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (3)Chapter 37 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (1)Chapter 38 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (2)Chapter 39 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (3)Chapter 40 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (4)Chapter 41 · Advertisement Coming Soon (1)Chapter 42 · Advertisement Coming Soon (2)Chapter 43 · Advertisement Coming Soon (3)Chapter 44 · Advertisement Coming Soon (4)Chapter 45 · Advertisement Coming Soon (5)Chapter 46 · Advertisement Coming Soon (6)Chapter 47 · Advertisement Coming Soon (7)Chapter 48 · Advertisement Coming Soon (8)Chapter 49 · Advertisement Coming Soon (9)Chapter 50 · Advertisement Coming Soon (10)Chapter 51 · Advertisement Coming Soon (11)Chapter 52 · Advertisement Coming Soon (12)Chapter 53 · Advertisement Coming Soon to EndChapter 54 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (1)Chapter 55 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (2)Chapter 56 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (3)Chapter 57 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (4)Chapter 58 · Childhood Ghost Stories (1)Chapter 59 · Childhood Ghost Stories (2)Chapter 60 · Childhood Ghost Stories (3)Chapter 61 · Childhood Ghost Stories (4)Chapter 62 · Childhood Ghost Stories (5)Chapter 63 · Childhood Ghost Stories (6)Chapter 64 · Childhood Ghost Stories (7)Chapter 65 · Childhood Ghost Stories (8)Chapter 66 · Childhood Ghost Stories (9)Chapter 67 · Childhood Ghost Stories (10)Chapter 68 · Childhood Ghost Stories (11)Chapter 69 · Childhood Ghost Stories (12)Chapter 70 · Childhood Ghost Stories (13)Chapter 71 · Childhood Ghost Stories (14)Chapter 72 · Childhood Ghost Stories (15)Chapter 73 · Childhood Ghost Stories (16)Chapter 74 · Childhood Ghost Stories (17)Chapter 75 · Childhood Ghost Stories (18)Chapter 76 · Childhood Ghost Stories (19)Chapter 77 · Childhood Ghost Stories (20)Chapter 78 · Childhood Ghost Stories (Complete)Chapter 79 · Interlude: His Kingdom (1)Chapter 80 · Interlude: His Kingdom (2)Chapter 81 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (1)Chapter 82 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (2)Chapter 83 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (3)Chapter 84 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (4)Chapter 85 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (5)Chapter 86 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (Complete)Chapter 87 · Fate casually rolls the dice (1)Chapter 88 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (2)Chapter 89 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (3)Chapter 90 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (4)Chapter 91 · Fate casually tosses the dice (5)Chapter 92 · Fate casually tosses the dice (6)Chapter 93 · Fate casually tosses the dice (7)Chapter 94 · Fate casually tosses the dice (8)Chapter 95 · Fate casually tosses the dice (9)Chapter 96 · Fate casually tosses the dice (10)Chapter 97 · Fate Casually tosses the dice (11)Chapter 98 · Fate casually tosses the dice (12)Chapter 99 · Fate casually tosses the dice (13)Chapter 100 · Fate casually tosses the dice (14)Chapter 101 · Fate casually tosses the dice (15)Chapter 102 · Fate casually tosses the dice (16)Chapter 103 · Fate casually tosses the dice (17)Chapter 104 · Fate casually tosses the dice (18)Chapter 105 · Fate casually tosses the dice (19)Chapter 106 · Fate casually tosses the dice (20)Chapter 107 · Fate casually tosses the dice (21)Chapter 108 · Fate casually tosses the dice (The End)Chapter 109 · Interlude