Blood Moon Restaurant.
The first-floor lobby.
Dozens of tables were laid out, where faceless diners feasted with abandon.
A viscous, damp liquid oozed from the crimson carpet underfoot, and the air was thick with the faint scent of blood. A cold draft blew past the women's ankles, while the lobby's crystal chandelier let out a series of creaks.
Compared to the Shadowy Shop, which still had a trace of the real world, this Blood Moon Restaurant fully revealed the terrifying face of the Ghost World.
Yun Zhenyue was still dazed by the system notification. But to everyone else, she just looked like she was scared stiff.
[I told you so. Now that she's really at the Blood Moon Restaurant, she's too scared to even cry.]
[Signing a fake property deed, just deceiving herself. Now that the truth is out, why isn't she smiling anymore?]
[The Blood Moon Restaurant is an S-rank instance too. The Ghost Manager, especially, is a Crimson-robed Ghost. You want to be the owner? Are you more badass than the Ghost Manager?]
[I heard the cook here is especially brutal. Most of the players who entered the restaurant before were killed by him.]
[Yeah, and that ghost supervisor is super greedy. If you don't give her some benefits, she'll make your life hell in all sorts of creative ways.]
[I wonder what Miss Sumi's identity card is. If she's really the manager, our Great Cold Country will have hit the jackpot.]
Viewers from every country were mocking Yun Zhenyue's dazed expression.
Many viewers who had witnessed the brutality of the Blood Moon Restaurant still had lingering fears about it.
...
At this moment, Han Sumei was clutching the identity card Piao Dagen had given her.
She turned and saw that Yun Zhenyue seemed to be scared stiff.
A strong sense of superiority couldn't help but well up inside her.
Although she had suffered a bit before, and her own husband was ugly, the difference between the two of them was laid bare in this moment.
'The distinction between a high-quality and a low-quality marriage partner isn't just about the ghost's power in an instance. It's also about their connections, Ghost Artifacts, items, skills, and so on.'
'So what if Yun Zhenyue's partner is good-looking?'
'He's just a resentful spirit, weak and powerless. What kind of connections or Ghost Artifacts could he possibly have?'
'He probably couldn't get his hands on an identity card like this in his entire life.'
'Realizing you chose the wrong ghost partner now?'
'Too late!!'
"Hmph~" Han Sumei gave Yun Zhenyue a cold, sinister smile.
She felt as though all her previous suffering had been worth it.
She just didn't know what this identity card actually was yet.
She secretly harbored the fantasy of being the manager. If she really became the manager of the Blood Moon Restaurant, the first order she would give would be for Yun Zhenyue to die.
Thinking of this, she said coldly to Yun Zhenyue, "What did your husband give you?"
"Hm?"
Yun Zhenyue snapped out of her daze at the question.
She had somehow become the owner of the Blood Moon Restaurant.
'So, does this mean... that property deed from Gu Yuan was real?'
Her mind was filled with bewilderment and shock.
Then, Han Sumei's question completely baffled her.
Although she had a kind personality, Han Sumei had never shown her any kindness, so Yun Zhenyue naturally wasn't going to plaster on a smile for her.
"It's none of your business."
Yun Zhenyue retorted, the corners of her eyes lifting slightly in defiance.
"You—"
Han Sumei's nostrils flared with her rapid breathing, her body stiffening.
'She couldn't believe Yun Zhenyue actually dared to talk back to her.'
'In her eyes, Yun Zhenyue had just gotten lucky during the last mission, happening to run into the Ghost Manager while he was disciplining his subordinates.'
'Yun Zhenyue should have just been obedient and endured her bullying.'
'In the previous seasons of this ghost marriage show, the girls from the Great Cold Country had always bullied the ones from Dragon Country like this, and they had never seen them fight back.'
Han Sumei gritted her teeth, her eyes turning dark and glinting with a cold, sinister light.
"I suggest you give me what's in your hand right now."
"Otherwise..."
Her gaze swept over Yun Zhenyue's body.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, as if she were brewing some malicious plot.
"I admit, you're a little better looking than us."
"But don't forget, there's no one here to protect you."
"Once I get my status in the Blood Moon Restaurant, I'll offer you up to the ghosts upstairs. It'll be too late for you to beg for mercy then."
Yun Zhenyue listened, feeling as if a giant question mark had just appeared over her head.
She just felt that Han Sumei was a little crazy.
'Thanks to her own husband, she was now the owner of the Blood Moon Restaurant.'
'Who are you going to offer the owner to?'
'If she had to be offered to someone, it could only be Gu Yuan.'
Not bothering to deal with Han Sumei any longer, Yun Zhenyue averted her gaze.
Seeing this, Han Sumei grew even more furious and humiliated.
Rage flickered in her dark eyes, and her nails dug deep into her palms.
She knew that a global audience was watching her at this very moment.
Yun Zhenyue's complete lack of deference had not only failed to satisfy her fantasy but had also made her lose face completely.
Han Sumei took a deep breath, forcing her anger down.
"Just you wait."
"You will pay the price."
She lowered her voice, her malicious words echoing in the space.
Meanwhile, Yamada Aiko's heart was racing. Her hand, hidden in her pocket, tightened around the IOU slip.
She didn't join Han Sumei in mocking Yun Zhenyue this time.
After what had happened last time, she had a nagging feeling that Yun Zhenyue's partner, Gu Yuan, was hiding some kind of secret.
Seeing Han Sumei's spoiled, brazen, and completely unrestrained behavior, Yamada Aiko muttered under her breath, "Idiot."
She was now more inclined to get on good terms with Yun Zhenyue.
She was even feeling vexed and regretful for having casually offended her before.
The remaining women from the other countries also clutched the gifts their respective partners had given them.
The ten of them waited in place for a while.
Before long, a figure slowly approached them.
It was a female ghost wearing a black suit.
The hem of her clothes was stained with blood, and a chilling aura emanated from her as she walked. Her cheeks and lips were utterly bloodless, as pale as paper, and her eyes were hollow and cold.
As the female ghost drew closer, a thick stench of blood assaulted their nostrils, making it difficult to breathe.
The women got a clear look at her, as well as the name tag on her chest: Supervisor.
"Are you here to apply for a job?" the ghost supervisor asked coldly.
"Yes, Ma'am. We're all residents of Wansheng District," Han Sumei was the first to answer. "My husband is a Fierce Ghost who lives on the fourth floor, Piao Dagen. I wonder if you know him?"
"Wansheng District?"
The ghost supervisor's brow furrowed slightly at the words, as if she realized something.
Then, her gaze suddenly turned ice-cold.
"Did I give you permission to talk so much?"
The frigid words escaped her pale lips.
Making Han Sumei's scalp tingle with fear.
"I... I'm sorry—"
Before Han Sumei could finish her apology, the ghost supervisor cut her off coldly. "Since you're here to apply for a job, the Blood Moon Restaurant doesn't care what connections you have. You are all just the lowliest of rats."
"I am the supervisor of the Blood Moon Restaurant. From now on, I will be the one handling you."
"Now, I'll assign your positions."
At that very moment, Han Sumei braced herself against the pressure.
Her heart was pounding.
Meeting the ghost supervisor's icy gaze, she took the identity card out of her pocket.
"Ma'am, I have an identity card!"
"Would you like to take a look at it first?"
"This doesn't count as one of those 'other connections,' does it?"
Hearing the words "identity card," the ghost supervisor's expression froze for an instant.
'After all, the owner of the Blood Moon Restaurant hadn't come to inspect the work in a very long time.'
'Could it be that this woman belonged to the owner?'
'If that were true, starting a conflict with the owner's woman—and even calling her a rat—she would probably be punished to death by the manager.'
The ghost supervisor maintained a neutral expression as she slowly took the identity card from Han Sumei.
But when she saw the insignia on the card, the hesitation and worry on her face vanished instantly, replaced by profound disdain.
'Thank goodness. It was a false alarm.'
'She'd just been scaring herself.'
"I see," she said in a low voice.
"I was originally going to make you a waitress."
"But since this is an identity card for a janitor, you can go clean the toilets."