Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 69 A Feast of Memories

The still-beating heart and the two eyes, seemingly reflecting the final terror of death, together form a still life painting full of classical beauty. The scarlet sauce outlines elegant yet mocking patterns on the white bone china plate, like the devil's flamboyant signature when signing a contract.

A fragrance, an indescribable aroma, emanated continuously from that heart. It wasn't merely the scent of food, but a "flavor" that directly affected the soul. It was like a perfume distilled from countless concentrated "beautiful moments," containing the tender thrill of first love, the triumphant joy of success, and the warm happiness of family reunions…

This fragrance seems to possess a magical power; it can precisely evoke the beautiful parts of your memories, and then forcefully create an irresistible "craving" in you.

They longed to taste it, to possess it, to completely integrate this "beauty" into their bodies, as if consuming it would make up for all their past regrets and grant them eternal bliss.

However, Bai Yu simply stood there quietly, his deep eyes showing no ripples. His soul, repaired and strengthened by the "Cradle," was like a silent sea frozen for millions of years; any emotional temptation that attempted to stir its surface would ultimately be completely swallowed up by that ultimate "nothingness."

"Ha...what an aesthetically unappealing way of cooking!"

A voice, filled with elegance and disdain, lingered deep within his consciousness.

The next second, an invisible ripple spread across the air around Bai Yu, like a pebble thrown into water. A figure silently emerged from that ripple and finally solidified beside him.

Hei Yan was dressed in a well-tailored, exquisite black tuxedo. His pale skin reflected a porcelain-like sheen under the luxurious crystal chandelier in the room. His handsome, devilish face now bore the disappointment and displeasure of a gourmet tasting a subpar dish.

Since Bai Yu's soul was completely repaired by the "Cradle," his symbiotic relationship with Hei Yan has entered a new phase. Hei Yan is no longer just a nightmare residing in his body, but can maintain its physical form in the real world for a long time by using Bai Yu's now incredibly stable soul as an "anchor."

“What a disgusting idea.” Hei Yan stretched out his right hand, which was covered in a clean white silk glove, and pointed at the still-beating heart on the plate with an almost disgusted expression. “To extract the most precious memories and emotions of the soul in such a brutal way, and then to place them on a plate like a piece of raw meat. This is not cooking, this is the greatest desecration of the ingredients themselves.”

His appearance caused the waiter, who had maintained a perfect smile, to freeze momentarily. A flicker of confusion and wariness, like a data error, flashed in his doll-like, empty eyes. His programmed abilities clearly couldn't comprehend what this suddenly appearing man was.

"Mr. Bai...and who is this?" The waiter's voice was still sweet, but beneath that sweetness lay an undeniable stiffness.

“My companion,” Bai Yu replied calmly.

Hei Yan didn't even bother to glance at the waiter, as if the waiter was merely a lowly decoration unworthy of his attention. His gaze, however, lingered with interest on the two eyeballs held in the glass.

“However, these two ‘desserts’ do have some merit,” he said in a tone as if appreciating gemstones. “Look, their ‘quality’ is not bad. What they contain is probably the ‘epiphany’ of an artist when he sees his most perfect work born, and the ‘destiny’ of a gambler when he sees his cards revealed after betting everything. Although they are also processed very roughly, at least they retain a trace of the ‘spirit’ of the raw materials themselves.”

He turned his head, his pure black eyes looking at Bai Yu with a playful smile: "So, my dear little Bai Yu, how do you plan to enjoy this 'feast of memories' that has been carefully prepared for you? Will you choose the main course filled with the taste of mundane happiness, or these two desserts with a touch of tragic aesthetics?"

Bai Yu did not answer his question. He simply turned his cold gaze back to the waiter who still maintained his standard smile.

“I don’t seem to have the habit of ordering food.” He spoke slowly, his voice as flat as a stretched harp string. “Besides, I have no interest in tasting other people’s ‘memories’.”

The waiter's smile froze for a moment. He seemed surprised that this "VIP" would refuse such a huge temptation without hesitation.

“But Mr. Bai…” His voice carried a formulaic persuasion, “This is not an ordinary memory. It is the most exquisite part of the souls of our hotel’s guests who voluntarily chose to obtain eternal happiness in the ‘Paradise’ through the most advanced ‘memory extraction’ technology. Just by tasting it, you can gain the most precious experiences and insights of their lives. You can become the top artist, the shrewdest businessman, the most beloved leader in an instant… You will… become a god.”

"God?" Upon hearing this word, Hei Yan couldn't help but let out a disdainful chuckle. "What an arrogant and laughable definition. You pathetic insects have only glimpsed a tiny fraction of what belongs to a higher dimension, yet you presume to define its greatness with your meager vocabulary. You haven't even touched the threshold of 'rules,' so what right do you have to discuss the realm of 'god'?"

“Mr. Bai, sir…” The waiter’s programming was clearly incapable of handling this conversation, which was beyond his comprehension. His smile grew increasingly stiff, and a dangerous red data stream flickered in his empty eyes. “This is a ‘gift’ prepared for you by the hotel. According to the hotel’s regulations, every guest who receives a ‘gift’ must ‘enjoy’ it. This is the most basic ‘respect’ for the hotel and for the original owner of this ‘gift’.”

His tone remained polite, but beneath that politeness lay an unyielding, icy will.

"What if I don't?" Bai Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in them.

The waiter's perfect smile finally vanished completely, replaced by an absolute indifference, like that of a doll.

“Well then, according to the rules…” He slowly took a step back, and at the same time took out a silver knife and fork that gleamed with a cold light from a hidden compartment in the food cart behind him, “we will have to… personally ‘help’ you enjoy this delicacy.”

As he spoke, it was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out in an instant.

The flames in the fireplace suddenly froze, their color shifting from a warm orange-red to an unsettling, ghastly green. The classical oil painting on the wall, depicting a medieval noblewoman, had transformed from a demure smile into a sinister, malevolent grin.

This "cage" built of extreme luxury finally revealed its hideous fangs hidden beneath its perfect facade.

A massive and alluring mental pressure pressed down on the two of them from all directions, seemingly trying to crush their will and turn them into "ingredients" as easily slaughtered as the heart on the plate.

However, faced with this terrifying pressure that could instantly break a person's mind, Bai Yu and Hei Yan's faces remained unchanged.

"What... such rude hospitality." Hei Yan shook his head in disappointment, then elegantly straightened his perfectly wrinkle-free bow tie. "It seems the owner of this hotel doesn't understand what true 'hospitality' really means."

He took a step forward, completely shielding Bai Yu behind him.

Just one step.

A terrifying aura, even more ancient than the mental pressure, erupted from his seemingly frail body! Faced with his contemptuous will, the immense mental pressure around him let out a silent lament as if encountering its natural enemy, and then receded rapidly like a tide.

The eerie green flames burning in the room returned to a warm orange-red. The smile of the noblewoman in the oil painting on the wall also regained its demure elegance.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

The waiter, knife and fork in hand, froze on the spot, his body like a puppet, too afraid to move. For the first time, his empty eyes revealed the deepest fear a program experiences when encountering an unmanageable "virus."

“Now,” Hei Yan slowly walked to the huge dining table. He didn’t look at the waiter who was already terrified. Instead, he stretched out his white-gloved right hand and picked up the still-beating heart from the plate with two fingers as if it were a piece of trash. “Since the host has shown his sincerity, then as guests, we should also return the favor with a gift of our own. That would be polite, wouldn’t it?”

He turned his head, his pure black eyes looking at Bai Yu with a questioning smile.

Bai Yu slowly walked forward. He didn't look at the heart, but instead focused his gaze on his right hand, which was covered by the cuff of his suit sleeve.

He slowly raised his right hand, and then, in front of the waiter, gently unbuttoned his cuff, revealing the "whirlpool eye" mark on the back of his hand that seemed to possess a life of its own.

The moment that mark appeared, the air in the entire room seemed to freeze.

An ominous aura, even more ominous than the darkness of Hei Yan, flashed past from that small mark.

The waiter's body jolted violently, and the fear that belonged to the program in his empty eyes was replaced at this moment by a more primal awe.

"See that?" Bai Yu's voice was calm and undisturbed. He slowly extended the back of his hand in front of the waiter, as if displaying a unique and rare treasure. "Compared to the shoddy dishes you make from other people's leftovers..."

A cold and mocking smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"...Doesn't my 'ingredient' look even more appetizing?"

He issued a confident "challenge" to the hotel and the "owner" hidden behind the scenes with an even more arrogant attitude.

I am not a "guest" you can play with at will.

I am more dangerous than you... "Predator".

The waiter's body began to tremble violently. His logical chain, constructed by the program, collapsed completely at that moment, and the knife and fork in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Immediately afterwards, his body began to convulse violently, like an old television screen that had been jammed by a signal. Finally, after a silent twisting, he completely turned into a pool of black data, merging into the smooth, mirror-like obsidian floor and disappearing without a trace.

"Tch, what a fragile toy." Hei Yan tossed the heart, which had stopped beating, back onto the plate with some disappointment.

Just then, a clear and melodious female laugh suddenly rang out from all directions of the huge suite.

"Hehehe... What a... unique 'guest' indeed."

The voice was magnetic, languid and alluring; each syllable was like a feather coated in honey, gently scratching the listener's eardrums, making one unconsciously become immersed in it.

With that burst of laughter, the light from the huge crystal chandelier in the room suddenly softened.

A staircase of light, composed of countless butterflies emitting a soft glow, slowly emerged from the empty space and stretched out in front of the two.

Immediately afterwards, a woman with a graceful figure, dressed in a well-tailored black backless evening gown, walked barefoot down the top of the staircase of light with elegant steps, like a cat under the moonlight.

She had long, slightly wavy black hair like seaweed, and skin as white as the finest jade. Her features were so exquisite they seemed unreal; her narrow, almond-shaped eyes held a captivating charm that could steal the soul of any man. A faint smile always graced her lips.

She is the true owner of this "paradise"—Qin Yixuan.

"Nice to meet you, two very special guests." She walked up to the two, her alluring eyes scanning Bai Yu and Hei Yan with interest. Finally, her gaze settled on Bai Yu's right hand, which revealed the mark, and a hint of barely perceptible greed and excitement flashed in her eyes. "Truly... a delightful surprise. On behalf of the Blissful World, I extend my sincerest welcome to you both."

She exuded an aura completely different from that of the waiter. If the waiter represented the cold "rules," then she was the alluring "desire" itself.

“The appetizers just now didn’t seem to suit your tastes.” She glanced at the “Feast of Memories” on the table, which had long since gone cold, and her face showed an apologetic expression. “I’m really sorry, it was our poor hospitality. After all, special guests like you two… oh no, special guests, of course deserve to be treated in a more special way.”

She gestured for them to enter, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkling with an irresistible smile.

"Would you two be interested in following me to see our hotel's actual kitchen?"

　I'm off to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival with my elders, so this update will be quite late.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)