8: Chapter 8 Global Live Broadcast: I Eat Michelin-Starred Food in a Thriller World

Xu Mo's hands trembled as he uncovered the lid in front of him. Same steak, same recipe.

Holding a silver fork, he stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

I had even mentally prepared myself to swallow eyeballs raw, and this is what you show me?

Is this really the legendary s-rank instance where death is certain?

Are you sure this isn't some immersive resort developed by a tycoon?

The bullet chat in the livestream went silent for a second, then exploded with a screen full of question marks.

[(IP: USA) WTF?! This is too ridiculous! This is definitely a bug! I'm reporting this to the Thriller Game's main brain!]

[(IP: Japan) Baka! On what grounds? Why do our Great Japan's warriors have to eat crap when they go in, while the Dragon Country person gets to eat French cuisine? Foul play! This is blatant foul play!]

[(IP: Dragon Country) Hahaha! I'm dying, this is what you call 'Versailles'! Where's that person who wanted to see Pei Duo eat eyeballs? Come out and take your beating!]

[(IP: Dragon Country) Posting food porn late at night, reported! I want to go to an s-rank instance to score a free meal too. Waiting online, it's urgent.]

[(IP: Kimchi Country) Shibal... That beef looks like M9 grade. I haven't even eaten that before...]

"This..." Pei Duo cautiously cut a small piece and put it in her mouth.

The rich juices exploded in her mouth; it was a texture only found in top-tier M9 Wagyu, ten thousand times better than the best she'd ever had at Pizza Hut.

The young girl's eyes lit up instantly. She turned to look at the dazed Lin Sa, her face full of lingering fear. "Sister Lin, you were scaring me on purpose just now, weren't you? This is clearly delicious."

Lin Sa opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

She mechanically forked a piece of foie gras into her mouth, tears nearly falling.

It was so fragrant.

It was so delicious it made her want to cry.

She had struggled in the Thriller Game for three years, eating nothing but moldy bread and expired canned food. When had she ever eaten something of this imperial-cuisine caliber?

Chewing the most expensive meal of her life, Lin Sa gave a smile that looked more painful than crying. "I... I just didn't expect the food standards in this ghostly place to actually match a three-star Michelin restaurant."

While elegantly cutting his steak, Xu Mo ranted wildly in his head: How is this an s-rank instance? This is a freaking paid-vacation resort!

"Ah—!!!"

Just as everyone was immersed in the culinary bliss, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the window, followed by an extremely shrill scream.

The sound erupted right by the window, accompanied by the cringe-inducing sound of bones crushing and the "squelch" of some beast tearing into raw meat.

Clearly, some unlucky soul who hadn't made it inside had run past the window and been turned into another "dinner" by something.

The hands of several newcomers cutting their steaks trembled, their cutlery clattering onto their plates. They almost threw up the meat they had just eaten.

The butler, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, not even knitting his brows.

He walked to the window and gently drew the heavy velvet curtains, blocking out the fleeting, hideous ghostly shadow and the blood splattered on the glass.

"The wind is a bit noisy tonight; just a few stray cats fighting."

The butler turned around, a proper smile still on his face. Against the hellish background noise, he appeared exceptionally refined and gentle. "Please enjoy your meal in peace; do not let it spoil your mood. After all... those are the rules outside, while this is the enjoyment within."

Inside, candlelight flickered, and the red wine was mellow.

Outside, vicious ghosts roamed, and blood flowed like a river.

This extreme sense of contrast sent the livestream's popularity soaring to the top of the homepage.

[(IP: Dragon Country) Holy crap, this butler is a ruthless beast! 'Stray cats fighting' my ass—that scream made my scalp go numb!]

[(IP: Sun Never Sets) Is this the aesthetics of elegant violence? The contrast is too brutal. Without that jade pendant, Pei Duo would be a snack in a 'stray cat's' mouth right now.]

[(IP: Dragon Country) This isn't survival for Pei Duo; this is clearly a leader inspecting work! This treatment is insane!]

...

Meanwhile, in the real world, Jiang City.

In the Pei family's living room, Father Pei and Mother Pei held their phones, tears of relief streaming down their faces.

"She's eating... Duo Duo is eating!" Mother Pei cried and laughed as she watched her daughter devouring meat on the screen. "She even has milk to drink. I can rest easy now, I can rest easy..."

Father Pei wiped away his tears, staring at the terrifying butler on the screen, his voice hoarse. "Feier... Is this really because of Feier's reputation? Just what... what did he do over there?"

"Who cares what he did!" Mother Pei glared at her husband and pointed at the jade pendant on the screen. "As long as it protects Duo Duo, even if he beat up the King Yama down there, I'd still burn high-quality incense for him!"

...

After dinner, the butler personally escorted Pei Duo to the guest room at the end of the second floor.

It was a room even more luxurious than a presidential suite. Smokeless calming incense wood burned in the fireplace, soft velvet bedding covered the bed, and a glass of warm milk was even thoughtfully placed on the nightstand.

The butler stood at the door and bowed deeply to Pei Duo, his tone as devout as if he were facing a deity. "May you have sweet dreams, esteemed guest. Tonight, nothing shall dare disturb your peace."

The door closed softly.

Pei Duo leaned against the door and let out a long sigh.

The day's events were too surreal. From the despair of waiting for death to being treated as an honored guest by powerful ghosts, it was all thanks to this worn-out jade pendant left by her unreliable older brother.

She climbed into bed, clutching the black jade pendant tightly as sleepiness washed over her like a tide.

"Brother... just what kind of position did you get yourself into over there... are you really still there?"

As Pei Duo's breathing became steady and long, the translucent livestream panel floating in front of her flickered a few times.

[Detected that the streamer has entered deep sleep. To protect privacy, the livestream will now close.]

[Thank you for watching. See you tomorrow.]

As the livestream went black, countless viewers dispersed, still wanting more.

But the legends of the "First Emperor of Qin's jade pendant" and the "mysterious older brother" had only just begun to explode across the internet.

...

Deep within the Thriller World—the Youming Palace of Luofeng Mountain.

There was no sunlight here, only pale paper money fluttering through the air and Nether Ghost Fires that had burned for billions of years. red spider lilys bloomed all along the banks of the Wangchuan River, and countless souls queued on the Naihe Bridge. At the end of one's gaze stood a black hall so grand it defied description.

Inside the hall, nine pitch-black stone dragons coiled around the pillars, emitting a terrifying pressure that suppressed all ages.

In the center of the hall sat an ancient chessboard.

To the left of the chessboard sat a young man wearing a white hoodie, jeans, and a pair of flip-flops.

He sat cross-legged in a lazy, unkempt manner on a cushion made of some divine beast's hide, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and a phone in his hand.

On the screen was the very image of Pei Duo's livestream just as it went black.

"This girl, her eating manners are still as terrible as ever."

A doting smile tugged at the corner of the young man's mouth before he reluctantly placed the phone face down on the table.

"Your Majesty."

A voice broke the silence.

The one sitting opposite him was no mortal.

It was a majestic dharma form ten feet tall, wearing a brownish-red python robe and a flat-topped imperial crown.

The head of the Ten Kings of Hell, the one who governed the life and death of the mortal realm and commanded the submission of all ghosts—First King of Hell!

At this moment, this King Yama who awed the three realms showed no hint of anger as he watched the young man finally put down his phone. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying a trace of helplessness and respect:

"It is your turn to move."