Chapter 114: Ingredient No. 2, the third eye!
The ghosts on the second floor, both in status and in the degree of their terrifying power, were several levels above those on the first floor. Various bizarre ghosts sat there, and even Qin Nuo found his eyelids twitching as he looked at them.
A few guests who appeared human dined elegantly, yet the ghost power they exuded made the surrounding guests wary, causing them to move their chairs further away.
The atmosphere on the second floor was much more harmonious than on the first. There were no conflicts, no out-of-control ghosts gorging themselves, but an invisible pressure permeated the air. Some weaker ghosts found it hard to breathe and hurriedly left.
The staircase to the second floor seemed to be a dividing line for the status of the restaurant\'s guests.
Qin Nuo stood there, ignored by the guests, as if he were invisible.
But at that moment, a gaze unexpectedly fell upon him.
"Isn\'t this the filthy Half-Rat? Your lowly status doesn\'t qualify you to stand here. Be careful not to dirty the floor, or you\'ll be torn to pieces!"
Qin Nuo turned his head.By the window, the Stitching Ghost gave a sinister smile, the twisted stitched faces on its body twitching along.
Qin Nuo stared at it, somewhat puzzled.
Was this Stitching Ghost also a guest on the second floor?
The ghosts at its table also stared at Qin Nuo with mocking eyes.
"A Half-Ghost, huh? I hear they taste pretty good."
"Good, yes, but a bit dirty."
"Get lost, don\'t ruin our appetite."
As they spoke, the ghosts began to carve up a charred corpse on the table with knives and forks, stuffing the fresh red flesh into their mouths.
Blood dripped from their lips, carrying a strong metallic scent.
The Stitching Ghost picked up a human eyeball, placed it in its mouth, and chewed with its decayed teeth, the sound making one\'s skin crawl.
Qin Nuo watched them, his expression remaining calm.
Noticing Qin Nuo\'s gaze, the Stitching Ghost\'s face squirmed, showing some displeasure.
At this moment, Pinocchio, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and glanced at Qin Nuo. "Follow me."
The Stitching Ghost glared at Pinocchio. "When did the second-floor restaurant become so low-class, letting anything come up here?"
Pinocchio ignored the Stitching Ghost and stared at Qin Nuo.
Qin Nuo shrugged and followed.
They soon left the dining room.
Pinocchio led Qin Nuo to a relatively secluded room.
"Wait at the door."
With that, Pinocchio entered the room alone.
Qin Nuo stood at the door, occasionally passing by a few restaurant staff who pushed carts past him as if he were invisible.
"The second floor of the restaurant has no Players and doesn\'t seem to be part of an instance. Could it be that only higher-level Players can match the second floor as an instance?"
Qin Nuo pondered silently.
Before long, the door opened, and Pinocchio emerged with a black box.
From Qin Nuo\'s perspective, ghost aura surrounded the black box, a very peculiar ghost aura.
But Qin Nuo could tell that this special ingredient was a notch below the Ingredient No. 8 he had brought back last time, though still quite terrifying.
Pinocchio didn\'t immediately hand it over to Qin Nuo but lifted his wooden head.
Qin Nuo, without hesitation, handed over the remaining 4000 Ghost Currency he had saved to Pinocchio.
"This ingredient is enough for the ghost inside you to devour and absorb." Taking the Ghost Currency, Pinocchio handed the black box to Qin Nuo, then turned and walked away with a clattering sound.
As he left, he added, "It\'s best not to provoke the guests on the second floor. Although you\'re the restaurant\'s manager, the restaurant values its guests more, especially those on the second floor."
With that, he disappeared into the darkness.
"I don\'t provoke others, but I\'m afraid others might provoke me," Qin Nuo murmured, looking at the black box in his hand.
"Open the box!" the Blood-Eyed Ghost urged impatiently.
"You\'re going to eat it here?" Qin Nuo was slightly taken aback.
"Now is the best time to eat it; it won\'t take long," the Blood-Eyed Ghost replied.
Qin Nuo glanced around, found a more secluded room, and placed the black box on the table.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the box.
Under a thin cloth lay an eyeball.
The eyeball was entirely jet black, its surface covered with blood vessels, and it was actively moving.
The eyeball stared directly at Qin Nuo, full of malice despite being unable to speak, making his skin crawl and his nerves tense.
"Just one eyeball left, and it\'s this fierce. How terrifying would it be if it were whole?" Qin Nuo murmured, his heart filled with shock.
"It\'s just Ingredient No. 2. That finger from before was several levels above it," the Blood-Eyed Ghost said calmly.
Qin Nuo looked at the eyeball and asked, "How do I absorb it?"
The Blood-Eyed Ghost replied, "What do you think?"
Qin Nuo\'s mouth twitched, feeling a sense of foreboding. "You want me to swallow an eyeball whole?"
"How else would you put it in? I\'ll help you absorb it, and there won\'t be any backlash, don\'t worry," the Blood-Eyed Ghost assured.
"That\'s a bit disgusting."
Despite his body\'s instinctive resistance, having spent a lot of money on it, Qin Nuo extended his right hand, pinching the eyeball between two fingers.
The moment he touched it, countless blood vessels writhed, and terrifying ghost aura surged out, but under the Blood-Eyed Ghost\'s suppression, the eyeball quickly calmed down again.
"Just think of it as swallowing a particularly special candy."
Qin Nuo muttered to himself, then closed his eyes and tossed the eyeball into his mouth.
With a gulp, he swallowed it.
A warm sensation spread from his abdomen.
Immediately, Qin Nuo felt a slight burning pain in his right arm.
Countless black threads covered his right arm, gathering at one spot, where the skin tore open, and a drop of crimson blood flowed out...
A blood-red eyeball emerged from beneath the torn skin.
A third blood eye!
Corpse spots spread like maggots, and the terrifying ghost aura seemed to carry a strong corrosive effect, quickly rotting and breaking the table, causing wood chips to fall.
Qin Nuo looked at his right arm and couldn\'t help but murmur, "It seems pretty powerful now."
The Blood-Eyed Ghost let out a contented sigh, "Ah, the familiar feeling is coming back bit by bit."
Qin Nuo smiled and asked, "Do you feel capable now?"
"That Stitching Ghost from before, if we meet it again, you\'ll see," the Blood-Eyed Ghost replied with rare confidence.
"Hope you\'re not bluffing; that guy is right outside now."
Qin Nuo chuckled. In truth, being one with the Blood-Eyed Ghost, he could somewhat sense its current strength.
Putting away the black box, Qin Nuo stood up and walked towards the door.
Back in the second-floor dining room, there were still plenty of guests coming and going.
Qin Nuo hid all the blood eyes, blending in with the ghost crowd without a trace.
Yet, a figure by the window noticed him, and a sinister voice called out, "Rat, didn\'t I tell you not to show up in the second-floor restaurant again?"
"My appetite was just fine, and now it\'s all gone."
"Get over here!"
The Stitching Ghost\'s chilling voice echoed in the restaurant, carrying an undeniable command.
The ghosts at the same table leaned back in their chairs, their eyes filled with mockery.
Qin Nuo\'s footsteps halted. After a moment of silence, he walked towards the table by the window...