Upon returning to the headquarters store, Fang Zhiyi glanced at the players and cleared his throat. The store manager, ever perceptive, announced, "Listen up, everyone! The boss has something to say!"
Fang Zhiyi ignored him and instead raised a few copies of the employee handbook in his hand.
"The handbooks you currently have are incorrect. From now on, I’ll be issuing new ones. Make sure to keep them safe and follow every rule inside. Every single rule is true, and violating them will have serious consequences."
The group nodded nervously.
Fang Zhiyi shot a look at the store manager, who immediately scurried into the store and returned with a stack of new employee handbooks.
At first glance, they looked identical to the ones the players had been carrying. But when they opened them, their expressions turned utterly bewildered.
"Employee Handbook (Store Staff)"
"Business hours for this store are 24 hours a day, divided into two shifts. Employees are entitled to one day off per month."
"All employees must clock in and out. Failure to do so will result in verified deductions from pay."
"Provide service with a smile whenever possible. However, if a customer becomes particularly unbearable, you may use the weapons stored under the counter to beat them. Note: Only after they’ve completed payment."
"There are no beverages with red packaging in this store. If a customer attempts to check out with a red-packaged drink, they are attempting fraud. (This happened once at Branch 4. The incident concluded only after the customer admitted fault and voluntarily paid a hefty compensation.) Immediately lock the store doors to prevent the customer from escaping."
"Daily working hours must not be less than 12 hours."
"Staff meals do not include meat—only instant food is provided."
"Note: No wages will be paid during the probation period."
Not just the players, but even the live chat erupted in disbelief.
"This is worse than the original rules!"
"Capitalist! Bloodsucker!"
"Twelve-hour shifts? No meat in staff meals?"
"How much sweat and blood has Brother Fang squeezed out of these poor creatures?"
"Suddenly, the original rules don’t seem so bad, honestly."
"That red beverage rule—Brother Fang just wants to extort more money, doesn’t he?"
"Good heavens, this Xia person is downright cunning."
The delivery guidelines and warehouse management manual were no different—everyone was stunned. The content was completely unlike what they’d seen before, as if it belonged to an entirely different world.
The delivery rules emphasized only one thing: get the goods delivered and the money collected. Customer satisfaction was secondary.
Additionally, before officially becoming a delivery person, new hires had to undergo training with senior employees, focusing on close-quarters combat, armed melee techniques, and so on.
Warehouse management was slightly more relaxed, but the hours were even longer—essentially, employees had to eat and sleep in the warehouse.
"Brother Fang, um… can I have my old employee handbook back?" Cheng Xiang asked timidly.
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "No. Everyone follows the new rules now."
Under the store manager’s direction, the group suppressed their anger and reluctantly dispersed to their assigned posts. Only Cheng Xiang remained at the headquarters store, staying with Fang Zhiyi.
Cheng Xiang experienced a day of "joyful" work at the convenience store.
His shift started at noon, but that didn’t matter. Fang Zhiyi had him shadow a senior employee. Seeing the dark circles under the creature’s eyes, Cheng Xiang felt, for the first time, that even supernatural beings had it rough.
Soon, a customer arrived.
A woman pushing an empty stroller, barefoot, leaving muddy footprints with every step. Cheng Xiang held his breath as countless horror scenarios flashed through his mind.
The senior employee beside him frowned but forced a smile. "Hello, what would you like to buy?"
The woman didn’t answer, instead staring intently at Cheng Xiang with bloodshot eyes that sent chills down his spine.
"Hello, this one’s not for sale," the clerk said patiently. Cheng Xiang instinctively looked down at himself.
The woman turned away and began rummaging through the shelves. Moments later, she returned with a pile of bloody raw meat to check out.
The clerk barely glanced at it, jotting something down in a ledger while explaining the process to Cheng Xiang. She then held out her hand for payment.
The woman, however, continued staring at Cheng Xiang, her gaze overflowing with greed.
Viewers in Cheng Xiang’s live chat, seeing the woman’s face up close, were utterly terrified. She was horrifying.
"Hello, please pay," the clerk repeated.
Reluctantly, the woman tore her eyes away and slowly pulled out a few damp bills from her clothes, placing them in the clerk’s hand.
The clerk took the money. "We won’t be giving change today. Have a nice day~"
Live chat: "????? What kind of nonsense is that? No change?"
The woman seemed to think this was unfair too, stubbornly holding out her hand for the remaining coins.
But the clerk’s smile had vanished the moment the money was handed over. She pointed at the muddy footprints on the floor. "Change? What change? Do you have any idea how dirty you’ve made the floor? I’ll have to mop this later! Mop it!" With that, she leaped up, grabbing a machete from under the counter. "Get out, now!"
The woman, startled, quickly grabbed her stroller and fled.
Cheng Xiang was stunned. Was this how business was conducted in the supernatural world?
As if reading his mind, the clerk said, "Don’t worry. Ours is the only store in the area. She’ll be back."
"What about other convenience stores?" Cheng Xiang asked, immediately realizing how foolish the question was. Given Fang Zhiyi’s methods, how could he possibly tolerate competitors?
Sure enough, the clerk placed a hand on her hip, revealing the exposed bones of her arm.
"Just two weeks ago, the boss led us from this street all the way to the hospital district. We hacked down every competitor, and the boss hung them all up!" She seemed exhilarated by the memory. "Don’t let my appearance fool you—I was right behind the store manager, beating down anyone in our way without batting an eye."
Cheng Xiang didn’t know how to respond. "So… did your eyes get dry?"
The clerk’s excitement froze. She then pointed at the muddy floor. "Go grab a mop and clean this up."
Cheng Xiang had no choice but to obey.
All the players were now in their probation periods, shadowing senior employees. For the first time, they were experiencing life in the supernatural world—though perhaps not in the most conventional way.
Ning Yi’an was assigned to delivery duty under a particularly aggressive senior employee who snarled constantly. She wanted to get closer to Fang Zhiyi, but he had vanished without a trace.
After shadowing the senior employee for one delivery, she was told to work independently, with the senior merely observing.
Ning Yi’an hadn’t survived this long on luck alone. She was sharp and quickly grasped the essence of Fang Zhiyi’s "new rules." While exploitative, they were at least truthful—unlike the previous set, which had been deadly.
Now, her priority was getting close to Fang Zhiyi. After paying protection money three times, the K-country officials had lost interest in her. It made sense—if money could buy safety, why bother currying favor with an ordinary player?
Only by forming a connection with Fang Zhiyi could she regain control. Even if it meant… offering herself on live stream, she was willing.
Lost in her scheming, Ning Yi’an knocked on the next customer’s door. A grotesque figure stood in the doorway.
"Hello, here's your delivery," Ning Yi'an handed over the items.