Appearances aren't everything

"Oh, so you're quite brave, huh? Did you see what happened to the chef yesterday?" The little girl propped her chin with both hands, smiling at John.

John itching to say "I'm super brave," but the sight of the girl's innocent smile sent shivers down his spine, and he quickly dismissed the idea of making a joke.

"Here's my menu. Can you make it?"

John took it and glanced over; it was a caramel milk tea, a very common afternoon tea snack.

However, John racked his brains but couldn't figure out why yesterday's chef had failed with this seemingly simple dish.

Something was definitely off.

John looked up, staring at the girl, and activated his Eye of Truth.

"Eye of Truth: When I was little, my mom made me a caramel milk tea, but my mischievous sister quietly snipped her hair into tiny pieces and sprinkled it into the milk tea. After drinking it, my stomach felt as if it was being pricked by countless needles, hurting terribly all night long."

"But later, I found myself enjoying that pain, a perverse pleasure, making me secretly sprinkle chopped hair into my milk tea every time. The terrible pain had me tossing and turning in bed, but it also satisfied some kind of psychological thrill."

"After my mom disappeared, the only thing I remember about her is the caramel milk tea."

Well, milk tea with chopped hair!

John wasn't well-read, but he knew all too well what it felt like to ingest hair fragments.

Despite her innocent appearance, the girl had this twisted preference!

He guessed the chef never understood that this simple milk tea wasn't about how delicious it was but about how much pain it could inflict.

What an unjust death.

"Do I look pretty?" the girl suddenly asked, smiling.

John's face changed slightly: "One moment, please."

Leaving the restaurant, he hurried to the kitchen.

The chefs were already busy, paying no attention to John as they worked on their dishes, moving various strong-flavored ingredients onto the chopping board.

Finding ingredients for an afternoon tea like milk tea in the kitchen was quite easy.

Making milk tea didn't require any special skills; just mix the ingredients together, heat or chill as needed.

Seeing that it was about right, John snipped a bunch of his own hair, finely chopped it, and mixed it into the milk tea.

The chefs nearby, seeing his odd behavior, revealed a look of astonishment on their faces: "Human, are you serious?"

John ignored them and carried the milk tea out.

Inside the restaurant, many patrons were focused on the little girl's table.

After all, the scene from yesterday was still fresh in their minds!

Jessica was also paying attention, silently praying for John.

The milk tea was quickly served, and seeing it was made by a human, many patrons showed excited smiles.

Unlike yesterday, what they enjoyed most was the sight of human blood splattering across the restaurant.

The fresh taste of blood could enhance their appetite.

"Please enjoy," John gestured invitingly.

The little girl, sitting on her chair, inspected the milk tea like a curious kitten and commented, "Your work looks even worse than yesterday's!"

John remained calm: "Appearances aren't everything. You'll know once you try it."

The little girl tilted her head, looking at John with some surprise: "You're quite confident."

Then, she took a sip of the milk tea.

Instantly, the whole restaurant fell silent.

It was as if all the patrons were waiting for the little girl's verdict.

There was excitement and anxiety...

With a cute furrow of her brows, the little girl's lips slightly pouted, then, as if she discovered something, her eyes lit up, and she continued to drink greedily.

Her expression was one of excitement, and after finishing, she stuck out her tongue to lick the cup clean, not missing a drop.

The patrons were all stunned.

How delicious could it be?

The intense pain in her stomach made the little girl reveal an intoxicated and satisfied expression, enjoying herself as she murmured, "This is the taste!"

She opened her eyes, somewhat surprised, and looked at John: "How did you think of this?"

Naturally, she was referring to the chopped hair.

John coughed lightly, whispering, "Actually, I have this preference too."

The little girl's expression turned to one of delight, as if she had found a kindred spirit, and she laughed: "Then let me treat you to one too!"

John chuckled dryly: "No need, I've already sneakily tried it in the kitchen."

Their quiet conversation, like sharing their little secrets, left the surrounding patrons completely baffled.

"Congratulations, host, for gaining +10 fondness from the Half-ghost little girl, and for obtaining the Raincoat of the Rainy Night Murderer from the ghost Items!"

"Raincoat of the Rainy Night Murderer: When worn, it can cover up human scent, transforming you into one of the ghosts. No more worries about being eaten by ghosts for mom!"

"Note: The concealing effect is only effective against ordinary ghosts; it does not work on high-level ghosts!"

"Congratulations, host, for gaining 20 the ghost strength!"

As expected of a Half-ghost, the rewards are doubly generous.

"Not bad, I'm very satisfied with the food you provided."

"Here's your tip."

The little girl flicked a ghost Coin into John's hand.

A ghost Coin with a face value of 500!

This little girl, though young, exuded a rich lady's aura through and through!

The surrounding patrons looked on in amazement at this scene, their terrifying faces filled with surprise.

This human had actually come out of this unscathed!

Jessica also breathed a sigh of relief. John was now her only pillar of support; if he had died, she felt she wouldn't last much longer either.

Without disturbing the little girl further, John backed away, turning his attention to the guests at the second table.

Table number 7.

John approached a table in the farthest corner, where a ghost with half of its face burned sat.

The other half of its body had a human scent.

Another Half-ghost!

John paused for a moment, then felt his entire nervous system inexplicably tense up.

The half-faced ghost had saliva hanging from the corner of its mouth, its eyes fixed on John with a sickly excitement.

"What's with this Half-ghost? Does it have some kind of problem?" John's lips twitched, a sense of unease lurking in his heart.

"Guest, what would you like?" John tried to calm his uneasy mind and asked.

"This is what I've chosen."

"Make it right, or you'll be my meal!" The half-faced ghost pushed the menu over, that sick gaze never leaving John.

John picked up the menu, his brows involuntarily furrowing.

"Infant Soup."

"I'm sorry," John said, "the restaurant doesn't have such ingredients."

"No matter, I've brought the ingredients myself."

Like a magician, the half-faced ghost waved his hand, and an infant appeared on the table.

It was a baby girl, incredibly cute.

She was wide-eyed, grabbing at the air with her little hands, giggling at John.

"Let's begin," the half-faced ghost said, watching John with a teasing gaze.

John picked up the baby girl, looking at her with a heart heavy with sorrow.

He shifted his gaze to the half-faced ghost.

"Activating the Eye of Truth: He was born a demon, having claimed the lives of eighteen baby girls. When this cannibalistic monster was finally apprehended by the law, he was inadvertently sent into Thriller World and struck a deal with a ghost."

"Turning into a Half-ghost, his perverse actions grew even more frenzied, taking pleasure in consuming both humans and ghosts..."

John's expression was cold.

The gaze of the half-faced ghost suggested he craved more than just the infant in John's arms—he was after John himself!