Chapter 124: Gray Ice’s Restaurant-Hopping Crew

Li Tianque stared blankly at the table filled with delicacies, but he truly dared not eat another bite.

Brother Tatar looked at Li Tianque with a nod and said, "Don't worry, I already told you, this food is perfectly safe to eat. At the very least, none of us have had any strange reactions to it so far. Chongchong is just a girl—why are you being so timid like her?"

Li Tianque swallowed hard, waving his hands hurriedly. "Ah, no, it’s not that. I’ve eaten plenty; I’m truly full."

Just as Li Tianque finished speaking, a mournful wail suddenly drifted from the distance, followed by a series of whimpering, strange cries. Li Tianque followed the sound and realized it was coming from the direction of the kitchen, which only made him feel more anxious.

"Brother Tatar, what on earth is going on here?"

Brother Tatar also looked toward the kitchen and muttered, "Let’s go. Since you’re so curious, we might as well go over and take a look."

It wasn't entirely curiosity that drove Li Tianque, but rather a growing fear regarding what he had actually consumed. He followed Brother Tatar toward the back. As they moved toward the kitchen, the waiter who had been serving their table trailed along with them. It was then that Li Tianque realized something was amiss: in this vast restaurant, there was only this single waiter.

As they drew closer, Li Tianque noticed the fragrance grew heavier. He began to observe the waiter carefully. Very soon, he noticed that the man’s appearance was extremely strange.

The waiter was dressed in traditional Kang ethnic clothing—a waist-length short shirt made of cotton and satin, with a large left lapel and a smaller right one. Over this, he wore a round-collared, wide-sleeved robe made of cotton, cinched at the waist with a colorful, large floral sash. On his feet were short-topped Tibetan boots, and on his head, a felt hat. Although it was traditional attire, it fit him poorly; it hung loosely, as if he were wearing someone else's clothes. It was extremely... The man continued to plead, his voice hoarse and sounding utterly frail.

Li Tianque tried to turn the doorknob, but discovered it seemed to have been fused shut by that same eerie, greasy substance. No matter how hard he tried to twist it, it would not budge.

"It won't open, don't bother," Brother Tatar said. "Even if seven or eight strong men rammed into this door together, they wouldn't be able to break it down."

Li Tianque grew even more bewildered. "Who is locked inside? What happened to them?"

"Since it’s the kitchen," Brother Tatar replied, "the person locked inside is, of course, the chef."

"Then who is he begging for help? Is someone inside forcing him to cook?" Li Tianque asked.

"No one is forcing him to cook. He requested to go in himself, and he hasn't come out since," said Brother Tatar.

Li Tianque, no longer wanting to play games, asked helplessly, "Brother Tatar, just give it to me straight. What exactly is going on? I’m truly lost."

Brother Tatar looked at the waiter beside Li Tianque, then back at Li Tianque. "Alright, you’ve probably guessed it—this fellow isn't actually a waiter at our restaurant. He only appeared after the person inside went in. I didn't tell you earlier because you wouldn't have believed me just by listening. Now that you’ve experienced those delicacies yourself, you should believe what I say."

And so, Brother Tatar recounted the full story.

It turned out that a week before Brother Tatar sent the video message to Wu Miaoran, a group of food-reviewing influencers had been invited to the Wolf Totem Restaurant to film a segment. The group’s lead influencer, Gray Ice, was considered a top-tier internet celebrity. He and Brother Tatar were well-acquainted, had a good personal relationship, and Gray Ice was a regular at the Wolf Totem.

One day, while drinking together, Brother Tatar spoke of the troubles he had been facing, including a lawsuit involving another influencer. During the meal, Gray Ice proposed an idea: he would bring his team to the Wolf Totem to film a review video to generate buzz for Brother Tatar and shift public attention elsewhere.

Brother Tatar readily agreed, promising to provide free food and lodging, plus a payment of 100,000 yuan afterward. Gray Ice agreed without hesitation, signing a contract the next day and promising to bring his team to shoot soon. The two had planned the script in advance, intending for Gray Ice to intentionally give a bad review during filming, claiming the Wolf Totem was arrogant and offered poor service, in order to spark a controversy across the internet.

The meeting of two major influencers was enough to attract significant attention and traffic. Combined with a carefully crafted script, the topic would easily go viral. Once the topic was trending, they wouldn't even need to hire bot accounts to defend the restaurant; fans would naturally step in. After all, if a restaurant had no flaws other than "service attitude," it implied the food itself must be excellent.

Thus, they began filming according to their script. Even the customers present that day were hired actors, just to prevent any accidents. However, what they didn't expect was that while the recording went smoothly, problems arose that afternoon during the editing process.

Lan Yu, the editor for Gray Ice’s team, discovered while working on the footage that behind the private dining room where they had eaten, there was a strange human face pressed against the curtain. The outline of the face was clear, and throughout the entire recording, it remained motionless, staring directly at Gray Ice’s back. It looked incredibly bizarre.

Because the specialty private rooms were partitioned with curtain-like materials, if a guest from an adjacent room were to peek through, such a strange scene could indeed occur. But even if someone were curious enough to peek, who would have the persistence to watch from start to finish? Moreover, the area had been cleared out that day, and there shouldn't have been anyone in the next room at all.

Lan Yu felt something was wrong and called Brother Tatar and Gray Ice over, asking, "Big Brother, what is going on? Why was someone peeking from the next room the whole time we were eating?"

Brother Tatar quickly checked the video playback and felt the situation was deeply unsettling. He immediately returned to the private room to investigate. What he saw shocked him: now, there wasn't just one raised, face-shaped shadow on the curtain, but three or four more.

These shadows were only faces, with no bodies attached. They all seemed to be watching. When Brother Tatar burst into the room, their gazes all snapped toward him in unison.

Brother Tatar felt a chill in his heart, but he didn't believe in ghosts or spirits. He simply thought someone was trying to cause trouble and wanted to teach them a lesson. He drew his knife and angrily slashed at the curtain. With a loud tearing sound, a large gash was ripped into the fabric.

And when the curtain was torn open, Brother Tatar was suddenly horrified by the sight before him.