The Human Realm.
It was six in the evening.
Whether it was office workers or students from the nearby university town, they all started to come out to find something to eat.
If you were to ask where the liveliest place was nearby, it would undoubtedly be Food Street No. 24.
From milk tea and cakes, fried rice and rice bowls to spicy hot pots, or octopus balls and crayfish, you could eat from one end of the street to the other without repeating a single dish.
On the street, in front of a maocai stall.
After eating his fill, Hong Wendong picked up a toothpick from the table and crossed his legs.
While casually picking his teeth, he said to his brother opposite him, who was sturdy and had gained weight horizontally:
"Fatty, you're treating me to this for a welcome dinner?"
Fatty wiped the sweat from his forehead that had just appeared from eating and said:
"Brother Dong, you might not know. It's not easy to find work these days, unlike before."
Hong Wendong, whose hair was cut very short and who was wearing a denim jacket, raised his chin upon hearing this.
"I was only inside for five years, tell me, what's the situation outside now?"
"Could it be that the cops can fly now?"
Sensing the mockery in his tone, Fatty gave a wry smile.
Five years, not long, not short.
If one were to consider the normal pace of development, people's lives wouldn't have changed much.
But then there was the 'Live Stream: Daily Healing in the Underworld' channel, wasn't there?
Who would dare to do bad things anymore?
Fatty explained, "Maybe there's an underworld camera watching us right now."
Hong Wendong found it novel, "Are ghost and god live streams this open these days? Doesn't the country prohibit feudal superstition?"
"That's different. Brother Dong, those in the live stream are real, not fake stuff."
Fatty explained, "It's very influential. Even the public security bureau watches it daily, waiting to respond to calls at any moment."
"That powerful?"
"Of course, tens of millions of people watch it every day."
Anyone with free time would tune in to watch.
"I see..."
Hong Wendong picked at his teeth intermittently, glancing around.
Suddenly, he said, "Then this is easy. The live stream is public, but we are private."
Fatty: "Huh?"
"Look, before we go, we just need to check the live stream, right? We'll avoid wherever it's broadcasting."
When talking about these things, Hong Wendong was completely unfazed.
He had been to the detention center before, what was there to be afraid of?
"Besides... you said they basically have jobs when they come to the human realm, so why would they have the leisure to come to these obscure places to specifically watch us?"
Fatty was stunned, "Brother Dong, what you're saying... it does seem to make sense."
Hong Wendong raised an eyebrow, "Let's go, brother will take you to pull off a job and solve your living expenses for the past couple of days."
Fatty was somewhat tempted by his words, but remembering what he had heard from watching the live stream before.
He hesitated again, "But brother, doing bad deeds means going to hell after death."
"Pfft—"
Hong Wendong burst out laughing, as if he had heard something amusing.
After a while, he leaned forward.
Lowering his voice, he said sternly, "Go to hell? Are you scared now?"
"Fatty, listen to me, from the moment you entered this line of work, there's no turning back!"
"Even if you quit now, do you think hell won't take you? Ridiculous! If it weren't for me back then, would you still be sitting here talking to me?"
He tapped the table forcefully with his finger, "Either you follow me and do business, and as long as I, Hong Wendong, have something to eat, you'll have something to drink."
"Or, from now on, you take your bright path, and I'll walk my single-plank bridge!"
"..."
Fatty lowered his eyes, his gaze darting rapidly with his thoughts.
Finally, he slapped the table, "Okay! I'll listen to you, Brother Dong!"
"Anyway, life isn't much better now, might as well follow Brother Dong and make a living!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a cold breeze blow across the back of his neck.
He instinctively touched it.
After thinking about it, he still felt uneasy, so he opened the 'Live Stream: Daily Healing in the Underworld' channel to check.
The live stream was black.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's more like it."
Hong Wendong leaned over to look, "Not broadcasting, huh? Let's go, brother will take you to make money!"
...
The two didn't go far. After a few steps, they arrived in front of a restaurant on the food street called [Great Luck and Prosperity].
"This is it, the name is a good omen!" Hong Wendong smiled.
"I noticed it just now, this place, this is where the business is best."
When they first arrived at the food street, there was already a queue here.
Customers inside came and went one after another.
At this moment, there were at least ten people still queuing outside.
Fatty: "Okay, I'll listen to you, Brother Dong!"
After confirming their target, they joined the queue at the back like everyone else.
The speed of this restaurant was quite fast, and soon they successfully entered the establishment.
As they picked up the menus, they casually surveyed the interior of the restaurant.
The shop was not small, able to seat seven or eight tables at once.
The diners were of all ages, but young faces were more common, likely students from the nearby university.
"Hello, what would you like to eat?"
A server wearing a blue striped apron walked over with a notebook and asked.
Hong Wendong glanced at the menu. It had fried rice, rice bowls, and noodle soups, quite comprehensive.
"Two large braised pork rice bowls, please."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The server took the notebook and left. Soon, she walked out of the kitchen carrying two rice bowls.
Hong Wendong checked the time. It had been less than five minutes.
"No wonder business is so good, this speed is impressive," he chuckled.
The female server also smiled, "It's all to ensure everyone can get their hot meals as quickly as possible."
After she left, Fatty looked at the reddish chunks of meat in front of him, sniffing the air.
His mouth began to water.
Even though he had just eaten his fill, he felt hungry again.
He whispered, "Brother Dong, this smells delicious!"
Hong Wendong picked up his chopsticks, tasted the braised pork, and then scooped up two mouthfuls of rice.
He said indistinctly, "Delicious, that means business is good, and it's profitable!"
"Brother Dong is right!"
Fatty swallowed, picked up his bowl, and devoured two large mouthfuls of braised pork.
His stomach instantly felt satisfied.
"It's really delicious, really delicious..."
In the blink of an eye, they had eaten half of the two large rice bowls.
Hong Wendong's gaze swept over, "Fatty."
Fatty understood immediately.
Coupled with the fullness in his stomach, his expression twisted. He clutched his stomach with one hand.
He began to 'struggle' in his seat in 'pain', occasionally letting out cries of agony.
"Fatty! What's wrong? Fatty!"
...