thefictionvixens Chapter 16 Am I Sick?
Chapter 16 Am I Sick?
Jiang Xiu and SpongeBob split up at the entrance of the Krusty Krab.
SpongeBob hopped and skipped toward his "delivery motorcycle," humming a nonsensical Christmas carol, and headed happily toward the East End.
Jiang Xiu carried the cold, heavy insulated box, looking at the crumpled order list in his hand.
The address on the first order made his brow furrow instantly:
[Order 1: Christmas Special Krabby Patties x2]
[Address: Hai Zhi Ba Restaurant (original site)]
[Note: This is a holiday thank you gift to our loyal customers; delivery is guaranteed.]
Sea Overlord?
A scoundrel boss?
Jiang Xiu's mind immediately went into overdrive with the highest level of alarm.
Rule number six clearly states: "Stop the boss when he goes to the Krabby Patty to get something extremely important!"
Although the situation is now reversed, with the Krusty Krab sending something to the Sea King, the risks and strangeness involved are definitely no less!
Why not just hand over the Krabby Patty, especially the so-called Christmas special edition, to that planktonic creature that's scheming to steal the secret recipe?
This is practically stuffing a fat sheep into the mouth of a hungry wolf!
Given the crab owner's personality of valuing secret recipes and profits above all else, how could he possibly take the initiative to do this kind of "holiday reward"?
Unless... this wasn't the Krabs owner's intention at all, or it was some kind of trap, test, or even an order distorted by some strange force!
Jiang Xiu didn't hesitate for almost no time. He quickly glanced around at the gray, fog-shrouded streets, and after making sure no one was paying attention, he deftly tore the page with Hai Zhi Ba's address from the order list with his tentacles, crumpled it into a ball, and then casually tossed it into a green fluorescent trash can on the side of the road, just like throwing away garbage.
The crumpled paper was instantly swallowed up by the slime gushing from the hole and disappeared.
"Delivering crab burgers to a rogue boss? Unless my clarinet can automatically compose world-famous melodies."
He muttered under his breath, his tone full of disdain and a matter-of-fact rejection.
"Let whoever wants to deliver this obviously problematic order go. I, 'Squidward,' am not going to risk it. What if I get into trouble, or worse, get caught by that little green guy and his robot wife and start studying my burger? Wouldn't that waste all my precious art time?"
Without any hesitation, he skipped the first order and started looking at the second address on the list.
His actions were swift and decisive, perfectly reflecting Squidward's personality: he disliked trouble, hated extra work, and kept his distance from the messy affairs between the Krabs and the scoundrel boss.
However, the situation was quite different in the other copies of the surviving chosen ones.
They also received the order list and saw the address "Hai Zhi Ba".
Although rule number six mentions preventing the boss from stealing, we're delivering takeout right now, not the other way around.
Many contestants, under pressure and exhausted, subconsciously believed that "completing all orders" was an instruction they had to follow, especially since the crab boss emphasized being "on time," "accurate," and "satisfying customers."
Thus, the chosen one from a small Western European country, whose mental state was already quite unstable, despite his inner unease, still gritted his teeth, carried the insulated box, and headed towards the direction of the Sea Overlord in the memory map.
The Sea King restaurant was even more dilapidated and gloomy than the Krusty Krab, with a crooked sign and dark windows.
As they approached, the door opened a crack automatically, and the shrewish boss's high-pitched, calculating voice came from inside.
"Oh? Krusty Krab delivery? What a rare guest... Come in, come in, let me 'carefully inspect' this 'Christmas present'."
The contestant entered nervously, and then the door closed silently behind him.
The live stream briefly plunged into darkness and distortion, with only the eerie laughter of the Boss, the rustling of machinery, and the short screams of the contestants audible.
A few seconds later, the scene returned, but it had switched to the interior of the Krusty Krab restaurant—the contestants were back at the Krusty Krab, standing in front of the Krab owner!
But something about him is completely wrong!
His eyes were vacant, his movements were stiff, and the insulated box in his hand was already open, but it was empty.
The crab owner, however, had no festive smile on his face, only extreme coldness and anger, and the gold coin patterns on his shell writhed as if they were alive.
"You... gave the Krabby Patty to that scoundrel?"
The crab owner's voice sounded like it was squeezed out of an ice cave.
"Yes...yes, boss, according to the order..." the contestant replied blankly.
"An order? Who told you that was a valid order?!"
The crab owner suddenly roared, and the lights in the entire restaurant instantly turned dark red.
"That was a test! A trap! That green-skinned bastard's scheme! You actually handed over our store's most important product to our competitor and thief! This isn't delivering takeout, this is aiding the enemy! This is betrayal! A crime more unforgivable than wasting coins!"
Before he could finish speaking, the crab boss's claws had already become a blur.
This time, instead of burning the tentacles, they clamped down on the player's entire body.
There were no screams, only a tooth-grinding thud, as if metal and carapace were being crushed in an instant, and a flash of dark golden light.
The contestant's figure vanished instantly into the crab boss's pincers, as if erased by an eraser, leaving not a trace.
The live stream screen went black, and words in blood appeared.
[The Qingyou Kingdom contestant is dead; the challenge has failed!]
The crab boss shook his pincers as if they were covered in something dirty, and sneered at the empty space: "Idiot. Can't even tell friend from foe."
Then, he reverted to his slightly eerily excited Santa Claus persona, humming an off-key tune as he walked back to his office.
This terrifying scene was clearly witnessed by viewers around the world and by ghost story research institutes in other countries through live streaming!
In an instant, all the research institutes realized that the "Sea Overlord Order" was a deadly trap!
"Quick! Notify the players who haven't delivered the Sea King yet! Skip that order immediately! Do not go for it under any circumstances!"
Research institutes in various countries activated their emergency alert privileges almost simultaneously.
As a result, the other group of more cautious surviving players, or those who had not yet set off for the Sea King, were shocked and broke out in a cold sweat after receiving a warning from their home country.
They immediately stopped in their tracks, looking at the "Sea King" orders with lingering fear.
"Skip it? But the crab boss said we have to complete all the orders..." They were caught in a dilemma.
"The hint says the Chinese player didn't even go! He might have discovered something!"
"Send the others first! Let's see how things go! This Hai Zhi Ba is too strange!"
They chose to follow the prompts or make their own judgment, temporarily putting aside their Hai Zhi Ba order and heading to other addresses on the list first.
Although this goes against the literal meaning of "all orders," it is undoubtedly a wiser choice than to die immediately.
They nervously began their other deliveries, constantly praying that their choice was right, and keeping a close eye on the Dragon Kingdom's live stream, wanting to see what Jiang Xiu would do.