Chapter 225: Departure
A skinny arm stretched halfway out from the black curtain, its branch-like fingers scooping into the bowl, just about to drag the porcelain bowl away into the darkness.
The other skinny hands around it had already turned into black shadows and vanished, and only this one arm was pinned in place by Zhang Qian’s thought surge, leaving it stiff here unable to leave.
Clearly, the ghost restaurant couldn’t make the bowl and plate disappear directly, so it chose to use these arms to do the job instead.
“Now it’s confirmed, the notebook’s function is definitely not just as simple as tallying and constraining employees.”
Zhang Qian was fairly satisfied with the result of this attempt.
The most important question had been verified: content written in the notebook was effective for the entire branch store, whether for “people” or “objects,” all had to obey the instructions written there.
It was just that the method of obeying the instructions seemed uncontrollable; Zhang Qian had clearly demanded the bowl【 disappear】, but the ghost restaurant took the bowl【 away】 instead.
Although in the end it did indeed disappear from Zhang Qian’s line of sight.
Examining the arm stiff in front of him, Zhang Qian felt something was off.
He hadn’t expected that besides the shopkeeper, this notebook could actually control these skinny arms, even making them act as waiters to clear the dining table.
He just didn’t know which side had higher authority between the two.
With that thought, Zhang Qian immediately began his attempt.
The instruction from the notebook side didn’t need much management, so he started trying to control the arm to put the bowl back on the table.
But he couldn’t do it.
No matter how hard he tried, at most he could only make the arm stiff motionless in place.
It seemed like they were locked in a stalemate of confrontation, but Zhang Qian didn’t feel any real sense of resistance.
After all, though it required effort, these skinny hands weren’t like ghost hands that could be wielded freely like one’s own arms; they were more like hands under control.
Zhang Qian had only issued the command in his mind, with no real sense of manipulation, and no way to control them specifically.
“So in that case, both control methods seem pretty similar? One is just thought in the mind, the other requires writing it out with a pen.”
After all, both were products of the ghost restaurant, so it wasn’t hard to understand.
So, would the two authorities have a hierarchy?
Before Zhang Qian could think further, the writing on the notebook suddenly began to blur.
Strokes of ink still flickered, as if they might dissipate at any moment.
Clearly, the two conflicting instructions were about to settle the winner.
The next instant.
The instruction on the notebook to make the bowl and plate disappear suddenly vanished, but by then the skinny hand had already dragged the porcelain bowl back into the darkness and disappeared.
The notebook won.
“The instruction disappeared not because of insufficient priority, but because the instruction was completed…” Zhang Qian murmured.
In that light, the notebook’s authority in the ghost restaurant was clearly greater than the shopkeeper himself; even the shopkeeper’s ability to control the skinny hands might have been stolen from the notebook.
Then Zhang Qian noticed the difference between the two previous instructions: the later one had disappeared, while the earlier one remained.
“So that means the【 send me away】 instruction wasn’t executed either, either impossible or…”
Anyway, there was plenty of ink and paper; with the mindset that trying wouldn’t cause any loss, Zhang Qian planned to test various different instructions.
“Since sending me away won’t work, what about creating an exit to leave? Could that succeed?”
With that thought, Zhang Qian picked up the pen and wrote the command on the second line.
【Open a passage to the outside world】
He hadn’t held much hope, but the moment he stopped writing, the ink began to flicker.
It was just that the flickering frequency seemed too fast, almost like flowing light, far exceeding the earlier instruction for the dish to disappear.
And the previous instruction had flickered because it was blocked by Zhang Qian.
“This time it’s facing even greater resistance, but it’s just opening an exit—surely not?”
Zhang Qian scrutinized the command and suddenly noticed something wrong. “Could it be interpreting ‘outside’ as beyond the ghost ship? Opening a door like that would indeed be difficult.”
After all, even the main store couldn’t do such a thing; for a mere branch store, better to forget it.
Having identified the potential issue, Zhang Qian crossed out the previous instruction, made a slight modification, and wrote a more perfect one.
【Open a passage from inside the dining area to the ghost ship that I can safely pass through】
“This should be fine now, right?” Zhang Qian said to himself.
Before he could even finish writing, a portal suddenly opened at his side.
“Creak—”
A plain main entrance opened on the black curtain, but strangely, this door had only a door panel, no door frame.
Looking back, it seemed to be the same set as the portals linking the dining area and resting area?
In the slightly open door crack, it wasn’t the usual darkness; faint red light seeped through the gap.
“An exit… seems like it’s been found.”
The efficiency this time was unbelievably high…
“I’ve opened the exit. Do you want to leave together?”
Though he knew the likely outcome, Zhang Qian still symbolically invited the waiter.
“No need, no need. Please go ahead, don’t mind me.”
The waiter repeatedly declined Zhang Qian’s kindness, afraid that any hesitation might get him dragged along.
He wasn’t some masochist with no interest in sticking by a pervert who could crush him and whimsically beat him up.
Even if Zhang Qian threatened him with death, the waiter would… well… if it really meant death, he’d probably choose to follow Zhang Qian.
Fortunately, Zhang Qian had no intention of forcing him; this waste was useless, just dead weight, with help far less valuable than the potential threat.
Better to let him lie here like a corpse.
With his mind made up, Zhang Qian said nothing more, straightened his luggage, and headed for the door.
“See you next time, then.”
Two ghost hands promptly detached from the waiter’s face in response, but he still didn’t dare open his eyes right away.
Only after a moment did he dare peek through a slit under his eyelid, stealthily looking toward the direction of the recent sound.
“He’s finally gone…”
Watching that departing figure, the waiter was so excited he nearly cried.
What see you next time—it should be never see again; he never wanted to encounter that terrifying guy again in his life.
But now Zhang Qian had become the shopkeeper, so he might return anytime—wouldn’t that mean bad luck again?
Or… just escape directly?
Looking at the portal that hadn’t disappeared with Zhang Qian’s departure, the waiter suddenly had a bold idea.
The stocked dishes had all been eaten clean; staying here meant no dishes to eat and no customers to scam, so it seemed pointless.
Better to quietly slip out and find the boss to report on this Zhang Qian.
