The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human? Chapter 5 The Trees Are Talking

"Boss,"

he shouted, yet silence greeted him.

He rapped on the door once more, and roughly thirty seconds later, it creaked open.

"What is it?"

Niu Ma demanded, irritation clear in his tone.

"Doesn't the restaurant offer any transport?"

Liu Zheng inquired.

"No. We don't require it,"

Niu Ma replied, wagging his enormous head.

After all, the bottom portion of his body belonged to a horse.

With legs that long, his sprinting pace likely rivaled a genuine Akhal-Teke from the real world.

"And the human staff?"

"You need to leave now, or you'll truly be out of time."

Niu Ma slammed the door shut.

Liu Zheng smirked, realizing no extra perks could be squeezed from the boss.

Grabbing his delivery pouch, he made for the exit passage.

Total blackness enveloped the passageway, devoid of any illumination.

The floor appeared crafted from some unique substance, muffling his footsteps completely.

In these conditions, merely holding onto one's mind proved challenging, never mind tracking location.

Liu Zheng experimentally stretched his arms out, fingers brushing the walls on either side.

The sensation was odd, akin to a hardened Slime squeeze toy.

For mental reassurance, shuffling along while pressing against the walls wasn't a terrible choice.

Yet he chose otherwise.

Liu Zheng dropped his arms, surrendering to the endless void of dark.

While studying "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," he'd absorbed various medical facts, including "desensitization therapy."

In essence, it meant dosing allergy sufferers with escalating amounts of the trigger substance, building immunity until reactions ceased.

Liu Zheng believed "desensitization therapy" could work for mental adaptation to light or shadow too.

Naturally, should the system warn of dropping "rationality," he'd halt at once.

Surprisingly, Liu Zheng endured pure dark and quiet remarkably well.

Plus, the tunnel held faint sounds.

Now and then, coughs and rasps escaped him unavoidably.

Meanwhile, his lungs and throat sent waves of irritation, reminding him of their presence.

Bodily agony served as the tether for his mind—a touch of grim comedy.

Following the seventh cough, Liu Zheng emerged from the tunnel.

Mild sunlight struck his eyes, making it feel like stepping into another realm.

Pity stirred for his old coworkers; he only faced three days, but they slaved for months or years.

Though they might not survive so long.

After a brief mental nod to those unseen fellow humans, Liu Zheng set off on his delivery route.

As before, the roads lay barren.

No walkers, no cars, not even signals at intersections.

With a little e-scooter, cruising would bring pure bliss—he could picture it.

Regrettably, no such luck.

"Heeheehee..."

An eerie tune rang out.

Liu Zheng pulled out his phone, spotting the incoming call tone.

"13871XXXXXX."

Niu Ma's number, etched in his memory.

"Boss, what's the matter?"

he said, hitting accept.

"I forgot to mention, outside toilets require you to go near plants, ideally trees or shrubberies,"

Niu Ma's booming voice burst forth.

"And I figured only dogs pulled that off."

Liu Zheng quipped.

"Rules specify column-like things for them,"

Niu Ma ended the call.

Quite the cliché.

Better if dog fans didn't catch wind, lest they mark your leg.

Liu Zheng laughed softly and pressed on.

Truth be told, Niu Ma's urgent tip wasn't critical; Liu Zheng had skipped food and drink pre-instance, belly empty.

Even compelled, peeing wasn't feasible...

Hold on, strange.

Liu Zheng halted, squeezing his spongy innards.

The urge was building indeed.

Scanning about, he saw the instance mirroring reality closely, like street trees—mostly camphor and French Plane Trees, true to life.

A few photinias dotted around; good thing not flowering season, or life's energy would flood the avenue.

Liu Zheng dashed to a camphor tree, yanking down his zipper with one hand.

A pale yellow stream arced out, splashing droplets on the trunk.

"Feeling fiery inside these days, eh?"

"Yeah, overdid the grilling."

Liu Zheng responded offhand, then glanced over.

Nearby, a French Plane Tree fixed its gaze on him and his 'guilty instrument.'

"Plus booze scent—Mao Tai?"

The French Plane Tree inhaled, shedding bits of bark.

"Premium Mao Tai, 53% proof."

Liu Zheng zipped up quietly.

"Prime brew—come on, let me guzzle it."

The French Plane Tree gaped wide in anticipation.

"Answer one question first."

"Spit it out, quick!"

"What exactly are you?"

"Obvious, right? A tree."

The French Plane Tree eyed him oddly.

Humans this dim now?

"Then why can't this one speak?"

Liu Zheng gestured at the camphor tree.

"It's got mental issues."

The French Plane Tree stated.

"Mental issues?"

"Yep, every tree here's dim-witted—me alone the brilliant exception."

The French Plane Tree bragged smugly.

"Even if dim, why no faces?"

He nailed a crucial detail.

"Speechless ones waste no nutrients on faces."

The French Plane Tree countered staunchly.

Admittedly, the logic held water.

"Fine then."

Liu Zheng shrugged, pivoting to seek elsewhere.

"Hey, I said pee in my mouth!"

The French Plane Tree yelled.

"I don't pee into mouths as a rule."

He shot back over his shoulder.

"I ain't human."

"No tree either, in my book."

"Such a pain—what'll make you share a sip?"

The French Plane Tree shot back.

"I want a car."

Liu Zheng paused, testing the waters.

"Nah."

"A mini e-scooter?"

"Nothing like that."

"Bicycle at least?"

"No way—I'm rooted, a tree!"

The French Plane Tree thrashed its limbs, raining leaves everywhere.

"So what do you offer? Make it fast, deliveries await."

Liu Zheng prodded.

"Just this."

A stout root erupted from earth, flinging a white staff to the ground.

"Name: Human Bone Cane"

"Type: Equipment"

"Quality: Excellent"

"Effect: Increases movement speed by 10%."

"Note: There was once a big fraudster who always liked to sell canes to normal people; later on, his legs were broken by someone."

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

Swapping urine for gear—a steal of a bargain.

Still, Liu Zheng held back from grabbing it, eyeing the lingering root.

"One last check—you're not gonna devour me, right?"

He queried, unease flashing in his gaze.

That Human Bone Cane surely didn't sprout naturally.