Chapter 5

"Hehe, you're joking, sir..."

Although he felt that this late-night diner was talking nonsense, since it was just a joke, it was harmless, and Kouryuu Seiichi naturally wouldn't take it seriously, so he just laughed it off and moved on from the topic.

And because of this, Gu Mo only thought the other party was being modest, completely unaware of what the problem was.

Thus, the boss and the diner exchanged a few more compliments, the atmosphere friendly and harmonious.

"Sir, we've basically run out of ingredients..." Looking at the few empty plates on the table, Kouryuu Seiichi said tactfully. Although he had made an exception to continue serving this simple diner, the fact was that the ingredients in the store were indeed all used up.

Having run the restaurant for so long, he naturally knew how much ingredients to prepare each day, usually just enough to be used up, with at most a little surplus, but more would be wasteful. He didn't want to stockpile too many ingredients in the store, so he basically got fresh ones every day.

"Is that so... really nothing left at all?"

Blinking his eyes, Gu Mo knew this was the truth, but he was still a bit reluctant to leave. After all, being only eighty percent full meant he wasn't completely full, and after eating the magical dishes here, how could he tolerate the ordinary food outside?

"Really nothing left..." Kouryuu Seiichi replied with a hint of helplessness. Being asked this by a diner would indeed make a chef happy, but alas, even a skilled housewife can't cook without ingredients.

"Cough, Dad, actually there is still some..." At this moment, a deliberately mature cough came from the side. Both of them turned their heads to see the young man at the counter stand up, holding a plate as if presenting a treasure.

"I improved it a bit after the evening, and this dish should now..."

"Hmm... I suddenly feel full again."

Gu Mo blinked his eyes, confirming that the dish on the plate was written in a faint silver font, intertwined with some strange, twisted black aura, completely different from the golden glow of the previous dishes. He decisively changed his mind and made a decision.

"..."

"..."

"Wait, I haven't even started to explain yet..." Kouryuu Soma seemed greatly disappointed.

So decisive? He hadn't even had the chance to introduce his innovative creation, let alone name it. He had hoped to get some useful suggestions from this simple diner.

"By the way, boss, do you always stay open this late?" Gu Mo changed the subject, asking a question he was more concerned about. Such a delicious and affordable restaurant, and so close to his home—less than five hundred meters away—he thought if possible, he could come more often to support it.

"It depends..." Kouryuu Seiichi smiled and said, "It varies, but today is relatively late."

"Is that so..."

Gu Mo raised an eyebrow. So, according to his current situation, he might not be able to catch it every day?

His daily routine was very regular, waking up every sixteen hours, always at midnight. If the restaurant was already closed by then, wouldn't he have made a trip for nothing? Hmm, he wondered if they accepted advance orders for takeout.

While thinking about this, he stood up and walked to the counter, reaching for his phone—only to find no payment code on the counter. He shrugged, not too concerned, as he had cash on him.

Sometimes it was necessary, like when some elderly people set up stalls or run shops and don't accept mobile payments. Gu Mo didn't want to make them uncomfortable, so he always carried some cash, just in case.

Just as he took out his wallet, he noticed an interaction box appeared in front of the counter.

"Purchase."

"..."

"..."

Without thinking too much, like all those with itchy fingers, he hesitated for a moment and then subconsciously focused his attention on it. A new interface popped up in front of him.

A new list was displayed, with a long series of dishes neatly arranged. The ones he had ordered, like the fried rice, were highlighted, with prices listed next to them. At the bottom was the "Pay" option, with the total amount also noted.

Gu Mo focused on the "Pay" option, watching its icon color change from yellow to a darker shade, and then a line of text appeared in the middle...

"-¥65."

The entire process was so familiar that he couldn't help but be a bit distracted.

"Thank you for your purchase..."

While Gu Mo was in a daze, Kouryuu Soma had already counted the money, put the coins in the cash register, and thanked him enthusiastically, quickly adjusting his mood despite the earlier disappointment.

Then, the young man saw the customer blink his eyes, as if waking from a dream, with a subtle expression on his face.

"Is something wrong, sir? Is there a problem?" Kouryuu Soma asked, a bit puzzled. Did he need change?

But the customer had given the exact amount, not a cent more, so there was no change to give.

"No, I just... um, thought of something else and got distracted."

Gu Mo, realizing this, explained, then looked at his wallet, hesitated for a moment, and slowly turned to leave, one step, two steps, three steps...

Until he was outside the store, no one called him back, which made him particularly surprised. Did he really pay like that?

Looking back inside, he saw Kouryuu father and son already tidying up. Going back to ask now would be awkward.

So, he looked around and walked down the street, avoiding Kouryuu's restaurant. Under the streetlights, he opened his wallet and counted the change, finding that he was indeed short by sixty-five yuan, matching the earlier situation.

Gu Mo's expression became serious. He hesitated for a moment and tentatively called out, muttering to himself—

"System?"

"Deep Blue?"

"Come out! I want to level up!"

For the next few minutes, he tried to summon his "golden finger," to prove he wasn't crazy... Of course, nothing happened. Passersby quickened their pace, and a circle of people gathered, pointing and whispering, looking at him as if he were insane.

Gu Mo sighed in defeat, giving up on his stubborn hope. He looked at the people pointing and whispering, realizing that happiness was always someone else's, and he had nothing.

Reassessing the situation rationally, Gu Mo forced himself to calm down, thinking there might be a more reasonable explanation—what if everything was just his imagination and self-deception? Perhaps he had simply paid with cash, but in his mind, it was something else.

Like some mental illnesses, he had once seen a case where a person, deeply delusional, insisted he was a martial arts master with a dragon-slaying sword, believing he was a grandmaster, unmatched in both sword and knife skills...

To others, such behavior might seem absurd and ridiculous, but the most terrifying part was that the person truly believed it, thinking their logic and worldview were correct.

Was it similar? In others' eyes, the mentally ill person held a knife, and the person knew they held a knife, but they believed it was a dragon-slaying sword... And Gu Mo's situation? He might have paid with cash, but he thought he had paid through a "system transfer."

So, what was the difference between him and that mentally ill person? The other believed they were a martial arts master, while he had just started to doubt if he had some "golden finger"...

Hmm, it all seemed to make sense.

After this deep self-analysis, Gu Mo felt he gradually understood everything. This must be the world of someone with mental issues. He had always been puzzled, but now he finally understood that the world of the mentally ill was truly different from what normal people saw.

If a person's perception, hearing, and feelings were always different from those of normal people, and their cognition was also different, then it was normal for them to be out of place...

Looking at the people pointing and whispering, Gu Mo rubbed his cheeks and quickly left.

Speaking of which, a doctor had once suggested he see a psychiatrist, but he hadn't followed the advice, probably because of the negative news about mental hospitals. He was also worried that if he was diagnosed with a serious problem, he might be sent there...

High walls, electric fences, closed wards, forced sedation, abuse, and beatings...

Such things, or perhaps not all situations were that dark. In this era, management was not as chaotic as before, but due to prejudice and stubbornness, he was very resistant to the possibility.

No, he couldn't let it continue. He had to save himself...

Gu Mo made up his mind. Perhaps the food had triggered some positive emotions, giving him determination and action. He decided he had to do something...

Seeing a doctor wouldn't help much, and he was wary of psychiatrists.

So...

"First, adjust my routine, ensure my health, and see if things improve over time. At the same time, continue to act normal to avoid being noticed and sent to a mental hospital."

He quickly made a decision and set his future action plan.

"After all, my condition isn't severe enough for me to truly believe it, and I'm not like that person who thinks they are a martial arts master. The gap between my cognition and behavior isn't too large, so there should still be a chance to correct it..."

Hmm, he felt he had a significant advantage and was optimistic.

One minute later.

"Zzz... %￥#@&... zzz... $#%&@..."

On his way back, passing through the dimly lit alley again, Gu Mo heard the same piercing tinnitus.

It felt like an electric current through his brain, making him frown in discomfort, worse than nails on a chalkboard.

"What the hell..."

Muttering to himself, he walked out of the alley, back to the soft lights of the snack street in front of the neighborhood, and the discomfort in his head quickly subsided.

Was there something wrong with this alley? He looked back at the dark, dim alley, a bit puzzled. Since he felt the same way going in and coming out, the coincidence was strange.

Tilting his head, he scratched his cheek and left.

The snack street was still bustling, and based on his experience, it would continue until one or two in the morning. People would gradually disperse, and the snack stalls and shops would close, a pattern he had observed over the past week.

Feeling only eighty percent full, he walked to the nearest snack stall.

About five minutes later.

Looking at the bite of barbecue in his hand, Gu Mo's expression was serious, his brows furrowed. He knew it would be like this. Once you've tasted something so delicious, the threshold for stimulation is raised to an exaggerated level.

—To the point where ordinary food now tasted like wax.

...

...

Unconsciously, it was around seven in the morning.

Gu Mo returned to the neighborhood. He didn't go to the hospital to register overnight, nor did he want to waste his limited activity time during the day.

"Little Gu, why are you out so early?"

"Director Zhang, good morning."

Looking at the middle-aged woman in the guard booth, the tired Gu Mo waved and explained, "I didn't go out early, I went out at midnight and just came back... I got a job and will be working night shifts for a while."

He had to act normal, so considering his current situation, he thought it was necessary to explain. This way, his nocturnal activities wouldn't be so noticeable and suspicious—working night shifts and sleeping during the day was reasonable.

"Is that so..." Director Zhang nodded, not seeming surprised, but hesitated, "When you went out last night, did you talk to Old Ding?"

Gu Mo's heart skipped a beat: "Yes, what's wrong?"

No way? Could it be that he hadn't said anything, just acted a bit strange, and Old Ding, being a big mouth, spread rumors about him having issues?

Sure enough, he knew that loud old man had bad intentions!

"Nothing, just... did you say anything strange when you talked?"

Director Zhang hesitated, carefully asking. Last night, Old Ding, on night duty, had a scare, though not seriously, but was quite frightened. He couldn't explain what happened, just kept saying there was a ghost in the guard booth... It was so convincing that Director Zhang felt a bit uneasy.

She came early to check the surveillance and saw that at around midnight, only Little Gu left the neighborhood and talked to Old Ding for a while. At that time, Old Ding seemed fine, but after that, he just stared at his phone, not moving for over an hour.

Of course, the surveillance didn't reveal much, and Director Zhang couldn't promote superstition, so she asked Gu Mo indirectly, wondering if he had said something that might have scared Old Ding.

Said something strange? Sure enough, that's it! Old Ding must have spread rumors about him!

Gu Mo was on high alert, more convinced of his suspicions, and frowned, feigning confusion: "No, I didn't say anything, just greeted him..."

He would never admit it!

And from now on, no matter what strange delusions he had, he would continue to act normal!