Death Spiral [Infinite Flow]

een placed in the open space, all of which are covered with bright red tablecloths and the dishes have not yet been served.
There were people sitting at two of the tables and the rest of the dozen or so tables had empty stools.

Everyone’s faces were gloomy and they remained deadly silent.
After all, only 20 of the 81-person team were still alive.
Who would be in the mood for a banquet at such a time?

At this time, when they saw the old lady with the heavy makeup and bound feet, everyone’s complexion changed and their eyes showed various expressions such as confusion, fear, and disgust.
Only Shi JianChuan had a calm demeanor.
He beckoned with a smile and let Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao sit at his table.

There were two empty seats directly beside Shi JianChuan.
It was unknown if he specially reserved it for Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao, or if just no one wanted to sit with him.
Xu RenDong didn’t care about this and sat down beside him with Lian Qiao.

Someone on the table asked, “What are you doing, why are you here so late?”

Xu RenDong said lightly: “My friend’s legs and feet are injured so of course he walks slowly.” He looked around, “Everyone else is here?”

Shi JianChuan smiled .
He said: “All the living are here.
It’s unknown if the dead are here.”

After hearing this, everyone could not help but glance around, as if the empty tables and chairs were really full of people who had just died.
Full of fresh ghosts.
Although the noon sun was shining straight down, everyone felt a coldness and chill down their backsides.

One person said angrily: “Why are you scaring people? Is this necessary?!”

Shi JianChuan shrugged: “It’s not like there’s never been ghosts before.”

“Don’t be noisy.” Xu RenDong spoke out to discourage the quarrel that was about to break out, “The old lady is here.”

Everyone turned around, only to find that the old lady in red with little feet was holding a glass of wine and walking between the two tables.

“It’s a great honor for all the guests to be present today.” The old lady smiled so red her lips were grinning behind her ears.
The wrinkles on her face were terrifyingly deep.
She raised the wine glass over her head, “I don’t have much to say so I’ll give you a toast.”

Everyone looked at each other and their eyes fell on the small wine glass in front of them.
The wine was orange-yellow like amber, with a fragrant aroma that looks very attractive.
But who would dare to drink the wine prepared by the old lady in red with bound feet?

No one made a move and the atmosphere stiffened for a while.
The old lady was not angry.
She drank the wine happily and then clapped her hands, “Let’s serve the food.” Then a beautiful maid came out of the hall holding the dishes.

Before those maids approached, a fishy smell was already blowing.
Xu RenDong frowned and was about to speak but found that Lian Qiao was staring straight at the tray in the maid’s hand with a strange look in his eyes.

“Lian Qiao?” Xu RenDong whispered.

Lian Qiao didn’t answer.

On the contrary, Shi JianChuan turned his head and gave Xu RenDong a thoughtful look.

The maids walked to the table one by one and put down the dishes.
Xu RenDong was shocked when he saw it.
He saw that all the dinner plates were full of dead fish and rotten shrimp.
The white maggots wriggled and the stench made people want to vomit.

Everyone seemed to be possessed.
Not only did they not show disgust but their eyes showed longing and ecstasy.
Some people even couldn’t bear it and reached out to grab the rotten fish within which the maggots were twisting.

Xu RenDong frowned and was about to stop them when he heard Shi JianChuan say: “Don’t worry about them, just look after yourself.”

Xu RenDong turned his head in surprise but saw Shi JianChuan slapped Lian Qiao’s hand off the chopsticks.
He said with a smile: “…and your friends.”

Xu RenDong then reacted and quickly held down Lian Qiao to stop him from eating the dishes on the table.
Lian Qiao struggled for a while and asked in puzzlement: “Brother RenDong, what are you doing?”

Xu RenDong said: “There is something wrong with the dish, don’t eat it.”

Lian Qiao swallowed: “But it’s delicious…”

Xu RenDong grabbed his restless hands and said in a deep voice, “Be obedient.”

Lian Qiao stopped struggling but kept glancing at the dishes and gulping at those dead fish and rotten meat.

It seemed that Lian Qiao had been bewitched and only relied on a trace of remaining rationality to reluctantly suppress his appetite.
The others were not dissuaded and were already feasting on the food.
They devoured the rotten dead fish one by one and even discarded their chopsticks and directly held a fish head with their hands, biting into the  bones of the fish.

Maggots kept falling out of the fish heads.
The yellow-white juice flowed down the corners of their mouths.
They had long since ignored their composure and were rushing to eat, their expressions full of a drug-like intoxication.

This was not a good situation.
Xu RenDong’s brain was running fast and his hands were not idle either.
He took out the climbing rope from his backpack and tied Lian Qiao’s hands again.     

Lian Qiao was very unhappy about this and scolded uncharacteristically: “What are you doing? Why are you tying me up? Why don’t you let me eat?”

The knot that Xu RenDong tied was actually a live knot.
This was the way Lian Qiao himself taught him.
But at this time, Lian Qiao had already forgotten how to break free from the knot.
He twisted and even bit his teeth, completely losing his sense of being an adult.

Just as Xu RenDong was trying to reason with Lian Qiao, Shi JianChuan’s leisurely, almost lazy voice came from the side: “Why do you need to spend all this time? Why don’t you just give him another one?”

Xu RenDong didn’t understand.
“Give him what?”

Shi JianChuan asked, “Which floor’s did you take?”

Xu RenDong suddenly felt enlightened: “You took the candle from the lantern?”

Shi JianChuan heard this and his eyes showed surprise: “Didn’t you take one? Then why are you okay?”

Xu RenDong chewed on the meaning of the words and finally understood.
He immediately pulled up Lian Qiao and dragged him away.

Lian Qiao struggled.
The old lady in red with little feet also noticed the strangeness and ran after them: “Guest, where are you going?”

Xu RenDong casually said, “Going to the toilet.
What, do you want to follow?” 

The old lady with the bound feet was stunned and then immediately smirked and said, “No, no.
Take your time, guest.”

Xu RenDong dragged Lian Qiao and walked towards the stairs without looking back.
Seeing what happened, Shi JianChuan followed them.
The little-footed old lady frowned and stretched out her hand to stop it: “Mr.
Shi, why are you leaving the table too?”

 Shi JianChuan smiled and said, “I’m going to watch the fun.” 

The old lady asked, “There are so many people here, isn’t it lively enough?”

Shi JianChuan threw a glance at the gobbling crowd and said calmly, “A group of dead people, it’s boring.” 

The old lady heard the words with a strange look on her face.
She didn’t stop him and just let him go.