I Run a Netherworld Diner to Keep Myself Alive

[Upcoming Story: Apocalypse Game Milk Tea Truck. Synopsis at the end] There's a snack shop on the old street, run by a handsome invalid. Si Nanxing, the sickly owner, sways with every step and pants whenever he lifts a leg. Everyone says he doesn't have long to live. His snack shop goes all year without seeing more than a handful of living customers, and the neighbors say it won't last long. Ordinary people don't know that Si Nanxing isn't ordinary, and this shop isn't for the living. When the hour of demons passes, paper lanterns appear outside the snack shop, which has no sign. A crow with glossy black feathers lands on the eaves and caws three times, and ghosts flock inside. Si Nanxing lies in a lounge chair and coughs twice. "Take your time eating. Have your fill before you head off to the afterlife. No fighting, and be careful, all of you. I've got people downstairs." The ghosts are about to scoff when a young man wrapped in the baleful aura of the underworld walks out of the Gates of Hell. He sweeps his gaze over the room, and everyone falls silent in fear. Lord Zhuyou holds up a thin ledger and asks, "The usual? Half in cash, and half in merit points to exchange for extra years of life?" "That's right." Si Nanxing reaches for the ledger. "Let me see how long I've got left." Lord Zhuyou won't let him see it. "Confidential underworld records." Si Nanxing lies back down and complains flippantly, "If you won't let me look, what if I accidentally live as long as the heavens?" Lord Zhuyou stares at him. "That would be perfect." "You have to live as long as the heavens so you can stay with me forever." Lord Zhuyou, a serious underworld official x Si Nanxing, an irreverent, sickly man who'll take however many days he can get A love story between the ghosts' worst nightmare and their favorite snack. Notes: 1. Lots of original worldbuilding. 2. Not a serious food story (? ). 3. Thanks to @Lululuxiaoshan for the cover art and to Shige =3= for making it. The cover might change often. Can't help it, my wife made it, and I have lots of wives. Hehe XD [Upcoming Story: Apocalypse Game Milk Tea Truck] On September 9, 2999, apocalypse dungeon games descended upon Blue Star, forcibly pulling in random players. With a death rate of 98%, humanity's survival was an interstellar miracle. In the game's third year, the pressure forced humanity to evolve. Everyone became a chosen one with supernatural abilities; the reborn were everywhere, and Systems were a dime a dozen. Humanity was confident they would finally win this time, but the monsters on the other side had cheated too. The level cap was raised whenever they felt like it, dungeon monsters could take pills, and bosses at low health could buff themselves before mutating. What the hell, did this stupid game have no balance at all?! Just as humanity despaired, thinking this time really was the end, a game legend began to spread. If you called a miraculous delivery number, and the monster you faced was buggy enough, a righteous pink milk tea truck would drop from the sky, its lace-edged little flags fluttering as it ran over the monster's face. Then you had to hand over everything you'd earned from fighting monsters to buy a cup of milk tea from the handsome owner. Otherwise, the long-legged driver beside him would smash your damn head in with a hammer. Don't ask if the milk tea tastes good. It's the sweet taste of surviving a disaster, the rich aroma of life continuing! To stop humanity from winning in the end, the game secretly tampered with the players' path of evolution. The more powerful the individual, the more useless the ability they gained. For example, the little madman He Wuning got a milk tea shop management System, while humanity's shining hope, Yi Luo, awakened the ultimate repairman ability. He Wuning: You damn game, you think you can punish me? I'll punish your bosses! Anyone who messes with the balance has to die! Yi Luo raised his repair wrench in support. A ruthless, taciturn, rampaging driver with a cool-guy vibe x a ruthless, loudmouthed, arrogant little madman My wheels keep rolling forward. Even if I have to ride the most ridiculous unicycle float, I'll crush the crowns of the gods behind the scenes and greet the light of our final victory. Theme: No matter the adversity, keep living your life.