chapter 6
06 Drunkard
The newly opened bar was lively, positioned as something like a livehouse venue with resident singers, various cocktails and beers, and a young, trendy decor.
Upon reaching the entrance, Lu Qianqian instinctively shrank behind Gu Qing.
She hadn’t been to places like this much and felt a bit afraid looking at the flow of people.
Once inside, there were still several empty seats at the bar. Gu Qing and she went to the bar counter. Lu Qianqian sat down somewhat uneasily, moving her chair slightly closer to Gu Qing’s. Meanwhile, Gu Qing had already taken out his phone and was calling the bartender, saying he wanted to participate in the event.
“You need to pay a five-hundred-yuan deposit first.”
Gu Qing took five hundred yuan from his pocket and counted it out.
“Here’s the drink menu for you to look at. The interval between each glass cannot exceed ten minutes. If you feel any discomfort, or if we feel you can no longer continue, the challenge ends.”
“Understood.” Gu Qing’s smile was particularly polite.
Lu Qianqian huddled beside him while Gu Qing looked at the menu. He ordered a juice for Lu Qianqian. She gently poked his arm and whispered, “I can have a cocktail too.”
“Hmm… wait until I finish the challenge?”
Lu Qianqian’s eyes brightened even more, and she nodded obediently.
She had never been to a place like this before. Everything in front of her seemed like a brand new world, so she appeared somewhat nervous, timidly looking around while pretending to be calm, her eyes full of curiosity about this new world.
The first cocktail was a martini.
Gu Qing tossed the olive into his mouth and downed the glass in one gulp.
The bartender was momentarily stunned, and in the next instant heard Gu Qing say, “Next glass.”
The second was a Black Russian. Lu Qianqian widened her eyes at the flame lit on top of the glass.
This drink was also downed in one go by Gu Qing. He blinked innocently. “Next.”
The bartender’s face showed more interest, and he quickly prepared the next drink and placed it in front of him, which Gu Qing again drank in one gulp.
“The fourth glass is a Long Island Iced Tea with double the alcohol. We’ve done this challenge at other branches before, and many customers fail at this point…”
Gu Qing smiled and once again emptied the glass in one go.
“Please rest for ten minutes.”
Gu Qing sat there obediently, now looking like a good boy. After ten minutes, the bartender brought out a phone with numbers and text for him to read. He held the phone, speaking clearly and calmly. The bartender’s face showed amazement as he prepared the next drink.
Almost an hour later, Gu Qing’s challenge ended. He had finished eight glasses of alcohol, but his expression hadn’t changed at all. He just winked at Lu Qianqian, somewhat proudly saying, “See? I didn’t lie to you.”
Lu Qianqian tried reaching out and gently poking his face.
“I’m very sober,” Gu Qing replied helplessly.
Lu Qianqian let out a long breath, then picked up the drinks menu and began studying it. Eventually, she ordered a low-alcohol cocktail. She had barely drunk any alcohol in her life and was afraid that if she got drunk, she would cause trouble for Gu Qing.
The cocktail looked very girly, with a pink color. Lu Qianqian held the glass and took a small sip through the straw. Whether it was because Gu Qing was watching her, making her feel a bit shy, or because of the alcohol, her cheeks showed a small flush, as if tinted by the light pink cocktail.
The bartender had already given Gu Qing the thousand-yuan membership card along with the five-hundred-yuan deposit.
Gu Qing put them away and gradually began to observe everything in the bar out of boredom.
The bar was lively. Some tables were noisy, while others had young couples sitting face-to-face chatting. Some people had already started kissing due to drunkenness; perhaps the other patrons in the bar were also part of their play.
Gu Qing enjoyed observing these absurd human behaviors under the influence of alcohol, so he quietly watched everything, occasionally shifting his gaze to the bar where customers were steadily coming to take the challenge, but most failed. The bartender would smilingly point to Gu Qing, saying he was the only one who had succeeded tonight.
Whenever he heard this, Gu Qing’s face showed pride.
Beside him, Lu Qianqian was already leaning on the bar, her eyes slightly narrowed, but her lips still unconsciously curved upward. Now she looked like a lazy, drunk kitten, becoming increasingly soft and adorable.
“After finishing this glass, we’ll go home, okay?” Gu Qing leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.
Perhaps because his breath fell on her cheek, making Lu Qianqian feel a bit ticklish, she nervously widened her eyes a bit, then nodded obediently. Then she heard Gu Qing say, “Actually, things have been quite unsettled lately.”
“Huh?” Lu Qianqian was puzzled.
“Recently there’s been a lot of discussion on forums about six or seven girls who went missing in City A, but it was suppressed by officials. Now many busy places have Alliance security officers patrolling. For example, in this bar, there might be undercover Alliance officers responsible for this area.”
“Huh?” Lu Qianqian grew more curious.
“Because demons love to eat girls, especially soft, fragrant ones like you who look delicious.” Gu Qing adopted the posture of an adult trying to scare a child. Perhaps it was the alcohol that made Lu Qianqian bolder, but she looked at Gu Qing pensively and reached out to poke his face gently.
“Don’t most demons… live in City S?” Lu Qianqian’s voice was tiny.
Though her science subjects weren’t good, she had learned history well. One hundred and fifty years ago, after that meteorite fell as countless stars across the world, some people turned into demons, while others gained supernatural powers. Those who became demons grew violent in temperament and even fed on humans, leading to war. Humans eventually won, and all demons retreated to City S, which became a gathering place for them.
City S was just a general name for that area. In reality, the demons’ activity range was somewhat larger. That area was the demons’ world, now referred to as the Great Wilderness.
“But some demons always want to try the taste of humans, so they sneak into the human world.”
Strictly speaking, demons could eat other meat as well, but to them, other meats tasted like chaff. Human hearts, however, might be as sweet and delicious to them as the braised pork belly that Gu Qing and Lu Qianqian had eaten that afternoon—tasty and calorie-packed.
Gu Qing’s eyes surveyed the surroundings, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly said softly:
“Maybe… there’s a demon hiding in this bar right now, ready to eat someone.”
His voice was so quiet, yet suddenly so serious, that Lu Qianqian’s face turned pale. That’s when Gu Qing laughed and reached out to poke her face gently.
“Just kidding. I’m going to the bathroom. Stay put, don’t talk to strangers, and don’t drink anything strangers offer you.”
…
At the sink, Gu Qing washed his hands.
At the adjacent sink stood a woman in a cotton coat. She was tall and wearing light makeup, also washing her hands carefully, but she seemed to have drunk too much, her movements slightly stiff.
Interestingly, her lower abdomen was slightly swollen. It wasn’t clear whether this was due to drinking too much or something else.
There was no one else around. Gu Qing pulled a paper towel to dry his hands and, after a moment of silence, finally spoke slowly, “I believe I’ve said before, this is not a place you should be.”
“Gibberish…”
“Speak human language.” Gu Qing’s tone became slightly more serious.
“Child.” The woman stiffly uttered these two words.
Gu Qing’s eyes moved to her abdomen, and after another moment of silence, he gently advised, “Go back.”
Pain and unwillingness appeared on the woman’s face as she stared at him fixedly, her eyes full of stubbornness, until Gu Qing’s gaze became somewhat stern, even carrying a hint of warning.
She instinctively lowered her head, biting her lip tightly, and Gu Qing said nothing more, brushing past her.
…
The music in the bar had become somewhat agitated. For some people, the nightlife seemed to be just beginning.
When Gu Qing returned to his seat, he found someone already standing beside Lu Qianqian, holding a glass, wearing a gentle smile, appearing to be saying something to her. Lu Qianqian remained silent, shrinking back a bit as if scared.
Until Gu Qing came back, grabbed the person’s shoulder, and pushed him aside. “Move.”
The person was about to say something, but the moment Gu Qing took out a switchblade from his pocket, the person sobered up considerably and left without another word.
Seeing the switchblade, Lu Qianqian was also startled. Then Gu Qing sat back down and smiled helplessly. “When you’re wandering, it’s easy to get bullied. You need something to scare people.”
Lu Qianqian whispered, “That’s cool.”
“Kids shouldn’t learn this.” Gu Qing picked up his glass and took another big gulp. This was a high-proof drink he had just ordered, but for him, it was still hardly different from drinking water, providing only a slight buzz.
Lu Qianqian’s eyes still curiously surveyed everything in the bar. The drink in her glass was almost finished, and it was time for them to leave. Lu Qianqian finished her drink and obediently said, “I’m done.”
“Alright, let’s take a taxi home.” Gu Qing stood up, and they left the bar counter together.
On the way from the counter to the door, Gu Qing’s figure finally swayed slightly, even accidentally bumping into a customer’s table. Lu Qianqian hurriedly steadied him and apologized to the woman at the table.
The woman shook her head slightly, saying nothing.
After the two left, she slowly turned her head to watch their retreating figures. She lowered her head, looked at her glass, and a drop of crimson blood dissolved into it instantly.
She hurriedly picked up the glass and drank it all at once, her eyes full of gratitude as she watched the distant figures.