Chapter 10 Supplementing Energy

Feng Bujue didn't know when or how the Ghost Postman would reply, and he wasn't even sure if he'd receive a reply at all.

The "fat" NPCs couldn't answer questions about this, so Brother Jue could only play it by ear...

"So... should I deliver the tenth letter now..." After leaving the mailbox in the cemetery, Feng Bujue returned to his bicycle and muttered, "Or should I replenish my stamina first..."

As he mounted his bicycle, he checked the game menu again. His Survival Value had slowly recovered to 54%, but his Stamina Value was only 4524800.

This was the difficulty created by "calculating Stamina Value according to the character's actual physical sensation." In some of the Nightmare Difficulty scenarios that Brother Jue had experienced before, he had encountered similar settings; *Wilderness Poisoning* was a good example.

No matter how high a player's level was, or how many items or skills they had that could increase their Stamina Value... in a Nightmare scenario with this setting, you only had as much stamina as the character you were playing. If you abused it without regard for consumption, the consequences would be obvious.

"Hmm... I still need to find a way to get some supplies first..." Feng Bujue pondered for a moment and then made his decision. "Before the Ghost Postman replies, it will be extremely difficult to crack the 'command code' on my own. Anyway, I've collected enough information from those 'recipients,' so there's no need to waste my remaining stamina on something with almost no return."

Having decided on his next plan, he took out the town's mini-map from his pocket. After looking at it for a few seconds, he set off...

At exactly twelve noon, Feng Bujue arrived at the town's only bar.

The bar was called "Otaku," and its floor space was just over a hundred square meters, smaller than the post office.

Brother Jue's reason for coming here was simple: according to the illustration on the mini-map, this Western-style bar had a door that couldn't be closed... or rather, two movable wooden panels that served as a door.

"Heh... this time, I shouldn't be able to get in, right?" Feng Bujue smiled as he pushed open the door and walked into the Otaku Bar.

"We're not open yet, sir." That was the sentence that greeted Brother Jue.

Feng Bujue looked up and saw the speaker.

It was a bald man about two meters tall, around forty years old, dressed as a bartender. When Brother Jue entered, he was standing behind the bar, quietly wiping a glass.

"I won't stay long." Feng Bujue ignored the other's dissuasion and walked straight to the bar.

In the process, he surveyed the entire bar: cheap flax-colored wallpaper, cheap wooden floors, a cheap bar, cheap tables and chairs, a cheap sofa, a cheap pool table... Next to the pool table stood a mustached man dressed as a cowboy, playing pool alone.

"I'm sorry, it's not a question of how long you'll stay." Seeing that Brother Jue had sat down as if nothing was wrong, the bald bartender's expression changed slightly. "We don't accept any customers outside of business hours. Please come back after five o'clock..."

"Alright, Yang, just let him sit for a while." Suddenly, the mustached cowboy by the pool table interrupted, "This gentleman doesn't look like someone who would cause trouble..." As he spoke, he made a shot, straightened up, and looked at Brother Jue, "Am I right? Sir."

"Heh... of course." Feng Bujue smiled at the mustached man, then turned his head and looked at the bartender. "Can I get something to drink? Water is fine."

The bald bartender looked at Brother Jue expressionlessly for two seconds, then took out a clean glass and poured him a glass of cold water.

"Excuse me... do you have anything to eat? Anything will do." Feng Bujue added.

This time, the bald bartender gave him a suspicious look. "Are you sure you have enough money to pay the bill? Sir." He emphasized the word "sir" at the end of the sentence.

"Yes..." Feng Bujue just wanted to eat and drink, so he was very polite. As he spoke, he reached into his wallet. "If you need it, I can..."

"Oh~ no, no, young man, don't do that." At this moment, the mustached man loudly stopped Brother Jue and quickly walked over.

When he reached the bar, the mustached man looked at the bartender and said, "Yang, how can you talk to customers like that? Do you think this gentleman doesn't even have the money to buy a glass of water?"

"No, Boss." The bald bartender replied, "I'm just worried that he's like those drunks and hobos, coming in to freeload when they don't have a penny to their name."

"Oh... so this cowboy uncle is indeed the boss..." Feng Bujue thought to himself. In fact, he had vaguely realized this from the beginning of their conversation, and now that "Yang" directly called him "Boss," it confirmed his guess.

"Ah~ Yang, you're overthinking it." The mustached man patted Brother Jue on the shoulder. "Looking at this gentleman's complexion and clothes, it's clear that he's not that kind of person." He snapped his fingers and winked at Yang. "Come on, get me some snacks. I'm hungry too."

"Alright... since you said so..." The bald bartender shrugged and responded.

A few seconds later, he took out two small bamboo bowls lined with paper towels from behind the bar. Both bowls were filled with fried snacks.

"Thanks, buddy." Feng Bujue said to Yang, then looked at the mustached man and said, "Thank you too, Boss."

With that, Brother Jue grabbed a large handful of snacks and stuffed them into his mouth like a duck being force-fed.

He was indeed hungry, and very hungry... This feeling of hunger was undoubtedly simulated by the scenario, similar to muscle fatigue, and had to be relieved in some way, otherwise it wouldn't disappear on its own.

"Hehehe..." The mustached man laughed as he watched Brother Jue's eating habits. "Young man, you can't just eat this as a meal."

"I know, but all the restaurants in town are closed." Feng Bujue replied vaguely with his cheeks full.

This seemingly casual answer was actually a test... Feng Bujue had been in town for so long and had finally met two NPCs who seemed relatively normal, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to extract information. Therefore, he subtly stated an unusual but objective fact, wanting to see the reaction of these two NPCs.

"Hahahaha..." To his surprise, the mustached man laughed heartily and replied, "You're joking, young man... It's daytime and it's Christmas, why would the stores be closed? Look..." He raised his hand and pointed to the door of the bar. "Isn't that restaurant across the street open?"

"Across the street?" Feng Bujue was stunned. He looked in the direction the other man was pointing, but all he could see was a vast expanse of white mist... He couldn't even see the scenery across the street, let alone a few meters from the door.

"Heh... hehe..." Brother Jue chuckled dryly. "You're right..." He couldn't figure out whether the NPC was telling the truth or trying to deceive him, but he didn't want to argue with him.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet..." The mustached man didn't continue on the topic of the restaurant. He took off his cowboy hat and extended his hand to Brother Jue. "I'm the boss here. They call me 'Shooter.'"

"Hello." Feng Bujue replied politely. "I'm Dave." He wiped his hand on his jacket before shaking hands with the other man.

"This is my bartender, Yang." Then, Uncle Shooter gestured towards the bald bartender. "Legend has it that he used to be in the Mafia, but he later turned over a new leaf..."

"Hey!" Yang immediately shouted, interrupting his boss.

Uncle Shooter spread his hands and smiled. "Hehehe... Okay, he's a good guy, I didn't say anything."

"Hello, Yang." Feng Bujue also pretended not to have heard anything and greeted Yang calmly.

Yang only nodded to him, his expression still serious and cold.

"What's up with these two..." Feng Bujue finished one bowl of snacks in a minute and started on the second. "One is overly enthusiastic, and the other is overly cold. And looking at their styles and listening to their names... if 'Shooter' can even be considered a name... they both have the air of gang members..." A thought struck him. "Could there be some side quests here?"