Chapter 361: Impersonation

Chapter 361: Chapter 361: Impersonation

"This big screen, these soft seats, and this all-you-can-eat fruit... I’m the happiest person in the world!"

"Ah... this is so comfortable. What if I get so comfy I fall asleep?"

"Don’t fall asleep yet. It’d be a waste of these prime center seats. This movie is amazing."

-

"Someone’s been murdered."

"Is that so strange?"

"I guess not?"

"Then hurry up and get more fruit! What does a dead person have to do with you?!"

At the front desk of the bathhouse, Owen Warren caught the faint, foul stench of blood. It couldn’t compare to even a ten-thousandth of Lily Hart’s scent.

But why would there be the smell of blood in his establishment? Owen Warren stood up and followed the scent, tracking it down bit by bit.

He finally found a body behind a screen in a small corner on the second floor.

Owen Warren was speechless for a long moment. ’If you’re going to dump a body, couldn’t you at least pick a better spot? You just had to dirty up my place!’

’So irritating!’

His shop didn’t have any security cameras. He was starting to regret not listening to Boss Hart.

Still, he could find the person. It would just take a little effort. He sniffed the air as he walked past each customer.

No matter how well they tried to hide it, someone who had just killed would carry a certain smell. As a zombie, his nose was sharp enough to detect it.

His nose was getting tired from all the sniffing, but he finally found the culprit in the body-scrubbing room.

The man was lying on a table, letting the scrub-lady leave her marks all over him, rubbing off long, dark rolls of dead skin.

Owen Warren felt a little disgusted and stood at the door without moving. The stench of death on the man was strong.

’I’ve been around living people for so long that I now find the smell pungent. I used to think it was pleasant. I guess people—no, zombies—really do change.’

After waiting a while, the man finally pushed himself up.

His gaze happened to meet Owen Warren’s, who was leaning against the doorframe. The man froze for a second, then averted his eyes without a hint of guilt.

He threw on a bathrobe and got off the table with perfect composure.

Owen Warren was blocking most of the doorway and showed no sign of moving. The man frowned but could only try to squeeze past sideways.

But Owen Warren grabbed him by the collar and dragged him directly to where the body had been dumped.

The man had no idea what was happening and was naturally furious. He struggled, but couldn’t break free, though he didn’t stop trying.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you cause a scene in Boss Hart’s establishment!"

Owen Warren didn’t say a word. He actually found it a little funny. ’This guy bought a package from me and he doesn’t even recognize me?’

’Is he blind or something?!’

Seeing that Owen Warren wasn’t talking, the man grew even more arrogant. "Let me go right now, or I’ll report you to Boss Hart!"

The surrounding customers watched him get dragged away without much reaction. They were just anxious to get to their next activity.

Every minute spent rubbernecking was a minute of enjoyment lost.

But there were always gossips, always those who loved a spectacle. A few small groups followed along.

They followed them all the way to the small corner, and only then did everyone realize.

’So there’s a body here?’ It was no wonder they hadn’t noticed. The spot was well-hidden, and besides, they were already immune to the smell of blood.

They got more excited by the aroma of food.

As the man was dragged closer, he seemed to sense something and fell silent.

After Owen Warren threw him to the ground, he didn’t dare make a sound. He took a moment to process the situation before rashly scrambling back to his feet.

He pointed at Owen Warren and roared, "I’ll ask you one more time! Who are you to disrespect a customer of Boss Hart!"

The man still hadn’t recognized him.

Owen Warren laughed in exasperation. ’Do I really have such a forgettable face?’

He put his hands on his hips, mimicking the man’s arrogant posture, and said, "I am the owner of this establishment. Who did you say you were going to report me to?!"

The man was stunned, but his powerful self-preservation instincts kicked in. "Everyone, come look! This man dares to impersonate the owner! Hurry up and throw! Him! Out!"

The onlookers stared at him like he was an idiot.

The man realized something was wrong. This tall man in front of him might actually be the owner.

’But I can’t lose my nerve now. I can’t back down, or I’m really dead!’

He glared at the crowd. "What are you looking at? He’s an impostor! If you don’t believe me, come downstairs with me and see if the real owner is there or not!"

With that, he made an aggressive move to rush downstairs but was yanked back by the collar by Owen Warren.

"RRRIP—" Owen Warren ripped the robe to shreds. It was old and had become brittle.

Owen Warren’s voice was sharp. "Don’t go anywhere. Throw this body out. Don’t leave it here to dirty my place."

The man felt a chill on his back. He instinctively tried to grab the tattered, fluttering pieces of his robe but caught only air.

Fortunately, it wasn’t his lower half that was exposed, so he could just about bear the scrutinizing, mocking gazes.

Without the cover of his clothes, his fearless bravado seemed to vanish. He timidly turned and hoisted the body onto his shoulder.

Only then did the crowd get a clear look at the corpse’s face, sparking a series of gasps.

"Isn’t that the Base Commander’s younger brother?"

"Holy crap, this guy’s got guts. He even dared to kill the Base Commander’s brother. Isn’t he afraid the Base Commander will get revenge?"

"I heard that’s the Base Commander’s only biological brother. He protects him like the apple of his eye."

"You’re not kidding! Normally, if someone even glares at him, the Base Commander would have their eyes gouged out!"

"I’ve heard about that too. Dug them out right on the spot. And wasn’t there that time someone cursed his brother out? Got his mouth ripped right off!"

"Yikes, is he really that cruel?"

"There are things far crueler than that. You just haven’t heard about them."

"His brother was always wreaking havoc. Someone finally put him in his place."

"Yeah, and that ’lesson’ turned out to be fatal."

The onlooking customers all wore the expressions of entertained spectators. Some even looked like they wanted to applaud. They had zero pity for the deceased.

Owen Warren listened for a while before he understood. It seemed the dead man had gotten what he deserved.

’So does that make this guy a vigilante? A hero ridding the world of a menace? Even so, that’s no reason to dump the body in my shop.’

The man carried the body, head down, as he walked out. To his surprise, he was met with gazes of admiration and encouragement.

He pretended not to see them and kept his head down, walking forward. ’What’s with these people?’ he thought. ’How did they change their tune so fast?!’

"Nice one! Guys like that deserve to be taken care of!"

"Exactly. If you didn’t take care of him, sooner or later... no one else would have..."

"You’ve got integrity and courage, kid!"

"You did a good thing. Now hurry up and run before you get caught."

Walking with his head down, the man picked up his pace. ’No time for sentimentality!’

But his eyes reddened slightly, and a bittersweet feeling swelled in his chest.

Owen Warren couldn’t bring himself to say anything more. He watched the man’s figure disappear around the corner, then waved his hand to disperse the customers.

"Stop staring. Your time is almost up." Owen Warren’s words instantly brought everyone back to reality.

The most important thing for them right now was enjoyment! To enjoy themselves to the fullest!

...

「Inside the hot pot restaurant.」

"This one, and this one, I want them all! This one too... What do I do? I want to eat everything!"

"Then let’s eat it all! If we can’t finish, we’ll get it to go! But I think we can finish it!"

-

"There are so many dishes. I’m getting overwhelmed with the choices again."

"Well, you take your time picking. I’m going to start eating. Don’t blame me if I eat more than you, ha!"

-

Cynthia Whittaker sat behind the cash register, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the customers come and go. The more people there were, the happier she felt.

Seeing every table full gave her an indescribable sense of accomplishment.