Chapter 334: The Haunted Cafeteria

Chapter 334: Chapter 334: The Haunted Cafeteria

Chapter 334: The Haunted Cafeteria

Hidden in a narrow crevice along the mountainside, Axel lay with his back against the rock.

After resting for a while, he slowly opened his eyes.

Then, as if complaining to no one in particular, he muttered,

"I’m hungry."

Not far away, a group of Marines marched along the path while singing loudly.

"Iron-walled Fortress G-8!"

"Pirates, don’t even dream of coming near!"

"One hundred and eighty-eight cannons await you!"

"Marines who guard the peace!"

"Our pride, G-8!"

Axel turned his head toward the sound.

A moment later, his crimson eyes lit up with amusement.

He slipped down from the mountainside.

The Marines had no idea anyone was following them.

They continued marching while casually arguing among themselves.

"Our fortress has been way too peaceful lately. It’s ruining our reputation."

"Who cares about reputation? Peace is a good thing."

"That’s easy for you to say. Every time Marines from other branches visit, I feel like they look down on us."

"That part is true. Why should Headquarters act superior? And why are people always saying other branches are better than G-8?"

"Someone’s definitely spreading rumors about us."

"Probably because of people like you who are obsessed with peace."

One Marine immediately turned.

"What’s wrong with wanting peace?"

"I said what I said."

"You got a problem?"

Marines were not exactly known for backing down from arguments. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

What began as casual complaints quickly became heated.

Just as the two sides were about to start shoving each other, a calm voice suddenly cut between them.

"Excuse me."

The Marines stopped.

"Which way is the cafeteria?"

One of the irritated soldiers spun around.

"Who the hell is interrupting us at a time like..."

His voice died.

There was no one there.

The Marines stared at the empty road.

Then at one another.

"Did you guys hear that?"

Several men nodded.

A chill ran through the group.

One soldier forced a laugh.

"Probably just... an echo."

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

"Let’s keep moving."

They had barely taken a few steps when the same voice came again.

"Which way is the cafeteria?"

Everyone froze.

Then the voice repeated, a little more clearly.

"Which way is the cafeteria?"

Silence.

The Marines slowly looked at one another.

Their faces began to pale.

Once could be a mistake.

Twice might still be explained.

Three times?

"G-GHOST!"

The whole group tried to run.

None of them moved.

Their legs were bound in place by an invisible force.

The Marines looked down.

Nothing was wrapped around them.

Nothing was holding them.

And yet their bodies refused to move.

Their faces went white.

The voice returned.

Still calm.

Still polite.

"Which way is the cafeteria?"

Their knees began trembling.

One Marine whispered,

"Could the ghost be hungry?"

Another stared at him.

"What?"

"I heard that hungry ghosts turn into evil spirits."

His voice became weaker.

"And evil spirits eat people."

The entire group stiffened.

"You mean..."

"He wants to eat us?!"

"I don’t want to die like this!"

"Getting eaten by a ghost instead of dying in battle would be way too pathetic!"

"Wait!"

One Marine’s eyes lit up.

"He keeps asking about the cafeteria."

Everyone looked at him.

"If we take him there... maybe he won’t eat us."

"That’s your plan?"

"Do you have a better one?!"

No one did.

Trying to negotiate with a ghost sounded ridiculous.

But they were out of options.

One Marine swallowed.

Then spoke toward the empty air.

"L-Lord Ghost..."

His voice cracked.

"We can take you to the cafeteria."

He hesitated.

"Could you... let us move first?"

The restraint vanished.

Every Marine nearly collapsed from relief.

Unfortunately, that relief lasted only a second.

The fact that their request had worked confirmed something far worse.

The ghost was real.

One Marine immediately clutched his stomach.

"Actually, I’m not feeling well."

Another grabbed his side.

"Me too. You guys can take Lord Ghost."

"Don’t even think about it!"

"We’re all going!"

Under the invisible supervision of their "ghost," the Marines abandoned their patrol route and headed straight toward the cafeteria.

A walk that normally took nearly forty minutes was completed in half that time.

No one complained about exhaustion.

Fear was an excellent motivator.

At last, they stopped outside a large building.

One Marine pointed shakily.

"T-This is the cafeteria, Lord Ghost."

Creak.

The door opened by itself.

Every Marine flinched.

That was enough.

They exchanged looks.

Then reached a silent agreement.

"GHOST!"

"A GHOST WENT INTO THE CAFETERIA!"

"RUN!"

After shouting the warning, they fled at full speed like children who had just thrown a firecracker into someone’s house.

Inside the cafeteria, a Marine officer slammed down his utensils.

"What kind of idiot shouts something that unlucky while people are eating?!"

He stormed outside.

"Which unit are those brats from?"

"If I find them, they’re getting double training!"

He turned back toward his table.

Then stopped.

His meal was gone.

The officer stared.

"What?"

He looked under the table.

Then around the room.

"Which bastard stole my food?!"

Nearby Marines looked at one another innocently.

No one had touched it.

Then another voice rang out.

"My food’s gone too!"

"What?"

"So is mine!"

"Mine too!"

The room slowly fell silent.

Then it happened right in front of them.

A plate of food lifted from a nearby table.

No hands touched it.

No person stood beside it.

The food simply rose into the air.

Then vanished.

Everyone stared.

The warning from outside suddenly became much more believable.

One Marine’s mouth opened.

"Ah..."

Another made the same sound.

Only with far more terror.

"Ah...!"

Then the entire cafeteria exploded.

"IT’S HAUNTED!"

"THERE’S A GHOST!"

"RUN!"

Marines poured toward the exits.

The wide cafeteria entrance became clogged almost instantly as dozens of soldiers fought to escape.

Even the officer who had been threatening double training was among the first out.

A moment later, Jessica emerged from the kitchen.

"What is all this screaming?!"

She still held a spatula stained with oil.

Her expression was deeply displeased.

Then she saw the cafeteria.

Empty.

Tables abandoned.

Meals left unfinished.

Jessica’s eyes narrowed.

"These idiots..."

Her voice became dangerous.

"Did they forget the cafeteria rules?"

She walked farther inside.

"Wasting food is absolutely forbidden."

One of the cooks cautiously poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Head Chef?"

Jessica looked over.

"What?"

The cook glanced around the empty room.

"Why did everyone leave?"

He hesitated.

"And what was that about a ghost?"

Then he laughed awkwardly.

"Come on, how could there possibly be a ghost here?"

He puffed out his chest.

"With Head Chef Jessica around, even an evil spirit would probably run away in fear before it could..."

Jessica looked at him.

The cook immediately stopped talking.

A strained smile appeared on his face.

At G-8, offending Jessica was rarely a wise decision.

Her husband happened to be the commander of the entire fortress.

And depending on the situation, Jessica herself could be far more frightening than Jonathan.

She pointed toward the abandoned tables.

"Get the registration list."

The cook blinked.

"I want to know which units were eating here."

Jessica crossed her arms.

"Jonathan needs to straighten out these soldiers."

The cook silently offered a brief prayer for whoever had run away.

Then his eyes drifted toward one of the tables.

His prayer stopped halfway.

A piece of meat rose into the air.

He stared.

Another dish floated up beside it.

Then both disappeared.

The cook rubbed his eyes.

His mouth twitched.

"...It really is haunted?"

Jessica followed his gaze.

She turned.

A bowl lifted from an abandoned table.

Then vanished into thin air.

Clang.

The spatula slipped from Jessica’s hand and hit the floor.

Her mouth opened slightly.

For once, even she had nothing to say.

....

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