Chapter 272: Municipal Third Porcelain Factory 11

Chapter 272: Municipal Third Porcelain Factory 11

Qin Fei led Ding Tianyu, with three ghosts following behind them, and they swaggered to an open corner at the back of the factory.

This was where the Black Feather players had agreed to meet.

Qin Fei settled Ding Tianyu aside and went to find Lu Cheng and the others.

Ding Tianyu stood awkwardly by the roadside, watching from a distance as Qin Fei and several unfamiliar workers whispered to each other. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.

From leaving the second workshop to returning to the dormitory compound, it took only a few short minutes, yet his good coworker Yu Zhoukai had so easily resolved the nightmare that had plagued him all night.

Could Yu Zhoukai actually be some hidden master of the esoteric arts?

If that were the case, his friends must also be quite powerful.

Ding Tianyu looked at the players with a mix of admiration and longing.

He wondered what Master Yu would assign him next and whether it would be dangerous.

Would he need to get close to the ghosts again?

Would those ghosts be as terrifying as the hanged ghost from last night?

Thinking about the hanged ghost, Ding Tianyu couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at the air beside him.

Although he couldn’t see the ghosts now, he had a vague feeling that they were hiding nearby.

Perhaps even right next to him.

With this thought, Ding Tianyu shivered violently.

Qin Fei noticed the commotion over there.

Qin Fei had specifically instructed the ghosts to behave themselves in front of Ding Tianyu to avoid scaring the NPC.

Now, while Ding Tianyu couldn’t see the ghosts, Qin Fei could. The hanged ghost was hanging upside down from a tree, its long tongue dangling near Ding Tianyu’s neck, eyeing the living flesh greedily.

Qin Fei gave the hanged ghost a warning look, and its tongue quickly retracted, revealing a fawning expression on its mutilated face.

Its attitude was so good that even a dog would nod in approval.

Satisfied, Qin Fei turned back to continue exchanging information with the players:

"The clues provided by the water ghost are basically reliable, so our task today is to investigate the cause of death for the workers who died in the porcelain factory before.

By finding the ghosts that came into contact with the deceased workers, we can uncover the reason behind the anomalies in the porcelain factory as quickly as possible."

Although the ghost story didn’t provide specific conditions for passing, if the players could understand the root cause of the story, it would make handling the situation much easier regardless of the requirements.

Xie Jingtian frowned: "Getting the list of deceased workers won’t be difficult. I’ll go back to the office and sort it out. We should start investigating from the earliest deaths."

"But..."

He hesitated.

After getting the list, finding out the specific causes of their deaths might be challenging.

Qin Fei smiled: "Don’t worry, I have a way."

Ding Tianyu, this native NPC, knew just as much as the ghosts did.

Once they had the list, they could ask him first to filter out the ones he knows about.

The rest, they could let Ding Tianyu figure out.

Meanwhile, Ding Tianyu was still daydreaming about becoming a trusted aide under a master of the esoteric arts, completely unaware that he had already been assigned the role of an informant.

After the players finalized their plans, Xie Jingtian sneaked back into the accounting room and soon emerged with a file folder.

"All the recorded missing personnel in the factory over the past six months are in here," Xie Jingtian said, having organized the contents yesterday and knowing them by heart. "The earliest absences were four people, all on October 12th."

Before that date, there were absences, but all were recorded with reasonable reasons such as illness, personal leave, or tardiness. Only on October 12th did four people suddenly go absent without any explanation.

"Among the four, one named Li Zhen disappeared after that day and never appeared again. The other three took intermittent leaves but eventually vanished too."

Xie Jingtian continued, "They were the first batch of people to encounter trouble in the factory, so they should be closer to the source of the problem."

Regarding these four missing persons, the accounting room could only trace their original workshops.

As for what they did in those workshops, where they lived, and what happened during their missing days, the players had no idea.

Qin Fei’s long lashes half-covered his eyes: "Let’s have Ding Tianyu find out more."

Ding Tianyu followed the four players around the factory for half the morning, squatting in bushes, crouching in corners, and skulking around the accounting room like a thief, doing nothing substantial.

Just as he was feeling lost, he saw Qin Fei beckoning him.

"I’m coming, I’m coming!" Ding Tianyu ran over enthusiastically.

But when he understood what Qin Fei wanted him to do, his face fell instantly: "Just this?"

Qin Fei glanced at Ding Tianyu, puzzled by why this NPC with a pea-sized courage wanted to do something grand.

Ding Tianyu wasn’t keen on gathering information; it sounded undignified and nothing like the heroic work he had imagined.

It was mainly difficult to inquire about, and it was easy to receive disdainful looks.

Thus, Qin Fei began to persuade him: "Don't underestimate this mission; it's actually the cornerstone of our entire ghost-catching plan. If successful, you'll be the founder."

Ding Tianyu was somewhat convinced but still hesitated: "But... I can't just find out information whenever I want."

Among those four people, Li Zhen was from the logistics department, and the other three weren't from Workshop Two. Ding Tianyu had no connections.

Qin Fei smiled encouragingly: "If it were an easy task, would it even be called a task? Create conditions if there aren't any. I believe in you!"

"Our factory is at a critical juncture right now. To save ourselves and everyone else, you're an indispensable part of the process.

Come on, work hard, you can do it!"

Lu Cheng and Mi Yang watched in astonishment as Qin Fei successfully changed the NPC's attitude with a bunch of nonsense.

Ding Tianyu, like someone injected with adrenaline, his eyes shining, said, "Alright, I understand. I'll go take care of it right away!"

Qin Fei nodded in agreement: "We'll wait for you here! Hurry back."

Mi Yang looked at Ding Tianyu walking away, his eyelids twitching, and quietly asked Qin Fei, "Who do you think he can ask?"

If Ding Tianyu went around asking people randomly, it might be better for all four of them to join in.

Five people working together would be more efficient than one person.

Qin Fei reassured him: "Let's see how he does first."

He explained calmly: "Inquiring about secrets everywhere easily raises suspicion. If we get noticed by the NPCs in the factory, it will cause trouble later."

Let Ding Tianyu pave the way first. Even if the people in the factory suspect they're possessed by ghosts, they'll suspect Ding Tianyu first.

Mi Yang: "..."

You look innocent, but your heart is truly black.

As a native of the strange tales, even though Ding Tianyu had no connections, he still had more ways than the players did. He quickly thought of a method.

There was a tea room in Factory Three, which was far from the workshops. Workers rarely went there, but office staff often visited.

These people had leisurely jobs, sitting around drinking tea and reading newspapers all day, making them the most gossipy group in the factory.

Directly asking them would definitely not yield results.

Everyone feared death.

So Ding Tianyu came up with his own approach.

He hid behind a door and observed for half an hour, selecting a few likely candidates based on his memory, then approached them furtively.

"... A few masters have come to the factory to remove—" Ding Tianyu made a gesture, "dirty things."

The person he grabbed immediately showed a look of horror and turned to leave.

Ding Tianyu grabbed him: "The masters said you have strong yang fire! We can talk discreetly, and nothing will happen."

He repeated Qin Fei's words: "We can't keep living like this! We need to live!

If we continue like this, sooner or later, something will happen!

It's better to solve the problem once and for all. If we succeed, you'll be the hero who saves everyone!"

His words were persuasive.

The NPC's expression changed several times before settling on being moved.

And so, before lunch break, Ding Tianyu successfully obtained firsthand information.

...

In a corner of the cafeteria, the five found a spot hidden by a pillar, meeting without anyone noticing.

As soon as Ding Tianyu sat down, he eagerly shared his findings.

"Li Zhen is responsible for freight in the logistics department. Jiang Rui is the factory's graphic designer, responsible for designing patterns. The other two are sample workers," Ding Tianyu said. "None of the four are frontline workers. I think we might be on the right track."

Qin Fei agreed.

Ding Tianyu, buoyed by the encouraging looks of the four "masters," continued: "I've also found out where they work, but we'll need to check their living arrangements with the logistics department."

They could ask at their offices, but that might raise suspicion.

Qin Fei nodded: "Let's visit their workplaces this afternoon."

Qin Fei believed that these four people's encounters with ghosts were likely related to their work rather than after returning to their dormitories.

As they ate, the four NPCs corresponded to the four players, each taking one. Qin Fei took the lead on Li Zhen's line.

"If we're lucky, we might encounter the ghosts that have troubled them when we interact with their work.

It might be dangerous, so everyone should be careful."

After all, these ghosts had caused deaths before and couldn't be compared to minor nuisances like restroom attendants.

"What about me?" Ding Tianyu asked anxiously.

He had gathered all the information, and now these masters were going to risk their lives to confront the ghosts.

Although Ding Tianyu was scared, the recent excitement had stirred something within him, making him yearn for demon-slaying.

Qin Fei perfunctorily consoled him, "This operation is too dangerous. Each of us has a task and might not be able to ensure your safety.

Go back to the workshop this afternoon and continue working. You are the most crucial part among us, and we can't afford any mishaps."

Ding Tianyu initially felt a bit regretful, but after hearing this, he was only touched, nodding in agreement.