Chapter 43: Model Employee

Chapter 43: Model Employee

In the midst of the terrifying transformation, Red Cloak could barely recall the last words spoken. Her memory took two seconds to catch up, and she vaguely remembered a sentence about absolute power sweeping away everything.

A monster's brain matter splattered between the two of them, causing both to involuntarily twitch their eyes.

The superior was courteous. "Look at this, doesn't it resemble a palette?"

A palette suitable for painting posters.

Zhou Qian's mind was on the verge of shutting down, but he found solace in not being alone. Red Cloak had never shown such a drastic change in expression throughout the day.

But now, she truly couldn't control herself.

Who was this man, with powers defying the heavens, yet seemingly human?

She had never seen him before, so she ruled out the possibility of him being a player.

Wait...

Red Cloak's gaze darkened. That very morning, the game had notified her of a new player joining. Considering the man's earlier words, no matter how unbelievable they sounded, they led to only one truth remaining.

At this moment, Zhou Qian finally recovered from his shock, blurting out a direct accusation. "To make me return to work, you...you chased me here?"

He was gradually coming to believe in the existence of a sixth sense.

Ever since dreaming about his damned superior last night, it had been an ominous omen!

No, a death omen.

Why was his superior so strong? He seemed even more powerful than his own mother.

Zhou Qian's thoughts raced.

When choosing his evolution path in the first instance, there had been a notification that the instance entrance was closed, making him a stowaway whose abilities might have been suppressed. His superior, however, had entered through the proper channels, recognized by the game as a legitimate player.

After much contemplation, all his thoughts could be condensed into a single sentence: This place is not safe to linger.

Zhou Qian glanced sideways.

His superior had come from the elevator area, which should be relatively clear of monsters.

He tried to hide behind Red Cloak, attempting to move closer to the elevator.

Red Cloak refused his proximity, wary of the newcomer's connection to the youth and unwilling to kill in front of him, sidestepping to avoid any confrontation.

"Playing tag, are we?" The superior smiled, casually crushing another monster's brain core with his bare hands.

As more monsters surged forward, the previously halted blood-red mutants resumed their attack.

Taking advantage of his superior's appearance drawing fire, Zhou Qian mustered his courage and spat out a threat. "Wait for it, I'm going to find a place to work overtime right now!"

Without looking back, he broke into a run.

Human potential was boundless.

At this moment, he forgot about the wound on his back and the dizziness caused by blood loss, unleashing his incredible speed.

Behind him, his superior pulled out a handkerchief from his suit pocket, casually wiping the blood off his hands, watching the retreating figure with a cold expression.

Could running really help him escape?

Lifting his leg, he kicked another approaching monster.

...

After successfully breaking through the monster blockade, Zhou Qian quickly put away his holy artifact and took out the white silk for self-defense.

The further he ran, the more serious his expression became. On the ground lay scattered crimson petals, while the floral wallpaper had several new holes, as if someone had forcefully pulled the mischievous flowers out of the wallpaper.

Zhou Qian could vividly imagine the scene of his superior ruthlessly destroying the flowers.

His superior was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb within the instance, and he suspected that sooner or later, he would blow up on himself.

Following closely behind Zhou Qian was Red Cloak, who had also managed to break free, stopping the bleeding on her arm as she ran.

Red Cloak hadn't expected to escape either, and her expression soon turned even uglier.

The terrifying man's actions mirrored her own from the previous night, deliberately leaving an opening to let people escape, resolving the main conflict, and then finding time to absorb personal value.

Considering these things, she inevitably thought of Baseball Cap. Unfortunately, she hadn't achieved her final goal; the trouble wasn't eliminated, and she hadn't obtained the holy artifact.

However, now, the opportunity was right in front of her.

Just as she harbored ill intentions, Zhou Qian, who was almost at the elevator, unexpectedly came to a halt without any warning.

The white silk, acting like its master, struck first, successfully binding the healing Red Cloak for a brief moment! In his other hand, he held the small hammer aloft.

"Thank you for teaching me a lesson," Zhou Qian tightened the white silk with force, smiling as he said, "Some players simply don't care about killing and increasing the difficulty of the instance, do they?"

"And besides, since we're already enemies..." He opened his mouth, speaking with hidden meaning. "If you've done something once, don't give others the chance to do it again."

Red Cloak saw her reflection in the lenses of her glasses, her pupils dilating. She struggled to free one hand, causing her hastily bandaged wound to reopen and bleed anew.

With one hand freed, she wasted no time, immediately drawing her blade, the smooth scimitar revealing its sharpness in mid-air.

This scene fell into the eyes of Baseball Cap, who was hiding around the elevator, causing him to become somewhat excited, habitually spinning the skull ring on his finger.

An unexpected delight.

Dragged into an illusion by the rampaging spirit, Baseball Cap was caught off guard when another mysterious man appeared, forcing the spirit to retreat.

Now, watching Zhou Qian and Red Cloak fighting each other, Baseball Cap secretly thought that nothing could be better than this gift from heaven.

Regardless of who won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory, and he only needed to deliver the finishing blow in secret.

Victory can breed a momentary relaxation.

The white silk entwining Red Cloak suddenly withdrew entirely. Just as the curved blade was about to sever Zhou Qian's neck, its owner abruptly changed direction. The scimitar was accurately thrown, tracing a sharp parabolic arc, fiercely aiming for Baseball Cap.

The distance between them wasn't far. Apart from the injuries from the previous night, after failing to frame Zhou Qian, Baseball Cap had paid a considerable price to escape from the metal man's clutches.

The speed and force of the scimitar far exceeded those of real-world blades.

After a brief stabbing pain in his chest, Baseball Cap grunted, lowering his head with a lingering look of surprise in his eyes.

Impossible.

How could he die so easily? He...

Baseball Cap wanted to say something, but Red Cloak hated idle talk. After pulling out the blade, she lifted the dying Baseball Cap and threw him towards a floating potted plant.

Monsters instantly lunged at the scent of blood, tearing and biting.

Red Cloak's strike hadn't been lethal, and Baseball Cap met his end in the mouths of the monsters. Under these circumstances, the game would reduce the punishment.

She turned around, saying coldly, "You're quite bold."

Their previous cooperation had been a split-second decision, and Zhou Qian had merely given her a subtle glance, which she understood. However, she hadn't anticipated that he would completely retract the white silk, seemingly unconcerned about the blade cutting his throat.

"Sometimes, life requires taking a little risk." Zhou Qian suddenly spoke with a profound meaning.

The white silk that had withdrawn followed the direction where Baseball Cap was thrown, returning empty-handed.

No item dropped?

Just as he was disappointed, the white silk shook, and a skull ring fell out.

Zhou Qian caught it, his heart momentarily elated, but noticing Red Cloak's lack of interest in snatching it, his joy diminished by half.

Baseball Cap had always worn it on his hand, so he assumed it was a treasure? Apparently not.

The system was always the best detector:

"Skull Ring: Can roughly judge the evolutionary degree of a player's body and absorb minor amounts of negative energy."

Unlike traditional game items, the description was vague, and there was no indication of quality.

Zhou Qian tried wearing it on his hand, and another line of small text appeared:

"A symbol of Black Magic Society's identity."

No wonder Red Cloak wasn't interested; he discreetly pocketed the ring.

The Black Magic Society was undoubtedly a massive organization. Since he had already offended them, this item might prove useful in the future.

The two entered the elevator, the cabin descending.

Within the confined space, Red Cloak's intent to kill didn't wane, plotting her second attempt.

Zhou Qian knew what she was thinking without even looking up, closing his eyes slightly. "You're out of time."

With such a commotion in the air, it would be hard for other players not to notice. To understand what had happened, they would naturally come up to higher floors to investigate. Of course, these people wouldn't personally reach the eighteenth floor; they would wait on the sixteenth or seventeenth floors, as seeing anyone alive would suffice for them.

Then, they would cooperate or coerce, always finding a way to share information.

The elevator stopped at the sixteenth floor.

Outside, indeed, players were waiting, and not just one, but several gathered together.

Due to excessive blood loss, Zhou Qian's breathing grew increasingly rapid, his body appearing unsteady. Yet, every word and every accurate prediction sent shivers down Red Cloak's spine.

Leaning against the elevator wall, he took the initiative to speak to those outside. "I'm willing to share some information for free."

The players lying in wait were quite pragmatic.

"Are you alright?"

Someone immediately offered a helping hand, gently supporting him out and kindly providing medicine to stop the bleeding.

This person considerately stood in front of Zhou Qian the entire time, guiding him out sideways, ensuring that Zhou Qian wouldn't be harmed by Red Cloak.

"Take your time walking." Their attitude couldn't have been better.

"Would you like a drink of water?" Another asked solicitously.

They would naturally choose to cooperate with this young man first. Both Little Red Riding Hood Association and the Black Magic Society were vengeful, and no one liked dealing with a tiger.

Moreover, the young man was so cooperative, taking the lead in expressing his stance.

Having suffered injuries and lost two subordinates, Red Cloak, despite her arrogance, wouldn't recklessly confront anyone at this moment.

Her venomous gaze fixed on the group, her expression chillingly cold.

Suddenly, Zhou Qian turned his face, the pale cheek stained with someone else's blood, mouthing each word deliberately:

Welcome to try and kill me.

Red Cloak's hands clenched tightly.

Not until the elevator doors had fully closed, ensuring that one crisis was temporarily averted, did Zhou Qian withdraw his gaze with a smile.

He turned to face the several players before him: "If you're uneasy about the information I'm about to share, feel free to use contract items."

"Just go ahead and say it," came a very gentle voice.

The players made way as a woman approached, her appearance and demeanor exuding warmth and approachability. The fact that everyone deferred to her indicated that she was the one who had gathered these people together.

Zhou Qian tried to recall any memories of her but found them scarce.

Among the female players who had disembarked from the second vehicle, the one in the red cloak had dominated the scene so much that it was easy to overlook the others.

Zhou Qian paused for a moment before speaking:

"The merchant is being coerced by a female ghost, who has a grudge against the building's owner. The owner is still alive and seems to have nurtured many ghosts through various means to counteract the female ghost."

Many details were omitted during this explanation. Some players wanted to ask for more specifics, but the woman raised her hand to stop them.

"So no matter which side wins, the other won't let the players live, correct?"

Zhou Qian nodded.

They were here to deal with the ghosts. The female ghost wouldn't simply allow the players to kill her, and the building's owner would certainly not let them expose the evil here.

The woman sighed. "This is troublesome. The building owner's trump card turns out to be ghosts."

The surrounding players' expressions darkened upon hearing this.

They all understood what she meant. Under normal game mechanics, they could obtain items from the building owner to counterbalance the female ghost, ultimately eliminating both sides.

An experienced player's tone couldn't help but become anxious. He even hoped that Zhou Qian was lying.

The woman seemed to harbor no doubts, looking at Zhou Qian directly and asking, "Who do you think will win?"

"The female ghost," said Zhou Qian. "Because I'm on her side."

Although the task panel's eye disappeared the moment he destroyed the amulet, there was no harm in saying good things. Zhou Qian lavished a few praises on the female ghost.

The woman pondered for a moment. "It seems we can only wait for the two sides to destroy each other, or..."

"Or find a way to locate the female ghost's corpse. If the building owner dies first, we can work together to forcibly send her soul to the afterlife using the corpse."

Zhou Qian was taken aback. "Forcibly send her soul to the afterlife?"

The woman was somewhat surprised that he didn't know this. She explained, "I have a method, but it must be an intact corpse."

The likelihood of the female ghost's corpse being intact was high. She definitely died within the building, and dismembering her would be unnecessary and easily discovered.

As she spoke, the woman glanced at the nearby players, one of whom produced a bag of medicine.

"Remember to take antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. If you trust me, I can also bandage your wounds; I'm a doctor in real life."

Zhou Qian stared at the bag of items, wondering where they came from.

"There's a pharmacy in the building. You can obtain medicine by completing tasks," the woman explained, sensing his curiosity. She continued, "In the spirit of cooperation, we can provide a piece of equipment for free."

She then took out a contract item, which was the foundation of player collaboration.

Unexpectedly, however, she merely requested that they not deliberately betray each other.

Zhou Qian gave her a deep look.

The woman asked directly, "What type of equipment do you need?"

"Speed," Zhou Qian replied without hesitation.

The woman turned around to discuss with the other players. In the end, it wasn't clear how they decided, but Zhou Qian received a bottle of potion.

"Marlin Potion *1

Specification: 0.5 ml

Usage Guide: Suggested dosage is two to three drops per use. Increases movement speed by 20%, lasting for 15 seconds."

Equipment related to medicine only provided descriptions, without displaying quality.

The woman had considered every aspect, and Zhou Qian saw no reason to refuse.

He extended his hand. "Zhou Qian."

Unlike using a fake name in the first instance, which wasn't significant, he introduced himself honestly.

The woman shook his hand. "Bai Chanyi. Just call me Chanyi."

Zhou Qian declined her offer to treat his wounds and left, carrying the medicine.

On the sixteenth floor, after the elevator doors closed.

A player hesitated. "Wasn't our offer too generous?"

Lacking knowledge of basic concepts like forced transcendence suggested that they hadn't participated in many instances, likely a newcomer.

The smile faded from Bai Chanyi's face as she said coolly, "Whether or not he's a newcomer is beside the point. He survived coming down from the eighteenth floor."

This indicated that he had something valuable to contribute to their collaboration.

Changing the subject, Bai Chanyi continued, "We can also test his character."

Forcing someone too much could backfire.

The value of the marlin potion far exceeded the information he had currently provided. Someone with decent integrity would, in subsequent interactions, voluntarily offer additional clues.

If the young man showed complete indifference to this, he wouldn't be trustworthy.

Those unworthy of trust and cooperation had no reason to exist.

"That's right, whether he's a newcomer or not doesn't matter," suddenly interjected another player with a sweet appearance. "That night, I personally saw him transporting corpses via the elevator."

Who hasn't seen corpses?

Someone was about to speak up, but the female player interrupted coldly, "Don't argue with me. It was a cargo elevator full of corpses, including monsters and humans."

"??"

Another person timidly spoke up, "Have you forgotten? Earlier, the one thrown into the air to feed the monsters was apparently a big shot from the Black Magic Society. Not long after, those two came down."

They had witnessed that scene firsthand.

Everyone felt a sinking sensation.

Compared to the somewhat familiar Red Cloak, this unknown young man was more unsettling.

Bai Chanyi sighed softly. "If a member of the Black Magic Society dies at the hands of a newcomer, it's going to cause quite a stir."

The people present silently memorized his name, focusing more on remembering his appearance. They planned to sketch it out after leaving this place and inform their guild members to exercise caution if they encountered him.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened again, startling everyone.

The man in a suit, his tie nearly soaked in blood, still maintained his politeness. "Hello, have you seen a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses who looks rather honest?"

When the elevator ascended earlier, Bai Chanyi didn't obstruct the button press, assuming that more players were exploring upstairs.

So she hadn't met her superior yet.

Now, seeing the man with monster flesh still clinging to his shoulder, it was evident how brutal he was.

"Hello," her superior spoke again, even more gently than before. "Have you seen him?"

In the silent standoff, a sweet-faced female player behind Bai Chanyi said, "He just went down."

If he was seeking trouble, they would eventually encounter him in the building. There was no need to provoke such a terrifying man.

But the female player felt a twinge of guilt and added, "The person you're looking for is very capable."

Implying that it would be best to avoid a confrontation.

Her superior paused with his finger hovering over the power button, smiling as he asked, "How capable?"

Several players chimed in, vividly describing the horrific process of Zhou Qian transporting corpses that night, hoping to instill fear in the man before them.

"I see, thank you. I didn't know that."

All he knew was that someone had continuously evaded two consecutive employee sports meetings by claiming to have a heart condition after surgery. Last month, while helping the company move some items downstairs, he twisted his ankle and received a work injury compensation.

Turns out he could run, carry, fight, and even create excellent planning designs based on the templates he designed for the company.

"He's truly a good employee."

The elevator doors slowly closed, concealing her superior's face in shadow from the players' view.

...

Cargo Elevator Corpse King, Serial Killer, Most Savage Newcomer in History...

Each player had a nickname. At this moment, Zhou Qian was unaware that he had been secretly labeled with countless titles and would soon catch the attention of major guilds. All he knew was that his superior had arrived.

"Damn." Ever since then, he had been pinching his nose.

He had to find the college student quickly and outrun him.

His mind raced with various strategies. Regardless of the situation, Zhou Qian hadn't forgotten that the system hadn't issued a reward for completing the special mission.

Wearing a blood-stained white shirt, Zhou Qian arrived on the third floor, his gaze fixed intently on the distant Jin Taotao Bone Rice Shop:

Female ghost, give me back my hard-earned money.

Author's Note:

Zhou Qian: Find the college student, outrun him.

College Student: ...

Zhou Qian: Don't be afraid, you have labor laws.