Chapter 381 Rusty City Strange Stories

"Catch? Catch what?"

Qi Shanren, who was carried out of the security booth, spoke timidly.

He was not worried about acting with Xu Zhiyan. After all, with the previous demonstration of his ability to make money, catching something was nothing.

"Catch the creature that was screwing with you during the day." Xu Zhiyan replied.

Qi Shanren was stunned when he heard this.

It is early in the morning and the employees should have gone to bed long ago. How can we catch monsters to replace the employees now?

"Will they...will they come out?" he asked anxiously.

"Probably."

Xu Zhiyan already had a guess about this.

Every worker I saw before was in a very bad condition, with bloodshot eyes and a dazed look, and they were almost mechanically hammering the screws.

They looked like the rust-spotted monsters, except for the difference in appearance, everything else seemed to be similar... No, perhaps they were even worse than monsters. At least monsters didn't have to work and would disappear when they saw a police car covered with corpses.

“The conveyor belt won’t stop.”

"So who's working at night?"

If it wasn't the overworked employees, then the most likely culprit was that group of monsters.

"Except for newcomers, everyone else must arrive at their posts at least one minute early." He repeated the workshop rules accurately.

If Xu Zhiyan guessed correctly, before going to work every day, the old employees needed to report the weirdos at their workstations to the workshop leader or drive them away according to the rules, so the rules reserved time.

The factory is very large.

The lights are off now, including in the workshop, but the machines are still humming without stopping.

The entire factory works non-stop like a perpetual motion machine.

There is 'something' at every workstation.

The shapes of the shadows working mechanically were indistinguishable, and relying solely on the light coming in through the windows, it was difficult to tell whether they were rusty monsters or something else.

The two of them looked at each other quietly for a while. Xu Zhiyan was a little surprised, but when he thought about it, it seemed normal.

After all, there are so many miscellaneous rules in this workshop, and they probably found a loophole to get in.

Suddenly, Qi Shanren saw something from the corner window.

"Boss Xu, there's still a light on over there!" He pointed through the glass to the other side of the window. The corridor there was brightly lit, which was out of place with the other dark rooms.

Xu Zhiyan raised his eyebrows and looked over, thinking for a few seconds.

"Raw materials buyer's office?"

The lights were on on the second and third floors of the low building opposite. There was a sign of an infirmary on one of the windows. If the factory rules were correct, the purchasing agent's office should be located nearby.

While thinking, Xu Zhiyan felt someone pulling his sleeve.

When he turned his head, he saw Qi Shanren's sweaty face.

"Xu...Xu, Boss Xu, look, look at my body...behind me..." His whole body was shaking like a sieve and he couldn't speak clearly.

Listening to Qi Shanren's trembling words, Xu Zhiyan had a bad feeling in his heart. He turned his head and frowned slightly when his eyes met the workshop glass.

Inside the workshop window, the guys who had been working diligently screwing screws just now were standing in front of the glass window at some point.

They... no, maybe they are.

They are of different heights, weights and bodies, wearing the same work clothes. Their faces are covered in black mist, making it impossible to see their specific features. One can only vaguely see two red eyes hidden underneath, emitting a gaze as sharp as a blade.

Being stared at by so many monsters, Xu Zhiyan held his breath and looked around.

Seeing that he hadn't made any move, Qi Shanren couldn't help but whisper, "Boss Xu...Aren't we going to run?"

"Run?" Now it was Xu Zhiyan's turn to be confused: "What are you running for?"

He originally wanted to catch the monster and test its composition. After all, he had used all the props and spent the money. He would feel like he was losing out if he didn't get more information.

"There are so many targets. I'm trying to figure out which one to catch."

If his guess was correct, the rules were designed to protect normal people in the factory, and these weird-looking guys were not within the protection range. He was not a weakling who had just entered the game, and the weapons in his hands were enough to start a war, so why should he run?

After Xu Zhiyan finished speaking, Qi Shanren stood there stupidly as if his brain had crashed.

The audience in the live broadcast room were also stunned for a moment.

[Pfft, if the item that Xiao Baiwan got wasn't too expensive, I would really want to buy it! It can actually detect so much information. ]

[Ten thousand per minute, I will go bankrupt in two hours! ]

[Damn, Xiao Baiwan is really brave. Even if he could win, he didn't even have the instinctive reaction of fear when he turned around and saw a group of monsters staring at him.]

[Xiao Baiwan: You monsters are surrounded by me! ]

【Hahahaha, one hundred for each catch.】

[Wait, what happened to the screwman... Eh? Is there a flashlight over there? ]

Before Xu Zhiyan decided which monster to catch, he felt a slight vibration under his feet. Several lights appeared at the end of the corridor, and vague conversations were heard, accompanied by a 'squeaky' sound.

The monster in the workshop reacted faster than him.

The moment the sound came over, the monsters who had just been standing in front of the window staring at Xu Zhiyan seemed to have discovered something terrifying.

They quickly retreated from the window, and when Xu Zhiyan and Qi Shanren ran to the window, there were only the rumbling machines in the workshop, and no strange figures were left.

"Running away? Running so fast?"

Xu Zhiyan was stunned. He thought these guys could be more aggressive, but they just turned on a flashlight in the distance and disappeared.

Qi Shanren urged from the side: "Boss Xu, let's run too!"

Although he didn't know why he was running, he felt that since even the monsters were afraid of it, it must be a very powerful creature.

While they were hesitating, they suddenly discovered that the same flashlight light appeared not only in the passage ahead, but also in the passage behind...

The situation suddenly changed and even the way out was blocked.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiyan simply patted Qi Shanren on the shoulder and said, "Don't panic. Just nod to whatever I say later."

Soon, the full appearance of the person coming was revealed.

They were not monsters but a group of people in black uniforms. Not only were they waving flashlights, they were also pushing carts, which were obviously used for shipping.

Black clothes...

Xu Zhiyan thought about the sixteen factory rules he had seen earlier, one of which stated that the clothes of raw material buyers must be black.

Why would the buyer be here? Purchasing in the factory in the middle of the night?

Because they had no intention of hiding, Xu Zhiyan and Qi Shanren were quickly discovered by the buyers.

"Who is it? Who is there—"

Before the man with full of energy could finish shouting, his colleague next to him covered his mouth and his voice stopped abruptly.

Several beams of light shone on the two of them, and Xu Zhiyan looked harmless.

When the two sides came closer, he explained, "We are from the guard booth. We just saw a figure appearing outside, so we came over to check."

It was a logical explanation. The security guard noticed something was wrong and went to check, but nothing seemed to be wrong.

Next to the two carts, six buyers in black looked at each other. The short and thin man in the lead frowned and looked at the guard in front of him. After looking for a while, his brows relaxed and he spoke.

"We are from the raw material purchasing department. You two have worked hard. Do you want to come to our place to take a break?"

While being stared at by the man in black, Xu Zhiyan was also observing him.

There was nothing wrong with the six people, they looked like humans, but their carts were piled with the short and fat stone pillars that appeared from time to time in the corridor.

These things feel like the handicrafts on the conveyor belt and have similar materials. Are they really raw materials?

Xu Zhiyan answered carefully.

"No, we may have seen it wrong. We have to go back to check the door later." He declined this inexplicable invitation.

These NPCs looked like living people, but he was not sure how much they knew. He now wanted to know the composition of the monsters, or at least find out where they came from.

But who would have thought that Qi Shanren, who was usually as timid as a mouse, would immediately take over the conversation.

"Okay, go...rest."

He answered slowly, with a calm expression, and then followed the group of people.

The other six people laughed when they saw this. They ignored Xu Zhiyan and instead sent people to move the raw materials around them. Then they turned back and walked out with Qi Shanren.

The pale yellow light beams were neatly arranged and shone forward. Qi Shanren seemed to be awake, but in fact his pupils were full of fear.

Xu Zhiyan grabbed his wrist and felt that the other party was now incredibly strong.

"Are you really going?" he asked.

Qi Shanren did not answer. The short and thin buyer suddenly spoke up: "There are rules in the factory. We cannot harm other normal employees. Of course, if you are worried, you can come with us."

As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning Xu Zhiyan.

The grey security guard uniform was loosely worn on his body, making the slender young man, who already looked non-aggressive, look even more fragile, especially his fair and delicate face, which did not look threatening at all.

Xu Zhiyan also laughed.

"That's great. I'm a little tired from walking."

The rule is that normal employees cannot be harmed, but Qi Shanren’s current condition is obviously abnormal, and it is not known whether this departure will be a blessing or a curse.

Ten minutes later, Xu Zhiyan followed others to the building where the buyer's office was located.

There were quite a few employees in the building, and soon someone came to the door to take the cart and took it to the other side to unload the goods. The person pushing the cart was not surprised to see Qi Shanren and Xu Zhiyan, but instead looked happy.

When they reached the third floor, Xu Zhiyan asked casually, "Where are we going?"

The lights were all on the second and third floors, but these people skipped the office and continued going upstairs. Something was obviously wrong.

"Go to the top floor, the special reception room." The short and thin man was in a very good mood and was not stingy with his answers.

Only the tall middle-aged man next to him seemed to want to say something but hesitated. However, he finally said nothing and followed everyone upstairs in silence.

After three floors, there were iron doors on the stairs on each floor, as if blocking something.

After passing through six doors, they finally reached the fifth floor.

When he stepped onto the last step, Xu Zhiyan found that six buyers were standing behind him, as if they were afraid that he and Qi Shanren would run away. As for that look, he was very familiar with it.

Greedy and crazy.

Especially the short and thin man, the greed in his eyes almost overflowed from his eye sockets, and there was also a hint of relief for surviving the disaster.

Xu Zhiyan pursed his lips.

Tsk, this is quite malicious.

The door to the fifth floor opened and closed again. After all eight people went in, Xu Zhiyan heard the sound of the door being locked behind him.

“Pah—”

The lights came on, revealing the full picture of the room.

Rust. Rust everywhere.

Like an iron box soaked in water, this empty room was covered with rust and looked extremely old.

Before Xu Zhiyan asked, he heard the tall middle-aged man next to him speak.

"Boss, do we really want to do this? The young one is not contaminated either, we can just arrest the fat guy..."

The short and thin man glared at him and said viciously, "The security guards work in teams of two. Why don't you take advantage of the performance that comes to your door? Catching two people at once can equal two months' worth of performance!"

Turning around and seeing Xu Zhiyan still standing there, he rubbed his hands and sneered.

"Young man, don't blame us..."

Xu Zhiyan raised his hand and made a stop gesture: "Well, I want to ask, employees cannot hurt each other, how are you going to deal with me? Aren't you afraid that I will report you tomorrow?"

He lied so calmly that several people's eyes fell on him.

The buyers all laughed out loud as if they had heard some huge joke.

Only the middle-aged man who had just spoken could not bear it and explained: "This is not the only place in the factory that is not protected by the rules. You are not a buyer. You will be polluted as long as you stay here. The sound insulation here is very good, and no one will find out..."

After he finished speaking, he found that the young man in front of him also laughed along with the others. His clear voice blended into the laughter of the others, creating an unexpected harmony.

The short and thin man noticed something was wrong with his target and gradually stopped smiling. The other people also gradually stopped smiling.

In the blink of an eye, the only sound left in the empty room was Xu Zhiyan's laughter.

"why are you laughing?"

The short and thin man took out a rope from his waist and asked fiercely.

"...Ahem, sorry." Xu Zhiyan said with a smile: "I was still thinking about how to get information from you guys while avoiding the rules. I didn't expect you to give me such face."

A huge statue of the Virgin Mary appeared behind him, the laughter of the holy child echoed, and as tears of blood fell, a faint bloody smell replaced the smell of rust in the room, and the cross shining with holy light exuded a faint glow of compassion.

Xu Zhiyan smiled even more.

"I also need the performance that comes to my doorstep."

It seems that these NPCs often do strange things on a daily basis, so he will not be polite.