Chapter 373 Rusty City Strange Stories
"The figure that replaced Boss Xu? Look, I can't see its face. When I looked over, its features were blurry. It didn't say a word. I don't know what it is."
"There's nothing wrong with the conveyor belt. At first I was worried that if I didn't tighten four screws, something might go wrong..."
"That's about it. The rest is nothing special, just a little scary. Boss Xu, can you accompany me to screw in the screws tonight?"
Qi Shanren spoke rapidly like a machine gun, and suddenly hesitated.
Although he gave the money, anyone can now see that Xu Zhiyan is not short of 100,000 points. Every player has his own way of passing the level. What qualifications does he have to make demands?
But the words had already been said, Qi Shanren looked up nervously and looked at him carefully.
The ceiling light at the entrance of the cafeteria was a bit old, and the oil smoke had covered the bulb with a layer of stains and made it look turbid, but the light shining from top to bottom was still moving, and the oily light shone on Xu Zhiyan, and even the shadow cast by his eyelashes seemed unusually soft.
"I'm glad you're okay."
Xu Zhiyan comforted her in a gentle voice with a sincere expression.
Because he wanted to keep the customer in place, he gave Qi Shanren the life-saving prop, but after a whole working hour, according to the other party, as long as he tightened the screws step by step, he would be safe for the time being, which was equivalent to giving him more information.
Qi Shanren did not encounter any more difficulties during the process. According to him, he did not encounter any special situations after encountering crafts with less than four screw holes...
Thinking of this, Xu Zhiyan's smile faded a lot. He ignored Qi Shanren who was looking grateful, and kept thinking.
If the employee who first got the tip in the locker room was wrong, then he was the most dangerous, because he was the only one who took the human flesh from the conveyor belt, and he was the only one who had a substitute for the rusty figure.
But so far there is nothing abnormal about him...
No, that's not right!
The locker room reminder notes do not conflict with the workshop rules.
The rules of the workshop only state that when the handicraft leaves the hands of the last employee, all screws must be fastened and labels must be affixed. Even if too many screws are added, they are still fixed and do not violate the rules.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhiyan gathered his thoughts and smiled again.
"We have less than an hour to go to work, let's go to the cafeteria first, maybe there will be some new clues."
As they spoke, the two walked towards the cafeteria, stepped onto the stairs, and just before entering the cafeteria door, Xu Zhiyan stopped as if he thought of something.
He caught a glimpse of a piece of red paper with a torn corner stuck in the shadow outside the cafeteria door.
[Welcome to the factory cafeteria. This cafeteria is for dine-in only.]
[Food may not be consumed in other areas of the factory.]
[The food here is provided free of charge.]
[People who come to the cafeteria must eat all the food before leaving.]
[You can trust what the chef says, but they rarely speak, and it costs a little to let them speak.]
[If a chef gives you food that is not edible to humans, please dispose of it as soon as possible and ask the chef for another portion until the food is normal.]
[Don't sit by the window.]
[If you accidentally sit by the window, no matter who calls you, don’t speak.]
[Never respond to their words.]
The red background with black text should have been a very clear color combination, but the person who wrote on the paper used an extremely fine signing pen, which was impossible to see unless you got close. If he hadn't observed carefully before entering the door, he would probably have stepped in by now.
"Boss Xu...Boss Xu? What's wrong?" Qi Shanren asked in a low voice, following behind without daring to move.
He looked up cautiously and also discovered the problem.
It was clearly lunchtime, so theoretically there should be a lot of people in the cafeteria, but there were almost no people coming in or out of the door, and the cafeteria was eerily quiet.
"It's a little bit of a problem, but it shouldn't be a big deal."
Xu Zhiyan soothed him, holding the guard room rules copied by Xiaocui Gu in his hand.
3. It is recommended to pack up the food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and take it home to eat, avoid eating in the canteen, and stay away from the factory canteen.
Among the sixteen factory rules, one clearly states where employees need to go for meals, and indicates the route is here.
But now the third rule of the guard room is contrary to the general rules of the factory.
Xu Zhiyan took Qi Shanren back a few steps and briefly explained the reason: "...If the rules are all correct, then there is only one possibility. The place where the guards pack food is not the factory cafeteria, but somewhere else."
The canteen and the factory canteen are not in the same place at all.
Qi Shanren’s eyes widened.
As a player, he is still conscientiously tightening the screws, while others have already figured out other rules.
"Boss Xu? What should we do now?"
"Let's find the real cafeteria." Xu Zhiyan narrowed his eyes and smiled, not intending to go in at all.
What a joke! The rules at the door seem to be much weirder than those in the workshop. It's not like you have to go there, and there aren't many employees eating here. It's obvious that the big rules of the factory have more detailed small rules.
The chef’s introduction is quite interesting. I can try to ask him tomorrow after I get more clues.
However, it is of no use to understand the rules before entering the door.
The two of them walked down the stairs quickly and wanted to leave, but they found that they could never finish walking up the short steps...
Before he could speak, Qi Shanren beside him started muttering softly.
"Ghost, ghost wall... very, very normal! It is very common to encounter an endless road in an infinite game. There is nothing to be afraid of. I, I am not afraid..." He cheered himself up and started to try various things, even using position-moving props.
It was no use, no matter how hard he moved, he could never finish walking up the stairs.
Xu Zhiyan crossed his arms and saw Qi Shanren finally stop moving with sweat dripping down his face. Then he said calmly, "It seems that once you climb the stairs, you are automatically considered to have entered the factory cafeteria."
"What, what should I do, Boss Xu..." Qi Shanren had no choice but to turn his gaze to Xu Zhiyan.
"Have you remembered the rules? If you have, let's go in and eat together." Nodding at Qi Shanren, Xu Zhiyan turned around and walked into the cafeteria first.
Different from all the old areas, the walls of the factory cafeteria have many dark yellow oil stains in addition to mildew, which have accumulated into a thick layer, with a little green showing through the innermost part. I don't know what kind of bacteria are gathering and multiplying on them.
On the right side of the hall, there were a few employees in gray-blue work uniforms sitting sparsely. Everyone had a numb expression, but they ate extremely quickly.
As soon as the two entered the door, as if they had been detected, the tattered speaker immediately sounded the cafeteria rules.
"Order only as much as you want to eat, and please don't waste food! Otherwise the chef will give you trouble."
“What’s on your plate must be eaten.”
"Everyone can get free drinks from the beverage machine. If you feel unwell, you can drink up the drinks, which will make you much healthier."
"After you finish eating, please place your plates on the table at the door and someone will come to collect them."
"When eating, the plate must be placed on the table."
“Don’t eat at a rusty table.”
“Don’t eat at a table that someone else is using.”
The more Xu Zhiyan listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.
The previous contents are easy to deal with, but the last two items make everything difficult.
On the right side of the entire cafeteria is a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. The glass is wiped clean and bright, which is out of tune with the entire cafeteria. Opposite the door and on the left side is the food window, which is extremely old.
The seats in the cafeteria are also a mixture of new and old.
The seats closer to the glass are newer, while the tables and chairs on the left side near the wall are older.
He walked over and took a closer look and found that only the two rows of seats closest to the windows were not rusted, while the rest had some rust spots to varying degrees.
The most fatal thing was that they arrived late, and there were traces of oil on the narrow row of tables, which looked like someone had just had a meal.
Just then, the plastic curtain at the door was pushed open, and four people wearing the same gray-blue work clothes came into the cafeteria panting. Judging from their appearance and the topics they talked about, these four people were also newcomers who had just arrived today.
"Finally found it! I almost got dizzy."
"Wow, Lao Bei, your last name is Bei, but your sense of direction is so bad, isn't it?"
"Stop talking, hurry up and get your meal. You can rest for a while after you finish eating."
"Shh, keep your voice down. An old employee told me before..."
As they chatted, several of them looked in the direction of Xu Zhiyan and the other person, their expressions full of vigilance.
Qi Shanren's face lit up with joy.
"Boss Xu, they might know more information."
He happily went forward to ask, but the four guys who looked like NPCs glared at him, cursed at him, and walked away to another window to get food.
Xu Zhiyan said nothing, but just watched with a frown.
After these people quickly got their meals, they carried their plates to the newer tables and chairs to find their seats. The restaurant's broadcast treated everyone equally and also played when new people came in.
Like Xu Zhiyan, these four people had disagreements after they discovered that there were no qualified tables.
"Just wipe it...it will be clean after you wipe it."
"This meal is just a small amount. I finished it in two bites. It's okay to sit by the window and leave quickly after eating."
"Yeah, and the drink machine is next to the window."
"But this reminder sounds scary. The old employee said that you must not sit by the window and you must finish eating quickly..."
Soon, several people made a decision that they wanted to clean the table used by others before eating.
Qi Shanren stood at the window, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
In the blink of an eye, they quickly wiped the table and sat down to eat. In just a few minutes, they finished their meal. It was so fast that it seemed as if someone was chasing them...
Xu Zhiyan also took a few steps forward, but was shooed back by the employees who were eating before he got close, so he stopped.
The entire eating process took no more than five minutes until the four people left.
Qi Shanren stood far away, watching the four people jumping away, patting his chest and breathing a sigh of relief: "Great, it seems that as long as we clean the table, everything will be fine."
Xu Zhiyan doesn't think so.
He was standing closer to the group just now and saw what was on one of their plates - what was covering the fresh vegetables was not white rice, but rusty nails.
The people sitting at their seats wolfed down their food, seemingly unaware that there was something wrong with their food.
"The spoon is deformed."
He glanced at the plate of the unfortunate person who had been given the unusual food.
It seems that if you break the rules, you won't be able to make the right choice when you get the wrong food. It's hard to imagine what will happen to the NPC who eats a plate of nails.
Qi Shanren became even more frightened after hearing this.
He didn't even dare to stand alone in front of the food window, and hurriedly moved to Xu Zhiyan's side.
Receiving the customer's horrified gaze, Xu Zhiyan touched the ring on his left hand and said with a smile: "If you accidentally sit by the window, no matter who calls you, don't speak."
His choice was clear.
After repeating the rules, Xu Zhiyan patted Qi Shanren on the shoulder.
"Let's go and eat."
The process of getting the meal was uneventful.
The chef's face could not be seen clearly as he hid in the shadows behind the window. His hand holding the spoon was skinny, pale, and bulging with veins, and it looked a little bit like a human hand.
Xu Zhiyan tried to start a conversation and ask something, but the chef didn't say anything.
It was not until he was about to leave with the plate that the chef spoke in a thin, sharp voice: "Eat first."
Xu Zhiyan understood.
It looks like you have to finish eating first before the conversation can be triggered.
Considering that they would need to get free drinks later, the two chose a table near the beverage machine. Like the combination of tables and chairs in every ordinary cafeteria, each table here also has four seats, two facing each other.
Outside the window was the shadow of a building, with no special decorations and some scattered garbage in the corners.
Worried that there might be problems if they sat on the same side, Xu Zhiyan sat with his back to the glass, and Qi Shanren sat opposite him so that they could observe if there was anything unusual behind him.
"Xiao Qi? Xiao Qi!"
Just after he sat down and hadn't checked the food, Qi Shanren heard someone calling him. The voice was so familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. It seemed to be his father's voice, but shouldn't his father be at home...
His brain was in a daze and out of control. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a pain in his mouth and woke up.
His cloudy eyes gradually became clear, and what came into view was a white hand. The moment Xu Zhiyan noticed Qi Shanren's abnormality, he immediately reached out and pinched the other's lips, preventing him from making any sound.
Only after watching the customer's expression change from confusion to shock and then to fear did Xu Zhiyan let go of his hand.
He knows he's afraid and seems to be clear-headed.
In fact, Xu Zhiyan had heard all kinds of voices in his head since he sat down, calling him in a squeaky manner. There were so many of them that it was like mental pollution...
Well, he admitted that he was stunned for a moment when he heard the voice of the ghost, but who knew that the next second the repeated voices of "Brother Xu" appeared in his mind, which were the voices of the monsters in the safe house, and scared him awake.
Xu Zhiyan lowered his head and picked up some food. As expected, he found a blood-stained rusty nail from the bowl.
He wanted to see how Qi Shanren's food was, but when he looked up, he found that the other party was still looking behind him with horror on his face.
Realizing something, he put down the spoon and turned around.
In front of the spotless floor-to-ceiling window, the dim shadows were filled with densely packed figures. The large number of figures was quite scary at first glance, and the sharp gazes also shifted to Xu Zhiyan as the sight shifted.
There was a flash of surprise in his eyes, and he immediately turned around, waved his hand in front of Qi Shanren, and pinched his mouth again before he could scream.
After making a gesture to keep quiet and making sure Qi Shanren had calmed down, Xu Zhiyan carefully observed the figure outside the window again after he stood up, trying to find some information from the figure.
The figure appeared silently, and the audience in the live broadcast room didn't dare to breathe.
[Tips: Those of us watching the live broadcast can take a breath! ]
【Thank you, I almost suffocated to death. 】
[Ahhh, why do these figures look a bit like the one who worked for Xiao Baiwan...]
[Ah! Indeed, but their faces are very clear, and their mouths are open, damn!! I saw a figure with rusty teeth in his mouth! ]
[Now I want to know what Xiao Baiwan is going to do with the plate of nails. Is he going to put it in his backpack and take it away? ]
[No way, I feel like this thing has special rules. ]
[Yeah, isn't it the rule that the food on the plate must be 'eaten'? If it is put into a backpack, it should be packed, right?]
[Ah… Xiao Baiwan is really brave, he actually leaned over to take a look… No, he just wanted to take a look, why would he take a spoon? ]
In the center of the picture, Xu Zhiyan had a solemn look on his face, scooped up a spoon full of nails in his hand and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window.
Being stared at by hundreds of non-human monsters through the glass is definitely not a comfortable experience.
He took every step very slowly, his muscles tensed, and his breathing as light as possible. He could almost hear the rumbling of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.
In the center of the floor-to-ceiling window, there is a row of small windows that can be opened, one of which is currently open.
Walking to the window, Xu Zhiyan took out a small bottle, dripped a few drops of liquid into the spoon, and then carefully put the spoon out of the window.
All of a sudden, the monsters outside started moving, scrambling to swallow the iron nails that fell into the spoon.
Xu Zhiyan let out a long sigh and quickly took the spoon back from the window.
Looking at Qi Shanren who was stunned in the distance, he pointed at the door, signaling the other party not to get excited and that he would go out and explain later.
The delicious soup spoon is an A-level item that can be used to make soup that attracts monsters. It was once obtained on the Mermaid Cruise. Later, the monster attractant produced by the safe house was mass-produced with this thing. I originally just wanted to give it a try, but I didn't expect it to be so useful...
In other words, the figure outside was no longer human at all.
At this moment, Xu Zhiyan looked at the monster outside the glass with eyes full of gratitude.
It was really great that the monsters outside could handle the leftovers. He always felt that with his incredible luck, he would probably need more than a dozen meals.
The monsters that Xu Zhiyan carried in the summoning box didn't even know how many plates of nails they had missed eating.
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