Chapter 249 Safe House
Winter in December is not kind.
The howling wind cut like a knife.
"Where's Yu Xiu? Why didn't he come with you?"
Walking into the coffee shop, Xu Zhiyan looked at Jiang Huaique who was waiting alone and felt a little surprised.
Although his physical condition has improved a lot now, he still wears a lot of clothes. Most of his face is covered by the furry collar, making him look a little bloated.
"Why are you dressed like a ball?"
After complaining, Jiang Huaiqie's expression became a little complicated: "He and Jin Sheng seem to have taken the wrong medicine recently. They have been training in a shell all the time."
"train?"
Xu Zhiyan sat down and piled the boxes in his hands on the table.
He always felt that he couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence. Hadn't Yu Xiu's active skills been completed? What was Jin Sheng going to do? Go walk the dog?
"I believe you when you say Yu Xiu is training, but what is Jin Sheng training?"
"It seems that he was stimulated in the Split Hospital."
Jiang Huai Partridge was also stuck, so he simply started scanning the code to order, complaining: "Isn't it better to shell it? Why do we have to go outside in the middle of winter?"
When Xu Zhiyan asked Jiang Huaique out for a date, he thought the other party had taken the wrong medicine.
"Aren't you afraid of the cold? Why did you suddenly come to find me?" He and Xu Zhiyan were not in the same city, although the distance was not far, but it was already seven o'clock in the evening, and it was really strange to be suddenly asked out!
Xu Zhiyan smiled and pushed the gift in his hand over.
"This is a Christmas gift for Yu Xiu. I won't be spending Christmas with you."
Because the total revenue of the safe house has skyrocketed in recent times, even though Qu Ji inherited Xu Zhiyan's stinginess, he was still harassed by the monsters and spent some funds to decorate the hall.
After hearing this, Xu Zhiyan simply approved more funds and asked Qu Ji to buy more human food that the monsters liked.
So when Jinsheng asked if they should spend Christmas together, he had to decline after considering it.
"Aren't you afraid of growing mushrooms if you stay at home all day long?"
As he spoke, Jiang Huaique pulled the box over.
Wow, it’s quite heavy?
He opened the box and took a look. His expression immediately changed from frowning disdain to shock. When he looked at Xu Zhiyan again, his expression was extremely complicated.
"Five years of college entrance examinations and eight years of simulations? 108 sets of geography questions? Real college entrance examination questions..."
The voice gradually became smaller. Jiang Huaique paused for a long time before he slowly came out of his shock and praised.
"Xu Baopi, are you a devil?"
"Thank you very much."
Xu Zhiyan explained with a smile.
“The papers are custom-made replicas, printed on special paper, so not only can you write outside, you can also bring in the replica to do the questions.”
Now Yu Xiu no longer has to worry about not being able to review the college entrance examination materials in the copy!
Jiang Huai Que stood in awe.
"If I were Yu Xiu, I would slap you twice."
"Jiang Jiang, violence can't solve any problems." Xu Zhiyan shook his head, looking deeply distressed.
"It's enough if I can solve you."
By the time the waiter brought the hot tea, the two had already moved away from the topic of the summer college entrance examination and were talking about things related to the in-game guild.
"What are your plans? Are we going to seek refuge with Anonymous?" Jiang Huaique was straightforward and asked the question directly.
Xu Zhiyan immediately denied it.
"No, I work for Anonymous. The No. 1 on the list has already started trying to kill me. If I enter the Anonymous guild now, won't he be exposed? I'm the kind of person who will get things done for money."
Since ghosts and gods cannot enter the game or create guilds, he can only make up some content.
Jiang Huaique frowned and nodded, accepting this explanation.
"So what should we do? Completely give up on the possible rewards that may appear in the guild system?"
They have not been in the game for long, and even though the guild system has only just appeared, most players will definitely go to join players with higher points in the rankings.
Not to mention anything else, just by joining the big guys' team, you can get the opportunity to team up with the big guys and will not be killed as a stepping stone at will. This is enough to attract low-level players.
Jiang Huaique's original idea was that the anonymous person who was willing to bet one million points on Xu Zhiyan when he was a rookie must be a player at the top of the list.
After the guild system is opened, they will join an anonymous guild together, and perhaps they can compete with other big guys at the top of the list.
Thinking of this, Jiang Huaique's eyes darkened.
In the previous fight with the Iron Knight, he could clearly feel his own shortcomings. If given time... No, forget it, he doesn't have so much time to grow step by step.
Xu Zhiyan took a sip of tea, waited until his body warmed up, then he took off his heavy coat and told him his plan.
"It's impossible to give up the reward! Of course we have to do it alone!"
The guild system has not been opened yet, and everything is unknown.
"Hey, do you mean it's just the four of us?" Jiang Huaique looked confused.
"Aren't you afraid that there will be a limit on the number of people who can form a guild?" No matter how you think about it, a guild wouldn't have only four people, right?
Xu Zhiyan scratched his hair, looking indifferent.
"If there are restrictions, then we can just go and capture more people. I have the contact information of many clients. I will send a message to the group when the time comes. There are people everywhere, such as Lu, Yao, Ling, He, Zui, and Xiao Liu who we met in the last instance."
Jiang Huaique frowned and thought for a while, then asked in a low voice.
"Who are they?"
Except for Xiao Liu, the remaining few have been gone for too long! Who the hell can remember them! And these people have no reputation, it sounds like a meeting of cannon fodder.
"I know the names of every client I've done business with." Xu Zhiyan's professionalism allows him to know every client's information like the back of his hand.
"I don't think so."
Jiang Huai Que sincerely suggested that these were all misshapen melons and jujubes.
"You give me the feeling that you are sending invitations to twenty Jinshengs who don't have Xiaoyi."
"...Jin Sheng will be sad when he hears it." Xu Zhiyan's mouth twitched.
However, compared to Jiang Huai Que, he was not very worried about unknown things. On the contrary, he was reserved about the status of the guild system.
"Maybe the guild system doesn't know how to set anything."
Xu Zhiyan shrugged and poured himself another cup of black tea.
Compared to other ordinary players, he had Asa, so he got a lot of side information - the guild system seemed to have no plan to open to the outside world before.
The information about this round of game updates appears at the same time as the game exists.
However, due to lack of power, the ghosts and gods were about to take the safe house into eternal darkness and would never wake up again.
I still remember the first day when we moved into the old house in Yunshan, Guishen also made a similar suggestion that we should live a quiet life without entering the copy. If he had been less greedy, he might have chosen this.
Xu Zhiyan couldn't explain to Jiang Huaique this feeling as if he was the last concave surface on the gear.
There are not many people left in his Xu family, and he knows very well that apart from him, even if someone else inherits the Yunshan old house, they will not choose to enter the copy.
If he hadn't made that choice.
If the ghosts and gods fall into complete sleep...
So players can’t wait for this game update.
"Impossible. If the guild system is just an empty shell, then why do we have to wait another ten days?"
When Jiang Huaique heard what his unlucky teammate said, the corners of his mouth twitched.
Xu Zhiyan couldn't help but retort.
"What if the system is temporarily writing a plan? It's just an update to the guild system, not to update all the dungeons. Why do we need everyone to go out to make dungeons?"
"If you're so argumentative, come with me to the construction site and carry steel bars on your next day off."
After Jiang Huaique finished his retort, he moved on to the next question.
"What's the name of the guild going to be?"
"Join AAA and you'll get rich."
Xu Zhiyan answered without thinking.
“…”
Jiang Huai Que was stunned.
He could barely understand the idea of getting rich by joining a guild, but what the hell was that AAA? Did his unlucky teammates think that the guild rankings were based on initials?
Seeing Jiang Huaique's shock, Xu Zhiyan thought that the other party was not satisfied with the name, so he explained it.
"I originally wanted to call it 'AAA Advertising Space for Rent' but I'm not sure if the guild can change its name. If it can be changed, this one would be much better."
He looked sincere and seemed to really think this name was better.
"You...wake up the fuck!"
Jiang Huaique's eyes were rolling up to the sky, and he was almost shaking Xu Zhiyan's head to wake him up.
Xu Qimingfei Zhiyan had no idea of the problem at all.
"Why? Isn't it good to become rich by joining the club? The meaning is so good, becoming rich by joining the club will definitely attract people."
In fact, he had originally thought about whether he should simply call the guild something like 'Xu Zhiyan Makes a Fortune Every Day', but considering that the guild did not belong to him alone, he had to give up with tears in his eyes.
"If you're not satisfied, how about we ask for money? Get rich overnight? Become rich? Change your fate by spending money? A conscientious guild?"
Xu Zhiyan worked very hard on naming the child.
Jiang Huai Que was silent.
He thought of how Xu Zhiyan had named his adopted daughter Xu Xiaohua in the Nightmare Community, and he realized that he shouldn't have any expectations of a bad namer.
"There are still three days until the guild opens. If you really want to participate in naming, go back and think carefully... Come up with a normal name for me!"
Jiang Huaique became furious when he thought that the guild’s name might be posted on his own panel and live broadcast room.
"Suppose we want to participate in a guild war in the future. When the title is published, it will also be posted in the live broadcast room. Something like Hellfire, Dark Night Guild versus Conscience Guild..."
If Jiang Huaique put himself in his shoes, he would be so embarrassed that he would start scratching his three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
Unexpectedly, Xu Zhiyan didn't understand the other party's embarrassment at all, and even laughed at him: "I can't tell, Jiang Jiang, you are quite a middle school student."
"...Xu Baopi, you are sitting opposite me now."
"Let's get down to business! The names you came up with aren't much better than the ones I came up with!"
…
The two argued for a while, but couldn't come to a conclusion.
The final naming issue can only be discussed when the guild is finally formed.
After giving the gift, Xu Zhiyan looked at the time and said goodbye to Jiang Huaique.
"I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
"Tsk, I knew you didn't come all the way here just to see me." Jiang Huaique paid the bill and looked at Xu Zhiyan who was putting on his coat, and suddenly took out a small bag from his pocket.
"Here, I gave it to you in advance."
His voice sounded muffled and awkward.
Xu Zhiyan was stunned, took the bag and took a look at it.
Inside is a red sock crocheted with wool. It is very big and can be hung on the wall as a decoration. It creates a very Christmas atmosphere.
Jiang Huai Que was still explaining.
"This is the leftover wool from making clothes for Xiaoyi."
He knew that Xu Zhiyan was rich and had everything he needed, so he couldn't think of any gift to give him.
Thinking that the other party seemed to have some other secrets, Jiang Huaique took a deep breath and turned to look at Xu Zhiyan.
"I will become stronger."
There was a flame in his eyes.
He wanted to be stronger than the Iron Knight.
It doesn’t matter if the guild doesn’t have enough members, and it doesn’t matter if the other three can’t run fast…
As if he understood what his teammates meant, Xu Zhiyan smiled and nodded.
"Well, I'm counting on you then."
Leaving the cafe, the two went their separate ways.
Ten minutes later.
Xu Zhiyan got out of the taxi and saw a messy old neighborhood in front of him.
He took the photo out of his pocket.
This is a family photo, a happy family of three plus four elderly people, a total of seven people.
The middle-aged man standing on the far right of the photo is called Zhang Gaojun. He is an ordinary player who died unexpectedly in the Split Hospital. Like others, his death did not cause any waves in the game.
After Xu Zhiyan finished talking with Gan Mi, he went to the question bounty area and found that someone had given him all the information and address of Zhang Gaojun.
It's getting dark.
After looking at the message written on the back of the photo, he walked into the community.
There are some yellow and white things in the community flower beds. You can only see they are paper money when you get closer.
Xu Zhiyan followed the address and turned around many times, and finally arrived in front of an iron gate. The crowded corridor filled with debris behind him made him a little dazed. Was this the real world or a copy?
“Ding Dong——”
After pressing the doorbell, Xu Zhiyan stood at the door waiting for it to open.
The iron gate did not move at all.
He glanced at the time and found that it was almost eight o'clock, and he couldn't help feeling annoyed.
His thoughts were a little confused after chatting with Gan Mi, so when he got Zhang Gaojun's message, he rushed here immediately, forgetting to consider whether this time was not suitable for a visit.
Just as Xu Zhiyan was about to leave, the iron gate slowly opened.
A little girl who was about four years old was looking timidly through the crack in the door and asked in a kitten-like voice.
"Who are you looking for?"
Before Xu Zhiyan could speak, or before the noise of the door opening startled anyone, a woman's voice was heard in the room.
"Lulu, who's here?"
Following this questioning sound, the door was opened and a haggard woman dressed in black appeared at the door.
Xu Zhiyan stated his purpose.
"I'm a friend of Brother Zhang. I heard... I wanted to come and see."
The woman looked over hesitantly.
The young man at the door was wearing a thick coat of good quality, with his face buried in the coat, but he looked very thin...
Xu Zhiyan did not wait for an invitation to come in, but instead waited for another old voice.
"Who? Who's here?"
The woman turned around and explained: "Mom, it's Gao Jun's friend."
After saying that, she opened the door and let Xu Zhiyan in.
The house is very small, with only a living room and a bedroom.
The seventh day after Zhang Gaojun's death has passed, and the mourning hall at home has long been removed. There are still tablets placed on the north side of the living room. The floor is not very clean, probably because it has not been cleaned for a long time. A faint smell of incense ash can be smelled.
An old lady was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She was Zhang Gaojun's mother.
Xu Zhiyan recalled the person in the photo and almost didn't recognize him.
She was very old, and her whole body looked like a fat pear covered with wrinkles. When she saw Xu Zhiyan enter the room, she just raised her eyelids and took a glance at him. She didn't say much and continued to sit on the sofa with her hands crossed.
The woman who opened the door went to the kitchen. After the sound of running water, she returned to the living room carrying a plate of apples.
Several people looked at each other in silence, seemingly not knowing what to say.
Xu Zhiyan glanced at the apple that seemed to have black spots on it, and shifted his gaze to the little girl.
Not all families hide the death of a parent.
The little girl had no smile on her face and looked more mature than other children of the same age.
Xu Zhiyan recalled the information he had just obtained on the black market.
Perhaps because of the money spent, even the conflicts between the deceased and others at the workplace were recorded clearly.
The family is not rich, and Zhang Gaojun is just an ordinary person.
Later, because his wife fell ill, he sold most of the houses in the family. Until his wife recovered, he had a new way to make money, and his life improved a little. However, he still owed a mortgage on this house.
Sighing, Xu Zhiyan took out a check from his pocket, which he had prepared long ago.
"Brother Zhang invested in my project a few years ago."
"But the project was very small at the time, so he probably didn't think he could make much money. Maybe he forgot about it and didn't tell you."
Zhang Gaojun was brutally murdered in the Split Hospital because he and the doctor Song Longchuan discovered the same branch line. Xu Zhiyan happened to need internal organs at that time, so he took the heart from the other party.
In exchange, he said at the time that he was willing to pay 50,000 points.
Put the check on the table.
He thought about it and decided to tell the specific amount.
"This is the one million Zhang Gaojun left for you."
This family's mental state is not very good. It would be troublesome if they just threw it into the drawer without even looking at it. Fifty thousand points can be exchanged for real-world currency, which is exactly one million. This is the deal he reached with Zhang Gaojun's corpse.
After saying this, Xu Zhiyan ignored the surprised looks of the people in the room, walked to the memorial tablet, and lit three incense sticks in an unskillful manner.
Wisps of white smoke rose up.
"Okay, the main reason I came here is to get the money. Now that the things have been delivered, I'll leave first." After burning incense, Xu Zhiyan walked towards the gate, ready to run.
The room was too depressing and he felt his heart was heavy.
In the past, when he saw someone die in the copy, although he also felt uncomfortable, he had never been able to feel as intuitively as he did now, what a person's death really meant.
Maybe he knew, but he subconsciously avoided it.
After all, in the copy, he needs to stay relatively calm and not be affected too much by emotions.
But now, when he walked straight into the home of a dead player and saw that the whole house had become dull because of this person's death, he had to realize what this game had done.
Players die every day.
Behind every death is a broken family.
Xu Zhiyan couldn't help but think that if the game really stopped updating, then gradually, everyone would be swallowed up.
There will be countless Zhang Gaojuns appearing.
There will also be countless families sinking into despair.
He suddenly felt that letting Song Longchuan die so easily was really too easy for him.
The woman sitting aside and about to pour water did not expect that the young man in front of her was here to deliver a check. Her expression was a little dull, as if she could not understand. After a long time, she slowly spoke.
"... Gao Jun really didn't tell us."
Finally she recovered a little, her hands were shaking a little.
The woman picked up the anonymous check and looked at it over and over again. Even her voice was cautious.
"If Gao Jun knew that the project made money, he would be very happy."
She opened her mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.
"I always thought that if I could make more money, my life would be better, but later I not only didn't make any money, but I got sick... He told me that everything would be fine."
As if she had found an outlet for her emotions, her hoarse voice echoed in the narrow living room.
"We were already getting better...already getting better."
Her eyes were red, but she didn't cry.
Her tears had dried up long ago when her lover died.
The old lady sitting on the sofa seemed not to hear it and remained indifferent. Perhaps for a mother who had lost her son, money could not make up for anything.
The woman with red eyes realized her own gaffe.
She wiped her eyes and stood up.
Xu Zhiyan was silent for a long time, took out a banknote from his pocket and left his phone number on it.
"If you have any difficulties, you can call me."
"But I'm usually busy, so I may not be able to answer the phone every time. It may be my assistant who answers, and it's the same."
Just do one good deed that day.
Xu Zhiyan suddenly found that he was not as cold as he had imagined, and he still had some conscience.
The woman took the phone number and put it away carefully.
"Thank you, I understand your intention..."
Mission accomplished, Xu Zhiyan nodded randomly, gathered his clothes, and hurriedly opened the door.
"I have something to do. I'll go back first. No need to see me off."
"Bang--"
The iron gate opened and closed, and Xu Zhiyan fled away from this simple and depressing home.
The living room returned to silence again.
The woman holding the check and contact information did not chase out to exchange pleasantries. She sat exhausted on the sofa, stared for a while, then raised her hand to call her daughter.
"Lulu, if we have money in the future, we must return the money to this big brother, do you understand?"
Where is the investment?
She knew her husband very well.
When she was sick a few years ago, Zhang Gaojun borrowed money from everyone he could. At that time, he was really at his wit's end.
The young man who just came to give the money had a gentle temperament and was well-groomed from head to toe. He casually spent one million, which showed that his family background was extraordinary.
If Zhang Gaojun really knew the other person a few years ago, he would definitely go to borrow money, and she would also know him.
The woman knew the young man was lying.
But she didn't expose the lie.
She needs the money so much now.
"Um."
The little girl nodded vigorously.
She wasn't very clear about what had just happened. She only knew that with this money, they wouldn't have to worry about sleeping on the streets, and her mother could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
…
Xu Zhiyan bought a standing ticket to go home overnight.
When leaving the station, many small vendors who had gathered around the station due to the flow of people were setting up stalls in the cold wind and selling small commodities.
While Xu Zhiyan was waiting for the bus, he thought of the gift Jiang Huaiqie had given him, so he went forward to choose one.
After some fierce bargaining, he bought a red scarf that was originally worth one hundred yuan for thirty yuan.
The taxi stopped near Yunshan Old House.
Pay and get off.
Xu Zhiyan looked up at the house with lights on in the distance.
Suddenly, the surrounding street lights flickered a few times and then went out. The sound of chains was heard and the faint smell of ashes filled the air.
Xu Zhiyan turned his head and saw the figure of a ghost in the darkness.
"I came back a little late today."
There was a hint of worry in His voice.
Although there are no monsters in the world and the young man is not as weak as before, He is still worried about him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Zhiyan smiled and shook the bag in his hand.
"Well, I bought you a gift on the way. Let's go back first. It's really cold outside..."
He withdrew his hand and walked towards Yunshan’s old house while complaining.
The presence of ghosts and gods made him feel at ease.
The smell of ashes replaced the scent of incense that surrounded him.
The two walked side by side on the dark street.
“Sizzle——”
As they passed, the street lights came on and continued to illuminate the surroundings.
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