Chapter 22 The Deliveryman (22)
Mr. Fan's funeral ceremony is underway. Bai Ye, as a "grandchild," stands in the first row, responsible for carrying the memorial tablet.
Even on the last day, apart from the youngest son, Fan Xiaoxi, no other relatives from the Fan family came forward.
Distant relatives and close neighbors were all present, and their chatter could be heard from time to time. Mixed with the wailing of a group of aunties, the scene became particularly noisy.
Of course, all the noise was private; no one gossiped about it in front of the old man's youngest son.
However, during the day, some relatives who didn't understand the situation came over and couldn't help but mutter about it.
“Your dad is really obsessed with money. Such a big thing as your grandfather’s death, and he didn’t even inform a single person. None of your uncles or aunts came back.”
"How heartless! Aren't you afraid of retribution for the rest of your life?"
"Your grandfather's company is basically under your father's control."
Bai Ye listened to each sentence without expression, neither agreeing nor refuting, simply focusing on fulfilling his role as a "good grandson".
Do whatever you're told, cry if you're told to cry, kneel if you're told to kneel... and kneel without hesitation.
I just felt really stifled and uncomfortable inside.
"How did it generate damage?"
"How exactly did you get injured?"
"I work myself to the bone on these tasks, and I work diligently every day. Why should I be the one to get hurt?"
Lost in thought, Bai Ye felt a tremendous force pushing him forward from behind, almost causing him to stumble and fall.
"What's going on? Didn't you see anyone ahead?" Bai Ye roared as he turned around, but his voice was very low.
"Don't be in a daze," he said calmly as he reminded her, "that Mr. Fan has looked back at you more than once."
Bai Ye suddenly looked up and met the gaze of the middle-aged man dressed in mourning clothes at the front.
The other party seemed surprised to be discovered, and the malice in their eyes was undisguised.
Those deep, sinister eyes, filled with a determined, calculating gaze, were so dark they seemed about to bleed. It evoked a sense of visibly bloodshot eyes.
Bai Ye felt a chill run down his spine. He had experienced this eerie feeling of being watched before, in the stairwell of Building 13 in Fenyang Residential Area.
This Fan Xiaoxi...
"Is it highly mysterious and strange?" Bai Ye asked when he had a chance to speak.
Earning money to level up to level two: "It's hard to tell during the day. I was doing a solo trade last night, and I wanted to test him out, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I don't know where he's hiding..."
Bai Ye felt a chill in his heart. When they arrived at the funeral home, he, as the "grandson," would have to go into the cremation room with his father. It was a closed space with only the two of them.
Myself, and a middle-aged man.
If the other party has malicious intent, the risk of danger increases significantly when you are alone!
Bai Ye regretted his earlier rashness. Why didn't he persist? If only he had activated his strength in the equipment area that day, he would have a weapon to defend himself now.
"Brother, can you protect me later?" Bai Ye looked at his last hope.
Before he could even make money to advance to the next level, a voice suddenly shouted, "Son, come over here and help your grandfather with his coffin."
He was a middle-aged man. He stepped out from the middle of the group and called out loudly.
Bai Ye didn't move, pretending not to hear.
"Son, help your grandfather's coffin, hurry up." Another urging voice came.
This time, without Bai Ye having to do anything, the people in the group started pushing and shoving.
One or two people were incredibly fast, pushing and shoving each other, and they managed to get Bai Ye out of the group.
"Go quickly, your dad is calling you, hurry over."
"You're the only grandchild, you can't shirk your responsibilities!"
“Son, hurry up and cry, your grandfather is on his way to the funeral home…”
Bai Ye was forced to follow the middle-aged man. The two of them carried the coffin one in front and one behind. The hearse drove along the road, stopping and starting. People knelt and bowed, and the sounds of music and crying made everyone feel uneasy.
Then a "fall—" was heard.
The hearse stopped.
The sounds of music and crying also disappeared.
Bai Ye subconsciously turned his head, only to find that the long funeral procession had completely disappeared, and a thick fog had risen behind him.
There was no one, no car, and no way to earn money to upgrade to level two.
I've entered a single-line mode.
This was Bai Ye's first reaction. He immediately stepped back and looked straight ahead. The one who hadn't disappeared and was with him was Fan Xiaoxi.
"Son, we've arrived at the funeral home. Carry your grandfather inside," the middle-aged man said.
Bai Ye wanted to say "no," but she couldn't utter the word, as if she were imprisoned.
He stared at the other person for a long time, then finally shook his head, "I can't lift it."
"I'll go with you," the middle-aged man said again, already lifting the front of the coffin.
Unable to refuse, Bai Ye lifted the back of the coffin. Although it was a heavy wooden coffin, it felt light and weightless on his shoulder.
This kind of insignificant praise made him feel very insecure.
The two people were carried into the funeral home one after the other. There were no staff members in the lobby to greet them. They just took a number at random and entered the inner area.
"Where are we going?" Bai Ye asked as they walked, carefully observing their surroundings.
The middle-aged man didn't even turn his head. "Go to the incinerator and take the person in."
"Isn't that a bit inappropriate? I mean, it's against the rules to just enter the incineration chamber without staff guidance."
Before he finished speaking, the water suddenly rippled, and a faint shadow emerged from it, gradually solidifying.
The other person was wearing a work uniform and had a serious expression. "Fan Yong's family member, Room 1, please come with me."
"The staff are here," the middle-aged man said calmly.
But Bai Ye felt a chill run down her spine, as she could detect the intense emotion in the other person's words.
It's really unreasonable for someone to do whatever you want.
Only a highly supernatural being could change the environment so freely. This Fan Xiaoxi must be a highly supernatural being.
He's going to take me to the incineration room. He and that staff member who suddenly appeared might be in cahoots, and I might be left all alone later.
Should we run?
If I run now, will I be able to get out of the funeral home?
Never mind, the money to level up to level two is gone, and I'm unarmed; I definitely can't win.
The thought struck Bai Ye, who immediately threw away the coffin and turned to run outside. He had only taken a couple of steps when he crashed into an iron gate with a loud bang, his head giving the iron gate a close kiss.
Bai Ye covered his head, his mind buzzing, as if he saw a sky full of golden light.
A scolding voice came from behind: "Son, lower the coffin slowly, or you'll shake your grandfather."
Bai Ye turned around, leaning against the iron gate, and watched as the middle-aged man remained calm throughout, a chill creeping into her heart.
There's no way to escape! There's absolutely no way to escape!
This funeral home might even be fake.
It's a highly sophisticated and bizarrely crafted illusory cage!
What to do? We need to get out, we need to find a way to get out.
Bai Ye peered around through the iron gate. The incineration chamber was surrounded by dusty gray walls with no windows or anything like that. Directly in front of him was a huge sliding incinerator, and he could feel the intense heat even before he got close.
Hide in the incinerator?
That's absolutely unacceptable.
Where else can we hide? Is there anywhere else we can hide?
Hiding...in a coffin?
Bai Ye's gaze shifted to the mahogany coffin, staring at it in a daze.
For some reason, he suddenly ran over, pushed open the coffin lid, and started crying while pulling the old man along.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! Wake up! Save your beloved grandson! Your son has become a scoundrel! He's become a scoundrel!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
The middle-aged man was quite surprised to see the coffin opened. When he came to his senses, he panicked and pushed Bai Ye while trying to close the coffin again.
Bai Ye didn't notice the details, but recalling the one-way communication last night, he realized that he had at least some "connection" with the old man.
Whether or not one can resist advanced eeriness depends entirely on the person lying inside.
Then she cried even louder, sobbing as she recounted her grievances, "Grandpa, I just found out you're gone. My dad is such a heartless person! If the neighbor hadn't told me, I wouldn't have been able to come to your funeral. I almost didn't get to see you one last time, and I wouldn't have been able to send you off on your way..."
Bai Ye was only faking her tears, but as she cried, she realized that she was genuinely hurt when she thought about the damage she had inexplicably increased.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
Large tears rolled down, slowly flowing and seeping into the coffin lid.
The old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, and raised his hand, which was now just a thin layer of skin, to grasp Bai Ye's hand on the edge of the coffin.
The old man forced a smile, his voice soft and gentle, "My dear son, you're back from school?"
Bai Ye knelt before the coffin. The old man before him was already a zombie, his appearance terrifying. However, the chill behind him was even stronger, and eerie roars were close to his ears.
He nodded with tears in his eyes, "Yes, school's over. I'll ask my teacher for leave and come back to take you, Grandpa."
As he spoke, he reached out and helped the old man into the coffin, then carefully helped him stand up. "Grandpa, I'm sending you into the incinerator."
"Good boy, Grandpa will walk by himself."
The old man stepped out of the coffin and walked step by step toward the incinerator. The furnace door opened, and a narrow iron bed slid out from the tracks inside.
Bai Ye helped the old man lie down and then tidied his clothes. As she did so, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
The Zhongshan suit in front of me looks so familiar; it's the one my grandfather wore when he passed away.
He watched as his grandmother changed his grandfather's clothes, and even put a handkerchief in his pocket.
Thinking of this, Bai Ye reached into his lower right pocket.
Before I could even touch it, my hand was grabbed.
The old man's withered, branch-like hand was strong and powerful, pulling the door open without a word, but the corners of his mouth were turned up. "Son, go stand over there, I'm going in."
"Um."
Bai Ye didn't know whether to feel fortunate or regretful.
The incinerator was lit, and the high temperature inside the fire spread in all directions, gradually dissipating the chill behind Bai Ye.
Turning my head casually, I noticed that the middle-aged man was gone from the large incineration room; only a taciturn staff member stood to the side, expressionless.
Half an hour later, the incinerator was shut down.
"Clatter—"
The furnace door opened, and the iron bed slid out again.
A perfectly preserved skeleton came into view.
This was the second time Bai Ye had seen a complete skeleton, yet he remained bewildered and at a loss.
A staff member reminded them, "Family members, please collect the bones, put them in the box, and leave."
A half-sized wooden box was presented and forcibly stuffed into Bai Ye's arms.
Bai Ye held the wooden box for a long time before coming back to his senses, and then silently got to work without saying a word.
He started picking up the bones from the toes, carefully stacking them layer by layer until he reached the skull on top. After he finished, he thoroughly swept the stove three times to make sure he hadn't missed a single bone.
The moment the wooden box lid was closed, the tightly shut incineration chamber door opened.
Bai Ye heard cries and shouts outside, accompanied by music and drumming.
Someone shouted, "Send the old man on his way!"
The middle-aged man stood at the door, sobbing uncontrollably. He snatched the wooden box from Bai Ye's hand and stumbled forward.
"Dad, I'll see you off, Dad..."
Bai Ye silently followed the procession, keeping pace with the hearse as it started moving and headed towards a thick fog.
After driving for an unknown amount of time, the thick fog thinned, and the surroundings finally became clearly visible.
It is a low-lying mountain.
"Son, let's take your grandfather up the mountain."
Upon hearing the noise, Bai Ye jumped off the hearse and walked to the front of the procession.
The further I walked, the heavier my heart felt, and an indescribable sense of suffocation welled up inside me.
After walking all the way to the foot of the mountain, the middle-aged man turned around and said, "Take your grandfather up."
As he spoke, he was about to hand over the wooden box.
However, a surprising thing happened: no matter what, the wooden box could not be handed over to Bai Ye.
The middle-aged man's face was grim as he stared intently at the wooden box.
The wooden box suddenly shook twice, and the middle-aged man's face turned deathly pale. Without saying a word, he picked it up, turned around, and walked up the mountain himself.
Bai Ye stood at the foot of the mountain, and after thinking about something, took a step forward.
At this point, the surrounding low-lying hills and vegetation are clearly visible, including newly sprouted emerald green bamboo that only appears around Qingming Festival.
Take another step, and the marble steps turn into a muddy dirt road, narrow and covered with many larch needles.
Looking up at Bai Ye, he saw a crooked old tree lying across the mountainside, seemingly blocking his way.
He saw the middle-aged man struggling to climb over the tree, and in the process, the wooden box he was carrying accidentally fell out of his arms.
The wooden box rolled twice but remained intact. The middle-aged man carefully picked it up and continued crawling forward.
Bai Ye stood there blankly, her eyes beginning to burn.
He saw a phantom fall out of the wooden box and slowly assemble into a complete skeleton.
The skeleton swayed as it walked up the mountain.
Take a few steps, then stop and look around.
With each pause, Bai Ye could see the white bones gradually grow new flesh, and then be dressed in complete clothes.
When Bai Ye saw the familiar Zhongshan suit again, and saw the old man take out a handkerchief from his pocket because he was too tired from climbing the mountain, his nose tingled with emotion.
I couldn't help but call out, "Grandpa..."
The figure walking halfway up the mountain heard this, paused briefly, and then continued on.
As they reached the mountaintop and were about to enter the grave, Bai Ye vaguely saw the figure turn around.
A face that is both familiar and unfamiliar.
Bai Ye finally couldn't hold back any longer and ran desperately up the mountain, faster and faster, more and more frantically, but no matter how hard he ran, the mountain road was so long that he could never reach the top.
He could hear the sound of earth falling, the mournful cries, and the sounds of music. Faint shadows moved back and forth around him, but no one could see him.
"Seal the coffin—"
A loud shout came from the mountaintop.
Bai Ye stopped, stared at a certain direction on the mountaintop for a long time, and then suddenly knelt down in that direction.
"Grandpa, may you rest in peace."
"They're back, they're back..."
A murmur echoed in the air.
"DeadMe Delivery warmly reminds you that the transaction has been completed and settlement is in progress."
"Settlement complete, settlement encountered a malfunction, settlement restarting, settlement beep beep beep—"
The phone's ringtone was clear yet chaotic. Bai Ye, recalling the mournful sound of 2000, finally snapped back to reality and began searching for the sound effects that would allow him to earn money and level up to level two.
However, when I turned around, all I saw was pure white, empty and ethereal, and I was back in the dungeon lobby.
"Um?"
What happened?
Bai Ye was filled with doubt and tapped the screen to check the situation.
The first thing to check is your damage value. It used to be 3 points of damage, but now it has become 12 points.
"!"
Why should I?!
It doesn't hurt or itch at all, so what exactly hurt me?!
The people of Baiye have gone mad, pacing back and forth in the dungeon lobby, cursing under their breath.
Only after I got tired of yelling did I remember to check the income.
As a result, the 2000 Ghost Coins that I was supposed to receive are gone.
That's all!
"!!!"
This time, Bai Ye really went crazy.
"It's weird. I know you're stingy, even more so than capitalists. I've always been secretly stingy, and I've let it slide, pretending I don't know. But this time you stingy in front of me, you swallowed my entire 2000! This isn't over!"
"You have to give me an explanation. This can't just be left like this."
"I must report this! I absolutely must report this!"
Bai Ye never posts, but this time, he angrily wrote three complaint letters and sent them directly to the forum's complaint center.
After filing the complaint, he still felt it wasn't enough; he wanted to expose this despicable behavior on the entire forum!
So, Bai Ye spent 100 Ghost Coins to directly purchase the top-pinned and featured status, with 24-hour dedicated service.
A red-highlighted post was circulating throughout the forum.
In Nightmoon Town, no matter where players are active, a post is always floating in front of their eyes:
[A ruthless and unscrupulous company swallowed 2000 of my coins, revealing the ugly face of capitalism. Is this a moral decline or a twisted, sinister force? Hurry! Read the firsthand, authentic information—]
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