Chapter 88
"What are you all doing? Hurry up and pin him down! ... So many of you can't even beat two people? You should hire a street beggar to sing instead of all of you! ... He's running away! The intruder ran away right in front of you! Hurry up and chase him!"
The housekeeper, holding his phone, roared at the top of his lungs.
But in reality, he was far less furious than he appeared.
Seeing that Player A had escaped successfully, the butler casually turned his head and exchanged glances with Madam Fu.
Without a doubt, they are players.
Just a few tens of minutes before Pei Yuheng arrived, the two of them simultaneously received a video message from the system.
The young man named Pei Yuheng arrived, panting, almost twenty minutes past the deadline set by Madam Fu. He had dark circles under his eyes, stubble on his chin, wrinkled clothes, and looked terrible, as if he hadn't slept all night and hadn't bothered to take care of himself in his rush.
The butler, who had received prior orders from Madam Fu, locked Pei Yuheng at the door and berated him for being improperly dressed and lacking any decorum or respect for the matriarch of the Fu family.
Even the heavens seemed to be deliberately tormenting this exceptionally talented young man, inflicting intense malice upon him.
The weather was usually cool, but today the sun was blazing, so intense that it made people sweat profusely and feel dizzy. Pei Yuheng was already weak, and after being exposed to the scorching sun for several hours in front of the door with no shade, he was pale when he entered. He stumbled and almost collapsed to the ground.
Powerless as he was, he couldn't shake off the burly bodyguards and was dragged up and carried directly to the matriarch of the Fu family.
Madam Fu sat elegantly and leisurely in her chair eating breakfast, while the housekeeper, on her behalf, pointed at Pei Yuheng's nose and questioned him in public.
They asked Pei Yuheng how long it had been since he last visited the Fu Group's laboratory, how long it had been since he had produced any effective output, why he accepted the invitation from Xu Yang and those纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats), and whether he had ulterior motives and wanted to betray his family.
Anyone with eyes could see that Xu Yang and his group harbored ill intentions towards Pei Yuheng. Not to mention that the Fu family had received the news earlier and had arranged for people to follow Pei Yuheng, so they naturally knew about the humiliation he suffered in the bar.
Instead of standing up for the murdered adopted son, they took off his coat, revealing the still-visible red fingerprints, and insulted him for being morally corrupt and shameless.
Pei Yuheng's breakdown occurred when he was locked at the gate. Several times he tried to leave, but the butler took out his parents' belongings, causing him to gasp for breath and only able to watch helplessly from outside the door. The things he wanted to take back were so close yet he was powerless to do so.
Secondly, in broad daylight, in front of the Fu family's servants, his clothes were ripped off. Sneerful and contemptuous gazes came from all directions, stripping away his last shred of dignity. His knees and back were gradually crushed, and his entire face lost all color.
Third, a specially made long whip was used to regulate speech and behavior.
If Pei Yuheng answers incorrectly or does not please Madam Fu, the whip will tear at his body.
*Whoosh!* "Madam ordered you to kneel, why aren't you kneeling?!"
*Whoosh!* "Raise your head and look at Madam as you reply!"
*Swish!* "How should you address the lady by her name? Have you forgotten?!"
...
Whip after whip, skin torn and flesh ripped, blood splattered all over the hall.
Pei Yuheng gritted his teeth and refused to admit his mistake as they wished, until he fainted from the pain. He was then secretly taken to an underground laboratory in the south of the city, disguised as a remote, dilapidated, and long-abandoned clinic.
There, he was guarded and supervised 24 hours a day, and his words and actions were regulated with special tools. The strictness was such that even making the slightest noise while eating would result in a brutal beating.
With his phone confiscated and no way to contact the outside world, even Pei Yuheng's mentor, after seeing the message and wanting to rescue him, could not find his whereabouts.
In the dimly lit underground laboratory, apart from the perpetrator, no one knew exactly what Pei Yuheng had suffered. All they knew was that when he reappeared, he was covered in scars from electric shocks and soft tissue contusions. His clothes had to be buttoned up to the top, and everything had to be arranged neatly without the slightest deviation.
His gaze towards others was always unfocused and lifeless. He would often stare blankly into space, and the slightest noise would startle him, causing him to gasp for breath and tremble all over. His pride was almost broken.
A cold, impersonal system notification sounded.
[Character Task: Develop the character Pei Yuheng as having "severe obsessive-compulsive disorder"]
The butler snapped out of his daze and sighed inwardly.
This NPC's experience is quite pitiful, but sympathy is one thing, he must complete his role's quest.
In the S-rank Ghost King dungeon, no fool would deliberately violate the rules just because the trial is called "Please Follow the Rules".
However, some players still die at the very beginning, and the reason is that their memories were not fully transmitted, resulting in them being unfamiliar with the character settings.
For example, a player who was playing the role of a bodyguard failed to water the flowers on time like the original character. When he passed by the garden, he was swallowed up by the flowers and left without a trace.
There was also a servant player who was so scared when someone maliciously nitpicked at him that he became timid and submissive, failing to portray the original character's fierce personality, and was chopped into mincemeat.
The dungeon mechanics use numerous examples to tell all players: do not violate your character's settings, or there will only be one outcome: death.
Therefore, the steward not only could not lend a hand, but also had to aid and abet the evildoer, taking advantage of Pei Yuheng's difficult resistance to kick his knee hard, forcing him to crawl on the ground.
But just as the butler was about to step forward, the little crow in his pocket suddenly pecked him hard, making him almost cry out in pain.
He hurriedly looked down and saw the little crow holding him tightly, so fiercely it was almost tearing off a piece of flesh. He was instantly terrified.
This crow is a danger warning item called the "Carrion Crow." It can sense the death aura emanating from its owner. The closer a person is to death, the fiercer it bites.
The butler frantically searched his surroundings for any potential dangers, and almost immediately he spotted Pei Yuheng, whose face was contorted with rage from his desperate struggle.
It's unclear where that frail body got its strength from, but even with seven or eight bodyguards pressing down on him, they couldn't make him kneel.
If the butler had taken a closer look, he would have noticed several inconspicuous pale golden rays supporting Pei Yuheng's skin, helping him resist the bodyguards' restraints and maintaining his shaky sanity.
Pei Yuheng was extremely excited, with veins bulging on his forehead and bloodshot eyes.
The butler wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he noticed that Pei Yuheng's skin tone was getting closer and closer to... grayish-blue? The closer he got to Pei Yuheng, the fiercer the crows in his pocket bit him. Could it be that this NPC would turn into a monster here and eventually kill him?!
He attacked Pei Yuheng and he died.
Not taking action against Pei Yuheng would violate the character's established traits, and would also mean death.
The butler, who suddenly realized this, felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Madam Fu (the player), who was standing next to him, gradually turned as pale as he did, presumably having also discovered her own predicament through the item.
Help! Help! What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?! What should they do—
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud bang came from outside the villa. The butler and the others looked over in surprise and saw that the two carved steel doors had been violently kicked open and spun wildly in mid-air like propellers before crashing heavily onto the villa's porch with two loud thuds!
All the bodyguards were startled. Before they could react, several golden spiritual forces rushed into the room, grabbed their men, and flung them away.
"Aaaaaaah!" came screams.
The steward standing next to Pei Yuheng was not spared either. He fell from the sky to the solid ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented. It took him a while to regain his senses.
Looking at the bodyguards and servants around him who had been knocked unconscious, the butler was shocked but also overjoyed. He didn't have to lay a hand on Pei Yuheng, nor did he violate the rules! He survived!
The butler immediately got up, not even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, and ran back to the villa's hall to see which powerful figure had saved the day.
He immediately spotted Xie Xubai, who was the center of attention.
The young man wore thin-rimmed gold-rimmed glasses, was tall and slender, and had a handsome and outstanding appearance. His features naturally exuded the charm of a Jiangnan landscape painting.
Yet, because of his detached demeanor and cold gaze, he exudes the imposing aura of a towering mountain.
Everyone present seemed to be stunned for a moment. As the young man walked into the room, they unconsciously stepped back.
The bodyguards and servants were wiped out with a single click of the golden spiritual power. Only the horrified and bewildered Fu family members, Pei Yuheng who was still in shock, and Xie Xubai who calmly sat down on the sofa were left present.
Player A returned and stood with the disguised magician, cowering in the doorway and intimidatingly saying, "Boss Pei Yu! These idiot NPCs are bullying us, you have to stand up for us!"
Seeing how enthusiastically he was cheering, the magician suddenly felt a sense of crisis that his die-hard fans were about to be snatched away.
But given the current situation, it's really not appropriate for him to show his face. The Fu family all know his character, Xu Yang, and if the disguise fails due to some kind of interference, he'll be doomed.
As a result, the magician found Xie Xubai to be extremely mysterious.
The other person doesn't seem worried about revealing their player identity or needing to follow the daily routine of their character. Could it be that they, like him, are using a substitute puppet?
Pei Yuheng's knees didn't bend. Once the bodyguards were no longer holding him, he managed to stand up, saying anxiously, "How did you get here? This shouldn't be—"
Xie Xubai said softly, "Have you ever thought that if something happens to you, I will also disappear?"
Pei Yuheng suddenly understood the key point, as if struck by lightning, and stood there stunned.
Yes! If he, as the father, had died, Pei Yu would never have been born!
Jin Guang hooked Pei Yuheng, who was momentarily distracted, and made him sit next to Xie Xubai. He then placed the phone he had snatched from the butler into Pei Yuheng's hand.
Xie Xubai spoke calmly and gently, as if he could soothe all restlessness and unease: "Take another look. What's the difference between the person in the video and the one you remember?"
Pei Yuheng snapped out of his daze. His phone wasn't locked; he could see it as soon as he unlocked it. He stared intently at the struggling figure on the screen, his pupils suddenly dilating and his breathing becoming rapid.
They look exactly the same, from hair color to facial features, there is almost no difference.
It would be strange if there were no difference! You have to know that the last time he saw his parents was ten years ago, and the people in the video look almost exactly the same as the Pei couple ten years ago, which proves that this video was filmed at least seven or eight years ago!
Yes, if they could threaten themselves with their parents, why would these people go to such lengths to use their parents' belongings?
The hope he had finally gained collapsed once again. Pei Yuheng's mood fluctuated wildly, his chest heaving and his eyes becoming moist and red.
After all, he was only twenty-one years old; most people wouldn't have graduated from university by that age.
If Xie Xubai were still young, he would hug him without hesitation and say, "Daddy isn't sad."
But now that he's grown up, he's not Pei Yuheng's biological son and hasn't been successfully adopted yet. Even if he reveals his identity later, he can only call him Uncle Pei at most.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes and let out a long breath.
"Those people's eyes were terrifying, they scared me." Xie Xubai pointed expressionlessly at the still-frightened Fu family members and said to Pei Yuheng, "Aren't you going to comfort me?"
Upon hearing Xie Xubai say he was scared, the distraught Pei Yuheng almost instantly looked up, his eyes regaining their light. Without thinking, he patted Xie Xubai's shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid, okay?"
The head of the Fu family stared wide-eyed at the two of them, who acted as if no one else was around, and finally his face turned red with anger.
Dark clouds suddenly gathered above the Fu family's territory, and all the lights in the hall went out in an instant. The Fu family head's physique gradually changed, and dense lividity climbed up his skin, and a strong stench of death seemed to fill the air.
The players who were observing the commotion openly and secretly were immediately alarmed—the Fu family head was about to go berserk! They quickly assumed a fighting stance.
But Xie Xubai, who was on the verge of death, was still sitting calmly on the sofa, watching the Fu family head have an attack.
Thump! Thump! Thump! ...
Seeing this, the head of the Fu family became even angrier. He was huge, and his footsteps were like thunder. The floor seemed to shake three times. He took a few steps to Xie Xubai. His condescending eyes were full of contempt, and he stretched out his millstone-sized claws.
Suddenly, a telephone rang from his pocket.
The head of the Fu family was so enraged that he only wanted to tear the intruder in front of him to pieces, and he didn't care about anything else.
So Xie Xubai beckoned, and a golden light slipped into the Fu family head's pocket to connect the phone for him.
The secretary's anxious and high-pitched shouts almost lifted the ceiling of the villa.
"Chairman, something terrible has happened! We just received a search warrant. Jiang's Group, Xu's Real Estate, Wang's E-commerce... have jointly reported to the Alliance government that we are involved in illegal human experiments and are demanding a thorough investigation of all pharmaceutical factories and medical institutions under the Fu Group!!"
Author's Note:
Alliance (not a future setting)
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