Chapter 79
The Hongyun Trading Company occupies a vast space, spanning three floors. Unlike the typical single-story shops of the gaming era, this one is filled with merchandise containers, a precursor to the shopping malls of later generations.
Antiques and jades from Lengbing City, precious medicinal materials from Lingyu, exotic foods from Konggu, high-end furniture made of wood, Chinese and Western clothing made of precious materials... The containers are full of everything, and the prices are high.
At eight o'clock in the evening, most people had already eaten dinner, and more and more people came into the store.
At the revolving door, customers coming in and out stopped and looked at a couple who pushed the door open.
The man was dressed in a Chinese gown and a gentleman's hat, standing tall and graceful. The woman was also quite tall, wrapped in a white lace dress, her face hidden by a veil hanging from her small round hat.
Only the wealthy could afford to visit Hongyun Commercial Bank. This newlywed couple was only striking in appearance, not in the least. What caught the eye was the bride's posture. Hand in hand with the groom, her limbs stiff as wood, her stilettos threatening to snap with every step.
Like a marionette.
Crack.
A middle-aged woman, walking past the two men, heard a crack of bone fracture. She quickly looked down and cried out, "Ouch! Your husband has sprained his ankle!"
The groom tilted his head and smiled faintly, his voice calm and pleasant: "She's fine."
The lady was startled, then looked at the bride's ankles and was startled again.
This is strange. The bride's feet were bent at a 90-degree angle just now, how come... they suddenly became healed?
Wang Da ignored her and continued walking inside with the "bride". As they passed the central hall, he glanced at the brass trumpet on the platform.
The sound coming from the record player was complex and harsh.
He walked calmly up the spiral staircase to the second floor. At the foot of the stairs was a tailor shop that was well-known throughout Zhongsu Town.
The old tailor came forward with his reading glasses on his nose and said, "Sir, would you like to order custom-made clothes?"
He glanced at the bride and added with a smile, "Are you planning on getting ready for your wedding attire? Chinese or Western?"
“Western style.”
"Western-style dresses are very fitted, so I need to measure them carefully. Please come in."
We were led to the waiting area, and the old tailor said, "It takes time to measure clothes, so please sit down for a moment. —Tea is served!"
He shouted inside.
After that, the waiter brought out some hot tea. The old tailor turned around and saw that the groom had already sat down, but the bride was standing there in a daze, not saying a word.
The atmosphere between the newlyweds was a little subtle and harmonious... a harmony that was too respectful.
Having worked as a tailor for most of his life, he had a very sharp eye and saw through the trick at a glance - the bride was not a bride at all, but a man!
No wonder he was so embarrassed, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. What man liked being dressed as a woman when going out? Perhaps for some reason, he had succumbed to this rich young master?
The old tailor's eyes fell on the groom sitting on the leather chair. The wide brim of the gentleman's hat covered his face. It was unknown whether he was the son of some big boss in the town.
The other party suddenly said: "I left my things in the big world. I'm going back to get them. You measure him first."
"Okay, okay."
The old tailor responded while looking at the groom's departing back, shaking his head in his heart.
If you really like her, why would you dress her up like this and embarrass her in a place like the Great World? Making wedding dresses for her now is probably just a way to comfort the poor kids.
However, the rich young master knew how to find an excuse to avoid it, and in the end he saved some face for the poor young man.
"Sir, please stand in front of the mirror."
The old tailor asked the bride several times, but she didn't budge. He thought she was still embarrassed about being a man dressed as a woman, so he walked over and lifted the bride's arm: "If you mind, sir, we can go to the fitting room to measure, no one is watching..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
No, it didn't feel right. The bride's back and arm joints were stiff, like wooden bars nailed to a pillar.
"gentlemen……"
The bride suddenly broke free, her stiff hands rising unexpectedly to grab his neck. At the same time, a muffled, inhuman roar rang out from behind her veil.
The small round hat slipped off his head, revealing a pair of eyes that were wide open to the extreme, with pupils flying around like flies in the lime-white eye sockets.
The old tailor was stunned.
The bride is more than just a man...she's not even a human being!
Behind him, the waiter slammed the teapot and said, "Ghost, ghoul!"
Run away.
The old tailor also wanted to run, but his legs were trembling and the soles of his feet seemed to be stuck to the ground, and he could not move at all.
The ghoul's fingers were about to touch his neck, but at the critical moment, something came whistling and pierced through the ghoul's head with a "poof". A big hole burst out of its forehead, and brain matter and blood splattered all over the old tailor's face.
The thing pierced through the ghoul without slowing down at all, flew over the old tailor's head, and shattered the mirror.
Fortunately, he is short, otherwise his brain would be in danger.
"Found it, here it is!"
A voice approached rapidly. Before the old tailor could even see who was coming, he was lifted up and in the blink of an eye, he was standing in the corridor of the business. His legs were weak and he was about to fall to the ground when a pair of hands supported him.
Look at the string gloves, he is a destiny man.
It was the Destiny who saved him from the ghoul.
The old tailor pointed to the door with a trembling hand: "Ghost, ghost..."
"It's a ghoul. We rushed here as soon as we found a clue." Paopao said, turning his head, "The ghoul is changing rapidly, be careful!"
The surroundings were already in chaos, and the tailor's clerk's shouts echoed throughout the entire business. Clerks, shopkeepers, clerks, and even more customers were running and crawling to get out.
There was a group of people going in the opposite direction, going upstream. Seeing that the main entrance was completely blocked by the fleeing people, they simply broke through the glass wall and entered. Without going up the stairs, they used their movement skills to jump directly to the second floor.
They are all destiny people holding weapons.
The protector of the world today.
For a moment, the old tailor was so moved that tears streamed down his face. But suddenly, his feet felt lighter, and after a moment of dizziness, he was outside the trading house. But the young man who had rescued him was gone.
Somewhere on the exterior wall of a business, flickering neon lights transformed the smoke into a multicolored mist. Zhang Da held a cigarette in his mouth as the commotion spread, and no one noticed him.
Paopao stopped in front of him and said, "Lao Zhang, things have changed. Let's do it."
Inside the trading company, the Ghoul transformed into a giant meat mushroom, its surface covered with cracks. In each crack grew long and thin sharp teeth, trying to bite the surrounding players.
The players fought back while tightening the encirclement. Someone urged, "Hurry up! There are more and more people. There are only two ghouls, there's not enough to go around!"
"But there's another one hiding somewhere. This is only a C-level one, while the other one is only a B-level one!" another person retorted, "Don't do anything yet. You might be able to lure it out with this one!"
The players present weren't part of the same team, or even the same guild. There were also quite a few random people, so it wasn't easy to reach a consensus with just a few words. Without noticing, a knife flew through the air, flashing with skill light, and slashed at the ghoul.
"Grass!"
"Didn't we agree not to take action?!"
No one wanted to fall behind, and they all drew their weapons. The C-rank ghoul couldn't handle the damage from so many people, and instantly exploded into a pile of rewards.
There are too many wolves and too little meat, so everyone scrambles for it.
The players who had just arrived didn't care about anything and just plunged into the crowd.
Suddenly someone shouted, "No! Look at the mission details!"
In the mission [The Strange Bride of Lucky Company], the number of ghouls suddenly changed from [2] to [5]!
A player, who was unlucky, had just snatched a red weapon dropped by a ghoul. Before he could even look at the screen, he suddenly let out a short "ah".
The number of ghouls is rising again!
-
Heng Batong was so angry that he barely touched his dinner. Now he felt hungry and asked the housekeeper to cook a small meal in the kitchen.
When the food was served, he suddenly lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks.
"Loss-making industry"... For some reason, he could never put these four words from An Rou behind him.
"How's the business going lately?"
"Very good." Butler Liang replied with a smile, adding tactfully, "The number of Destined Ones visiting our Zhongsu has clearly increased several times recently. Not only our company, but also the Hongyun Hotel and the Great World are doing much better than before."
Why are there so many people with destiny? The answer is simple.
The reason why Butler Liang nodded was to return the favor, so that he wouldn't feel guilty every time he saw An Rou.
Unfortunately, Heng Batong gets angry whenever he mentions An Rou, not to mention giving her the credit for the booming business.
He snorted and laughed: "The Destined One has money, so when he comes to Zhongsu, he will naturally patronize the most high-end stores in Zhongsu."
The matter-of-fact tone made Butler Li curl his lips secretly. According to the master, the restaurant, barber shop, and bathhouse owned by An Rou were the most high-end in town.
The master was really angry and confused.
Heng Batong finally had an appetite. He picked up a piece of fried eel paste with chopsticks, but before he put it in his mouth, a security guard rushed in.
"Master, something bad has happened. The company is haunted by a ghost!"
The meal porridge fell onto the table with a plop.
Heng Batong blinked: "Wha-what?!!"
The tone was so gentle and high-pitched that I couldn't believe my ears.
"It's true! All the customers and waiters ran away. It was a huge commotion!"
"...Ouli, no, Yinlai, quickly notify Tang Lang to bring Yinlai's help over!"
As soon as he heard that a small wave of ghouls had broken out in the trading company, Tang Lang rushed over. Not only him, but also Captain Li was there.
Fortunately, Ouli had many people and arrived quickly, otherwise the ghoul wave of a dozen people would have grown to hundreds of people if they were not careful.
Tang Lang secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
Firstly, the trading company was located in a busy area. If the ghoul tide got out of control, it would inevitably cause a devastating blow to the surrounding NPCs. Even if the NPC leaders in the first-level security zone and the central city were to be alerted and issued a ban on the Chosen Ones, even Hengbatong would not be able to stop it.
Secondly, according to the guild agreement, the large-scale ghoul-inflicted injuries in Zhongsu Town were considered dereliction of duty by the Ouli and Yinlai guilds. As the supervisor of the agreement, the Longyan guild had the right to expel them from Zhongsu.
Tang Lang had no control over what would become of Captain Li, but Yinlai had finally found a stable territory and must not lose it easily.
Fortunately, after Oli's investigation, no NPC died in this ghoul tide.
"Minister Li, I'm glad to have you." Tang Lang said, still feeling scared.
The two had just had a drink during the day, ending the cold war that had lasted for half a month.
Captain Li looked solemn and shook his head. Seeing Herring waving at him not far away, he said, "President Tang, please check the scene again to make sure there are no fish that have slipped through the net."
After saying that, he walked quickly towards the herring.
Seeing that Herring was about to speak, Captain Li shook his head slightly and led him around the corner.
"What did you find?"
Herring: "This trading company mission is a bit similar to the flour mill mission. The first people to arrive received the mission details, and the highest level of ghouls was B, but when we arrived, the highest level was only C.
"We've carefully questioned the players from outside the area, and no one remembers whether they killed a B-rank ghoul. None of our own remembers either."
This is why temporary teams cannot compare to guilds.
The guild had a set method for completing quests, and before each person strangled a ghoul, they would carefully record its level. For this merchant mission, while there were some Oli members among the first group to arrive, the majority were players from outside the area, and most of them were strangers.
The scene was chaotic. Those at higher levels were busy killing ghouls and grabbing rewards, while those at lower levels were busy escaping and protecting themselves. Who even remembered whether the B-level ghoul died in their own hands?
"That is to say, this B-level ghoul may still be alive." Captain Li frowned, looking worried.
Herring was surprised and said, "That shouldn't be the case. Ghoul differentiation will cause a period of weakness, which won't do any good to me. This ghoul tide... should be just an unintentional chain reaction, right?"
If it was intentional, then the IQ of this B-level ghoul is too terrifying.
For example, in the T21 mission last time, the club later analyzed that the ghoul boss was jealous of the souls of high-level players and deliberately split off a large number of ghouls to try to cause chaos in Lengbing City, creating an opportunity for it to attack high-level players.
But, that BOSS was already SS level from the beginning!
"Bushi, I don't think B-rank ghouls have this kind of..."
Before Herring could finish his words, a member of the All Power flew over and let go of an old man with gray eyebrows.
"Minister, I've discovered something!" the member said, turning to the old tailor. "Tell our captain what you told me."
One of the old tailor's glasses was broken, and he looked a little disheveled, but there was no visible wound on his body. Without saying a word, he sank to his knees.
"Captain Li, thanks to you, the Chosen Ones, I was able to save my life!"
Kowtow repeatedly.
The member clicked his tongue, not paying any attention to him, and simply repeated what he had told him.
Captain Li's eyelids jumped. "Are you saying that the groom is a B-level ghoul and went to the big world?"
The member excitedly turned on the screen: "Yes! Minister, look!"
He was stunned.
On the light screen, the clues that had just been discovered a few minutes ago had turned gray.
[Quest Clue: The world is full of lights and feasting, and the groom is looking for a carnival night that belongs to him]
[Task relevance: 50%]
"What are you still standing there for? The invalid clues mean that someone has obtained the mission details!" Before he could finish his words, Captain Li had already disappeared on the spot.
Herring urgently issued a command in the team channel: [Everyone, big world!]
-
Fifteen minutes ago, big world.
The Great World was a dance hall, with a stage in the center, booths surrounding it, and a long bar against one wall. A singer was singing on stage, her sequined cheongsam cut to her thighs, with a plunging neckline.
At this time in the past, as long as she twitched her eyes a few times, there would be whistles and cheers from the audience, and the stage would be sprinkled with gold coins.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the hall was empty today, with only a few scattered guests. The singer recognized them as the town's wealthy and stingy people.
There was only one young man sitting at the bar, a stranger with a straight nose like a peak, very handsome.
But he didn't wear string gloves, so the singer wasn't sure if he was the Chosen One. Also, he hadn't even glanced at her since he entered the room.
The bell rang softly, signaling a new customer to the bar. The singer immediately noticed his string gloves. However, the customer didn't sit in the booth, but sat directly next to the customer at the bar.
Likewise, she didn't even look at him.
"alright?"
"alright."
"Where's the stuff?"
"It's a gift from the leader."
Wang Dawei nodded and handed over the cigarette box. A cigarette was sticking out of the opening.
Zhang Da took it out, lit it himself, and smoked half of it in one gulp. The soul-stirring fragrance lingering in his trachea was finally covered with a layer of burnt smelly smoke and was no longer so torturous.
Seeing Wang Da taking a leisurely sip of wine, it asked, "Is it useful?"
"It's useless." Wang Da said, drinking half a glass of wine in one gulp, "Here it comes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the dance hall was slammed open, and the players who had disappeared for half the night rushed in, all of them were in high spirits.
People who are unlucky have no right to cry in the game.
These were the ones who had gotten some meat from the business missions, or at least some soup. After a thrilling scene, having made a fortune, it was natural for them to relax in some entertainment.
The best booths were instantly filled, and the singing on the stage became much sweeter.
Some people were more sociable. They glanced around, stopped at the two people at the bar, and moved closer.
"Whiskey." He told the bartender and looked at Wang Da Zhang. "Brother, how much did you make this time?"
Zhang Da didn't look at him and smoked with a stern face.
Wang Da smiled and turned his head: "I went too late, and I didn't earn a penny, so I came here to drink alone."
"I was wondering, the mission just ended, how could someone leave so quickly?" The player raised his drink and moved closer. "Don't be discouraged, it's just a small ghoul wave. Besides, All Power took over the latter half, so I didn't get much."
Although he said this, his expression was filled with excitement, and it was obvious that he had gained a lot.
Wang Da smiled indifferently.
"I'm saying, did you arrive at the Yong'an Restaurant too late and miss out on a table? I don't know which NPC gave me the clue, but everyone inside should have gotten it. The people eating on the street outside the restaurant saw us and rushed out, not really knowing what was going on."
The player was a little proud, "Dude, didn't you get the clue?"
Wang Da: “I got it.”
Player: "Then why didn't you catch up right away?"
Wang Da: "I was careless for a moment and didn't see the wide screen notification."
"Guang... Guangping?" The player was stunned for a moment before reacting and laughing. "Where are you from, buddy? This is the first time I've heard someone speak with an accent in a game."
Wang Da glanced at him calmly, his smile unchanged: "Is it interesting?"
"interesting."
"Wide screen, wash bucket, life mole, tool column, good liver degree..." Wang Da said a series of words in one breath, his face serious and his speech speed slow.
The player couldn't stop laughing and waved to the bartender repeatedly: "Dude, you're so funny! I almost died of laughter during the mission. Waiter, give me a glass of the best whiskey!"
The bartender pushed the drink over.
The player picked it up and handed it to Wang Da: "Brother, you have a good attitude. I'll learn from you. This cup is for you!"
Wang Da didn't answer and said calmly, "Dirty."
The player was startled, and following his gaze, he realized that Wang Da was talking about the string gloves. Only then did he realize that this guy didn't even have gloves.
"Dude, you have mysophobia?" he said, subconsciously looking at Wang Da.
Appearance was impeccable; no player was truly ugly; the key lay in their aura. Wang Da, wearing a well-tailored woolen suit and his hair neatly combed to his crown, looked quite distinguished at first glance. Add to that his calm demeanor, unfazed by praise or criticism, and the players felt a pang of shame.
At first glance, you can tell that he is a second-generation rich man who is not short of money in real life.
The player smiled awkwardly and took off his gloves: "You're right, I just finished a mission, they are indeed dirty."
He put the gloves into the props column, wiped his hands on his clothes, and reached out: "It's a rare opportunity, let's be friends?"
Wang Da stared at him for a few seconds, and his smile suddenly deepened: "Okay, let's be friends."
Be friends with me, but don't turn against me.
Hold hands.
Behind the bar, the young bartender NPC saw everything, and as usual, he felt a surge of envy.
This is the world of those who are destined to be together, free and unconstrained.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of another silent guest out of the corner of his eye, who was staring at him with cold eyes.
The bartender's hand slipped and the glass smashed to the ground. He hurriedly squatted down to pick up the broken glass. When he stood up a moment later, the bar was empty and the three people were gone.
A few minutes later, the noisy dance hall suddenly became quiet.
In the center, a man in an exaggerated stage costume walked onto the stage. He was tall, with a distinctly masculine build, and wore a red wig so unkempt it almost covered his entire face.
Bright red nails, rhinestone high heels, black stockings...
After a moment of silence, the whole audience burst into whistles.
"Holy crap, a drag show!"
"So there's this kind of king bomb in the dance hall?"
"Ugh! Isn't this disgusting? I paid to see beautiful women!"
"If you don't want to watch, shut up. I love watching!"
"I love watching it too. It's so interesting and exciting!"
"Whoever's singing, please get down and make room for me!"
…
The game is separated from reality, and the players do not appear in their true images. Beneath the mask, the human nature of seeking excitement is fully revealed.
In the booth, no player stood up to leave, and handfuls of gold coins were thrown onto the stage, hitting the cross-dressing man.
Even though the man said nothing and looked like a piece of overly colorful wood, everyone felt that the trip to the nightclub was worth it.
In the corner by the door, Wang Da withdrew his gaze from the stage and looked at Zhang Da.
"Don't make any mistakes," it instructed, then paused, lit a cigarette and put it between its open lips. "And don't die."
Then he pushed the door open and quickly disappeared into the neon night.
The cigarette slightly covered the soul fragrance, allowing Zhang Da to have more energy to control the ghoul. The living dead on the stage were separated by it and Wang Da together, so it was more difficult for it to control it alone.
Zhang Da counted the seconds in his mind, and when sweat began to bead on his forehead, he finally counted to a full minute.
It took a deep breath, the cigarette quickly burned to the butt, and then relaxed its tense nerves.
On the stage, the ghoul that had been motionless like a puppet suddenly moved, let out a howl, and rushed into the embrace of the soul.
Dozens of delicious souls are so close to them, but they can only look at them but not eat them. This is like purgatory-like torture for the new ghouls.
The players were enjoying the show and laughing, totally unaware of this sudden turn of events.
The ghoul parasitizes on the players' bodies and has extremely strong explosive power. With one leap, it can cross half the stage and crash into the crowd.
Several screams erupted from the crowd.
"Ghoul! It's a ghoul!"
The riot two kilometers away had just ended when new riots spread again from the big world.
-
The food on the table has gone cold.
Heng Batong paced back and forth around the table in annoyance.
"Where's Tang Lang? Why hasn't he arrived yet?!"
It's no wonder that he has a bad temper. It's because the business is haunted by ghosts. It's like someone suddenly stabbed him in the heart, and blood is flowing out.
If it was just one or two ghouls, it wouldn't be a big deal, and they could always cover it up later. But with a ghoul tide, who wouldn't worry about a fish slipping through the net hiding in some corner?
Not to mention ordinary guests, even he himself is afraid!
How can the business still attract people and make money?!
Butler Liang ran out of the door timidly, and soon ran back in with the security guards, both of their faces looking as if they had lost their parents.
"master……"
Heng Batong's eyelids twitched violently: "What's going on?"
Security Guard: "The big world is also experiencing a ghoul wave..."
Heng Batong's eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted. Butler Liang quickly caught him, and he forced a breath. "Tang Lang... no, where's Captain Li? Quickly get him to lead the men to kill the ghoul!!!"
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