Chapter 82
At six o'clock in the afternoon, Paopao came online on time. After a busy day, the small courtyard of the bungalow was decorated with lights and was full of joy.
He moved the kitchen table into the courtyard, and with a clatter of gold coins, the table became two. The same went for the chairs. Soon, there were seven tables in the courtyard. The main table at the front was in the center, and the remaining six were arranged in two rows.
Meihong showed off her skills in the kitchen, finishing a dish and handing it to Anrou to carry out. Anrou placed it on the main table, while Paopao scattered gold coins, making six copies of the dish and dish, and then distributing them to the other tables.
When it was completely dark, seven tables were filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat.
An Rou stood by the main table and clapped her hands: "Okay, let the staff in."
"Okay!" Paopao walked quickly towards the staff dormitory, and soon brought a group of people over.
The team is very neat, but if you look closely, you can vaguely distinguish three formations.
Wang Da walked in front with a faint smile.
Zhang Da was a few steps behind, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His usual serious demeanor gave him a rather stern air. Behind him followed six regular employees, all of whom were his offspring. They resembled either hooligans following their big brother or chicks chasing after a hen.
Behind them, there are eight employees, who are relatively undisciplined. Their ghost mother is dormant, lacking a layer of restraint.
However, with the exception of Wang Da, all the employees wore faces as stern as Zhang Da's. No ghost, not engaged in the fish business, would have the leisure to imitate a living person's expression. So, as Mei Hong carried the last dish out of the kitchen, her hands couldn't help but tremble.
After the soup bowl slipped out of his hand, it hovered in the air strangely, with the mouth of the bowl tilted and the soup splashing out, floating quietly.
Meihong almost thought that time had stopped, but after blinking her eyes, she found that she could move freely.
She looked up and Paopao suddenly rushed out from the side, blocking her view.
After returning the soup to the bowl, Paopao picked up the bowl steadily and said with a smile, "How is it? This is quite impressive, isn't it?"
Meihong opened her mouth and uttered only two words: "Amazing."
Paopao walked away with the soup, and her eyes finally fell on Wang Da who was a few steps away. Wang Da smiled calmly and nodded at her.
Meihong turned around subconsciously, but was stopped by Anrou.
An Rou had just come out of the kitchen after washing her hands and hadn't seen what had just happened. Seeing this, she smiled and said, "Don't go, Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu, haven't you seen these people several times? Speaking of which, they joined the company later than you, so they are all your juniors."
Pull her to sit at the main table.
An Rou waved: "Wang Da, come and sit down."
After calling everyone, he smiled at Meihong and said, "Otherwise, there are only three of us at this table, it would be too quiet."
Everyone sat down.
Logically, the courtyard was small, crowded, and a celebration banquet should have been lively. Instead, the only lively presence was the scattered lanterns of varying sizes, and the mixed light and shadows they cast. The courtyard was completely silent.
A bit weird.
An Rou looked at Mei Hong. Mei Hong sat in a dignified posture, with her head half lowered. She could vaguely see her eyes occasionally glancing at Wang Da beside her, her mind completely unconcerned with the other ghosts.
The goal was achieved - to let Meihong attend the celebration banquet, but use Wang Da to attract her attention so that she would not discover the true identities of the employees and become a hidden clue.
Besides, putting aside his own vigilance against Wang Da, the scene of this man and this ghost meeting each other was inexplicably a bit arousing.
It seems that no matter whether it is the Wang Da in the past or the Wang Da now, he has accurately hit the point of making eyebrows red and heartbeat.
Paopao was blind and interrupted An Rou's thoughts on CP: "Boss, don't you want to say a few words?"
This is a celebration party!
In just one month, the farm was built from nothing, and An Rou went from running a bun shop to owning dozens of shops. Who else has such a strong entrepreneurial momentum?
Converted to the real world, the boss’s net worth is estimated to be over 100 million!
Sooner or later, Zhongsu Town will be unified!
Even he, a partner at only silver level, feels proud of it!
An Rou tapped the rim of the cup with a pair of chopsticks and slowly stood up.
I have to admit that it is a very pleasant thing to have a group of loyal "soldiers" under your command who will do whatever you tell them to do, and to have subordinates around you who truly admire you rather than flatter you.
No wonder everyone wants to be a big boss. When money reaches a certain amount, it is far less important than a sense of accomplishment.
but……
An Rou's eyes swept across the faces of the employees one by one. "To make a long story short, everyone here has contributed greatly to Yongan's success today. But today is not just a celebration party, it's also a swearing-in party. The first step for the farm is to gain a firm foothold in Zhongsu Town. Now it's time to take the second step—"
"I've decided to run for mayor of Zhongsu Town!"
As soon as the words fell, the whole place fell silent.
The ghoul employees had been trained in common sense, but they only understood the literal meaning and had no idea of the weight of this declaration. Their gazes on An Rou were numb and unperturbed.
Mei Hong's mind was completely on the male ghost beside her, and she was absent-minded. For a moment, she didn't listen to An Rou's words. She only felt that after An Rou finished speaking, the atmosphere was a little strange, and her eyes were blank.
An Rou's ambitions were thrown into a pool of ice water.
Fortunately, there is Paopao, a living person.
Paopao was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands exaggeratedly: "Boss, you're so domineering!"
Wang Da wanted to say something at the same time, but after hearing what he said, he could only agree helplessly: "The boss is domineering."
It turned its head and glanced, its eyes wide open.
Zhang Da's face was tense: "Boss is so domineering!"
Finally, the employees spoke in unison, all in a serious tone: "Boss, domineering!"
Paopao came again: "It is my blessing to know the boss!"
Wang Da Zhang Da: "It's my blessing to know the boss!"
All employees: "It is my blessing to know the boss!"
An Rou didn't think it was a big deal at first. She didn't even know how many people were alive on the farm. That was why she'd taken the risk of letting Mei Hong attend the celebration party. Instead, it was Paopao's backstabbing that made her feel a bit awkward.
However, despite the embarrassment, tonight's celebration and swearing-in banquet satisfied her little desire to share.
This ceremony also officially marked her decision to replace Heng Batong as mayor as the next stage of her goal.
-
Heng Batong sneezed twice in a row.
The study was filled with fog. Leng Hanli covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, a trace of disgust passed across her face, but her tone remained the same as usual.
"Master, you didn't eat lunch, but you should have eaten at least a few bites of dinner. If you collapse, how can you govern Zhongsu Town?"
Honestly, she'd been married to Heng Batong for so many years, and she'd never seen him behave so strangely. He used to be able to smoke a month's worth of cigars, but now he's finished them in a single day. He coughed from the choking, drank a life potion, and then continued smoking after finishing it.
He refused to leave the study, as if he was waiting for some news.
Heng Batong: "Madam, go eat first."
Leng Hanli couldn't stand the strong smell of smoke, so she retreated to the door but didn't leave.
"I know you're worried about those three restaurants, but there's nothing you can do about the haunted ones. Just relax and think about it. As long as you're still in charge of Zhongsu Town, you won't have to worry about opening other dance halls and restaurants. Butler Liang, don't you agree?"
She waited for a while but received no response, then she realized that Butler Liang was not in the study.
Leng Hanli thought he was being sent out on some errand by Heng Ba Tong and didn't take it seriously. She continued, "Even for the baby, Master should go eat, right? She came to me crying yesterday, saying you were mean to her and that she and Master were having a falling out."
In the billowing smoke, Heng Batong's figure remained motionless. Leng Hanli shook her head and just turned to go out, but she heard footsteps following her.
Heng Batong had a pale face, black eyes, and a very bad complexion. The mustache that he usually carefully maintained with beard oil was now messy and split.
"Go check on the baby." He said in a muffled voice, revealing a broken front tooth.
When we arrived at the dining room, my baby daughter was grabbing the food with her hands, showing no ladylike image at all, and it was obvious that she was angry with me.
Heng Batong frowned and was about to coax her with soft words when his eyes suddenly stopped on the plate.
The celadon round plate had the words "Yong'an" written on the edge.
Bang!
By the time Heng Batong reacted, he had already dropped the plate, which scared Leng Hanli, not to mention Heng Bobao.
Heng Bobao screamed, "Dad, what are you doing?! This is something Anrou sent specially for me to eat!"
Heng Batong was furious: "An Rou, An Rou, if you like An Rou so much, why don't you just go and live with her!"
"Let's go!" Heng Bobao got up and left.
"Stop her!" Heng Batong yelled again.
A soldier in black came in from outside and blocked Heng Bobao's way.
"Lock up the young lady and send someone to watch her!"
"dad!"
The black-clad soldier hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that Heng Batong was serious, replied, "...Yes."
He turned around and called in two of his men, who took the screaming Heng Bobao back to his room.
Heng Batong then realized that the person who came was Tian Rui. He glanced at Leng Hanli and ordered, "Go out and talk. - Madam, you eat first."
Leng Hanli watched the two of them walk out of the dining room, pondering secretly.
Aside from some minor business ventures, Hengbatong never allowed her to interfere in major matters. It seemed this time, it wasn't just the loss of three valuable properties.
Hengbatong is in big trouble.
"Is there any movement?" Heng Batong asked Tian Rui.
Tian Rui nodded. "Ouli and Yinlai mobilized hundreds of Destined Ones and gathered them together. They first went to the Yong'an Hotel, then to the bun shop and barber shop in Wuyan Lane, and finally to the Hongyun Bathhouse. However... they didn't seem to find An Rou in any of these places."
Heng Batong cursed, "Those idiots! Is there any need to think? She must be at the East Suburb Farm!"
Tian Rui: "So they are heading east now, probably heading to the farm."
Heng Batong's frown finally relaxed and he calmed down a little.
Apparently, Captain Li and Tang Lang weren't kidding him; they were serious. Two hundred Chosen Ones, even if the guy next to An Rou was incredibly powerful, couldn't stand up to four.
The damned woman actually dared to scare him with a ghoul. He wanted to show her what would happen if she offended the Lord of Heaven in this land!
-
After the ban was issued, most of the out-of-town players in Zhongxu Town had already evacuated. Furthermore, the locals, locked up in their homes due to the repeated attacks of ghouls, left the streets deserted and somewhat desolate.
In this scene, the two hundred people gathered together like a big fish swimming through the streets and alleys, which attracted a lot of attention.
The townspeople were timid, daring only to peer through their windows at the Chosen Legion. If their eyes met with those of the Chosen, they would slam their windows shut. The out-of-town players were a bit bolder, stepping out of the shops that were still open, gathering in groups of two or three to stop and watch.
With so many guild members forming a legion, it is inevitable that people will suspect that there is some high-level mission.
However, with their Life points halved, few would venture forth to challenge them. Occasionally, a few high-level, courageous individuals would follow, and the entire legion would stop and turn around to look.
With that kind of momentum, even the Golden Wild Guest wouldn’t dare to confront it head-on.
The out-of-town players who had followed were forced to stop, which in turn caused the group to stop and start, slowing down their progress. An hour passed, and they hadn't even left the town. On the contrary, news of a major event in Zhongsu Town quickly went viral on the forums.
[Report! Ouli and Yinlai Guilds have formed a group, and another big mission is coming to Zhongsu Town!]
Zhongsu Town's high frequency of transformation quests had already made this marginal town incredibly popular on the forums, and three ghoul waves in one night had spawned several trending threads. Another post like this immediately attracted countless attention.
[5L: Is the OP in the middle of nowhere? Everyone is banned, their Life Points have been cut in half and they're plagued by bad luck. You're quite courageous!]
[12L: I strongly recommend you to go and have a look, eat meat and drink soup, eat savory and drink spicy! ]
[17L (Original Poster) to 12L: Vicious! My buddy doesn't even dare to play with Gold, and you're asking me, a mere Silver, to die?!]
[34L: What exactly is this mission? It's really intriguing. Is it true that the OP can't find any clues at all?]
After waiting for a long time and thousands of posts, we finally received the "insider".
[5548L: Clues are here! It's said that the reason Zhongsu Town has become a high-quest zone is because of a high-level ghost mother! Ouli Headquarters demands a thorough investigation!]
[5550L: Holy shit, is this true? To be able to hide in Zhongsu Town for so long, his IQ must be above S-level?!]
…
[7431L to 5548L: Half right. My brother is in Ouli and got firsthand information. An old friend from Ouli headquarters found clues to a high-level mission and requested assistance from the Zhongxu branch.]
[7444L: A veteran from number three?! Are you sure? Sending out such a high-level super god, is this an SSS-level mission?]
[7549L: Hiss—Oli is rich! Now the number one position on the Ink Exorcist Ranking is in danger. If the number three player eats an SSS-level player, won't he soar to the top and become a Legendary player directly? Damn, I've only been playing the game for a short time, the server won't be shut down so soon! ! !]
[8679L: You're overthinking it. It's not like no one has ever reached Legend. Over the years, over twenty Legend players have entered the Ghost Ruins. Has anyone ever killed the Ghost King? If so, would we still be playing the Soul-Calling Song? My prediction is that even if someone reaches Legend, they'll just be Legend cannon fodder like everyone else.]
[16438L: If you ask me, the above are all rumors! If there really was an SSS-level quest, the players in Zhongsu would have already run away! With their Life points cut in half, aren't they just waiting to die?]
[16621L: 23333, hehe, I'm going to log off right here and enjoy the 12-hour forum. If things get better, I can come back to life and have some soup anytime, so yummy!]
…
Ouli Hall, Zhongsu Town.
After Herring sent his last reply, he turned around and said, "Minister, that's about it."
The rumors surrounding Zhongsu Town are currently murky, and many players from other areas who are still stuck in the town are probably just messing around on the forums. This situation is a complete mess, and it's not easy for veteran players to dig up clues.
Most importantly, even if he truly had the ability to dig deeper, it would be a waste of time. At best, he would only uncover that B-rank ghoul that was recklessly hiding in the ghoul tide.
Of course, if, as they suspected, the old man's purpose in coming to Zhongsu Town wasn't to kill the Ghost Mother, that would be another matter. However, if the situation became chaotic, it would ultimately disrupt the other party's plans.
Captain Li nodded his chin and said, "Let Jianqing follow me."
Herring asked doubtfully, "Captain Jianqing took a month off due to family matters. He just came online and doesn't understand the situation yet..."
"It is precisely because we don't understand him that he is the most suitable candidate." Captain Li said.
A few minutes later, two men disguised as ordinary townspeople jumped out of the window of the guild hall, first used the movement skill to jump into the next building, and then walked out of the door of that building.
Jianqing wore a sleeveless sweatshirt and putty on his arms, perfectly disguising himself as a rickshaw driver. In order to make a living, he had to go out to solicit business during dangerous days.
Captain Li, wearing a cloth gown and a pair of round glasses, looked like an accountant and got on the tricycle that had been prepared long ago.
As they headed south, the players along the way paid no special attention to the two men. It wasn't until they left town that they got out of the car, activated their movement skills, and ran northeast.
The tricycle was quietly placed in an empty corner. Suddenly, a shadow flashed and a person appeared beside it.
He was hunched over, with a dark complexion and a thin face covered in premature wrinkles. He was also wearing the rickshaw driver's signature sleeveless sweatshirt, which was stained with yellow sweat.
The third on the list is a super god, an old guy.
This tricycle was the one Jianqing bought from him an hour ago.
Captain Li was stared at by him the entire day without realizing it.
No one knows that hiding is the old man's forte.
Those who knew—are all dead.
-
Meihong felt very uncomfortable at the celebration banquet.
After An Rou's declaration of becoming mayor brought her back to reality, she finally realized the strange atmosphere that permeated the courtyard. Aside from the main table, the people at the other six tables were all too quiet.
No one spoke, not even a whisper... How could this be a banquet?
At first, no one even picked up their chopsticks, until An Rou said with a half-smile, "If you don't eat, are you denying Meihong face, or are you denying me face?"
The employees just started eating, picking up food from their bowls and chewing. Their movements seemed natural, but Meihong always felt that they were like eating candles.
A thousand people have a thousand tongues, and whether a dish is delicious or not will always be different for different people. But a dozen employees, no matter what they eat, all have the same expression... numb.
It's so weird.
Meihong couldn't help but think of the Chosen Ones she had met in teahouses, restaurants, and even on the roadside... Which Chosen One ate like this?
She couldn't help but look at the employees' hands. She knew most of them and had seen how they came to town, often wearing the signature string gloves of the Chosen Ones.
So she always believed that those who worked for An Rou were destined to do so.
However, the strange scene before her shook her cognition.
"Red eyebrows."
An Rou's voice startled Meihong and she turned around quickly.
An Rou smiled and said, "You've worked so hard for so long, why don't you eat? You're the backbone of the team, come, let me toast you."
Meihong hurriedly picked up the wine glass with both hands and gently clinked it with Anrou.
"Thank you, boss."
She was about to drink it all when Wang Da suddenly spoke up, "Someone's coming. Two of them, very fast. They're the ones with destiny."
An Rou's smile froze.
"Meihong, go to my room, close the door, draw the curtains, and don't come out. Come with me. I'll leave this place to you, Wang Da."
She quickly stood up, took Paopao out of the yard, and closed the door.
Meihong sounded like something was going to happen and got up a little slowly.
Wang Dawei looked at him with a smile in his eyes: "You heard what the boss said."
She then turned and walked towards the room. As soon as she stepped through the door, she heard a small commotion behind her.
Meihong turned back subconsciously and unexpectedly saw Wang Da's face. He blocked her view with his body.
"Go in, don't listen or look." Wang Da smiled gently, but his tone was unquestionable.
Meihong nodded silently and watched Wang Da help her close the door.
Outside the door, Wang Da's eyes were no longer smiling, and he glanced coldly at the employees in the hospital.
The faint smell of the soul of the Chosen One made their throats rumble with hunger and thirst. They couldn't help but stand up, but none of them dared to leave the table.
"Give it to me, sit down."
Most of these employees were C-level, led by Zhang Da, with a small number of B-level employees. Their commonality: none of them were differentiated by Wang Da.
Wang Dafen's ghouls - temporary workers who have not yet been put into use, are now controlled in iron cages in the staff dormitory.
But its light words forced all the employees to sit down. Their expressions were angry and unwilling, much more vivid than what Mei Hong had seen just now.
-
"Captain Li? A rare visitor."
An Rou put on a surprised expression and lowered her favorability towards him by 10%.
Captain Li smiled bitterly. It was normal to be disliked for showing up uninvited. Fortunately, his favorability rating was still in the "friendly" range.
He put on a sincere smile. "Boss An, I've only come here because of an emergency. The mayor is adamant that the ghouls haunting his shop are connected to Boss An. He's teamed up with Tang Lang to send over a hundred members of the Yinlai Gang to kill you... Boss An?"
Captain Li suddenly noticed that An Rou was distracted for a moment.
He followed her gaze and looked behind him, and found that Jianqing also had a strange expression on his face, with his brows furrowed.
"It's you?" Jian Qing blinked in disbelief.
Before today, the last time he logged in was the day Chiqian Yiming killed the NPC in Zhongxu Town. After that, due to an accident involving his parents, he took over a month off. Therefore, for him, the memory of the last day of the game was extremely clear.
He never expected that Boss An, who had been praised by his colleagues recently, and the beautiful woman in high-end and gorgeous clothes in front of him were actually the NPC who couldn't even afford to buy flour that day!
Jianqing was the captain, after all, and a cautious person. After his parents' condition stabilized, he reflected on the events of that day, feeling a certain sense of coincidence. With a serious attitude, he reported the incident to Captain Li. However, Chiqian Yiming had already died, and more than half a month had passed. Captain Li was completely absorbed in his plan to make Zhongsu Town a high-frequency mission zone, and he didn't take his words to heart.
Moreover, the two team members under his command were unlucky and lost their game qualifications in the T21 mission.
As a result, this vague clue could not be verified and ended in nothing.
Until now.
Captain Li looked at him and asked, "Do you know Boss An?"
It wasn't surprising that the other branch members knew An Rou, but it was a bit strange that Jian Qing hadn't been online for a month and still reacted like this. Captain Li couldn't help but feel more confident about the purpose of this trip. If Jian Qing and An Rou had already been friends, wouldn't it be easier to convince An Rou to cooperate with the fake death?
Jian Qing met his boss's gaze and said, "She is me... Minister, be careful!"
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