Chapter 67 (Update 1)
Paopao, Lujiao, Linci, and Balpi, the four of them had just raised their buttocks halfway and had not yet stood up straight, but because of a sudden question, they immediately became the focus of the whole audience.
They maintained an awkward posture, and the first thing they looked at was not An Rou, but the back of the Governor.
The Governor is the only one who knows they have a clue.
Of the four, only Paopao quickly shifted his gaze to Anrou's face. With so many people watching, he didn't dare raise an eyebrow or wink, hoping the boss would understand his expression.
Boss, what are you doing? I finally got a chance to leave!
Are you still going to make the plan?!
Across from the Governor, Captain Li looked over with interest. Paopao quickly suppressed the pleading look in his eyes and forced a smile, but he was speechless.
His heart almost stopped.
Captain Li and Tang Lang both recognized him! Even though the boss had disguised him with makeup, who knew if he could escape the sharp eyes of two expert players!
Once recognized, Captain Li, with his intelligence, would definitely be able to see through the so-called mission as a pre-planned plot.
You're courting disaster, boss!!!
An Rou walked over leisurely in her high heels. Even as Paopao's eyes flickered, the slightly surprised smile on her face remained unchanged. As she passed Captain Li, she glanced silently at him.
"Didn't I tell you everything you asked?"
As Paopao stared at him helplessly, An Rou spoke clearly, "That ghost is at the Nanjiao Flour Mill. With the speed of you Destiny Ones, you can get there in half an hour. Why are you eating again?"
Before he finished speaking, the entire first floor erupted in a silent uproar. Every guild member and every wanderer simultaneously opened their mouths wide, but no sound emanated. Instead, they stared at the light screen in front of them, their gazes burning.
Mission Clue: The Lin's Flour Mill in the southern suburbs of Zhongsu Town has been closed for many years due to the ghoul rebellion and has long been forgotten. Now, a ghostly figure is quietly wandering around the factory.
[Related Quest: Ghouls Wandering in Zhongsu Town (Relevance 70%)]
Tang Lang, initially skeptical about the hotel's existence, couldn't help but widen his eyes and turn his head, meeting Captain Li's half-smile. Even the Governor couldn't help but turn his head and glance at An Rouping's graceful back.
I thought the prize would go to one player only, but unexpectedly, all the players got it.
In a moment of silence, An Rou nodded to Paopao's table: "I'm asking you a question, why are you in a daze?"
Paopao had no idea what the boss was trying to do and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The antler next to him was dumbfounded, then became anxious and said hurriedly, "Boss, your pickled fish is so delicious. My two brothers didn't get to try it, so we ordered another portion. Now that we're done, boss, let's go!"
After saying that, he rushed to the back door with a few people.
His action was like pressing the play button. All the players on the first floor jumped up, chased after him, and poured out of the store.
For a moment, the restaurant was in chaos with cups, plates, bowls and chopsticks colliding with each other, chairs being thrown over and people falling over.
Apart from the Governor's table, only Paopao stood there motionless.
He couldn't figure out what the boss was up to, so he shared the clues with everyone. Dozens of players on the first floor would know, and within minutes, the guild players on the second and third floors would catch up. With hundreds of players gathered at the flour mill, how could he carry out his plan?
There's only one C-rank ghoul there. If it's surrounded by hundreds of people, wouldn't it just take a blink of an eye for it to be strangled?
In his confused thoughts, his eyes suddenly stopped on An Rou's hand.
An Rou crossed her arms across her chest, placed her right hand on her left arm, and tapped the silk fabric lightly with her index finger again and again.
My eyelids twitched.
This was a secret code agreed upon by the two in case of any changes in the plan.
Click twice to cancel the plan. Run around everyone and take Wang Da back to the farm.
Paopao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the boss felt that the matter had become too serious and had involved Ou Li and Yin Lai. He was afraid that it would be impossible to resolve the situation and was going to give up the plan.
But he was only half relieved when he suddenly saw An Rou's white fingers nodded again.
Three down means the plan will continue to move forward regardless of the consequences.
Paopao forgot to breathe for a moment, his eyes fixed and met Anrou's smiling gaze.
At this point, the players on the first floor had almost all run away, and shouts could be heard from the second and third floors: "Hurry up and catch up! We can't let the wild guests snatch the quest!"
Another group of players rushed down the stairs, and more people jumped directly from the windows, like dumplings falling in a pile, scaring passers-by into dodging in a hurry.
Paopao finally reacted, gritted his teeth, turned around and shouted towards the back door: "Captain, Brother Lu, wait for me!!!"
He used the Wind Step and disappeared in an instant.
The restaurant that was packed with people a minute ago was empty and in a mess the next minute.
An Rou seemed frightened and looked around in panic: "What's going on? Why are they all gone? Shopkeeper Jin! Shopkeeper Jin!"
Shopkeeper Jin thought that the destined people in the store had finally started fighting, so he looked out from behind the counter for a few times before running out in small steps.
"Boss, I'm here, I'm here!"
"The customers have all left, have you collected the money for the meal?!"
"Uh..." Apparently, he was asking about this. Shopkeeper Jin nodded repeatedly, "I have collected the money. We had so many customers earlier that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle them all when the bill came, so I asked the waiters to collect the money from each table in advance."
Shopkeeper Jin pointed to the counter. The copper plate was already full, and the pile of gold coins was like a towering mountain.
"The cornucopia can't hold all the money. My friends and I have the rest. Boss, wait a moment, I'll have them come over right away!"
The guild members, including the vagrants, totaled over 140 people. Each person ordered at least a large portion of pickled fish, along with some drinks and snacks. This meal brought in 60,000 to 70,000 gold. Add to that the 50,000 gold Captain Li gave as an apology, and the restaurant had raked in 120,000 gold in just over an hour of business.
An Rou knew this account clearly in her mind.
She waved her hand: "Why rush? There are still guests here. Captain Li is a distinguished guest. You must provide attentive service."
"Oh, yes, yes." Shopkeeper Jin took small steps towards Captain Li. "Captain Li, would you like more dishes or rice? We have unlimited rice in our shop, and the fish soup is also a must-try!"
Captain Li glanced at An Rou and said with a smile, "Then everyone should have a bowl. Also, I've taken the Governor's pickled fish. Bring me another large portion."
"Hey!" Shopkeeper Jin answered the bowl and walked away in small steps.
An Rou yawned, patting her shoulder as she went upstairs: "I'm tired from all this busy work. Enjoy yourselves, and if you need anything, just tell Shopkeeper Jin."
"Boss An, please stay." Captain Li left the table and walked over. "Boss An, how did you discover the ghost in the flour mill?"
An Rou paused, stood on the stairs, and looked down at him.
Captain Li immediately felt a little regretful. An Rou's favorability towards him had been declining because every time he met An Rou, he couldn't help but ask her questions and test her.
Now things have changed. An Rou is not some strange NPC, but a special "NPC" bound to the luck of the game. She is the key to reversing the decline of Zhongsu Town.
As expected, An Rou suppressed her smile and asked, "Captain Li, do you not believe what I said?"
Favorability dropped by 5% to 60%.
Captain Li hurriedly said, "No, no..."
"The grain stores in town are all monopolized by Boss Lin's family, and my father has suffered a lot because of this. Now that I've opened a restaurant, since I need it, I want to open a flour mill and investigate. Is that strange?"
An Rou spoke very quickly, so quickly that it seemed as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"Captain Li, where have I offended you to deserve your constant targeting? If you truly dislike me, it's fine. You don't have to pretend to care for our restaurant's business in the future. What we sell at Yong'an Restaurant is ingredients, taste, and service, not Miss Heng's reputation!"
Without giving Captain Li a chance to explain, she went upstairs in her high heels.
Bang!
There was a sound of someone smashing the door of the private room on the second floor.
Captain Li was secretly anxious as he saw his favorability drop by another 5%.
After finally reaching the level of "friendly", it suddenly fell back to "indifferent". Who knows if this will become an obstacle for guild members to dig clues from Yong'an Hotel in the future?
Ask, ask, ask. The clues in the game are random. What's more, An Rou is a special NPC. No matter how she obtains the clues, it is the will of the game. What's there to ask!
Captain Li was reflecting on himself when Tang Lang came over.
"Even the mayor doesn't dare to lose his temper with you, so how could she, a small NPC boss, dare to do that! Minister Li, even if she..."
He was glared at by Captain Li.
Tang Lang shut his mouth, his eyes dark. He thought Captain Li was unhappy with his attitude towards An Rou, but he didn't know that Captain Li was just worried that the special nature of "An Rou" and "Wing On Hotel" would leak out.
After all, there is a governor in the store.
Captain Li put on his usual calm and elegant smile, sat back at the table, issued an order in the guild channel, and then raised his glass to the Governor.
"I've already instructed the members of Ouli not to attack Ye Ke unless it's for self-preservation. Since the clues are all on the same starting line, who gets the final reward depends on their luck."
The Governor pondered for a moment and also sent a message in the team channel.
"The same applies to wild guests."
The two men clinked their glasses, neither drank, and looked at Tang Lang at the same time.
Tang Lang secretly clenched his fists and had to issue instructions in the Yinlai Guild channel.
Private room on the second floor.
The sound of three cups clinking together reached An Rou's ears clearly.
She stood by the window, her chin slightly raised, her unfocused eyes gazing at the gray-blue sky. The pale sunlight shone on her dark pupils, giving them a captivating hue.
[Wang Da, follow my instructions and start.]
A figure walked out of the back door of the café, fingers interlaced, their joints making a dense, crackling sound. With their left foot raised on tiptoe, they vanished into the crisscrossing alleyway like a black arrow.
-
The three Lujiao people started early. In order to collect Haha's body, they also bought a map of Zhongsu Town and successfully searched for the abandoned flour mill in the southern suburbs. Unfortunately, they were unfamiliar with the area and were often distracted by the map, so they were soon caught up.
Fortunately, the others were also there for the mission and didn't even look at them.
When we left town and arrived at the flour mill compound, there were already quite a few people inside. They were stopped in their tracks by the loud noise of an explosion.
Inside the red brick wall, the brown and yellow tiles were smashed apart from the inside by the behemoth, sending shards flying everywhere. A gigantic "octopus" suddenly appeared, its countless tentacles converging on its top and back. A tiny human head dangled from its massive body, seemingly connected only by a thin layer of skin.
"Damn, it's changed so fast!"
"Someone who arrived must have killed the ghost!"
"After all this time, there's only one ghoul, and it's only C-rank. What's the point of fighting for it?"
Players who arrived one after another also stopped outside the courtyard. The ghoul appeared, the clues were complete, and the mission details popped up on everyone's screen.
[Mission Name: Ghost of the Abandoned Flour Mill]
Mission Location: Lin's Flour Mill in the Southern Suburbs of Zhongsu Town
[Ghoul Level: C]
[Number of Ghouls: 1/1]
【Time limit: 1/1 (Sun)】
Difficulty Rating: C
Lujiao was vomiting to death.
It was just a C-rank mission, not counting the newly acquired three-bars, so splitting the reward between the three of them was barely enough. Somehow, over a hundred people showed up to compete for it, many of them clearly higher in rank than him!
Then what are you fighting for?!
The crazy ghoul looked huge and terrifying, but C-level was still C-level, and the players in the courtyard could easily deal with it. Those of them who arrived late couldn't even get a sip of soup.
"Brother Lu, why don't we retreat?" said Balpi.
Lu Jiao looked at Lin Ci, but Lin Ci did not object.
well!
Lujiao sighed and was about to turn around and leave when someone bumped into him.
"Brother Lu! The ghouls are out, why aren't they going in yet?" Paopao was extremely anxious. "I called my brothers over too!"
"Your brother?" Lu Jiao frowned.
Before he could finish his words, another black shadow rushed towards him at an astonishing speed, then suddenly stopped, bringing a gust of wind in his face.
Paopao nodded vigorously: "Yes, my brother, Wang Da... Hammer!"
-
Beside the vast barren wheat fields, the flour mill with red brick walls is almost completely occupied by ghouls.
The ghoul's size continued to expand amidst its rapid transformation. Its densely packed, massive arms now filled the entire factory area, and its height grew to 20 to 30 meters. Only the head on its back remained unchanged, retaining its humanoid form.
Others don’t recognize that frightened face, but Paopao does - haha.
Before dawn, Haha naturally resurrected. An Rou did not let Bao Fu and Wang Da eat all of his soul, leaving a trace.
Even a tiny trace of soul was enough to create a new ghoul. It was irrational, its movements stiff, and after being taken to a deserted factory, it wandered aimlessly. From a distance, it resembled a ghostly shadow.
Because it is parasitic in the body of the Chosen One, its level can barely reach C level.
Such a ghoul naturally couldn't withstand the siege of the players. A wild guest, two Ori players, and three silver players rushed into the flour mill at the same time, killing its parasite in one encounter, causing it to undergo a violent transformation.
Outside the courtyard wall, Lu Jiao waved his hands to block the flying brick fragments and glared at Paopao: "You still have brothers?!"
If you have brothers, you should team up and complete the mission as soon as you get the clue!
“Yes… yes,” Paopao couldn’t think of how to explain it for a moment, so he simply changed the subject. “The ghoul’s transformation is almost complete. Brother Lu, let’s go in quickly!”
Lujiao broke free from his hand. "What's the point of going in? The only one who moves faster than me is Baiyin. There are several of them in there. Can we rob them all? The mission will be over soon!"
Paopao shook his head: "If it was going to end, it would have ended a long time ago. The ghoul's crazy transformation period is the best time to strangle it, isn't it?!"
"You mean..." Lu Jiao seemed to realize something and opened the task details. The number of ghouls listed on it suddenly became "2/2".
Lin Ci looked up at the huge octopus that had entered the mountain: "The people inside are raising Gu."
Seeing the terrifying momentum of the crazy ghoul, he deliberately delayed time, forcing low-level players to rush in and die. Every time the ghoul devoured a player's soul, the hidden reward would increase by one point.
Balpi said in surprise: "Aren't they afraid of losing control?!"
Lin Ci shook his head. "With hundreds of players surrounding them, it's impossible for them to lose control. They calculated this."
Paopao nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, this is our chance! They want to raise it, but we won't. Let's rush in and kill the ghoul while they're unprepared! Not to mention the gold coin and item rewards, whoever kills the ghoul will get a lot more experience! For this reason alone, our trip won't be in vain!"
"If that's the case, the people inside must be prepared. They'll stop anyone rushing in before this ghoul completes its transformation. Even if they can't stop it, with their level, they'll definitely be able to kill the ghoul before anyone else." Shikaku said, "How can we possibly beat them?"
"It's possible to snatch it!"
Paopao pushed Wang Da in front of him: "My friend is gold!"
Not only Lujiao and Balpi, but even Lin Ci looked a little shocked.
"gold?"
No one believed it. If there really was a gold-level brother in Three Bars, this mission would have been completed long ago. Why would they wait until now?
Deer Horn: "It's not that I don't trust you, brother, but... let's take a look at the level?"
His reaction was within Paopao's expectations. Paopao swallowed and looked at Wang Da.
This was Wang Da's first time disguising himself as a player, and this was his biggest test. He had no screen, no ID, and no level, so the slightest mistake would expose his true identity.
More and more players arrived, and upon seeing the Octopus Ghoul, they all stopped outside the courtyard. To Wang Da, each one exuded an incomparably alluring soul fragrance!
It's like a rice bug that fell into a full rice jar!
Wang Da's eyes were red, and his teeth were clattering. In Paopao's eyes, he was on the verge of losing control. But he also knew that there was an invisible rope across the ten kilometers, tightly tying Wang Da's nerves and preventing him from losing his mind.
Wang Da's furious expression clearly showed that he was angry, in the eyes of Lujiao and others.
Balpi laughed dryly: "That... Brother Wang Dachui, Brother Lu is just..."
"I'm Akane!"
Wang shouted angrily, his voice so loud that it immediately attracted the attention of other players nearby.
"What did you say, buddy? Huang Jin?"
"Huang, does it mean gold?"
"That's impossible... Gold is also trying to grab a C-rank mission?"
"That's hard to say. Even a mosquito leg is meat. Who wouldn't want to earn some pocket money?"
…
What's it like to be stared at by food? Anyway, Wang Da couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his hand and conjured a huge black hammer, and the hammer head emitted a dim skill light.
With a loud bang, a huge gap was smashed in the factory wall.
“Brother, brother!”
Paopao didn't catch up, and saw Wang Da rushing into the factory yard. He stomped his feet and said to Lu Jiao, "Brother Lu, hurry up and catch up!"
He chased in first.
Lu Jiao looked at Lin Ci: "Orange weapon?"
Lin Ci frowned and thought: "At least, maybe it's Huang Wu."
"Then what are we waiting for? He really is gold! With gold leading the charge, we have nothing to fear!"
Balpi threw down a word and followed in first.
The courtyard was narrow, and next to it stood a single-story house. "Warehouse" was written on the rotting double wooden doors. On the ground, sticky tentacles slowly moved.
Paopao had already chased for a while and turned back to shout at them, "Don't worry about the tentacles. The main body of the ghoul is in the flour mill. Brother Wang has already rushed over!"
"Hurry, it's too late and the ghoul will be gone!"
Paopao shouted so loudly that the players wandering outside the yard could also hear it.
"Let's go too!"
"Yeah, if that guy is really gold, once he starts fighting with the people inside, that'll be our chance!"
"Let's go and fish in troubled waters!"
…
Shouts rang out intensively, and no matter they were strangers or guild players, people outside the courtyard who knew each other formed temporary teams, some jumped over the wall, some poured in from the gap.
As a result, the three people from Lujiao did not dare to hesitate any longer. They suddenly increased their speed and chased after Paopao.
In a blink of an eye, Paopao disappeared.
The flour mill was a long, spacious building with a gabled roof covered in brown and yellow tiles. It looked like it had two stories, but in reality, it had only one. At first glance, there were many doors on a long brick wall.
"Did you two see clearly which door the three-bar guy entered from?" Lujiao was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. A large number of players rushed over from behind.
"I...didn't see it clearly either..." said Balpi.
Lin Ci took a calm look and said, "It must be the nearest gate. He is of low level and can't run very fast."
Before he finished speaking, he rushed towards a tilted, broken door. The rotten door panel was still trembling slightly.
"It's here!" he said, pausing slightly before entering the door.
Deerhorn quickly caught up and disappeared behind the door.
Balpibi took a few steps back from Lujiao and shouted, "Wait..."
The word "I" was swallowed back into the stomach.
The stench of damp and decay assaulted his nostrils. In the shadows behind the door, the terrified faces of Lu Jiao and Lin Ci caught his eye. A hand gripped their necks, and a faint glow streamed down the veined hands, toward the people behind them.
Wang Dachui... No, he's not human, he's a ghoul! In his hands, there's a glimmer of soul!
Balpi was frightened. He saw Wang Da clasp his hands together, and Lujiao and Lin Ci's heads collided with each other like two broken watermelons.
Juice splashed.
The smell of the hot, fishy liquid brought Balpi back to his senses. He instinctively opened his mouth, but a sudden, icy touch sank into the back of his neck. A screen popped up, indicating he was under attack and his health was plummeting.
He stretched his eyes to the limit, and finally caught a glimpse of a familiar face in his peripheral vision.
"Three..."
"Sorry, my name is not Three Stripes." Paopao smiled and looked at Wang Da, "He found out, so he can't stay."
Wang Da threw away the two corpses that were beginning to mutate wildly, stretched out his hand, and pressed down Balpi's face with his five fingers like claws.
The glimmer of the soul lights up again.
Swish, Paopao pulled out the Seven Souls Sword from the back of Balpi's neck.
"As expected of Lan Wu!"
No wonder the boss, who is at such a high level, never fights people head-on, but stabs people in the back. It's so convenient and cool!
"That's enough! The people behind us are catching up soon! Wang Da, let's go!"
The plot against the three Lujiao people took only a moment. Outside, a large number of players had already arrived at the flour mill.
Some people were about to rush into the nearest door when suddenly, an outer wall not far away was smashed to pieces and two figures fell out in a mess.
“Damn it!” Paopao cursed and looked at the players, “There was more than one ghoul. I almost got killed here!”
More than one?
Could it be that someone inside has been poisoned and transformed into a ghoul?
"Look at the wide screen!" Wang Da suddenly roared, fiercely, "Details of the mission!"
Now, everyone could hear his unique "dialect" accent.
Paopao looked at Wang Da in surprise, and realized belatedly that, yes, Wang Da was the boss's puppet, so why was he giving blind orders before!
The players suddenly became agitated.
"Five, the number of ghouls has become five!"
"Fuck, are they all raised from Gu? The ones inside are too cruel!"
"No, there must have been a fight going on inside. There were more people who arrived first than we thought!"
"Hiss—I'm just a bronze player. I can't afford to offend you. I'm retreating first..."
"Let's retreat a few hairs. We have more people, how can we be afraid of him?! At worst, we can combine several teams into a large team and attack together!"
"I agree!"
"I agree, the three of us!"
"The five of us, Ouli and Yinlai's brothers, will join the temporary team!"
"Wild man, come to my place, don't let the guild get there first!"
…
Shouts rang out one after another, but before they could form a large-scale temporary team, the tentacles on the ground suddenly twitched.
A dull and angry roar erupted from high above.
The ghoul transformation is complete!
The tentacles, as thick as a human waist, suddenly came alive, like countless vines growing on the ground, wrapping around everything they could in the blink of an eye!
The scene suddenly became chaotic, with players wielding various weapons and activating their skills to save themselves. Fortunately, the Octopus Ghoul was only C-rank, and its tentacles were not very tough, so they could be easily cut off without using any skills.
But breaking off countless tentacles is only a minor injury to the octopus, as its main body is high up. Just like a person, you can chop off their fingers countless times without killing them.
This ghoul's attack power is not strong, but its self-healing ability is extremely strong. New tentacles quickly extended from the broken end and kept wrapping around the players.
The player felt relieved and less afraid. Then he remembered to ask a key question: "Where are the other three?"
But outside that broken wall, where are the shadows of Paopao and Wang Da?
Outside the courtyard wall, more and more players rushed to the flour mill and saw the octopus's huge tentacles waving in the air. Wherever the tentacles landed, the house was shattered like a cardboard box, and debris flew everywhere.
No one was afraid, only excited.
When they see the octopus, they will get the mission details. In the mission details, the number of ghouls makes them realize that this time they may not only drink soup, but also eat meat!
Everyone rushed forward.
The already dilapidated flour mill was reduced to rubble. Some abilities, imbued with fire, quickly ignited everything. Flames erupted, smoke filled the air, and vision was obstructed, muddying the waters.
No one paid attention to Paopao anymore, and the high-level gold player who was competing with low-level players for food.
The two of them dashed through the throng, leaving behind corpses and terrified faces wherever they passed. When other players discovered their companions had transformed into ghouls, their first instinct was to kill them without hesitation.
When the parasite dies, the ghoul transforms wildly. Kill the wildly transformed ghoul and gold coins will appear everywhere.
Faced with wealth within reach, few could maintain their composure. This low-level, hidden mission, beginning at a hidden point, gradually evolved into a ghoul wave.
A player distractedly glanced at the mission details and exclaimed in shock, "23! 23 ghouls! The mission level has been raised to A!"
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