Chapter 15

Although it may not be polite to say so, Xu Ming actually did not have high expectations for the fighting power of the thing downstairs.

After all, from the diary on the first floor, the abnormal existence that could disguise as a security guard sneaked into this building halfway, and was suppressed by the cleaning team in the early stage, until the cleaning team was unfortunately deceived and weakened, and then found an opportunity to counterattack. And the voice in her mind said that even if it got the work card, it could not enter the company - from this point of view, its strength is not as good as the original cleaning team.

Therefore, when she heard the passionate broadcast from her mind, telling her that the thing actually fought back and forth with Hongqiang's original body, she was surprised.

"Is this true?" Xu Ming was surprised as he hurried to the archive room, "Was it hiding its strength before?"

"No, it should have made up for it." The voice in his mind said, "Many of those staying in the escape passage now are dead people that Hongqiang has tamed himself. For other abnormal beings, these are also nutrients worth plundering."

In other words, for the thing downstairs, the current situation is to fight and replenish, eat while moving... It will definitely help to improve its strength.

"From the perspective of interests, this is also a rare opportunity to make up for the loss, so even if we have to take a few hits, we have to bite a few more times, which will only intensify the control over Hongqiang..." The voice in the mind murmured, and suddenly with a sigh, "Okay, is this also in your calculation?"

Xu Ming: ...

No, you may not believe it. My calculations are actually just dog-eat-dog.

I didn't think so much, really.

During the communication, Xu Ming had already arrived at the archive room - because she could not perceive the drastic changes in Hongqiang, her steps were always steady, so that when she left the meeting room, she was still at the end, but by the time she arrived at the archive room, she had already moved to the first place.

As soon as the door of the filing room was opened, the first thing that came out was thick smoke. Otter wanted to help press the door, but before his hand touched the door panel, he felt a burning sensation. Yuan Jiayi next to him could no longer bear it and squatted down with her mouth and nose covered.

Seeing this, Xu Ming had to change his plan temporarily. He ordered the others to move out, turned around and went into the filing room alone. He gritted his teeth and rummaged around for a while, and soon got out holding the printer and computer.

"Quick, quick, quick - where is the USB drive?"

Insert the USB drive, read it smoothly, and press print. The light of the printer connected by blood vessels flashed several times, and a tooth-grinding clicking sound was emitted from the inside. After a moment, under the tense gaze of the crowd, it actually began to slowly spit out paper——

"...Done!"

As the first piece of paper was gradually spit out, Qiu Yufei couldn't help shouting:

"It says Demolition Office! It has not been changed!"

Photos, names... all the necessary information is there, without any mistakes or omissions-

this method works!

"Don't be too happy too soon." Xu Ming said faintly, and pulled down the first piece of paper that was printed, "It's Otter's. Do you want to try it first?"

"..."

Otter's face changed, but he still nodded.

——There are a total of six work cards being printed at the moment. The order of the second to fifth cards was randomly arranged, only the first and sixth were decided after serious discussion by everyone.

The sixth card belongs to Xu Ming. Because once the environment changes, she can hold on the longest, and is suitable to be the last one.

The first card belongs to Otter. The reason is even simpler, because among the people other than Xu Ming, he is the most daring.

For example now -

after hurriedly stuffing the printed paper into the shell of the work card that Xu Ming brought out, Otter hung it around his neck without hesitation, and then took off the one that originally belonged to Hongqiang.

The work card with "Strange Talk Demolition and Relocation Office" written on it swayed gently on his chest. After a moment, Otter finally let out a sigh of relief.

"There is no punishment." He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, "This counts, this ID card counts!"

"That's fine." Xu Ming said, and quickly pulled out a newly printed piece of paper, "Then get ready, those who have updated their ID cards go directly out and walk towards the elevator. Get off if you can."

"Ah?" Hei Zai was stunned, "Aren't we going together?"

"Do you think this is suitable for walking together?" Xu Ming didn't even raise his head, "It spits out slowly." It has

just printed the third sheet of paper, but looking at the expressions of Yuan Jiayi and Xiao Wang, it is obvious that they are already very uncomfortable.

Hei Zai frowned, obviously not wanting to accept this result. He opened his mouth to say something, but was choked and coughed. Qiu Yufei quickly pulled him down a little, and gave him a towel wet with mineral water, and pointed outside with great effort.

Not far away, several charred figures were walking around by themselves, their feet numb and looming.

"It's okay." She said firmly, "Just listen to her."

Let's go when it's ready, no need to wait!

"..." Heizi pressed the tissue on his nose, frowned, and finally said nothing.

On the other side, Otter and Yuan Jiayi, who had changed into new work badges, had already run out in a very cooperative manner. The third one was barely printed out. Xu Ming rubbed his fingers and waited in front of the computer. He waited for another three minutes before finally sending Heizi and Xiao Wang away.

Qiu Yufei's was the second to last one, and it took another three minutes for her to finish printing - if it was just a guess before, then Xu Ming was sure at this point.

The speed of this printer is gradually slowing down.

No matter what, at least the first five sheets were all spit out. She helped Qiu Yufei quickly change her work badge, watched her run out of the door, turned back to look at the printer, but was stunned.

In the printer, the sixth document had just been printed. But it didn't move. It

just stopped there, motionless.

"... Damn!" Xu Ming couldn't help but curse, raised his hand and knocked on the printer, "What's the matter? Paper jam?"

"... No." The voice in his mind suddenly lowered, "It's back."

"What--Gosh." Xu Ming's expression changed before he finished speaking.

Because of her idiotic characteristics, she couldn't sense the thick smoke and high temperature around her, nor could she hear the shrill screams coming from the corridor. But even so, she still heard it just now.

There was a loud bang.

It was the sound of the fire door that she had locked being violently broken open.

Xu Ming's heart began to pound wildly, and the voice in his head was even more panicked:

"It's back! Hurry up and leave!

"Idiots are not omnipotent. With a monster of its size, if it really wants to attack you, you may not be immune to it—"

Not to mention that the guy must be very angry now—even if he hides here, he can feel the anger overflowing from the other party.

The anger of being offended by ants.

"Is it a matter of whether I want to leave or not?" Xu Ming was confused for a moment, "It won't print new work badges now! Without a work badge, I still can't leave—?"

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Xu Ming fell silent.

The voice in the mind slowly typed out a question mark, and after another two seconds, Xu Ming spoke thoughtfully:

"I remember that the standard for a work badge is that it is a rectangular object with complete information, worn on the chest, and produced by a specific computer, right?"

Voice: "..."

"It seems so." It paused subtly, "What do you want to do?"

Xu Ming did not speak, but stared silently at the computer in front of him.

A specific computer.

Square.

The screen was displaying her work badge document, with complete and clear information.

Xu Ming: ...

The next moment, she decisively unplugged the keyboard connected to the computer, picked up the display in front of her, held it against her chest, with the screen facing outward, and ran away!

- Did anyone stipulate that a work badge must be a card?

- No one!

What's even better is that this computer only has one screen, it's not very heavy, and it doesn't need to be plugged in, so it's very brisk to run with - in a blink of an eye, Xu Ming rushed to the company gate and rushed out without looking back.

The display screen in her hand was still connected to a thick blood vessel, and at the other end of the blood vessel was the printer with paper jammed. She dragged it unceremoniously at her heel, rubbing it on the ground, and rolling with a ping-pong sound from time to time.

After leaving the company gate, the advantages of this display screen became more obvious. The bright light illuminated the ground, and there was no need to turn on the flashlight. Xu Ming used this little light and walked towards the elevator based on his memory. When he quickly ran around a corner, he suddenly shivered.

"Strange." She frowned, "I just felt a ball of heat."

"Not strange." The voice in her mind said faintly, "You just ran directly past the main body of Hongqiang."

Xu Ming: ... ...

? ? ?

"It even looked at you in shock." The voice continued, "Can you still feel that heat now?"

Xu Ming: "... Yeah."

To be precise, it was hot wind. Following closely behind her, her back was blown a little hot, as if a huge beast was breathing at her.

"That's right." The tone of the voice became a little subtle, "It's chasing you from behind."

Xu Ming: ...

"How petty." She criticized it harshly in her heart, "Small-minded."

"No, this is really not its problem..." The voice in her mind became more subtle, paused, and suddenly sighed.

"'Root' is a natural existence, a kind of energy host." It said slowly.

...?

Xu Ming was stunned for a moment, not understanding why it suddenly brought up this.

"Roots only accompany the dead and have the power to influence the rules. Some people will automatically have 'roots' after death, while some 'roots' are gradually condensed after a large number of dead people gather. The latter are often the basis for supporting a strange area - only with the support of rules can the area be established. And 'roots' are the premise for the birth of rules, and are also the only tool that can influence the rules.

"So, 'roots' are very important things." The voice concluded.

Xu Ming: ...

silently hugged the display screen in her arms, she tried her best to remain calm: "So what? What does this have to do with me?"

Voice: "...what else?"

Voice: "Otherwise, what do you think this thing you are holding and running is? ! "

Xu Ming:…………

Why are you yelling at me! You didn't tell me before!

The voice was even more broken: "I didn't expect you to steal other people's things and run away!"

Logically speaking, this thing is generally not stealable. Apart from other things, the rules of the archive room alone are fatal enough - but Xu Ming is an idiot, who can't see anything and doesn't have to care about anything.

What is ignorance and fearlessness!

But whether this rule can work now is hard to say - sensing the tremendous anger erupting from the existence behind it, even though it has hidden in Xu Ming's bag, it still can't suppress the urge to tremble.

It's because it has no skin, otherwise Xu Ming's bag would be full of goose bumps now.

"You can't do this!" It said anxiously, "It won't let you go! Idiots can't protect you! "

Even if you can run to the elevator, do you think it will give you a chance to go up?"

"What can I do!" Xu Ming thought, "Can I return it?"

It's impossible to return it, not in this lifetime. Xu Ming gritted her teeth and continued to rush forward, but she had to admit that the voice was right.

The thing behind her, the huge body, was obviously staring at her to death.

The perceptible heat has become more and more obvious. If it was just hot wind before, now it feels more like someone holding a torch and burning her clothes.

The burning feeling is so close that she would be burned if she is a little slower.

...It should be OK, I can handle it!

Suppressing the fear in her heart, Xu Ming quickly made a judgment - try to maintain this speed, the opponent at least can't keep up!

The only thing that worries her is how to get on the elevator. She definitely doesn't have the time to wait for the elevator to come up and the door to open, and she can't further distance herself to buy time. The only way is to rush to the elevator door and press it, then change direction and walk it for a while, until the elevator door opens, and then go up on time...

In theory, it should work, but it's a bit difficult. It's hard to say whether her physical strength can hold on for that long... But there is no other way now.

The only thing that can be regarded as a prop in her hand seems to be the book of rules number nine. But there is no instruction for that thing, and she hasn't figured out how to use it yet, so she is not sure whether it is reliable...

Xu Ming closed his eyes helplessly, and turned another corner under the guidance of the voice in his mind. When he saw the end of the corridor, he was stunned.

There was no light in this area, but there was a clear light at the end of the corridor.

The light came from inside the elevator.

...It was Qiu Yufei!

She was standing in the elevator, pressing the elevator button tightly while looking out, as if she was nervously waiting for something.

When she saw Xu Ming coming, her expression was obviously relaxed; but after looking behind Xu Ming, the whole person froze in an instant.

"——Close the door!"

It was Xu Ming who reacted first. He rushed to the elevator and shouted, "Close the door, close the door quickly——"

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already flashed to the door and jumped in without hesitation, holding the computer. As soon as his front foot entered the door, he heard the elevator door buzzing inwards——

With a "bang", the elevator door seemed to be caught by something and bounced heavily to both sides.

Xu Ming turned his head in shock. Qiu Yufei, who was standing next to him, had already come to her senses, picked up a bottle of mineral water, and swung it with her backhand:

"White Crane Spreads Wings——"

There was another "bang", as if something retreated out from the gap in the door. The elevator door finally closed and the car began to sink.

Xu Ming froze in place holding the computer, his heart still pounding. In the narrow space, only the heavy breathing of the two people could be heard.

After a while, Xu Ming slowly said: "The move you just used was not the White Crane Spreading Wings at all."

That was a Tai Chi move. And she was just smashing the bottle.

"I know." Qiu Yufei's hands were still shaking, her face was pale, "I just shouted casually. I just wanted to show some momentum."

Xu Ming: ...

Xu Ming: "Where did you get the mineral water?"

"I got it when I was running away. I'm afraid I will need a wet towel later, so I'll be more at ease." Qiu Yufei said, looking over with a blank face, "What about you? Where did you get the computer?"

Xu Ming: ...

You may not believe it, but I got it when I was running away.

In fact, it wasn't just the computer - the printer that was tightly connected to the computer was also dragged into the elevator after being bumpy all the way. Now the indicator light on it is still on.

The elevator is still sinking. Across the elevator car, roars and screams can be faintly heard from afar. The car shakes from time to time, giving people a feeling that it will collapse at any time.

Xu Ming's throat rolled, and he looked at the computer in his arms, and then remembered the topic about "roots" that the voice just said, and suddenly he nodded.

"Eh." She asked quietly in her mind, "What should I do with this thing later?"

"...How should I know." The voice was also a little dazed, as if numb, "You are a human, you can't use this thing directly. You can only use it to feed the rule book..."

Hello? What's the hello?

Xu Ming was stunned again, but at this moment, he heard Qiu Yufei exclaimed and looked over nervously.

"Mingming! Your bag!"

...? ?

Xu Ming lowered his head in surprise, and then he found that the color of his handbag had become a little darker. After looking carefully for a while, he roughly saw that it was a dark reddish color.

The dark red color spread across a large area and was still dripping down.

However, the picture Xu Ming saw was not so detailed, but it was certain that something must be causing trouble in the bag.

She frowned, wrapped one hand around the computer in her arms, and used the other hand to search, and soon took out her primary suspect.

That notebook, the rule book number nine.

The cover of the notebook was still clean, and the wax paper cover was uneven, giving people a faint illusion of flow. However, the side of the notebook was stained with some red liquid, the area was not large, and the color was glaring.

Xu Ming tried to wipe it with her thumb, but failed to wipe it off, but she did rub the folded papers apart a little. She was slightly startled, and quickly tried to pry it open again -

only to see that the notebook, which was so tight that it seemed to be stuck before, could be opened now.

Not only that, there were a lot more words in it. Xu Ming opened it from the middle, and the first thing that came into view was two lines of familiar handwriting:

[Established: Level 3 rules based on: [Strange Stories Demolition and Relocation Office]]

...Okay.

So what does this mean?

Xu Ming took a breath in restraint, and hurriedly flipped the paper with one hand, trying to get more information. Unexpectedly, just after flipping it twice, he heard a clear collapse sound from above, and then the whole car shook heavily again——

"Oh." The voice in his mind rang again, "This matter is really a bit serious."

"Fortunately you came out in time..."

——What?

Xu Ming frowned even more, and just as he asked the question in his consciousness, Qiu Yufei's panicked scream rang in his ears——

The next second, accompanied by a loud bang, the whole car suddenly darkened and fell heavily.

*

At the same time.

Sensitively aware of the huge collapse sound coming from afar, an anxious figure suddenly stopped.

He was a tall young man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, with the upper half of his face hidden by his messy hair and hat, revealing only his smooth lips and chin.

The moment he stopped, he looked in the distance in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing in the night sky full of lights.

Despite this, he frowned, and after a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The travel bag slung over his shoulder suddenly squirmed, and the zipper was pushed open from the inside. A small, fluffy head poked out from inside, sniffed the air everywhere, and then whimpered.

"Hush." ​​The man quickly gestured to it, his voice so low that it seemed like he was talking to himself.

"I know you're anxious. But don't worry."

"She's fine, I can feel it. Be good, we'll go find her now, okay?"

The puppy whimpered a few more times and reluctantly shrank back into the bag. The man breathed a sigh of relief, noticed the curious eyes of passers-by, and quickly lowered his head and pulled down the edge of his hood.

As if this was not enough, he pulled up the zipper of his sweatshirt again - his slender neck was exposed in the action, and a red ribbon was abruptly tied around his Adam's apple. The ribbon was decorated with a golden bell, and on one side of the bell was a sun-engraved "Ming" character.

As the man moved, the bell was completely covered by the raised collar. Immediately afterwards, the hurried footsteps were heard again -

the man was carrying the large travel bag and walking quickly along the street.

The street lights flickered, and soon, no human figure could be seen.