Chapter 3 (Minor Repair)

Hongqiang Consultation.

Qiu Yufei certainly remembered this name. Not long ago, she was so scared by a related ghost story that she didn't even dare to walk alone at night.

"This, this should be fake, right?" She tried hard to suppress the chills on her back and struggled to find a reasonable explanation, "Maybe it's just a temporary decoration? Aren't Xiao Zhang and the others filming at Hongqiang's place? Maybe they need to shoot some more shots, so they have to make the next scene..."

"Forget it, they didn't come back when we left after work." Xu Ming rudely exposed her self-deceiving thoughts, and at the same time reached out and firmly held Qiu Yufei's shrunken shoulders.

"At this moment, there's no point in being anxious. Let's think about what to do next."

"What to do..." Qiu Yufei's face became uglier, "Apart from running, is there any other way?"

"I think it will be difficult to run directly." Xu Ming said honestly, "You saw it just now. If you go back, you will return to that unlit corridor..."

At present, the only suspected exits that have been encountered are the elevator and the corridor entrance. But the elevator cannot be used, and the corridor...

Xu Ming is still concerned about the previous notice. Moreover, the information about the corridor is obviously insufficient.

Looking inside through the glass wall again, Xu Ming finally made up his mind and stretched out his hand to push open the door in front of him.

Qiu Yufei on the side was startled:

"Wait, Teacher Mingming, are you sure you want to go in? This is the Ghost Company!"

"I know, but there is nowhere else to go. And my phone is running out of battery. At least there is a light here." Xu Ming poked his head in and looked around. "If you are scared, wait for me outside."

Qiu Yufei: "..."

It is impossible to wait, absolutely impossible to wait! In such a horrible scene, the first principle of saving life is to never be alone. You have to squeeze into a cubicle when going to the toilet!

Qiu Yufei gritted her teeth and followed closely. Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the door, she heard a "beep" behind her. She turned her head hurriedly, and after a moment, she retracted her gaze stiffly.

"Well, that, Mingming..."

She tried not to cry: "The electronic lock of the gate locked itself..."

"Found it." Xu Ming responded, and took out his mobile phone to check it out out of habit, and then quickly put it away. "Don't worry, since you didn't die immediately after entering, it means there is still a chance to fight. Look around first, maybe there will be some useful clues."

"Ah, you mean we have to look around?" Qiu Yufei swallowed, "What if we encounter something strange again..."

"If you can fight, fight, if you can't fight, run away. You have practiced, so what are you afraid of?" Xu Ming said.

She and Qiu Yufei were classmates in college for four years, and they still had some idea of ​​each other's real fighting ability - this girl is a family-inherited Wing Chun, and she also went to the Sanda Club in college.

"..." Thinking of the scene where she kicked the head off something just now, Qiu Yufei seemed to calm down a little. Xu Ming added, "And think on the bright side, at least the scene here is not bad. At least it looks pretty good." Although it looks

similar to Xiaolu Media from the outside, the actual space is much larger. At a glance, there are rows of workstations, neat and tidy, and there is also a special tea area and reception room... The most important thing is that it is still very clean.

"So what if there is, you have to dare to use it." Qiu Yufei whispered, "Like the water in the tea room, even if there is, do you dare to drink it?"

"Water is fine, even if you drink it, it's not a big problem." Xu Ming looked around and said, "Just don't eat anything else. Food is the second most dangerous thing."

This is her experience - at least in her past experience, the water and electricity in the strange area can be directly used.

Of course there will be side effects. If you drink the water, you will catch a cold, have a fever, or have allergies when you go out; and if electronic products are charged in such a place, they will basically be useless when you go out.

But Xu Ming didn't care about it. She only had a mobile phone with her, and she had planned to change it a long time ago.

The only relatively troublesome thing was food other than water - you never know what kind of disgusting things those bright and beautiful foods are in essence, and what kind of price you will pay after eating them.

The good news is that according to her experience, living people will not be hungry in the ghost story area. So as long as you control your appetite, the problem shouldn't be a big deal...

Xu Ming was reviewing silently in his mind, but Qiu Yufei was a little surprised and instinctively asked: "Food is the second most dangerous thing? Then what is the first most dangerous thing?"

Xu Ming looked at her and didn't hide it. He said directly: "Rules."

Qiu Yufei: "......?"

"Regulations, notices, suggestions, and various notes. To put it broadly, all information that can be read and understood is risky." Xu Ming said, and suddenly stopped his patrol, raised his hand and pointed at the wall in front of him:

"Look, it's like this."

"......?" Qiu Yufei was startled and subconsciously looked over. There was a neat A4 paper on the front wall - the top line of big characters clearly read:

"Hongqiang Consulting Employee Code of Conduct (Simplified)"

*

【Hongqiang Consulting Employee Code of Conduct:

【1. Go to work and leave on time, do not be late or leave early.

【2. Obey all arrangements of the company. Actively complete daily work.

【3. If the work of the day is not completed, employees should voluntarily apply for overtime until the work is completed before they can punch out of work.

【4. Anyone can use the conference room. If you need to use it, please turn the sign of the conference room to [Occupied]. If the single use time exceeds half an hour, please fill out the "Conference Room Use Application Form". Only after passing it can you use the designated conference room.

【5. Please do not enter the conference room that shows [Occupied]. Anyone who is not invited to attend the meeting is not allowed to enter the [Occupied] conference room.

【6. Please do not occupy the conference room alone. Waste is a shameful behavior.

【7. During special periods, the conference room will be suspended. Please pay attention to notifications at all times.

【8. If you encounter any problems in your work or life, you can ask the relevant department personnel by email, or directly check the full version of the "Employee Code of Conduct"

【9. Please wear your ID card at all times during your stay in the company. 】

"..."

"Is this the rule?" Qiu Yufei whispered, "Does it mean that we have to do what it says?"

Xu Ming: "Not necessarily, but violating it may be risky, but complying with it may not necessarily bring benefits." Everything needs to be considered.

"But how do we calculate the binding force of this?" Qiu Yufei showed a worried look on her face. "Like here, it says that other beings cannot enter the conference room after it is occupied. This should refer to more than just humans, right? But how can we be sure that those who are not human... will also abide by it?"

"It depends on whether the rules are effective." Xu Ming sighed, "If it is ineffective, then anyone can violate it. If it is effective, then everyone must abide by it."

She didn't know where this strong binding force came from, but at least the ghost stories she had experienced before all followed this rule.

But this does not mean that the rules can be relied upon. After all, those who make the rules are those non-human beings, and they are based on their own interests - all living people can do is to try their best to figure out and use it.

Xu Ming pondered and lowered his head. Not surprisingly, he found that a thin work badge had appeared on his chest.

The same was true for Qiu Yufei. Xu Ming picked up his own card and looked at it carefully. Inside the plastic-sealed card holder were a few clear lines of handwriting:

[Name: Gu Ming]

[Department: Art Department]

[Work Number: GM0031]

[Affiliated Unit: Hongqiang Consulting]

Above the words was a one-inch black-and-white photo. Her face in the photo was stiff, but there was a strange smile on the corner of her mouth. There were clusters of flowers and chrysanthemums blooming next to the portrait -

in a way, she looked like she had passed away peacefully.

The same was true for Qiu Yufei's photo, and she was obviously greatly stimulated by this ominous photo, and her face quickly turned pale.

Just when Xu Ming thought she had fallen into fear again, he heard her speak again, and for some reason, her voice suddenly became much calmer.

"Teacher Mingming." She stared at the photo seriously and spoke in a low voice, "I want to ask, those rules you just mentioned, are they all true? Are they not made up to scare me?"

"..." Xu Ming looked at her in surprise, pondered for a moment, and shook his head, "Well, no."

"Then on your birthday in your sophomore year, you drank too much and talked nonsense." Qiu Yufei continued, "At that time you said that you often encountered supernatural events when you were a child - this is also true, right?"

After a pause, Xu Ming nodded lightly: "Well, this is."

"...Okay, I understand."

Qiu Yufei said, exhaled deeply, and then threw away the work badge, and the badge hanging around her neck shook lightly.

"Then I'll listen to you in everything that happens next." She said slowly, her voice still a little tense, but she tried to remain calm, "Tell me, what do I need to do? I'll do whatever you say."

Xu Ming: "..."

"In that case." She stretched out her hand decisively, "Then give me five thousand first..."

"But if you insist on being clever, I will still beat you." Qiu Yufei added in time.

"…"

"I just want you to relax a little." Xu Ming muttered, "and you're so stiff all of a sudden, it's weird. I have to make sure you're okay first…"

"As for what to do next, didn't I say it before? Don't be afraid, and - look for clues."

Qiu Yufei: "…?"

"Fear is a crack in the human heart. The more afraid you are, the more it can affect you." Xu Ming's tone became serious, "So, although it's difficult, try not to be afraid.

"If you're really scared, come to me, I'm very experienced in this area."

"Also, I don't know if you noticed…" She said, motioning Qiu Yufei to take out her cell phone. The latter glanced at the screen and her face changed instantly.

"…The time has changed." Qiu Yufei whispered.

They got off work on Sunday night, but the time on the phone was now Monday morning, 10:45.

As for the date, it was completely blurred and couldn't be seen at all.

"Yeah. "Xu Ming nodded," The time in the phone has changed, and this change is not meaningless, so we can focus on looking for clues about the time later. The content about 'work' also needs further confirmation. And that is--"

Qiu Yufei: "Hmm?"

"...Rules."

Blinking, Xu Ming uttered these two words again.

Qiu Yufei was stunned: "What?"

"I said there are more rules to find next." Xu Ming said softly, "Regulations, notices, proposals, and various notes. To put it broadly, all information that can be read and understood--find as much as you can. "

"Our chance of survival may lie in those rules. "

*

At the same time. In another room far away.

The room was dark, with only the computer screen flickering. Two bloated figures were sitting in front of the screen, one seemed to be eating noodles, making slurping sounds, and the other had both legs on the computer desk, staring at the computer screen boredly, and suddenly laughed.

But on the screen, it was a partial scene of Hongqiang Company - from a 45-degree overlooking angle, you could just see Xu Ming and Qiu Yufei who were talking.

There was no sound in the video, only Xu Ming could be seen taking out a charger from his bag while talking.

"What are you laughing at?" A graceful figure came into the room silently, leaning forward, with her slender arms gently resting on the laughing person.

"Looking at a fool. "The man continued laughing and pointed his finger at her, "This idiot wants to use the socket in the ghost story area to charge."

"...Huh?" The woman looked up and sneered lightly, "Maybe I just don't know the price of doing so, and it's worth your laugh."

She stood up leisurely, turned to the side, and sat in the armchair in the corner: "Is this Hongqiang? It looks like an ordinary tree that is still thriving. Is it worth staring at it specifically?"

"Haven't you heard about the recent rumors? "The man looked at her and grinned, "Some humans have melted out a rule book with predictive power, and the first prophecy given by that thing is -

"Rule Book No. 9 will appear in a strange area in this city between April and May."

"Rule Book No. 9?" The woman sat up slightly, "The prediction is so accurate?" "

Anyway, this is the prophecy we got." The man sighed and asked, "Do you know Rule Book No. 9?"

"No, but I know that if I can get this numbered rule book, the effect must be very special." The woman rolled her eyes and scanned the screen, "So, why did you choose Hongqiang Company?"

"It's not a choice. This broken computer can randomly observe the strange story area within a certain range. I wanted to find a 'live broadcast' to eat and look for clues, and I just happened to cut into this area." The man said, patted the computer and smiled, "It's useful, right? I snatched it from another strange story area."

"It's ugly." The woman was very frank, and then said, "Did you gain anything? Is there anyone with a rule book in this area?"

"Maybe. In addition to these two weaklings, there are four other living people here. I'm optimistic about one of the big guys - how about guessing?"

He laughed again: "Guess, who among these living people will be 'eaten' first? I bet on her... oh no, bet on her."

He stretched out his hand and poked at the screen. He originally wanted to point at Qiu Yufei, but after thinking about it, he turned his finger to Xu Ming next to him.

"This one looks weaker." He gave his evaluation loudly.

The woman looked at him and her mouth turned down slightly. The man seemed to sense her disapproval, sneered, and patted his companion who was slurping noodles next to him: "If you don't believe me - come, Big Eyes, take a look at these two women. Tell me, what key words can you read from them?"

"..." The man who was slurping the food raised his head unhappily, but still looked over as he was told. Dozens of eyes on his face squirmed in a group, making a sticky sound, and after a moment, he finally gave his answer.

"...fist." He stretched out his swollen finger, pointed at Qiu Yufei from a distance, and then slowly moved his finger to Xu Ming, giving the key word he read from her:

"Idiot."

"..."

"See, what did I say!"

The woman fell silent, but the man seemed very happy and laughed like a duck again.