Arc 2: Doll Party
A black jeep drove steadily on the road, the logo of the Jincheng Order Maintenance Department painted on its door.
Zhuang Ningyu was in the back seat, flipping through documents. Eight years ago, there was a very famous bar in Jincheng called Yin Bar. At its peak, it was hard to get a reservation even three months in advance. The bar owner, Tong Yishuai, was said to be as handsome as his name suggested. Coupled with his charming baritone voice, his popularity at the time was comparable to that of a top idol star.
The driver chatted while driving, “Captain Zhuang, have you been to this bar before?”
Zhuang Ningyu closed the folder. “Never been. Have you?”
The driver touched his head in embarrassment. “I actually have, with a few university classmates, just to see what the fuss was about. We couldn’t last half an hour inside before we were awkwardly driven out. A good chunk of a month’s living expenses went down the drain.”
“Awkwardly driven out?”
“Everyone else looked like a star, one more than the next. Only the few of us were plain and simple. Sitting there, we looked like stray dogs. It was too intimidating.”
The main reason for Yin Bar’s fame was indeed that the first floor was filled with handsome men and beautiful women, a feast for the eyes. The bar owner probably wanted to solidify this public impression, which was why he would occasionally launch big promotional events like “get a free drink by checking in with your looks.” Each time, the event was grand. If it coincided with the store’s anniversary, it would set the whole city on fire. It was common for traffic to be backed up for several kilometers, and the government even had to dispatch extra police to maintain order.
This kind of decadent prosperity lasted for three years, and what ended it was a tragic murder case. On the night of the bar’s third anniversary, someone had indiscriminately poisoned the drinks.
At least fifty young men and women died of cyanide poisoning. The happiest paradise turned into the most terrifying hell overnight. A raging fire of unknown origin swept from the bottom floor, making the entire night sky look ferocious and twisted.
The municipal emergency phone was almost overwhelmed by calls from nearby residents.
By the time the police arrived, the fire trucks and ambulances were already at work.
Body after body was covered with a white cloth and carried out.
The last stretcher held the owner, Tong Yishuai. A white cloth covered him from head to toe, with only a charred hand slipping out from the side, convulsed and withered like a chicken’s claw, giving the newly arrived young policeman nightmares for three whole days.
One didn’t need to think to know that this would become a hot topic online. Especially when rumors later spread that the owner’s cause of death was different from the other customers.
The customers were poisoned, while the owner had self-immolated. When he was discovered, his whole body was already burned beyond recognition.
Thus, a new round of heated online discussions began.
Some said the owner had killed the customers. Others said the owner’s enemy had killed both the owner and the customers. There were also those who said the one who self-immolated was not the owner at all, because even if one wanted to commit suicide, most people would choose a more dignified and less painful way to die. Who would choose to be burned alive? So the one who died must have been some unlucky imposter who was caught to take the fall, while the real owner had long since escaped.
It had to be admitted that the netizens’ words had some truth to them. However, the police quickly overturned this speculation, because after forensic investigation, it was confirmed that it was indeed the owner, Tong Yishuai. He was the only one among all the deceased who showed no signs of poisoning.
The autopsy showed vasodilation, blister formation, thermal injury changes in the respiratory tract mucosa, and inhaled soot and carbon particles in the digestive tract. He had indeed died in the fire.
The case remained unsolved to this day. The bar, more than half of which was destroyed by fire, was cordoned off by the government with green iron sheets. At first, it was airtight on all four sides, but after three years of wind and sun, the bottom of the iron sheets had long since started to rust. Stray cats and dogs often squeezed in and out.
When citizens passed by, they went from wanting to take a detour of three miles to not caring so much. Two days ago, a few internet streamers, under the guise of “seeking the truth”, planned to sneak in at night for a real-life escape room adventure.
Whether they had any legal awareness was debatable, but they certainly had guts. At twelve o’clock at night, five young people lifted a corner of the iron sheet and began to crawl in with their cameras. As a result, the live broadcast was cut off by the authorities less than five minutes in, and the people were taken away by the police overnight—only four were taken away.
“What about the other one?”
“I, I don’t know,” the young people said with long faces. “She seemed to disappear as soon as she went in. We were also scared and hadn’t had time to look for her before we heard the police sirens.”
“What’s the missing person’s name?”
“Tian Luxin, she’s a fashion blogger.”
This farce once again awakened the Jincheng public’s memory of the bar tragedy. A large number of netizens flooded Tian Luxin’s social media. She was a very beautiful girl with big eyes and long curly hair, wearing a pink dress, like an exquisite doll. And the topic that also trended was #SilverBarRuleZone#.
The Order Maintenance Department confirmed that after Tian Luxin’s disappearance, Yin Bar had been taken over by the rules.
White mist, like wet vines, climbed inch by inch over the rusty and mottled green iron sheets, then sprouted sturdy branches in all directions, quickly enveloping this part of the world, making it airtight.
At the same time, a garish recruitment poster also appeared at the gap in the iron sheets—
High-paying position for a beverage promoter
Gender: Male
Age: Between 18-30 years old
Salary: Base salary + commission
Job requirements: None
Appearance requirements: Excellent
If you are looking for a job opportunity full of fun and challenges, then this is the best choice you can’t miss.
Yin Bar, along with all its handsome men and beautiful women, welcomes you to join!
“Captain Zhuang, we’re here,” the driver said as he parked the car. “The interview office is right next to the recruitment poster.”
The head of the Third Action Zone was also at the scene. He shook Zhuang Ningyu’s hand, apologizing and thanking him repeatedly. “We really didn’t want to trouble Captain Zhuang with this, but we really have no other choice.”
This was the truth.
After the action team members from the third and fourth zones were eliminated in the first round of interviews, they refused to believe it and were instead inspired by an infinite fighting spirit. So they all spent a fortune on new clothes and hairstyles, feeling as handsome as Chow Yun Fat. They thought this time would surely be no problem. As it turned out, it proved that one should not repeatedly fight a losing battle, because one would only repeatedly lose.
Right now, this group of young men was gathered around the recruitment poster.
Out of professional ethics, they certainly hoped that Captain Zhuang would succeed in the interview, so as to break the rules as soon as possible and rescue the missing streamer. But out of self-esteem, they also subtly felt that if even Captain Zhuang couldn’t get in, would that mean there was nothing wrong with their own faces, and the problem was with the bar’s recruitment staff’s aesthetics? In short, it was very contradictory and complicated.
Zhuang Ningyu said, “I’ll try.”
He didn’t wear new clothes or get a new hairstyle. He wore an old man’s T-shirt and carried a small travel bag as he pushed open the door hidden behind the white mist.
“Ding-dong!”
“Welcome to Yin Bar!”
The white mist thickened. The action team members guarding the periphery looked at each other.
The recruitment poster had disappeared.
After a long time.
“Did Captain Zhuang succeed in the application?”
“Yes.”
“Without even waiting for a second?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“Let’s disperse, let’s disperse.”
Bringing shame upon themselves.
Inside the rule zone.
There was no one in the recruitment office. There was only an opened express delivery carton on the desk. The sender was shown as “Good Jincai Printing Factory”, and the contents were “posters”. Zhuang Ningyu casually pulled one out.
The smell of fresh ink was a bit stimulating. Golden-green rose branches were crookedly formed into the four large characters “Doll Party”. The party time was set for 8:00 PM on September 12th. Below was a line of small characters with a special note: Yin Bar’s third anniversary celebration is not open to the public this time and will be by VIP member invitation only.
Zhuang Ningyu stared at the poster for a while, vaguely feeling physically uncomfortable. His wristband also showed that the environment had mental contamination, but the contamination level was only 13, which belonged to the “none” category, so no protective measures were needed.
“Do you like it?” A young man’s voice suddenly came from behind. “This is our anniversary celebration poster.”
Zhuang Ningyu turned around and saw that the speaker was about in his early twenties, very handsome, with phoenix eyes slightly upturned, like a beautiful fox. Even in the handsome-men-filled Yin Bar, he would definitely be one of the most eye-catching.
Zhuang Ningyu put the poster back on the table. “It’s very exquisite and gorgeous, just a little decadent.”
The young man smiled and said, “This kind of extravagant and decadent style is popular now. My name is A’Lin, I’m the sales manager of the bar. Welcome to join. Have you done this kind of work before?”
“No, first time,” Zhuang Ningyu said as he followed him through another door. “Is there any pre-job training?”
“I guess so, but it’s very simple,” A’Lin turned his head and looked him up and down. “Don’t worry, we are a legal establishment. We only rely on looks to get orders; we definitely don’t make money through that kind of thing.”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded. The Yin Bar from eight years ago was indeed very clean. During every surprise inspection by various departments, whether it was the urban management, the industrial and commercial bureau, or the police’s anti-pornography and anti-illegal activities campaigns, there had never been any problems. The inside was as presentable as the outside.
The staff dormitory was located on the floor above the bar. A’Lin stopped in front of room 503 and took out a room card. “You’ll live in this room from now on. Rest for a while, and change your clothes. Everything in the room is a staff benefit; you can use it as you please. I’ll come to pick you up in an hour.”
“Okay, thank you.” Zhuang Ningyu took the room card. “May I ask, is the work at the store very busy?”
“It’s usually only busy at night, with one day off a week. But recently, the anniversary celebration is coming up, so we’ve been working a bit more overtime to prepare for the Doll Party.” A’Lin patted his shoulder. “Work hard. The boss won’t treat you unfairly.”
After A’Lin left, Zhuang Ningyu swiped open the door. The dormitory conditions were very good: a large studio with a living room, bright and tidy. The four large wardrobes were filled with brand-new clothes and accessories. In the most conspicuous place hung a very stylish work uniform, similar in style to the party poster. It should be the staff’s attire for the anniversary celebration.
Doll Party.
Before entering the rule zone, Zhuang Ningyu had already reviewed a large amount of related materials. The internal pictures were much more cruel and direct than the news pictures. That night, young men and women in beautiful doll costumes were curled up stiffly in various postures in the thick smoke. The originally exquisite and flawless makeup had long since melted into a mess of horror and pain.
The electronic calendar on the wall currently showed that the rules had not yet appeared. This situation was both good and bad. No rules meant no taboos, but it also meant no clues. Everything had to be figured out on his own.
A’Lin appeared right on time. He was obviously not very satisfied with the clothes Zhuang Ningyu had chosen for himself, but Zhuang Ningyu was equally dissatisfied with the drawer full of sparkling, real or fake diamonds. He took a step back. “I want to go for the innocent college student look.”
“…” A’Lin’s hand, which was about to put a necklace on him, stopped midway. “We really don’t have this type of innocent little white flower in our shop. I didn’t realize you were so scheming.”
So he didn’t force him anymore and directly led him into the elevator. Before they even reached the first floor, the sound of dull and rhythmic music came from outside the elevator door. Zhuang Ningyu had always liked quiet. This was the first time in his life that he had gone to a nightclub, and he had contributed it to the rule zone.
He was led by A’Lin through a corridor that looked like a space tunnel. Although he was mentally prepared, when the heavy door in front of him opened, he was still hit by the huge sound wave that came at him, making his brain twitch.
“Welcome, distinguished guests, to Yin Bar!”
In the center of the dance floor, a brilliant and luxurious crystal chandelier hung from a high place, first refracting a hazy and colorful glare, then weaving a net with the music. The exceptionally handsome DJ with a head of red hair was spraying champagne onto the dance floor amidst a deafening scream. Zhuang Ningyu’s gaze quickly swept around. All the staff, DJs, bartenders, resident singers, waiters… anyone wearing a Yin Bar name tag was indeed a handsome man or a beautiful woman; not even the cleaners were an exception.
“The boss is picking songs for the party tonight; he’ll be free tomorrow. You can familiarize yourself with the environment first, and act as part of the atmosphere group. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.” A’Lin brought over a glass of juice and a glass of wine. “Our work atmosphere is very relaxed, and our relationships with each other are quite good. I was going to introduce you to Brother Jie, but he’s been taking a lot of leave recently, so we’ll have to find another opportunity.”
“Brother Jie?”
“Oh, he’s the top seller in our group.”
Zhuang Ningyu nodded, and his gaze swept around casually. He saw a young man in the corner booth chatting with a female customer. He had one hand on the back of the circular sofa, his upper body leaning slightly forward. From the back, his posture was ambiguous.
A’Lin “tsked” with a laugh and handed the wine glass to Zhuang Ningyu. “You’ll get used to it in the future. This kind of thing isn’t illegal. We provide emotional value; the customers pay. Everyone is happy. Alright, you can go and have fun on your own.”
Zhuang Ningyu replied. This bar seemed completely normal so far, not at all related to the word “tragedy”. There were many young and beautiful girls on the dance floor, but there was no sign of the missing streamer, Tian Luxin. Zhuang Ningyu wanted to go to the second floor with his wine glass, but was stopped by a tall security guard. The cleaner politely explained from the side, “The second floor is a VIP area, only for gold card guests.”
The entry threshold for a gold card was a single night’s spending of 58,888 yuan. Zhuang Ningyu had just arrived and currently had 0 rule coins. For work purposes, he decided to call Yi Ke.
As it turned out, the screen lit up first. Zhuang Ningyu’s hand trembled, moving from the dial button to the answer button. Perhaps the call was answered too quickly. Yi Ke, on the other hand, was a little slow to react. It wasn’t until he heard the noisy music from the other end that he came back to his senses and asked hastily, “How are you?”
“The rules haven’t appeared, and no anomalies have appeared yet.” Zhuang Ningyu found a relatively quiet corner. “There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Yi Ke held the steering wheel with one hand and the headset with the other. Not far away was the thick, lingering white mist and the cordon set up by the Order Maintenance Department. “Go ahead.”
Zhuang Ningyu asked, “Is there any quick way to make money?”
Yi Ke’s eyelid twitched. He had already asked his colleagues for details about the Yin Bar rule task this time and knew that Zhuang Ningyu’s identity was a promoter.
A bar promoter who wanted to achieve good results had to sell as much alcohol as possible. And the thought of Zhuang Ningyu having to drink with others in this kind of red-light district environment made Yi Ke feel like he was about to die of anger. Even knowing that they were just monsters, he was still about to die of anger.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Zhuang Ningyu stared at his phone screen in confusion.
Yi Ke said coldly and nobly, “Okay.”
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t understand. “What’s okay?”
Yi Ke softened his voice. “I’ll think of a way to make money.”
As they were on the phone, someone suddenly knocked gently on the car window twice. Yi Ke switched the phone to his other hand and lowered the window. A trainee policeman stood outside the window. He said with great difficulty, “Brother Yi, can you please not park your car here?”
Yi Ke glanced at the pile of cars parked haphazardly around. “Isn’t this a public parking lot?”
The young policeman nodded cooperatively. “Yes, yes, yes.” This was indeed a parking lot shared by the Order Maintenance Department and the police. But your McLaren really didn’t fit in with the other cars. It was on the same level of decadence as the previous Yin Bar. It wouldn’t be good if the public saw it.
On the other end of the phone, Zhuang Ningyu, who had heard the whole thing, was speechless. “…”
Yi Ke stepped on the gas and slid the car forward a bit. “Let me into the rule zone.”
Zhuang Ningyu felt that this person was talking nonsense again.
Yi Ke continued, “The target customers of Yin Bar either have looks or money, and I have both. The boss has no reason to refuse me.”
Zhuang Ningyu was unmoved. “Although the boss has no reason to refuse you, I have ten thousand reasons to refuse you. Don’t even think about it.”
Yi Ke laughed; it was unclear whether it was out of amusement or anger. He said, “Why can’t you separate your public and private affairs?”
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t want to reply with a single word and hung up the phone directly. As a result, the phone vibrated again in the next second. This time, the caller ID showed Huo Ting. He came up and asked, “Can you just briefly comfort Xiao Yi? I heard he’s been parked next to the rule zone in a blindingly green sports car for two and a half hours.”
Zhuang Ningyu said, “He wants to enter the rule zone as a ‘customer’.”
Huo Ting asked, “Is there a chance?”
Zhuang Ningyu: “No chance.”
Huo Ting was skeptical about this. Was it really no chance or just pretending to be no chance? If Xiao Yi could enter the rule zone, it would be harmless and beneficial to him, to you, and to this operation.
“Really no chance, at least not before the rules come out,” Zhuang Ningyu frowned. “Yin Bar’s anniversary celebration party is by invitation only for old members. It’s not open to the public at all. Or are you doubting my professionalism?”
Huo Ting: “Of course not.”
“Then listen to me,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “The sports car parked outside, I can’t do anything about it. You can find someone else to persuade him.”
Huo Ting raised his hand and rubbed his temples. “Okay, then you be careful and report back at any time.”
Zhuang Ningyu put his phone back in his pocket and was about to go for a walk elsewhere when a teasing voice, tinged with alcohol, suddenly came from his ear. “Little handsome guy, why are you drinking alone?”
Zhuang Ningyu turned his head and saw a few older sisters standing opposite him. They all had a lot of class and were dressed in jewels.
“If you’re interested, come up to the second floor for a drink,” the rich ladies didn’t give Zhuang Ningyu a chance to show his skills. They took the initiative to stuff the wine glass into his hand, picked up their bags, and staggered towards the second floor. Another promoter quickly helped the few people up. Zhuang Ningyu followed closely behind and casually sent a message to Huo Ting—I’ve already entered the VIP area.
Huo Ting synchronized the message to the squadron leader of the third zone who was in charge of this operation.
The squadron leader then uploaded the message to the system in real time.
The team members who were left at the scene let out a small cheer. This efficiency, top-notch! As expected, it was still the familiar Captain Zhuang, who could make the entire department lose sleep for half the night with just his face!
Yi Ke looked at the out-of-place happiness outside the car window with a sullen face.
The silly-looking young policeman was speechless. “…”
After a while, he strolled over again and asked, “Brother Yi, are you not feeling well?”
Yi Ke resumed his cold swan posture. “What’s the matter?”
The young policeman “slapped” a sparkling gold business card into his hand. “My second granduncle, a well-known old Chinese medicine doctor in the provincial hospital.”
Yi Ke looked at him in confusion.
The young policeman’s face was full of sincere concern. “Let him prescribe some Chinese medicine for you to regulate your body.”
