The boss’s expression was terrifyingly grim, and the temperature in the office seemed to drop suddenly. The college student, still oblivious, glanced at the air conditioner, thinking someone had set it too low.
Zhou Qi’an had already locked onto the door’s position, preparing to make his escape.
Just then, a call came in.
The boss’s face remained dark as ever, but upon hearing the voice on the other end, he immediately put on a polite demeanor. “Elder Qiu… Oh, so you were the one who recommended him. No wonder he’s such an outstanding young man…”
Zhou Qi’an seized the opportunity to throw the boss a questioning look. The man waved his hand dismissively before quickly dragging the college student out of the office.
Fortunately, the boss’s sole obsession was work. Anything related to business, he always put first.
Completely unaware that he had just brushed past the edge of death, the college student enthusiastically started talking about himself. “I still have a few months before I officially enroll. A senior acquaintance of mine recommended I get some internship experience first.”
A top student. Active social media following. Strong backing.
With all that, why on earth would he run out here to work?
Zhou Qi’an raised an eyebrow. “The world’s about to end, and you’re coming here to intern?”
“What if the apocalypse happens in twenty or thirty years?”
The college student didn’t believe the world would be wiped out in an instant.
Zhou Qi’an gave him a long look, then returned to his workstation.
The student glanced at the nameplate on his desk—so his last name was Zhou, and Qi’an was just his given name.
Summoning his courage, the student asked, “Brother Zhou, can I ask you something? Just one thing.”
Seeing that Zhou Qi’an didn’t respond, he took that as silent permission and whispered, “Your wife… is she still alive?”
“She’s dead.”
The student froze.
Zhou Qi’an added, “Two of them.”
The student was completely stunned.
After a long pause, he couldn’t help but ask, “I don’t get it. You don’t seem like an unfeeling person, so why did you choose to sacrifice your wife at the start…?”
Zhou Qi’an, annoyed by the noise, shot him a cold glare.
The student shrank back. “I was just—”
Zhou Qi’an pointed at the coworker who had attended his wedding. “Go ask him what my ‘wife’ is.”
Three minutes later, the college student sat there, questioning his entire existence.
Brother Zhou… married a rice cooker?
Just then, Zhou Qi’an’s voice floated over. “Remember to chip in two hundred for funeral expenses.”
“…”
By 7:30 PM, the office door finally opened again.
The boss walked out, and everyone immediately buried themselves in their work, pretending to be busy.
Sweeping a sharp gaze over them, the boss announced, “Business has been slow lately. The big boss wants to take advantage of the downtime, so the company will be organizing a team-building trip this month.”
Excited expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.
No work? Fantastic!
“We’re set to leave on Friday.” The boss’s gaze finally landed on Zhou Qi’an. “As for you, after skipping work for two days, you’d better use this trip to find inspiration and finish those project proposals. Otherwise…”
He let out a cold chuckle, his eyes carrying an eerie, dark blue tint.
The regular employees only saw the severity in his expression, but Zhou Qi’an’s evolved eyes saw the true state of his boss—and it was unsettling. Like a frightened chick, he nodded obediently.
“Alright, get out of here. Not like any of you accomplished anything today—don’t waste company electricity.”
Zhou Qi’an let out a long breath of relief.
“Brother Zhou, what are you afraid of?” The college student said seriously. “We have The Labor Law.”
He would never abuse his status as a player to do anything evil. But since he had the power, he was determined to walk the right path.
And that started with upholding The Labor Law.
“…I’ll say it again—don’t call me ‘brother.’”
You’re throwing me under the bus.
Zhou Qi’an couldn’t help but glance at his phone again. Still no missed calls.
“Something’s not right.”
Way too abnormal. That man would never tolerate students skipping class. In the past, a few who had… well, they practically vanished from existence.
Ignoring the college student, Zhou Qi’an grabbed his briefcase and headed downstairs. While waiting for his ride, he took the initiative to make a call.
Outside, the streets were bustling with traffic. A crane in the distance continued constructing a skyscraper. The world kept moving forward without pause.
It was hard to imagine that an era like this was about to come to an end.
“Hello.”
The call connected.
The voice on the other end was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of drowsiness—like someone who had just woken up.
Zhou Qi’an snapped back to reality and spoke quickly. “Good evening, Teacher. My company has a team-building event this week, so I won’t be attending night school.”
There was a brief silence on the other end before the person seemed to wake up a little. “A team-building event, huh…”
“Yeah.”
Beep—
Before Zhou Qi’an could elaborate, the call was cut off, leaving only a busy tone.
He had no idea what those last few words were supposed to mean.
Just then, the bus arrived. Zhou Qi’an couldn’t be bothered to call back.
When he got home and mentioned the team-building trip, his mother asked about the destination.
A detailed notice was sent in the work group, and Zhou Qi’an read it aloud: “Gongji Nation, first go to the capital, Manshu, and then there will be some ring-line tours.”
Gongji is a neighboring country, and travel between the two is very convenient.
Mother Zhou helped him find his passport: “It’d be nice to bring back a foreign daughter-in-law. I’ll go learn the Gongji language in the next few days…”
While gently reminding him to make sure his ID is kept safe, she smiled heavily: “Don’t let the tuition fees your mom paid be wasted.”
Zhou Qi’an, fearing that she might follow him, changed the subject and asked her how she found the Liangye Villa back then.
“Mother and son are connected by heart; wherever you go, mom can always find you.”
Zhou Qi’an shuddered.
…
Before going to bed, the forum notified him of a new private message.
It was from Han Li.
[Go open a transaction thread, I’ve prepared the items for you.]
It was Zhou Qi’an’s first time using the forum for a transaction. Under Han Li’s guidance, he quickly completed the beginner’s steps. At the same time, a sound ‘ding’ came from the interface in his mind:
[Fluorescent stone*1, please check.]
[This is an item my brother got from a previous mission, it perfectly fits your requirements.]
Han Li also sent over a piece of information: [This is the data you asked me to collect.]
Zhou Qi’an was much more cautious with this piece of data, even more so than when he was reading about the top ten monsters yesterday. He carefully browsed through it without missing a word before going to bed early.
Although he didn’t know when the next instance would be, some things were better prepared in advance.
The following days went by smoothly.
On Friday, the team-building event proceeded as usual. Zhou Qi’an and the other employees boarded the flight to Gongji.
The plane flew to the high sky, tens of thousands of miles up, and landed at Gongji Airport six hours later, right on time.
After picking up their luggage, someone sighed with relief, saying, “The weather in Gongji hasn’t been great these days, and flights have often been delayed. Some even had to turn back, but thankfully our flight was on time.”
It was nearly midnight. The company’s arranged bus was waiting outside the airport to take them straight to the capital, Manshu.
The bus had a guide who passionately narrated the history of Gongji.
“Next, we’re about to pass through Gongji’s longest tunnel. It’s said that during its construction, workers mysteriously disappeared inside. There have also been many strange events surrounding this tunnel…”
After sitting on the plane for a whole day, Zhou Qi’an leaned his head against the glass and fell into a drowsy sleep.
He didn’t notice when a mist quietly crept in from somewhere. The lights inside the tunnel couldn’t pierce through it.
“What’s going on?” The driver’s vision was obstructed, and he slowed down.
Outside, everything was shrouded in mist, and nothing was visible. The guide felt it was strange, sat down, and buckled up. Some employees were playing with their phones or eating snacks, but no one noticed that two employees in the back had mysteriously disappeared, just like the mist inside the tunnel.
—
Zhou Qi’an, who had been dreaming, was suddenly shaken awake by someone beside him.
“Brother Zhou, wake up quickly!” The voice had a hint of panic.
Zhou Qi’an yawned. “Are we there?”
No one answered him. Zhou Qi’an sensed something was wrong, opened his eyes, and saw the college student trying to keep calm, but clearly terrified.
The lights in the bus were much dimmer than before. Half of the people had disappeared. Zhou Qi’an was sitting by the aisle. He looked to the side. The seat, which had been occupied by a familiar colleague, was now taken by a woman with long black hair.
Feeling someone was looking at her, the woman slowly turned her head. Her neck stretched unnaturally, creaking as it moved, and her head twisted all the way around.
There were no eyes!
Zhou Qi’an was shocked. Blind people weren’t scary, but the woman’s face was entirely covered with two dark holes—there were no eyeballs, no eyelids.
The dim light made it difficult for the college student to see clearly, and he almost fainted.
Zhou Qi’an smiled at the woman: “Hello.”
The woman seemed a bit surprised but slowly turned her head back.
Zhou Qi’an wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The long-haired woman pressed her ear tightly against the window. Outside, everything was pitch black, and it was unclear what she was listening to.
Zhou Qi’an stopped paying attention to her for the moment. His vision was unaffected by the dim light, and he realized this wasn’t the same bus they had taken at the airport.
The seats were made of steel—hard and uncomfortable—but the design of the bus was extraordinary, with smooth metal lines visible throughout.
The college student didn’t pull out his phone immediately. Instead, he took out a mirror to carefully observe what was happening behind them.
The bus was dim, and he worried that using his phone light would be too obvious.
When Zhou Qi’an suddenly got up, the college student’s calmness instantly evaporated, and he nervously grabbed him like a frightened bird.
Suddenly finding themselves in an unknown situation, it was better to have two people than just one.
Zhou Qi’an said, “You observe the passengers. I’ll check the driver.”
Most of the passengers were in the back. Zhou Qi’an quickly turned his head and quietly passed by the college student who had sat in the fourth row. He nervously said, “Brother Zhou, I’m really scared.”
Zhou Qi’an paused for a moment and lowered his voice: “Do you know why I don’t let you call me ‘Brother’?”
The college student thought of many self-deprecating words.
Zhou Qi’an said coldly: “You’re too easily dependent. When real danger comes, calling someone ‘older brother’ or ‘sister’ won’t help.”
While the college student was reflecting, Zhou Qi’an continued moving forward, holding his breath.
As he moved, he pondered the current situation.
Could this be a instance?
But he hadn’t heard any game prompts, and Gongji wasn’t listed in the newly announced instance entrances.
The bus was eerily quiet, and the engine’s sound suddenly grew louder at intervals. Zhou Qi’an moved stealthily, finally stopping at the second row.
There was no rearview mirror in the bus, so Zhou Qi’an had to rely on his eyes.
The driver had a huge, ancient bull’s head with sharp horns. His body was covered in muscle, and at first glance, the only thought that came to mind was: chaos, evil.
Zhou Qi’an had seen this Minotaur before. It had once driven the bus to take them out of an instance.
He didn’t know how many Minotaur existed in the game, but from the iron chains around the Minotaur’s waist, it was the same one he had encountered.
Suddenly, the Minotaur moved, and two sharp eyes shot toward him.
Zhou Qi’an’s breath caught, and he felt as if several monster eyes were staring at him from behind, adding immense pressure.
Having met someone for the first time, it was never good to act rudely.
Zhou Qi’an forced a smile, bowing politely: “Hello, Brother Bull.”
It was now around the time known as the “ugly hour,” and it was referred to as “Ugly Bull,” so this staff member should be called Mr. Ugly.
However, this term wasn’t polite for humans, so Zhou Qi’an chose a more friendly term, “Brother Bull.”
“Working overtime late at night, Brother Bull, you’re working hard.”
His “brother” sounded sincere and flattering, which froze the college student on the spot.
Zhou Qi’an remained indifferent, smiling warmly as if greeting an old brother.
The Minotaur focused on driving and ignored him.
Zhou Qi’an still preferred dealing with the tricky Mr. Si. At least he liked to show off, which gave away some information, like when he mentioned Xu the Wealthy, his greedy eyes were impossible to hide.
“Brother Bull, are we entering the instance now?”
His voice seemed to be absorbed by the darkness.
After a long silence, as Zhou Qi’an was about to return to his seat, a single word came from the front.
“Yes.”
With the Minotaur’s response, the man who had been keeping his eyes closed on the bus finally opened his eyes. At the same time, the girl listening to an MP3 and the boy making paper cranes both looked toward the front.
Everyone had thought that some fool had gone to talk to the staff, but unexpectedly, the Minotaur had actually replied to Zhou Qi’an.
Of all the staff, the Minotaur was definitely one of the hardest to deal with.
When Zhou Qi’an returned to his seat, he found that the woman with long black hair had disappeared.
Looking again, it wasn’t that she had vanished, but rather that the origami boy was stepping on her head.
The origami boy stepped on the woman’s head. He had a doll-like face, pale skin, and an arrogant demeanor. The only flaw was his short stature, but no one dared to point it out while he used a ghost’s head as a footrest.
The origami boy looked at Zhou Qi’an and, before he could say anything, Zhou Qi’an glanced at the college student sitting next to him.
The college student whispered: “It’s impolite to step on someone’s head like that.”
Zhou Qi’an nodded, his mouth as useful as ever.
The origami boy’s paper crane suddenly changed color, and his smile faded.
“Idiot.” He snorted, returning to his seat. Originally, he had come to check on the situation because he saw the Minotaur responding to these two, but he hadn’t expected such ingratitude.
Speaking for a monster.
Seeing Zhou Qi’an not rebutting, and lowering his head like a frightened quail, he completely confirmed his judgment.
With a cold smile, the origami boy returned to his seat, his eyes scanning someone else in the room, his expression becoming more serious. Aside from a few idiots, the players this time weren’t bad.
After he left, the woman with long black hair, covered in dust and dirt, crawled up from under the seat. Without bothering to straighten her clothes, she quietly sat back down.
Zhou Qi’an was now certain that they had entered a instance, and his nervousness seemed to fade a bit.
The college student glanced at Zhou Qi’an, feeling puzzled.
In the previous instance, Zhou Qi’an had been aggressive, confronting everything around him, yet this time he was so much more subdued.
Zhou Qi’an closed his eyes and began to rest.
The college student also chose to relax, even though his heart was racing, his rationality reminded him to get some sleep while he could.
There wasn’t much time for rest in instances.
He was slowly beginning to understand Zhou Qi’an’s personality. Although he had no sympathy for the monsters, he didn’t go out of his way to provoke them either.
Unable to sleep, the college student couldn’t resist and opened his eyes. “Brother Zhou, I think I just saw that person…”
“I know.”
The origami boy wasn’t an idiot; there was no reason for him to torment a ghost for no reason. When he left earlier, he had clearly taken something from the long-haired woman.
It was now certain that there were both ghosts and players on this bus.
Zhou Qi’an lifted his eyelids and glanced sideways.
The college student stretched out his hand. From his observations, three people seemed human and were likely players, including the origami boy.
“There are still two we’re not sure about.”
One person was wearing a baseball cap and kept his head down, and another was wearing a hoodie with a mask, making it hard to even determine their gender, let alone anything else.
That, together with them, made at least five players, possibly more.
“Brother Zhou, what should we do now…?”
“Wait.”
“Huh?”
Zhou Qi’an hinted, “There are still empty seats.”
The college student’s expression changed.
Zhou Qi’an whispered, “It’s a multi-player instance, and they’re all seasoned players.”
If they were newbies, there would definitely be shouting or nervousness by now.
In a instance with this number of people, someone would definitely die soon.
The college student shuddered at the thought. Could they be the kind of cannon fodder used to buffer the difficulty, dying the night before?
Seeing as they were colleagues, Zhou Qi’an offered a reminder: “Remember, when there are many people, try to reduce your presence.”
Suddenly, the familiar cold mechanical voice echoed, and the players in the bus all became more serious:
【Instance: Jinxiang Tower
- Instance Difficulty: 4 stars
- Main Quest: The Jinxiang Building on the street is hiring! People from outside are eagerly signing up.
- As a humble labor dispatch worker, you repeatedly find strange things happening at work. During your free time, try to solve the mystery of the Jinxiang Building, eliminate the main source of trouble, and banish the vengeful ghosts.
- Instance Time: Unknown
- Number of Participating Players: 9+9 (Nine turns into one)】
A four-star instance?!
The college student felt a chill deep in his bones. Just the difficulty level sounded like a death trap.
The seat was shaking, and suddenly, an eerie, nervous laugh came from beside him.
The college student became even more anxious.
He turned his head to find that the calmness on Zhou Qi’an’s face had completely disappeared, like a mask slowly cracking apart. The true expression underneath was even somewhat twisted.
For a moment, the college student even wondered if Zhou Qi’an was possessed by something dark.
“So it’s a labor-based instance,” Zhou Qi’an muttered with a smile.
He didn’t know what time it was in the instance, but it was at least one or two in the morning in the real world.
Night shifts, labor, dispatch work, extra jobs… These words kept flashing through his mind, and it felt as though the resentment that seeped from every pore made even the female ghost next to him glance over.
In the end, Zhou Qi’an slowly stood up.
The abrupt movement drew the attention of everyone around, and the tension in the air increased.
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Zhou Qi’an accurately locked his sights on the origami boy. “Tch.”
The little brat had dared to insult him just now.
“…”
*
Gongji.
“Of course, this is also the approach we’re thinking of for the project…”
The guide stopped explaining, and the boss started making constant phone calls, discussing work. The other employees on the bus kept calm on the surface but were secretly frantically texting their relatives and friends, checking in with their bosses and ancestors.
After getting off the bus, the outside was foggy, and everyone hurried toward the hotel.
The boss, still on the phone, suddenly shot a sharp glance. After bidding the client goodbye with a smile, he stopped a passing company employee. “Where are those two?”
This employee, who was quite friendly with Zhou Qi’an, froze for a moment.
When the boss repeated the question, the employee looked around and realized that Zhou Qi’an and the new intern were nowhere to be found.
What was strange was that he hadn’t noticed it earlier. It wasn’t just him; even the guide seemed to have missed it.
The employee scratched his head. “Maybe they went to the restroom or something.”
The boss, wearing a tailored suit, seemed to be frozen into it, even during team-building events.
“There have been quite a few telecom frauds happening in Gongji lately,” the boss said, his skin turning pale. His eyes gleamed coldly. “They haven’t been fooled by someone… sneaking off to take on two jobs, have they?”
The employee didn’t know where such an absurd thought had come from. “Uh… You… you’re joking, right?”
But the boss seemed to have already made up his mind and turned toward the endless night.
A cold murmur floated back:
“Team-building time is company-paid time. I’d better not catch them earning extra money on the side, or else…”
“I’ll throw them into an oil vat and deep-fry them into crispy dough sticks, and serve them in the company cafeteria…”
As for the headhunters who dare to abduct his employees, they would be served on his own dinner table.
__
Author’s Notes:
Irresponsible Mini Theater:
Employee: Boss, where are you going to find them?
Boss: To the ends of the earth, to the underworld.
Employee: And when you find them?
Boss: Command them to work overtime.
Employee: Until when?
Boss: Until the mountain peaks stretch into infinity.
