Poison Sting Hive (Bonus Chapter 6)

"Get off the bus."

"Um."

After getting out of the car, someone came out of the building with an umbrella to greet me. One of the women smiled and said, "Manager Lin, I'm Xiao Chen, Manager Yang's assistant. You've finally arrived. The equipment is all ready. Please come this way."

"Sir, this way please."

Another male employee held an umbrella for me.

I was completely dumbfounded.

After entering the company premises and going upstairs, they soon arrived at a recording studio. Several Rolling Stone Music staff members were busy mixing the sound. Lin Qingying walked over and said softly, "The thing I asked you to promise me was to re-record 'A Journey on a Mountain Road.' I've already had the backing track prepared by professionals."

"..."

I was dumbfounded.

I think I've heard of Rolling Stone Music before; it's a top-tier music company. Is it appropriate for me to record songs here?

Also, how did Lin Qingying know the sheet music for this song?

Suddenly, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Manager Lin, it's ready." Xiao Chen came over and greeted him.

"Good."

Lin Qingying said, "Go ahead, I hope you pass on the first try."

I'm not really sure.

After putting on the headphones, the accompaniment of A Journey on a Mountain Road started playing in my ears, and it was exactly the same as the intro to another world, which made me even more suspicious.

Looking at the teleprompter, I began to sing the song.

A few minutes later, the song ended.

"Manager Lin, how did it go?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Not good..."

Lin Qingying walked over and said softly, "Don't be nervous. Just pretend you're at home. Sing it with the same feeling as the first time. Let's do it again. This time, I'll stay here with you, okay?"

Her attitude was very sincere.

"Um."

I nodded.

Lin Qingying also put on a pair of headphones and sat down next to me, keeping me company quietly.

The second time, I tried my best to be more expressive...

But it still seems to lack a certain emotion.

"Xiao Chen, open the curtains and turn on the lights to show the snow scene outside," Lin Qingying said.

"Okay, Manager Lin, you there, could you come and help me out?"

Soon, the curtains opened, and the snowy scene outside was clearly visible under the light.

"Ding Han."

Lin Qingying said softly, "If you feel that your emotions aren't strong enough, you can think of some things that you can't let go of. I think that you can sing the song more effectively by bringing your emotions into it."

"Good."

I took a deep breath and looked at the snow scene outside. The images of my father and mother involuntarily came to mind. One of them lived in <Star Abyss>, and the other lived in the real world, but they both had their own hardships.

So, he gave Xiao Chen an "OK" sign and started recording "A Journey on a Mountain Road" for the third time.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

When I finished singing this song, I realized that I seemed to have accidentally cried.

"Ding Han..."

Lin Qingying handed over a few tissues.

"Xie Xie."

I quickly wiped away my tears, then asked casually, "All done?"

"Okay, all done."

Lin Qingying asked, "Xiao Chen, how's the recording quality? I'm very satisfied with this take."

"The recording quality is perfect."

Xiao Chen asked, "Manager Lin, is this the final cut? Is post-production tone correction necessary?"

"No need, I'm completely satisfied with this result."

"Good!"

On the way back.

"So, your condition was actually recording this song, 'A Journey on a Mountain Road.' I really didn't expect that."

Looking at the snow and wind outside, I reminded him, "Slow down! This is an elevated road, not a highway!"

Lin Qingying eased off the accelerator a bit and said, "Ding Han, I really like this song, so I went around asking around to find out where it came from. Luckily, someone knew, so I spent some money to hire a professional to compose the accompaniment. I apologize for not getting your permission beforehand..."

"What's there to apologize for?"

I felt a little uneasy. The person Lin Qingying mentioned was most likely also a player, otherwise they wouldn't know the complete score of "A Journey on a Mountain Road." So I frowned and said, "But what do you want to do with this song after all the trouble of recording it?"

"Nothing."

Lin Qingying said, "I hope to get your authorization to give me the complete copyright to this song in exchange for offsetting your rent. What do you think of this deal?"

"Okay..."

I nodded and said, "If you like it, I'll give you the copyright to this song for free."

"Um."

She smiled and said, "I plan to burn this song onto a CD so I can listen to it whenever I want. I'll also make a digital copy to keep in my car, and if the opportunity arises in the future, I might even get Rolling Stone Music to release this single."

"Issued?"

I shuddered. "If it's for a release... please don't use my name in the artist section. I don't want to debut yet, much less become famous. Just use 'Anonymous' in the artist section, okay? You have to promise me that."

"Okay, sure."

She nodded slightly and readily agreed.

Residence.

Lin Qingying went to take a shower, while I sat on the sofa playing on my phone.

"Drop!"

A WeChat message from Cai Cai: "Boss, you might not believe it, but I actually got another Samsung super rare Team Instance Crystal while doing my daily tasks!"

"Holy crap..."

My eyes lit up. "Great news... Both Kou Mei and your Fatty need experience to level up to the Third Transfer advancement, and this Instance Crystal is just in time!"

"Yes, that's what I think too."

Cai Cai said, "Let's decide then, when are we going to do this dungeon?"

"How about we have lunch together tomorrow afternoon?"

"Can!"

Cai Cai said, "Then I'll go and invite Sister Ruolin and Kou Mei. You can inform Brother Pang."

"OK!"

So, I messaged Fatty directly to tell him about the dungeon run. Fatty was quite excited and sent a fat woman excitedly wriggling her body emoji, saying, "When are we doing it?"

"Tomorrow."

I thought for a moment and said, "Go tell Old Lu that we'll take half a day off tomorrow, only work the morning shift, and then have dinner with Cai Cai and the Cai Cai after 12 o'clock. After dinner, we'll find a place to activate the Instance Crystal."

"OK!"

Shortly after, the fat man sent a message: "Leave approved!"

Because of Xu Hao's matter, Lu Zifeng actually owes me and Fatty a favor, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to get this leave.

The next day, at noon.

Fatty and I clocked out of get off work and went together to the square between Luo Mei and Yu Ning.

"Boss, over here!"

Cai Cai waved and greeted everyone early on.

"Boss, boss!"

Kou Mei was dressed in a coat and skirt similar to those worn by girls at Hogwarts, with a red scarf around her neck. She rushed forward and said with a smile, "It's been so many days! I've missed you so much!"

"Kou Mei, are you serious?" I feigned shock.

Kou Mei couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Zhang Ruolin, also dressed in a winter trench coat and stylish suit, blended almost perfectly with the city, just like Kou Mei. The two of them standing there were a sight to behold, looking nothing like women carrying Submachine Gun and firing wildly everywhere.

"Everyone's here."

Cai Cai asked, "Where shall we go to eat?"

"Anything is fine."

I said, "But I don't have any money right now, so I can't treat you."

"I'll do it."

Ruolin said to Cai Cai, "Your boss's financial situation has always been extremely poor."

"It's because the boss is using up a lot of Explosive Gun bullets to improve the team's output. Otherwise, with his intelligence, how could he be troubled by poverty?" Cai Cai explained matter-of-factly.

Ruolin rolled her eyes. "You really are a perfect lackey!"

Cai Cai laughed loudly, which made the fat man get caught up in the fun and quack along like a duck.

"How about something simpler?"

I pointed to the shops in the square. "Old Uncle, light meals!"

"Brilliant!"

The fat man immediately agreed, "I've wanted to eat this for ages!"

"Let's go, it's my treat."

Ruolin was happy to save money, so the group went over.

Each person gets a set meal for less than 200 yuan. I ordered the braised duck and tea tree mushroom set meal. To be honest... the taste was okay, but it wasn't fresh enough, and the side dishes were a bit lacking.

"Cai Cai, look at the crystal!"

OK!

As Cai Cai raised her hand, Instance Crystal swirled in her palm—a sight only visible to players.

[Team Instance Crystal - Stinger Hive] (Super Rare ★★★): Up to 5 players can enter the dungeon together, and you will receive very generous rewards upon completion.

"Um!"

I nodded. "If everyone has finished eating, let's begin."

"Okay!"

Cai Cai used the crystal directly, and a golden highlight immediately appeared on the map of the South City District of Huaining City.

"Damn, it's a bit far..."

The fat man said, "Let's go, let's take a taxi!"

"Walk!"

So the five of them squeezed into a Santana, and then sped away.

When they arrived at their destination, everyone was astonished. It turned out to be a hospital— the Huaining City Fifth People's Hospital! A hospital specializing in mental illnesses!

"Damn, five people crammed into one car... a bunch of lunatics!"

The driver floored the gas pedal and sped away!

I glanced inside and said, "The Teleportation Gate is in the courtyard, what do we do?"

"Who cares about the ball!"

Cai Cai said, "Why don't we all activate our Combat Form, scale the wall, and storm into the mental hospital? We might not even see them, and even if we do, it won't matter; in our Combat Form, it's very difficult to recognize our faces."

"Okay, let's do it this way!"

"Superior!"

He switched to Combat Form immediately, leaped up, and with a "whoosh," flipped over the three-meter-high wall of the mental hospital. After turning around and seeing that Ruolin and Kou Mei had also flipped over, he immediately turned around and rushed into the azure blue Teleportation Gate in the courtyard garden. For a moment, the sound of dinging filled his ears!

[Please note that your party has unlocked the raid Team Instance Crystal Sting Hive (Super Rare ★★★)!]

[You have entered the map: the Colonial Planet's Giant Bug Nest Structure!]

[Target: Paralysis Pulse Field Generator!]

[Note: Contact with electrified vines causes paralysis; shared psychic abilities within the swarm will cause enemies to act in unison; destroying Pheromone Sac can trigger infighting within the swarm!]