When faced with sudden situations, don't panic. Yuan Zhu held the Exorcism Handbook, sat on the closed toilet lid, and waited quietly.
Very soon, the space around him was swiftly swallowed by darkness. Even the toilet beneath him vanished without him noticing. By the time he realized it, he was already standing, his feet sensing solid ground beneath them.
"Ahem, ahem. Everyone, look over here. The newcomers this time are of pretty good quality."
A voice tore through the darkness. When Yuan Zhu looked toward it, the surroundings returned once more. He had left the restroom and arrived in an unfamiliar indoor space. This was no longer Fire Fang headquarters.
Black marble floors patterned with veins, white marble pillars, and a splendid golden chandelier—everywhere screamed the extravagant style of a nouveau riche tycoon.
A man in a black formal suit, white gloves, and gold-rimmed glasses stood beneath the chandelier. Smiling gracefully and impeccably, he watched the crowd as though looking at beloved new toys he had just acquired.
The more he looked, the happier he became. The more he looked, the more satisfied he was.
"Baaah..." That was the sound of a goat bleating.
"Where is this?" That was a cry of alarm.
"Don't hurt me!" That was a plea for mercy.
"Huh?" That was a sound of curiosity.
Yuan Zhu looked around and saw several other people who, like him, had been abruptly transported into this tycoon's hall. Some were dazed and confused, some tense and panicked, while others had eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.
Closest to him was a girl with ear-length short hair, dressed in blue-and-white casual clothes. She wore half-rim glasses and carried a bulging backpack. Her hair was peach-pink, and she was above average in looks—a round-faced type who seemed ordinary at first glance, but became increasingly pleasing the longer one looked.
Not far from the short-haired girl with the backpack stood another woman, tall and strikingly beautiful, with a black ponytail and riding boots. Her familiar retro Uniform was even more intricate and ornate than Fatty Wang's, allowing Yuan Zhu to identify her at once: a Security Bureau investigator.
At that moment, the female investigator was sweeping everyone in the room with a scrutinizing gaze. She did not linger on Yuan Zhu, instead fixing her eyes on the burly man behind him.
When Yuan Zhu turned around, he saw a bald, middle-aged Black man nearly two meters tall, built like an ox, panting heavily, and carrying a huge belly. The fat yet muscular man was glaring coldly at the female investigator from afar, neither willing to yield an inch.
A pungent stench of blood rushed into Yuan Zhu's nostrils. The burly Black man was not only holding a blood-dripping cleaver; blood was also streaming down his rubber apron, whose chest was covered in large patches of black, congealed grime, as though someone had dumped an entire basin of blood over him.
Uh... Judging by his getup, this Black uncle should be a butcher, right? Surely he wasn't a serial killer? Yuan Zhu took half a step back to show his respect, then continued looking around. Next, he spotted an elderly rural grandmother holding a hemp rope. Her face was deeply lined by wind and weather, her worn clothes were patched all over, and she was thin and shriveled, clearly living a hard life.
At the other end of the rope was a little goat with white fur and black spots. Full of energy, it struggled desperately to break free from the hemp rope, all while cursing nonstop, "Baaah..."
Beside the old grandmother stood a man with multicolored messy hair and panicked eyes, muttering over and over, "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!"
The boy was not very old. He wore a leather jacket studded with iron nails and metal spikes. A row of lip studs pierced the left side of his upper lip, a ring hung from his nose, and two metal rings pierced the edge of his right eyebrow. His hair was a red-yellow-blue-green gradient Mohawk, giving him the punk look of a rampaging biker from an apocalyptic wasteland.
Unfortunately, though he held a modified pipe wrench, he looked like a pathetic coward. Bent over and cringing, he pleaded with empty air. Only after no one paid him any attention for a long while did he rise with an awkward grin, backing away nonstop as he tried to hide in the farthest corner.
Finally, there was a soft-looking girl in work clothes with braided hair and a friendly smile. She tried her best to conceal the tension and unease in her eyes, smiling at everyone as she worked to appear harmless. "I'm an employee of September Bakery. May I ask where this is? And who are all of you?"
Yuan Zhu had the same question upon hearing that. This scene, this picture—why did it give him such a familiar sense of déjà vu? "Infinite Flow! Of course this is Yellow Sky Dao Venerable Space. What else could it be? Immeasurable Horror, one of the four great classics of the ancient Xi Kingdom! Haven't you read it?"
The pink-haired girl with glasses and a backpack suddenly spoke up. Not the slightest bit flustered, she instead looked around with intense curiosity, her eyes shining with eagerness.
"Infinite Flow? I've read similar novels in the newspapers. That trash author was inhuman—he'd been on hiatus for over half a year!" Mohawk Head, huddled in the corner, suddenly spoke up, trying hard to show off his knowledge.
"Wow! You can actually read? Looking at you, I thought you were just some illiterate street punk!" Pink Hair exclaimed in surprise.
Mohawk Head's face turned red. After holding it in for a long time, he finally retorted, "Nonsense! I finished all of middle school! I even have a graduation certificate."
Yuan Zhu searched his own memories and found no relevant information, so he could not help asking, "What are the four great classics? The ones I know?" Pink Hair glanced at Yuan Zhu. When she noticed he was a handsome man with a wild style, her eyes lit up, and she gladly explained, "About seven hundred years ago, in an ancient eastern nation on Geng Continent, there appeared a peerless genius named Wu Guan'an. This scholar repeatedly failed the civil examinations, then attained enlightenment overnight in a ruined temple in the wilderness. Some also said he was possessed by ghosts or gods. From then on, he stopped pursuing fame and office, making his living by writing books instead."
"Over the course of his life, Scholar Wu wrote four world-shaking masterpieces in succession: Western Journey: Tale of Subduing Evil, Mythical Three Kingdoms, Demon Star's Calamitous World Record, and finally the most wildly imaginative work, which tied the first three together, Immeasurable Horror. That final work was about Yellow Sky Dao Venerable Space, which could allow ordinary people to travel across different times, spaces, and worlds."
"Uh..." Yuan Zhu opened his mouth. He really wanted to say something, but he did not dare. Another Transmigrator?
At that moment, Mohawk Head could not help jumping in again. "I know, I know. The ancients criticized his writing as flat and straightforward, completely devoid of literary grace, saying he only knew how to use phrases like 'Terrifying indeed!' and had simply dragged refinement into the mud! But his imagination ran wild as a celestial steed soaring through the heavens. He pioneered a whole school, revived fiction writers, and led the second wave of new-school novels."
Yuan Zhu opened his mouth, then stopped himself from speaking.
Damn, "Terrifying indeed," huh? Definitely a Transmigrator—no doubt about it! Wu Guan'an, huh? That bastard really had a sense of humor. Who knew what kind of monstrosity he had turned the first three classics into? Given the chance, Yuan Zhu had to find those four ancient books and read them.
At that moment, the beautiful Security Bureau investigator spoke. "Now isn't the time for idle chatter. The most important thing is figuring out our current situation. Am I right, sir?"
After speaking, she looked toward the man in formal wear and glasses beneath the chandelier, who had barely made his presence known and was watching them all with a satisfied smile.
"It's all right. We have plenty of time. Everyone can get acquainted first, then we can discuss the proper business ahead."
The young woman was not having it. "Why don't you first tell me what this proper business is? And I haven't yet asked who you are...?"
"My name is Li Kejian, and I'll be your captain for some time to come. As this young lady just said, you have arrived in a place similar to Yellow Sky Dao Venerable Space. Due to certain fateful circumstances, you were selected into the room where I reside. Though it is somewhat embarrassing, please allow me to say this: welcome, everyone, to MaoMao King's Happy Home."
When he said that final name, Captain Li's expression, usually so graceful and elegant, became complicated beyond the heavens. Forget saying it aloud himself—even just hearing it made Yuan Zhu feel an indescribable shame, goosebumps rising all over his body.
In an instant, the entire room fell silent. Even the young female investigator, who had intended to continue questioning him, was unusually left speechless. The momentum she had painstakingly built up was beaten into a scattered army and crumbling armor.
No one could maintain their final shred of seriousness before MaoMao King's Happy Home.
"Pfft!"
Pink Hair could no longer hold it in and laughed. "What kind of name is that? It's so cute."
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