Strange

Chapter 6: Strange

"Brother Wu, what do you mean by that?" Yang Bo was puzzled. Something about those words seemed off.

Wu Bing chuckled. "Yang Bo, you don't actually think I'm an F-Rank resident, do you?"

"Brother Wu, you're wearing a wristwatch..." Yang Bo was even more confused.

"The wristwatch? That's official certification. This world has many secrets. What you see is only what they're willing to show you. Come on, let's finish the job first. If you still want to keep doing this work afterward, I'll explain everything to you in detail." Wu Bing shook his head.

Yang Bo felt that something was wrong—very wrong. Could this cleaning company be doing dirty work?

Even dirty work has to pay well. The thought of doing dirty work actually made Yang Bo a little excited. His previous life had been dull and ordinary. Having died once, he no longer wanted to live so plainly, like a blade of grass.

Even if he became a butterfly that could only fly for a few days, that would be enough. At least his life would have been brilliant.

Wu Bing held the job order, and Yang Bo's rank was too low for him to see it. But the equipment they received made Yang Bo feel that something was off: a combination lock box and a handbag containing a stack of garbage bags. Yet he had never seen garbage bags like these before. They looked like old-fashioned woven sacks.

Someone still came to pick them up for the job. After getting into the vehicle, Yang Bo felt he had found the reason for his extreme dissatisfaction with his current life: he no longer wanted to live like a blade of grass, or like a pile of trash being watched and monitored by others.

Wu Bing looked at Yang Bo's grave expression and muttered inwardly, If social welfare weren't so good these days, making it hard to find people, youngsters like him would never get into the company. So many people would rather be happy pigs than come out and work.

This time, the vehicle arrived beneath a mountain. Tall walls surrounded the place, and security personnel could be seen at the gate. The two were taken separately into rooms for inspection, where they removed their wristwatches and placed them in special boxes.

They were given new Identity Cards, then someone led the way. A security guard guided them through the main gate and onto a stone-paved path. The stones looked old, while lush green trees shaded the surroundings. It was obvious they had not been planted by people, since many of them had grown in a wild, untidy manner.

After walking for a while, they began climbing the mountain. Uneven stone slabs formed tiered steps, with ferns and weeds growing from the cracks. Vines and shrubs filled the surrounding area, making it feel like a remote trail no one had walked for a very long time.

When they reached the mountainside, Yang Bo happened to look back and noticed a helipad below. The grounds were also enormous, though he could not make out their exact layout at all. Mountains surrounded them on every side.

A temple? After climbing another flight of steps and seeing the building before him, Yang Bo was startled. Looking more closely, it seemed more like a Taoist temple.

They did not enter the temple—or Taoist temple. Since they did not go inside, it was impossible to tell which it was.

They followed a stone path through a bamboo grove beside the Taoist temple. It was clear that the path led to different places, as there were several forks along the way.

"You two, this is your work area. Please make sure you abide by the contract," a staff member said when they arrived before a small courtyard.

"Understood." Wu Bing nodded.

The courtyard looked like a rustic country yard, with bamboo fencing and stone paving inside. There were flowers and plants, as well as a fish pond that appeared to contain several goldfish.

The house itself was entirely built from bamboo, its color showing the passage of many years. Together with the surrounding environment, it had a very tranquil charm...

But it gave Yang Bo a sinister feeling. The bamboo grove around it was too dense, and the mountain behind it was too tall. Though the setting looked nice, it would be terrible to actually live there. First, it would be damp. Second, the dense bamboo blocked the ventilation. And there would be far too many mosquitoes and insects. Perhaps only at noon would any sunlight reach the place.

Yang Bo had not yet seen today's assignment, so he asked, "Brother Wu, what's our task today?"

"You stay in the courtyard. I'll go inside and retrieve something. Once I bring it out, throw everything into this bag," Wu Bing said as he opened the box.

"Okay." Yang Bo nodded.

Wu Bing opened the box. It was roughly fifty centimeters long, forty centimeters wide, and thirty centimeters high.

Yang Bo was curious about what was inside. Once Wu Bing opened it, he saw something the size of a wok lid—a shield? The entire shield was bronze-colored, covered in mysterious patterns. It looked very much like the bronze artifacts Yang Bo had seen on antique streets in his previous life.

The box had a second layer. Beneath it lay a short sword that looked as though it were made of reddish copper.

"Remember, don't touch anything here." Holding the short sword in one hand and the shield in the other, Wu Bing gave Yang Bo a stern warning.

Yang Bo nodded, though countless questions filled his mind. He looked around but saw no third person. The plants in the courtyard and the environment all looked perfectly ordinary.

"Kid, don't doubt my words. This world is far more complicated and colder than what you see. Think about this question: if humans can be divided into all kinds of Gene Enhancers, what about other living creatures?" Wu Bing looked at Yang Bo and spoke meaningfully.

Yang Bo was startled. That was right. If humans could become Gene Enhancers, then what about other living things? If human genes could be altered, then could any other lifeform with genes also have the chance to change...

Yang Bo did not ask why. He was beginning to regret taking this cleaner job. He had no idea what mysteries this company truly held...

Then Yang Bo found it strange that he was not afraid. Was it because he had died once? Remembering Wu Bing's warning, Yang Bo instinctively kept his distance from the bamboo house. If anything dangerous happened, he would at least be able to run for it.

Yang Bo looked again at the things in the small courtyard before the house: bluish stone slabs, discolored bamboo fences covered with all kinds of climbing plants, all of it looking unusual. The plants had been grown in various ceramic pots.

Near the bamboo house was another small pool, rectangular yet irregularly shaped. There was even a rockery inside, with some plants growing on it.

The entire place felt simple and elegant, full of rustic countryside charm.

Just then, Wu Bing came out—but his hands were empty. Yang Bo found that strange. After all that preparation, he had come out empty-handed.

"Brother Wu?" Yang Bo hurried over and asked.

"You go clean up over there." Wu Bing's expression was somewhat stiff as he pointed toward the fish pond.

"Okay," Yang Bo replied instinctively.

Then he turned to leave. But the instant he turned around, Yang Bo sensed something wrong. There was something off about Wu Bing's voice. Wu Bing had clearly spoken right in front of him, yet Yang Bo felt as if the sound had come from the side.

His Sonar Positioning ability had detected the anomaly.

He looked toward the direction the sound had come from.

It was the small, inconspicuous fish pond...

A thought flashed through his mind, and he let out a whistle!