Bus No. 404

It was three in the morning.

When Manager Fang from the slaughterhouse walked back into the warehouse carrying two bottles of beer, a cold dish, and two takeout bowls of knife-shaved noodles, he saw Xiao Ran still stitching up corpses.

"Little brother, stop what you're doing and eat something. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I ordered you a portion of travel-style knife-shaved noodles and a bottle of beer."

As Manager Fang spoke, he placed the items on the table and then walked up to Xiao Ran. His gaze fell upon Xiao Ran's technique, and he was immediately captivated.

The silver needle in Xiao Ran's hand moved with an almost unbelievable lightness. The needle and thread quickly passed through flesh and skin, and with a gentle pull, the gaping incision was seamlessly rejoined, leaving no visible trace to the naked eye.

Manager Fang had worked in the slaughterhouse for many years and knew how tough cowhide was, yet in Xiao Ran's hands, it offered no resistance whatsoever.

He looked back and saw that every single cow carcass hanging on the racks was stitched up flawlessly.

"This craftsmanship is incredible!"

Xiao Ran had just finished stitching the last cow. Hearing Manager Fang's words, he turned and smiled, "Uncle Fang, you're interested in this?"

"Not really. I come from a butcher's background, how could I be interested in such delicate work? It's your skill, though..." Manager Fang hesitated, then lowered his voice, "It reminds me of people in the underworld professions."

"Oh!" Xiao Ran was a little surprised that Manager Fang could see that. "Uncle Fang, please continue."

"Eat first, eat first. We can chat while we eat, before the noodles get cold."

"Alright."

Xiao Ran washed his hands in a sink nearby. He and Manager Fang pulled up small stools, set out the cold dish and noodles, and sat in front of the warehouse.

A few small insects flitted about in the light outside the warehouse door. The surroundings were vast and open, and in the distance, large trucks could be seen slowly entering the vegetable market. Bare-chested men began unloading fresh vegetables, bag after bag.

The two raised their beer bottles and clinked them together. After a gulp of ice-cold beer, Manager Fang said, "Didn't I just say? My family comes from a butcher's background, but even earlier, we were actually..."

He said this, gesturing with his palm behind his own neck.

"Executioners!"

Xiao Ran looked up at Manager Fang. "So, not only are we colleagues, but you're also my predecessor."

There's an old saying in the common folk that describes professions in the underworld: the blade of an executioner, the eyes of a coroner, the skill of a paper crafter for paper figures, and the needlework of a second-rate craftsman.

Among these, the executioner is considered the head of the underworld professions, possessing the heaviest malevolent energy.

It's said that few people who pursued this line of work met a good end.

The reason Xiao Ran called him a predecessor was because the executioner was the beginning of the four underworld professions.

Excluding the birth, aging, sickness, and death of ordinary people, if death were a play, the first act would be the executioner taking a life.

Next would be the coroner examining the body, the second-rate craftsman stitching the corpse, the paper crafter making the coffin, and the bell band playing their music.

The curtain falls, the coffin is sealed – this was the complete service.

"Exactly. That's why when I saw your technique just now, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity. Plus, you were recommended by Manager Zhou. I figured there was a high chance your family was also in the underworld professions."

"Uncle Fang is amazing!"

Xiao Ran gave him a thumbs-up and took two large bites of his knife-shaved noodles.

After working for so long, he was indeed hungry. While eating, he asked, "What happened later? How did your family end up here?"

Uncle Fang shot Xiao Ran a look. "There's no shortage of demand for paper coffins. It's not for nothing they call him Paper Man Zhou. Many coroners have since transitioned into forensic science, still working for the government. Second-rate craftsmen have a tough time, but there's still a market. What can an executioner do? Live stream pig head chopping?"

It must be said that executioners are truly tragic. Of the so-called four great underworld professions, the other three are doing quite well, yet the executioner was the first to disappear from the river of history.

They had no choice but to change professions and become butchers.

Some say this was retribution for the executioner's profession accumulating too much bad karma.

Old Fang thought this was utter nonsense; it was merely the change of the times.

Paper Man Zhou and Bell Player Yang were once prominent figures in Luo City, but in the end, they were crushed like ants by the great era.

Bell Player Yang's family went into the theater business, reportedly even establishing some form of intangible cultural heritage.

The Zhou family, relying on their foundation and the connections and reputation they had accumulated in their early years, used ruthless tactics to take over this agricultural market.

His family and the Zhou family had a bit of a connection in the past, so they simply entrusted the slaughterhouse operations to the Fang family.

Old Fang hadn't encountered anyone from the trade in a long time. He was already in his early fifties, and in another couple of years, he would hand over the business to his son. By then, no one in the family would mention their past origins anymore.

So, seeing Xiao Ran truly made him feel a sense of kinship.

The two ate noodles and drank beer, and in the blink of an eye, it was four in the morning.

At this hour, the vegetable market became even livelier. Many vegetable vendors began wholesaling produce on their three-wheeled vehicles. Pigs, sheep, and beef were then sent out of the warehouse.

"Manager Fang, Manager Fang, they're starting to release the goods from the warehouse."

Calls began coming through Old Fang's walkie-talkie.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran sensibly stood up. "Uncle Fang, you're busy. I'll head back now."

"Oh, don't rush. I'll have someone give you a ride later. There's a truck going to the city to deliver vegetables."

"No need, I'll ride my bike back. It's not far."

Xiao Ran looked towards where he had parked his shared bicycle, only to find that someone had already taken it.

But this wasn't a problem. There were still plenty of shared bicycles near the bus stop outside. He could just scan one when he got out.

After bidding farewell to Uncle Fang, Xiao Ran walked along the path.

He had extracted nine Talismans of Strength and three Talismans of Physique from a total of twelve cows. Activating them together would allow him to become a super-strong man for a short period.

If he combined this with the privilege of the [Black Swan Brooch·Trainee], it would provide Tempering.

When attacked, he had a 30% chance of gaining Tempering Points, which could be used to temporarily boost his physique, strength, agility, or spirit according to his needs.

His strength could surge by more than ten points in a short time. With a single punch, who could withstand it without twenty years of training?

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt a surge of joy.

At four o'clock, the sky was a dull gray.

Xiao Ran walked to the roadside, scanning left and right, but couldn't find any shared bikes.

It made sense, as this area was too remote for shared bikes to be deployed.

Xiao Ran walked a few more steps forward.

But as he walked, Xiao Ran suddenly looked up. The streetlights ahead began to extinguish one by one.

In the hazy sky, something seemed to be rapidly approaching.

In just a moment, all the lights around Xiao Ran were extinguished. Instantly, a white mist began to rapidly appear around him.

The surrounding air became colder, and the sounds around him gradually disappeared, as if the entire world had come to a standstill at that moment.

"Miyuan City again!"

This familiar feeling enveloped Xiao Ran once more, causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end.

How could he have entered Miyuan City again so soon?

Xiao Ran took a deep breath and found his current mood to be completely different from last time.

Instead of being terrified by the appearance of Miyuan City, he actually felt... a sense of anticipation.

Looking back, he saw the lights behind him rapidly disappearing, and even the huge neon sign of the farmers' market was submerged in the white mist.

At this moment, Xiao Ran noticed a faint light flickering ahead. The dim, yellow light was exceptionally dazzling in the white mist.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately walked towards the light.

After just a few steps, the outline of an abandoned station under the light gradually became clear.

As he walked closer to examine it, the station was covered in rust, and the writing on the sign beside it was already blurred.

However, the station names could still be vaguely discerned.

[Bone Spirit Street], [Fifth Hospital], [Jiaomu Village], [Seventh Middle School], and so on.

Beyond that, Xiao Ran couldn't make out any more, the writing completely blurred, almost as if it had been deliberately smeared with watercolors.

Suddenly, a strong sense of unease surged through his body, making Xiao Ran's limbs stiffen.

The vision before his eyes began to show a vibrant blood-red light, turning his sight into a scarlet hue. Wavy, blood-red stripes began to form characters.

[You have been locked in as a participant in this Lost City. Please follow the rules below.]

Prompt 1: Please take Bus No. 404 to the mission location.

Prompt 2: On the bus, please do not spit or discard items at will. Maintain cleanliness as much as possible.

Prompt 3: Please pay attention to the rules on the bus.

Prompt 4: Remember, do not get off the bus early!!!

Prompt 5: Please pay special attention, in addition to the visible rules, be careful of the [Weird Tales] in the mission area.

Prompt 6: Complete the main quest or three side quests to leave this Lost City...

This is the new book period. We hope everyone will continue to follow along. The more readership you provide, the greater the help to the author and the novel.