Unforeseen Developments: Ten Evils

"Hehehehe... Hahahaha!" Mr. Li let out a textbook villainous laugh, limping down the pitch-black corridor.

His leg, horribly deformed from shattered bones, dragged across the floor, producing a deeply unsettling, sluggish sound with every step.

"Little Zhang, you really are the most interesting employee I've ever come across."

Clutching a sharp knife in one hand with the deathly weak Human-Headed Old Dog trailing behind him, he wore a playful grin as he gradually ventured deeper into the hallway.

Zhang Anzai, hiding in a nearby room, didn't make a sound.

This chase sequence is just too standard... Although he had managed to trip up Mr. Li once by relying on his nerves of steel and his predictions of how the situation would unfold, he dared not relax for a second.

A boss is a boss, after all. Even if the difficulty wasn't at a "nine deaths, one life" level, the threat to his life was still very real, and quite high at that.

The clearance method for this instance seemed particularly harsh; the warehouse's main rolling gate and the side door didn't look like they could be easily breached, and every side window he had seen so far was either impossible to climb or led nowhere.

If he wanted to leave this place, he would either have to find a way to raise the rolling gate or seize the key to the side door.

Or perhaps something more extreme? Do I have to kill that guy? Zhang Anzai pondered, his pupils constricting as he curled his body tighter.

Outside in the corridor, Mr. Li's footsteps had reached his vicinity.

"Hehe... you're quite good at playing these little tricks, Student Zhang." Mr. Li's playful voice drifted inside.

Outside the door, he stood before a plain gray wall, clutching his sharp knife and muttering to himself.

In the dim environment, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the wall; even running a hand over it revealed no clues.

Yet, he simply stood there quietly and spoke: "Come to think of it, your player ability shouldn't be for direct combat, right?"

Zhang Anzai: "!??"

Curled up inside the room, Zhang Anzai was astonished: What is going on?

Mr. Li's expression stiffened outside the door, followed by an even more unbridled grin: "Hahahaha, no reaction even after hearing that? Your talent level must be quite high! That makes it even better!"

"Clack!" He gripped his knife in reverse, lowered his body, and swung his arm with force, slamming the hilt against the gray wall.

"Crash!" A few fragments were chipped away, but his aim was slightly off; he hit the wooden door frame, and the illusion covering it was only partially dispelled.

"Little mouse, stay hidden inside! Don't be scared by my actions. I liked how you acted like a cornered rabbit earlier; if you turn into a little lamb, it won't be any fun at all!"

Mr. Li spun the knife in his hand and delivered a flying kick: "Bang!"

The door, previously masked by the illusion, was kicked in until it buckled, and the illusion covering it instantly failed.

"Confused, aren't you? Why do I know you're a player? Why would a boss like me know these things? Poor newbie, go ahead and guess for yourself!"

Mr. Li laughed wantonly, then: "Boom!" He kicked the door open completely.

"Whoosh!" The door swung wide, kicking up a cloud of dust inside the room.

"I've come to find you... stay hidden!"

On Zhang Anzai's end, he didn't dare draw a full breath, but back at the company, his heart was racing to the limit as he gasped for air: How did I run into this!? Is the matchmaking system targeting me?

He quickly navigated through the employee page, swiftly switching to a special tab.

"Xu Xinhai [Deputy Team Leader, Formal Group 1]."

This was the contact for Deputy Team Leader Xu, whom he had added after the commendation ceremony, though he hadn't expected to need it.

His current situation was too unique; according to company regulations, he was required to report to the formal group so that everyone could handle it together.

The company had a special channel for such matters, but it led to the dispatchers of the logistics team assigned to the formal group, and by the time they slowly screened and processed the request, it might already be too late.

"Team Leader Xu! Emergency! The player under my supervision has encountered someone from the Ten Evils."

After sending the message, Zhang Anzai immediately refocused on the instance. The studio before him was pitch-black, dust motes dancing in the air, and faint, rhythmic footsteps approached from the direction of the door.

Zhang Anzai gripped the heavy bronze sword in his hand, tightening his hold despite the pain in the web of his thumb from his previous efforts, and moved quickly toward the door.

Mr. Li's voice continued to drift toward him: "It's the middle of the night now, isn't it? Let me guess—is your administrator resting, or are they just as much of a newbie as you, unaware of what's actually happening?"

Mr. Li chuckled as he limped into the studio:

"An excellent newbie like you, who has already gained so many abilities after only a few instances—your administrator must be very confident in you, right?

But even if they were watching from the sidelines, what good would it do? What help can a new administrator working with a newbie provide? Just a bunch of useless people sitting in offices, resting on their laurels."

His mood was truly like that of a psychopath—alternating between excitement and gnashing teeth, both extremes, yet shifting with terrifying speed.

However, Zhang Anzai remained completely unaffected. He slowly opened the door and then lunged forward in a single bound.

"World Breaker!" Zhang Anzai instantly crossed the corridor and charged into the studio Mr. Li had kicked open, swinging the bronze sword before the Human-Headed Old Dog could rush him.

Both the corridor and the studio were pitch-black, so no one noticed that behind the shadow cast by the bronze sword, something indescribable flickered—like a finger snapping—propelling the sword forward with immense force.

"Ah!!" The Human-Headed Old Dog, previously severely wounded by him, was now extremely weak.

Though it couldn't pounce and attack immediately, it had caught his scent the moment he opened the door, letting out a heart-wrenching, hysterical shriek like a human.

Fortunately, Mr. Li was facing away from him at that moment; even if he could react, he couldn't fully block this strike.

"Clang!" Mr. Li backhanded a heavy, Chinese-style meat cleaver from his leather pouch and turned to defend.

But no matter how fast he was, he only managed to protect his vitals, letting the bronze sword strike the back of the cleaver before pinning it against his own face.

The explosive power of the World Breaker attack transferred entirely to his head. Mr. Li swayed, his eyes losing their luster and rolling wildly, as if he were about to collapse to the ground.

Yet, just as Zhang Anzai was suffering from the stamina drain and the recovery lag of the World Breaker attack, Mr. Li—halfway to falling—suddenly stomped his foot against the ground: "Bang!"

Looking at his eyes, now bloodshot, he had already fully recovered.