Strange Package

Chapter 1: Strange Package

Watching the air-conditioning repairman working outside the window, Li Wei crushed the empty paper cup in his hand and tossed it into the trash can.

The sweltering summer heat, combined with a job exhausting enough to kill an ox, seemed determined to test his patience.

As an employee of a small company, an ordinary worker through and through, Li Wei endured the same pressures as most people in the city.

He had graduated just a year ago and earned a salary that kept him from starving. He rented a tiny place just big enough to live in, had no girlfriend, and barely had any entertainment in his daily life. If he had to name one or two things, he could play games on his custom-built computer or treat himself to a delicious meal at the roadside barbecue stall downstairs, where wastewater flowed freely.

He could also enjoy the company's free air-conditioning during this sweltering summer. Aside from that, Li Wei couldn't think of anything that made him happy.

But today, the air conditioner had unexpectedly broken down, ruining his good mood. On top of that, the mountain of proposals on his desk had pushed his heat-induced irritability to the limit.

Just then, a stout man strode over, wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel as he called out to Li Wei, "Li Wei, what's going on? Is that supermarket marketing proposal finished? Manager Wang's already asking for it!"

Li Wei hurriedly pulled the proposal from a pile of documents and respectfully handed it over.

The fat man was his direct supervisor. Since his surname was Zhang, Li Wei and his coworkers privately called him Fat Pig Zhang. He usually spoke like firecrackers going off. In the heat, his rolls of fat radiated warmth beneath his shirt, and sweat had soaked his expensive shirt until it was nearly transparent.

Yanking the document from him, Fat Pig Zhang shot Li Wei a sideways glare. "I have to say, you sure think highly of yourself. I have to come get it in person. Anyone who didn't know better might think you were the manager!"

"Wasn't it due next week?" The instant the words left his mouth, Li Wei regretted speaking up. Fat Pig Zhang was notoriously snide and had been abusing his authority to bully his subordinates for years. If you kept quiet, he might let it go, but if you talked back, he'd seize the chance to make trouble.

Sure enough, the moment Li Wei finished speaking, Fat Pig Zhang blew up.

"I decide when proposals are due! If you don't want to work here, then get lost. Don't think the company can't function without you. Plenty of people are waiting to get in!"

Li Wei's ability at work was obvious to everyone. The stack of materials on his desk, three or four times higher than everyone else's, said it all. But not everyone liked a capable employee.

Fat Pig Zhang was clearly one of them. Li Wei's outstanding performance made him feel threatened. Especially in the past few months, he'd heard through the grapevine that the company was considering having Li Wei take his position. The news had shocked him and driven his resentment toward Li Wei to its peak.

So deliberately giving Li Wei a hard time had become part of his daily routine. His ideal outcome would have been to drive Li Wei away, but things hadn't gone the way he'd hoped.

Because Li Wei simply wouldn't take the bait.

"Sorry, Manager Zhang. I'll make sure to bring it to you on time next time. Also, I've already finished the promotional plan for Lihua Real Estate, due the week after next. If it's convenient, you can take that one too."

His calm tone and respectful expression left Fat Pig Zhang with nothing to say. In the end, he couldn't find an excuse to pick a fight. He merely snorted before storming back to his office.

A few coworkers who were on good terms with Li Wei quietly gave him a thumbs-up. Not many people at the company could make Fat Pig Zhang eat his words, so they all admired Li Wei immensely.

"Li Wei, have you noticed how much worse Fat Zhang's been treating you lately? It's like he's deliberately targeting you. I'm telling you, did you stumble onto his ** or something?" asked a coworker who enjoyed joking around.

His words set off a lively discussion among the others. They even brought up an amusing story about Fat Pig Zhang and a female student from an arts college frequenting a high-end hotel together. Li Wei, however, gave no indication of what he thought.

When it was time to leave, Li Wei still wore the same expression, as if he didn't care about what had happened that day. In truth, he cared a lot.

If he wanted to survive in this city, he couldn't afford to lose this job. That was why he worked so hard. But being deliberately picked on by his direct supervisor was the last thing he wanted.

In fact, Li Wei had noticed Fat Pig Zhang acting strangely a long time ago.

The man was mean, but he wasn't the sort to offend people lightly. To have worked his way up in a company for so long and secured a manager's position, he had to have his own strengths. When it came to handling people, he was definitely better than Li Wei.

So the fact that he was targeting Li Wei so relentlessly could only mean that Li Wei had offended him somehow.

He certainly hadn't stumbled onto Fat Pig Zhang's **. In fact, aside from work, Li Wei had almost no contact with his coworkers, so it couldn't have been anything outside the office. At work, he was conscientious and diligent, leaving no handle for anyone to grab onto.

So what exactly had he done to offend that pig?

It still has to be something work-related... Looks like I need to find out why that pig's acting so strangely. For him to be this worked up, it must involve his own interests! Rubbing his chin, Li Wei stepped out of the elevator. He absolutely couldn't let anything happen to his livelihood. If it came to a confrontation with that pig, so be it.

During his year at the company, Li Wei had seemed like an ox, tireless and hardworking, but in truth, he was deeply ambitious. He wanted to climb higher.

The company's compensation was closely tied to rank. To move up, he first had to learn to be patient and, of course, demonstrate his outstanding abilities. More importantly, he had to make everyone think he was harmless. Li Wei had done all of that well. His coworkers' attitude toward him was proof enough of what kind of person he seemed to be.

Even with Fat Pig Zhang, Li Wei had done his best to act ingratiating and respectful. That was precisely why his sudden hostility seemed so suspicious.

Anyway, he'd sound people out tomorrow and see what he could learn.

Having made up his mind, Li Wei felt much more at ease. Just then, the receptionist at the company's front desk called out to him.

By the time Li Wei left the office building, he had a box wrapped in black paper in his hands.

As someone who often shopped online, Li Wei knew it was a delivery package. But he hadn't bought anything recently, so what was this package?

The recipient's name and the company's address were clearly written on it.

After more than an hour of being jolted around on a crowded bus, Li Wei returned to his rented room. He shut the door, then flopped onto the bed and rested for a good ten minutes before he could recover.

Compared with a day's work, taking the bus was even more exhausting. The packed crowd, the stale air, and the stench some people gave off because of their bodily functions could turn anyone vigorous and full of life into someone who looked just like Li Wei did now.

Only after gulping down a big glass of cool boiled water did Li Wei feel better. Then he picked up the delivery box and tore off the outer wrapping in a few quick motions.

It was a black box, printed with what looked like a symbol of some religion. In the image, an angel with white wings was fighting a red-skinned demon with fangs. The picture alone made Li Wei jolt.

When Li Wei opened the box, a disc and something that looked like an instruction sheet fell out.

Li Wei couldn't help laughing in surprise. The box had been so mysterious, yet all it contained was a disc. It was just like the usual marketing gimmicks used by certain game companies.

"So it's a game disc!" Li Wei laughed dismissively. Picking it up, he became even more certain of his guess.

As a semi-professional player with several years of gaming experience, Li Wei often received game discs like this. Most were free promotions for new games.

But Li Wei still believed that good wine needed no bush. Eight or nine out of ten games advertised so heavily weren't any good, so he ignored the disc.

Instead, the sheet of paper caught his attention.

The instruction sheet was exquisitely made. It had been styled after ancient parchment and artificially aged, so it looked quite old. If he took it to an antique shop, he might even be able to pass it off as a letter that had circulated during the Middle Ages.

As he unfolded the paper, a strange smell of parchment and ink wafted out. Li Wei couldn't help laughing again. This game company had really spared no expense.

The aged Yellow Paper looked expensive, and tiny tadpole-like characters covered it. They appeared to have been handwritten, and the calligraphy was remarkably accomplished. Li Wei estimated that the writer must have practiced for more than a decade to write like that.

"A contract?"

Li Wei brewed himself a cup of tea and began reading. Before long, his expression shifted from relaxed and carefree to serious. By the end, his mouth had even fallen open in shock. Something had clearly astonished him.

A moment later, Li Wei laughed at himself.

"Devil Game... So this contract takes effect as soon as I sign my name?" He glanced beside the table and picked up his usual pencil.

But soon, he put it down again.

"Just signing my name can get me out of this boring life? It can change the whole world? Do I look like an idiot?" Li Wei tossed the Yellow Paper aside too.

That was what the Yellow Paper said. To any normal person, it sounded like utter nonsense.

Li Wei turned on his computer and put the disc into the drive. Sipping his hot tea, he decided to see what was on it. The machine soon made a burst of noise, and an interface popped up on the screen.

The screen showed a login interface, but it was entirely gray. Li Wei tried it, but none of the buttons worked, as if it were some kind of unregistered paid software.

A dialogue box popped up.

"Sign the contract to access!"

Li Wei scratched his head.

"Is it because I don't have an activation code? Or... do I really have to sign that paper to use it?"

He glanced at the contract, picked up the pencil again, and, just for fun, signed his name on the signature line.

He looked back at the screen. The login interface hadn't changed in any obvious way.

Just as Li Wei was about to decide it was some pointless prank by a game company, an electric current suddenly shot out of the paper.

It hit him like a club. Li Wei felt his body go numb, then sank into darkness.

Unconscious, Li Wei didn't see the login interface on his computer screen start running by itself like a ghost.