Killing

The factory was still dim during the day.

The machinery on the first floor hummed, like people murmuring under their breath.

As they descended from the second floor, they could clearly see numerous ghostly figures on the first. Dressed in work clothes, the figures worked numbly beside the machines. Their faces were indistinct, but their exhaustion and emptiness were painfully clear.

What were these ghostly figures?

Ghosts?

Xie De's legs went weak again. His mind wandered for a moment. If they were ghosts, they must harbor a lot of resentment, considering they were still working even after death.

In that brief moment of distraction, a ghost floated up in front of them and glared viciously. "Why aren't you back at your workstations?"

Huh? Me?

Xie De focused his gaze on the ghost but had yet to speak.

Wei Yanchi stepped forward and answered gently, "Sir, we're inspectors invited by your boss specifically to handle romantic relationships between workers. We're management, just like you, so we don't need to return to a workstation."

The legless ghost remained just as irritable, muttering impatiently, "Now they can't even date? What, does he think this is high school? That old bastard never stops making trouble."

Still muttering, the ghost faded back into the surroundings, patrolling aggressively among the numb workers and throwing around what little authority he had.

Looking down from the stairs, they could clearly see that the entire first floor was in ruins. The abandoned machines were merely covered by a layer of pristine phantom images, and the phantom workers likewise toiled endlessly over those images.

They were like spirits bound to this place.

All right, relax. This is nothing.

Xie De turned to look at Wei Yanchi. With this powerhouse carrying him, he should be able to coast to victory without a scratch, right?

Noticing Xie De looking at him, Wei Yanchi gave an innocent smile and explained, "Mr. 39, do you remember that dried rose you gave me?"

"Our task is to resolve the boss's problem, which is that these workers have been disappearing for no apparent reason. During yesterday's investigation, we found a ledger of his relatives in his office. From that, we learned that the missing workers all had some connection to the boss. One of them was even his younger female cousin."

"My theory might seem a little odd, but I have a vague idea that one of these workers confessed their love to the boss's cousin, and the boss broke them up. There's also the fact that men and women share dorm rooms here, yet hardly any couples are openly together."

"That led me to believe the boss probably forbids dating in this factory."

"As for why he forbids it, we still need more clues and answers."

Damn. No wonder he's the protagonist.

Xie De was impressed. Beiwei showed no reaction, still trailing behind him like a little tail.

They descended the stairs and finally set foot on the first floor.

A damp, despairing atmosphere hit them head-on, burrowing straight into their bones as though trying to force the living to share their suffering. Desperate cries also rang in their ears.

"Let me leave!"

"Help me!"

"I don't want to work..."

"I want to go home!"

That was some serious despair.

Xie De shuddered and stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to walk into that crowd of ghosts at all...

At that very moment, 455 shouted, "Host, step back, now!"

After spending so much time with 455, Xie De had come to rely on it instinctively. The instant it spoke, his body reflexively took a step back.

That single step was just enough. A living person lunged out from beside him and fell flat on his face right in front of him.

455 sneered. "He actually dared to ambush us. Host, kick him."

Xie De kicked on reflex, sending the man straight into the crowd of ghosts.

Only then did his mind catch up, and he heard the living man's piercing screams. "Aaaaah-"

It all happened too fast. Standing nearby, Wei Yanchi clearly saw Xie De kick the man. A second later, he saw the furious ghosts tear Fang Jueshan apart. Pieces of flesh were carried onto the machines, which processed them into cans, while he was still screaming.

Mr. 39 watched coldly, his face expressionless. It was clear he felt affronted. In that moment, he looked a little like an emissary from hell.

Watching the carnage from the shadows, Li Luohan's eyes widened. Then he fixed a hard stare on the aloof man at the front. Fang Jueshan was dead, just like that?

He still had so many items on him, and so much money!

And he'd just... died?

Deaths were all too common in instances. Li Luohan gritted his teeth and silently cursed the useless bastard, then hurried away through the shadows, not daring to show himself before the three of them.

Xie De almost threw up.

"455, I think I just killed someone. But you're the principal offender. I'm only an accomplice."

455 said, "Is this really the time to argue about who's the principal and who's the accomplice? Host, that guy was trying to kill you."

"Just give me a minute."

Looking at the bloody scene of dismemberment before him, Xie De could feel acid rising in his stomach. The stench of a corpse seemed to fill his nose again, and his head swam.

Unable to endure it any longer, Xie De lit himself a cigarette, letting the tobacco suppress the acid churning in his stomach.

455 sighed. "Host, someone's targeting you. This guy clearly came prepared. The items on him let him turn invisible, so he could have run away right after killing you. And I think he might have wanted to test your strength or break up your newly formed team of three. He just never expected to die like this."

Xie De fell silent, then said gloomily, "Society's going to the dogs. People have lost all decency. Brazen attacks and outright robbery in broad daylight. Instances are too complicated. I want to go back to reality."

During the minute he spent talking to 455, Wei Yanchi walked straight into the crowd of ghosts to investigate, apparently unafraid of being strapped to a machine and turned into canned human meat himself. His skill gave him courage, and he threaded between the ghosts with featherlight steps.

He looked here and there, though there was no telling what he was looking for.

Beiwei wasn't as bold as he was and only dared to stand beside Xie De. Watching him smoke at a leisurely pace, she suddenly said, "Mr. 39, do you want revenge on Li Luohan? They chose to provoke you. You could make an example of them by killing Li Luohan too, and establish your authority. I can help you find Li Luohan. I can also kill him for you."

As mentioned earlier, Fang Jueshan and Li Luohan were working together.

He nearly dropped his cigarette.

Good grief, girl. That's one hell of a thing to say.

Xie De wanted to ask Beiwei whether she really thought he was that cruel.

But 455 agreed with Beiwei and said indignantly, "What am I supposed to do if they kill you, Host? You have to teach them a lesson! Make them understand that fortunes change, and they should never look down on a poor young man!"

"What webnovel have you been reading now?"

"Never mind that. Repeat after me."

Xie De hesitated. "But I don't know how to kill people. Killing only sounds easy. Actually doing it is hard. You're not really going to send Beiwei, are you?"

455 thought for a moment, then had a flash of inspiration. "Host, have you forgotten I can deliver electric shocks? As long as you get within five paces of him, I can electrocute him to death. Although the skill does have a cooldown."

"Oh, come on! You've got some nerve bringing that up. I'm a hundred percent going to get caught in the crossfire!"

455 said angrily, "Can't there be a little more trust between people? Now repeat after me."

Xie De went numb.

From Beiwei's perspective, Mr. 39 crushed out his cigarette and gave a cold snort. "You won't need to act. Bring him to me. I'll kill him myself."

"Yes."

So he really did feel affronted. Seeing the cruel gleam flash through Mr. 39's eyes, Beiwei understood that the man she followed was no merciful master.