Chapter 179
Chapter 179
The buff appeared without a sound and enveloped Cheng Miao.
Cheng Miao knew something was wrong. She drew the Kun-Bone Dagger and rushed toward Fan Rui.
The stall door was sealed tight. From the way it shook, Cheng Miao could tell the person inside was desperately trying to open the lock.
When that failed, Fan Rui began slamming her body against the door again and again.
She was so panicked that she had completely forgotten the door opened inward.
Cheng Miao worried that breaking it with her dagger would drive the blade straight into Fan Rui’s forehead. She could only turn sideways and deliver a vicious side kick squarely into the door.
The door did not move at all.
Cheng Miao’s brows drew tight. Qin Musong had taught her this kick. It was extremely powerful, channeling the strength of her entire body into her leg before releasing it in an explosive strike.
She had tested it in the inn’s gym. One kick would break either a wooden door or a plastic one like this.
If it remained intact now, the rules could only be responsible.
As Cheng Miao tried to think of another way to save Fan Rui, she realized the sounds inside were gradually fading.
Before long, the door clicked and opened on its own.
Cheng Miao pushed it open and found Fan Rui’s mangled corpse inside.
Now she knew why Fan Rui had never cried for help. Her mouth, nose, and even all five facial openings were stuffed with thick black hair.
She looked like a scarecrow that had burst after being packed with too much straw.
Cheng Miao’s heart sank. Suddenly, instincts honed through many instances warned her that something had appeared behind her.
Without the slightest hesitation, she held the dagger sideways with its spine against her forearm, then spun and slashed viciously at the thing behind her.
The dagger’s edge whistled through the air and narrowly sliced open the throat of the figure standing there.
Cheng Miao narrowed her eyes at something that looked exactly like her, except for its horrifying white irises and the many wounds covering its body.
After Cheng Miao cut its throat, the thing pulled its lips into a chilling smile, then slowly faded into the air.
Cheng Miao rubbed the dagger. Had she broken a rule too?
Was it because she had accompanied Fan Rui, whom her assigned character normally found irritating, to the restroom?
But her violation was clearly not as severe as Fan Rui’s.
Cheng Miao narrowed her eyes. It appeared she had understood the instance’s hint correctly.
Get into character.
They had to inhabit not only the role of an employee, but also the original personality assigned to each of them.
This required slow exploration. The moment they made a mistake, a vengeful spirit would come for them.
Cheng Miao repeatedly warned herself to keep investigating her assigned personality. If she went too far out of character…
Her gaze shifted to the mangled corpse in the stall.
Suddenly, a head poked through the women’s restroom door. It belonged to a baby-faced man she had never seen.
The man blushed with embarrassment when he saw Cheng Miao. “Sorry! I wasn’t trying to peek. I’m from Logistics. I received a notice to come dispose of scrap here.”
Cheng Miao smiled and nodded, stepping aside for him.
After turning it over, she decided this was too good an opportunity to waste. Her assigned character happened to be a lively, adorable, opinionated young woman.
Cheng Miao could only speak in a coy voice. “Your Logistics Section gets its news so fast. I only just found her, and you’re already here.”
The man looked young, but his employee badge identified him as a deputy section chief.
He scratched his head, spread the material over Fan Rui, then turned and smiled at Cheng Miao. “That’s the advantage of having such a comprehensive company system.”
Cheng Miao tilted her head and gave the deputy chief an appropriately puzzled look.
Faced with such an adorable expression from a beautiful woman, the deputy chief chuckled and leaned closer. “That’s why the people in Research and Development are elites. They can accurately locate every employee and monitor their condition. The instant scrap appears, Logistics receives a notification.”
He had also seen Cheng Miao’s employee badge and knew she worked beside the company’s leaders, so his attitude grew even friendlier. “She was in your section, right? Are you worried about how you’ll explain this when you go back?”
Cheng Miao nodded timidly, making the deputy chief swell with masculine pride. “Don’t worry. What happened here will be reported directly to the head of your section.”
Cheng Miao was about to say more when she suddenly felt someone watching her. She belatedly turned and saw Qiudong poking his head inside, regarding her without expression.
The man saw Qiudong as well. Perhaps Qiudong’s exceptionally handsome appearance gave him an inexplicable sense of crisis, as though the beauty’s attention had been stolen from him.
He straightened and demanded sternly, “Which section are you from? What are you skulking around here for?”
Qiudong strode inside in two steps without even glancing at the restroom stalls. His pale eyes remained fixed on Cheng Miao. “Didn’t we agree to have dinner?”
Cheng Miao answered, “Oh.” Then she turned and smiled at the man. “Deputy Chief, this is my friend. He came to get me for dinner. We’ll leave you to your work.”
Cheng Miao did not usually smile, but when she did, it was enough to dazzle an ordinary man.
By the time he recovered, Qiudong had already pulled Cheng Miao away.
As they walked, Cheng Miao looked around. “Do you know where the cafeteria is?”
Qiudong released her and walked at her side. “I do. And I know they have lemon chicken wings.”
Cheng Miao’s eyes lit up, though her face had to remain perfectly composed. “Then let’s just grab something simple.”
Qiudong found the stars in her eyes so adorable that he wanted to reach out and rub her head.
His hand had only begun to rise when he suddenly remembered something. His expression chilled, and he lowered it again.
The other three were already there when Cheng Miao reached the cafeteria.
None had dared wait openly for her. They had all collected food and were eating as slowly and theatrically as possible.
Cheng Miao swept her gaze across the cafeteria. Quite a few people from Logistics were present, but hardly anyone from Research and Development. She saw only the two players Liu Chi and Deng Lei.
One look at their sickly faces told Cheng Miao they were having a difficult time.
Cheng Miao did not feel comfortable taking too much. She took two chicken wings and some vegetables before returning to her seat.
Wearing a glove and holding a chicken wing in one hand, Cheng Miao typed rapidly on her phone with the other.
Cheng Miao: Linda, I’m in the cafeteria. Want me to bring you anything?
Linda: No! I’m on a diet!
Three minutes later.
Linda: See if they have any cheese sandwiches…
Cheng Miao: Okk.
After handling that social obligation, Cheng Miao picked up another chicken wing and ate while quietly sharing her current clues and discoveries with her teammates.
Qin Musong nodded in agreement. “Each person having a corresponding assigned personality seems right. Mine is probably a top salesperson who works casually and isn’t constrained by hours because strong performance gives him a great deal of freedom. But…”
Qin Musong pressed the bridge of his nose, revealing a trace of helplessness. “I don’t know how to sell anything.”
Cheng Miao threw away the stripped bone and picked up another wing from her plate. She comforted him as she ate. “Brother Qin, don’t worry. Sales mostly relies on connections. Since the original owner of your identity was the top salesperson, he must have already built his network. You only need to sound sincere when contacting people.”
Qin Musong shook his head gravely. “I discovered in the chat logs… that the original owner of my identity loved to make grandiose claims.”
Cheng Miao fell silent.