Chapter 184
Chapter 184
No one had expected the little doll to be neither a defensive Item nor an offensive one, but an intelligent Item.
Except…
Everyone watched its legs wobble even while standing. It was not much use yet.
Still, one of Lin Zhu’s worries had finally been resolved. He was delighted and extremely satisfied with the Item.
Cheng Miao noticed two people in the cafeteria picking at their food.
One was Shen Si, who worked in the same section as Cheng Miao. She had remained depressed all day after her friend died yesterday.
Fortunately, there was little work that day, and no one noticed her abnormal behavior.
The other was probably Qian Miao, whose teammate had died that day. He sat with Liu Chi from his section and Liu Chi’s teammate Song Lei, who worked with Qin Musong in Sales.
Qian Miao was also a player who preferred to lie low. His companion’s inexplicable death brought him not only grief but panic.
How was he supposed to clear this instance now?
Fortunately, he got along well with Liu Chi, so they could still support one another.
Cheng Miao told everyone about the password-protected file she had found. They looked at one another, but no one had a good idea.
“Why don’t I learn some hacking and see if I can break in?” Lin Zhu had soothed the doll and told it he did not want the custard buns. The little figure obediently rode on his shoulder, indistinguishable from an ordinary doll.
Qiudong stopped him. “Your skill only retains the knowledge for three days, and we haven’t figured out the situation yet. Besides, the network here appears connected to the outside world, but it’s definitely monitored. Until we know more, you can’t rashly hack into it.”
That left Cheng Miao to find the solution herself. But she was not the original owner of the identity. How could she guess the password?
Perhaps because she had not slept enough and had already worked most of the day, Cheng Miao’s mind was less clear than usual.
She splashed water on her face and leaned against the sink as she studied herself in the mirror.
There had to be a way.
If this were a horror story, it might have no solution.
But this was an instance.
An instance would not create a checkpoint with no reason to exist. She would definitely find the password.
Once Cheng Miao understood that, her mind calmed.
During overtime that evening, she finished her work and continued searching through chat histories and forum replies, hoping to find a clue.
Shen Si had not been herself since Fan Rui died.
The environment of this instance appeared perfectly normal. It was not a grim, eerie village or a hospital of flickering lights.
But to her, it was still a horror instance.
It was the instance that had taken her friend’s life.
And she was expected to work in this environment!
How could she possibly do that? Shen Si felt as though none of the people around her were human. Remaining seated here for 20 hours already showed tremendous self-control.
Time ticked onward until it finally reached 12:30 a.m.
Only half an hour remained before she could rest. Shen Si breathed a sigh of relief.
She did not know how many more days she could endure this.
“Shen Si, there are several errors in this report. Were you not paying attention when you made it?” Close to the end of the workday, Qin Xi approached with the report Shen Si had submitted that morning.
The sight of anyone from the company now frightened Shen Si. She feared that while they were talking, they might suddenly reveal green faces and savage fangs.
“I-I’m sorry. I’ll definitely correct it tomorrow.” Only when impatience appeared on Qin Xi’s face did Shen Si jolt and blurt out an apology.
Perhaps Shen Si’s expression looked too awful, or perhaps the tears in her eyes stirred Qin Xi’s pity.
Qin Xi relaxed her face, losing her initial sternness.
She reached out and patted Shen Si’s stiff shoulder. “Forget it. Don’t blame yourself. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Qin Xi checked the time, then added, “But we need this data first thing tomorrow, so it can’t be delayed. Work some overtime tonight and finish it. Give it to me when work begins tomorrow.”
“I…” By the time Shen Si realized she wanted to refuse, Qin Xi had already left after dropping those words.
It was already one in the morning. She was expected to work overtime alone at the hour when supernatural events were most easily triggered?
No.
She could not do it!
Even if there were no ghosts, she would surely frighten herself to death.
Shen Si picked at a hangnail until the pain brought her back to herself.
Seeing blood well from her finger, she ignored the dirt and put it in her mouth.
Maybe she could get up early and do it tomorrow morning.
Shen Si’s eyes brightened. Yes, it would still be dark when work began tomorrow, but at least it would not be two or three in the morning.
As long as she arrived early, finished the report, and handed it to her section chief, everything would be fine.
When the workday ended, Shen Si waited for Qin Xi to leave before packing her belongings and following the crowd.
Cheng Miao’s thoughts had not emerged from her vast search either. Seeing Shen Si walk toward her in a daze, she kindly reminded her, “Are you all right? You don’t look well.”
Shen Si touched her face and forced an ugly smile. “Miss Cheng, how long are we going to keep doing this?”
Cheng Miao sighed. She could barely endure it herself.
As they walked toward the elevator, Cheng Miao comforted her. “Be patient. For now, the first thing we must do is follow the company’s regulations and complete the work assigned by our superiors.”
“We may solve the instance more slowly this way, but at least we’ll remain alive.”
When they separated in the corridor, Cheng Miao smiled at Shen Si and returned to her room.
As though dreaming, Shen Si twisted open her door and sat on the bed.
Her mind was foggy and her eyelids fought to close, but she did not want to sleep.
Cheng Miao had just said they needed to complete the work assigned by their superiors. Section Chief Qin Xi had told Shen Si to work overtime, but she had not.
Would that trigger a death condition?
But everyone had already returned to their rooms. The idea of riding the elevator back to the office alone in the middle of the night and working overtime there…
She truly did not dare.
And she knew no one could help her.
Even Cheng Miao could not be certain whether accompanying her to work overtime would count as a violation.
Besides, why should anyone sacrifice their safety and rest to protect her?
Chaotic thoughts screamed through Shen Si’s mind until she felt her head might explode.
She took out her phone and looked. It was 1:30 a.m.
What should she do…?
Under the overwhelming pressure, Shen Si’s mind shut down completely. She leaned against the wall with half-closed eyes, neither asleep nor aware of where her thoughts had gone.
Suddenly, her phone chimed.
Shen Si flinched in fright and looked down at it.
It was 2:00 a.m., and a text message had arrived.
The sender was Qin Xi. Shen Si breathed a faint sigh of relief and opened it.
Qin Xi: Xiao Shen, have you finished the report? I’m still worried, so I want to see it tonight.
Blood rushed to Shen Si’s head. Her hands trembled, and she did not know how to answer. Every possible reply felt like a last message before death.
After a long while, perhaps because Qin Xi received no answer, another message arrived.
Shen Si assumed it was a reprimand from Qin Xi. Any words from the woman, even a vicious scolding, would frighten her less than this.
Shen Si hurriedly opened it, only to discover that the sender was a string of garbled characters and the message contained only a few words.
Unknown: Why are you so afraid?
Unknown: Is it because of me?