Chapter 192
Chapter 192
Cheng Miao looked at the others and continued explaining. “We thought we’d simply entered these people’s bodies and were living in their place for a while. In reality, these employees had already died for one reason or another by the time they entered the Confinement Room.”
“Maybe their obsessions ran too deep, or maybe the company did something to them. Either way, they kept working even after they died.”
“Qiudong and I have both seen ghosts. The ghosts this time don’t have fixed forms like the ones before. What we each saw was our own brutally murdered body. That must be the true state of the original Cheng Miao and Qiudong right now.”
After saying so much in one breath, Cheng Miao looked at the rest of her teammates.
Neither Qi Jiajia nor Qiudong showed any change in expression. There was sorrow in Qin Musong’s eyes, but he had witnessed too much life and death to let much of it show.
The only one as upset as she was had to be Lin Zhu.
Lin Zhu scratched his head. “Then, Sister Miaomiao, why are they trying to kill us?”
Cheng Miao tapped her chopsticks pointlessly against her tray. “Even dead, they’re still company ghosts, and they still have to preserve the company’s normal working order. In other words…”
“Not even death set them free,” Qiudong said coolly, stating something utterly chilling.
Qin Musong saw that Cheng Miao was in low spirits and took over the conversation. “That’s all the more reason for us to consider Miaomiao’s plan. Lin Zhu and I will be promoted to key employees tomorrow, so we need to work out the details as quickly as possible.”
Once they turned to business, Cheng Miao stopped dwelling on futile grief. She looked up at them. “This information can be spread online. I looked into this country, and it has an oversight agency. The original Cheng Miao had been following it for a long time, but she never dared to act rashly.”
“We’ll find a chance to have King lure the chairman away. Lin Zhu studied computer technology, so he’ll go in with me. Once we’ve sent the email, we’ll wipe the records clean.”
After that, all they had to do was wait.
Since the instance had provided this route, Cheng Miao firmly believed it could be carried out.
The group discussed it for a while and decided to act after the key employee list was announced the next day.
Early the following morning, an all-hands meeting was held, and the promotions were announced.
Quite a few players made the list.
Yan Yang from Human Resources, Qin Wen from Logistics, Yun Su from Finance, Lin Zhu from the General Office, and Qin Musong from Sales.
As long as the players worked hard to recreate their assigned personalities, the employees whose identities they occupied were all quite capable. None of them would have trouble earning a key employee position.
The instance’s insidious part was the overwhelming pressure and workload. Once players overlooked promotion to key employee as a possible method, they could remain trapped in the company for a very long time.
And since only a limited number of employees could be promoted, players would leave the instance at different times, which could easily lead to infighting.
Fortunately, their group did not have that problem.
Cheng Miao smiled and nodded at the others. Then she suddenly heard the chairman make an announcement none of them had expected.
“All key employees promoted today are to pack their personal belongings immediately and depart on a business trip for key employee training.”
Lin Zhu and Qin Musong froze. Both turned to look at Cheng Miao.
None of them had expected the new key employees to leave at once. Qin Musong’s departure was one thing, but Lin Zhu had only just crammed his head full of computer skills and had not yet had the chance to use them with Cheng Miao.
Cheng Miao thought rapidly for several seconds, then steeled herself and decided to let them leave first.
At a time like this, every person who could escape counted. As for what came next, once the evidence was sent, it would not matter whether they erased the records.
Lin Zhu and Qin Musong hesitated for a moment when they caught Cheng Miao’s gaze, but seeing her insistence, they could only follow the others toward the exit.
Qi Jiajia stood behind Cheng Miao, with Qiudong on her other side. Qin Musong truly could not bear to leave the three of them in this man-eating company, but he had no reason to stay.
Walking beside Qin Musong, Qin Wen quietly reached out and tugged at him.
He knew better than anyone what happened when concern led to confusion. Inside an instance, you had to trust your companions.
Otherwise…
He was living proof of the consequences.
Qin Musong jolted and quickly came back to his senses. He stopped hesitating, grabbed Lin Zhu, who kept looking back, and pulled him toward the exit.
As they passed Yun Su, Lin Zhu wondered what he should say.
Thank you?
Or ask her why?
In the end, Yun Su spoke first.
“You found the way to clear our last instance. I’ve repaid that favor this time, so we’re even.”
Without waiting for Lin Zhu’s response, Yun Su stepped across the company threshold and dissolved into a wisp of blue smoke.
Lin Zhu pursed his lips. She really was an unusual woman.
He did not know how to judge her, so he simply chose not to. He followed Qin Musong across the threshold.
“Ding! Players Lin Zhu and Qin Musong have successfully cleared the instance [Work! Work!]. Please wait at the settlement area for the rest of your teammates to clear the instance.”
After watching Lin Zhu and Qin Musong leave, Cheng Miao had no time to relax. She glanced at King, who stood nearby.
King raised an eyebrow. Were they still going ahead with the plan?
Cheng Miao gave an almost imperceptible nod. King smiled and discreetly made an okay gesture.
Everyone returned to their offices. Cheng Miao found that she was not the only one unable to concentrate on work. Even the company’s original employees seemed listless.
“When will it finally be our turn?”
“Exactly! I want to go outside and see it too. The outside might be dangerous, but key employees get protective gear that lets them leave without dying.”
Listening to their chatter, Cheng Miao desperately wanted to tell them the truth, but she still had to hold back.
She did not know how the original, already-dead Cheng Miao had endured three years of watching countless people leave while others arrived.
“Why? Why do they get to leave?!”
At the sudden roar of a somewhat familiar male voice, Cheng Miao knew something was wrong.
By the time she squeezed through the crowd and saw the man losing control, frustration welled up inside her.
It was Song Lei.
Song Lei had already been in a terrible state when he approached Cheng Miao the day before. Cheng Miao had hinted that he should stay calm, but apparently, he had not listened.
He had labored without hope of daylight in this place, his companion had died horribly for no clear reason, and many of the players around him had already cleared the instance.
Qin Musong and the others leaving was the final straw that crushed Song Lei’s already crumbling nerves.
He could no longer control himself. He completely lost his mind.
Even as security guards dragged him away, Song Lei failed to realize that danger had arrived.
He continued to struggle, roar, and weep in vain.
Cheng Miao stood silently in the crowd and watched Song Lei being taken away. Someone suddenly took her hand and gave it a little swing. She looked down to find Qi Jiajia gazing at her without expression.
The concern in Qi Jiajia’s eyes warmed Cheng Miao’s heart. Mimicking Qi Jiajia, she held her hand and swung it gently in return.
Watching Qi Jiajia’s face redden visibly and her expression sour, Cheng Miao laughed aloud.
“Stop looking. King sent word that we act in half an hour.” Someone pressed close behind her, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.
The cold voice soothed Cheng Miao’s tangled thoughts perfectly. She turned away and stopped watching the struggling figure.