Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Zhao Xiuming kept chewing his rice-noodle rolls without so much as glancing at the players, as though he truly had no idea the “mainlanders” were players entering a new instance.

Horror Game’s reforms hadn’t yet affected the other game operators. The players entering this instance belonged to Grotesque Game.

Of the games, Terror Game was the most mysterious. Little information was available, and it had no forum.

The other three offered similar kinds of instances. Some required role-playing, forbidding players from acting outside their assigned roles.

Others involved battle royales, direct confrontation, deductive mysteries, exploration, rules, and so on.

The only difference was how they treated instance NPCs. Horror Game had a filtering function.

Recently, though, it had abolished that function and might introduce new instance types involving cooperation with anomalies and NPCs.

Mutation Game preferred to seize NPCs’ bodies outright. The hot pot restaurant manager had probably been selected by Mutation Game, which was why text had appeared above his head.

Grotesque Game, whose players were entering this time, operated openly without fear of exposure. Unlike Horror Game, it didn’t go out of its way to arrange identities for players. Even when it did, missions took priority; it had little interest in role-playing.

Just then, the White Paper Fan acting as interpreter interrupted Zhao Xiuming’s thoughts. He shouted at the five lackeys, “What are you little bastards doing? Get over here and escort our guests!”

They answered with cheeky grins. Dahu clapped Zhao Xiuming on the shoulder. “Come on. Didn’t you want to see how impressive the big shots are? I’ll show you.”

“Help us take these people to the Spirit Medium Hall. Once the job’s done, we’ll escort you out of Zimu City. We can all stop at a café for something sweet to drink too.”

Zhao Xiuming’s eyes were unreadable. “Sure.”

Naturally, the interpreter asked about the extra person. Grinning, Dahu covered for him. “A new kid I’ve taken on, boss. He’s a classmate of my little brother Xiaolong.”

The interpreter didn’t pursue it, merely urging them to hurry.

Zhao Xiuming had expected the players to notice something off about him. Instead, they looked arrogant, openly disgusted by Zimu City’s filth.

They were already growing impatient, their irritation plain on their faces.

They wore matching combat outfits, mostly silver leather, resembling racing suits.

Every player covered their nose. Even another glance at the surroundings seemed to nauseate them. Naturally, they spared little attention for the NPCs.

Even if Zhao Xiuming’s looks interested them, it only made their expressions considerably more pleasant.

The lackeys led by Dahu naturally disliked the mainlanders’ attitude. Eyes shifting, they began exchanging looks again.

Dahu pulled Zhao Xiuming to the side, deliberately falling behind.

Zhao Xiuming looked up to see the other four young thugs speeding up, no longer walking properly along the muddy road.

Pretending to horse around, they shoved one another and stamped heavily into puddles, splashing mud over the players.

The players’ clothes were pale to begin with. They were naturally unhappy about being dirtied, especially since anyone with a brain could tell the thugs were doing it deliberately.

One male player finally lost patience and grabbed the collar of a lackey in a floral shirt. The others stepped up with their chins out, bumping the player with their shoulders. “What? What are you doing? Want a fight?”

The interpreter hurried to smooth things over, pouring out conciliatory words and making a show of scolding the lackeys and telling them to apologize.

Dahu curled his lip and complained to Zhao Xiuming. “Look at that spineless bastard. Sucking up to rich bosses is one thing. Now he’s sucking up to a few bumpkins too.”

Of course, the lackeys didn’t really want a fight. They only wanted to get a few verbal digs in.

No fight broke out. Zhao Xiuming was a little disappointed.
Throughout the journey, the Grotesque Game players showed no inclination to exchange game information. They couldn’t understand the NPC thugs’ insults either. Only near the Spirit Medium Hall did they react.

They took out a note and questioned the interpreter. Zhao Xiuming caught the gist.

The players were posing as mainland visitors searching for relatives. An intermediary had directed them to Zimu City’s Spirit Medium Hall.

He looked up at the hall. In fact, it was only a small temple, seemingly converted from a shop.

Paper figures and offering tables stood by the entrance, with spirit money and paper ingots below. The air smelled of incense ash.

Two or three women with baskets stood around an offering table made from stools and clean fabric, beating something with old shoe soles. Zhao Xiuming lowered his gaze and saw a paper figure bearing writing.

Their baskets also held yellow paper tigers, red benefactor paper, and several pieces of fatty pork.

A woman in her forties muttered her “incantations” the loudest, her tone the most bitter. “Beat your head, you villain, leave your anger nowhere to vent…”

“Beat your hands, you villain, leave you unable to pick up money…”

“Beat your neck, you villain, fill your body with venereal disease: syphilis and gonorrhea…”

After beating the paper figure to tatters, she stuffed it into the tiger’s mouth and began burning the benefactor paper. Noticing Zhao Xiuming’s gaze, she snapped, “What are you looking at? Never seen this before?”

Dahu’s tongue was merciless. “Auntie Hong, don’t be so mean to the good little boy. Caught your husband chasing girls again? Beating a paper mistress again? You’d be better off going home and beating him.”

“What did you say, you rotten little thug? Say that again!” She came at him with the old shoe. Dahu dodged, yelping and grinning.

Meanwhile, the interpreter led the players inside with a grave expression. Zhao Xiuming followed and saw curtains hanging everywhere, mostly white, red, and yellow, painted with images of deities and talismans.

The smell of incense ash and candles was stronger inside. Seeing him about to follow, one lackey quickly stopped him. “Hold up. You don’t need to go in. Our part’s done. Come on, let’s get something at the café.”

So their job had only been to serve as the interpreter’s escort?

Dahu had already soothed the auntie. Seeing Zhao Xiuming’s confusion, he explained, “The rest is other people’s business. The gang’s been all secretive lately. Not much to do with little guys like us.”

Zhao Xiuming followed without a change of expression. He watched the five swagger around, teasing cats and dogs and whistling at girls until they retreated into their homes.

At other times, they encountered fellow gang members and immediately bowed and scraped, rushing forward with flattering words. They didn’t dare leave until the others nodded.

Dahu was very pleased with Zhao Xiuming. He was calm and aloof, his expression never changing no matter what Dahu did.

They were at the café having sweet drinks when a small, skinny boy ran over and shouted to Dahu, “There you are!”

“Your little brother Xiaolong’s in trouble! Someone took him to Xiuli Palace. They said he was going to entertain some big boss. Hurry over! Do something!”

Dahu’s face changed drastically. Without even settling the bill, he and the others abandoned Zhao Xiuming and rushed out.

Sipping his iced Hong Kong-style milk tea, Zhao Xiuming exchanged points for money through the System and slowly made his way outside.

Those few words told him what had happened. Just as Dahu had joked earlier.

[They really do grab people and send them to Xiuli Palace as male courtesans.] In his mind, he asked, [Shall we go and see?]

The System’s voice was still youthful. This time, however, it wasn’t lazy. It was cold. [Too late.]