Chapter 34

Going Crazy

"Ah Ze."

Ah Ze turned around, and a young man approached him: "The manager didn't scold you much today. Did you find some trick to please him?"

"What trick?" Ah Ze shook his head: "Brother Ding, do you also think the manager is particularly nice to me? I told you so, it's definitely not my illusion. Sister Juan said I was overthinking."

In the past, when he made a mistake, the manager would scold him for at least half an hour. Today, he only scolded him for ten minutes, and he didn't call him a stupid pig or a dumb cow. Isn't that good?

Old Ding couldn't find any trace of acting on Ah Ze's face. He sneered in his heart. He thought this kid was stupid and easy to deceive, but he didn't expect him to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Maybe the manager saw your progress at work and couldn't bear to scold you anymore." Brother Ding said perfunctorily and walked out of the pantry with his teacup.

Just as he reached the door, he ran into the manager who was walking over with a thermos.

"Hello, manager." Old Ding didn't dare to offend the manager. Among the players eliminated this time, two were kicked out by this fat man.

Seeing Old Ding, the manager frowned. When he saw Ah Ze getting water in the pantry, his brows furrowed even tighter: "Don't slack off in the pantry during work hours. Hurry back to your workstation. Didn't you hear the phone ringing?"

"Okay, manager." Old Ding lowered his head, looking obedient.

The manager turned and walked away. He was annoyed by these two now. The second to last and the last place having a meeting, a combination of two vegetables.

Passing by Xiao Juan's workstation, the manager showed a satisfied smile. If every intern was like Xiao Juan, he wouldn't need to put Pang Da Hai in his thermos.

After the manager walked away, Xiao Juan's typing slowed down. Since receiving Brother Zhao's internal call in the manager's office at noon, the manager's attitude towards her and Ah Ze had changed greatly.

The manager also specifically mentioned the 52nd floor. It seems that Brother Zhao was transferred to a department that is very important to the company, and even the manager has to give him some face.

During lunch on Saturday, Xiao Juan learned from Uncle Zhao and Auntie that Chao Musheng had just finished his sophomore year and was only doing a holiday internship at Kunlun.

A college student on a holiday internship can be transferred to a key department. How strong must his personal ability be?

Recalling the shining golden level markers on Auntie and Uncle Zhao's heads, if she could see Brother Zhao's level marker, she might be blinded by the dazzling golden light.

"Awesome, Xiao Zhao!"

Colleagues surrounded Chao Musheng, their faces flushed with excitement: "How did you come up with this kind of construction method?"

"Maybe..." Chao Musheng held his head, which was being rubbed by his colleagues, and looked at the Cyber Wenchang Dijun on the wall: "Maybe it's the blessing of Wenchang Dijun?"

"That can't be. We all worship the Emperor. You've only been here for a day. There's no reason for the Emperor to bless you first and not us." Old Mo said it couldn't be, but his hands moved quickly, and he had already placed his snacks in front of Wenchang Dijun.

For them, who are engaged in science, to worship Wenchang Dijun is not feudal superstition, but respect for folk customs and culture.

Seeing everyone go to worship the Cyber Wenchang Dijun, Chao Musheng finally saved his messy hair. He found that whether in the game team or the software development team, everyone loved to mess with his hair.

Hey, they are all jealous of his hair. The jealousy of adults is really terrible.

"Off work, off work." He glanced at the time, picked up the work card on the table, and when he reached the door, he looked back at the portrait of Wenchang Dijun surrounded by everyone and secretly bowed three times in his heart.

I hope tomorrow's work will be as smooth as today.

Thinking of the delicious and luxurious feast at noon, his mouth watered. It would be even better if there was another feast.

Walking downstairs to the company building, Xiao Juan and Ah Ze were already waiting for him. Chao Musheng was a little surprised: "You guys got off work so early today?"

"The manager was kind today and didn't arrange for us to work overtime." Ah Ze was in a good mood: "Brother Zhao, Sister Juan said you were transferred to a new department. How does it feel?"

"It feels pretty good." Chao Musheng took the two of them onto the 114 bus. Although this bus was slow, it was not crowded, and the three of them were already used to its slow speed.

The three of them sat in the back row, and another person followed them on.

"Sister Juan, Ah Ze." Old Ding's eyes quickly swept over Chao Musheng, and finally looked at Xiao Juan and Ah Ze with a surprised face: "What a coincidence, you guys are here too?"

Xiao Juan sneered. He had been secretly following them since she and Ah Ze got off work. What coincidence?

"I remember your rented house is in the opposite direction. Why are you taking this bus?" Ah Ze kindly reminded: "Did you take the wrong bus? Hurry up and get off before the bus starts."

Is this a threat?

Old Ding looked at the honest smile on Ah Ze's face and the talisman paper in Xiao Juan's hand: "Very good, thank you for the reminder."

Before getting off the bus, he looked back at Chao Musheng who was sitting next to him without speaking. He still had some impression of this person. On the first day of entering the dungeon, he was treated differently by the personnel department. Later, he didn't know where he was assigned. He didn't expect to be mixed up with Xiao Juan.

He knew this woman, Xiao Juan. She was a famous workaholic in the infinite space. As long as she was in a dungeon, other players could forget about getting the highest score reward.

But this woman preferred to be a loner in the dungeon. Why would she bring two new players with her this time?

He opened the player chat group. In order to not expose their identities, the names of the players in the group were all numbers and symbols. Which player in the group was this player who only showed his face on the first day?

Wrong!

Old Ding squatted on the roadside, repeatedly recalling the appearances of the players who were still alive. If he added the players next to Xiao Juan and the waste, there should be sixteen players alive.

Why is there one more?

Wrong, wrong.

Old Ding stood up abruptly and looked at the departing 114 bus. That damn person is not a player at all!

"Young man, please don't damage the flowers and plants." The sanitation worker in an orange-red vest stared at the grass Old Ding was pulling in his hand, his brows furrowed tightly.

Only then did Old Ding realize that he had unconsciously pulled out the grass in the flower bed: "You old thing, don't be nosy."

"A fine of twenty." The sanitation worker raised his eyelids and took out the red armband of the supervision post from his pocket.

Old Ding saw that the sanitation worker, who was originally just an ordinary passerby, had a small BOSS marker on his head after taking out the red armband. He obediently took out 20 yuan from his pocket.

"Be careful next time." The sanitation worker wrote a receipt and handed it to him: "If I catch you again next time, the fine will be 50."

Old Ding smiled apologetically: "Okay, okay, I won't dare to do it again."

This dungeon is really sick. Anyone can become a BOSS. How can players pass the level?

At noon the next day, Chao Musheng couldn't go to the staff restaurant again because the CEO's office sent a feast.

"So your software project team eats so well." Chao Musheng leaned back in his chair contentedly and pulled up a blanket to cover his stomach.

"You're overthinking. We didn't have feasts every meal before." Old Mo lay down like Chao Musheng: "Maybe the boss has made a lot of money recently and is in a good mood."

"I hope the boss makes a fortune every day." Chao Musheng yawned and closed his eyes.

Chao Musheng knew he was dreaming again.

Because if it wasn't a dream, he couldn't see dozens of kilometers away at a glance.

He saw his grandparents chatting at the village committee activity center, saw his mother in high heels talking about work with several brightly dressed young men and women, and saw his father watering the cactus on the windowsill.

With a turn of his eyes, he saw the Kunlun Building and the traffic on the highway.

In the customer service department, Xiao Juan was typing on the keyboard, and Ah Ze was secretly dozing off, being stared at by a fat man passing by.

A gentle breeze blew, and Chao Musheng felt his line of sight also drift up with the wind, finally landing on a huge floor-to-ceiling window.

A familiar person was sitting at the desk. Chao Musheng realized, is this the boss's office?

He was a little curious. Would the night view be particularly beautiful from this floor-to-ceiling window?

The person at the desk seemed a little tired, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, took off his glasses, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Accidentally glimpsing the unbuttoned shirt buttons and the exposed Adam's apple and collarbone, Chao Musheng closed his eyes.

Gotta go, gotta go.

He is a well-mannered college student. He won't look around even in a dream.

Waking up from his nap, Chao Musheng felt refreshed, and his typing was lighter than in the morning.

The colleagues next to him were gossiping. When he first came yesterday morning, the colleagues in his eyes were serious, cold, and filled with the aloofness of high-end talents.

Only a day had passed, and everyone began to show their true colors in front of him.

This one talked about strange events in his hometown, that one talked about weird relatives, and finally they talked about campus supernatural events.

"Actually, our company has also had supernatural events." Old Mo archived the data, opened a bag of snacks, and said mysteriously: "It is said that the lights in the stairwell on the 4th floor are always broken. No matter how good the quality is, they break faster than on other floors. Sometimes people hear rustling sounds in the stairs."

"The fourth floor is close to the staff restaurant, and the traffic in the corridor is large. The sound from there easily activates the voice-activated lights on the 4th floor." The team leader took a few biscuits from Old Mo's hand: "The lighting is used frequently, so it breaks faster than on other floors."

"The rustling sound is the cleaning lady cleaning the stairs." Chao Musheng added: "On the day I first joined the company, I met the cleaning lady at the entrance of the stairs."

Huff, huff!

The player holding the mop looked at the glowing green 4th-floor sign in the stairwell with a terrified expression. He was soaked in sweat. He had been spinning in the stairwell for a long time, but he couldn't leave.

The air was filled with a rusty smell, which was the smell from the mop.

He even suspected that the mop was not stained with water, but blood.

The lights in the corridor were broken, and he couldn't see.

Click!

Click!

The fire door on the fourth floor was hit violently. The player leaned against the wall, staring at the door that was about to be breached.

What's behind the door?

A ghost?

"Found him!"

Two people in security uniforms broke down the door and ran towards him, followed by the head of the cleaning team.

The voice-activated lights in the stairwell also lit up.

"Oh my, why did you take the broken mop from the tool room to mop the floor?"

"Are you okay? Did you have a heatstroke?"

"Hurry up and help him out. The air here is not good."

The ventilation function of the fire escape is separated from other areas to prevent smoke and fire from spreading rapidly during a fire.

The head of the cleaning team didn't expect that arranging an intern to clean the corridor could cause such an accident.

He looks tall and strong, how can his physical fitness be so poor?

The interns now are really getting worse and worse.

The head of the cleaning team looked at the soaked and pale intern and sighed with a weathered expression.

Let the internship end soon. Keeping such a person in her department will only make her exhausted and worried.

"How about I tell you another supernatural event in the bathroom on the 8th floor?" Seeing that he didn't scare Chao Musheng, Old Mo squeezed his snack bag tightly to prevent other colleagues from snatching it: "And the printer incident on the 13th floor..."

"Ahem." The team leader gave him a look. Still talking, the boss is at the door.

Old Mo stuffed the snacks under the table, wiped his mouth, and clicked the mouse. The code page popped up on the desktop.

As long as he doesn't look up at the boss, the boss won't find him slacking off.

"Hello, boss." The team leader looked at the colleagues who were "working hard" and stood up to greet him.

Several employees from the CEO's office came in behind Xu Chenzhu pushing dining carts. The carts were filled with milk tea, desserts, cakes, fruits, etc.: "You've been working hard lately."

Colleagues: "Not at all, not at all. Thank you, boss."

So the boss came to bring them tea break in person. The colleagues threw away their keyboards and mice and gathered around the dining cart.

"Xiao Zhao, this is for you!" Old Mo quickly snatched a box of fruit and stuffed it into Chao Musheng's hand.

The fruit box was filled with various high-priced fruits such as white strawberries and Gualu lychees. Each one looked very fresh.

Chao Musheng couldn't help but look at Xu Chenzhu a few more times. Mr. Xu is generous!

He glanced at the clothes on the other person. The buttons were buttoned to the top, not the same as the one he saw in his dream. A low-key black opal tie clip was clipped on the black tie.

Seemingly noticing Chao Musheng's gaze, Xu Chenzhu took a box of cake from the dining cart and handed it to him: "Try this one."

"Thank you, Mr. Xu."

It's orange-flavored, he likes it!

"You are still young and growing." His thumb seemed to be lightly touched by the other's fingertip. Xu Chenzhu's thumb trembled slightly, and he put his hand behind his back, holding his thumb tightly in his palm.

The twenty-year-old Chao Musheng: "..."

So he still needs to continue growing?

"There is a lychee in this box that is not fresh enough." Xu Chenzhu took the fruit box from Chao Musheng's hand and replaced it with another one.

I don't know if it was Chao Musheng's illusion, but he felt that this box of fruit seemed heavier.

He glanced at the fruit box thrown back to the bottom of the dining cart by Mr. Xu. Was there anything not fresh in it? Why didn't he see it?

Forget it, that's not important. He just wants to eat cake now.

"Everyone enjoy the tea break. I won't disturb you." Seeing that Chao Musheng's attention was all on the cake and fruit, Xu Chenzhu rubbed his hot thumb, "If you like it, I will continue to arrange it tomorrow."

Hmm?!

Chao Musheng raised his head and looked at Xu Chenzhu's departing back with burning eyes.

Mr. Xu, you are the best boss in the world!

Sensing Chao Musheng's gaze, Xu Chenzhu touched the top button of his shirt.

Perhaps Xiao Zhao appreciates serious and proper men more. Otherwise, why wouldn't he even look at him when he unbuttoned his shirt?

"The boss seems a little off these few days." Old Mo peeled a lychee, his tone gossipy: "Is he in love? It is said that rich people in love are prone to throwing money around when their emotions get the better of them."

"The boss was also very generous to us before." Another colleague retorted: "You're overthinking."

Old Mo: "The lychees the boss treated us to before were not Gualu, and the strawberries were not white strawberries."

Although the type is the same, can the price be the same?

Old Mo asked the team leader: "Team leader, you have more contact with the boss. Has any beauty appeared around the boss?"

"Can't the tea break shut your mouth?" Seeing that everyone was curious, and even the newcomer Xiao Zhao was looking at him, the team leader sighed: "Anyway, I haven't seen any beauty. Don't guess blindly."

Counting up from the 50th floor of the company, the only new member recently was Student Xiao Zhao.

The team leader glanced at Chao Musheng who was eating cake with a spoon, his eyes curved with a smile.

Hmm...

Absolutely no such possibility.

Another week ended. The players' mission progress was difficult, but everyone seemed to have better luck this week than last week. Only two players were eliminated, and thirteen players were left in the player chat group.

[It's the weekend, and the system has to arrange daily missions. So annoying.]

[Who is as unlucky as me? Today's daily mission is to drink water from a trash can on the street.]

[The pig brain above, just ask another player to buy a bottle of water and throw it in, then you can pick it up and drink it.]

[Hehe, we work hard to complete missions, while some people cling to the thighs of natives and pretend to be dead in the group.]

After this message came out, the group was quiet for a moment.

Soon, the players continued to complain about today's daily routine as if they hadn't seen this message.

Completing missions depends on one's own ability. Bringing this kind of thing to the group, is it to provoke their anger or to use them as fools?

They are already in a dungeon. Playing such a low-level provocation, aren't they ashamed?

[Who knows who the editor-in-chief of Time Magazine is?]

[Time is a relatively famous fashion magazine. In the past two days, fans of a certain artist from Kunlun Film and Television Department have been scolding this editor-in-chief online. It seems that the artist's first cover was canceled by her. Why ask this suddenly?]

[It's related to my mission. No wonder such a weird mission suddenly appeared. It's related to Kunlun again.]

[I'm interning at the film and television department. I'll help you check the information of the editor-in-chief of Time.]

Xiao Juan looked at the various messages scrolling in the player chat group and threw her phone aside.

The sky was gloomy, and it looked like it was about to rain.

When the players first entered the dungeon, the daily missions were just harmless trifles. The further they went, the more bizarre the missions became.

These daily missions of the system are like training a dog, gradually increasing the player's threshold. In the last few days of the mission, even if the system asks the players to blow up the Kunlun Building, the players will execute it without hesitation.

In the afternoon, there was lightning and thunder outside, and the rain was so heavy that the road was barely visible.

Chao Musheng glanced at the time. His father was in a meeting at school today, and his mother was working overtime at the company.

The rumbling thunder made him feel uneasy. He opened his phone and clicked on his mother's avatar.

[Zhao Zhao Mu Mu: Dear Mom, how long until you get off work?]

After waiting for a few minutes, Zhao Yin replied to his message: [About two hours later.]

[The rain is too heavy, and Dad is still in a meeting at school. You've been working overtime for two or three days in a row. Don't drive yourself. I'll pick you up.]

"Sister, you're smiling so happily. Is it because your husband is worried about the heavy rain and is coming to pick you up again?" The cameraman saw Zhao Yin smiling at her phone and teased: "Oh my, your husband is good at everything, but he's too clingy."

"It's not him." Although Zhao Yin's eyes were tired, the smile on her face could not be concealed: "It's my child. He's worried that I'm too tired from working overtime and insists on picking me up."

Colleagues all knew that Zhao Yin had a child, but due to her profession, Zhao Yin had never posted a photo of her child on her Moments. To this day, no one knows whether her child is a boy or a girl.

Hearing that Zhao Yin's child was coming to pick her up, everyone was a little curious. Sister Zhao is so beautiful, her child's appearance should not be bad either?

[I found the information of the editor-in-chief of Time.]

Xiao Juan was eating noodles, and the player group started chatting again.

[Zhao Yin, female, 47 years old.]

[Time Magazine has been very busy these two days because of the cover change. You might still make it if you hurry over now. I've sent you the office address of the magazine privately.]

Zhao Yin?

Seeing this surname, which was the same as Chao Musheng's, a sense of unease arose in Xiao Juan's heart.

She put down her chopsticks and clicked on the avatar of the player who provided the information.

[Can you please send me the address of Time Magazine too?]

This player didn't ask anything and sent the address directly to Xiao Juan's phone.

"Sister Juan, it's raining so hard outside. Where are you going?"

"I have something to go out and see." Xiao Juan restlessly opened her contacts, dialed Chao Musheng's phone, and the phone rang for a long time without being answered. Xiao Juan rushed downstairs, got soaked in the rain, and then remembered that she had forgotten to bring an umbrella.

Soaked, she finally hailed a taxi after waiting for a long time. As soon as she got into the car, her phone rang. It was a call back from Chao Musheng.

Her voice trembled slightly: "Brother Zhao."

Chao Musheng: "Xiao Juan, I was in the basement just now and the signal was bad."

There were also noisy voices of other people on the other end of the phone.

"Brother Zhao, where are you now?"

"Outside my mom's office. It's raining too hard today. I'm here to pick her up from work."

The inexplicable sense of panic in her heart disappeared. Xiao Juan hung up the phone, touched her wet hair, looked down at her dripping clothes, and laughed out loud.

She felt like she was going crazy for no reason.

It was the first time Chao Musheng came to the place where Zhao Yin worked. Looking at these men and women with exquisite makeup and avant-garde fashion, he felt that he was a bit too plain.

"Handsome guy, our magazine doesn't accept self-recommendations from artists and models." The receptionist was amazed by the handsome young man who appeared in front of her. Fearing that he would be embarrassed after going in, she kindly reminded: "Everyone is very busy today. If you have anything, you can come back next week."

Chao Musheng: "Thank you, but I'm not here to recommend myself. I'm a family member of an employee, here to pick someone up from work."

"Family member?" The receptionist was curious: "May I ask who you are looking for?"

"I'm Zhao Yin's son. May I ask how much longer they will be busy inside?"

"You are Editor-in-Chief Zhao's son?!"

The receptionist looked at the tall and refreshing handsome guy in front of her. Editor-in-Chief Zhao's child is so good-looking?

Who is spreading the rumor that Editor-in-Chief Zhao's child is ugly, so she is unwilling to bring him out to meet people?