Chapter 48

Thunder from a Clear Sky

The door swung open, and five men walked in. The leader was very young, and the fake waiter recognized him at a glance. If Xu Chenzhu hadn't suddenly gotten cake and milk for this kid today, the others wouldn't have followed suit to get food from the tea break area.

The fake waiter's anger surged but quickly subsided, his shoulders slumping as he turned his head to look at the painting on the wall.

This room had no windows, but a landscape painting of a view outside a window hung on the wall. The tables, chairs, benches, and even the corners of the table were wrapped in a thick layer of padding, as if it were a room specially designed to confine people.

Seeing the fake waiter not speaking, Chao Musheng wasn't in a hurry either. Leaning against the wall, he took out his phone and played with it slowly, occasionally looking up at him, then continuing to tap on the phone screen.

The fake waiter really couldn't stand the strange smile and indifference on the other party's face, so he spoke first: "What exactly do you want to do?"

"It's a bit boring on the ship, so I came to find you for some amusement." Chao Musheng stared at his phone without lifting his head: "You don't need to mind me, just pretend I don't exist."

Standing in the room with four burly men, how could he pretend he didn't exist?

The fake waiter looked at his phone suspiciously: "Who are you chatting with? If you take my photo and send it to others, it's a violation of my portrait rights."

"Don't worry, I'm chatting and typing with a friend, not taking your photo." Chao Musheng looked at him with a smile: "You actually know about portrait rights, so why did you secretly take photos of the attendees?"

With so many photos stored in the phone, it was just short of explicitly telling others that there was definitely a problem with his identity.

"It was my first time seeing so many big shots. Out of curiosity, I violated employee regulations. At worst, I'll be fired." The fake waiter said righteously: "You are illegally imprisoning my freedom. Be careful, or I'll sue you after getting off the ship."

"I heard that during sea voyages, accidents occasionally happen, such as slipping and falling into the water, being hit by heavy objects, and sudden cardiac death..."

"What do you want to do?!" The fake waiter's eyes widened: "Don't mess around. If something happens to me, you won't end up well either."

"Sorry, I just heard the crew outside gossiping and couldn't help discussing it with you. Don't overthink it." Chao Musheng's eyes curved in a smile: "Mr. Chen."

Hearing the three words "Mr. Chen," the fake waiter's pupils trembled. He lay on the bed as if bored: "What Mr. Chen? I'm just a small waiter and can't bear the honorific of a distinguished guest."

He didn't expect his identity to be found out so quickly. This Chao Musheng was more formidable than he imagined. He originally thought he was a young master who stayed by the Kunlun boss's side relying on his looks, but he didn't expect him to have real skills.

"Whatever you say." Chao Musheng checked the time: "Lunch break is over. Mr. Chen, rest well. Goodbye."

Seeing that Chao Musheng really wasn't going to ask anything and was about to open the door to leave, the fake waiter sat up from the bed: "Since you've already found out my identity, you should also know that I had no choice."

Chao Musheng yawned: "Next time I'm free, I'll come listen to your story again. Leaving now."

"Someone wants to take the Kunlun boss's life!" The fake waiter said anxiously: "My identity is exposed, and they will definitely find a way to silence me. I hope you arrange a helicopter to send me away immediately."

"Besides you, how many spies or killers have sneaked onto the ship?" Chao Musheng's eyes were clear, without a hint of sleepiness: "Why do they want to kill my boss?"

"Kunlun has so many industries under its banner; too many people want something to happen to him." The fake waiter met Chao Musheng's clear black and white eyes and understood that he was deliberately fishing for information just now: "Not just the Kunlun boss, this Moon Gazing Conference is too important. Certain hostile forces have been eyeing you for a long time."

You have to know that the businessmen who can board the Moon Gazing are all leading enterprises in various industries. If an accident happens on the Moon Gazing, it will be a huge blow to the entire country's economy.

"Mr. Chen is an internationally famous commercial spy, yet exposed so easily this time." Chao Musheng picked up an orange from the table, peeled it, and placed it in the fake waiter's hand: "Could it be a stumble?"

"I am a professional commercial spy, but not an excellent waiter." The fake waiter tossed the perfectly peeled orange in his hand: "This was also unavoidable."

Chao Musheng stared at his ordinary, unremarkable face for a few seconds and laughed: "Don't worry, it's very safe here. As long as you don't leave this room, you can live well."

The fake waiter remembered this morning, being taken to several different rooms by different people, and finally being locked into this room through a secret passage: "Besides you people from Kunlun, does no one else know I'm locked here?"

Chao Musheng smiled: "I'm just an intern assistant; I'm not clear about other things."

Fake waiter: "..."

An intern assistant who swaggers through the cruise ship with the boss's private bodyguards?

He broke off a segment of the orange and threw it into his mouth. An orange peeled by the Kunlun boss's assistant personally, ordinary people probably wouldn't get to eat it.

"Ugh!"

A huge sour taste filled all the taste buds in his mouth. The fake waiter's facial features scrunched up, tears flying: "Ugh, such a sour orange, did you do it on purpose?"

Chao Musheng chuckled lightly and wiped his hands clean with a wet wipe: "Mr. Chen, rest well. Goodbye."

The sound of the door closing rang out, and the room returned to silence. The fake waiter glanced at the two bodyguards standing in the corner like stone statues and threw the unfinished orange into the trash can.

Two days ago, he was still planning how to act as a benefactor so Mr. Xu would owe him a favor to save his own life.

Now, because of refilling cups in the beverage area, he was exposed early. Not only did he fail to become a benefactor, but he also became an unlucky guy seeking Kunlun's protection.

"Pah pah pah." The fake waiter grimaced, feeling his teeth had gone soft from the sourness. Among so many oranges, how could Chao Musheng accurately pick the sourest one?

With such a good-looking face, the things he does are so bad!

"Brother Shen." Chao Musheng knocked and entered the room. Shen Ran was watching TV. The TV picture was a bit old, showing a dance competition from many years ago.

"Mr. Zhao, you're here?" A lively smile appeared on Shen Ran's expressionless face. Seeing Chao Musheng still holding two lunch boxes, he felt a bit puzzled.

"I heard from the caregiver that you haven't eaten yet, so I brought the lunch boxes over for you." Chao Musheng pushed Shen Ran to the table and sat familiarly on the other side: "I didn't eat enough at noon, so I'll eat with you."

"Thank you." Shen Ran noticed the dishes in his lunch box were light, while the dishes in Chao Musheng's bowl were much richer.

"You need to recover from your injury now, so you can't eat spicy food for the time being." Chao Musheng picked up a large prawn and waved it in front of Shen Ran's nose: "Smell it for you, fragrant, right?"

Shen Ran: "Fragrant."

"Pity you can't eat it." Chao Musheng held the large prawn in his mouth and ate it in two or three bites right under Shen Ran's nose: "Be good and recover from your injury. You can eat it after you recover."

The male caregiver tidying the room nearby silently turned his head away. Knowing Mr. Shen couldn't eat heavy oil and salty food, Mr. Zhao deliberately came to make Mr. Shen envious. truly mean.

However, he was paid by Mr. Zhao, so he would pretend not to see it.

Lunch ended, and the caregiver was surprised to see most of the food in Shen Ran's lunch box eaten. In the morning, Mr. Shen only took a few bites and lost his appetite. Today at noon, with Mr. Zhao sitting next to him eating fish and meat, while he ate such bland food, his appetite actually improved?

"The weather is very good today. Do you want to go to the deck for some fresh air?" Chao Musheng looked out the window. The sunlight made the sea surface shimmer with gold: "The deck outside the sixth floor is particularly wide. Your wheelchair can run freely."

Shen Ran didn't want to go out. He hated places where the sunlight was too bright.

But for some reason, facing Chao Musheng's smiling eyes, he nodded unconsciously.

"Let's go." Chao Musheng found two sun hats, put them on his and Shen Ran's heads, and pushed Shen Ran in the wheelchair, running off.

"Mr. Zhao!" The caregiver hurriedly followed out and found four bodyguards following outside the door, putting his raised heart at ease.

Mr. Zhao is so young; how would he know how to take care of the wounded?

"Brother Shen, your electric wheelchair looks quite fun." Chao Musheng stared at the wheelchair for quite a while: "How about you get up and let me sit and try?"

Caregiver: "..."

He was relieved too early.

"Okay." Shen Ran stood up good-naturedly. With the caregiver's support, he stood against the wall in a golden rooster independent stance. Chao Musheng sat in the wheelchair, treating it like a kiddie ride, spinning circles on the deck, not even caring that his sun hat was blown askew by the sea breeze.

"Woohoo~ So fun." Chao Musheng stopped the wheelchair in front of Shen Ran: "Brother Shen, I want to drive two more laps."

Shen Ran smiled: "Okay."

The caregiver looked at Shen Ran's good leg. As expected of a dancer, even one foot can make the lower body so stable.

"Human hearts are sinister, morals are lost. He even snatches a cripple's wheelchair." The thin man stood beside Song Cheng, staring at the scene on the deck below: "Young Master Song, don't worry. Someone wicked like this will be taught a lesson sooner or later."

"Shut up." Song Cheng slapped him across the face: "Is it your place to speak?"

The thin man covered his face and smiled apologetically: "Young Master Song, don't be angry. I just can't stand this Chao Musheng."

Damn! Are the NPCs in this dungeon mad dogs, slapping faces at the slightest disagreement?

He turned his head to look at Brother Tiger, who had little presence in front of Song Cheng. This idiot was actually still watching Chao Musheng play with the wheelchair, not even knowing he had been hit.

His intense gaze finally attracted Brother Tiger's attention. He looked at his red and swollen face in confusion: "Did a mosquito bite your face? Are there mosquitoes at sea too?"

The thin man gritted his teeth: "Nothing."

This stupid pig.

"Both of you get lost!" Song Cheng was irritable. After what happened last night, except for a few people who relied on the Song family for a living, most of the other useless people who usually followed him started avoiding him.

A bunch of dogs who steer according to the wind. They don't think properly. Mr. Xu has always kept a low profile. Chao Musheng is neither his father nor his grandfather. Would he really trouble the Song family regardless of face for an assistant?

Chao Musheng sat in the wheelchair and spun several more circles on the deck before returning the wheelchair to Shen Ran: "Sitting in a wheelchair is really fun."

"Mr. Zhao." The bodyguard noticed Chao Musheng's cheeks were a bit red from the sun: "There is a large shopping mall on floors 2 to 4 of the Moon Gazing. Do you want to take Mr. Shen for a stroll?"

If he stayed in the sun any longer, his face would get sunburned.

"That works too." Chao Musheng asked Shen Ran in the wheelchair: "Brother Shen, are you going?"

Shen Ran didn't want to go, but he wanted to stay by Chao Musheng's side even more.

In Chao Musheng, he felt a vigorous vitality.

Where he was, it seemed even the air was filled with happiness and freedom.

Chao Musheng pushed Shen Ran into the mall and finally understood why the bodyguard said it was a large mall.

Three floors were all connected, with everything for eating, drinking, and playing. This wasn't a mall; it was clearly a circular commercial street.

All kinds of famous luxury stores were here. The entire mall was built magnificently, and even the floor smelled of money.

Chao Musheng walked around and stopped at the entrance of a jewelry store on the fourth floor.

A pair of dark green gemstone cufflinks were displayed in the window. Chao Musheng felt these cufflinks suited Mr. Xu very well.

He looked down at the diamond tie clip on his tie, touched the purple-gold badge in his pocket, and signaled the clerk to wrap up the cufflinks.

"Mr. Zhao, hello." The manager walked up to Chao Musheng: "You're also here shopping?"

He glanced at the bodyguards behind Chao Musheng. There were even more bodyguards following Mr. Zhao today than yesterday.

Recalling Song Cheng's miserable beating, an untimely guess surfaced in the manager's mind. Could it be that Mr. Xu prepared two extra thugs for Mr. Zhao?

"It just so happens that our Song Xu is also shopping here. Let us pay the bill for you together."

"No need." Chao Musheng handed the card to the clerk: "One shouldn't accept rewards without merit."

The manager noticed the diamond tie clip on Chao Musheng's tie and smiled awkwardly.

True, with Mr. Zhao's status, he wouldn't care for their small favors.

Shen Ran's face became pale after the manager appeared. He remembered this manager. Yesterday when he was coerced onto the ship by Song Cheng, this man and the artist he managed were also present.

At that time, the way these two people looked at him was somewhat arrogant, and somewhat numb and indifferent.

Watching him bowing and scraping to Chao Musheng, Shen Ran felt no pleasure in his heart, only mockery.

The big star and big manager, who seemed infinitely glorious in the eyes of ordinary people, also had to bow for five dou of rice.

He looked down at his foot wrapped in gauze. At least on this ship, not everyone's heart had rotted.

Chao Musheng who saved him from Song Cheng, the medical staff who vaguely reminded him, and the nagging but careful caregiver.

The road ahead wasn't so dark that not a single ray of light could be seen. He wanted to desperately grasp this beam of light and stand back on the stage.

"Mr. Shen." The manager placed a gift box in Shen Ran's hand: "I hope you recover soon. I have some friendship with your troupe leader. After you recover, Song Xu and I will definitely come to appreciate your performance."

Is he afraid he will rely on Mr. Zhao's power to take revenge on them?

"Thank you." Shen Ran accepted the gift box, his pale face gradually recovering a bit.

The sunlight outside was so bright; he still liked it very much now.

Seeing Shen Ran willing to accept the gift box, the manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The person who made things difficult and humiliated Shen Ran was Song Cheng. Not joining the other young masters in mocking and ridiculing Shen Ran was the only thing he could do.

Noticing Shen Ran's face was a bit pale, Chao Musheng worried his foot hurt and pushed him back.

"Mr. Zhao." Shen Ran called out to Chao Musheng who was about to leave: "After my foot injury recovers, you come to see my performance too."

"Okay." Chao Musheng turned back and smiled at him: "Remember to open the back door for me and save the best viewing seat for me."

"En." Shen Ran nodded heavily: "I will."

"Then rest well and strive to return to the stage early." Chao Musheng touched the sun hat on his head: "This hat fits my head circumference quite well. I'm taking it."

"Okay." These hats were specially prepared by the caregiver, including the clothes in the closet, all rearranged by the caregiver.

In this room, no trace of Song Cheng could be found.

"Brother Wu, I found the cause and effect of the conflict between Song Cheng and Chao Musheng last night." Taking advantage of the break time, Xiao Liu found Brother Wu and Xiao Qi: "Song Cheng can absolutely not be the avenger. He is a beast."

She had an item that could make NPCs tell the truth, so she quickly pieced together the truth from various NPCs.

"That Song Cheng is the future successor of the Song enterprise. Some time ago, he took a fancy to Shen Ran performing on stage, so he threatened Shen Ran with his future and family, wanting him to be his lover."

Xiao Liu couldn't control her disgust for Song Cheng: "Under the banner of love, he took pleasure in humiliating Shen Ran. His friends also treated Shen Ran as a plaything. Shen Ran didn't want to accompany him to the Moon Gazing, so he broke Shen Ran's leg and forcibly brought him up."

"Yesterday on the court, Song Cheng didn't treat Shen Ran as a human either, with frivolous words and insulting behavior." Xiao Liu sighed: "Chao Musheng couldn't stand it, fought with him, and forcibly rescued Shen Ran."

"This kind of trash deserves to be beaten to death. What revenge?" Xiao Qi was also disgusted: "The one who should take revenge should be Shen Ran. If I were Shen Ran, I would chop these people up and feed them to sharks."

"Then have you ever thought that the avenger mentioned in the main mission is originally Shen Ran?"

"Who?!" Brother Wu looked vigilantly towards the corner.

"Sister Juan?" Xiao Liu looked at the person walking out in surprise, not letting go of the attack item in her hand.

"Don't be nervous, I have no malice towards you." Xiao Juan glanced at Xiao Liu. If she hadn't been extra careful, she really wouldn't have seen that Xiao Liu and Brother Wu were in the same group.

When the thin man approached the players on the 15th floor, although Xiao Liu didn't say anything the whole time, she noticed that Xiao Liu subconsciously looked at Brother Wu's expression several times, and after Brother Wu left, she took the initiative to get up and leave with her.

When people are undecided, they often unconsciously look at someone they trust.

"What is your intention in approaching us?" Brother Wu was very wary of Xiao Juan. Xiao Juan was the first among the thirty players to hug a native's thigh. He dared not underestimate her ability.

Xiao Juan sat cross-legged beside Xiao Liu and placed a signal jammer in the middle of the four of them: "No intention, just want to tell you a truth about this dungeon."

"What item is this?" Brother Wu stared at the jammer, keenly sensing that the system in his brain had lost contact with him.

"This is not an item. It is a signal jammer produced in this dungeon world. The seller said it can block all signals."

"Sister Juan, stop joking. No matter how powerful the instruments in the dungeon world are, it's impossible..." Xiao Liu paused, shaking her head.

Where is her main god system?!

She was so shocked she almost jumped up, but was grabbed by Xiao Juan: "This handheld signal jammer only has a range of one meter. Don't stand too far away, or you'll be discovered by the system."

"Something produced in the dungeon world... can actually make the system lose control over players?" Xiao Qi looked at the jammer placed in their midst in a trance. No matter how he looked, he couldn't see what was special about this plastic-cased jammer.

If they fail to clear the level, as long as this jammer is on, can the system not obliterate them?

"Why are you telling us such an important secret?" Brother Wu looked at the jammer with complex eyes: "Aren't you afraid we'll snatch it?"

"Did you forget I still have a golden thigh?" Xiao Juan was calm and composed: "If you dare to snatch it, I dare to make you regret it."

"He is just a native in the dungeon. Are you so sure he will help you?" Brother Wu's mind was in a mess, feeling a sense of confusion as if all his cognitions were overturned.

"Heh!" Xiao Juan chuckled. Ignorant players, don't underestimate how reliable her Brother Zhao is.

"I know you and Xiao Qi signed up for the exploration dungeon voluntarily, and you might still be looking for another player who signed up voluntarily." Xiao Juan looked at Xiao Liu: "So shortly after Xiao Liu contacted me, she was testing my tone, asking if I was forcibly assigned into the dungeon by the system, right?"

Xiao Liu scratched her nose awkwardly and didn't refute.

"You don't need to test others anymore. I am that player who signed up voluntarily." Xiao Juan said directly: "I heard about your player alliance before. It has a good reputation among players and won't backstab allies."

"We are just a group of ordinary players who want to find a way home." Brother Wu lowered his eyes: "If you want to ask anything, you can ask directly."

Xiao Juan didn't stand on ceremony with him: "Why did you voluntarily sign up for the exploration dungeon? You should know that recently, none of the players have successfully cleared these exploration dungeons opened by the Main God."

Even if she and Er Qiang escaped from the dungeon by exploiting a BUG, the mission settlement was just a big question mark. Even in the eyes of other players, the ending of the previous company dungeon was a total failure.

"A friend of mine disappeared after entering the exploration dungeon." Brother Wu didn't hide it: "I want to know what exactly is going on with these exploration dungeons. Xiao Qi secretly signed up following me. Xiao Liu was forcibly matched in by the system."

He was somewhat glad to have met Xiao Juan in the dungeon. Even if the clearance failed in the end, Xiao Qi and Xiao Liu could use Xiao Juan's jammer to escape the system's obliteration.

"Who is your friend?" Xiao Juan touched the deck. After being in the sun for a long time, it was a bit hot to sit on: "Maybe I've seen him."

"Zhao Shang." Brother Wu turned his head to look at the boundless sea: "He is the team leader of our alliance and saved my life several times in dungeons."

"I haven't seen him in a dungeon recently, but I can ask around for you." Xiao Juan knew someone must have seen Zhao Shang and decided to give the three players a shock.

Otherwise, how would they believe that this world is real?

"Xiao Juan?" Chao Musheng carried a gift box, preparing to go to the deck to feed seagulls first. Seeing Xiao Juan sitting in the corner of the deck with three staff members, exposed to the sun while whispering about something unknown, he pulled the hat on his head: "Don't you feel the deck is hot?"

"Brother Zhao." Xiao Juan quickly put away the jammer and stood up to say to Chao Musheng: "Why are you here?"

"I came to feed the seagulls." Chao Musheng scattered breadcrumbs on the deck, and a few seagulls came over, gathering around Chao Musheng's feet to peck.

Xiao Liu was puzzled. When did seagulls, these hooligans of the sea, become so well-behaved?

Not fighting or snatching, but jumping around to please humans. Is this still a seagull?

Sure enough, only in the dungeon world can such unrealistic things happen.

Xiao Juan: "My friends and I wanted to chat during the break, but were afraid the foreman would scold us, so we found this empty place."

In such sunny weather, except for Brother Zhao running to feed seagulls, probably no one wants to come here.

"Next time you should find a shady place." Chao Musheng fed the seagulls a few more pieces of bread: "If the foreman asks, just say I needed you for something."

Xiao Liu, Brother Wu, Xiao Qi: "..."

So this is the charm of a golden thigh. Hearing this, they also wanted to follow Xiao Juan and call him Brother Zhao.

"Okay, okay, thank you Brother Zhao." Xiao Juan approached Chao Musheng, dazzled by the diamond tie clip on his tie.

Such a big and shiny diamond. Before entering the Main God Space, she couldn't bear to buy artificial diamonds this big.

"Brother Zhao, is this diamond of yours... real?" Xiao Juan couldn't help but look a few more times. It was really beautiful.

Chao Musheng wiped the diamond and whispered to Xiao Juan: "The boss gave it."

Xiao Juan understood. A tie clip given by the big boss couldn't be fake.

Such a big diamond, just given to an employee?!

In this instant, she began to doubt the authenticity of the world.

Where in the world is there such a generous boss? Absolutely impossible.

Xiao Juan turned her head away, telling herself not to look more, or she wouldn't be able to resist reaching out to touch it.

"Here, take it and touch it." Chao Musheng saw through Xiao Juan's thoughts at a glance, took off the tie clip, and placed it in Xiao Juan's hand: "Look slowly."

"Can't do that, can't do that." Xiao Juan held the tie clip, feeling like she was holding a time bomb.

[Ding, luxury jewelry detected, can be exchanged for 500 points.]

Exchange my ass!

Xiao Juan returned the tie clip to Chao Musheng: "Brother Zhao, if this thing breaks, I can't afford to pay for it."

"Don't worry, it won't break that easily." Chao Musheng clipped the tie clip back to its original position on the tie, "Even if it breaks, I won't make you pay."

Wuwuwuwuwu, Brother Zhao is the most reliable and best brother in the world. Although he is younger than her in the real world, he is still her brother!

"By the way, Brother Zhao, do you know Zhao Shang?"

The other three players: ?

Xiao Juan's so-called asking around is this kind of asking?

Can players who failed to clear other exploration dungeons ask a native of the current exploration dungeon?

What is the difference between this and using the sword of the current dynasty to govern the officials of the previous dynasty?

Is it a bit too bizarre and advanced?

"Zhao Shang?" Chao Musheng nodded: "I know him. Last month at the company, Er Qiang seemed to have asked me about Zhang San."

These two names reached Brother Wu's ears like thunder from a clear sky, making his brain buzz.

How could an NPC in the cruise ship dungeon know about players from other dungeons?!