Wen Shi really needed something to break the awkwardness. In the end, he glared at Wang Wei and silently signaled him to say something.
When Jian Qingrong appeared, Wang Wei had curled up into a ball. Now his head started hurting again. Different from the earlier electric baton attack, Wang Wei covered his ears and kept saying, "I want to stay in a higher dorm room."
Jian Qingrong noticed Wen Shi's gesture. He bent down to pick up the application form, and softly suggested, "You could add something about being very brave."
Right now, it was hard to tell if this word was meant as a compliment or a joke.
The freight elevator wasn't fully fixed yet, and the door stayed open. The lights blinked on and off, casting shadows over half of Jian Qingrong's face. "The freight elevator breaks down often. I'm waiting to deliver goods."
Wen Shi: "I came to look for you, but I wandered around upstairs and didn't see anyone."
"The first floor was where things were stored, and upstairs was where they checked quality… That area got sealed off a few years ago. They do all the packaging underground."
The situation gradually shifted to a more natural state. Jian Qingrong didn't ask about Wang Wei's matters, and Wen Shi also silently avoided mentioning what exactly was packed inside the boxes.
However, he could confirm that this delivery was purely Jian Qingrong's personal action. When Wen Shi came yesterday, he witnessed the delivery process in Workshop Three—one person came out of the storage, two people supervised from behind, and the boxes even had the product names clearly labeled, unlike this private delivery at the moment.
At that moment, Wang Wei suddenly stood up abruptly. "Change dorms. I've already been transferred to Workshop Three. Why can't I change dorms?"
He shouted in a wild frenzy, frantically pressing the freight elevator door close button, not pretending to be crazy.
Managing to come out in time, Wen Shi watched the freight elevator ascend again. "Doesn't anyone manage this?"
Jian Qingrong seemed accustomed to this. "At Big Factory, workers go missing and change in strange ways every year. As long as you don't get contaminated, you won't be attacked."
Wen Shi thought to himself that since the monster attacked the dormitory building last night, this rule had changed, but hardly anyone was facing this reality now.
"Hai Sheng wants to ask you for the passbook," he blurted out unexpectedly.
Jian Qingrong stood still, though his expression remained unchanged. But Wen Shi could somehow feel his calm and hypocritical facade of compassion being slowly torn apart.
Faced with this situation, Wen Shi did nothing but simply look at the other person. He was conducting a small test. In the next few seconds, the temperature around them dropped suddenly. Standing in the narrow corridor outside the elevator, Wen Shi clearly saw Jian Qingrong lower his gaze, concealing something deeper in his pupils.
After a while, Jian Qingrong shattered the suppressed silence, "I'll take you to get it back."
…something's not right.
Wen Shi's fingers clenched.[Big Factory]had its own uniqueness. It greatly magnified social interactions and hierarchy, and the corresponding NPCs' emotions would provide prompt feedback. For instance, when he met the factory manager, he almost instantly received a positive impression boost. When he defied the interviewer, his favorability plummeted. There were also fear prompts from the fourth-floor residents and so on.
But Jian Qingrong was clearly angry now, yet Wen Shi hadn't received any negative favorability feedback.
He saw Jian Qingrong about to press the elevator button again.
"Wait." Wen Shi grabbed his wrist. The other person seemed naturally cold, hands and feet as icy as a corpse's. "Take this."
[Common Currency: Accepted by all NPCs]
It was the silver coins the real bride had once given him.
Wen Shi relaxed his muscles, speaking with a heartwarming tone. "Fear not the thief who steals, but the thief who covets. You definitely won't be able to keep the passbook safe anyway. Take these silver coins. When you can't carry on anymore, you can quit your job and use them as an emergency option."
His smile was bright, without a trace of hidden agenda, giving all the coins to the other person.
Some of the chill around them faded. Jian Qingrong didn't close his palm. He stared at the silver coins piled in his hand.
"I promised Uncle to take care of you," Wen Shi sincerely spoke, "And I'm the dormitory supervisor. I'm obligated to ensure residents' property safety."
[Warning, Jian Qingrong's favorability towards you +10.]
Does favorability only go up and never down?
Wen Shi asked suddenly, "Have you ever thought about retrieving what others forcefully took from you before? If you have, I'll try to help you find a solution."
From any angle, he appeared as a perfectly enthusiastic dorm supervisor.
Jian Qingrong shook his head slowly. "I won't ask for what's given, just consider it…" He unexpectedly moved closer to Wen Shi without warning. The proximity was so close that Wen Shi could feel his breath, as icy as his skin. "Just consider it funeral condolence money."
"..."
The cold wind dried the sweat on his body. Jian Qingrong's hair fell down again, restoring its harmless appearance when smoothed. "I was just joking."
Wen Shi smiled in agreement and pressed the freight elevator button proactively. "Let's go get the passbook."
Unexpectedly, Jian Qingrong directly pulled out the passbook from his pocket and handed it to him. "I forgot. The passbook is on me. You reminded me to keep it safe yesterday…" He paused for a moment. "I heard what you said."
Quite a touching statement.
Wen Shi was moved, his eyes flickering. So when he said earlier that he would take him back to retrieve it, he probably intended to deceive him into going back and then harm him.
A hint of excitement surged in Wen Shi's blood.
Having witnessed the One Strike Flattens All skill and knowing that he could harbor murderous intent towards him at any time, it confirmed that Jian Qingrong might be a special NPC.
He had grasped some techniques to improve Jian Qingrong's favorability. What if… What if he managed to max out this favorability level that triggered a system warning? Would it once again set the butterfly's wings in motion?
…Stay steady.
I can't get carried away like this.
Wen Shi temporarily suppressed this dangerous thought.
Jian Qingrong voluntarily disclosed, "The passcode is 744223."
"Could you do me another favor?"
The word "favor" seemed to carry a different interpretation in Jian Qingrong's case. So far, everyone he had helped ended up dead.
Wen Shi handed the application form to Jian Qingrong. "Hai Sheng only allowed me a short time out. Could you please give this to the factory manager? The surface is a bit dirty. Remember to explain that to the manager for me."
"What if I refuse…"
When he pulled back his hand, Wen Shi subtly pinched Jian Qingrong's wrist, which was unexpectedly soft. Tilting his head, he gently blew into Jian Qingrong's ear, "I command you to obey this in the name of the dormitory supervisor."
The light workwear easily puffed up, and that breath continued downward along the neck, providing Jian Qingrong with a novel sensation.
Wen Shi did it on purpose. His focus was solely on the unblemished skin beneath the collar, indicating that Jian Qingrong remained uncontaminated. However, something odd stood out—there was mention of a burn accident in the promotional material, but based on his ongoing observation, there were no scars in sight.
The application form seemed to contain more concealed information.
Jian Qingrong's smile appeared briefly and vanished. His favorability towards Wen Shi surged dramatically, breaking the passing grade on the spot.
Sixty points.
Wen Shi couldn't help but reconsider the possibility of achieving a perfect score.
Upon reentering the elevator, both parties locked their gazes on each other.
Wen Shi remained cautious. Luckily this time the freight elevator behaved normally, and they returned safely to the ground floor. To exit, they would pass by the previous office. As Wen Shi walked by, he couldn't help glancing inside. Wang Wei had returned here.
After some thought, he decided to approach.
"I've successfully transferred to Workshop Three now. Can I move to the upper floor of the dormitory…" Familiar words. Wang Wei's memory seemed frozen in time on that day.
Wen Shi didn't stay long. He took just a quick glance before swiftly leaving.
It might have been a psychological effect, but the outside air seemed even more unpleasant than when he entered the workshop.
Wen Shi couldn't help but worry. If things continued this way, even without doing anything, just breathing could diminish purity. His brows furrowed tighter when he saw someone approaching him.
The scent of blood was heavy on Tu Bianxi's body. It could be smelled even before he got close, mainly coming from the puppet doll on his shoulder. Ten short, thick fingers were all stained with blood.
Wen Shi immediately understood that Tu Bianxi had the puppets do the work. Puppets didn't get tired, nor were they affected by Soul Purity. They were a perfect work assistance.
There was a moment of surprise in Tu Bianxi's expression when he saw him. "You indeed have some skills."
Actually finding a way out.
Wen Shi didn't want to engage in a prolonged conversation with him. Veteran players always kept some cards hidden, and Wen Shi didn't want to overestimate himself.
Moving forward, there was only Workshop Three and the cafeteria. The likelihood of Tu Bianxi going to Workshop Three was low. Wen Shi noticed a white card partially exposed in his pocket.
Tu Bianxi must have obtained a meal card from someone and was headed to the cafeteria now.
This fish was quite wild to the touch.
At the same time, Tu Bianxi was also speculating on why Wen Shi went to Workshop Three. Unlike his behavior that could be easily read in a single glance, what Wen Shi did remained a mystery.
Seeing Wen Shi steadily walking away, Tu Bianxi turned into Workshop Three.
Inside the instance, there were rules of unsolvable death, general rules, and invalid rules.
Overseer Zhao had said that going to other areas without permission was forbidden, but he also mentioned that violating dormitory rules was irreparable. The factory rules offered some leeway. Thus, this restriction fell somewhere between invalid and general rules.
The moment Tu Bianxi entered, Wang Wei swiftly concealed himself. After death, Wang Wei would avoid any external beings. Wen Shi could see him due to the game's rewards.
Tu Bianxi glanced around as he walked to the side of the freight elevator. The door bore a noticeable dent, as if something had forcefully tried to enter but was thwarted at the last moment as the door closed.
Opening the elevator door, he noticed bloodstains inside. He touched them. They weren't dry. The murky, putrid smell of the blood indicated a battle between humans and monsters had taken place here.
He deduced what Wen Shi had done.
Going out to fight monsters?
It seemed like a form of slacking off as well.
Tu Bianxi took out a device resembling a stethoscope, placing it on the ground. He heard the sounds of people moving about and handling cargo below. He contemplated but didn't rush down. Getting caught by senior employees might lead to some trouble.
He wasn't interested in mimicking Wen Shi's slacking behavior. Going out to eat with the meal card wasn't an easy task, and on the other hand, there were enticing things in the cafeteria, so a trip was necessary.
Tu Bianxi messaged his team members:
Pei Wenwei's score wouldn't be low. Their team also had Ji Yuanzhi and Zhang Suihe, who had the[Slack Off]skill. Don't waste time on low-scoring activities like drinking water and eating.
On the other side, Wen Shi quickened his pace back to Workshop Three since he didn't have an access card to stand outside and knock.
Hai Sheng arrived swiftly, even more delighted when he saw the passbook in Wen Shi's hand. Wen Shi smiled. "Took some effort, but it finally worked out."
After saying that, he provided the passcode for the passbook.
Having obtained the most desired item, Hai Sheng wasn't concerned with minor details. He asked Wen Shi to follow him to the changing room, taking out a set of new protective suit from the cabinet.
"These protective suit are always sold out each year. I managed to stock up on a few sets through a purchasing agent with great difficulty."
[Makeshift Protective suit: Provides warmth for an hour during the night shift.]
[Congratulations on completing the solo side quest. Soul Purity +5]
Wen Shi's Soul Purity increased back to nearly a hundred.
..Good, it was best to keep this number steady.
Each taking what they needed, Wen Shi returned to his work station.
Everyone was present as Wen Shi shared the encounter with Tu Bianxi. Judging from the difficulty and freedom of activities, Tu Bianxi's idling score was likely much higher than worm-eating. However, in the morning, everyone only secured the baseline score. They would delve deeper into exploration in the afternoon.
Only Zhou Xiaochun seemed particularly concerned about Tu Bianxi going to the cafeteria. After asking twice, he said with a deep voice, "I've divined a method to increase Soul Purity in the morning."
Besides the Beautiful Soul Elixir, there should be other ways to increase it, otherwise, the original Big Factory employees wouldn't last long.
"The answer I came up with involves the word 'food'."
Tu Bianxi's impatient rush to the cafeteria further confirmed the existence of food there that could increase Soul Purity. Yesterday, their meal during the internship had no added effect, indicating that the dine-in meals of regular employees were effective.
Zhou Xiaochun sighed. "His ability to get a meal card is impressive."
"We're even more impressive, okay?" Wen Shi snapped his fingers. "Who's willing to lend me their meal card for a bit?"
Residents on the fourth floor eagerly raised their hands.
Zhou Xiaochun: "..."
Damn, acted hastily.
...
Liu Yuan cared more about the team battle task. She looked at Wen Shi. "How many points did you get?"
"Not out yet."
This unexpected answer was puzzling. The game not playing a prompt sound likely meant no scoring was involved. But even a short trip outside could earn a few points, considering it could count as going for a walk.
Wen Shi smiled innocently. "Can't come back empty-handed. I tried to do a bit more, so the results might take a while."
He then asked, "What about you guys?"
Liu Yuan pointed at Zhang Suihe. "He's racking up sleep counts, concluding that a higher score for deep sleep comes from snoring and talking in one's dreams."
Wen Shi's features twisted. Quite something.
Liu Yuan looked in Ji Yuanzhi's direction next. "He converted the smart panel responsible for notifications into a gaming device and played a couple of games on it, earning thirty points in one go."
Wen Shi was surprised. "Hai Sheng didn't notice?"
The smart panel wasn't far from the rest area.
Liu Yuan shook his head, indicating that even they found it strange.
Ji Yuanzhi just calmly replied, "Probably his high myopia."
Hai Sheng was currently feeling time dragging on, eager to finish work. He had planned to tease the new employees during lunch, find an excuse to make them stay and continue cleaning. But as soon as the clock struck twelve, he was the first to rush out, heading to the bank to withdraw money.
With Wen Shi around, there was no need to worry about food and clothing. Team members could also share meals.
Soft-spoken requests had an impact. Although no one had said it yet, they almost tacitly agreed to vote for Wen Shi as the team leader before the end of the day.
Zhou Xiaochun: "Let's head to the cafeteria quickly and explore the food rules."
Before he could ponder the reason, Zhou Xiaochun's gaze met with Wen Shi's speechless look.
Before Zhou Xiaochun could think it through, the senior employees had already gathered around Wen Shi.
"I'll save seats for the team."
"I'll go to the counter and use the card to buy food."
"I'll get some water for the team from the drinks area."
"..."
"Did you see? Is there any need for research?" Wen Shi had a serious expression. "I can't lead a team, I can only work myself to death."
Naturally, the group couldn't help but think about going to the cafeteria together with Tu Bianxi. Setting aside the role of the dormitory supervisor, just based on the interview conditions, Pei Wenwei had a unique advantage.
Being pulled into the A+ instance as newbie was abnormal in itself. This instance was likely a precursor to the special 3S instance.
Not everyone was interested in 3S instances. Without absolute strength, it was a death sentence. Apart from Zhou Xiaochun, who had the support of a large guild, and Ji Yuanzhi, who had spent money for this instance, the other players, after a brief astonishment, first considered a pressing matter: hurry to the cafeteria to grab a meal, they were starving.
The cafeteria had four counters, selling meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, main courses, and soup.
During lunch, with many people around, long queues formed at each counter, giving a sense of bustling activity not felt for a long time.
Wen Shi went to the spot reserved by the 4th-floor residents and sat down. Nearby, Tu Bianxi was sitting. Before long, the members of their team gathered, clearly all taking advantage of Tu Bianxi's meal card.
Ji Yuanzhi saw Tu Bianxi and used a privacy item to ensure their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"Tu Bianxi being here presents an opportunity for us."
Thinking that Ji Yuanzhi was planning something against Tu Bianxi, Lv Tang was startled. "He's not easy to deal with."
"Solving Tu Bianxi won't be that simple," Ji Yuanzhi looked at Wen Shi, "Yesterday afternoon, I explored the shallow areas of various workshops. Unlike Workshop One, Workshop Two has regular locks and no separate protective doors. The fire safety measures are well-implemented. With enough smoke, the place triggers automatic water sprinklers. If we can introduce some contaminants into the water, their morning's work will be in vain. They might not even be able to work properly in the afternoon."
It was useless to get a high score if the normal workload couldn't be completed.
After some thought, Liu Yun said, "Tu Bianxi's puppet isn't on him, so he must have considered this."
"If we go, it'll definitely raise suspicion." Ji Yuanzhi glanced at the senior employees who were obediently getting their meals, "Let them do it."
Wen Shi didn't immediately nod in agreement.
Ji Yuanzhi pushed his glasses up. "If we don't act now, Tu Bianxi will likely try to interfere with our workload in the afternoon."
Wen Shi finally spoke, "The risk is too high. If it's discovered afterwards, the senior employees will face severe punishment. As a dorm supervisor, it goes against my professional ethics."
Ensuring the safety of NPCs' lives sounds ridiculous to anyone.
However, Ji Yuanzhi calmly accepted his refusal and even provided a way out, "I overlooked that. Abusing our authority might trigger the death rule."
In reality, they all knew the likelihood of triggering the death rule was less than one percent.
Liu Yuan winked at Wen Shi. "Though I can't fully understand, I quite like your occasional kind-heartedness."
Even if the instinctive response might seem foolish, human nature still leaned towards chasing things that were bright and warm.
"Kind-hearted?" Wen Shi's smile held a hint of puzzlement.
He wasn't kind, he was confident. The fact that the game hadn't yet tallied the points for his slacking off indicated that Jian Qingrong understood his hint and was ready to put it into practice.
…
Dormitory building, sixth floor.
The walls here were painted in an uncertain color, where cracks and dark red intertwined, giving the appearance of a fleshy membrane. In the eerie corridor, everything was bathed in a red light. One of the interviewers lived in one of the rooms. Despite practically at the bottom of the sixth floor food chain, no one dared to offend him.
The interviewer had taken a leave today.
At this moment, he was trembling on the ground, reporting the situation on the sixth floor, "The sixth floor operates on a shift system, with fifty people working and fifty people resting each day."
So, there were still quite a few people on this floor.
Last night, when the interviewer had gone upstairs, the teenager had been standing by the trash can, smiling at him. Afterward, the interviewer had inexplicably taken the teenager to his room, only to suffer a series of inhumane tortures. His skin had been torn, and his blood almost drained. What was even stranger was that during this process, the bruise on the interviewer's neck, which had been itching incessantly, had actually stopped spreading.
The teenager didn't directly take the interviewer's life for two main reasons.
First, he needed this useless person to guide him through the factory's situation. Secondly, he could sense that the interviewer was host to something parasitic. This made him a convenient test subject. In case Big Brother was also parasitized, he could save him in the process. The teenager had tried many methods last night, ultimately temporarily suppressing the parasite's spread by peeling off the skin and drawing blood.
The interviewer continued, "New employees are usually assigned to the night shift. Even if they don't volunteer, the factory will arrange it later."
The teenager's tone was filled with allure, and his eyes, a stunning white blaze, were burning. "Look at me."
The interviewer instinctively lifted his head, as if he was entranced.
The white blaze in the teenager's eyes instantly surged to its peak, a spark landing in the interviewer's eye. It firmly suppressed the man's emotions, becoming the master of all his desires.
The bloodthirsty, cruel yet enchanting succubus lineage, once a nightmare to countless people, had returned to the human world under the call of its power.
"Take me to find the residents currently on the sixth floor in the dormitory."
The interviewer nodded in a dazed manner.
The excessively youthful demon revealed its long-concealed horns. The little goat-like horns on its silver hair exuded a tempting and innocent purity. Just like its master's smile, it was innocent yet fierce.
"Be obedient," the teenager prodded the kneeling interviewer's chin with the tip of his shoe, his lips slowly curling up. "Remember, this factory will be mine sooner or later, and all of you—"
"…once you step into my factory, you'll be my dogs."
He could sense that Big Brother was too kind-hearted. That resident on the fourth floor was dangerous, but he was willing to flirt with him just to provide a place to stay.
The teenager decided to send over dozens of tamed fierce dogs first to ensure Big Brother's safety.
…
Jian Qingrong stood in front of a white building.
Walking inside, the first floor led to the office of the factory manager. He looked at the application form in his hand, feeling such a strong interest in a person for the first time.
"Indeed, you noticed…" Jian Qingrong muttered to himself, the sexy Adam's apple moving up and down.
At their first meeting, the other had eagerly cleaned up, as if trying to gather those torn pieces of paper with unusual liquids on them.
With a spectator's mindset, Jian Qingrong had been waiting for Wen Shi's subsequent actions.
Reporting to please the factory manager? Blackmailing himself? Or using other strategies to maximize benefits?
Unexpectedly, the other chose to follow the same method.
Translating Wen Shi's final gesture before entering the freight elevator, it was something like:
"Don't forget to help me submit the application form."
Right now, immediately, he went to do it—
"The paper seems a bit dirty."
He could apply something on it again.
"Shake hands."
Let's take down the factory manager together.
Not only did Wen Shi not report Jian Qingrong, he even gave him a second opportunity to poison. Thinking about this, Jian Qingrong couldn't help but chuckle softly, almost trembling with suppressed laughter. He had initially planned to let the factory manager live a little longer, but now he had encountered something even more interesting.
After laughing enough, Jian Qingrong put on gloves and smeared something on the application form. He walked into the building, head lowered, and stiffly knocked three times on the door of the factory manager's office. No response. He patiently waited for a moment before knocking three more times.
A voice inside finally sounded impatient, "Come in."
The factory manager's daily staple was an enhanced version of the Beautiful Soul Elixir. Seeing Jian Qingrong, he inexplicably felt irritated. The employee who used to obediently follow orders seemed to have developed a sense of rebellion lately, even considering moving out of the dormitory building.
"The new employee asked me to deliver this to you. He's busy working overtime to meet performance targets." Jian Qingrong still had that look of not daring to make direct eye contact. "There was an incident in the dormitory building last night, and the application form got dirty. He's very sorry."
Aware of the dormitory building's monster invasion, the factory manager accepted the application form and sneered, "If we had such obedient and well-behaved new employees, we wouldn't have needed to replace you in the factory."
Obedient and well-behaved?
Hearing this description, Jian Qingrong's lips curled up slightly.
Cafeteria.
[Warning, Jian Qingrong's favorability towards you has increased by 10.]
[Warning, Jian Qingrong's favorability towards you has increased by 5.]
During mealtime, amidst the system's cold prompt, Wen Shi, who was praised as kind-hearted, opened his hands and asked, "What do you think?"
Thinking Wen Shi was asking about his hands, Liu Yuan honestly replied, "They're very attractive. Anyone with a hand fetish would lose control around you."
Fingertips like bamboo shoots, fair and clearly defined knuckles, an artwork free from impurities.
"No, you're mistaken," Wen Shi said with a laugh, "You didn't notice its greatest advantage."
Liu Yuan was puzzled.
Wen Shi: "It's very clean."
By using someone else's hand to commit a crime, he indulged in slacking off without a trace.