Chapter 1416: Chapter 886: Fire Disaster
"What kind of joke is this? Our office is the only one with the lights on in the whole building?" Huang Mao Wu Zhuo stared wide-eyed, full of shock.
"Don’t the bosses here want to make money? Aren’t they forcing their employees to work overtime?" Munan grumbled with a lollipop in his mouth, thinking about his own situation in the real world, "I’m going to get angry!"
"Haha, don’t get worked up yet, gentlemen. I think there’s something wrong with this building itself. Look around if you don’t believe me." Zhou Mingxiao said, his gaze moving toward the surroundings.
This area isn’t exactly remote; there are several similar office buildings nearby, but these buildings have many rooms lit up at the moment.
The brightly lit buildings nearby formed a stark contrast with the dark building they had just escaped from, one vibrant and alive, the other dead and oppressive.
For a moment, Yang Xiao looked up at the towering building before them, resembling a giant tombstone in the night.
A strong sense of unease brewed in everyone’s hearts, making them feel as if they were still trapped in the dark building, never actually escaping its despairing grip.
"Stop looking; think about what to do next. Let’s just get through tonight." Yang Xiao drew back his sight and looked at the group.
Everyone didn’t waste time and began rummaging through their pockets. Some women had handbags, and shortly after, seven keys were found.
Strangely, the keys were all in the hands of the men, while the girls’ handbags were filled with lipstick, lip balm, compact mirrors, wet wipes, chocolate bars, lollipops, and other small items.
Oh, and also wallets, which contained cash. But the cash held by all the men combined didn’t add up to even 100 bucks.
So, it’s clear now that tonight calls for cooperation between men and women. The men have keys to provide shelter, while the women have money for other needs—teamwork for mutual gain.
"Feel free to team up, everyone. Be quick; I think it’s going to rain soon." Munan looked up at the sky, the thick black clouds overhead resembling indelible ink, dark and oppressive.
No sooner had he spoken than someone made a move. Liu Yang swiftly approached Jiang Qingluan, smiling politely as he extended his hand, "Miss Jiang, may I have the honor to team up with you?"
"Oh, you’re quick on your feet." Wu Zhuo glared at Liu Yang in discontent, spinning a key ring on his left middle finger as he swaggered over to Jiang Qingluan, raising his chin and coolly saying, "Miss Jiang, come with me, with me covering you, I guarantee no harm will come to you."
But both were politely declined by Jiang Qingluan. She walked past them to Yang Xiao, extending her hand and asking, "Mr. Chu, tonight I’d like to team up with you, is that okay?"
Yang Xiao was thinking when he noticed Huang Mao’s envious, jealous gaze. Instantly, his acting instincts kicked in, and he held his chin, pretending to hesitate and be selective.
But within a few seconds, noticing Jiang Qingluan’s expression turn from sunny to stormy, Yang Xiao instantly realized he couldn’t drag this on, or there would be trouble tonight.
"Thank you for your favor, Miss Jiang. Naturally, I shall be the Flower Protector!" Yang Xiao reached out and clasped Jiang Qingluan’s hand.
Aware of Wu Zhuo watching, Yang Xiao took the opportunity to sneak a soft touch while helping Jiang Qingluan with her bag.
Wu Zhuo felt furious enough to grind his teeth, while Liu Yang didn’t mind, turning to look for his next partner.
Within just a few minutes, everyone formed their teams—Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan, Liu Yang and Yang Yan, Zhou Mingxiao and Shu Shuang, Zhang Jianjun and Munan, leaving three men without partners: Zhou Hai, Wu Zhuo, and Chen Nang.
Zhou Hai noticed he had no partner and paced nervously. He admitted he was a newbie; no one wanting to pair with a newbie was normal, given new recruits usually had low survival rates and were more prone to causing trouble due to inexperience.
Although Wu Zhuo claimed to be an expert who had survived seven previous tasks, anyone could see he was exaggerating—he didn’t seem like a veteran who had completed seven tasks.
As for Chen Nang, his situation was unique. He was a prisoner still serving time, but the people who caught him weren’t police. Most present understood what that implied.
This man was an Evil Cultivator, a notorious criminal imprisoned by the Patrol Defense Office. Such people were best kept at a distance.
Despite his decent looks, second only to Yang Xiao among them, Chen Nang gave an unsettling vibe when looked at for too long.
Especially his eyes, empty, numb, seldom focused.
He seemed indifferent to everything, exhibiting little response to external stimuli, even ignoring provocation from Wu Zhuo.
Yang Xiao knew such people were the most dangerous. They acted like they didn’t care, but once they decided to take action, they’d strike with lethal intent, without warning.
During the task, you’d have to abandon prejudices. Everyone shared a real enemy:
Ghosts.
If someone proved valuable, Yang Xiao was willing to team up—everyone was a buddy.
"Hey dude, I... can I stay at your place tonight, how’s that sound?" Zhou Hai approached Wu Zhuo, pleading desperately.
"Get lost, say that again and I’ll smack you!" Huang Mao Wu Zhuo was already in a foul mood, seeing Zhou Hai’s sorry state ignited his fury.
