Chapter 1483: Chapter 905: Familiarity (2)
"We aren’t selling anything, just want to ask you about something." Jiang Qingluan reached into her pocket and pulled out a wrinkled two yuan bill.
Sure enough, upon seeing the money, the old man’s breath steadied, his eyes brightened, and his back straightened considerably. Immediately, he dropped the snakeskin bag and eagerly invited them inside, "Come, sit inside the house!"
"No need, sir, we’ll talk right here while enjoying the sun," Jiang Qingluan politely declined, as she didn’t know the old man’s background. If he were a ghost, stepping inside would be like stepping into a trap.
Although it was unlikely, she had to be cautious; in a past mission, a teammate was tricked into a house by a ghost and ended up sawed in half.
Veteran players may not have innate talent, but with experience comes wisdom.
The old man squinted his eyes, looking as if he could see right through them, and slowly said, "You’re here to ask about that old factory, right?"
"How did you know?" Munan responded.
"Oh, ever since the incident at the factory years ago, there have been young folks like you coming to inquire, some even just to take photos. I’ve hosted several of them, but the last couple of years have been quiet." The old man smacked his lips, looking quite puzzled.
"Yes, we heard about it and came over. Could you tell us what happened?"
Jiang Qingluan waved the two yuan bill casually, and the old man instinctively reached to grab it, only for Jiang Qingluan to flick it to fan herself before setting it down again.
The old man’s embarrassment showed as he licked his chapped lips and awkwardly retracted his hand. He realized these young ones were shrewd too—no payoff, no information.
"Honestly, there’s not much to say. One night, a fire broke out, burning down the factory and killing over a dozen people."
"But the strangest part was the place where the fire started. Something had happened there before," the old man’s tone turned peculiar.
"What happened?" Munan instinctively asked, knowing she was the most likely to be attacked by ghosts today; these clues were crucial for her.
"This... this..." The old man suddenly pretended to be confused, his gaze constantly darting toward Jiang Qingluan’s hand holding the two yuan bill.
Jiang Qingluan, especially after meeting Yang Xiao lately, had learned plenty of crafty tricks and didn’t hesitate to tear the bill, giving half to the old man while advising him earnestly, "Don’t rush, think carefully."
Half a torn bill is useless unless glued to the other half to spend. The old man coughed twice to mask his awkwardness and continued, "I remember now, there was an incident before the fire. During the day, a worker got caught in the machinery. It was horrendous; they say all his bones were crushed."
"When did this happen?" Yang Xiao pursued.
"This... I really can’t remember, but it was shortly before the fire. Creepy, isn’t it? People were saying the man died resentfully and wanted to drag someone down with him!" The old man spoke sinisterly, his voice lowering.
"Was the deceased male or female?" Chen Nang asked.
"Male. That factory hardly had any female workers. The work was grueling and required strength beyond what women could manage," the old man stated frankly.
Male, bones entirely crushed, accident during the day, soon followed by a factory fire... From these events alone, Yang Xiao concluded it must be him — the Source Ghost!
Finally... found him!
"Where exactly did the incidents happen in the factory?" Munan pressed on; she had to inspect the site herself, perhaps capturing something with a DV camera.
This time, the old man thought for a moment before confidently asserting, "Factory Building 7. Yes, definitely Factory Building 7!"
"The fire caused the factory to shut down, am I right?" Yang Xiao probed.
"Yes, but... but you can’t say it completely shut down, only that this site became abandoned," the old man explained. "East Mountain Machinery Factory had several sites scattered across the province. After this incident, they transferred the employees to other sites. Those unwilling to relocate were compensated and laid off."
"Do you know any old factory workers who stayed locally?" Yang Xiao continued to ask.
"No, back then, the factory was profitable, high wages. Most followed to the new sites; few opted for the payout," the old man shook his head, adding it’s been years, and even if there were acquaintances, they’d lost contact long ago.
He didn’t mention that he had no skills or connections back then and couldn’t get a job at the factory, despite wanting stable high wages, instead of enduring hardship.
After confirming the old man had no new information, Jiang Qingluan dutifully handed the other half of the money, fulfilling the deal.
Before leaving, the old man kindly warned them not to enter the factory buildings, as years of disrepair had weakened many structures and metal frames; getting crushed would be no trivial matter.
Hearing this, Munan couldn’t help but smile wryly. If given a choice, who would venture into such a haunted place? Veteran players surviving multiple times in the Nightmare World have mastered maximizing gains while minimizing risks.
But is there a choice? Coming might offer a chance, not coming is basically waiting for death.
Even someone as strong as Zhou Mingxiao died; putting herself in his shoes under the same conditions, she wouldn’t stand a chance either.
