Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 589 Meeting an Old Friend and Testing Him (Two Chapters Combined)

The familiar yet unfamiliar exclamation made everyone freeze, turning their heads to look in unison.

Xiao Ran was also surprised by this sudden scene; she really hadn't expected to encounter Pumpkin in this place. (Seventh Middle School, the manager who took over from Bean.)
Pumpkin looked at Xiao Ran with surprise on her face, even though she hadn't seen Xiao Ran since the Seventh Middle School.

But I still have a deep impression of Xiao Ran. Just as I arrived at the hospital gate, I couldn't help but think of the Seventh Middle School incident, and naturally I also thought of Xiao Ran.

I never expected to run into him in a place like this.

"Oh, you two know each other?"

The Ghost Doctor turned to look at Pumpkin.

Pumpkin nodded, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Ran from head to toe, a playful, cat-and-mouse look in his eyes.

"Alright, let's prepare for battle."

Xiao Ran sighed inwardly, and at the same time sent a message to Jin Chanzi and Qinghai Laomo. His eyes flashed, and he had already memorized everyone's positions.

This was not the outcome Xiao Ran desired. Taking action so hastily would inevitably lead to the other side immediately sending out a request for help, at which point the experts from the Changchun Association would surely rush over.

Xiao Ran is not afraid of the others, but he is not confident of defeating the old fogies in the Changchun Society. He may have no choice but to ask Plum Blossom Taoist to take action.

"Ha, I didn't expect to see you here. What should I call you this time, still White Cat?"

Surprisingly, Pumpkin didn't seem to want to make things difficult for Xiao Ran. Instead, she stepped forward and generously extended her hand to Xiao Ran.

This greatly surprised Xiao Ran.

The Seventh Middle School was destroyed, and he was the culprit, yet Pumpkin didn't seem to want to settle the score with him.

Before she could finish her thought, Xiao Ran reached out and took Pumpkin's hand in hers. Pumpkin then pulled Xiao Ran closer and introduced him to the Ghost Doctor beside her, saying, "I've known him for a long time. We've worked together before, so we're old friends."

Upon hearing Pumpkin's introduction, the Ghost Doctor's expression immediately relaxed. He looked Xiao Ran up and down, and when he saw the ID card on Xiao Ran's chest, his smile widened.

"Tch, I thought it was something serious, turns out it's just that Master Gui is back. Why make such a fuss and call us over to wait?"

The old demon Qinghai imitated Taurus's temperament and started to complain.

Upon hearing this, Ghost Lord turned to look at Old Demon Qinghai: "Golden Bull, weren't you supposed to be on a mission? What are you doing here?"

"The mission wasn't completed. Zishu and Shanlong continue the pursuit. I'm back to adjust my condition and prepare to advance to C-level Eighth Awakening before joining them. I heard you've developed a new drug here, so I'll wait here."

The Old Demon Qinghai had already completely digested Taurus's memories, so his lies were so natural and flawless that no one could find any flaws.

Upon hearing this, Ghost Master found it quite reasonable, so he didn't think much of it and turned his gaze to Xiao Ran and Jin Chanzi. Although his gaze was on the two of them, he scrutinized Xiao Ran more closely.

"I heard from Qilin that there is a skilled surgeon who has independently completed several highly complex surgeries. Is that you, sir?"

Xiao Ran nodded: "It's me."

"Hahaha, very good, very good. What I need most right now is an expert like you. Now that we all know each other, the rest will be much simpler."

The Ghost Doctor turned back to the Qilin with a smile: "Have the canteen prepare a banquet, we're hungry."

"Oh well."

Qilin nodded, picked up the phone on the table, and began to notify the cafeteria.

"Let's go eat first, and then we can have a proper talk."

As the person in charge of the hospital, Ghost Lord's status is indeed higher than that of Qilin and Taurus, and he has all the authority of the hospital.

Aside from being the head of the Changchun Association, he was the undisputed leader in the hospital.

This can be seen from Qilin's position and posture. Ever since Ghost Master returned, Qilin has been standing obediently at the back, not daring to say a word.

He's at least the nephew of the one who broke the taboo, and the disciple of the Beast Master, but what about his status...?

This is no one's fault but his talent is extremely poor. If Qilin had even slightly better talent, his status would probably not be what it is now.

"I never expected that we would meet here again after we parted ways. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Pumpkin stood beside Xiao Ran and said to her with a smile.

"Indeed, it's quite rare. How long has it been since we last met? Two years?"

"It will take five years."

Pumpkin did a quick mental calculation and realized that the time difference between the two was significant, which wasn't surprising, since the flow of time in each labyrinth was different from that in the outside world.

Xiao Ran calculated that, considering the various mazes she had encountered during this period and the time she spent in Ruzhou City, it had been about two years.

But Pumpkin felt that it had been five years since they last met.

This also suggests that Pumpkin spent far more time in the Lost City than Xiao Ran did.

But thinking about it carefully, it's not surprising. If you improve quickly, others won't be slow either. Pumpkin's strength was higher than Xiao Ran's back then, and he also had powerful figures behind him constantly providing various resources.

Now, Xiao Ran carefully examined the pumpkin and discovered that there was a hidden power within it, which made her suspect that she had already reached the C-level beginner level.

"Time flies, and as I walked in, I was wondering how that little guy was doing now. But then I turned around and he appeared right in front of me. You know, how can fate be so coincidental?"

The two seemed to subconsciously slow their pace, gradually distancing themselves from the crowd.

Guiye and the others noticed it, but they didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It's perfectly normal for old friends to chat a bit more when they meet.

"Yes, I never thought I'd run into you again. I wonder how Xu Pan is doing. I remember she and you left the school through the back gate together."

When Xiao Ran asked about Xu Pan, Pumpkin's face became somewhat unnatural. She stopped and turned to look at Xiao Ran: "What if I told you she's dead?"

Xiao Ran was taken aback upon hearing this and turned to look at Pumpkin.

"How did you die?"

"I killed her with my own hands."

"Oh."

Xiao Ran's reaction surprised Pumpkin. After all, back in Seventh Middle School, Xu Pan and Xiao Ran were on the same side and seemed to have a pretty good relationship.

Pumpkin thought Xiao Ran would be furious upon hearing this news, and might even be ready to fight her, but she didn't expect Xiao Ran's reaction to be so calm.

"Aren't you angry? Xu Pan and you were practically brothers in arms back then. She got a lot of benefits from me for you, and you've just forgotten about her like that."

Pumpkin said with a hint of sarcasm on his face.

"No, it's just that when you said that, I felt you were more disappointed than I was."

Xiao Ran looked calmly at the pumpkin.

His mental strength had exceeded 100, and he could keenly sense the subtle changes in the emotions of those around him without having to do it deliberately.

Although Pumpkin admitted to killing Xu Pan, Xiao Ran felt that her emotions fluctuated more.

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, Pumpkin was quite surprised. After staring at Xiao Ran for a while and confirming that Xiao Ran was not just putting on an act, Pumpkin sighed: "I know you are very strong, but I didn't expect you to improve so quickly."

The progress Pumpkin mentioned was not just about Xiao Ran's strength, but also about the change in his mentality.

Indifferent, rational, and no longer easily swayed by emotions.

Those who can achieve this level demonstrate that their abilities have surpassed those of the vast majority of people.

“When we came out, we encountered a group of ‘cleaners.’ The smell of the corpses on us was too strong, so they attacked us. Xu Pan was bitten on the neck, and I could only send her on her way.”

The opening in the pumpkin explains the reason.

The Cleaners are monsters that roam the Lost City. Xiao Ran had seen them before when he first rode the No. 404 bus. The driver was going very fast and knocked one of them away, which allowed Xiao Ran to narrowly escape its attack.

This thing isn't very strong, and it's a lone individual; anyone who isn't an ordinary person could easily deal with it.

But behind the school, groups of street cleaners appeared.

They were all attracted by the smell of the incinerator burning corpses. The two of them had crawled out from behind the incinerator and had a strong odor, so they immediately became the target of all the scavengers.

The two, already exhausted, fought their way through, finally managing to carve out a bloody path. However, Xu Pan was bitten on the neck by a Scavenger, and a large chunk of flesh was torn off. Seeing that she was beyond saving, Xu Pan had no choice but to end her life himself.

"It's a pity. If she were still alive, she would probably be very powerful now, and might even have the opportunity to become the company's supervisor."

After a moment of reflection, Pumpkin abruptly changed the subject: "What are you doing here?"

"The medicine!"

Xiao Ran turned to look at Pumpkin: "My attributes are a bit low. I heard from Taurus that there are potions here that can help me quickly improve my attributes, so I came."

"Just a potion?"

Pumpkin stared at Xiao Ran, trying to discern something from her, but to Pumpkin's disappointment, Xiao Ran's face remained expressionless, cold as a machine, devoid of any emotion. She nodded faintly: "Otherwise, is there any other reason for me to stay here?"

You'd better not have any other reasons!

Pumpkin's eyes gradually began to flicker with eerie light, while an immense sense of oppression emanated from him, causing Xiao Ran's clothes to flutter.

As Xiao Ran's gaze fell upon the pumpkin, he saw several enormous spirits emerging behind it, along with countless other eerie figures.

Spirit Master, also known as Spirit Tamer, is an advanced form of Spirit Medium. After becoming a Spirit Master, one can fight by cultivating various spirits. Most importantly, a Spirit Master is precisely one's own nemesis.

If he releases the corpse slaves, he can forcibly take control of the corpses through his spirit.

"This is really tricky."

Xiao Ran remained expressionless, but inwardly she was already cursing.

Only after Pumpkin slowly collected the spirits did he say to Xiao Ran, "I don't care what your purpose is. If it's just for the potion, I can help you, but you'd better not try anything funny."

Pumpkin didn't trust Xiao Ran, but she didn't dare to turn against him rashly. After all, she sensed that Xiao Ran possessed power no less than her own. She wasn't confident she could strike him down in one blow, but she was also confident that she could ensure the Ghost Doctor, Qilin, and the others could escape unscathed if they turned against each other.

This is one of the reasons why she didn't immediately turn hostile after recognizing Xiao Ran. However, although Pumpkin didn't trust Xiao Ran at the moment, she didn't seem to have found any flaws, so after restraining her aura, she resumed her original enthusiastic demeanor: "Let's go, let's eat first, I'm starving."

The two arrived at the dining table, where the chefs had already begun serving dishes to everyone.

Beginners often eat many times more than ordinary people, not to mention professionals like Xiao Ran and Nan Gua.

The food tasted good, the ingredients were very fresh, and it was authentic Sichuan cuisine. Most importantly, it was very appetizing.

Even the golden toad was showing off by stuffing a huge bowl of rice into its mouth.

Interestingly, everyone just kept their heads down and ate, and no one said a word.

They were as if they were afraid that if they said one more word, they would miss out on a bite of food.

Xiao Ran could tell that Ghost Master and his group were really hungry, so she glanced at Old Demon Qinghai next to her, and Old Demon immediately understood.

After finishing his food, he asked, "Master Gui, weren't you on a mission? You finished so quickly? It seems like things went very smoothly."

As soon as Qinghai Laomo said this, the atmosphere at the dinner table froze, and Guiye and the others all put down their chopsticks.

"This……"

If it were anyone else in this situation, they would probably reflect on whether they had said something wrong, but the old demon Qinghai's expression changed, and he anxiously asked, "Has the situation changed?"

"Sigh!" Ghost sighed, put down his chopsticks, stood up and opened his clothes.

When Qilin and the others looked up, they immediately gasped in shock.

"Master Gui, you..."

Qilin stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief. He saw that Ghost Master's chest was forcibly sewn together with a mess of patches. The crooked stitches looked like more than a dozen centipedes crawling on it, making it unbearable to look at.

Ghost Master gestured for Qilin to sit down and said to Taurus, "We failed because we underestimated the company's strength."

"company?"

Old Demon of Qinghai was somewhat surprised.

Although there are some private conflicts between Changchun and the company, everyone maintains restraint on the surface. The company would never rashly interfere in matters concerning Micheng.

“It’s not just the company.” Pumpkin put down his chopsticks and said, “There’s also a mysterious expert. This person doesn’t seem to be from the company, but his strength far surpasses ours.”

It turned out that Changchun Club's actions could not be kept from the company. The company was furious about Changchun Club's attempt to forcibly interfere in Ruzhou's affairs.

The company doesn't actually object to Changchun taking over Ruzhou's comeback.

After all, the company's original idea was to make Ruzhou a place where all beginners could get a breather.

Having Changchun Hui move in isn't necessarily a bad thing.

However, the methods employed by the Changchun Association angered the company. Their ideas were completely different from the company's; they wanted to completely seize this sanctuary and make it the Changchun Association's super headquarters.

The company wouldn't stand idly by now, so they sent two supervisors to take action themselves.

Changchun will naturally not back down. The struggle for resources is a matter of life and death, so Pojin and Pumpkin will personally oversee the situation.

Who would have thought that at this moment, a Cheng Yaojin would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

This guy should be a chef, but his strength is unbelievably high. Even breaking the barrier couldn't defeat him. Pumpkin, on the other hand, had to face the siege of the company's two supervisors and could only temporarily take Ghost Master to avoid the brunt of the attack.

Unexpectedly, the mysterious expert's methods were too bizarre.

Despite the barrier breaking and their fists clashing, the two were evenly matched.

It should be noted that the profession that can break the restrictions is B-level Ghost Weapon.

Although he had only recently broken through to the next level, his punches were not something anyone could withstand. His opponent actually went head-to-head with the one who broke the barrier. Whether it was because he caught the cursed object or because of his professional enhancement, at least in this punch, he had the capital to challenge the one who broke the barrier.

Finally, this guy seemed to get tired. In the confrontation with the one who broke the barrier, he suddenly feinted and turned to rush towards Pumpkin. He casually squeezed Pumpkin's spirit into a candied hawthorn and threw it away, causing huge explosions that Pumpkin could not defend against for a while.

It was at this moment that Ghost Master was unexpectedly slapped. The mysterious expert's fist turned into a beast's claw, and the slap almost smashed Ghost Master to pieces, destroying the plague bed they had painstakingly created, before quickly leaving.

"How could this happen? How is my uncle?"

Qilin stared wide-eyed and pressed for an answer, more concerned about his uncle's condition than Guiye's injuries.

"The leader's strength is naturally not an issue. He was just held back by the two supervisors at the time. However, he failed at the last minute, and things will be more troublesome afterward."

"Ghost Master said with a bitter face."

To prepare for this operation, Ghost Master had put all his resources into it. He even broke the taboo and promised that if Ghost Master completed the mission, he would be promoted to the new leader and help Ghost Master complete the promotion mission so that Ghost Master could break through to the C-level professional.

Now it seems there is probably no hope.

Only after confirming that his uncle was alright did Qilin breathe a sigh of relief, sit down again, and ask with a frown, "Who is this mysterious expert?"

"I don't know. There's no information about this person in the organization, and since they suddenly appeared, they don't seem to be from the company."

Pumpkin said, frowning.

In fact, before the Lost City was established, Lost Cities appeared frequently all over the world. Although the number of people involved was small, they all seized the opportunity and quickly became beginners.

Now that the Lost City has been established, these people's strength has increased by leaps and bounds. Neither the company, the Changchun Association, nor even Donglongfang and Penglailou dare to say that they have mastered all the information of the beginners.

"Pity."

Qilin shook his head. He knew about the Changchun Association's plan and knew that it was the key to the association's revival. He never expected that it would be ruined.

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? If we can't take it by force, we'll try another method. What can't we get if Changchun has our eyes on it?"

Ghost Lord snorted coldly. These words were not only directed at Qilin, but also at himself.

Since it's impossible to become the leader from another angle, let's try a different approach.

For example, drug number 3.

This was also one of the main reasons why Ghost Master rushed back. Thinking of this, Ghost Master did not continue to talk about the failure of this mission. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks, finished his meal, and got up to leave.

Upon seeing this, the assistants following behind Ghost Master immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and followed behind.

"Um, you guys eat first."

Qilin knew that Ghost Master would definitely go to the observation building next. As the person in charge, he had done his best regarding the No. 3 potion, but he couldn't escape responsibility. So he casually picked up a chicken leg, got up, and chased after him.

"I came here for the potion. What are you doing here? Are you here for the potion too?"

After everyone left, only Xiao Ran, Jin Chanzi, Qinghai Laomo, and Nangua remained at the table, and the atmosphere during the meal was no longer as oppressive as before.

While putting food into her own bowl, Xiao Ran tentatively asked.

"Not entirely. Several of my spirit bodies have been destroyed, so I need to find some suitable corpses to nurture them. There is no place more suitable than here."

Pumpkin spoke while her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Ran.

He wanted to test Xiao Ran's emotions with his words.

"Oh." Xiao Ran simply nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

At this moment, Qilin returned and walked to Xiao Ran's side, saying, "Fifth Brother, Master Gui requests your presence to prepare for surgery."

"Operation?"

"Correct."

With a serious expression, Qilin whispered to Xiao Ran, "It's those test subjects who died in the observation room. Ghost Master, let's see your strength."

Although he had already reported Xiao Ran's strength to Master Gui over the phone, Master Gui still wanted to see it for himself.

"Ok."

Xiao Ran knew it wasn't the time to turn against him, so she finished her food in a few bites, put down her chopsticks, and followed Qilin to the observation tower.

Upon entering, a nurse helped Xiao Ran change into surgical scrubs and led him directly into the operating room.

This operating room was different from the previous one. It had two hazy glass panes. Xiao Ran couldn't see anything through the glass, but his powerful mental strength allowed him to immediately sense that someone was watching him from behind the glass.

"Your Excellency, I was introduced by Taurus. Qilin values ​​you highly, but as a researcher, I still want to be cautious, so I would like to personally verify your skills."

The voice of the Ghost Doctor came through the microphone next to him.

Then the operating room doors opened, and a corpse was brought to Xiao Ran. This corpse was the drug test subject who had torn off his own flesh and gouged out his own eyes.

"Although he is dead, I have implanted a drug capsule in the body of every test subject. The capsule is very difficult to remove, so please help me remove it."

Looking at the corpse in front of him, Xiao Ran did not rush to start. Instead, he looked up and asked the Ghost Doctor through the glass, "Qilin promised me that if the third potion is successful, he would give me two doses. Is that alright?"

"I'll give you six, and I can give you higher authority, even a share of the hospital, but the condition is that you survive first!"

"Survive!"

Xiao Ran narrowed her eyes and suddenly shot the scalpel in her hand.

The blade struck the glass hard, sending up dazzling sparks, but the glass remained completely unmarked.

At the same time, the operating room door was sealed off, and strange runes flickered on the walls, making the entire operating room a cursed object.

"Don't be nervous, this isn't directed at you. You might run into big trouble when you take out the medicine pouch, but once you do, everything will be fine."

"Then you'd better remember your promise, or else..."

Xiao Ran picked up the scalpel that had bounced off the ground, plunged it into the corpse's chest with her backhand, let out a cold snort, and then turned to look at the corpse...

(End of this chapter)