Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 773 The Four Old Men Make a Scene in the Martial World

"How did you come."

Xiao Ran put down her chopsticks and looked at Wu Man beside her. When she saw Wu Man's empty eyes, she could only turn around helplessly and say to Zhong Yi who walked in, "The company has given up on pursuing his matter. You don't need to do this."

Zhong Yi walked to the dining table and carefully examined the food in front of her.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the food, he sat down and unceremoniously snatched Xiao Ran's bowl and chopsticks, stuffing large mouthfuls of food into his mouth.

While eating, he said, "The company has only suspended the pursuit of him, but that's the company's decision, not my personal one. When you came back last time, didn't I tell you to never come back?" (Chapter 365)
Xiao Ran thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

Next, Zhong Yi began to list Wu Man's ten major crimes.

However, these ten charges were not related to the bad things Wu Man had done before. Rather, they were because after the company investigated Wu Man's affairs, Zhong Yi, as the supervisor, not only had to have his annual bonus deducted, but also his benefits were reduced.

"Do you know that the self-criticism was a full two thousand words long? My hand was sore from writing it."

"Some of the materials I had prepared were for my career advancement, but because of him, I ended up receiving half of them."

Mentioning these things, Zhongyi's puffed-up little face was full of anger.

It's not that all crimes committed by newcomers will affect the supervisors, but Wu Man's case was just too egregious.

This guy was listed as a key person to watch in the company's files early on because he advanced much faster than the average person and had extremely high potential.

The company's attitude toward such high-priority targets is "better to wrongly accuse than let one go free."

If any signs of trouble are detected, they must be nipped in the bud immediately.

As a result, Wu Man may have noticed this early on, or she may have received information from other channels. During Zhong Yi's surveillance, she behaved like a well-behaved child and did not reveal her true colors at all.

Looking back now, Zhong Yi wishes she could smash Wu Man's head in.

Seeing her still angry expression, Xiao Ran frowned: "I'll make up for your losses. 50 Vajra Masks, pick them up at the Amazing Pavilion anytime!"

Zhong Yi was taken aback and looked at Xiao Ran with some surprise.

Seeing Xiao Ran's serious expression, Zhong Yi could only put down her chopsticks and snap her fingers at Wu Man in front of her.

Wu Man's eyelids twitched a few times, but she did not wake up immediately.

Xiao Ran looked at Zhong Yi.

Zhong Yi pouted and said, "I just pulled him to the sixth level of the dream, so it's a bit difficult for him to wake up now. He'll wake up on his own in a bit."

The sixth layer of the dream?
This number surprised Xiao Ran, as most people's dreams only exist on the surface of their subconscious.

Occasionally, a dream within a dream phenomenon may occur, also known as a second layer.

Normal people would not be able to stand it after the third level and would struggle to wake up. By the fifth level, it would be very dangerous.

Not to mention the seventh floor.

This also made Xiao Ran very curious: "If it were me, which floor could you pull me to?"

"You?" Zhong Yi rested her chin on her hand and carefully examined Xiao Ran out of the corner of her eye.

“Your mental strength is too strong. I could feel it the moment you entered. Without the help of a cursed object, I wouldn’t even be able to pull you into the dream.”

Hearing this, Xiao Ran couldn't help but curl up her lips.

Zhong Yi then changed the subject: "But if I use a cursed object, I'm confident I can pull you directly into the endless dream world. How about we give it a try? You can find anything in dreams."

The endless dreamscape is like an endless hell; even if Xiao Ran realizes that she is dreaming, she cannot escape from it.

Even if a person wakes up from an endless dream, they are either insane or mentally unstable.

Having experienced so many dreams, this person could no longer distinguish whether the world they were in was a dream or reality.

Xiao Ran's lips twitched, and she suddenly realized why Wu Man acted like a mouse seeing a cat when she saw Zhong Yi.

Seeing the stiff expression on Xiao Ran's face, Zhong Yi covered her mouth and laughed: "Don't worry, I was just joking. How could I really drag you into the Dream of No Return? You are now a key partner of the company. There are even insider rumors that the company is suggesting whether to bring you into the senior management. You might even become my boss."

Xiao Ran rolled her eyes. Even a fool could tell that this was pure nonsense.

I don't have Lu Cheng's contributions. If I want to get into the company's senior management, I'll have to give up at least half of the shares I have left.

Ignoring Zhongyi's nonsense, Xiao Ran cut to the chase and asked, "You didn't come here just to beat up Wu Man, or to freeload a meal, did you?"

"Oh, of course not."

Zhong Yi took out two files from her small handbag and handed them to Xiao Ran.

"You asked the company to keep an eye on things in Ghost City. Here are the details. There's another thing. About three days after the arrival of the Lost City, Master Lai and his companion drove south along the national highway and left Los Angeles. Just a week ago, the company found the car in Guanyinqiao, Chongqing, but they couldn't find Master Lai."

Zhong Yi divided the file, giving one copy to Xiao Ran and the other to Lu Cheng, who was standing nearby.

Lu Cheng received the file and eagerly opened it. Inside, he saw photos taken by surveillance cameras, clearly showing the face of the bald-headed old man.

Judging from the photo, the bald-headed old man is sitting in the driver's seat, and another old man is sitting in the passenger seat. That is Zhou Shang, the patriarch of the Zhou family.

The strange thing is that the bald old man is tilting his head, and the angle makes it look like he is talking to the people in the back row, but the information only mentions Zhou Shang and the bald old man.

There was no one in the back row at all.

Or rather, there are no living people.

Seeing the old man grinning and laughing heartily in the photo, Lu Cheng felt much more at ease.

But when he turned to the next page and saw the abandoned van, its body deformed and its windows cracked, as if it had been in a major traffic accident and all the airbags inside had deployed, Lu Cheng's heart jumped into his throat.

"The company is investigating the specifics, but we don't know their exact direction or purpose. Brother Lu, if you need any information, please let us know, and the company will do its best to assist you."

At this moment, Xiao Ran finally understood that Zhong Yi wasn't after her, but rather after Lu Cheng.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Lu Cheng is a high-ranking executive in the company, and his treatment within the company is extremely high.

This guy isn't even a beginner, but Zhong Yi, as the supervisor, is theoretically Lu Cheng's subordinate. Lu Cheng put down the file in his hand and said to Zhong Yi, "I'm sorry to trouble you. My master and the others are probably going to Guizhou. After we go to Qin City, we will also head to Guizhou as soon as possible."

“Guizhou…” Zhong Yi thought for a moment, “Okay, I understand. The company will arrange a car for you to go to Qinhuangdao early tomorrow morning. After that, a local guide will take care of the arrangements. Once you have settled things in Qinhuangdao, the company will open a high-speed rail line to take you directly to Guizhou.”

"High-speed rail!!" Xiao Ran asked in surprise, "Isn't the high-speed rail closed off?"

“Yes,” Zhong Yi replied seriously. “High-speed rail is very unsafe now. Sometimes, when the train is halfway through its journey, it will be attacked by evil spirits. Therefore, the company can only guarantee the safety of this line for 12 hours.”

"hiss!!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran gasped and silently gave a thumbs up. He understood; it meant having company personnel guard the route for 12 hours to ensure its safety.

The 12 hours here do not include the advance clearing, the repairs along the way, and the subsequent guarding.

Xiao Ran didn't dare to calculate in detail how much manpower and resources this trip would consume, given the distance involved.

Xiao Ran could only sigh inwardly, "With power, one can truly do whatever one wants."

at the same time.

Luzhou Railway Station.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

The train bell rang, and the station announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"The GC188 train from Luzhou Station to Anshun is about to depart. Passengers, please hurry up and board."

Inside this green train that has almost disappeared from people's sight.

People slowly moved forward, carrying large and small suitcases.

Near the car window, two elderly people sat side by side, each holding a large bag of peanuts and sunflower seeds.

"It's been many years since we last took a train. When was the last time we took a train?"

The bald old man on the left, wearing a hat, looked out the window, slapped his thigh, and recalled carefully that it seemed to have happened twenty or thirty years ago.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shang couldn't help but think back to the old green trains of that time. Back then, there was no air conditioning, only electric fans, which were broken.

But everyone in the car was happy at that time.

While riding the train, you can occasionally hear people singing loud military songs.

Nowadays, the atmosphere of those days is no longer there.

"changed!"

Zhou Shang narrowed his eyes: "Times have changed, people have changed, but some things have never changed."

The bald old man's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this. He glanced sideways and saw two young men slouching as they boarded the car, their eyes darting left and right.

I couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Yes, these two 'old Taos' don't look like they're from Lao Kuan. Look at their fingers, I haven't seen such slender fingers in years."

Zhou Shang nodded: "The one on the left squeezing through the car door, the one on the right taking off the hook, it's not like they're playing with a flying car, it's like they're using a two-finger technique."

The term "squeezing through the car door" means deliberately creating chaos, while "closing" refers to using clothing to conceal the target and quickly complete the theft.

Just talking.

Suddenly, the young man on the left tore open his duffel bag, spilling all sorts of random things onto the aisle.

These things weren't anything valuable, but rather all sorts of strange little toys that jingled as they fell to the ground.

The entire passageway suddenly became crowded. A burly man with a crew cut wanted to pass but couldn't, so he angrily started cursing.

The young man was also displeased by this insult and stood up to curse back at the burly man with the flat head.

The crowd was drawn to the scene, and they all looked up, some even standing up to look back.

Completely unaware that a dark shadow flashed past him from the right.

Just as she reached Zhou Shang's side, Zhou Shang suddenly stood up, catching her off guard and causing her to bump into him.

The short, dark-skinned man in front of Zhou Shang was also taken aback. He looked up, glared at Zhou Shang, and then quickly turned and left.

Once the other party left, Zhou Shang walked smilingly to the side of a middle-aged man. The man was still watching the commotion when Zhou Shang patted him, and he came to his senses, looking at the old man in front of him with a puzzled expression.

"Young man, when you're out and about, you need to be observant and attentive. How could you not notice that you've lost your wallet?"

As Zhou Shang spoke, he handed the wallet in his hand to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was startled when he saw this, and quickly took it, opened it, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the money inside was not missing.

"Oh, grandpa, you've helped me a lot. I only have this little cash on me, and it would be a real problem if I lost it."

You're welcome. Keep the money safe, so you don't lose it again.

Zhou Shang patted the middle-aged man with a smile, then turned his gaze and saw that the two arguing men next to him had stopped arguing and were staring at Zhou Shang with a strange look before leaving without looking back.

After the two left, Zhou Shang sat back down in his chair.

An old man with bald heads sat nearby, cracking sunflower seeds: "Keep playing around, Little Li will be coming to cause you trouble later."

"Little Li" doesn't just refer to an individual's name; only a notorious thief would be called Little Li.

But while the bald old man complained, he looked nonchalant. They had no intention of going back after coming out, so they were free to do whatever they wanted.

Zhou Shang grinned and said, "Last time you guys did all that fancy stuff, all that social niceties, and you let the thief get away. I'm old now, I can do whatever I want. This time, just watch how I act chivalrously and roam the martial world!"

After Zhou Shang finished speaking, he patted the package next to them and asked meaningfully, "Big brother, fourth brother, do you agree?"

The bald old man rolled his eyes, then glanced around and a marble appeared in his hand. He said coldly, "They're here!"

(End of this chapter)