Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 849 What is a single, outstanding move?

Yang Mingjie took out a lock and detained Third Master and the others. This lock was a cursed item ordered by the company from Donglongfang. Once locked, not only professional skills and cursed items would be sealed, but even the space would be blocked. Even for professionals, breaking free would not be an easy task.

However, just in case, Xiao Ran took direct action and plucked a section of hair from each of the three. If they dared to cause any trouble, even if they ran a thousand miles away, Xiao Ran could still kill them.

Having confirmed that Third Master and the others had surrendered, Xiao Ran dispelled the curse. With a wave of her hand, the bronze bell returned to her hand, and she tossed it into her spatial storage.

After the curse dissipated, a large number of footsteps could be heard outside.

Yang Jun, his face dark, rushed in with his men. Upon entering, seeing the mess on the floor, Yang Jun first glanced at Xiao Ran, then looked at Liu Xiaowei and the others.

Seeing Liu Xiaowei's guilty look with his head down, Yang Jun didn't ask why and simply said, "Take him down!"

After he finished speaking, a large number of patrolmen rushed in from behind.

Liu Xiaowei and the others did not resist and obediently allowed themselves to be handcuffed. After all, their problems were not that serious, and there was still some hope if they did not resist. If they did resist... well... they might be killed on the spot.

"What happened? What just happened?"

Yang Jun walked over and pressed Xiao Ran for an answer.

Xiao Ran and Yang Jun found a table and sat down. Xiao Ran explained the situation in general terms.

When Yang Jun learned that Yang Zhendong had actually defected with the other party, his attitude was more bizarre than Xiao Ran had expected.

He remained silent for a full ten minutes, his expression neither angry nor confused, but silent, as if he had expected this all along.

"Are you alright? Did I ruin something for you?" Xiao Ran asked tentatively.

Yang Jun shook his head and explained to Xiao Ran, "This matter is of great importance. I'm afraid we're in a very passive position. The company will definitely pursue this to the end, and then..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yang Jun stood up and said, "Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. This was our oversight. Don't worry, the company will definitely give you an explanation."

After saying that, Yang Jun ordered his men to clean up the battlefield, including the guy hiding in the coffin, who was also taken away.

What happened next was clearly beyond Xiao Ran's control.

When Xiao Ran got home, it was just getting dark when a lot of messages came from the company.

First, there's the curfew.

The entire city of Ruzhou was quickly sealed off.

Following closely behind, the street office, government departments, and even company employees and patrol teams quickly formed a preliminary investigation team to conduct identity verification throughout the city overnight.

The original inhabitants of Ruzhou City either obtained household registration or had to provide proof from three or more households before re-registering and applying for ID cards.

As for people in real life, it's even simpler; they can just give their ID number.

Even professionals must produce their ID cards, otherwise they will all be treated as unregistered individuals.

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Xiao Ran sat at home, having hotpot with the old men and Lu Cheng, listening to Manager Li report on the line of people starting to apply for ID cards. She sighed, "Let's cooperate fully. It's not easy for them either."

Having caused all the trouble, the entire company was cleaning up after her; what could Xiao Ran say?

"You've caused such a commotion this time, what am I going to do tomorrow?" Wu Man said with a dark face as she brought her secret-recipe seasoning to the table.

He had already prepared everything, just waiting to make a big fuss for Xiao Ran tomorrow, but unexpectedly, Xiao Ran caused an even bigger fuss ahead of time.

"Actually, it's alright. Most people in the city have no idea what happened back then."

"Golden Toad said with a smile."

When the angel descended, most people in the city were in a state of mental stagnation until Lu Cheng killed the birdman with a single stroke, and everyone regained their senses.

Because most people don't have strong enough mental strength, the recovery time varies slightly.

This creates a strange phenomenon: some people, after recovering, feel as if they have done or seen something, but they can't recall it at all.

Some people are certain that they saw something, but others have no recollection of it at all.

It was the same thing, but the two people had completely different feelings about it.

"I also have to thank Brother Lu. If it weren't for Guan Yu behind you, I'm afraid I would have been in big trouble this time."

Xiao Ran thanked Lu Cheng.

He only found out after he returned that no wonder Kaslia summoned a god but ended up with nothing; it turned out that Lu Cheng had intercepted her halfway.

He then remembered that with Lu Cheng in charge of Ruzhou City, any so-called gods or spirits who dared to show their faces would surely die.

"You're too kind, we're brothers, aren't we?" Lu Cheng smiled and stroked his beard. As they were talking, several old men came out of the house. Looking at the boiling hot pot, Xiao Zhenye and Zhao Qingming couldn't help but sigh, "This looks delicious, it's a pity, we're probably not fortunate enough to enjoy it."

"Ah, you are blessed, you two gentlemen. This hot pot of mine is no ordinary hot pot. I hope you will enjoy it."

As Wu Man spoke, she brought out two plates of freshly sliced ​​side dishes from the kitchen and introduced them to everyone: "My hot pot is quite famous. It's called Zhenlong Nine Grades of Immortal. Whether you're a human, a ghost, or even an immortal, you can taste its flavor."

As Wu Man spoke, she lifted the lid of the pot, and immediately everyone's noses twitched as a unique fragrance wafted out.

"This smell..."

Xiao Ran sniffed, feeling a surge of spiciness that instantly invigorated her.

Just as he was about to offer his praise, Li Qing spoke up first, exclaiming, "Hiss, this flavor... it even has a hint of wine, like... a century-old cellar."

"Third brother, what are you thinking? Where is that wine smell coming from? It's clearly just a light fragrance."

Zhao Qingming leaned forward and sniffed; it had a very refreshing licorice scent.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Zhenye shook his head and said, "No, no, it smells more like sour liquid to me."

The various people held differing opinions, and even Yang Fengchui offered a different perspective.

Seeing this, Wu Man quickly calmed everyone down and explained, "The aroma of this Nine-Grade Treasure is different for each person, and the taste will also be different for everyone."

Wu Man proudly explained the mystery to everyone.

To Wu Man's surprise, after hearing his explanation of the mystery, the crowd did not experience the astonishing feeling they had expected.

Instead, they seemed to understand.

Everyone's reaction was quite ordinary; even Xiao Ran just ate in silence without saying a word.

"This one……"

Wu Man was completely stumped.

He was prepared to be praised by everyone, but everyone's reaction was so calm, which made Wu Man feel a strong sense of disappointment.

Seemingly sensing that Wu Man was in a bad mood, Jin Chanzi immediately saw through the reason and asked with a smile, "Wu Man, are you feeling a little disappointed?"

Wu Man nodded: "I don't understand. Isn't it good that this way we can satisfy everyone's tastes?"

Everyone stopped eating, and Zhao Qingming picked up the conversation, saying, "Kid, you've got it."

Wu Man looked at Zhao Qingming with a puzzled expression.

Zhao Qingming grinned and said, "You've heard the saying, 'One trick is all you need to get by.'"

Wu Man still didn't understand, and pointed to her hot pot: "Doesn't this count?"

“Yes, but it’s not fresh.” After saying that, Zhao Qingming continued, “It’s not that the ingredients aren’t fresh, it’s that the taste… isn’t fresh.”

"As the saying goes, it's impossible to please everyone. You've taken a different approach and managed to please everyone. That's a good method, but I prefer sour flavors and I think sour is delicious. He prefers spicy flavors and he thinks spicy is delicious. Even though it's from the same pot, we're still different. It's not fun."

Xiao Zhenye revealed the reason, which immediately shocked Wu Man.

He had thought he could make a dish that would satisfy everyone in the world, but the result was not as good as he had imagined.

Li Qing also spoke up: "What does it mean to have a single, outstanding skill? Child, do you really understand?" Li Qing turned to Yang Fengchui and said: "Fengchui, you should know how to do this problem, right? I remember when I went to see you when I was a child, your grandfather told you about it."

Yang Fengchui nodded, and he said to Wu Man:
"My grandfather said that there are eighteen musical instruments in the world, but if you break them down, there are hundreds of them. Only the suona can be called the king. Many people do not like the suona."

I don't like the suona. It doesn't have the beauty of the qin, the loudness of the drum, or the desolation of the erhu.

But none of these instruments could outshine the suona; a single rendition of "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was enough to rival a thousand armies—that was its signature move.

Upon hearing this, Wu Man's head buzzed.

He seemed to have lost his soul, his eyes glazed over, staring blankly at the hot pot in front of him. After a moment, he shuddered, picked up the hot pot from the table, and threw it directly into the trash can.

"Hold on."

After saying just two words, Wu Man turned and went into the kitchen without looking back. At that moment, Wu Man seemed to understand.

[The tears of the loving, the inspiration of the heartless, and the redemption of the suffering.] Of these three essential ingredients, he had already found two: the inspiration of the heartless, which he had never understood.

Only now did he realize that the key ingredient was not external, but within himself.

(End of this chapter)