Old Domain Bizarre

Chapter 50 Dialing
The morning light shone on Song Jianguo's treehouse, and through the opening, it shone on Zhang Wenda's solemn face as he sat there silently waiting for something.

"What's he doing here so early in the morning? Practicing qigong?" Auntie asked Song Jianguo, who was eating steamed buns, while sipping her brown sugar water.

Just as Song Jianguo was about to speak, things began to change. Wounds started appearing on Zhang Wenda's body and face, and along with the physical pain came a wave of negative emotions.

It's past 8 o'clock, and the rules and penalties are in effect.

In just a short while, Zhang Wenda's face and body were covered in wounds. He trembled as he took out some candy from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

A surge of joy welled up inside him, gradually easing Zhang Wenda's inner pain. At the same time, his wounds began to heal slowly under the influence of the sugar.

The rules of punishment and the healing power of the lollipop began to pull at each other on Zhang Wenda's body, which became the chessboard.

Even with the help of sugar, Zhang Wenda's body was still in pain. However, with the analgesic effect of sugar, the pain went from causing him to faint to almost passing out.

"Damn it... Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like the punishments under the new rules are getting more and more severe?"

Zhang Wenda gritted his teeth and endured this inhuman torture. He took out two more candies from his pocket and stuffed them into his mouth, which made him feel a little better.

As Zhang Wenda got up from the ground, his body drenched in sweat, he saw a large group of cats following the two of them, watching him curiously.

"How long has it been?" Zhang Wenda reached out and grabbed a cat, wiping the sweat from his face and neck.

“20 minutes.” Auntie said, and punched Song Jianguo again.

Those 20 minutes felt like an eternity to Zhang Wenda.

"Kid, what's gotten into you? You're so unlucky!"

“This is what I need to get rid of, otherwise why would I go to the online world?” Zhang Wenda bent down and checked his things for a while. He found that he had brought everything he needed, so he turned to look at the other two.

"I've got it sorted out. I have no more worries. I can spend a day there and set off."

"Why are you in such a hurry? We haven't even finished our morning tea yet."

Song Jianguo reached out and patted his aunt's big belly, and she reluctantly stood up.

"Let's go then, but let me make this clear first, that place is very dangerous. If we encounter any danger, I'll prioritize protecting Mimi."

"Protect me? Are you that powerful? I don't need your protection, I just need you to lead the way." Zhang Wenda said as he walked out of the cave.

"Hey! You think you're so great? You little brat," Auntie rolled up her sleeves and followed them outside.

Upon arriving at the telephone pole, Zhang Wenda immediately asked his aunt, "Which way? Which way?"

I've never been there before, so I can only rely on my aunt's directions.

"Walk there? That place is very far."

"Very far?" Zhang Wenda thought for a moment and turned to look at Song Jianguo. "Have your cat conjure up three bicycles."

"Huh?" Song Jianguo was genuinely surprised by such a request. "What's wrong with you? That's a cat! Not a Transformer!"

"Give it a try, and if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."

"You miser! You're stingy even with this little bit of money." Song Jianguo cursed and whistled loudly.

Accompanied by whistles, the black cats climbed and clung to each other, eventually forming a tall, old-fashioned bicycle. Soon, Zhang Wenda was riding this unusually large bicycle, pedaling hard in the direction his aunt had pointed.

Because of his height, he couldn't even sit on the seat properly, so he had to put most of his body under the crossbar and ride at an angle.

Meanwhile, Auntie held Song Jianguo on the back of the bicycle. Don't ask them why they didn't ride; if you do, they'll confidently answer that they're illiterate and can't ride.

Fortunately, the cats were a great help; otherwise, Zhang Wenda wouldn't have been able to manage at all.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Wenda, panting heavily, angrily got off his bicycle. "I'm not riding anymore! I'm exhausted! Let your cat turn into a car!"

Auntie carried Song Jianguo on her shoulder and strolled leisurely past Zhang Wenda. "Let's go, we're almost there."

"Almost there? This place?"

Zhang Wenda looked around at the various buildings on both sides of the road, covered with white ceramic tiles and adorned with blue-green glass. This place didn't look like a place with internet access at all.

Zhang Wenda followed his aunt for about two minutes when he saw Song Jianguo jump down from his aunt's shoulder and walk towards the alley next to them. "Here."

After Zhang Wenda followed her inside, he found that it was initially a bit cramped and dark, with some puddles on the ground. But after walking for a while and turning a few corners, it began to widen.

When they finally arrived at an abandoned room the size of a basketball court, they found that there were already other people there.

There were adults and children among them, and they nervously eyed the three newcomers and the group of cats, as if they were doing something shady.

Looking out at the oppressive, dilapidated buildings, Zhang Wenda leaned closer to Song Jianguo, puzzled, and asked, "Are you sure this is the place? Which way do we go next?"

"Waiting to dial." Song Jianguo frowned and tilted her head slightly. Zhang Wenda's breath tickled her cat ears.

"Dialing?" As Zhang Wenda followed his aunt's finger and looked up, he saw a large circle with the numbers 1 to 9 displayed in front of them.

While Zhang Wenda was waiting, a bearded man dressed in Taoist robes walked out from the gap beside him, followed by a Taoist acolyte carrying a large-bottomed computer.

Upon seeing him appear, everyone else crowded around him. "Master Tao, you've finally arrived! May I ask what the dialing number is today?"

"Yes, I finally managed to find some time. Tell us."

"Remember to remain calm and patient!" As soon as the Taoist priest spoke, the others immediately quieted down and looked at him expectantly.

Under the watchful eyes of Zhang Wenda and Song Jianguo, the Taoist priest Tao was seen making hand seals and chanting incantations.

"Taylor is three, Fourier is two, the I Ching has two trigrams of Yin and Yang, three stacks form the Eight Trigrams, the atomic nucleus layer illusion is secret, 2.5, 17, 49..."

After finishing the recitation, he pointed his hand, which had been forming a hand seal, forcefully at the screen in the Taoist boy's arms. With a "snap," the screen lit up, displaying eight large characters: "Computer fortune telling, dual cultivation of metaphysics and science."

At this moment, Zhang Wenda's aunt explained, "To access the internet, you need to dial up, but the number changes every day, so someone needs to find this internet number."

"Is that so? Should we give him the money?" Zhang Wenda reached into his pocket.

"You want money?" A man who looked like a college student turned around and looked at Zhang Wenda with disdain.

"Master Tao is a great man with a pure internet spirit! Don't confuse him with those vulgar people who just want to make money online!"

(End of this chapter)