Chapter 129: Something Is Wrong!
Irene Group Employee Dormitory, Respawn Point.
Yang Mingzhong lay alone on the single sofa in the living room, idly scrolling through short videos out of sheer boredom.
Not far away, Hu Jiayao was stretched out on a three-seater sofa, legs crossed, brows furrowed in concentration as he seriously kneaded the “benefit prop” in his hands, producing strange “puchi puchi” sounds.
Beside them, Gu Jinxing sat upright, studying with utmost seriousness the highly confidential document they had brought from the secret laboratory, along with a notebook.
The notebook’s contents were simple, resembling a diary or a brief work log. Each page contained only a few sentences, paired with illustrations that looked like they were drawn by an amateur artist, such as—
[July 20, cloudy turning to light rain.
Today I saw a little piggy, so chubby.
← From now on, you shall be called Mi Xiaoxiao, hehe.]
[August 10, sunny.
Summer has arrived. I saw a rhinoceros beetle on the tree downstairs.
← From now on, you shall be called Jiao Dada, hehe.]
[September 13, cloudy with thunderstorms.
Saw a little gecko hiding from the rain in the corner.
← From now on, you shall be called Huzi Ge, heh heh.]
...
The entire notebook was filled with such mundane records, with dates scattered irregularly—only one or two entries per month, totaling just over twenty pages. Gu Jinxing finished flipping through it in a matter of minutes.
Afterward, he focused intently on the confidential document.
He read the entire document carefully from beginning to end, confirming that it contained product design specifications for projects Irene Group was currently developing or preparing to develop.
The text was filled with technical terms, which he looked up one by one using the system, painstakingly digesting the content like reading scientific research papers.
After browsing through the lengthy appendices, Gu Jinxing rubbed his sore neck, stood up, and stretched.
“All done?” Hu Jiayao suddenly sprang up from the sofa and leaned in. “So? Did you find anything?”
Gu Jinxing shook his head. “It’s a very straightforward internal product design document. No clues, no hidden codes or anything.”
Hearing this, Hu Jiayao deflated like a punctured balloon, collapsing back onto the sofa with a long sigh. “Hah, what a waste of effort.”
Gu Jinxing inwardly grumbled, “The only one wasting energy here is me. You seemed to have been just kneading that thing the whole time, huh?”
“Not entirely fruitless,” Gu Jinxing said, pushing the document toward Hu Jiayao. “One thing for sure—the document is made from an extraordinarily special material that’s very difficult to damage.”
“Really?” Hu Jiayao’s interest peaked again. He picked up the document, pinched a corner, and tugged. Indeed, it wouldn’t tear.
Gu Jinxing smiled. “Don’t even think about tearing it by hand. I’ve tried scissors and a lighter. Neither can cut nor burn through it.”
Hu Jiayao widened his eyes in disbelief. “You... you actually used scissors and fire on such an important prop?! We’re relying entirely on this for the main mission! The final settlement isn’t even done yet. What if you damaged it and the system doesn’t recognize completion? What then?!”
Gu Jinxing looked confident. “Relax. I’m usually very accurate in my judgments, and I wouldn’t casually destroy such a crucial item without absolute certainty. Besides, I already tested it. If you don’t believe me, I can light it up right now.”
With that, Gu Jinxing pulled out a lighter and reached to ignite the document.
Hu Jiayao jumped up in alarm, clutching the document protectively like a hen guarding her chicks. “Okay, okay, big brother, I trust you, I trust you! But before the official settlement, you’re not allowed to touch that document again!”
Gu Jinxing shook his head helplessly, put the lighter away, sank back into the sofa, and pulled out the notebook, once again admiring the “masterpieces” of the soul-artist.
As dawn broke, Huang Yan and Guo Xiaofu returned one after the other.
They laid out the props and equipment they had collected, sharing amusing anecdotes from their map-sweeping adventures, filling the room with lively chatter reminiscent of a student dorm in spring.
When daylight fully arrived, Wen Nan returned right on schedule.
Everyone in the room turned toward the door and stood up simultaneously. “President!”
“Boss!”
Wen Nan, still lost in his tender moments with Qiqi, was jolted awake by their sudden outburst.
At that moment, the countdown timer above their heads began flashing an ominous red.
[00:00:10——]
[00:00:09——]
...
[00:00:01——]
[Main mission settlement time has begun.]
[All players, please take your positions.]
[Player Huang Yan, please verify your identity.]
Huang Yan glanced at the screen, then looked at Gu Jinxing and Hu Jiayao for help. “Guys, can I use that prop first?”
Before he finished speaking, the prompt atop the screen shifted—
[Due to the uniqueness of the key prop for this main mission—The Crux of Infection—it cannot be evenly distributed among all players. Therefore, the mission is considered successful upon locating the prop; no pickup or scanning is required.]
[Detection of key prop search results confirmed as shared!]
Huang Yan exhaled in relief. “So no need to scan the key prop this time?” He withdrew his hand and stood directly beneath the screen, calmly awaiting his settlement results.
Immediately, the settlement panel appeared—
[Player Huang Yan, main mission settlement results:
Completion status: Completed;
Mission score: 60 points;
Mission rating: Average;
Extra rewards: None;
Selected target: None (soul puppet transferred);
Target conquest rate: N/A;
Livestream room heat settlement: 42,786 gold coins;
Livestream room opening settlement: 36,397 gold coins;
Livestream room tips settlement: 2,500 gold coins;
Account balance: 0 gold coins (all transferred to the [Steady Grip] guild account).]
Huang Yan stepped away from under the screen satisfied, leaving the spot for the next player.
One by one, all members of the Steady Grip guild completed their settlements.
As expected, the hitchhiking players Huang Yan, Guo Xiaofu, and Yang Mingzhong all barely passed, with their livestream earnings going entirely into the guild account.
Gu Jinxing earned a mission score of 75 for his auxiliary role in searching for the key prop.
Hu Jiayao, credited for his outstanding contribution during the search, received the highest score of 79.
Like the other hitchhikers, Wen Nan only managed the passing score of 60.
Looking at the settlement results, Wen Nan's expression grew grave.
Something was wrong...
He had a nagging feeling that something had gone awry!
(End of chapter)