Chapter 10

Xiong Zhiqi is a rather unremarkable little fatty, with a rather silly and amusing appearance. He has a short, flat haircut and carries a backpack. He is wearing a T-shirt with Winnie the Pooh printed on it. After entering the store, he was led to Zhao Zhu's private room by a waiter, looking somewhat restrained. It was Zhu Wanqi who pulled out a chair for him to sit down.

"Wanqi, go pick a sheep," Zhao Zhu said.

The ingredients at this barbecue restaurant are all absolutely fresh, allowing customers to personally select live animals for immediate slaughter and meat preparation. Of course, Zhao Zhu also wanted Zhu Wanqi to leave for a while so he could talk to Xiong Zhiqi more freely.

Zhu Wanqi responded and walked out of the private room. After seeing her leave, Xiong Zhiqi looked at Zhao Zhu with a hint of envy and said, "Bro, you're really blessed."

Xiong Zhiqi could tell that Zhu Wanqi was not Zhao Zhu's wife or girlfriend, at most just a friend. Whether she was a bed partner or not was unknown, but from the way she followed Zhao Zhu's orders, it seemed she was quite compliant.

"Hehe, I'm Zhao Zhu," Zhao Zhu introduced himself.

"Uh, I know. Your name was in the last mission announcement, you went with Chen Hong to do 'The Zombie,' right?" Xiong Zhiqi said.

"Exactly," Zhao Zhu nodded.

"Ah, that one was relatively simple. With Chen Hong around, it wasn't hard to complete. But the mission I'm about to do is much more difficult."

"How difficult?"

"Generally speaking, except for a few special cases, the difficulty of a mission is related to the number of people involved. Your mission only had two people, so the difficulty wasn't too high. This time, it's a 15-person group mission. According to the usual situation, I estimate that no more than 5 will survive."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhu raised his teacup and said, "You'll definitely be one of those five."

"Thanks for the good luck. I've been quite unlucky. I've already done three missions, and each time it was a 15-person or more group mission with an extremely high death rate," Xiong Zhiqi sighed, holding his teacup and lightly clinking it with Zhao Zhu's.

Zhao Zhu almost choked on his tea. Looking at the little fatty in front of him, he sensed something different. This guy was truly an expert at playing the role of a pig to eat the tiger. Surviving three group missions and securing a spot among the few survivors each time, it would be hard to say it was all just luck. Those who died in the mission world might even come back to life out of anger.

"From now on, I'll need your protection." Zhao Zhu said, pulling out a card from his wallet and handing it to Xiong Zhiqi. "There's 100,000 in this card, the password is six sixes. Consider it a gift."

Xiong Zhiqi took the card with a smile and muttered to himself, "Bro, you're also unlucky. You're so rich, yet you were chosen to join that group. You haven't even had a chance to enjoy life yet."

Zhao Zhu shook his head, "Actually, it's not that bad. It's quite exciting."

"Uh..." This time it was Xiong Zhiqi's turn to be speechless. "Someone else said the same thing to me before."

"What happened to that person?"

"He died, and it was a terrible death."

"That's a very ominous example."

"Exactly, very ominous. But since I've taken your money, I have to warn you: Bro, every mission is a matter of life and death. It's not a novelty for you rich kids. One slip, and it's really over, completely over."

Xiong Zhiqi's expression was very serious, which didn't quite match his appearance. After saying this, he resumed his smiling demeanor and rubbed his hands, probably waiting for the meat to be served.

"Thanks for the warning, I'll remember it."

"Speaking too much to a new acquaintance, hehe, I spoke too much," Xiong Zhiqi laughed.

"But I'm curious, everyone's information is public, right? At least, a lot of people, like you, have their information posted in the QQ section. Aren't you afraid someone might take risks for the points?" Zhao Zhu asked tentatively.

This was a very practical question that couldn't be avoided. A regular reader group wouldn't have any issues, but the "Horror Web Novel" reader group was far from simple. Zhao Zhu had just tried transferring points to Chen Hong, so others could definitely do the same. Why not just kidnap other group members in the real world?

"Your question isn't really a problem because there are moderators in the group," Xiong Zhiqi answered nonchalantly.

"Moderators?"

"Exactly. Completing 10 missions qualifies you to become a moderator. Completing 20 missions allows you to break free from the constraints of the 'Horror Web Novel' and become a free person. The maximum number of moderators is 10, so some people who have completed more than 10 missions are still not moderators because other moderators haven't died or left the group.

However, one thing is certain: each moderator is not simple. The group may seem loose, and people chat without much restraint, but there are rules. If anyone dares to harm other group members in the real world, the group owner will sense it and issue a 'Purge Order' that can only be executed in the real world. This order is carried out as a mission reward to eliminate those who break the rules.

Usually, moderators take on these missions because they have more experience and enhancements, making them incredibly powerful. I remember a guy who seemed to be a 'Prince' from Beijing. He joined the group and used his family's power to do some things, breaking the rules. The group owner issued a 'Purge Order,' and that night, his head was taken by a moderator living in Beijing. Many people died, and even special agents and bodyguards couldn't protect him."

"What about the moderators? What if a moderator breaks the rules?"

"That might be handled by other moderators. Moderators themselves have rules to follow. They generally don't break the rules because their job is to enforce them, and they also benefit from doing so. Also, there's another group member nearby. He's a bit strange, a middle school student who has already completed 7 missions, which is quite impressive. If you want, you can visit him and chat to build a relationship. I might not make it through the next mission, you know."

"Okay, can you tell me his address?"

"He doesn't have any information in his QQ profile, and he doesn't respond to messages. He's a very reclusive person. But the last time I saw him in a mission world, he was wearing a Qiming Middle School uniform, so he probably goes to that school. You can find him there. He looks quite ordinary, but he's really ruthless. The last time we were trapped in a cave, he was the first to start eating human flesh. We were all nauseated, but he ate it with relish. Oh, right, I haven't told you his name. He's called Zhu Jianping. You definitely have the ability to find him."

At this moment, Zhu Wanqi returned, smiling as she pushed the door open. "I picked the fattest sheep."

...

After the meal, Xiong Zhiqi said goodbye and left. He had many things to prepare, as his next mission was only a week away.

Before the meal, Zhao Zhu had sent a message to have someone investigate Zhu Jianping. Now, he had received Zhu Jianping's class and home address.

"I'll take you back to work," Zhao Zhu said to Zhu Wanqi, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Hearing this, Zhu Wanqi's face showed a hint of disappointment. She had already decided not to go to work in the afternoon, not because she wanted to go to bed with Zhao Zhu, but because she wanted to spend more time with him, maybe watch a movie or go shopping. But since Zhao Zhu said so, she could only nod in agreement.

After dropping Zhu Wanqi off at the hospital, Zhao Zhu didn't get out of the car. He started the engine and drove to Qiming Middle School. The security guard at the school gate didn't stop him when he saw Zhao Zhu's luxury car, and he didn't need to show any identification. He drove straight into the campus.

It was class time, and Zhao Zhu found the classroom where Zhu Jianping was. As he approached the classroom, he felt a drowsiness creeping over him, as if he was about to fall asleep.

This feeling was similar to encountering a cat shen. Zhao Zhu started to counter-hypnotize himself. After about five minutes, the intense drowsiness was suppressed, and he continued forward. When he reached the window of the classroom, he was shocked by what he saw inside.

In the classroom, all the students were lying on their desks, fast asleep. On the podium, a beautiful female teacher was leaning against the blackboard with her arms, her buttocks raised, her skirt lifted, revealing black stockings and her private parts. A student in a school uniform was holding the teacher's breasts and moving his lower body in and out rhythmically.