Chapter 82

That night, Zhao Zhu slept in the bathtub. When he woke up, he felt truly refreshed and invigorated. Even his mental strength had become more solid, and the fatigue and stress he had accumulated before were all gone. The only one who was probably not satisfied was Zhu Wanqi. Over the past two days, although she had been sleeping in the same room with Zhao Zhu, he had not touched her, and last night, Zhao Zhu even slept in the bathtub.

In the morning, after having breakfast, Fan Pian took Zhao Zhu and Zhu Wanqi to tour West Lake. Fan Pian had chartered a pleasure boat that drifted on the lake.

There were many other pleasure boats filled with tourists constantly shuttling back and forth on West Lake, but Zhao Zhu's boat was much more peaceful. Around noon, the sky suddenly turned overcast, and it started to drizzle. The surrounding mountains and waters became misty, and the sounds of people and the noise were muffled. At this moment, West Lake truly felt like West Lake.

Zhu Wanqi wanted to ask Zhao Zhu to take some photos for her, but seeing him sitting there, seriously playing with his cards, she didn't dare to make any requests. Fortunately, there were two female attendants on the boat. At Fan Pian's signal, they went to the bow to help Zhu Wanqi take photos.

"You seem to be in high spirits today," Fan Pian said while brewing tea.

"Indeed, I feel the same way," Zhao Zhu smiled in agreement. However, he didn't plan to tell Fan Pian about the jade hairpin.

"Come, have some tea." Fan Pian arranged the tea and gestured for Zhao Zhu to drink.

"Please."

After drinking the tea, they chatted casually for a while. Both of them were young, but they had rich experiences. Fan Pian had shown exceptional talent in chemistry since childhood and started making drugs for drug trafficking gangs in college to earn his first pot of gold. This was somewhat similar to the popular American TV series "Breaking Bad." Later, after entering the horror web novel world, he gradually distanced himself from those matters, opened a teahouse, and only did chemical research that he liked and needed. Zhao Zhu had also studied abroad and was very talented in psychiatric research and psychology. They had many topics to talk about and the conversation never lagged.

As they chatted, Fan Pian suddenly asked, "You have enhanced your mental and willpower, so your ability should be effective against ghosts and spirits, right?"

"Fairly well," Zhao Zhu replied cautiously, knowing that Fan Pian wouldn't ask without reason.

"I won't hide anything from you. There's something I didn't plan to delve into deeply because I'm not very familiar with the people in the group, and I don't have the ability to ask them for help. But since you're here, I thought I'd mention it. Of course, I'm not forcing you to do anything."

"I understand. Just go ahead and say it," Zhao Zhu nodded, knowing that a smart person like Fan Pian wouldn't be so tactless as to ask for help right after giving a gift, which would ruin the newly established relationship.

"One of my male employees at the teahouse, a local from Hangzhou, is a football fan. However, after returning from a Chinese Super League match at Huanglong Stadium half a month ago, he fell ill, became drowsy, and started talking nonsense. He rarely regained consciousness, and going to the hospital didn't help."

"So, you suspect it might be related to some kind of evil influence, like being possessed?" Zhao Zhu asked while drinking tea.

"Exactly. I wouldn't have thought of this before, but as a scientist and an atheist, I've come to realize that the world isn't as simple as I thought after reading that novel and entering this horror web novel world and the group. I believe my employee might have encountered something evil." Fan Pian poured the tea dregs directly into the West Lake, causing ripples.

"Even so, that's not a reason for you to mention it here, because the one possessed isn't you, right?" Zhao Zhu said.

"Am I that selfish?" Fan Pian countered.

"We are similar in many ways. If I were in your position, I wouldn't do this, but you did, which means you have a deeper purpose."

Fan Pian nodded and said, "You're right. Zhao Zhu, do you know what I exchanged from the group leader?"

"How would I know if you don't tell me?"

"It's the Metallurgist Constitution, which aligns with my original profession and interests."

"Then what?"

"After I exchanged for the constitution, which was yesterday, I drove to the airport to pick you up and passed by Huanglong Stadium. There, I sensed something different, as if a very precious material inside was calling to me. This is just my feeling, with no concrete evidence, but I believe there is something special in Huanglong Stadium."

"There might be danger."

"My employee didn't die, just fell ill or went a bit crazy. So, even if investigating that thing is dangerous, it won't exceed our control. Besides, there's no such thing as gaining benefits without taking any risks."

"I can promise to take a look and scout the area, but I can't guarantee anything."

"No problem, that's exactly what I meant. If we succeed, we'll split the benefits 40-60, with you getting 60%."

"Alright."

They had just finished discussing when Zhu Wanqi, who had finished taking photos, returned to Zhao Zhu's side, mustering the courage to ask if she could take some photos of him. Zhao Zhu silently shook his head, and Zhu Wanqi lowered her head, skipping that topic.

Fan Pian was looking at his phone, pretending not to have heard their conversation, also to avoid making Zhu Wanqi too awkward.

Overall, the morning tour was enjoyable. When they returned to the teahouse for lunch, Zhao Zhu said to Zhu Wanqi:

"Tonight, I'll have two people from the teahouse take you to see the 'Songcheng Everlasting Love' show. I have something to do and can't accompany you."

Hearing that Zhao Zhu wouldn't be with her tonight, Zhu Wanqi felt a bit unhappy and asked, "Is it something very important?"

"Yes, quite important."

"Oh, then I don't want to see the show. I'll just rest in the room."

"Don't be silly. Go and watch the show, understand?" Zhao Zhu's gaze hardened, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

"Alright, just don't overwork yourself. Get some rest early," Zhu Wanqi still dared not disobey Zhao Zhu.

"I will."

In the afternoon, Zhao Zhu accompanied Zhu Wanqi to a few more scenic spots. Before dinner, they parted ways. Fan Pian arranged for two of his employees to take Zhu Wanqi to the show, while he personally drove Zhao Zhu to Huanglong Stadium.

"Do you really not want to see my employee?" Fan Pian asked.

"There's no need. You've already sensed something in the stadium, and the employee fell ill after watching the match. We can go directly to the stadium to check the situation. By the way, there are quite a few people today," Zhao Zhu looked out the car window, seeing many people, who seemed to be football fans.

"Hehe, there are more people today. Usually, the number of Hangzhou fans at home matches isn't high. One reason is that the team used to be called Zhejiang Greentown, and now it's Hangzhou Greentown, so fans from other parts of Zhejiang don't come as often. Another reason is that the team's performance isn't very good, and they often struggle to avoid relegation, so they don't win many matches, which doesn't attract many fans to the stadium."

"Then why are there so many people today?"

"Most of them are here to see Guangzhou Evergrande. It's a match against Evergrande today."

"Oh, did you buy tickets? If we go in with so many people, even if there is something evil, it would be suppressed by the dense crowd."

"The section I bought tickets for isn't very crowded. It's the section my employee usually sits in, and it's also the area where I felt the strongest presence after entering the stadium. However, expertise has its limits. Even if I know the location, I can't do much, so it's up to you."

"Since you've already investigated and arranged everything, let's go in and take a look."

"Shall we have dinner first? The match starts in over an hour."

"There's a KFC inside. Let's buy a bucket and go in. I just exchanged some talisman water from the group leader. If there are many people, using it might make others think I'm crazy."

Fan Pian smiled and said, "Alright, let's do as you say."

The match was still a long way off, so when they entered the stadium, only the hardcore fan section had members hanging banners. The other stands were mostly empty, and the area where Zhao Zhu and Fan Pian were was completely deserted. It was a second-tier stand on the west side, with a poor view. Zhao Zhu wondered why the employee liked sitting there.

Zhao Zhu held a hamburger in one hand and a cup of cola in the other, stopping between two rows of seats.

"Where should we start?" Fan Pian asked, munching on a chicken wing.

"Where are the people sitting? How can we move around?" Zhao Zhu countered.

"What people? There's no one here," Fan Pian was puzzled.

Zhao Zhu spread his arms and said, "I have a small bottle in my front pocket. Take it out and use it like eye drops."

Although puzzled, Fan Pian did as instructed, taking out the bottle of bull's tears mixed with talisman water from Zhao Zhu's pocket and applying it to his eyes. After applying it, his eyes felt a bit irritated. When he opened them again, he was stunned:

The previously empty stands were suddenly filled with people, a sea of black. Each person sat straight, with unnaturally red cheeks and deathly pale faces, all wearing eerie, abnormal smiles. The air around them seemed to freeze.