Chapter 13

Standing on a small hill by the roadside, Hao Ren looked at the desolate and bleak ruined village not far away, racking his brain to think whether his intelligence could still be salvaged—how could he have been so easily tricked into coming to this place?

He was surprised that there was such a place around the city where he had lived for over twenty years, a small, primitive, and dilapidated village. Although this place was indeed quite far from the city, in Hao Ren’s mind, such a small village should only exist in remote mountain areas: rugged mountains and steep cliffs blocking civilization, dangerous rapids and steep cliffs sealing off transportation, which would allow human settlements to maintain such a state. But this place wasn’t that remote; there was even a road leading to the city nearby... Therefore, he was quite surprised by the village before him.

But what surprised him even more was that the strange woman on the phone had used the name of an import and export trading company to get him to come here for an interview... This was unacceptable. You can insult a person’s character, but don’t insult their intelligence, okay? Although Hao Ren had always been unable to distinguish between a trading company and a street supermarket, he should at least have noticed that there might not even be a convenience store in that small village nearby!

Hao Ren stood by the roadside under the scorching sun, silently watching the direction in which the old bus had disappeared. He would have to wait for about an hour to catch the next bus passing by. Just thinking about this made him feel pessimistic about life. At this moment, he even missed the vampire at home who refused to pay rent, ate for free, and caused trouble—missing the cold air around Vivian, even though it always carried a hint of blood, at least it was cool! There wasn’t a single tree within a few hundred meters in this place, and the largest shaded area within sight was under a utility pole a hundred meters away, just enough to cool down his arms... This life was unbearable!

As for the small village not far away, which looked like it was only a ten-minute walk away... Hao Ren had no intention of going there, even if the interview information was real. This was obvious, who in their right mind would come to work in such a place?

Moreover, it was clear from the start that this was a joke; he had been tricked by the mysterious woman on the phone.

What Hao Ren was curious about now was why he had been so easily persuaded over the phone. Why did he not feel anything strange when he heard the name "Wabatuozi"? Why did he only realize he was a fool after getting off the bus and seeing the village in person? These questions hadn’t crossed his mind before, but now they all came to him at once, making him break out in a cold sweat!

Indeed, Hao Ren remembered that when he received that strange call, he had thought and hesitated for a long time, and then decided to come and check the situation after "careful consideration." At the time, he felt his mindset was completely normal, and those few minutes of hesitation and thought were enough to prove that he had come here out of genuine intention. But now, thinking about it... his decision to come here was completely irrational!

Even just the combination of "Wabatuozi" and "import and export trading company" should have raised his suspicions!

Hao Ren subconsciously touched his head, trying to confirm whether the brain in his neck still belonged to him.

A few seconds later, Hao Ren started walking in the direction he had come from: walking all the way back home under the scorching sun was not very practical, but he felt he had to get away from this cursed place! Getting away from the address provided by the mysterious woman might increase his safety. He could wait for a bus on the road, as the old bus didn’t have fixed stops and would stop wherever someone waved it down.

The phone call was abnormal, the number was abnormal, and the mysterious woman was abnormal. She had tricked Hao Ren with a flimsy reason, so he knew his thinking must have been abnormal during that time. Now he had to leave as soon as possible and return to the other two abnormal beings at home. Perhaps Lily and Vivian would have some ideas—after all, the vampire seemed to know something about magic, as she had mentioned it before.

But just as he had taken a few steps, his phone in his pocket started ringing like a death knell.

Hao Ren was startled by the familiar ringtone, which seemed at least ten times louder than usual, making his eardrums hurt. It was as if a faint anger was being transmitted through the ringtone. He fumbled to take out his phone, and on the not-so-big color screen, the number was clearly abnormal: 00000012345.

Hao Ren stared at the number for a long time and then decisively removed the battery—fortunately, he didn’t have an iPhone; Apple users might have had to smash their phones in frustration in such a paranormal situation.

But soon he realized he could only smash his phone in anger: the ringing didn’t stop even after he removed the battery. Just like in every paranormal horror movie, his phone continued to ring and display the eerie number even without the battery, as if urging him to his doom. If Hao Ren had been just a little suspicious before, now he was 100% sure he was caught up in some abnormal phenomenon!

Worse still, he couldn’t find anything to protect himself. He hadn’t even had the chance to ask Lily or Vivian about the world of "abnormals" before rushing out!

When the ringing repeated for the third time, Hao Ren finally made up his mind, raised his Nokia high, and smashed it on the ground!

"Damn, I don’t believe it will still ring after I smash it... What the hell, this is possible?"

The Nokia truly lived up to its reputation as the world’s best phone. Hao Ren watched his old, worn-out phone fly through the air and then... embed itself in the concrete ground! And it was still ringing!

Hao Ren confirmed that he didn’t have that much strength, so the only explanation was: the person calling was using this method to warn him not to resist futilely. Some things don’t follow science, logic, or common sense—no matter how far you throw the phone, even with a strategic missile, it wouldn’t make a difference!

Hao Ren nervously bent down to pick up the undamaged phone and put it to his ear. Although his heart was pounding, he still had a strong sense of pride (he was a very proud person, someone who would remain defiant even in the face of death): "Hello! What do you want!?"

"Rubbish, I told you to come for an interview!" The pleasant but scary female voice indeed sounded again. For some reason, when he heard her voice, Hao Ren felt a bit relieved, perhaps because she spoke in a way that made her seem approachable? Or perhaps because the mysterious woman was still talking about the "interview," which gave him a bit of comfort.

At this point, with all the strange phenomena before him, if the other party had any ill intentions, it would be the time to show their true colors. Since the woman hadn’t used her extraordinary abilities to strike him with a bolt of lightning from afar, Hao Ren believed he was temporarily safe.

As for why it was a bolt of lightning and not something else... it was because Hao Ren’s imagination only went that far, and he couldn’t think of any more powerful divine power. The fight between Lily and Vivian last night had seemed like a Hollywood blockbuster to him.

"Interview...," Hao Ren tried to calm down, pretending he wasn’t afraid, and his voice was indeed quite steady, "Let’s be clear, since I’m already here, are you really going to keep up the pretense of the import and export trading company? Can’t you just tell me what’s going on?"

"Oh, we have rules, and we can’t reveal secrets until the time is right and the conditions are met," the woman on the phone sounded neither sinister nor threatening, just like a normal person discussing matters, which surprised Hao Ren, "Now, follow my instructions, and you’ll find the location of our company...”

"Wait!" Hao Ren loudly interrupted her, not wanting to follow her lead anymore, "Let’s be clear—what do you really want? No beating around the bush, okay?"

The woman on the phone sounded impatient: "Why are you so fussy? I said it’s an interview, and if you really want to know the rules of the company, you’ll have to come here! Now, listen, do you see the utility pole ahead? Walk to the pole, put your hand on the old Chinese medicine advertisement on it, face north... don’t know which way is north? North is up, south is down, west is left, east is right, look up!"

Hao Ren: "..." He felt the person on the phone was a lunatic.

But when he really looked up, he was stunned.

A huge inverted building was suspended right above his head!

(Supposedly, posting the first update in the morning is more effective? Let me try it out =.=)

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