Chapter 3: Something Scarier

“Sister Ning.”

“Sister Ning.”

Jiang Wuning pulled her gaze back from Xu Xiye’s retreating figure. She murmured, “Probation period… If we’re fired midway, losing our status as probationary employees, we’ll face swarms of Anomalies wanting to gobble us up. If we pass the probation and become official employees… can formal employees even leave?”

Wang Xiaodian and Little Li hadn’t yet grasped the meaning of this statement, but Li Qing and Lu Neng’s expressions grew increasingly serious.

Li Qing: “We can only leave once the Pollution Source is eliminated.”

Lu Neng frowned, glancing at the special watch strapped to his wrist. “We haven’t even officially started, and the Contamination Level has already reached B-Class. This definitely won’t be a contaminated zone below A-Class. If the Pollution Source can only be dealt with by force…”

Li Qing: “Then we’re finished.”

Seeing the two’s faces growing tenser the more they spoke, affecting even Wang Xiaodian and Little Li, Jiang Wuning tapped her wrist, interrupting: “Check your Sanity Values. Don’t let the boss’s first move be you crushing yourselves under pressure. Besides, He Sui is in the Inner World, so we have a safety net.”

Hearing her say this, both Lu Neng and Li Qing relaxed considerably. He Sui could be called the current peak fighting force. He’d navigated through multiple A-Class and even S-Class contaminated zones, emerging unscathed without a single defeat.

Jiang Wuning: “Let’s head inside first. The Receptionist is at her post.”

The Receptionist Lady stood behind the counter. She was pretty, wearing a constant service smile. Her expression never wavered in the slightest, like a smiling mask had been affixed to her face.

Hmm, Jiang Wuning would be very suited for this job.

The Receptionist Lady registered them and had them wait in the lobby for arrangements. Before long, a potbellied middle-aged man walked over.

The man had flat facial features. His eyes were like slits drawn on paper. His neck was slender and long. He reached them in just a few steps.

The next second, that face loomed right up into theirs.

“Sister Ning!”

Li Qing couldn’t help but yell. That face was mere inches from Jiang Wuning, who stood at the very front.

Jiang Wuning stood still, raising a hand as a signal for her companions to calm down. When she spoke, she still wore her default smile: “Hello, leader.”

The man was clearly somewhat satisfied with her reaction. He scrutinized her for a moment before moving on to the next person, again bringing his face almost into contact with theirs. But having had Jiang Wuning’s example, no one would now scream and run away in chaos.

Little Li’s face was pale. Wang Xiaodian trembled uncontrollably. The only small mercy he felt at this moment was that the middle-aged man walked over to get face-to-face with them instead of just extending his neck from where he stood.

If that scene happened, just thinking about it…

Wang Xiaodian didn’t dare think further. He even felt the middle-aged man was fully capable of doing just that.

The man clasped his hands behind his back and returned to his spot at the front. “Alright, introductions. I am the Supervisor of the Marketing Department. Surname Hao. You can call me Supervisor, or you can call me Supervisor Hao.”

“Wanting to become an employee of our Delicious Food Company isn’t that easy. You have a seven-day probation period. You’ll only be considered formal employees after passing the probation. Young folks, work hard, and show good results.”

“Alright, follow me now.”

The Marketing Department was on the fourth floor. It was a large department, divided into several areas based on function. Wang Xiaodian and Little Li were assigned right next to Xu Xiye.

Xu Xiye didn’t dare slack off in front of the Supervisor. He just glanced out of the corner of his eye before continuing to tap away at his keyboard. Yet that single glance was precisely what the Supervisor saw.

Xu Xiye: “!”

“Little Ye.”

“…Yes, Supervisor? What is it?”

The Supervisor pointed to Wang Xiaodian and Little Li, seated to his right. “These are Little Wang and Little Li. You’ll mentor a new hire, how about that? Let’s do this: you and Little Zhang each take one person. If you guide them through the probation period, I’ll add a 200-yuan bonus to each of your pay.”

Xu Xiye didn’t want to refuse a task assigned by the Supervisor. And a 200-yuan bonus, he wanted that.

“Okay, Supervisor. I’ll mentor him well.”

“Alright.” Brother Zhang had no objections either. He turned sideways deliberately and grinned at the two. “We’re all colleagues from now on. If you don’t understand anything, you can come ask me.”

The Supervisor left satisfied. Little Li and Wang Xiaodian sat at their workstations, not daring to move or glance around, stiff as wooden logs.

“Smack.”

A pile of documents landed on the desk, making Wang Xiaodian nearly jump out of his seat.

“This is company information and the new products launching soon. Get familiar with them first.”

Wang Xiaodian looked up. It was a familiar face. Even though he’d seen it before, seeing it again was still startlingly shocking. The young man had fine features like a painting, red lips and white teeth, an inhuman kind of beauty, like a pretty mannequin from a shop window had come to life.

Wang Xiaodian stared blankly for two seconds before belatedly realizing now wasn’t the time for admiration.

This was the Inner World, full of Anomalies everywhere. Xu Xiye was an Anomaly. No one in the real world looked this good! No one!

Wang Xiaodian busied himself with mental warnings. When he came back to his senses, he saw the young man frowning at him with dissatisfaction.

Wang Xiaodian: “!”

Wang Xiaodian visibly shook. He hurriedly hugged the pile of documents and said, “I… I understand. I’ll read them. Thank you.”

He would definitely read them. When they parted ways, Jiang Wuning had told them to learn everything they could about this company and find that so-called Pollution Source.

He didn’t quite understand what the Pollution Source was, but he still knew how to find clues. But he’d already agreed, so why was this Anomaly still staring at him?

Wang Xiaodian tensed up again, wanting to shiver.

Oh dear.

Xu Xiye sighed deeply in his heart. This was an Outsider for you. He really didn’t understand what went on in these Outsiders’ heads.

Thinking that this was ultimately his charge, related to his 200-yuan bonus, he kindly reminded him: “I know you Outsiders always have some strange habits, but the prerequisite is not affecting others, and not affecting work.”

Wang Xiaodian: “…” Who exactly had the strange habits here.

Xu Xiye: “Stable jobs are hard to find right now. If you can work, just work it.”

This common Corporate Slave lament made Wang Xiaodian sigh with a sense of familiarity. He himself was just a recent graduate working as a corporate slave.

Anomalies had their own behavioral logic. As long as you didn’t lose your identity, they wouldn’t attack without reason, especially during the day. So don’t be jumpy, maintain mental stability. Jiang Wuning had emphasized this again to them when they separated.

Wang Xiaodian realized this point through Xu Xiye. Even though his expression was still dazed, his subconscious had already driven him to react: “Thank you, Shifu. I… I’ll work hard.”

“Shifu?” Xu Xiye’s dissatisfied expression disappeared, replaced by interest in this title.

Wang Xiaodian: “Y-yes, yes. You teach me and guide me. That’s worthy of being called Shifu.”

Xu Xiye: “That’s right. It is. Hurry up and read those materials. Don’t let the Supervisor catch you slacking off. I’ll take you to the Cafeteria for lunch at noon.”

“Okay, okay.” Thinking about gathering more information, Wang Xiaodian asked one more question. “Shifu, what happens if you get caught slacking off?”

Xu Xiye looked at him like he was an idiot.

Wang Xiaodian’s heart rose.

Xu Xiye: “If you get caught, your pay gets docked, of course.” What were these Outsiders thinking?

Wang Xiaodian: “Oh, oh.” Surprisingly pragmatic.

Xu Xiye didn’t say more to him. He had his own tasks to do.

Brother Zhang leaned his head over to whisper. “The one you’re mentoring is barely okay. Mine’s a lost cause.”

Xu Xiye looked at Little Li, who was sitting in front of Little Wang. Little Li’s face was filled with terror. He’d shudder every few seconds, shudder every few seconds. Xu Xiye really didn’t understand what he was so terrified of, what he was shaking about.

He truly was a bit luckier.

After a brief lament, Xu Xiye buried himself in work. Occasionally, he’d check on his 200-yuan disciple, Little Wang. Good, he was reading the materials very seriously.

During the midday break, Xu Xiye and Brother Zhang took Little Wang and Little Li to the Cafeteria. Probationary employees didn’t receive wages yet, but the company issued meal tickets for the Cafeteria, ensuring three meals a day were covered.

The food on display at the Cafeteria counter looked completely normal, but Wang Xiaodian wasn’t sure if this stuff was actually edible. Actually, they had run into Jiang Wuning on the way out. Jiang Wuning had signaled them to go on ahead, likely wanting to do some exploring while the company was empty of people.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“Ah, nothing. I’ll eat now.” Wang Xiaodian picked up a piece of vegetable and put it in his mouth. They’d be staying in the Inner World for seven days. Not eating or drinking for seven days was impossible, so there was no point worrying too much. “Shifu…”

Xu Xiye paused his chopsticks and, with the proper air of a Shifu, waited for his disciple’s question. “What is it? Go ahead and ask.”

Brother Zhang also stopped his chopsticks and stared at him.

Wang Xiaodian tensed up. Stammering, he said, “I was… I was just wondering… has anything strange ever happened at the company?”

Xu Xiye understood. He wanted to hear gossip, huh. He himself would also join in and chat about these things. So, with great enthusiasm, he launched into the telling.

Like who often tried to flatter the bosses but always messed it up. Who didn’t get along with whom, always scheming against each other in secret. Who was the indifferent type, becoming more and more detached recently, etc. He told him everything he knew.

It could be considered learning about company interpersonal relationships.

Wang Xiaodian listened with great interest, but this wasn’t what he’d wanted. It was all too ordinary. If he hadn’t personally experienced the horror of the Inner World at night, he’d really struggle to tell this apart from real-life work.

No, he had to try harder. “Then Shifu… are there any… you know, more supernatural or scarier stories?” He lowered his voice. “The kind that can’t be talked about openly, just whispered in secret.”

As soon as he said it, Wang Xiaodian felt it was wrong. What kind of thing would be supernatural and scary in the eyes of an Anomaly? No matter how abnormal, it would be treated as normal.

However, Brother Zhang grasped his meaning. He leaned his head closer and lowered his voice, saying mysteriously: “I heard someone hanged themselves in our company.”

Xu Xiye was startled. Even lower, his voice couldn’t suppress his shock and curiosity. “What? Someone hanged themselves in our company? When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?”

“About four or five years ago. I only happened to hear it from an old-timer at the company. Something like that would definitely be covered up as much as possible. You’ve only been at the company for two years; it’s normal you wouldn’t know.”

Xu Xiye shook his head and sighed: “What kind of thing is this? How could a perfectly fine person just hang themselves?”

Brother Zhang also shook his head, lamenting: “A tragedy. Dumped by a scumbag boyfriend, constantly making mistakes at work, forced to work overtime late into the night, yelled at by her boss. Early the next morning, when the office door was pushed open, the body was found hanging from the ceiling.”

Xu Xiye: “Sigh.”

Wang Xiaodian stayed silent, his nerves taut. Little Li, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly asked: “Did… did that person… hang from where?”

Brother Zhang stated plainly: “Where else? From the ceiling fan, of course.”