Chapter 146.2 The Horror Club
Pei Hongxin’s body trembled slightly. After a brief panic, he immediately exchanged his meager points for an attack item, attempting to cause a deadly accident.
Unfortunately, with Xiao Hua present, Pei Hongxin didn’t even get the chance to release his weapon.
The soft whip wrapped around his slender wrist. Xiao Hua didn’t use it often, and compared to Liu Yun’s whip, hers lacked sharpness and strength. It was more like a suffocating serpent.
“Such a big reaction?” Seeing deep blood marks on the wrist of the still struggling Pei Hongxin, Xiao Hua raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to send him to a crematorium?”
Wen Shi glanced at the situation through the rearview mirror and said calmly, “The orphanage.”
Xiao Hua wasn’t interested in worldly conflicts. After asking a question, she closed her eyes to rest. As the car continued to drive, it veered off course. Besides occasional curses from Pei Hongxin, the only sound was the smart navigation system’s prompts.
“I swear, as long as I don’t die, one day you’ll regret this.” Pei Hongxin tried to provoke Wen Shi into killing him using this method.
The chapter related to the orphanage had already concluded. Pei Hongxin had witnessed the death of the player who entered there before and couldn’t even imagine what he would have to face if he entered again.
His harsh words received no response. Pei Hongxin continued to speak in fits and starts, from the promises of the game to the benefits in real life, and he even mentioned turning himself in after they got out.
Wen Shi remained completely indifferent as he focused on driving.
With the car window partially open, the familiar smell of burning coal soon filled the air.
This time, Wen Shi drove the car right up to the entrance. On the rainbow sign, the word “Orphans*Manor” still carried an air of mystery.
Xiao Hua furrowed her brow. “This thing…”
“Don’t keep staring at it,” Wen Shi reminded her. “It’ll drain your rationality.”
The weather was nice today, with a hoarse chorus of laughter filling the air. A woman was playing on the slide with the children from the orphanage. When the sound of the car’s wheels approached, everyone stopped what they were doing.
A group of charred children stood hand in hand behind the woman, looking at today’s visitors to the orphanage with eerie smiles.
Wen Shi calmly got out of the car, with Pei Hongxin still struggling in his grip.
“Long time no see,” he greeted the woman proactively.
In reality, it had only been two or three days.
Wen Shi had already mastered the art of speaking in this place. He went straight to the point and asked, “Can things return to their original state?”
The woman’s withered face made it hard to discern her emotions. “You want to abandon your adoption?”
Wen Shi answered a question with another. “I want to donate money. I’ve just inherited a substantial estate, and I’ve decided to donate most of it to this place.”
He looked at the rudimentary slide. “It’s all for the children.”
He had learned this sponsorship technique from Jian Qingrong. Sponsoring always worked, and it wasn’t even his money. He could consider it a blessing on behalf of Master Lin.
Wen Shi was genuinely moved by his own actions. He was the only one who truly cared about Master Lin, without any ulterior motives for money or property.
“I think I’m more suited to raising a real child. This doesn’t meet my expectations.”
The proposal to donate money caused a slight change in the woman’s perpetually unchanging expression.
The surrounding chill lessened a bit. As the woman heard the amount Wen Shi was willing to donate, she envisioned the future development of the orphanage. Ultimately, she decided to turn a blind eye to this return event. She lowered her gaze and gestured for Pei Hongxin to come closer, her black nails showing traces of ash in the daylight.
Pei Hongxin settled down for a few seconds, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately rushed outward.
The woman remained still, and Wen Shi made no move to catch him. They both watched silently as the young figure bolted away. With the red house in the background, the scene appeared eerie.
Ten meters, five meters… Pei Hongxin didn’t know where he was running, but he had no other option. He could only see the iron gate in front of him as his sole hope.
All he wanted was to escape, to break free from the confines of the orphanage.
Just as he was a breath away from the rusty iron gate, the scorched children who had been standing behind the woman suddenly appeared at the doorway, merrily encircling Pei Hongxin.
“Why are you running?”
“Why don’t you join us?”
Their questions were identical to those they asked the deceased player on the first night.
Pei Hongxin couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably.
“I-I wasn’t running,” he forced himself to reply calmly, pinching his thigh.
One of the children reached out and held Pei Hongxin’s hand. “Come on, let’s play together.”
The tingling sensation in Pei Hongxin’s hand made his palm sweaty. The child seemed to sense his nervousness, turned his head, and gave a sinister smile, revealing the only ghastly white teeth in his entire body.
Pei Hongxin was once again led back to the red house.
“Take me out of here.” As he passed by Wen Shi, his usually upright posture was slightly bent, reminiscent of his brief despair when he went bankrupt. “We can make a contract, I will obey your every word.”
The child’s scorched hand radiated intense heat, causing Pei Hongxin’s own palm to feel as though it might ignite.
Wen Shi’s gaze was strangely calm as he looked down at Pei Hongxin. Suddenly, he reached out and patted his head. “Next time, remember…”
A glimmer of hope had just appeared in Pei Hongxin’s eyes when Wen Shi bent down and, with a touch of helplessness in his tone, said, “Don’t look for demons who offer too cheap a price.”
After standing still for a few seconds, Pei Hongxin suddenly charged towards Wen Shi’s waist like an angry lion. However, because his hand was firmly held by the ghost child, he couldn’t make any more violent moves.
“You will definitely die!” Pei Hongxin’s eyes were filled with fury. “I will use every bit of my remaining soul to curse you to hell!”
Wen Shi remained unmoved. He didn’t know how little was left of Pei Hongxin’s feeble soul, but it was definitely not enough for a demon to intervene again.
“When I get out of this instance, I’ll come and visit you.” Wen Shi sang a few lines of “Wishing You Peace” to be considerate and made a call to his lawyer, entrusting the donation matter to him entirely.
Before leaving, he politely nodded to the woman.
Respectful, polite, and generous.
Wen Shi had successfully portrayed himself as a wealthy second-generation with a score of ninety points.
Back in the sports car, Xiao Hua had shifted to the passenger seat, her vibrant red nails tapping against the car window. “Now, we can talk business.”
Wen Shi didn’t beat around the bush and took out the small box given by the lawyer.
He glanced at Xiao Hua, and she nodded. “Go ahead.”
The small box wasn’t locked, and with a gentle tug, it easily opened.
Inside, there was a piece of paper.
Unlike the traditional currency circulating in the city, this one had a plum blossom pattern on the front, matching the patterns on Master Lin’s clothing when he was alive and the images carved in the study’s shrine.
Wen Shi: “Let’s touch it together.”
There was only one piece of paper, and if there were hidden maps or other quests, it was likely that only the first person to touch it could trigger them.
Their fingertips touched one corner of the paper at the same time, then the game’s icy notification sounded:
“You’ve touched the currency of the Golden City.”
Xiao Hua was somewhat surprised. “The Golden City?”
Wen Shi: “Have you heard of it?”
Xiao Hua nodded. “Li Nan’s character, which I found as a lover behind the old man’s back, is said to be working there now. I received a text message from him before, saying that the president of【Wangcai Bank】is also there. Moreover, it seems that other top-level advanced players gather there.”
“If that’s the case…” Wen Shi leaned back against the rear seat. “Breaking through to the final danger level B might not even be enough to handle the challenges in S.”
Xiao Hua nodded in agreement.
Initially, there must have been a limit to the number of people sent to the Golden City. The game probably divided players into starting zones based on the leaderboard, so they hadn’t been thrown there.
Xiao Hua: “I’m in the top fifty on the virtual world leaderboard. Players in the Golden City are likely to be even more formidable.”
It was evident that they would face a high level of danger by directly heading there.
The greater the potential rewards, the higher the associated risks. Xiao Hua had strong abilities and naturally wanted to take on the challenge.
She asked Wen Shi, “What about you?”
Wen Shi responded with a single decisive word, “Going.”
Wen Shi had a strong feeling that time was running out for him. Whether it was to save the host or to gain a deeper understanding of Frank Hospital through the live chat, he couldn’t hastily leave this instance.
Xiao Hua: “The game doesn’t provide direct teleportation. The Golden City should still be in this dimensional space, accessible through transportation. Let’s gather information and prepare any necessary items in advance.”
Wen Shi nodded, thinking for a moment before adding, “We also need to take the figurine from the study’s shrine.”
Xiao Hua was puzzled. “What do you need that thing for?”
Wen Shi: “Just in case we encounter a dead end…”
Xiao Hua interrupted, concerned, “You’re not thinking of making a deal with the demon, are you?”
Wen Shi waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just a precaution.”
He didn’t necessarily plan to trade himself. At a critical moment, he might entice someone else to make a deal, and the demon might even give him a referral fee.
However, the decisive factor behind his decision to bring the figurine was the matching pattern between it and the Golden City’s currency. There had to be some connection between them.
Wen Shi tilted his head and said seriously, “By the way, this demon is very cheap. He’s available on call, and his customer service is excellent.”
Xiao Hua: “……”
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