Chapter 147 The Horror Club
Wen Shi restarted the car and had only just started driving when his phone rang unexpectedly.
Kong Zhuoshuang.
It took a moment to recognize that it was the same as the person who had given him a ride in the wilderness that day, Floral Shirt Guy.
“Hello,” Wen Shi said as he put his phone on speaker.
“I read about your family in the news,” Floral Shirt Guy said. “Sorry for your loss. I think this situation was really strange. You should get someone trustworthy to deal with it.”
Wen Shi: “Where can I find someone reliable?”
“In the Golden City,” Floral Shirt Guy replied, “No need to ask. If you can pay, you can trade for anything.”
The Golden City had another less pleasant name: the Devil’s Den.
Inside, all sorts of wicked deals were happening around the clock. The transactions were straightforward—money for services.
Floral Shirt Guy: “I happen to be going there this weekend. Want to join me?”
“Sure,” Wen Shi hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be bringing a friend.”
“No problem, I won’t be alone either,” Floral Shirt Guy reassured him briefly before ending the call.
Game notifications chimed one after another.
“The third story you need to save, ‘The Golden City,’ is about to begin.”
【No matter what you desire, you can fulfill it in the Golden City.
We welcome every talented young person!
Quest Details: After entering the Golden City, you need to find a job within a day and obtain the status of a【Novice Worker】.
Note: The Golden City doesn’t tolerate slackers. Every job has a last-place elimination rule. If your initial rating is at the bottom of the industry, you’ll be eliminated immediately.
Note: It’s advised to know your strengths and find a job you excel at.
Note: If your job can’t contribute a certain amount of taxes to the Golden City, you’ll be eliminated directly.】
“I hate working,” Wen Shi, now an emotionally unstable driver, expressed his feelings.
Sharing the same sentiment, Xiao Hua calmly analyzed the task. “The Golden City should have a high-tech intelligent assessment system.”
Otherwise, relying solely on manually collected data and resumes, it was impossible to objectively determine who was truly at the bottom of the industry in a short time.
“And we must choose the hottest careers.” Only the popular ones could generate substantial income. Those small, niche businesses that took a year to establish might find themselves facing tax obligations before they truly take off. Xiao Hua looked serious. “But the competition in those industries is definitely fierce.”
She tried to call Li Nan, but it showed a busy signal. It might be because of the game’s quest release.
“We’re not short on money right now,” Xiao Hua considered, “but directly giving money to the Golden City might not work.”
Wen Shi nodded, “The game subtly hints at the identity of the working class and then introduces an alternative form of currency.”
Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the villa.
Workers were inside the villa repairing the staircase, while most other players stayed in their rooms. Some ventured out to see if they could trigger other quests.
Wen Shi found A’Yu and gave her the phone he bought yesterday. Hanging on the phone was a sunny doll, a charm Wen Shi carefully selected from a boutique.
A’Yu laughed uncontrollably. “Having a son dropped from the sky is great.”
“……” Wen Shi got down to business. “I’m going to a place called the Golden City. I don’t know what it’s like there, so it’s best if I check it out first.”
A’Yu waved her hand, and the jingling bell at her waist chimed. “No worries, I’ll go with you.”
Seeing her determination, Wen Shi didn’t say more. He went to the study and cautiously broached the subject.
“Mr. Demon, I might need to take you with me to the Golden City.”
Wen Shi didn’t offer any offerings or burn incense. If the demon didn’t respond, he would take it as consent.
Because the quest’s difficulty might exceed his expectations, Wen Shi adjusted his plan on the spot, preparing to bring the shrine with him. But he couldn’t keep it with him at all times, so when he arrived in the Golden City, he would find a secluded place to store it.
The statue inside the shrine, quietly waiting, seemed to have a dark aura swirling around its surface.Surprisingly, it responded to Wen Shi.
“Try not to let other major demons notice me,” it only made this one request.
The demon seemed busy, needing to handle errands. After speaking, the dark aura on the statue’s surface vanished in three seconds.
Wen Shi forced a smile.
So, you also know you’re a wanted demon?
One day later, it would be the weekend.
Early in the morning, Floral Shirt Guy came to the villa to meet Wen Shi, accompanied by a stylish companion. Upon spotting them, Wen Shi cast a dismissive glance.
Master Lin was quite skilled in business. With his demise, the Lin family would soon decline.
Today, Floral Shirt Guy was driving an extended luxury car, spacious enough for seven or eight people.
A’Yu and the elderly woman had a certain similarity, both naturally unassuming. After getting into the car, she didn’t purposely sit in the back but still managed to blend in.
While Wen Shi was figuring out how to secure the shrine with a seatbelt, Floral Shirt Guy suddenly focused on the rearview mirror and curiously asked, “It seems like your big brother’s car behind us. What’s he doing here?”
Wen Shi casually replied, “I don’t know.”
Inside, he knew that his big brother was trying to follow them, hoping to catch the beginning of the next story.
“Being too clever for his own good,” Xiao Hua shook her head.
They needed to trigger a new story, which required both successfully completing the the aristocratic family chapter, and secondly by touching the paper currency. Both were necessary.
Initially, Wen Shi had the navigation on, wanting to study the route. But once they left the highway, the car suddenly vanished from the navigation map.
The weather forecast had predicted a sunny day, but in reality, the sky was gloomy. After some time, it was hard to tell if they were driving through a desert or a barren wasteland. The temperature was soaring, and the brightness of the sky remained constant.
Nearly three hours had passed, and Wen Shi’s body started feeling numb. The luxury car abruptly slammed on the brakes. Wen Shi grabbed the armrest and used his other hand to secure the shrine in time.
“We’re here.” Floral Shirt Guy’s tone lost some of its usual smoothness, as if he had apprehensions about the place they were about to visit.
His fashionable friend also dropped the air of superiority, adopting a more submissive demeanor.
Wen Shi glanced at his electronic watch. He hadn’t done anything yet but the number of viewers had risen to eight hundred, with a continued upward trend. This indicated that “The Golden City” had its own built-in popularity.
All around them was a desert, and the city standing in the central area appeared surreal. It was surrounded by a grand city wall, with the city gate made of gold and the words “Golden City” in bold black in the middle.
The gloomy sky dampened the city’s expected splendor.
The air felt stuffy. Wen Shi had a sensation of struggling to breathe as he followed Floral Shirt Guy forward.
Before entering the city, they had to register, as foreign cars couldn’t drive directly into the city.
The person in charge of registration was covered in black fabric from head to toe, with a hoarse voice that could rival the ghostly children in the orphanage. Only his gender was distinguishable as male.
Carrying the shrine was cumbersome, so Wen Shi directly took the statue out.
“What’s your purpose in entering the city?”
Wen Shi: “Work.”
The person in charge glanced at him, and Wen Shi took out the paper currency from the box. He also pulled Xiao Hua closer. “We’re together. Someone introduced us here for work.”
It really was the damn game acting as the middleman, forcing them to come to the Golden City.
The person in charge inspected the paper currency, then stamped Wen Shi and Xiao Hua on their arms. His gaze then landed on A’Yu. His eyes seemed like electronic scanners, able to discern the strength of a person. Upon seeing A’Yu, he nodded slightly without asking many questions.
The group entered the city smoothly.
When Wen Shi casually mentioned “working,” it stunned Floral Shirt Guy. It wasn’t until they entered the city that he dared to exclaim, “Brother, are you kidding me?”
Wen Shi replied with four words, “Life forced me to.”
Just as they passed through the city gate, a terrified voice came from behind, “I-I’m not here to cause trouble. I’ll leave right now!”
It was the player who had been following them. He was intercepted by the patrolling guards outside the city, both of his arms held firm. It was clear that something had gone wrong.
After scanning the player’s electronic credentials, the person in charge coldly stated, “Insufficient wealth, pending lawsuits, not qualified for entry. Average abilities without certification, not eligible for employment.”
Once he made the judgment, the player was dragged away by the two behind them. His attacking items seemed to be like defunct magic, no matter how much the player screamed and struggled, it had no effect. In the end, no one knew where the player was taken.
Wen Shi turned to watch this scene, witnessing Golden City’s domineering and ruthless nature.
Soon, he couldn’t afford to care about the player’s fate and began to assess the new map they were about to enter.
Two words could highly summarize the Golden City: technology and violence.
Throughout the city, advanced high-tech products were everywhere. The buildings remained tall, and despite the desert environment, not a single area was left blank or wasted. Electronic screens and advertisements covered every corner, with the projection coverage even more extensive than the virtual world.
The projections displayed outstanding individuals from various fields. In simple words, they were like electronic business cards. The Golden City highly valued strength and respected talent. As long as one had skills, the city’s management would advertise top talents in the industry for free.
“The evaluation system is similar to the game.” Wen Shi squinted.
For example, on the left side, there was a projection business card for a lawyer at the top of a skyscraper.
【Zhou Bu’an: S-tier Lawyer
Resume: Ranked second-best lawyer in the Golden City, won a lawsuit for UHY last year…】
There were no detailed life experiences. The resume only highlighted the most famous cases.
At that moment, the game’s notification sound chimed.
“Players, please quickly select a profession and proceed to the Talent Tower for level evaluation.”
“Note, you only have one chance for initial job qualification certification, so choose your profession carefully.”
Suddenly, A’Yu stopped in his tracks and looked towards a side building. It seemed like someone had been watching them earlier, but most of the windows in that building were half-open, making it impossible to identify the source of the surveillance.
Inside the building, a player shifted position, leaning against the curtains. “President, Pei Wenwei has arrived. If everything goes as planned, he’ll probably go for the job qualification certification first.”
After the other end answered, the player smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ve arranged everything. Once he certifies as a【Doctor】, he’s as good as done.”
The person communicating with this player was currently sitting in the middle of a casino, playing cards with another player.
In the middle was Li Nan. He was currently working as a dealer in the casino.
The president of Wangcai Bank rubbed his forehead. “I must say, Guild Leader Li, can you not portray the humility of the laborers in such a typical manner?”
Even if other high-level players were working, they would still exude an air of distinctiveness. However, when it came to Li Nan, he bent when he should, greeted guests when he needed to, without any airs.
Li Nan just smiled and nodded, then continued to perform his job with precision.
The bank president looked at the newly dealt cards and suddenly said, “Pei Wenwei has arrived. Want to make a guess? After his certification, will he be able to get any business?”
Li Nan continued dealing cards as he spoke, “It might be tough with you meddling. But the Golden City will advertise for industry leaders, and then you won’t be able to stop him.”
The bank president laughed heartily. “The code may increase the initial assessment level, but it’s impossible to classify him as a top talent.”
Pei Wenwei, someone with no medical knowledge at all, might get a C or D rating from the Talent Tower because of his identity, but a higher rating was out of the question.
“Oh.” Li Nan didn’t argue with him.
After tossing a card, the bank president asked, “Wanna bet?”
Li Nan thought for a moment, “Five thousand points.”
People of their stature only needed verbal agreements. The bank president nodded, “Alright, let’s bet on the qualification level he’ll finally certify.”
……
While the big shots played cards, Wen Shi was still on his way to the Talent Tower.
If he knew these people were making a bet of five thousand points, he’d probably curse the wicked capitalists. Floral Shirt Guy and Fashionable Friend didn’t intend to work and were quite apprehensive about the Talent Tower, so they didn’t come along.
The Talent Tower was the largest building in the entire Golden City.
Inside, there were a total of 108 floors, housing the world’s strictest and most meticulous assessment machines. They could read all the work experiences of individuals and prevent any false claims. The Talent Tower could certify nearly two thousand professions. Day in and day out, countless people came for assessments.
If someone’s rating happened to fall at the bottom of the Golden City’s industry, they would be executed on the grounds of wasting the assessors’ time and machine resources. The city re-ranked everyone at midnight, and if a resident’s position was taken by newcomers and they fell to the last place, they would meet the same fate.
So, practically every day, there were fresh entrants from various fields here, and at midnight, the entire city experienced a complete reshuffle.
Of course, for some niche professions and special cases, there was a specific “Code” that recorded precise strategies.
The Golden City collected taxes once a month. Professions may be niche, but the income must be legitimate. Failing to meet the average threshold would ultimately lead to one’s downfall.
The lobby was attended to by smart robots.
“May I ask, what profession do you need certification for?”
Wen Shi said with a smile, “Bodyguard.”
“Pfft…” The lobby was quite comfortable, with free desserts and beverages available. Xiao Hua, who had just opened a bottle of juice behind him, burst into laughter.
Wen Shi himself stood confidently in front of the smart robot.
With his skill【One Strike Flattens All】, plus his outstanding track record of saving lives, even an S rating might not be enough to evaluate his abilities.
A’Yu tugged at Wen Shi’s clothes from behind and gave him a once-over. “My son, can you handle this?”
Wen Shi nodded. “Starting at S-level, no upper limit.”
Xiao Hua looked conflicted but said, “That’s right, he really can.”
Xiao Hua had been with Wen Shi in the Sunset Town instance. She had seen his miraculous healing skills, like saving human swine players by turning them into wormkins. In short, as long as there was a breath left, he could bring someone back to life!
“Let’s go.” Wen Shi followed the smart robot.
When the elevator doors opened at the thirty-fourth floor, a group of burly men stood ahead, creating a highly tense atmosphere.
The young man inside the car was quite the opposite, with a slender waist and long legs, skin as clean as a porcelain doll. Compared to the burly men, he looked like a little lamb among wild beasts.
But he held his head high and walked confidently toward the certification machine with pride on his face.
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