Chapter 149 The Horror Club
The job description contained more specific information, and judging by the tone, it seemed to be sent by a secretary or a similar type of worker:
“Over the past two weeks, the City Lord has received thirteen death threats and encountered three assassination attempts. Since his schedule for tomorrow is packed, a capable bodyguard is required to prevent any assassination or kidnapping.”
“Being a 3S-level bodyguard, we believed you had the skills to protect the City Lord. If possible, you’re asked to contact us promptly.”
A’Yu leaned in for a closer look and, after a brief scan of the contents, said, “Those who dared to assassinate the City Lord are typically ruthless individuals.”
Wen Shi reluctantly tugged at the corner of his mouth. He knew this simple truth, of course.
However, after searching through his phone, there were no other job with a reward surpassing ten million, except for this one. A’Yu could sense something from Wen Shi’s expression and asked, “Do you really want to give it a try?”
Wen Shi tried to regain his composure. “I always enjoyed challenging myself the most.”
On the surface, this seemed like a task one could freely accept or decline. However, in the Golden City, refusing the City Lord outright would definitely leave potential risks. Firstly, his skills would come into question by the other party.
Moreover, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing as Wen Shi’s gaze met Bank President’s mid-air.
Ji Yuanzhi had mentioned that the people from Wangcai Bank were all overweight. Since its president was now in the Golden City, it was clear who was sitting in front of him.
“A good deal,” Bank President smiled at him.
After a brief shock, Bank President soon realized the high difficulty of this assignment. Even without his intervention, this person might still get killed by the game.
Knowing he had no other choice, Wen Shi didn’t waste time hesitating and directly accepted the job. Almost as soon as he confirmed his choice, the system’s notification sound rang out:
“Player 460872 chooses to protect the City Lord.”
“Please note that you are now involved in a conspiracy within the Golden City, and the current instance difficulty has been adjusted to S.”
S, though late, arrived.
“……” So, in the same instance, each person could have a different difficulty level. Quite an eye-opener.
Click. Click. Click.
The red high heels approached the lounge area, like a sharp claw tearing apart the facade of harmony among the people.
Xiao Hua casually sat down, and when she saw Bank President, she raised her eyebrows, “Look at you with that pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, thinking of who to annoy again?”
The adjective “overweight” and her description had nothing in common. He didn’t take it too seriously when his face was openly challenged and asked with a smiling expression instead, “Xiao Hua, what profession did you certify in?”
“Bodyguard.” Xiao Hua didn’t care about the profession itself. On her way here, she received the main quest and wanted to earn two billion. It was impossible to achieve that through legitimate employment.
After Wen Shi left, she looked around the building but couldn’t find any other suitable professions. In the end, she decided to choose the same one, so they could team up for quests.
Xiao Hua had protected guild members in instances many times before, so her experience was rich. She was certified with an A qualification.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi immediately said, “I just accepted a job, one billion. Want me to help you get started?”
A formidable master wouldn’t need just one bodyguard.
Xiao Hua casually crossed her legs and said, “Sure.”
While Wen Shi sent a message, Xiao Hua sipped the ordinary drink provided by the casino. “Who’s this generous? Dropping a billion like it’s nothing.”
Bank President: “The City Lord.”
Today was the second time Xiao Hua sprayed water out of her mouth.
Wen Shi didn’t have to wait long for a reply. “They’ve already agreed over there.”
Xiao Hua received the notification that her mission had been upgraded to S.
Her expression was somewhat complicated, thinking that Pei Wenwei might be more suitable to team up with Ji Yuanzhi. She wasn’t sure if she could handle it herself. But looking on the bright side, maybe they could clear this instance sooner.
Li Nan: “Remember to keep an eye on the other players in the city.”
Deceiving or robbing others was always a fast way to make money.
Wen Shi had been called to Golden Plum Casino mainly to let him meet the president of Wangcai Bank, raise some awareness, and have a discussion about their respective situations. Necessary cooperation could be established. With their objectives achieved, only one question remained. Li Nan looked at the figurine Wen Shi carried with him and asked, “Isn’t this thing usually placed on a shrine?”
Wen Shi briefly explained the origin of the figurine, “I have it to summon demons if needed.”
As soon as he said this, Li Nan’s expression remained composed, but Bank President couldn’t hide his surprise once again.
Anyone with a bit of common sense would know the consequences of dealing with demons. Such dirty business was usually avoided by everyone. Finally, he put away his condescending attitude and seriously examined the young man in front of him.
Clear pupils filled with abundant vitality, calm and composed demeanor, as if nothing could trouble him.
If the monsters on the other side of the screen knew his thoughts, they would surely scoff at him.
Wen Shi’s fear and anger bars increased slightly, far from the calm exterior he showed.
Every time he took a job, he could receive a ten percent deposit in advance. Wen Shi booked two high-end suites above Golden Plum Casino, one for himself and one for A’Yu.
The game only said to earn two billion, it didn’t say not to spend it. No need to skimp on himself.
“I’m going to rest, see you later.” Wen Shi got up and went back to his room, trying to recharge his energy for tomorrow’s bodyguard duty.
The hotel had excellent soundproofing, so when Wen Shi returned to his room, he flopped onto the soft golden silk bedspread and muttered to himself, “How do I get another billion?”
He didn’t think the game would allow him to reach the final amount solely through bodyguard missions.
He casually tossed the figurine onto the bedspread, and a blurry dark mist emerged from above. Surprisingly, the demon appeared at this moment.
“Register another assassin identity, covert professions don’t have to be publicly displayed,” the demon advised him, “You should have professional ethics, closely study the employer’s habits during the contract period to protect them well. After the protection period ends, you can take on the contract to assassinate them. With your deep knowledge of their routines, the success rate is extremely high. So, remember to charge double when taking assassin contracts.”
The demon began its murmuring, “As long as the assassin does well, more and more people will hire bodyguards. The two professions will drive each other’s prices up. How could you not become wealthy?”
Charging a premium involved implementing high-quality services to achieve excellence.
【Patient 109: I’m sick of this. Can someone tell me which type of demon we need to avoid?】
【Patient 233: @Frank Hospital’s Cotard Syndrome patient, come see this demon!】
Even though they made a bet and shouldn’t be giving traffic to story characters, it was unbearable. It was just too bizarre. What kind of useless chicken demon was this?!
【Scissor Granny: This old lady only cares about why this demon is giving hints voluntarily?】
The comments were coming in quickly.
Wen Shi also shared this suspicion. Ignoring the inhumane suggestion, he felt uneasy about the demon giving him ideas for free.
“Why suddenly decide to offer me advice?”
The figurine slowly rose from the bed, in the dimly lit room with closed curtains, it looked eerie and terrifying.
The demon, using black mist as its vessel, approached the perfect ears and whispered, “When you walked into the villa on your first day, I could sense it–we are of the same kind.”
“……” Don’t easily share your descent into darkness, okay?
The chilling air, about to enter his ear canal, made Wen Shi move a couple of inches to the side.
The increased distance brought him face to face with those eyes, now more vivid. In less than a day in the Golden City, it seemed the demon had taken quite a few contracts. The figurine’s eyes were lifelike, and an indescribable sense of familiarity washed over Wen Shi once again.
Narrow, sharp, and gloomy.
Wen Shi had a terrifying suspicion. It really resembled that phoenix eye in the sky.
Keeping this thought to himself, Wen Shi changed his mind about casually tossing the figurine. He initiated a conversation, “Mr. Demon, how long have you been wandering in this world?”
“A long time.” The demon treated his question with a bit more importance, carefully recalling and then saying, “Been taking contracts for a while, been working continuously…”
As for the reason for working so hard, that had long been forgotten.
A sense of oppression suddenly filled the room, and the black mist flickered. “Business has come.”
The mist dispersed, and the figurine lifelessly fell back onto the bed.
Wen Shi still couldn’t figure out where all these contracts were coming from.
After eating the steak brought by the waiter, Wen Shi spent most of the day idly lying around.
At five in the afternoon, the employer sent a message, informing him to wait outside Golden Plum Casino at eight o’clock sharp the next morning.
The City Lord wanted to effortlessly determine a person’s current whereabouts.
“Three assassination attempts.” Wen Shi thought about the quest details and suddenly sat up in bed. One assassination might be understandable, but three in half a month clearly didn’t make sense.
The Golden City appeared to have a typical wolfish culture, but in reality, the people here had been tamed to some extent. They didn’t dare to violate the city’s rules. Assassinating the absolute authority didn’t seem like something an insider would do.
Wen Shi had to consider the worst-case scenario: the entity wanting to kill the City Lord might not be human.
The next day was still overcast, but hot.
Wen Shi first greeted A’Yu and explained that during work, she couldn’t accompany him all the time, as it might arouse suspicion from the City Lord.
In this place, any profession needed retrievable past records. A’Yu only had a history of killing, which couldn’t be certified as a bodyguard to participate in the protection plan. She understood this well and handed Wen Shi a small bell. “If you need help, just ring it and shout ‘mom’ loudly.”
Wen Shi put away the bell, feeling a bit more confident. With a contract worth one billion, there was no doubt that his entire day would be filled with excitement and danger.
Approaching eight o’clock, he hurried downstairs.
Three modified cars were parked outside Golden Plum Casino, all with bulletproof glass. A black-clad man stood by the cars, roughly two times Wen Shi’s size.
Just a minute before eight, Xiao Hua also appeared at the entrance. She was dressed casually today, with her hair neatly tied up.
With everyone present, the black-clad man led them to sit in the middle of the modified car.
The car door automatically closed, but the City Lord wasn’t in this car.
The black-clad man retrieved two silver guns from a box and handed one to each of them.
Wen Shi hadn’t received formal firearm training, but he had learned a bit from playing dangerously with his foster father in the past.
The black-clad man handed them two forms, each detailing the City Lord’s schedule for the day.
【9:00-11:00: Visit the upcoming Thrill Tower Amusement Park.
12:00-13:30: Go to the Celebrity Museum for a live wax figure customization.
14:55-16:25: Attend a movie premiere at the cinema.】
“These are the main events,” Black-Clad Man stated coldly. “The rest of the time, the City Lord will arrange as needed. He can be assertive in his daily activities, but as long as you fulfill your duties, he won’t cause trouble.”
After reading the schedule, Wen Shi felt that each of these activities was riskier than the last.
Cutting to the chase, Xiao Hua asked, “Why go to a place that hasn’t even opened yet?”
Especially for a two-hour visit.
On this matter, Black-Clad Man provided a detailed explanation, “That area often has strange occurrences, but the land can’t go to waste. Last year, a developer finally agreed to take over. The City Lord promised them a pre-opening visit to experience the amusement rides for promotional footage, to attract tourists.”
He mentioned a few strange rumors, like people often seeing ghostly lights at midnight and occasional group suicides happening there.
Time flew by as Black-Clad Man spoke, and the three modified cars stopped in succession. Wen Shi was one of the first to get out of the car.
He looked up at the rumored haunted place.
The amusement park was quite extensive, offering a variety of attractions. Because of the City Lord’s visit, all the rides were operating normally today. However, the eerie atmosphere, combined with the cheerful music inside, created a strong sense of dissonance.
Besides Black-Clad Man, there were a total of nine bodyguards who got out of the three cars—six men and three women, not wearing matching uniforms.
The last to exit was the City Lord. He was masked and caped, completely covered from head to toe, with only a sickly pale face peeking out.
Open areas were more secure than densely crowded central areas. Bodyguards surrounded him, forming an impregnable human wall as they escorted the City Lord into the amusement park.
The park had arranged a female attendant and several staff members responsible for recording.
The attendant first bowed to the City Lord, sincerely thanking him for coming, and then began introducing the park’s attractions.
As they walked and talked, they eventually reached the bottom of a roller coaster track. The attendant, with her untied black hair fluttering in the wind, looked up at the twisting loops above and proudly said, “…This is one of the park’s flagship attractions, the Yunxiao Flying Coaster.”
Roller coasters were almost always the most eye-catching advertisement signs in amusement parks, and it was no different here, with a spiraling section in the middle of the track.
“Would you like to give it a try?” the attendant asked.
The City Lord nodded.
Naturally, they wanted unique attractions for promotional footage.
Wen Shi was about to argue that machinery wasn’t always 100% safe, but then he remembered Black-Clad Man mentioning the City Lord’s assertive style. He swallowed his words.
He silently walked to the nearby signpost to read the safety instructions.
Unlike normal warnings with multiple points, there was only a cartoon picture of a comical dinosaur holding a horn, with “Be careful not to get ‘creatively’ killed!” written boldly beside it.
Wen Shi mentally translated it as a warning that there might be obstacles, so they should try to keep their eyes open throughout the ride.
The City Lord instructed Black-Clad Man to stay while telling the other bodyguards, “You’ll all ride together. More people will make for better footage.”
Wen Shi finally understood why they weren’t forced to wear uniforms. Essentially, they were all extras.
Xiao Hua: “Let’s sit in the same row.”
Wen Shi nodded. In a situation with no specific rules, having a reliable teammate was crucial.
The City Lord wasted no time and sat in the front row, with his two close bodyguards who were always by his side in the second row.
Wen Shi chose a seat in the fifth row, and the other bodyguards found their own seats.
Before they could even fasten their seatbelts, the female attendant below didn’t say a word but pressed the start button, and the roller coaster slowly began to move forward.
Wen Shi furrowed his brow, quickly checked for any unknown objects around, and activated his【Burial Shroud】. As the roller coaster laboriously ascended, the track made creaking sounds, giving them a constant feeling that it might derail at any moment.
Both he and Xiao Hua were on high alert.
“There must be other rules,” Xiao Hua said as she took out a pair of goggles and carefully scanned every corner.
Before the roller coaster officially entered its plunging state, the two of them made the most of the remaining time to look around.
The front of the car had reached the highest point, pausing for two or three seconds. Suddenly, cold liquid dripped onto Wen Shi’s face. He instinctively wiped it away, only to find sticky blood on his fingertips. He raised his head and saw the body of the bodyguard sitting in the second row split directly. Then, as if being subjected to some special force, it fell precisely towards him.
Wen Shi: “!”
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