Chapter 31 Big Factory
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The faint light on the wall shone onto the big characters in Workshop Three.
The Big Factory had three workshops. Workshop One handled raw materials, Workshop Two was for processing, and Workshop Three dealt with shipping.
The uneasiness upon entering the factory lessened. Wen Shi and Ji Yuanzhi talked without trying to lower their voices. His answer reassured the dishonest players.
Only those involved didn’t know what they were foolishly laughing about, despite their Soul Purity ranking second only to their health points, which were full.
Wen Shi thought: Scoring a perfect 100 seems to limit my progress.
Walking past large machines, a few workers from the Big Factory pushed carts full of crates. One person led the way, and two others held electric batons to guard behind. When they saw Overseer Zhao, all three stopped and said hello.
Overseer Zhao didn’t really look at them. His eyes stayed fixed on the crates, like a hungry person seeing freshly cooked meat, making his mouth water.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to smell what was inside the crates. After a moment, he caught his breath and said, “This batch of Beautiful Soul Elixir is quite pure. Don’t steal any while guarding it, okay?”
The three employees all assured together, “We will definitely follow the rules of the factory.”
Only then did Overseer Zhao nod in satisfaction.
Wen Shi quickly scanned the crates. There was only one line of text on them: “Beautiful Soul Elixir Improved Version.”
When the topic of Beautiful Soul Elixir came up, Overseer Zhao had endless things to say: “The factory offers three types of Beautiful Soul Elixir to the public–the original version, the improved version, and the enhanced version.” As he spoke of the last one, he unconsciously swallowed, “The main feature of the enhanced version is its edibility, with better absorption effects.”
As they walked deeper, the smell grew stronger. The players couldn’t cover their noses or make any gestures, fearing they might violate the rules, so they had to hold their breath. Just as everyone was about to lower their heads due to the unbearable smell, they finally reached a room.
“Go in.”
The dim and narrow room had poor air circulation.
The interviewer was extremely thin, with veins protruding all over his body, as if someone had drained his blood. He sat arrogantly in the middle of the empty space. Upon seeing only a dozen people, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
Overseer Zhao hurriedly walked over and said a few words, “The driver got contaminated, so only these people are left.”
The interviewer had an impatient expression. “Fine, get on with the interview, and go fetch the items.”
While Overseer Zhao went out to fetch something, the interviewer half-closed his eyes. The players didn’t speak either, and the room fell into complete silence. After a moment, Overseer Zhao brought in a box. When opened, it held exactly fourteen vials. Then, from his pocket, he took out a bunch of needles. A sense of unease crept over the players.
Without warning, Overseer Zhao turned around and pressed the power button. Unlike the dim daylight lamps earlier, this light was too bright, shining directly onto a table in front. The interviewer’s sharp lips moved, his tone piercing, “Line up, those whose names I call will come up shortly.”
Taking the booklet handed respectfully by Overseer Zhao, the interviewer called out the first name, “Wang Li.”
He read the character’s name naturally.
A sturdy player walked up on stage, the same one who had urged everyone to leave the tunnel earlier, inadvertently causing the death of another player with fluorescent powder.
The interviewer directly announced the grading criteria, “This interview consists of three questions. The first question is worth fifty points, and the other two questions are worth twenty points each. Ten points for mental attitude.”
There weren’t too many questions. Wen Shi heard Zhou Xiaochun breathe a sigh of relief beside him, “It’s a good thing this is answering questions, not taking an exam.”
“……” What have you experienced?
Zhou Xiaochun had already revealed the answer, “There used to be an instance with a written exam. It even had calculus and physics questions.”
Wen Shi struggled to find a suitable expression, “And then?”
Zhou Xiaochun glanced at Ji Yuanzhi, “Fortunately, the examiner is a monster, and your Dad took care of it.”
Ji Yuanzhi seemed to hear their conversation about “Dad” and glanced over, causing Zhou Xiaochun to immediately fall silent.
The interviewer began by asking the first question, “Are you a good person?”
The player gave a vague answer, “I sometimes take a small advantage, so I might not fit the traditional definition of a good person.”
“Thirty points,” the interviewer announced the score and then swiftly proceeded to the second question, “What bad things have you done?”
“I can’t remember all of them,” the player said with a simple smile. After hesitating for a moment, he didn’t dare to tell a big lie for this question and randomly picked a less significant memory, “I betrayed a friend once.”
“Zero points,” the expressionless interviewer asked the next question, “What good things have you done?”
Hearing the zero points, the player’s face turned sour. He strained his memory to recall any good deeds, and finally managed to speak something he had actually done in reality, “I, I donated my steps for charity.”
“Five points.”
Realizing the process seemed to lack verification, the player hurriedly added, making up, “I donated money.”
“Ten points.”
The player didn’t dare to make up too much, mentioned one more thing, and once he was sure he had reached around sixty points, he stopped talking.
Just as he was preparing to step down, Overseer Zhao suddenly appeared in front of him, a needle in his hand emitting a chilling gleam, “Roll up your sleeve, extend your hand.”
Beads of sweat formed on the player’s forehead, his intuition telling him this wasn’t something good.
Overseer Zhao repeated with an irrefutable tone, “Extend your hand.”
In a matter of mere seconds, the player was already sweating profusely, “This is…”
“If you don’t cooperate further, it will be considered voluntary withdrawal from the interview.”
Not daring to firmly refuse, the player could only grit his teeth and do as instructed.
Overseer Zhao’s needle technique was rough, almost pushing the needle directly into the vein. The player, ignoring the slight prick, watched as an unfamiliar liquid was injected into his body. As the initial extreme nervousness faded, his mood strangely calmed. While his gaze grew distant, it was surprisingly serene. Overseer Zhao brought a stool, and the player sat on it, dazed.
On the table, a dazzling bright light shone upon the player’s head. Seated alone on the elevated platform, he didn’t resemble someone here for an interview, but rather a prisoner undergoing interrogation.
Glancing at the time, the interviewer opened his mouth again, asking the first question, “Are you a good person?”
“No.” There was no ambiguity in the player’s response.
The interviewer reset the score for his first question to zero, “What bad things have you done?”
“Caused a teammate’s death, harmed a few others, molested a neighbor’s intellectually challenged child…” The player’s mind was already muddled, mixing together the bad deeds from reality and those in the instances.
Other players were too preoccupied to derive any amusement. Not to mention their struggles within the instance, before being pulled into it, they were simply leading ordinary lives. To even recall a handful of good deeds was a struggle.
Someone whispered, “I not only donated steps but also eggs, can that count as two good deeds?”
“……”
This self-deprecating joke failed to ease the tense atmosphere. As things stood, even a minor good deed, if worth five points and with enough mental attitude points, as long as ten good deeds were cited, one could pass.
As expected, the first player was determined as having an unsuccessful interview.
The interviewer asked, “You have two options: leave Big Factory and wait outside for a bus, or stay inside the factory. Which one would you choose?”
The player appeared dazed, “Stay.”
It was a subconscious response. Deep down, he remembered Overseer Zhao’s words–staying outside would make one susceptible to monster attacks.
An odd smile crept onto the arrogant face of the interviewer as he glanced at Overseer Zhao, “Take this person to the cafeteria for assistance.”
The cafeteria.
The crowd recalled the chunks of meat in the chef’s bucket. Upon seeing the eerie smile on the interviewer’s face, they felt a sudden urge to vomit.
“Wu Shu,” the interviewer immediately called out the second name.
This name corresponded to the player Tu Bianxi.
He walked up to the stage calmly, showing no signs of nervousness.
The same three questions were posed, and Tu Bianxi answered them fluently.
“A good person. The worst thing I’ve done is spreading rumors. It seems I’ve saved a drowning child and make regular monthly donations…”
Clearly, he was just spouting nonsense.
Overseer Zhao, upon his return from sending the player to the cafeteria, administered an injection. Tu Bianxi’s muscles immediately relaxed, his eyelids drooping, yet his previous words remained unchanged.
Wen Shi exclaimed with admiration, amazed that someone could bluff so convincingly, “Could this be the legendary brainwashing technique?”
“He transferred a part of his consciousness to the puppet doll.” Ji Yuanzhi’s eyes glinted, seeing through the ruse.
The puppet doll’s previously clouded eyes now glimmered with an eerie shade of intelligence.
Indeed, Tu Bianxi had done just that, everything went smoothly until a buzzing sound suddenly echoed in his ears. At first, he thought it was a mosquito, but the noise grew stronger and stronger.
“Warning, your Soul Purity is decreasing.”
The puppet doll’s eyes shifted uneasily, recognizing that lying about good deeds would directly lead to a decrease in Soul Purity, with each lie causing a drop by a certain value.
Tu Bianxi didn’t dare to make up more falsehoods. The first question had taken up most of his effort, passing should be achievable.
The final result was barely satisfactory. Coupled with the mental attitude, the interviewer awarded him a total of sixty-seven points.
“Lin Fei.”
Ji Yuanzhi said, “It’s my turn.”
He walked with even greater composure than Tu Bianxi, only slowing down when passing the interviewer.
The interviewer frowned, about to urge him on, but Ji Yuanzhi spoke, “I am honored to be interviewed by you. To express my gratitude, I’d like to use my first month’s salary after joining to buy you a bottle of Beautiful Soul Elixir.”
The interviewer’s expression wavered, “Are you trying to bribe me?”
Ji Yuanzhi calmly explained, “In my family tradition, the first salary after joining a new job is used to buy a gift for respected elders.”
The interviewer was pleased with this flattery and, of course, even more pleased with Ji Yuanzhi’s slick response.
Next, Ji Yuanzhi only answered the questions on stage once.
Wen Shi sighed, “Whales really are different.”
This Golden Daddy is impressive.
Ji Yuanzhi’s strategy unquestionably instilled hope in the next player, who adopted the same method.
The interviewer tapped the armrest of the chair twice, the player’s expression stiffening as they understood the hint, promptly increasing the quantity of Beautiful Soul Elixir from one bottle to two.
A game notification sound appeared:
“Attention, you owe the interviewer two bottles of Beautiful Soul Elixir, please repay by the end of the month.”
Initially, Wen Shi thought the further along the interview, the more exorbitant the interviewer’s demands would become. However, upon seeing the twin sisters, Big Sis and Lil Sis, taking the stage one after the other, the interviewer requested only one bottle of Beautiful Soul Elixir from each of them. Curiously, the male player before them was asked for two bottles.
Wen Shi pondered, “It seems Soul Purity is also related. Those with higher values seem to pay relatively less.”
“Aaron.”
Finally, it was Wen Shi’s turn.
The previous player had been extorted for three bottles of Beautiful Soul Elixir before even entering the factory. As he passed by Wen Shi, his spirits lifted a bit. Seeing someone about to face a fate worse than his, he suddenly felt that three bottles didn’t seem so insurmountable.
Almost under the gaze of everyone, Wen Shi moved forward. His footsteps didn’t falter as he passed the interviewer, who was waiting for his flattery. The interviewer’s gaze turned icy in an instant.
Wen Shi went straight to Overseer Zhao, voluntarily rolling up his sleeve to reveal a fair portion of his wrist, “Give me a shot.”
This new guy clearly lacked tact. Just the thought that he had offended the interviewer, and Overseer Zhao didn’t even bother putting on a pleasant expression, “Follow the procedure, you go first.”
Wen Shi earnestly said, “Trust me, a direct shot is for your own good.”
“Give him the shot.” The interviewer retorted without much patience, promptly awarding the new guy zero points for his mental attitude.
Unfazed, Wen Shi watched as the needle moved forward. He remembered the scene of himself administering shots to the castle master. Despite knowing it wasn’t a pleasant experience, he had to let the liquid flow into his body. The sensation of being subtly controlled was far from pleasant. Later, the castle master’s worldview collapsed so drastically and rapidly, likely because of realizing this aspect of being dominated.
It seemed the stronger the boss, the stronger their awakened consciousness.
Subsequent questions became difficult for Wen Shi to ponder. He felt like he was adrift amidst the clouds, his breathing becoming mildly labored. His consciousness fluctuated, entering a weird state of standby mode.
“Are you a good person?”
“I don’t know.”
“What good deeds have you done?”
Wen Shi fell silent for a moment. Just as the interviewer was about to smirk and give him a zero score, he spoke slowly:
“I’ve assisted the police in dismantling criminal dens on three occasions, volunteered at a welfare home regularly each month, and despite financial constraints, I allocate a fixed amount for donations. During my college days, I prevented my roommate from falling into online traps three times, earning the Citizen’s Bravery Award thirteen times in the first semester. In reality, I’ve acted bravely seventy-two times, and each week I dedicate a day to correcting uncivilized behavior like line-cutting and smoking in public places…”
Tilting his face slightly upward, Wen Shi’s head was bathed in intense light. He stood surrounded by radiance, his face emitting a gentle glow.
Do good deeds daily.
Over the past nearly three years since making that promise, Wen Shi earnestly followed this principle. He only took breaks on Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. Last year, due to the occurrence of a leap year, he even did an extra good deed.
Upon entering the instance, his adherence to this principle relaxed a bit, though Wen Shi would still do good whenever possible. Complimenting the soon-to-die blood bride and sending out anonymous tips were positive examples.
The audience below stared wide-eyed, some pinching themselves, wondering if they had inadvertently entered a dreamland. Otherwise, such an outrageous scene wouldn’t be possible.
However, twenty minutes passed and Wen Shi was still enthusiastically recounting his past acts of kindness.
Players went from disbelief at the beginning to having only one thought: Is he ever going to finish?
Overseer Zhao’s legs were getting numb from standing. He finally understood the meaning behind Wen Shi’s “it’s for your own good.” If they split the questions in two, it would be dusk by the time he finished answering.
Injected with a substance similar to truth serum, Wen Shi continued tirelessly recounting his acts of goodness: “I once went undercover to gather evidence within a pyramid scheme organization. Oh, that was a memorable experience. It turns out that organization was involved in transnational illegal trafficking…”
The expression on Tu Bianxi’s face was hard to describe. Finally unable to bear it, he turned to Ji Yuanzhi and asked, “How old is he?”
Ji Yuanzhi unusually responded, “Looks like he’s just in his early twenties.”
Tu Bianxi frowned so deeply he could crush a fly. He seriously suspected that Pei Wenwei had undergone some form of self-indoctrination. Even so, lies were still lies. The other party’s Soul Purity should have decreased just like his own.
The effects of the truth serum were also limited. After forty minutes, Wen Shi’s voice became hoarse as he spoke, and his dilated pupils gradually regained their brilliance.
In the audience, the interviewer completely changed his previous bias and rushed up excitedly. The few faint muscles on his face twitched incessantly as he tightly grasped Wen Shi’s hand. “…This is fantastic! You’re the one I’ve been looking for, the ambassador for Beautiful Soul! Hurry, come with me to meet the factory manager!”
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