Chapter 90.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
This newly opened clinic was undoubtedly tied to the black market industry chain involving the tour guide. The core of it likely lay with the longstanding cosmetic surgery clinic in Sunset Town.
“Aren’t you coming in with me?” After transforming into a worm-like form, the newbie’s courage had significantly diminished.
Wen Shi emphasized calmly, “I’m human.”
A living human entering a cosmetic surgery clinic would raise suspicions and might even attract the attention of organ traffickers.
The newbie took a deep breath and eventually stashed away his phone before hesitantly entering.
Wen Shi found a nearby cafe, ordered their signature cake, and then handed the stamp card to the teenager. “Go get the stamp.”
He remained seated, watching the hospital across the street through the glass window, directing the newbie’s actions. “Don’t show fear. If there’s a problem, we’ll be ready to assist. Once you’re inside, find a place to inquire about the cosmetic procedures.”
On the way, the teenager turned his head once. The shadows all had a certain anti-social disposition, not valuing life and death, with money being nothing more than a low-grade amusement in their eyes.
Now—
Having money was truly great, just moving your lips could do the trick.
On the first day of opening, the cosmetic surgery clinic was quite crowded. The newbie tried a few times to approach the reception, but all six staff members there were busy assisting other customers.
What was said on the phone, the newbie repeated verbatim, “The turtlekin said I’ll soon hit a jackpot. I was thinking…”
Before the words could finish, a nearby staff member pushed away the person who had come close and greeted with a smile, “May I help you with your inquiry?”
The earpiece didn’t arouse her suspicion.
Such items that to some extent help avoid interaction with people were always a favorite among the wormkin.
Asking too many specific questions might make him appear ignorant, so the newbie answered vaguely, “Evolution Potion. My younger brother wants to choose the safe evolutionary path, and also about full-body cosmetic surgery.”
The nurse brought out a professional price list and took him to the VIP area for an introduction.
Casually taking off one earphone and setting it on the table, the newbie appeared to listen attentively. Saying less avoids mistakes, so he used a questioning tone throughout, repeating the last part of the other person’s sentence to keep the conversation going.
The nurse smoothly explained the services, unaware that all the information was being transmitted to the trio of refined individuals who were enjoying a bit of leisure.
It wasn’t suitable to play the conversation aloud in the cafe. At this moment, the most comprehensive listener was Wen Shi.
There was only one cosmetic surgery clinic in the whole town that offered head transplant and full-body cosmetic surgery—the Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic.
Having money alone wasn’t enough. Those interested had to undergo a complex application process to even qualify for cosmetic procedures.
The nurse mentioned that this wasn’t meant to praise the Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. It was just that having a small sum of money wasn’t enough to meet the hospital’s patient standards. Whether they should consider a different hospital was the question. Ordinary cosmetic surgery clinics could take clients who had not undergone full transformation yet, with an emphasis on limb replacements, which suited the wormkin quite well.
As for the Evolution Potion, hospitals usually had twelve types of them, with the highest-grade being the Werewolf Evolution Potion. The more premium options were monopolized by the Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. From their conversation, Wen Shi learned that the factors influencing the grade of Evolution Potion weren’t just based on the food chain hierarchy but also stability.
For instance, silver ants and fish may not be particularly strong individuals, but after evolution, they could retain most human traits.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi wiped away the chocolate powder at the corner of his mouth. “If appearances matter so much, why bother with evolution?”
The teenager seemed to share his thoughts on this matter, his eyes holding silent mockery.
The only one who voiced a different perspective was the girl, “When I was captured as a child and occasionally wached outside through the iron window, I’d imagine trading everything to become a bird.”
For the shadows, they were like witnesses to all sufferings. The teenager couldn’t escape this either, which was why he was convinced by Yu Xingzhou on the train and agreed to make a deal.
On the other side, the nurse had finished her introduction, left her number for the newbie, and advised him to call before making any cosmetic decisions for special discounts. Wen Shi then handed a hundred to the wormkin player, considering it as an errand fee for the trip to the cosmetic surgery clinic. He himself had completed his five check-ins, while the teenager had one left to go.
Matters that could be resolved with money weren’t worth calling troubles. Later, the trio visited an art gallery showcasing artwork mainly centered around human bodies and animals, with quite bold artistic dimensions.
Standing before a large-scale brain painting, Wen Shi looked absent-mindedly, “I wonder how far they’ve progressed.”
Before the old lady left, she mentioned her intention to evolve the scarecrow into another species and let it gain some brainpower before seeking out its shadow. However, since she left, there was no news from her.
Upon hearing this, the girl knew who Wen Shi was referring to and turned her face slightly. “It’s only been a day.”
More accurately, not even a full day had passed.
With a mix of strolling and pauses, it was nearly five o’clock already.
In the Sunflowers group chat, someone was urgently requesting to borrow money, but Wen Shi remained unfazed. Even the cheapest Evolution Potion cost several thousands, and the money he had on hand wasn’t enough. He needed to keep a bit of a surplus for unexpected situations.
【@everyone, 6 PM, gather at Tianchang Square.】
Suddenly, a message popped up in the group chat. The tour guide, who had disguised herself as a tourist, was also in the Sunflowers group chat and had never left.
The teenager received a text message. The shadow team didn’t have access to the group chat.
Tianchang Square wasn’t too far from their location, but arriving too early wouldn’t necessarily be a good idea.
A hint of enigmatic smile flickered across the teenager’s face. “Let’s go now.”
Wen Shi glanced at him, and in that momentary gaze, it seemed like both sides were silently confronting some unspoken issue. Collaborative relationships required a delicate balance of advance and retreat. Pushing too forcefully could lead to backlash. This time, it was Wen Shi who yielded. He didn’t say anything more and turned to walk towards Tianchang Square.
The teenager remained rooted in place, and the girl followed suit. After a while, she asked, “My dear grandson, aren’t you in a hurry to go?”
Once he was sure he had created some distance from Wen Shi, the teenager started walking. “Just follow me discreetly.”
In about another hour, the check-in period would be drawing to a close. For those who hadn’t completed the quest yet and didn’t want to take high risks, it was easy to become scheming. The best approach for them was to lie in ambush near Tianchang Square.
Being among the first to gather signified a smoothly completed quest, with a high possibility of obtaining wealth.
Wen Shi intended to go a bit later, aiming to avoid being an easy target.
However, the teenager clearly disagreed. His innate urge for violence needed an outlet, and right now, he just wanted to indulge himself in a bloodbath.
The silent standoff earlier, followed by Wen Shi’s concession, indicated his agreement to cooperate with the entrapment operation.
Walking to Tianchang Square only took about fifteen minutes. The foot traffic in the street had significantly decreased. For the residents living here, the sunset before darkness resembled a canvas painted with twilight.
The Wandering Corpse had been locked, but Wen Shi’s strong sixth sense remained intact. As he neared Tianchang Square, he could persistently sense a lingering malevolence. Gradually, a cold indifference flickered in his eyes.
A player whose skills had been sealed not only attracted hostile NPCs, but also fellow players who wanted to take advantage. Displaying the ticket seller’s corpse was meant as a warning, a message to others not to pick fights without reason.
Unfortunately, players had no idea what had truly happened in the museum. Except for the free Sky Tower, the other attractions were pricey. In the eyes of many players and shadows, the danger level wasn’t high. They saw it as another instance where Wen Shi had benefited through luck.
As for the NPC’s body, killing an NPC monster wasn’t too difficult. Committing murder and arson seemed more like an empty threat.
The wind rustled.
Wen Shi perked up his ears, catching the change in the air currents, and instinctively dodged.
Even though he had dodged, his cheek stung from the punch. Where the fist’s wind had brushed, he still felt the burn of its heat.
An ordinary person’s fist couldn’t pack this kind of power. It must be some sort of attack skill. An attack skill usually disregarded was surprisingly practical in this instance. The shadow’s presence allowed them to directly use skills to assault players, and vice versa.
Approaching was Shadow Xiao Min. When Li Nan had brought Xiao Min in, one consideration was to cover a range of skills for various situations. However, as the proverb says, “While the wise meticulously plan, sometimes excessive foresight might not yield the best outcomes.”
A skill that could harm even monsters had more than enough power to attack players.
Wen Shi pulled out a kitchen knife, which ironically played right into the shadow’s hands, as it excelled in combat skills and stood its ground against the attack.
Holding the knife for too long would affect his awareness. Wen Shi sneered, “It’s not just you, is it?”
The shadow smiled but remained silent, trying to delay as much time as possible.
Before long, Burnt Player came out from the shadow of a parked truck by the roadside.
Their strategy was simple yet effective. Players couldn’t harm each other. When Wen Shi’s awareness became unclear, he would inevitably attack Burnt Player, subsequently triggering the death rule.
“Quite clever. The collaboration between the shadow and the player was indeed unexpected.” As his vision was gradually tainted by the engulfing urge to kill, Wen Shi even managed to sneak in a compliment.
If the teenager didn’t show up soon, he would use the skill【Wild Dash】to end this fight immediately.
Burnt Player’s gaze held more animosity towards Wen Shi than all the NPCs combined. First, Wen Shi had callously ignored his plea for help, then he had caused him to be sliced apart. Now, he was determined to repay tenfold.
“You… are… dead.”
Each word carried a strong resentment, making it hard to determine who between him and Wen Shi was more deranged.
Seeing Wen Shi’s actions with the kitchen knife becoming increasingly erratic, Burnt Player was about to get up close for a risky confrontation.
The same wind rustling sound.
More intense than the surprise attack Wen Shi had encountered earlier, a surge of cold ran up Burnt Player’s spine. Feeling something, he swiftly turned around, and just in time, a terrifying steel pipe was hurled at him from not far away. The pipe’s speed was too swift, infused with a portion of the kitchen knife’s cursed power. If nothing went wrong, it would pierce through Burnt Player’s body in three seconds.
However, something unexpected occurred. The steel pipe suspended in midair, all motion ceased, and a hand gently adjusted its direction. After a snap of the fingers, the steel pipe descended vertically toward the ground.
Burnt Player thought he was done for, his pupils trembling.
As he saw the newcomer, he hesitated. He looked at the travel badge on the person’s chest to confirm his identity. “Guild Leader Yu?”
The appearance of Yu Xingzhou made the other shadow on the opposite side withdraw and flee directly.
Wen Shi put away the kitchen knife, trying his best to suppress his instinctual urge to kill.
Yu Xingzhou addressed Wen Shi, “The team can’t afford to lose any more members.” Then he turned to Burnt Player and asked, “How many check-ins do you have left?”
Burnt Player quickly replied, “Two.”
“There’s a nearby roast duck restaurant where you can easily complete a quest by dining and dashing. You could give it a try.”
Someone with Yu Xingzhou’s background wouldn’t stoop to lying in such situations. The burned player cast a smug glance toward Wen Shi’s direction before swiftly turning and fleeing.
With the urge to kill subdued, Wen Shi approached. Players like them often held a more terrifying aura when saving lives compared to the implications of taking them.
Raising an eyebrow, Wen Shi walked over and asked, “What’s the situation?”
Yu Xingzhou gestured toward the direction of Tianchang Square and explained as they walked, “This afternoon, I completed the check-in at the Sky Tower…”
This introduction made even the teenager, whose interrupted murder plan was just put on hold, glance over. Clearly, they hadn’t anticipated that someone would take on such a nearly suicidal task.
The risk and reward were in balance. After Yu Xingzhou’s bungee jump from the Sky Tower, the information he gained naturally surpassed others: “Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic monopolizes full-body cosmetic surgery projects in the town.”
Wen Shi was already aware of this information. Yu Xingzhou continued, “To apply for cosmetic surgery, patients not only need to pay for the surgery itself but also provide fresh corpses or live people. Their definition of ‘fresh’ is within a forty-eight-hour window.”
“I’m not fond of those who want something for nothing,” Yu Xingzhou calmly stated. “I just saved that guy’s life for free and even pointed out the direction for him to complete the quest. He ought to contribute something.”
Burnt Player and the corpse of that shadow would soon become their best bargaining chips.
Wen Shi laughed, “Funny, I don’t like freeloaders either.”
Yu Xingzhou was willing to provide high-risk task-related information for free, which surely meant he needed his【Doctor】identity to accompany him into the hospital.
This kind of mutually beneficial exchange suited both parties just right.
During their conversation, they reached Tianchang Square.
The large screen in the square was continuously playing advertisements, most of which were related to Evolution Potion. In the next moment, the screen briefly went black and then reappeared as a wanted poster.
“Urgent news bulletin: Last night, two thieves broke into a well-known hospital in our town and stole Evolution Potion. Any citizen who can provide information on the whereabouts of the thieves will receive a reward of four hundred thousand.”
A photo flashed on the screen, captured by a nighttime camera that wasn’t very clear. The photo was in grayscale, showing a scene where an old lady and a scarecrow were leaving in a suspicious manner. The image was somewhat comical, especially the scarecrow who was holding a slightly deformed mechanical cat.
“……” The incident occurred last night, yet it was only being reported now. Wen Shi speculated that Jian Qingrong had destroyed some of the surveillance data before the crime, but it had still been partially recovered.
“Four hundred thousand, huh.” All four of them, including the girl, simultaneously looked up and swallowed hard.
“Urgent news bulletin: The museum fire has been determined to be arson. Anyone who can provide important leads will receive a reward of two hundred thousand.”
“Two hundred thousand, huh.” This time, only Yu Xingzhou sighed.
Wen Shi’s eyelid twitched, figuring that denying it was the right course of action. “If thieves could infiltrate a highly secure place like the hospital, then the museum is no different.”
The teenager chimed in, “Exactly, the thieves from last night likely set the museum on fire today to retaliate against society.”
Wen Shi nodded emphatically. “Mhm, mhm.”
However, both of them simultaneously exclaimed, “Wow, six hundred thousand.”
The value of the thieves suddenly skyrocketed.
The girl & Yu Xingzhou: “……”
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