"Heh heh... Yes, yes, with Brother Gui being so impressive, we can definitely complete the task if we all work hard together. It's just about treating the whole village to a meal... it's nothing..."

Han Bingjie tried his best to liven up the atmosphere, but the more he spoke, the more preposterous he became, "I... I bought insurance for myself with my last salary, designating my parents as the beneficiaries, so even if I die, they... they..."

His voice became increasingly strange, "But... but... if we die without leaving any bodies, will the insurance company still pay out?"

Slap!

Zhong Shenxiu smacked him on the head hard and looked out the window, not really wanting to speak anymore.

Just then, someone sat next to him—it was Chu He!

He looked at the black umbrella by Zhong Shenxiu's side and wondered, "It doesn't seem like it's going to rain today!"

"Better safe than sorry!" Zhong Shenxiu answered calmly.

"I remember the last time you went on a mission, you didn't bring an umbrella. But ever since you returned from the mission, that umbrella has never left your side,"

Chu He said.

"So what?" Zhong Shenxiu countered.

"I hope it doesn't rain today. Otherwise, you're going to need that umbrella," Chu He seemed to be hinting at something.

"Tell me about the previous cases, and let's discuss some strategies..."

Zhong Shenxiu casually started chatting with Chu He.

"How Mysterious Entities are born, how they appear—all remain unsolved mysteries. However, they clearly have the ability to kill us directly yet insist on going around in circles," Chu He spoke, "I'm puzzled... If they just want to kill people, they should be more efficient. For instance, last time, the double of that Mysterious Entity had already infiltrated among you, and it could have wiped you all out with just a thought. Yet it gave us some reaction time. Even in killing, it only did so one by one and spaced out the time for safety..."

"There's a conjecture that this is protection provided by the company, or perhaps... a game rule!" Zhong Shenxiu cracked a smile.

"But what's the reason for these rules and protections? Is there truly a supreme god overlooking everything, finding joy in our struggles?" Chu He said, "I feel even if such deities exist, they wouldn't be this petty, right?"

"Perhaps... killing is not the objective, or at least not the entire objective. Torturing us, making us struggle between life and death, driving us insane—it's like giving a drowning person a rope, then cutting it... All these might be necessary processes, like... a ritual?" Zhong Shenxiu proposed a hypothesis.

"Is the purpose to offer a sacrifice? I've read many Western religious texts since I joined the company, and there seems to be no such description..."

Chu He shook his head.

"Speculate boldly, but verify with caution. I hope we can find an answer..." Zhong Shenxiu looked out the window, noticing they had driven out of the city and into the suburbs.

Gradually, the conversation inside the bus died down.

Finally, the bus stopped in front of a cemetery that appeared dilapidated and unattended by any Tomb Guardian.

But on the gate at the base of the hill, the words 'Burial Mountain Cemetery' were clearly engraved.

One by one, the passengers got off the bus and checked their equipment.

A gust of mountain wind blew by; despite the fierce sun in the sky, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"Let's go!"

Cao Liuyu, holding a white express package, stepped through the gate.

The next moment, he stopped in his tracks.

"Are... are there people?"

Han Bingjie approached and saw five men and women lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"We're screwed."

Zong Sheng murmured softly, "This isn't a nine-person difficulty team-building task, but a fourteen-person one. There are five temporary workers!"

"From time to time, the company includes temporary workers in the tasks. The first time, to make you believe, they will take some coercive measures,"

Zhong Shenxiu patted Han Bingjie on the shoulder.

He didn't bring any outdoor equipment, simply using the black umbrella as a walking stick.

"Do team-building difficulty tasks include temporary workers?"

Chu He looked at Cao Liuyu.

Since entering the cemetery, Cao Liuyu had maintained an odd expression.

He shook his head indifferently, "I've never heard of temporary workers being included in a team-building task, but now they are..."

"Perhaps that's why it's called a 'temporary' team-building task?" Liu Xin speculated.

"For now, let's wake them up!"

Murong Hong stepped forward and patted the people lying on the ground.

They were only lightly unconscious, probably waking up while the others were talking.

"Where am I?"

"Wasn't I at school?"

"You guys are useless as kidnappers, I don't have any money!"

...

Five temp workers looked on with caution or confusion.

"Han Bingjie, go explain!"

Cao Liuyu nodded at Han Bingjie, "As for whether they believe or are willing to follow, that's up to them!"

After speaking, he walked towards the winding footpath up the hill.

The cemetery was on a small hillock, dotted with dense, neatly arranged graves as far as the eye could see.

"Manager Cao, this isn't like you!"

Chu He hurried after him and said, "Even though these temps will probably not believe us, with your caution from completing many tasks in the past, you would at least subdue them to keep them from blabbering nonsense or touching some 'taboos' and inviting danger prematurely, right?"

Liu Dacheng and Miao Yingying agreed with Chu He, nodding repeatedly.

"Everyone, please believe me, check the messages on your phones."

"We are in the midst of a supernatural case..."

"Only by following the experienced can you survive."

"Think about the place you were before, it's completely different from here, right? That's an example, and so am I..."

It was evident that Han Bingjie was trying hard to convince the five temp workers.

But most of them didn't believe, some even took it for a text message scam or a kidnapping.

"You young man, spouting nonsense; did you escape from a mental hospital or something?"

One of the women cursed, seemingly realizing that these people didn't look like kidnappers, rather like a bunch of lunatics.

"Don't follow me, I'll call the police, why is there no signal?"

She held up her phone as she ran out of the cemetery gate.

And then there was no after.

She clutched her heart, a pained expression on her face, and fell to the ground.

"The company gave us one day, but once we enter the task site, it is considered the start of work, escaping is seen as absenteeism and will be met with a curse,"

Murong Hong sighed, telling the remaining four, "You can try if you want, but if you don't want to die, follow the team."

That was the last bit of kindness from the company employees.

Han Bingjie sighed and, looking at the retreating figures of the main group, quickly followed after them.

"What do we do now?"

A couple who seemed to be in a relationship asked.

"It looks messy... should we follow and see?"

"I want to go check, maybe that lady just fainted..."

One of them said, then walked out of the cemetery gate to the woman's side.

And then he too fell to the ground.

The remaining three exchanged glances as if they had seen the most terrifying nightmare, their bodies shuddered, and they hastily chased after Zhong Shenxiu and the others...

...

"Cao Liuyu... you don't want to live anymore?"

"Otherwise, according to your character, you would have at least arranged some extraneous strategies to control us first..."

Chu He followed behind Cao Liuyu suddenly asked.

Liu Dacheng startled, instinctively wanted to object, when Cao Liuyu's calm voice reached his ears, "Right, I don't want to live anymore!"

"This goddamn company just wants to torment us, drive us mad one by one, my friends, my lover, my brothers, everything I gained after joining this damn company was destroyed at the annual meeting... No one, no one can escape alive!"

"And now, I face this mission, this damn company just wants to play me to death!..."

"You're very agitated, do you recognize this place, or..."

Chu He pushed up his glasses.

"That's right, I am from Xiao Jun Village... I was there in the village that night, twenty years ago. I know, it wasn't a landslide, but... it was something sinister!"

Cao Liuyu entered a level of the cemetery and walked calmly to grave number 27 before setting down a parcel, "This operation, I'm betting my life to find that 'sinister thing,' to find the truth of that year..."

"Chu He, you're a smart man, so I'll share a secret with you. Our Xiao Jun Village used to have another ancient name—it was called... Fengling Village!"

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