I slay demons and monsters in a bizarre city.

Chapter 46 Mentally Ill Colleague

When a silly guy tries to chat with Li Changgeng, he always feels there's something fishy going on.

Every morning when he came to work, in all that time he could remember, the only place he could run into employee number 15 was at the coffee shop. Some silly guy would inexplicably come and chat with him, seemingly making excuses for the scratches on employee number 15's arm.

Undoubtedly, employee number 15 likely didn't go home after get off work, but went directly back to the second basement level of KMS Games Company to enjoy a wonderful rest. He would then come to work the next day. Perhaps there was even a specific procedure in place, where employee number 15 would take the subway from a fixed station to the company.

Li Changgeng stared at the scratch on employee number 15's arm and confirmed that he had used a special technique to make the scratch bend in a small S-shape in the middle, a detail known only to him.

"Brother, what happened to you? How did your arm get injured?"

"You're badly injured; even a band-aid can't cover it up. And why do you smell of alcohol?"

Li Changgeng saw more than just that small scratch; employee number 15 had a deep gash on his arm, a rather large wound, even though there were already quite a few bloodstains on the sleeves of his plaid shirt.

This attempt to cover up the truth is quite ingenious. Li Changgeng slashed employee number 15's arm, and then deliberately injured the entire arm to cover up the truth. This tactic is too obvious, making Li Changgeng even more suspicious that most of the employees in the entire KMS game company office building are likely digital cyborgs, including Lin Jiuge, and that he himself is not even human in the traditional sense.

How terrifying! How horrible!
Li Changgeng calmed down a bit and slowly figured it out. He should be a real carbon-based life form, a real human. Otherwise, why would he be dreaming? And why would he still have that locked bronze shrine with his name engraved in it in his head? Li Changgeng didn't believe that a digital cyborg could do these things.

Dreams and memories are the two most basic distinguishing features between digital androids and real humans.

"Don't even mention it! I was drinking with my girlfriend at home last night, and when we were really into it, I suggested we try some fancy lovemaking positions. That woman went crazy and objected, even shoving me! As a result, I fell on the glass coffee table and cut my arm! That woman is a lunatic." Employee No. 15 no longer mentioned the things she used to say about Li Changgeng, like not having slept well and having panda eyes. "Luckily, I didn't break any bones, otherwise I would have had to take sick leave and have my salary docked."

When Li Changgeng met employee number 15, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol on him, mixed with the nauseating smell of vomiting after drinking. Could it be that he was telling the truth, and the person Li Changgeng saw on the second floor of the underground parking garage was not him?

The silly buttocks swayed its proud, plump rear end, took a few steps, then looked back at Li Changgeng and sighed deeply at employee number 15.

Silly Butt tied up her long hair and sighed.

"Hurry up and deal with this. We have a morning meeting soon to announce the layoff list! Ugh! I'm really worried. If I don't go to work, I won't have any money and will only be able to survive on the supplies provided by the coalition government. The amount of food I can eat each day is fixed, and the water is more expensive than oil!"

"Do you need any help?" What Li Changgeng wanted to do most right now was to go to the second basement level and see if those people were still there, including Employee No. 15 and the buck-toothed girl.

“No need, I can manage on my own. I heard we laid off people! That's fucking bullshit!” Employee No. 15 rinsed the bloodstains on his arm with the tap next to the coffee machine. “Chang Geng, you’re special. Remember, don’t trust anyone easily. If you have the chance, leave this company as soon as possible.”

"Thanks, buddy!" Li Changgeng patted employee number 15 on the shoulder and hurriedly left. He wanted to take the small elevator down to the second basement level to see what was going on.

Knowing the truth is not a good feeling, and getting close to the truth is the same. Li Changgeng had long suspected that KMS Game Company was not normal. Developing games might just be a front, and they might be doing some shady things behind the scenes.

I jogged there, and there was still time. There were 15 minutes left before the morning meeting, which was enough.

The bodyguard with the big sunglasses and a gun at his waist was still guarding the elevator.

However, the elevator's display screen showed several flashing red letters: ERR. Does this mean the elevator is malfunctioning?

"Excuse me, may I take the elevator to the second basement level?" Beads of sweat appeared on Li Changgeng's forehead.

"What do you think? If you're not afraid of dying, you can go in. Are you blind? The elevator is malfunctioning." The bodyguard adjusted the frame of his large sunglasses, his other hand holding the bolt of his gun, which was already loaded.

At KMS Games, there is a special rule that the bodyguards in black have supreme priority and say. In other words, these bodyguards are like sheepdogs, watching over Li Changgeng and his fellow workers. If anyone dares to overstep their authority, they will act first and ask for permission later, and will not hesitate to shoot.

"Is there any other way to get to the second basement level? I have important documents down there." Li Changgeng thought that things couldn't be so coincidental; the elevator breaking down at this crucial moment was clearly intentional.

"Have!"

The bodyguard in black stretched out a large hand. "I'll grab you, throw you from the 17th floor to the 1st floor, then you get up and roll down to the second basement level."

"Well, let's forget about it then," Li Changgeng said with an awkward smile. He believed that the bodyguards in black were absolutely capable of doing it; they were more like cold-blooded and ruthless killing machines.

Li Changgeng held his laptop. The first instance of his infinite flow mythology game, the Ghost Train, was complete. Now he was going to hand over the game files, which were over 50GB in size, to Lin Jiuge. The entire game would be enormous, with graphics and special effects designed to be top-notch, providing players with an immersive experience. With the arrival of the Eternal Night, people were spending more time at home, and playing games became their biggest pastime. Moreover, the gold coins earned in the game could be exchanged for real-world currency.

In-game identities are kept confidential, and offline transactions do occur, but this is often very dangerous.

KMS Games doesn't hold morning meetings every day; they're usually held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. As for holidays and weekends, there are no days off.

At this morning meeting, Li Changgeng saw two unfamiliar faces. One was an old man with a shiny bald head. Although the old man had no hair and was bald, he had a very long beard. The other was a young man wearing a baseball cap. The young man kept his head down, as if he was worried that others would see his face.

"Is everyone here?" Lin Jiuge asked, her face tense and serious, her brows furrowing.

"Everyone's here, President Lin," the female assistant beside him said after looking around at everyone.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Today, we have two new part-time inspectors joining our company. They are from the Black Sea City Police Department and will mainly be monitoring your work behavior to ensure it is in compliance with regulations, as well as whether you are maliciously defaming our company in your personal lives!"

Lin Jiuge took a small sip of coffee. "Wang Hu, and Chen Yifeng."

The bald man stood up with a broad smile, his hands clasped together like a living Buddha. "Please take care of me, everyone!"

Chen Yifeng took off his baseball cap, looking a little flustered. "Hello everyone, I'm Chen Yifeng. Just call me Xiao Chen. Please forgive me if I ever do anything to offend you all."

Lin Jiuge never glanced at Li Changgeng, giving Li Changgeng the impression that Lin Jiuge didn't know him at all.

"Let's begin! Announce the first batch of layoffs!" Lin Jiuge put down her coffee cup and gave her assistant a wink.

(End of this chapter)