Ita Era

Chapter 196 Veil
The security team rushed into the restaurant, took a look into the kitchen, and two security guards patrolled around.

The security captain walked up to the male player and asked, "Why is there blood on your trouser leg?"

The male player said, "I was trying to help someone who was being harmed, but the assailant swung a knife at me. I was terrified and had to run away."

The female player opposite the male player said, "I can vouch for him; he's telling the truth."

The security captain scanned the room and asked, "Is anyone willing to be a witness?" He then held up a 200-knife.

A short player immediately stood up: "I... I saw him kill someone with my own eyes," pointing to the male player.

The male player was furious and glared at the shorter player: "You are a traitor, and everyone has the right to kill you."

The short player retorted: "Every group has bad people, and you're just a piece of trash among humans, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The rules are cutting off your kidneys, so why are you killing them?"

The female player warned, "Brother, traitors never have a good ending. Which tribe are you from?"

The tall player next to the short player stood up: "You slut, who are you calling 'brother'? You dare to call yourself 'brother'? Security guard, he's the murderer, and the three men and one woman next to him are all accomplices."

The security captain waved, and the security guards handcuffed several men with cable ties. Before leaving, the male player said, "There's a chance to revive in this dungeon, so don't let me see you again."

"Idiot." The tall and the short cursed in unison, then sat down together.

The security captain placed two hundred dollars in front of the short man and said, "Thank you for maintaining basic order. This is your reward."

The short man took the money and said, "Thank you."

Ding Shi was curious about how the warriors from this tribe managed to get into this instance. Did they act recklessly because the rules allowed for resurrection? Or was it for self-promotion?

Ding Shi shared his opinion with Hong Yi, saying, "The murderer committed the crime in public, and all the bystanders chose to remain silent, which indeed disrupted basic order. Without basic order, everyone would feel insecure."

The woman in red asked, "What's your opinion on the term 'traitor'?"

Ding Shi chuckled and said, “My understanding is very narrow. You are my older sister, and I bully you every day. If my uncle’s children bully me and you don’t stand up for my uncle’s family with me, then you are a traitor to your own family. If the neighbors bully my uncle and we don’t stand up for them with my uncle, then we are traitors to our own family. If the neighboring village bullies our neighbors and we and my uncle don’t participate in the fight, then we and my uncle are traitors to our village.”

The woman in red said, "There's a conceptual problem here. If the neighboring village bullies our neighbor, and we don't fight back, or if our neighbor bullies the neighboring village, and we don't participate in the bullying, are both acts of wrongdoing?"

Ding Shi said, "I don't think there's a conceptual problem. Whether we bully the neighboring village or the neighboring village bullies us, as long as we don't stand with the majority, we're treacherous. The conceptual problem is what happened today. I don't accept the term 'treacherous.' We don't have an absolute conflict with NPCs. On the contrary, they exist to serve us."

Ding Shi said, "The murderer couldn't seek revenge through the rules, so he targeted the staff, labeling them as part of the rules. Since the murderer couldn't curse aliens, he cursed those who opposed him, labeling them as being in league with the aliens."

Ding Shi said, "The Warriors Tribe is no good. I'm a little worried about Tie Zhenzhen." After being rejected by the Fire Seed, Tie Zhenzhen joined the Warriors Tribe instead.

The woman in red praised, "Whether you're right or wrong, I think it's great that you have your own opinion."

Ding Shi raised the soup, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Overtime hours are from 7 pm to 10 pm, and 5-7 people work overtime at Kaixin Company.

After dinner, Ding Shi returned to the 80th floor. Although the scene was the same as before, he suddenly felt a chill. Ding Shi cursed inwardly: "That damn boss turned off the heating."

I thought to myself: The restaurant has heating. Even when customers get off in the elevator, other floors still have heating. Why is my boss so stingy?
Grabbing an evening newspaper, Ding returned to his workstation, greeted a female player named Dian Dian who was also working overtime, and sat down to open the newspaper. He had always been curious about newspapers, but he was too busy today to find the time. He was curious about what kind of news the dungeon would publish.

First edition headline: City Hall brawl erupts between shrimp lovers and shrimp enthusiasts, sparked by the shrimp enthusiasts' proposal to pass a shrimp protection law. An earlier conflict arose from the shrimp lovers' introduction of an animal protection law, which the shrimp enthusiasts accused of discriminating against food. Why can't pandas be eaten? But shrimp can? Aren't they all living beings? How much does it cost to raise a panda? Shrimp don't need farming, so are they considered cheap and deserving of discrimination?

If animal rights legislation supports racial discrimination, why can't it discriminate against people of race?

The second section covers social news, including fires and assaults. Currently, there are five key cases, all of which are quite bizarre. The first case is a serial murder case. Typically, the victims of these crimes are prostitutes or homeless people, but all five victims in this serial murder case were elite men—wealthy, handsome, and tall.

The second case involves a break-in into a female university dormitory. Logically, such incidents usually involve the theft of money, underwear, or sexual harassment of the women. However, in this case, the intruder's purpose was to take selfies with the sleeping women and then upload them online. The suspect blurred his face, suggesting he is likely male.

The third case is a real-life case that happened today. Someone reported their friend A missing, but the police investigation found that A did not exist. Someone provided the police with information about A's social connections. During the interviews, 20% of A's friends knew of A, but they could not provide any evidence to prove A's existence. The other 80% of A's friends did not know of A's existence, and there was no trace of A in their lives.

It is speculated that a player was eliminated by the rules.

The fourth case also occurred today, at the office building where Ding works. The caller reported that there were many strange people on the 200th floor. Police discovered that the office building does not have a 200th floor; the highest floor is 199. The caller claimed that the 200th floor was a mission location, and one could only go there after accepting a mission.

The person who reported the incident was taken to a mental hospital by the police.

The fifth case involves a villa burglary. Two burglaries have recently occurred in the Jiangbei villa area, one of which resulted in the suspect seriously injuring the homeowner. Police initially suspect a gang operation, with at least one member residing or working in the Jiangbei villa area.

Ding Shi took out his phone to confirm; Bai Yan's current address was in the Jiangbei Villa District. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to go check on her after get off work.

The third page was entertainment news, a complete mess. The fourth page was advertisements.

Ding put down his newspaper, scanned the office area, and then jumped up: the female player named Diandian was gone.

When Ding was reading the newspaper, the background was the entrance to the logistics department. He wasn't reading the newspaper very carefully, so he was certain that no one had entered or left the logistics department while he was reading. The logistics department only has one entrance. Another possibility is that Dian Dian went to the restroom.

The restroom was behind Ding Shi. To get to the restroom, one had to pass by Ding Shi's vicinity. Dian Dian's shoes were hard-soled, making quite a noise. Ding Shi didn't hear the footsteps.

Of course, there are many other possibilities, such as Dian Dian changing her shoes, Dian Dian walking barefoot, Dian Dian crawling into the closet, Dian Dian jumping out of the window...

Ding Shi walked around the open-plan office area but didn't find Dian Dian. He stepped on a trash can, pulled out a plastic stick, and headed towards the department restroom. The restroom was small, with men's on the left and women's on the right. Ding Shi knocked on the door: "Dian Dian?"

no respond.

Ding knocked on the door again: "Dian Dian."

As soon as he finished speaking, a notification popped up: 30-second countdown.

What the hell?

Ding Shi ran to the office area, only to find the department's large glass door closed. Ding Shi tried to open the door, but couldn't.

System: 20 seconds.

Ding Shi didn't linger. He immediately ran to the window, looked around, and then slipped out with 10 seconds left on the countdown. He landed on the 20-centimeter-wide edge of the window, which served as a decorative border around the entire perimeter. In the last two seconds, Ding Shi released his grip on the windowsill. The system registered Ding Shi's departure from the office, and the countdown stopped.

Ding Shi stood on the outer edge, his back pressed tightly against the wall, cold sweat dripping from his beard. Looking down, he felt even more cold sweat.

Ding Shi suspected he'd been set up; someone had replaced the sign for the logistics office with the sign for the boss's office. The rule on the 80th floor was that one couldn't linger alone in the boss's office. The prime suspect was naturally Dian Dian. However, Ding Shi hadn't checked the restrooms, so other possibilities couldn't be ruled out.

In one minute, Ding moved one meter. With each movement, he worried that his back muscles would buckle and he would fall off.

Ding Shi's destination was the personnel department next door, which was 20 meters away.

As they moved slowly, a woman's voice came from above: "Come quick, there's someone down there."

Ding looked up, but dared not raise his head too high; he could only calm himself and continue walking.

Female voice: "Hey, are you filming a movie?"

Shoot your sister.

A woman's voice: "Do you need a rope?" This girl is quite nice.

Ding Shi shouted, "Yes, I want it."

Female voice: "Wait for me."

Ding Shi: "Okay." Touched, there is true kindness in the world.

Could you please hurry up?

Five minutes later, a woman's voice came: "I can't find the rope."

Ding Shi nearly fell, realizing it was better to rely on himself than others, so he continued moving. Looking to the side, he saw a steel bar protruding 20 centimeters from the wall.

Logically speaking, you can grab the steel bars for leverage, and with their help, you can ensure safety at a height of 2 meters.

If we're being unreasonable, this steel bar is knee-high.

That's right, this is an unreasonable steel bar.

The first method: step over it. This means lifting your foot above your knee; if you make even the slightest mistake, you'll fall.

The second method: squat down. This means you have to squat down 20 centimeters to grab the steel bar, but the problem is what happens after you grab it in this position? You have to move one foot over first, then the other, and switch hands in between.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make. Ding Shi chose the first method, slowly lifting his left foot. He lost his balance and quickly put his left foot down, breaking out in a cold sweat several times.

Try again. Lift your left foot, extend it out, then swing it back; your left foot will now be over the steel bar. Move a few centimeters, then lift your right foot...

"Hey!"

Ding Shi felt a jolt, pulled back his right foot, pressed himself against the wall to catch his breath, and roared, "What are you doing?"

The woman's voice said timidly, "There's a steel bar, be careful."

Ding Shi gritted his teeth: "Thank you."

Female voice: "Don't fall, I'm scared."

Ding Shi: "I'm scared too, but you don't have to watch."

Female voice: "No, I want to see, but I don't want to see you fall."

Ding Shi: "Please don't speak from now on."

Female voice: "..."

Ding Shi: "Did you hear that? Don't speak."

Female voice: "I didn't say anything, but you told me not to speak."

Ding Shi frowned: "Tie Zhenzhen?" Right, four people from the Warriors Tribe came at once, which means it was a group activity, and Tie Zhenzhen, as a member of the Warriors Tribe, was very likely among them.

A woman's voice asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

Ding Shi: "We'll talk about it later." He didn't want anyone to know he'd fallen. If he hadn't fallen, it would have been like dancing with death—incredibly cool—and he could meet her again later.

Ding Shi: "From now on, don't speak, don't answer me."

Ding Shi took a deep breath and began to move his right leg. Just as his right leg was about to come over, Ding Shi felt his trousers being pulled.

Ding cursed inwardly; after all, dress pants weren't skinny jeans, and the leg had caught on a steel bar.

Ding gritted his teeth and tried to put his right leg back, but then he felt a pulling force.

Ding Shi's left leg was almost giving way, so he tried to pull his right foot away from the pull, but his heel hit the wall. A feeling of leaning forward washed over him, and Ding Shi immediately sensed something was wrong; his adrenaline surged.

Old Jianghu Ding bit his lower lip hard, forcibly suppressing his fear, and put his right foot down with a little force. This time, his trousers were freed from the steel bars and he stood firmly.

Upstairs, Tie Zhenzhen bit her left hand tightly: she was so scared, but she also wanted to see. Blood and tears streamed down her face, her eyes unblinking.

Ding Shi took two minutes to take deep breaths to allow the adrenaline to slowly subside.

The next ten meters went smoothly, and Ding Shi reached the window of the personnel department.

Another problem arose: the window was closed, and there was no windowsill; there was only a small sliding groove that Ding Shi could grip with his fingers.

Ding Shi gripped the sliding groove with two fingers of his right hand, took a deep breath, and turned it half a circle in one go, then gripped the sliding groove with his left hand.

He went from having his back to the wall to facing it. That's only possible with a man; if a woman did that, she'd be in serious trouble.

Ding Shi gripped the sliding groove with his right middle and index fingers, freeing his left fist to strike the glass, but he didn't dare to use too much force, and the glass didn't budge.

Ding Shi gradually increased the force of his blows, but each punch caused his right hand fingers to ache a little more.

A minute later, Ding Shi took a short rest and realized that his strength was completely depleted, which made him feel desperate.

Just then, a rope tied to a brick slowly descended from above. As Ding Shi grasped the brick, he felt an urge to cry: Wasn't there no rope?
The question is: Is Tie really a terrible teammate?
Putting the problem aside for the time being, Ding smashed the window glass, swept away the glass shards with a brick, and climbed into the personnel department.

Seeing this scene upstairs, Tie Zhenzhen closed her eyes, leaned against the wall, and looked completely satisfied. It was so exciting!

Ding Shiqiang suppressed the murderous intent surging within him and stopped the NPC from the Administration Department, asking softly, "Did you see Dot?"

The NPC pointed and said, "She's at the tea house." The tea house is where the company provides meals for employees who bring their own lunches.

Ding Shi took the water cup from the NPC's hand: "Thank you." He took a big gulp of water and calmed himself down.

Ding Shi strode towards the teahouse. Passing by the logistics office, he noticed the sign hanging there, but he was certain it had been taken down because the chain holding the sign had spun around.

Dian Dian was reading a book at the teahouse when she heard footsteps. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ding Shi. She instinctively stood up and said, "You...you're not dead..."

Ding Shi made his move, splashing half a cup of water on Dian Dian. Dian Dian screamed, her expression turning terrified, and she kept slapping the water off her body.

Ding Shi hugged her, wrapped his left arm around Dian Dian's neck and covered her mouth, and used his right hand to stab her 13 times in a piano-playing motion with a dagger.

Ding Shi pushed Dian Dian away after seeing that her eyes had lost their luster.

The next second, the specks turned into starlight, with numbers, 0 or 1, appearing in the middle of each speck. Moments later, the starlight vanished without a trace. Ding Shi looked at his clothes; the bloodstains that had been on them had also disappeared.

System notification: Kill the Veil to gain 100 Ita Mall points. After leaving the instance, you can access the Ita Mall through the system interface.

Damn it, I never expected that my first encounter with the veil would be so close to death.

(End of this chapter)