| WRIAWW | I'm Afraid Guiyi City Isn't Peaceful Enough | 25
Upon hearing that no protection fees were required, Zong Le visibly relaxed.
If Bai Shao had demanded protection fees, he definitely wouldn’t have paid, which would have inevitably led to the same situation as last time when he encountered Qin Man from the Watchtower Guild—he would have taken a side mission and gone solo.
But this time, his role was as an embalmer assistant, and he had to assist the embalmer to complete the task, creating a paradox.
Besides, Zong Le was also afraid that Bai Shao would bring up the old debt and demand protection fees for the last time he accidentally entered the S-level mission.
Unexpectedly, Bai Shao said it wasn’t necessary.
"So you’re a good person after all!"
Zong Le couldn’t help but praise him.
"......"
No, why does this guy talk in such a sarcastic way? Last time too, he said something that left people speechless.
In normal circumstances, Bai Shao would have snapped back.
But he had just told the two C-levels that he was sent by 1st to help. If he started cursing the next second, it would disgrace him. Reluctantly, Bai Shao swallowed his anger.
"Alright, we’ve all read the rules on the table. This mission must follow the rules on the paper. Everyone, go change your clothes."
"Yes, boss."
"Got it!"
The two C-levels were very obedient and quietly walked into the changing room next door.
In the Infinite Space, levels are always ranked by seniority. Although Bai Shao claimed to be here for charity and not to collect protection fees, the survivors couldn’t really believe that. They had to follow the commands and still flatter the boss when necessary.
The funeral home provided employee uniforms consisting of a white coat with a dark green disinfectant suit inside.
Zong Le put on the clothes, then the shoe covers, followed by two layers of gloves, a mask, a gas mask... layer upon layer, ensuring that no skin would be directly exposed to the corpse.
Bai Shao was the first to leave, tossing out a casual "You guys change first, I’ll go out to look for some clues" before heading off on his own.
As soon as he left, the two C-levels eagerly struck up a conversation with Zong Le.
"Brother, how did you get to know an S-level big shot? He actually greeted you!"
"Yeah, did you guys meet during your last mission? How could a D-level be assigned with an S-level? Even if it’s an S-level joint mission, you’d usually only get paired up to A-level at most. How did you pull that off? You’re our role model!"
"Well, it’s a long story..." Zong Le then briefly described his last D-level mission of delivering a package.
"Damn, accidentally stumbling into an S-level mission!!! That’s so unlucky, but surviving it is a miracle."
"Unlucky, sure, but getting to meet so many S-levels in one go is a win. Not to mention you even got to see the heads of three guilds in person, and even Joshua himself! Isn’t that insanely lucky?"
"True, even though it was an accident, you ran into top-tier S-levels, and there was even a god-tier healer. It’d be hard to die in that situation."
Halfway through their conversation, Bai Shao returned from outside. He immediately caught the keyword "Joshua" and launched into full-on praise mode: "That’s right, he’s kind-hearted, noble, and straightforward. If it weren’t for his leadership during the last mission, we wouldn’t have uncovered so many clues about the ultimate dungeon."
Thinking back to the conversation he had overheard during the last mission, Zong Le gave Bai Shao a pitying look.
This fervent follower was completely in the dark, unaware that his idol actually saw them as nothing more than sheep.
"Oh, by the way," Bai Shao added after finishing his praise of Joshua, "The funeral home is empty, except for a dog tied up in the back."
The Guiyi City Funeral Home didn’t handle cremations—those were sent to specialized crematoriums. This place was more for preparing the deceased and hosting memorial services, so it wasn’t particularly busy.
After walking around, Bai Shao noticed that the equipment inside was fully stocked, and some tools showed signs of recent use, like a blood-stained scalpel and a Hagadorn flat needle covered in bodily fluids.
He didn’t know why the person who used them had left a piece of paper behind or where they had gone.
He took a closer look at the dog in the backyard and felt like it looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen it before.
"There are four metal boxes at the entrance of the funeral home, marked with the hospital morgue logo. They probably contain the bodies we’re supposed to handle tonight."
"Thank you for your hard work, boss!"
Seeing the grateful looks on the C-levels’ faces, Bai Shao felt much more at ease.
As an S-level, he didn’t need to go out and gather information—he could breeze through this small B-level joint mission with his eyes closed. But since this was the first task his idol had assigned him, he wanted to do it well, which was why he went to such lengths.
So, the group headed out together to bring the bodies inside.
Halfway through, Zong Le noticed the male C-level looking uneasy and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong?"
"I don’t know if I’m hearing things, but it sounds like there’s something moving inside."
Zong Le glanced ahead and saw Bai Shao already carrying a metal box into the funeral home, so he handed his own box over and said, "Here, let’s switch."
C-level quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you."
The two of them carried the iron box at the back. The C-level, Shi Jing admitted, "I'm actually really scared of ghosts. Western horror elements like demons and priests are fine, but when it comes to Eastern ghosts and spirits wandering everywhere... If I weren't an C-level, I wouldn't have taken this funeral home mission. I've been scared of these things since I was a kid."
"It's fine."
Shi Jing, "What are you afraid of?"
"..."
Zong Le racked his brain but couldn't come up with a reason, finally stammering, "I'm afraid Guiyi City isn't peaceful enough."
Shi Jing: ???
Ten minutes later, the group dragged all the iron boxes onto the racks in the processing room.
The walls here were thoughtfully adorned with instructions on how to restore the deceased's appearance and the entire process of embalming. Clearly, the funeral home had has hired temporary workers before—it might even be a rotating position.
"Let's get the bodies out first, and make it quick."
Upon hearing this, Zong Le pried open the movable lock on the iron box.
As the lock fell, a mix of corpse stench and freezing white smoke wafted out. He frowned, waving it away, and pulled out the long tray inside, placing it on the processing table.
In the processing room, the harsh glare of the shadowless lamp illuminated the scattered human remains on the stainless steel tray in vivid detail. The lifeless, stiffened flesh, the pigmented corpse spots, the flickering lights in the corridor... All these elements combined to make the scene even more terrifying and eerie.
Shi Jing, standing nearby, was trembling, hesitating to open the box.
Before Bai Shao could show impatience, Zong Le reassured him, "Don't be afraid, it's just a normal corpse inside."
"Right." Shi Jing mustered his courage and opened the iron box.
Seeing a pair of pale, bluish hands and feet inside, he visibly relaxed.
But then a problem arose.
They had initially thought the four iron boxes contained four separate bodies. However, after emptying all the contents, they realized that the four boxes actually held the same dismembered corpse.
"Torso, limbs, internal organs, skull... Does this mean we have to stitch these body parts together?" asked the female C-level named Xu Mu, clearly puzzled.
"Judging by the instructions on the wall, that seems to be the case," Zong Le affirmed her thoughts, casually pressing down on the skull he had just poured out.
The skull, sensing the overwhelming aura from above, trembled in fear and immediately settled down.
Seeing this, Zong Le was satisfied.
Earlier, when he had poured out the corpse, he had noticed that the skull in the iron box was twitching, trying to make unsettling noises. Being the helpful person he was, Zong Le couldn’t allow the weird to frighten his timid teammates during this mission.
Since the weird hadn’t done anything particularly harmful, he decided to give it a slight warning.
Now, it seemed the warning had worked perfectly.
No one noticed this small detail, not even Shi Jing, who was glancing around nervously like a startled bird.
Having quietly resolved a minor issue, Zong Le silently gave himself a pat on the back.
Looking at the scattered human remains on the four operating tables, Bai Shao was dumbfounded.
"Wait, what? Do we really have to follow the rules for this task? Can’t we just brute-force our way through?"
The vague unease he had felt since discovering the funeral home was empty had now become a reality.
Just like the logical thinking Zong Le had applied during their previous missions, survivors who had been navigating the infinite space for years had developed their own methods for completing tasks.
For the vast majority of missions, no matter how the task was described, they could always rely on the three-step strategy of using brute force to eliminate weirds and clear the mission.
During the previous group meeting, some survivors had raised the issue that "the ultimate dungeon seems to have many tasks that can’t be cleared through brute force."
At the time, Bai Shao hadn’t paid much attention to it, but now he had run into exactly that situation.
"Seriously... It’s just a B-level mission, and we have to strictly follow the task instructions?" Bai Shao was clearly annoyed. "Where the hell is the weird hiding? I could just punch it to death and speedrun the mission!"
Zong Le felt the skull in his hand tremble again. This time, it was out of fear.
After venting his frustration and realizing there was still no solution, Bai Shao turned back and asked, "Is anyone here specialized in medium abilities?"
Shi Jing: "Boss, I’m a strength type."
Xu Mu: "I’m an agility type."
"I..."
Before Zong Le could speak, Bai Shao cut him off. "No need to say it, I know you’re a strength type."
Last time in the villa, the D-level survivors had gossiped behind his back, successfully making Bai Shao remember that Zong Le had invested three levels into strength.
But what good was strength in this situation? If they had a medium type or, even better, a low-level medium, they could try to sense where the weird of this mission was hiding and drag it out to kill it.
Now, with only strength and agility types, they could do nothing but stare blankly.
There are only three types of survivors, and with four people, they couldn’t find a single medium type. How could this be?!
Having failed to find a shortcut, Bai Shao could only resign himself to his fate. "This damn mission, whatever."
"I don’t know how to sew. Who here knows how to use the sutures? Get ready to stitch the body together."
"That, uh, boss, this is the last step," Xu Mu spoke timidly. "According to the diagram, we need to first wash the corpse, then extract the blood and air from inside, inject preservatives, and place the corpse into the preservation chamber. Only after the preservative solution in the chamber has solidified can we sew the corpse and arrange arrange the remains."
"The rules for this task are all written on the white paper. We must follow the steps strictly."
Why is it so complicated!
Bai Shao took a deep breath. "Let's begin."
For a moment, the processing room fell silent, with only the sound of running water, the opening of syringe packaging, and the handling of instruments audible.
The most crucial skill for survivors isn't necessarily self-preservation, but also the ability to assess the situation.
Through the previous exchanges, the two C-level survivors had fully grasped the not-so-great temper of this S-level boss. They kept their heads down like quails, focusing on their tasks and absolutely not causing any trouble for themselves.
As for Bai Shao, halfway through drawing blood, he suddenly remembered Joshua's instructions.
'By the way, if you encounter the D-level from the previous task, add them as a friend.'
For an S-level like him to actively add someone as a friend was somewhat beneath his dignity.
Although Bai Shao wasn't as aloof as other S-levels, he still had his pride.
So, after beating around the bush and thinking for a while, he finally blurted out, "Have you eaten yet?"
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