Working Records in a Weird World - 52

 

| WRIAWW | Ample Time | 52

It was the first time Zong Le encountered such an enthusiastic survivor for the first time and was momentarily at a loss, feeling somewhat flustered.

However, Zhou Ke'er was a pure extrovert and naturally sociable without a hint of awkwardness, and kept chattering away: "You're actually a strength type? I really couldn't tell from your slim build. It's surprising that you're a strength type. Actually, joining the Watchtower Guild is indeed the best choice for strength types. Don't be fooled by the other two guilds promising resources, but when it comes to the path of strength, neither of them can compare to Qin Ye..."

There's a famous saying on the survivor forums that one Zhou Ke'er is equivalent to a hundred ducks plus two hundred chickens. Zong Le was now truly experiencing the extent of this person's talkativeness, with none of the aloofness expected from a 10th rank.

"Hello," Zong Le still extended his hand to shake Zhou Ke'er's.

Tonight, members of the three major guilds were all eager to shake hands with Zong Le, making him realize that handshaking was a very necessary etiquette.

 Unlike in Guiyi City, where the local greeting custom was to inquire about each other's parents, which was quite down-to-earth.

"You don't seem to train much for a strength type," Zhou Ke'er clicked his tongue as soon as they shook hands.

You can tell if someone has been training by just a handshake. For example, Qin Ye, who is skilled with military knives, has thick calluses on his palms.

Zong Le just smiled at this, offering no explanations.

He also had a good initial impression of Zhou Ke'er, as this was the first survivor who came up to him and actively wanted to be friends. Compared to those guild members who were always beating around the bush, Zong Le preferred people who were straightforward and without ulterior motives.

Especially when he thought about the diagnosis from that psychiatrist, who, besides suggesting he find a job, also advised him to go out and make more friends, Zong Le felt that this could be a chance for him to change.

"Wait, did you just say that C-level survivors don't have to participate in boss battles?"

"Right," Zhou Ke'er, completely unaware that he had inadvertently spoiled a certain 1st rank's plans, explained, "Lower level survivors are just cannon fodder, so we usually don't let them participate unless it's a mandatory task like the first phase."

"Oh, I see," Zong Le nodded, "That's quite good. But allow me to ask, I don't have to pay protection fees, right?"

He had a bit of a psychological shadow about this thing.

"No, no, this isn't a guild monopoly. It's led by higher ranks, and with the 1st rank overseeing, who would dare to ask to pay for protection fees?"

Zhou Ke'er said with a smile, "By the way, you asking that suggests you've been asked to pay before?"

"Yeah," Zong Le felt a bit down thinking about it.

Actually, he wasn't against joining a guild and even wanted to join to meet more survivors. However, the three major guilds, while appearing glamorous, were essentially capitalist in nature, and Zong Le had no interest in aiding them, so he simply didn't join.

Zhou Ke'er liked this new friend more.

He was also someone who hadn't joined a guild, and had the reasons like Zong Le. He disliked how guilds charged protection fees. Thus, he made friends widely and fought his way up to the 10th rank with his brothers.

"Wait, are we friends now?"

"Why not? Is there any steps or rituals needed to make friends?"

The two of them were chatting happily here, while Joshua, who was closely monitoring the situation, suddenly felt uneasy.

While others might not say it, Zhou Ke'er was adept at muddying the waters. He had a knack for having a crow's mouth, which meant he carried a bit of bad luck with him, often leading to some unexpectedly bizarre outcomes.

Sure enough, Joshua's concerns were justified.

After the strategy meeting was concluded, the high-ranking S-level members began to form teams and prepare to set out.

Joshua clearly saw that the black-haired young man who had been standing at the front earlier did not follow the group. Instead, he quietly left the formation and turned towards the safe passage at the back of the hall. It was obvious to anyone that he had no intention of participating in the final battle.

"......"

Joshua had originally planned to coax him into joining the frontline battle. After all, as the overall commander stationed at the rear, Joshua had countless ways to ensure that a troublesome person would "accidentally perish" on the battlefield.

Moreover, facing a ?-level boss, even the effort of disposing of the body would be unnecessary. It was a perfect plan, killing two birds with one stone.

But now, this plan had once again been ruined.

Joshua suddenly realized something absurd. Ever since he had set his sights on Zong Le, every meticulously laid plan had failed due to various bizarre reasons.

Whether it was sudden changes in objective conditions or inexplicable accidents, not a single scheme had been successfully executed. It was as if he had been infected with Zhou Ke'er's strange streak of bad luck.

This experience of repeated failures was a first in his long career of strategizing.

"What's wrong, sir?" asked a member of the Temple Army, puzzled by the sudden pause of their leader.

"It's nothing," Joshua shook his head and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button.

It didn't matter, he thought.

After all, he was just a C-level. Getting rid of him would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

There would be plenty of time in the future.

......

While the high-level survivors were off fighting the final boss, Zong Le wasn't idle either.

Taking advantage of the fact that all the survivors were resting in the hall, he made his way to the basement level.

Even if the dean was taken down, the hospital's system and structure would remain intact. Simply replacing the person in charge wouldn't change the fact that it was still an organization under the Taikang Yongle Hospital.

He remembered clearly that during his previous inspection, the doctor had mentioned that the basement level was where blood and organs were sold. 

Sure enough, as soon as Zong Le arrived at the basement, he saw a large "For Sale" sign hanging prominently. Medical staff in white coats sat behind tables equipped with blood collection tubes and other simple devices.

A few NPCs were gathered here.

One of them was sitting at the table, rolling up his sleeve to have his blood drawn.

Crimson blood flowed continuously through the plastic tube, and as the blood was drawn, the NPC's face grew increasingly pale. Yet, the nurse across from him remained unmoved, coldly reporting the numbers.

"You still owe 200cc from your last hospital bill."

Next to them, a doctor was enthusiastically using a pen to mark measurements on another patient's body.

"The human body has two kidneys, and only one is needed to maintain daily life. With an extra kidney, you can sell it to us. Right now, the hospital is running a promotion, and each kidney can enjoy an additional subsidy of 3,000 yuan. Don’t worry, you won’t need to pay for the surgery, our hospital will cover all post-operative care costs."

Upon closer inspection, a sign nearby had already listed the prices for each organ in the human body.

Zong Le’s expression grew colder and colder.

He walked forward and slammed something from his pocket onto the table: "Take all your stuff and put it away."

Seeing the medical department credentials on the table, the nurse quickly pulled out the needle to stop the bleeding. The on-duty doctor, who had been dozing at the back, was startled awake by the commotion.

He straightened up to look, but upon seeing the face of the black-haired young man, he immediately fell flat on his face. Even so, he let out a strange cry and shrank back in fear, hurriedly dialing the security and medical department.

Zong Le glanced up and exclaimed, Wow! Isn’t this the black-hearted doctor who treated him last time?!

"You, why are you here?!"

Facing this formidable patient again, the doctor’s psychological pressure was unimaginable. Just the sight of him brought back memories of being beaten to a pulp a while ago, forcing him to spend two solid days in the hospital ward.

"Didn’t you recommend me to come to Taikang Yongle Hospital for recruitment?" Zong Le retorted.

Who told you to come here?!

The doctor’s heart trembled with fear, feeling as if he had eaten something vile, but he didn’t dare say anything, only forcing a smile.

"It was just a suggestion. You’re quite fast, though."

Zong Le didn’t respond.

He had no goodwill toward these people who acted as accomplices to these shady deals and didn’t plan to waste words. Using the authority of the medical department, he ordered them to remove all the blood collection devices and advertisements on the first floor.

While doing this, he didn’t forget to ask the nurse, "What do you usually use the fresh blood you collect for?"

The golden reputation of the medical department worked wonders. The entire hospital feared the dean’s lackeys would deduct their points, so he could only answer truthfully: "Some of the blood is sent to the operating room, while the rest is delivered to the underground garage. Special personnel and vehicles come to collect it everyday."

Just like collecting bodies from the morgue.

Zong Le was still deep in thought when the head of the medical department, having received the news, hurried over, followed by the security team.

Seeing the reinforcements, the doctor scrambled over: "Chief! You’re finally here. This is the guy who beat me up last time when he came for treatment. Just a while ago, he was a patient, and today he’s stolen the medical department’s credentials to strut around the basement. This is a serious incident, you must report it to the dean!"

All that earlier talk was just a pretense to avoid getting beaten up again. No one knew better than the on-duty doctor that the medical department wasn’t a place that could recruit people, getting in was already extremely difficult. The reason for this application was all too obvious.

But no one expected that the usually arrogant head of the medical department didn't even acknowledge him this time.

Instead, he hurried over to the black-haired young man with a beaming smile and whispered, "Why did you come down to the basement?"

He then glanced around and added, "Such trivial matters like having them move things could have been handled with just a word from you. There was no need for you to personally intervene."

The doctor was dumbfounded and began to doubt his own eyes.

At that moment, a loud explosion erupted from the top floor of the hospital, as if something had detonated in the dean's office, followed by a powerful shockwave.

A white beam of light descended from the sky, landing on Zong Le's head, accompanied by a cold system notification.

【Boss defeated, key fragment obtained】

【?-Level Mission 'Taikang Yongle Hospital' Completed】

【'Guiyi City South District' Mission Catalog Unlocked, Survivors' Mission Area Expanded】

【When the next area's mission completion rate meets the standard, the next stage of the ?-Level Mission will be unlocked】

After the beam disappeared, all the weirds and NPCs still in the hospital sensed something, looking up at the ceiling with expressions ranging from tension and disbelief to ecstasy and indifference.

In their perception, the immense aura that once belonged solely to the hospital dean, which had loomed over the hospital, had vanished.

 

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