| WRIAWW | Why Does He Keep Bumping Into Him?? | 72
Si Yuyan's feedback to Qin Ye was another matter. Since this matter wasn't strictly considered a trade secret, Dong Feng ended up sharing it with a few close friends over drinks at a bar.
As a result, well-informed survivors quickly spread the bombshell news to the forum's headlines.
【Shocking! Rising Newcomer Allegedly Clicked on the Wrong Enhancements, Wasting Talent by Pursuing Both Strength and Medium Development!】
Unsurprisingly, this gossip drew a flood of onlookers.
[What? Where did this ridiculous rumor come from? Is it even credible? Any survivor who’s seen the beginner’s guide wouldn’t make such a mistake.]
[It’s legit, brother, 100% legit. A friend of a friend of a friend heard it firsthand from someone who just teamed up with the newcomer. They witnessed it, there's no doubt about it.]
[What a shame. To have such rare talent and then stumble over something so small...]
[Yeah, the system doesn’t allow reversals. Once you commit, you’re stuck. If this is true, then all the recent hype about guild recruitment offers must’ve taken a huge hit.]
[No doubt about that. Guilds aren’t charity, they were willing to pay big only because of the newcomer’s potential.]
[Plus, the newcomer’s been pretty arrogant. There's no news about joining any guilds yet, he was probably holding out for a better deal. But he didn't expect things to backfire like this, huh?]
But not everyone agreed.
After all, nothing stays hidden forever. Around the same time, word got out that Joshua held a high opinion of Zong Le. Many promptly backtracked, insisting that 1st’s judgment couldn’t be wrong, the newcomer wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake. It had to be a baseless rumor.
Beyond the newcomer drama, fresh intel about Guiyi City’s Southern District also surfaced.
The first wave of survivors who took on missions there had all returned, with many even completing second-round tasks. Reports indicated that missions in the Southern District felt roughly 30% harder than those in the Eastern District. Even more alarming, another B-level mission had unexpectedly triggered a Weird Domain.
"If this keeps up, I can’t even imagine how brutal the Northern and Western Districts will be."
"Did you guys see the Strategist’s analysis post? The Western District’s missions are likely the hardest. The entire Northern District seems to be an industrial lockdown zone, it doesn’t look like it’ll have major missions. The expert speculated that clearing the question mark-level mission in the Western District might lead straight to the final boss of the ultimate dungeon."
"So the ultimate dungeon’s progression is shorter than we thought. The brain power factions at the last group meeting were right, once we finish these missions, we’ll be home in no time!"
Meanwhile, the festive atmosphere in Guiyi City has been particularly strong recently.
Despite the darkness here, not a single festival is missed—especially major ones like the Spring Festival and Qixi Festival(valentine's day), which the locals enthusiastically celebrate.
During the Spring Festival, lanterns line the streets, and paper dragons twist and turn in the ghostly wind. At midnight, weird soldiers march in formation, their clanking armor mingling with will-o'-the-wisps, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.
On Qixi Festival, the city is full with wedding processions, just like the one Jiang Chou encountered yesterday, where crimson bridal sedans and paper effigy entourages are everywhere, and the shrill notes of suona horns pierce the night air.
Zong Le quite enjoys Qixi Festivals. Whenever he stumbles upon a wedding procession during his strolls, he never hesitates to grab some wedding candies, and occasionally, generous hosts even hand out red envelopes.
Though some envelopes contain "life-buying money" instead of cash, it doesn’t bother him. Zong Le doesn’t believe in such superstitious nonsense, if money’s given, he’ll take it. As for the faint traces of weird energy on the bills?
Hardly worth a second thought.
In this reassuring atmosphere, he rested for a day before preparing to take on another mission.
This time, Zong Le wanted something easier.
After browsing for a while, one task caught his eye.
[Guiyi City Taile Cinema Movie Review Festival]
[Mission Level: A]
[Description: With Qixi Festival approaching, Guiyi City has released a new movie, The Matchmaker. The movie has been in preparation for a long time and has a huge investment. The director has invited a lineup of popular stars to star in it.
Therefore, the production company is particularly confident that it will definitely win the box office on the Chinese Valentine's Day. In order to do so, they are open to the public and invite professional movie critics to watch the movie in advance and write film reviews.]
"This mission looks simple enough."
Watching a movie and writing a review? Piece of cake.
Feeling confident, Zong Le accepted without hesitation.
[Main Mission: Attend The Matchmaker screening and stay until the next morning.]
[Side Mission: Collect autographs from the main cast.]
Since the festival was held in the evening, the mission details specified formal attire. So, Zong Le drove to a mall to buy his first-ever suit.
He didn't know much about suits, but he still relied on his poor instinct to skip those handmade custom counters with shocking prices and chose a most basic black single-breasted suit in the fashion brand area.
A pure white shirt with a solid color tie of the same color, the whole outfit is simple and neat, without any extra decoration.
"This suit suits you perfectly, sir," the salesperson smiled warmly.
Zong Le, whose wardrobe consisted entirely of sneakers, naturally grabbed a pair of shoes too.
Minutes later, he stood before a mirror adjusting his collar. The dark fabric accentuated his sharp, angular frame, lending him an air of refined elegance, which made him look even more unapproachable.
"These clothes... don’t seem suitable for fighting."
He tugged at the snug fit.
The tailored cut flattered his lean physique, giving off a distinctly British gentleman vibe—far from the disaster it’d be on someone with, say, a beer belly.
Still, Zong Le wasn’t used to dressing so formally.
One thing was certain: it wasn’t suitable for fighting. Just shifting his limbs slightly made the fabric pull at his joints, restricting movement. In a mission emergency, that could be a real hindrance.
That said... he had to admit, he looked pretty handsome wearing it.
No wonder the uniforms of the Night Owls gang in Guiyi City were black suits, earning them the notorious nickname "The Suited Thugs."
"Alright, I'll take this one. Please pack up the clothes I changed out of earlier. I'll wear this out."
Even off-the-rack suits weren't exactly cheap. No wonder they say formal wear is the stepping stone to high society—this certainly proved the point.
After changing, Zong Le filled up the ambulance's tank at a gas station.
Only after completing these preparations did he leisurely drive the ambulance toward the mission location.
Taile Cinema was located in the heart of the southern district, a bustling commercial area surrounded by large shopping malls. The cinema itself occupied an entire building, a testament to its financial backing.
Having completed numerous missions, Zong Le was now quite experienced. As a local of Guiyi City, he naturally made full use of local advantages and resources.
Upon arrival, instead of rushing out, he connected to the mall's underground parking WiFi to research Taile Cinema.
His search yielded surprisingly useful information.
"The main investor behind Taile Cinema is Taikang Yongle Entertainment. Taikang Yongle Entertainment? That sounds familiar."
Zong Le recalled encountering a director from Taikang Yongle Entertainment during his last act of heroism on the streets. When handing over his business card, the director had mentioned that Taikang Yongle Entertainment was a company under of Taikang Yongle Group.
"This group's influence permeates every corner of Guiyi City... even the entertainment industry," Zong Le mused, absentmindedly touching the bronze authority ring hanging around his neck.
This pendant had been given to him by the old priest during his registration at Guiyi City's church. It bore both the cross-and-arm emblem of Taikang Yongle Group and the special insignia of the hospital. The priest had claimed this ring symbolized power and status, displaying it would command immediate respect.
Yet despite successfully securing his hospital position, Zong Le still knew frustratingly little about this big company.
An inexplicable intuition told him that survivors trying to complete Guiyi City's ultimate dungeon would inevitably have to confront Taikang Yongle Group.
As mission time approached, he turned off his phone and prepared to wait upstairs.
The cinema entrance was already packed with people.
A crimson carpet stretched from the steps all the way to the roadside, flanked by orderly arrangements of white lilies and red roses. A massive celebratory banner hung from the ceiling, its gilded characters "Global Premiere of 'The Matchmaker' & Critics' Gala" gleaming brilliantly.
Staff adjusted spotlights along the carpet while photographers set up tripods and heavy equipment for the upcoming celebrity walk.
"Are you here for the red carpet event or as press?" asked a staff member checking invitations.
"I'm an invited movie critic. No need to make arrangements, I'll wait here first," Zong Le replied, casually taking up position by the entrance.
While waiting for his teammates to assemble, he overheard snippets of gossip:
"How's 'The Matchmaker' going to be? I heard it had huge funding, but who knows if it'll popular."
"It should be possible this time. We've got a professional team handling everything from the film to the promotion, and we've invited so many celebrities to make appearances."
"But this is a horror movie. Releasing a horror film on Qixi Festival, will that really work?"
"Ah, you don't get it, do you? Qixi Festival is the perfect time for horror movies. Those couples walking hand in hand into the theater are exactly looking for that kind of atmosphere, getting scared and holding each other tight really helps deepen their bond."
That's true, Zong Le thought.
In Guiyi City, horror films consistently maintained high attendance rates. Almost every new release sparked a viewing frenzy, outperforming all other genres.
Perhaps it was because the survival pressure in this city was simply too overwhelming. The precarious jobs, never-ending mortgage payments, and those inexplicable urban legends, all drove the residents to desperately seek an outlet.
Just as he was thinking this, several beams of light descended from the sky.
Zong Le hurried toward them, then pretended to have just woken up.
As soon as he steadied himself, he heard the voices of survivors discussing, and slowly opened his eyes.
Then, amidst the crowd, he spotted a familiar robed figure.
Zong Le: "......"
Was this person haunting him now???
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