Chapter 2: Luo

Meeting the horrified stares of the crowd, the saleswoman spoke.

"Have ...... a good time ...... you play ......." The voice was slurred and sometimes male and female, like she was digesting the part that belonged to the gold chained punk.

The saleswoman walked away again in an oddly uncoordinated position on all fours, and this time no one dared to come forward to stop her.

Then there was a "ding" and a hoarse male voice rang out, "I hate people who spend money frivolously."

At the same time a huge countdown suddenly appeared on the wall - 00:59:59.

What's going on here? Most of the people in the room looked at each other, they had just been scared enough, and now there was a rustle of chatter in the face of such inexplicable games.

"What kind of game is this? It's scary ......"

"What should we do? Choose the merchandise? How do we choose?"

"Punishment should, should not just be like that ......"

Seeing this, the man in the suit let out a well-timed soft cough, drawing the attention of the crowd.

"Long story short." The man in the suit said aloud, "This is a place called Advent World, everyone who enters is randomly involved in games, these are all games to die for, and all we need to do is survive. That guide just now is the NPC who issued the quest, and as for the line after the beep, it's the prompt for the copy to be cleared."

"It's best not to attack NPCs, and as for what happens, you've seen what happens." He pointed in the direction where the female guide had disappeared.

"Why are we here." The balding middle-aged man asked eagerly.

The man in the suit held up his glasses, "I don't know, the selection of people in the Advent World is random, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, you could be selected. The NPCs in the Advent World usually call us the lucky ones, but we generally call ourselves - the unlucky ones."

"Then the way out ......" another man spoke up.

"It is said that by becoming a senior player it is possible to find the door to leave, but no one knows which of the big boys are dead or have actually left."

"How do you know that?" Someone in the crowd asked.

"Introduce myself, my name is Lin Yan and I am a veteran player and I seem to be the most experienced person in the room. If you cooperate, I can help you to a certain extent and even lead you through the game." Lin Yan, the man in the suit, looked around at the crowd and said.

With his calm manner and gentle tone, he seemed both approachable and very reliable.

" Brother Lin, then I'll follow you around." The flower-armed punk immediately made his attitude clear.

"Me too."

"It's all up to Brother Lin."

" Brother Lin, if you need anything, just ask."

The crowd chimed in.

Seemingly pleased with the spectacle, Lin Yan nodded towards them with a smile, "We all have to stick together to get through safely."

Then he looked at Xiao Lan with a gentle smile, "You just received a hidden mission, right? I don't know what the reward is, how about showing it to everyone, it might help us find the clues."

All eyes were on Xiao Lan.

In front of the crowd, Xiao Lan had to take out what he had acquired as long as he didn't want to commit public outrage.

Xiao Lan gently looks at Lin Yan, who has seen all sorts of people in his frequent working life and has seen a lot of people. Although this man seemed polite, he gave off a false and aggressive impression.

Linked to his earlier actions of having someone else pass the paper, and deliberately waiting until after the death to reveal his identity to gather hearts and minds - this familiar whiff of heartfelt green tea from nature.

Xiao Lan decided to keep the skills under wraps as he couldn't get them out anyway.

As for the envelope, he couldn't see much of it, and with only a name to use as a clue, it was a good idea to throw it out there and see what the older players thought.

"Just an envelope, saying that I was given a spur because I was poorer than him." Xiao Lan said with a bemused expression, handing the envelope to Lin Yan in passing.

Lin Yan reached out to take it, but found that he could not.

He frowned and read the item description carefully before he soothed his expression and said, "So it's a bound item, you're really unlucky to have triggered a hidden quest only to get a normal item."

"It seems the envelope's biggest purpose is to hint at the identity of the boss, and we can start with the name Zhang Dong. It's a pity there's nothing written on the envelope."

Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't see the writing on it?

Or do you ignore meaningless information like " Luo" which has no head or tail?

Lin Yan continued with a smile and asked, "Is there anything else? The hidden quest shouldn't be that easy."

The eyes beneath the lenses were not smiling, they were measuring and scrutinising, staring unblinkingly at Xiao Lan.

"There's nothing, just a gift from Zhang Dong in the mission statement, but this gift looks too stingy." Xiao Lan said with an unchanged expression, spreading his hands out in the process to show that he didn't have anything else on him.

With years of experience in acting brazenly in front of debt collection agencies, Xiao Lan is able to play the role with ease.

Lin Yan looked at Xiao Lan for a few more moments to make sure he didn't have anything to hide on his body before giving up for the moment.

"Now that we have a name, I suggest we split up and look for clues based on the name Zhang Dong, and then we meet here ten minutes early to consolidate the information." Lin Yan said, turning to the group.

Everyone nodded and scattered off in all directions.

Xiao Lan ponders the game's prompt "I hate people who spend money" as he walks.

If this "I" is Zhang Dong, together with the hint of the hidden branch, he is probably a very poor and stingy person, though not as poor as himself ......

There was a high probability that Zhang Dong was a supermarket employee, and a low-paid one at that. As he had access to the supermarket's slow-moving envelopes, his scope of work must have intersected with the warehouse, and Xiao Lan decided to look for clues in the direction of the warehouse first.

On the way, Xiao Lan noticed that the supermarket's products looked weird.

Not only do they all look as shabby as the supermarkets, they also carry some not so nice details. There are also some boxes with twisted and mutilated human bodies painted on them, which is very uncomfortable.

For example, the cold meat, the colour and texture, not fresh at all, the skin of a piece of meat even carries a tattoo, not an inspection stamp, but a definite tattoo design. No one would be bored enough to tattoo a pig in a slaughterhouse, right, so what the hell is that ......

And with brands of these items that are unheard of and no price tags, it is completely impossible to determine their prices directly. I'm afraid that the choice of goods afterwards was not an easy one.

A grim gaze crossed the shadows of the supermarket shelves in the dim flickering light.

Xiao Lan, aware of something, looks down, but finds nothing. He crouched down and looked a little further and finally saw the trace of a palm in the dust at the bottom of the shelf.

Something had been lying here, creeping in the shadows, and maybe the thing had been watching him since just now.

Xiao Lan frowned and immediately got up and walked quickly away from the shelves, he didn't want to figure out what it was at all, he was as strong as he could be, first he slipped away to live longer.

The location of the warehouse was found, and as expected, the doors were locked.

With 40 minutes to go before the NPC's stated choice, Xiao Lan decided to keep a low profile and go to the office to look for the key, not knowing if picking the lock would trigger a penalty.

In supermarkets, key management is generally based on the principle of "whoever is in charge is in charge", so the warehouse supervisor's office will most likely have something to offer, and you can also check the staff profile to see who Zhang Dong really is.

"Hello." Lin Yan's voice suddenly rang out from the back, still wearing a gentle smile, like a dependable big brother.

" Brother Lin, what can I do for you?" Xiao Lan turned around and looked back, smiling and acting too.

"Huh." Lin Yan smiled and said in a sincere tone, "As an old player, I just want to give you a piece of advice, when you choose your items later, you can start from the special price section, it's the safest way to go. After all, you're the one I think most highly of among the newcomers."

[It is better not to trust him, my lord].

A few words appeared behind Lin Yan, catching Xiao Lan's eye.

The handwriting is elegant and sinewy, and the point is that it is exactly as it appears on the envelope.

Lin Yan caught Xiao Lan's eye and he turned his head suspiciously to look behind him - nothing. He furrows his brow and sweeps his eyes over the area behind him again and again, still with nothing to show for it.

Seeing Lin Yan's movement, Xiao Lan withdrew his eyes and gave him a grateful look, "Thank you Brother Lin, I will consider it when the time comes."

Consider, it's not so sure whether to do so.

In the eyes of Xiao Lan, a former supermarket employee and bargain hunter who couldn't afford to spend more than a penny, the bargain section was a place full of pitfalls, often mixed in with the original price.

Lin Yan's suggestion seems to have another purpose.

Lin Yan patted Xiao Lan's shoulder encouragingly, "Come on, with your luck you'll make it through alive."

Xiao Lan laughed and laughed with him, acting out a scene where a potential newcomer and a friendly senior got along well, before seeing Lin Yan off.

After making sure no one was around, Xiao Lan took out the envelope and whispered, "Did you just write that?"

The original writing on the envelope disappears and new words slowly appear.

Yes, I can sense movement within a certain range of you, and he is planning to find someone to test the death conditions]

Xiao Lan didn't panic either: "Thank you for the reminder."

It would be my pleasure to serve you]

"Who are you?" Xiao Lan grew curious instead.

My name is Luo and I am enclosed in an envelope, of which you are the owner and my master

Xiao Lan is glad she didn't throw the envelope down the toilet.

Still, he was a bit overwhelmed: "This ......"

[My existence would be meaningless if you didn't need me]

In that case, you can get rid of the envelope]

Unseen pauper Xiao Lan has never seen such a gesture: "...... you calm down."

Is your Advent world so devoid of human rights?

Although this one doesn't look very human does it ......

[Staying by your side is my only value]

Xiao Lan feels a bit on top.

The situation is that either we accept the unknown or we have to kill it, because it is at least a suspected intelligent species, and Xiao Lan cannot do that.

Xiao Lan replied to the mood, "Can you ...... be specific about what exactly you are from?"

The text pauses for a moment before slowly appearing.

[I'm sorry, I can't answer this question because my memory is incomplete]

You are the only light in my life, even if I am abandoned by you and return to nothingness in the next moment, I will be glad to have been watched by you].

Xiao Lan feels like she can't hold it any longer: "......"

This guy also sold a good deal.

But it has to be said that the formula is old but it works.

Xiao Lan sighed, "Ok ...... we'll move together later, but don't call me master, it sounds like I have some special hobby."

[Thank you for your kindness, sir]

[For Your Loyalty]

Xiao Lan scratched his head, not rejoicing at the prospect of receiving help from a mysterious being.

The reason for Luo's presence at Xiao Lan's side is only his word. The only connection between the two is that of a Little Xiao envelope, and Xiao Lan, who knows nothing of the world Luo speaks of, has no illusions that such a weak connection will bind a loyal servant.

Xiao Lan has always known that pies never fall from the sky.

But, for now at least, Luo shows no ill will and seems to be in the same boat as himself. After all, if Xiao Lan were to die, Luo would not necessarily be safe as his prop.

In this strange world, it's nice to have an extra surprising teammate.

"So, can you come out and meet, future partner?"

At the end of Xiao Lan's sentence, no new handwriting appeared on the envelope.

But a black shadow emerges from the fire-painted seal, floating up slowly and without feeling any weight. Xiao Lan reached out and the black shadow bent slightly towards him, as if in salute, and reached out a little more to gently wrap itself around his palm, again without any touch.

It's like a complete shadow.

Looking at the dark figure in front of him, Xiao Lan greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Luo."

[Hello, Sir]

The black shadow writes in mid-air.

At this point there were 25 minutes to go before the first selection.

The author has something to say.

Xiao Lan: Can you sing Little Star?

Luo: ...... won't

Xiao Lan: So you can cook?

Luo: ...... won't

Xiao Lan: What do I need you for?

Luo: How about a sexy black shadow online escort?