Upon hearing the supervisor’s words, He Gu felt a hint of doubt in his heart and could only nod and say, “Thank you, Supervisor.”

With that, He Gu walked out of the warehouse and headed towards the cafeteria in the direction he remembered.

It was still not yet six o’clock, and the sky was still dark.

Although there were many streetlights in the factory area, the density was not high, and the overall road was very dim.

However, almost all the buildings had rooms with lights on, and some buildings were brightly lit and bustling with people. He Gu didn’t know what they were all busy with.

He Gu walked slowly along the asphalt road, pondering the various information he had received today.

To be honest, the supervisor had appeared in time several times to help He Gu resolve crises, and He Gu had almost completely trusted him.

However, the appearance of the note from Zhang Chao and the supervisor’s subsequent reaction made He Gu feel vaguely uneasy.

Lost in thought, He Gu arrived at the No. 4 cafeteria after walking for about twenty minutes.

The cafeteria was still brightly lit, and it seemed that there were quite a few people coming to eat at this time. The cafeteria was much livelier than it was in the evening.

Looking around, almost all the workers in green work clothes were queuing up to get their meals, with a few in blue work clothes.

But only these two colors of clothing could be seen. Perhaps the higher-ranking workers generally did not come to the No. 4 cafeteria, or they simply did not have to work the night shift?

He Gu glanced around and didn’t pay much attention, walking into the cafeteria and looking around. He chose a window selling noodles and started queuing up.

While queuing, He Gu noticed a strange phenomenon.

It seemed that because they were too tired from working the night shift, almost none of the workers queuing up in the cafeteria were talking.

Whether they were wearing green or blue work clothes, they all stood in line with blank expressions, their eyes showing numbness, silent and expressionless.

It was only when it was their turn that they would say a few words to the chef.

Soon, He Gu also noticed that there was a basin of dark “medicated skin” placed in almost every window, and it seemed to be very popular in the cafeteria.

Almost all the workers would add a portion of “medicated skin” to their breakfast.

Those eating buns would eat it with the buns, those eating pies would sandwich it in the pie, those eating noodles would directly cover it on top of the noodles, and even those eating soy milk and fried dough sticks would dip it in the soy milk.

Watching the workers eat the dark “medicated skin” with numb expressions, He Gu suddenly felt that the scene had an indescribable sense of strangeness.

Soon, it was He Gu’s turn to order.

He Gu said lightly, “A large bowl of noodles.”

The chef inside the window skillfully cooked a bowl of noodles and began adding various seasonings. Without looking up, he asked, “Do you need to cook the medicine?”

He Gu was slightly stunned, but quickly realized that the medicine he mentioned referred to the “medicated skin.”

“No, I don’t need the medicine,” He Gu refused, shaking his head.

He instinctively resisted this mysterious thing with an unknown origin.

Even though he had personally experienced the miraculous healing ability of the “medicated skin,” He Gu was not interested in it, and even more resistant to it.

Upon hearing He Gu’s words, the chef who was adding the seasonings paused for a moment, looked up at He Gu with surprise, and then placed the bowl of noodles with only one seasoning on the counter, saying expressionlessly, “18 yuan, next.”

He Gu frowned slightly, but didn’t feel like arguing with him. He took out his phone to scan the code, only to realize that there was no signal in the factory area.

Fortunately, there was still a lot of cash left from the money Zhang Chao had left before.

After paying the bill, He Gu carried his noodles and turned to find a seat, only to find that the people queuing around were looking at him with strange looks.

Some of them even had unfriendly expressions on their faces, as if they were about to come up and beat He Gu at any moment.

It was as if He Gu was a heretic for not adding the “medicated skin”!

He Gu’s heart was pounding, and he didn’t dare to stay in the crowd for long. He found an empty table in a corner and sat down alone to eat his noodles.

The noodles, without all the seasonings, tasted average, but fortunately, the soup had a good flavor, so it was not difficult to swallow.

He Gu huddled in the corner, eating his noodles and silently observing the other people in the cafeteria.

Soon, He Gu noticed another strange phenomenon.

Almost everyone who entered the cafeteria had a tired and dull look on their faces and didn’t speak.

However, after these people sat down and started eating, especially after eating a few bites of the “medicated skin,” it didn’t take long for them to show a noticeable improvement in their spirits, starting to laugh and joke with each other, as if they had become different people.

This made He Gu even more certain that this “medicated skin” was definitely problematic, most likely not a good thing!

Perhaps it was because he had stayed up all night and was indeed hungry, He Gu finished the large bowl of noodles in no time.

After finishing breakfast, He Gu didn’t delay any longer and got up to return to his dormitory.

At this time, the factory area had become much livelier, with workers who had just finished their night shifts visible everywhere.

However, most of them walked on the road with tired faces, not saying a word, even if they were in groups of two or three.

As He Gu walked on the road, he suddenly felt as if he were shuttling between a group of zombies.

After walking for a while, He Gu left the main road, bypassed a few factory buildings of unknown use, and passed through a residential area to return to his dormitory.The alleyway was less crowded, but there were still a few people passing by.

He Gu walked briskly when suddenly he spotted a familiar figure approaching.

It was a man in a blue work uniform, looking managerial, with a slender build and elongated cheeks, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses.

Upon seeing the man’s face clearly, He Gu was taken aback.

It was Old Ma!

The same Old Ma who shared a dormitory with He Gu!

In that instant, He Gu panicked.

Wasn’t it said that aside from He Gu and Zhang Chao, the other six in their dorm had perished in a car accident last week?

He Gu had heard at least three different accounts of the incident, and while each varied, they all agreed on one thing regarding the other six roommates!

They were dead!

Yet today, He Gu had seen Old Ma here!

Something was definitely wrong!

With a sense of urgency, He Gu stepped forward and grabbed Old Ma: “Old Ma!”

Old Ma, looking utterly exhausted, glanced up and said expressionlessly, “Old He? You’re here too?”

After uttering those words, Old Ma shook off He Gu’s hand: “I’ve got things to do, we’ll talk later.”

With that, Old Ma walked past He Gu and continued on his way.

He Gu was unsettled.

It really was Old Ma!

He hadn’t died!

But his reaction… was excessively indifferent!

Undeterred, He Gu chased after him and grabbed Old Ma’s arm again: “Wait! Old Ma, what about the others in our dorm?”

Old Ma glared at He Gu impatiently: “I told you, I’m busy, we’ll talk later!”

With that, Old Ma pushed He Gu away.

Old Ma, who looked as thin as a bamboo pole, now displayed astonishing strength!

He Gu was almost “flown” backward by the push, stumbling several steps until he hit a tree by the roadside and came to a stop.

The impact was so severe that He Gu felt as if his internal organs had shifted.

Grimacing in pain, it took He Gu a while to recover. When he looked up again, he saw Old Ma entering a door in the distance.

He Gu, persistent, followed and was about to enter when he noticed a blue square mark painted above the door.

This door, only those with a blue level position or higher had the authority to enter…