Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
He Gu's head throbbed upon hearing this.
Not this again!
He Gu really didn't want to agree to anything in this bizarre world. Over the past three years, he had seen more than once in his live streams how casual promises became loopholes for "it" to claim lives.
Yet, given the current situation, He Gu couldn't outright refuse.
If what 111 said was true, that he could easily take out 369 across departments, then he could probably find a way to take out He Gu as well.
No matter how he looked at it, falling out with 111 right now was definitely not a good idea.
After hesitating for a moment, He Gu calmly asked, "What do you want me to do?"
111's face still wore a smile: "Simple. Find an opportunity to get me some crow feathers and fresh blood, and while you're at it, smear a little crow blood on your manager's clothes. Just a tiny bit will do."
He Gu immediately became alert upon hearing 111's request: "Crow feathers and fresh blood… you could get those yourself, right?"
111 shook his head: "You might not know, but in the entire factory, only your internal warehouse office regularly comes into contact with crows."
"Besides, I want these two things… without anyone knowing. I don't trust others to get them for me."
He Gu neither agreed nor disagreed: "And you trust me?"
111 revealed a meaningful smile: "I just helped you, and we have no conflicting interests. You wouldn't bite the hand that feeds you, would you?"
He Gu curled his lip: "Then why… do you want me to put crow blood on our manager's clothes?"
111's smile remained light as he delivered his words: "He's my prey."
He Gu was shocked: "What?!"
Blue can prey on green, and they can prey on each other too – that was something He Gu had only learned yesterday afternoon.
And now, 111 was telling him that blue could also prey on purple?!
111 shook his head with a chuckle: "Knowing too much isn't good for you. As long as I'm no threat to you, we can just help each other out."
He Gu remained vigilant inside, but his face showed a relaxed smile: "Alright, I'll do my best."
111 nodded, then pulled out a syringe and a vacuum tube, handing them to He Gu: "Here, I've prepared the tools for you."
"Of course, when you'll encounter a crow is unpredictable. Just play it by ear, I won't rush you."
"As long as you get these two things done for me within this month."
He Gu sighed internally, taking the syringe and vacuum tube.
At least 111 had given him plenty of time.
Within this month… it's only the beginning of the month now, he didn't even have to wait until the end. As long as he didn't die, He Gu could clear this instance.
If he couldn't fulfill the promise by then… it probably wouldn't be too big of an issue, right?
He Gu comforted himself with this thought.
"Alright, it's getting late, go back and rest," 111 said, adding, "Get a good night's sleep, relax. If there's danger at night, 401 will help you."
With that, 111 patted He Gu's shoulder.
He Gu nodded, and they turned to walk towards the stairwell, one after the other.
As he entered the stairwell, He Gu saw the staircase leading to "Basement Level One."
Instinctively, he took a few steps to avoid it, ready to go upstairs.
At that moment, however, He Gu saw 111 naturally heading down the staircase.
He Gu's heart skipped a beat: "You… you live downstairs!?"
111 looked back at He Gu, puzzled: "Even if Teacher Fang didn't tell you, you should be able to tell from my code that I live on the first floor."
"Is there a problem?"
He Gu's scalp tingled: "I know you live on the first floor, but… that's Basement Level One!"
A strange look crossed 111's face: "The first floor of this building refers to the level below. Otherwise, if you live on the fourth floor, do you expect there to be an actual fourth floor above ground?"
He Gu: !!!
What does that mean!?
There's no fourth floor above ground!?
He Gu suddenly remembered Rule One, Article 8: The staff dormitory has only four floors, please remember this;
***
Could it be… the fourth floor where he lived didn't actually exist!?
At this thought, He Gu felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Seeing He Gu suddenly silent, 111 gave him a weird look: "What's wrong?"
He Gu's heart was racing, but he forced himself to say: "Nothing, just didn't catch on for a moment."
111 curled his lip: "Relax, go back and sleep well."
With that, 111 seemed to suddenly remember something: "Oh right, almost forgot to remind you, don't go to the manager's canteen for meals from Monday to Wednesday."
At this moment, He Gu's mind was preoccupied with the fourth floor, and he asked subconsciously: "Why?"
111 replied: "Let me put it this way, all the food supplies in the factory canteens are managed by our logistics department."
"And the manager's canteen… we supply eight types of meat and ten types of vegetables every day, but from Monday to Wednesday each week, the manager's canteen can serve a ninth type of meat…"
111 said this with a meaningful smile: "Think about it. If you're willing to eat there, it's fine, it won't kill you."
After saying this, 111 didn't linger any longer, quickly descending the stairs and soon disappearing around the corner.
He Gu stood there, dumbfounded, his mind buzzing with 111's words.
The fourth floor doesn't exist!?
The building has only four floors!
He Gu was completely disoriented for a moment.
Which doesn't exist, Basement Level One or the fourth floor above?
After wrestling with the thought for a while, He Gu took a deep breath and started climbing the stairs, despite his unease.
Although he was uneasy, He Gu couldn't just avoid going back to his dormitory because of a single sentence.
At the very least, He Gu needed a place to sleep.
Besides, he had been living here for several days now, and apart from the little girl who appeared and disappeared mysteriously, there didn't seem to be any other danger.
Moreover, the little girl in red had just given He Gu a key item, which might be an important character for clearing the instance!
With this thought, He Gu's unease lessened slightly.
However, He Gu soon froze on the staircase.
He had reached the third floor.
To his surprise, the staircase he had been using for so many days now ended at the third floor.
The staircase to the fourth floor was gone…