Edited by Jules
Xiao Lan looked at the time. Sure enough, it was 2:44.
His guess that a change would occur every hour was validated.
Previously, when they went upstairs to have a meeting, they clearly saw that there was only one meeting room. What was this meeting room 2? A nonexistent meeting room and a boss who never revealed his face sent him an invitation to chat that was full of danger.
There was clearly ill intent.
Suddenly being chosen by the boss interrupted their initial search, and Xiao Lan had no choice but to leave temporarily.
Xiao Lan passed the notebook in his hand to Luo. “I’ll go take a look.”
Luo took the notebook, understanding the danger of going over.
But he didn’t choose to urge him to stay, or say something like ‘I’ll come protect you’. For one thing, since the game had called Xiao Lan by name, him insisting on following might not help and might even increase the danger; for another, he understood that Xiao Lan wanted to train through experience and become stronger, and not be cherished in the palm of one’s hand.
Luo only nodded gently. “Please be careful. I’ll wait for you here.”
“I will.” Xiao Lan waved at Luo.
With that, he walked out of the designer’s office, the back of his figure looking direct and efficient.
Hua Bei, who witnessed the entire thing, felt that while these two didn’t say anything special, his existence seemed very superfluous.
Like that thing which became super bright after it was switched on.
In the hallway, Xiao Lan saw someone else emerge from another office. That person’s brow was furrowed and he had a grave expression as he gripped his handphone tightly; he looked extremely depressed.
He remembered that this person seemed to be called Zheng Zhi, one of the programmers.
Seeing Xiao Lan also walk out of the office, Zheng Zhi asked, “Were you also called to go to the meeting room?”
Xiao Lan nodded. “Mn.”
Zheng Zhi was clearly very anxious. “Fuck… We don’t even know how the danger will show up; how are we supposed to deal with it?”
Xiao Lan didn’t reply since he also didn’t know how to deal with being erased by this existence that came and went suddenly. After all, he had never personally experienced it. At the same time, the players also didn’t know what relationship this boss had with Yin.
This progress was simply covered in layer after layer of dense fog.
The two didn’t say much as they headed to the stairs up to the meeting room together.
When they reached the stairs, Zheng Zhi stared at them as he kept wiping his palms on his pants. He seemed a little hesitant.
Seeing this, Xiao Lan took the lead and went up first.
The moment he stepped on the stairs, it was like he entered a different space.
Zheng Zhi behind him disappeared. The lights of the nearby offices remained, but the human sounds that occasionally came from the offices had quieted down and the players’ figures had disappeared.
At that moment, the entire studio was like an artificial environment outside the window.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xiao Lan raised his guard fully, and every step he took was careful. His footsteps resounded in the quiet space, and because it was too quiet, he could even hear his own distinct breathing.
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But he remembered that he had already climbed seven steps, yet the end of the stairs still didn’t move and hadn’t gotten closer at all.
Turning back for a look, he was still on the very first step.
Xiao Lan went on the alert. What was going on here?
Was there a problem with the space which caused him to be stuck in a ghost wall?
Or…
He thought of Yin’s ability. Perhaps it was an issue with his memory. Did something actually happen before which caused him to return to this place?
He sized up his surroundings; everything was normal.
After that, he started to check his own body, and was surprised to feel a layer of thin sweat on his nape.
Physically, Xiao Lan was extremely strong. After entering the game, he hadn’t done any intense exercise, and a short battle wouldn’t make him sweat.
Aside from this layer of sweat, he wasn’t lacking any of his body parts, and he wasn’t injured.
Then, where did the sweat on his nape come from?
He must have experienced something that made him feel nervous for it to be like this.
That also meant that the issue was with his memory.
Xiao Lan looked ahead. His memory was blank the moment he reached the seventh step; past that, it directly linked to him returning to his current position.
There was definitely some sort of danger up ahead.
If he hadn’t noticed the change in his body and just assumed that this was nothing more than a ghost wall, then he would definitely have lowered his vigilance. Then, if he had rashly proceeded with his guard lowered like this, the aftermath went without saying.
He tried to back up, but as expected, there was what felt like a wall of air at his back, which made him unable to leave this flight of stairs.
Xiao Lan was now in a situation where he couldn’t advance or retreat. There was no way to retreat behind him, and there was unknown danger in front of him.
Since he couldn’t retreat, then just advance ba.
Xiao Lan took out 【Dalit’s Bone】 and grasped it tightly in his palm. Through a month’s worth of battles, he was already very familiar with this new weapon.
Exhaling softly, he started walking forward again.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
…
Nothing happened up until the sixth step. The stairs in front of him were tranquil, and one couldn’t imagine what kind of danger it was hiding.
The seventh step.
When he stepped on it, everything was normal.
But the next second, Xiao Lan felt a sense of danger which made his hair stand on end.
Xiao Lan surveyed his surroundings. There clearly wasn’t anything around him nor were there any sounds; it looked as calm as ever, as if everything was just his misconception.
But his battle instincts told him, danger! His surroundings were shrouded in lethal danger, one that would be hard to escape from if he was caught; it was best if he left this area.
…Had Yin appeared?
Xiao Lan flipped his rod and swept it out around him.
However, 【Dalit’s Bone】 which could attack phantoms didn’t feel like it hit anything.
Seeing that his attack was ineffective, Xiao Lan promptly decided to directly dash forward to try and escape that danger.
However, no matter how much he advanced, that sense of danger didn’t recede.
On the contrary, it grew stronger and made his skin prickle slightly, as if something filled with malice was approaching him.
When the top of the stairs was just a step away, that sense of danger reached its peak. The overflowing killing intent made Xiao Lan feel as if he was falling into the depths of an icy sea.
It seemed like he would disappear from this world in the next second, and no one would ever remember him.
Just as peril was imminent, Xiao Lan decisively took out 【You’re so broke you make me laugh】.
This was a life-saving item that he had obtained after clearing Madam Bella’s manor, which would make the boss let him go. It could only be used once; previously, no matter what threat Xiao Lan faced, he had never chosen to use it, but this time, it looked like he had no choice.
“Heh…”
An illusory laugh rang out in the air.
After that, the icy, bone-chilling killing intent around him slowly faded. The sounds of the players downstairs also carried over. The air seemed to start moving anew; even the lights looked a little more vivid.
“Huu…” Xiao Lan stepped off the stairs and couldn’t help gasping deeply for breath.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This sort of incorporeal danger was too OP. His own skills were inclined towards direct fights, and he wasn’t good at running for his life. If he didn’t have an item, he might have genuinely died this time.
Unfortunately, the poor Xiao Lan still didn’t have many items.
After a short rest, Xiao Lan’s gaze turned to the boss’s office. The door was still tightly shut and looked no different from the last time he saw it.
Knock knock knock —
Xiao Lan rapped on the boss’s office door.
However, there was no response for a bit, as if the boss hadn’t expected that someone would actually be able to get here.
Xiao Lan knocked again. “Boss?”
This time, there was finally a response. A piece of paper slid out from the crack under the door. The paper looked worn in quality and was very yellow with age.
Decorative designs and patterns were drawn on it in a strange text. It looked ominous.
The boss’s eerie voice rang out behind the door. “Xiao Lan ah… All newcomers have to fill out a form, so you fill it out now ba. Remember to leave a handprint with your blood at the end.”
Xiao Lan: “…”
Are you trying to dupe an idiot?
This sort of thing that looked very odd no matter how you looked at it, what sort of person with a normal brain would put down their own information ah, much less use blood to leave a handprint? Was eating too much cornbread like this, being so unable to figure things out?
Seeing that there was no response from Xiao Lan, the boss’s voice continued, “This is related to your bonus. Hurry up and fill it in ba.”
This reason couldn’t be any more perfunctory.
Xiao Lan curled his hands into fists, and had a small urge to beat someone up.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled that there appeared to be an intelligence reduction debuff on him that would make the boss’s evaluation of his intelligence drop by 20%.
But was this just 20%? It had already fallen below a normal human’s intelligence range ba?
Could it be that in the eyes of this game’s monsters, Xiao Lan originally already looked like the sort that was well-developed but had a simple mind, similar to an ape? This melee fighter who seemed to have understood a certain truth felt discriminated against.
So what if he could fight? Did being able to fight mean he couldn’t walk the road of intelligence?!
After realising that Xiao Lan still hadn’t moved, the boss’s voice turned a degree colder. “You… what work attitude is this…”
Xiao Lan thus tossed the rotten paper to the ground, one hand grasping 【Dalit’s Bone】 while the other knocked gently on the door. “Boss, I wish to have a face-to-face chat with you.”
The boss seemed to sense that the situation was a bit off. “No need, just talk like this ba…”
Xiao Lan raised his arm and swung down, his baton slamming onto a flowerpot by the entrance and directly shattering it along with even the stand below it. After that, a burst of dark purple flames leapt up. The fire spread extremely quickly and enveloped the entire pot in the blink of an eye.
After a moment, the only thing left of the flower pot was a pile of black ash.
This flame’s might was obvious.
Xiao Lan was smiling. “How can I demonstrate my sincerity like this? After all, I’m a new employee. I have to maintain modesty and politeness in front of the boss.”
Boss: “…”
You fucking call this modesty and politeness?!!!
If I let you in, wouldn’t my will have to directly come into effect?!!
The boss’s voice appeared once more as he did his best to inject a good-natured air into his cold tone. “Actually… I asked you to come because I wanted to tell you that you’re doing well and… to give you a bonus…”
“No need. I’ve always adored work and have never asked to be repaid for it.” Xiao Lan laughed softly. “Boss, is there anything else? If not, I’m leaving.”
Boss: “…”
Hurry up and leave! Don’t ever come back after leaving!!
The author has something to say:
Xiao Lan: I slack off at work, have an office romance, and even want to beat up my boss, but I know I’m a good employee.
Luo: What sir said is right (applause).
Baobao Notes
Any jjba fans here? Doesn’t xiao lan’s encounter with Yin seem a bit like the crimson king stand?
“Like that thing that became super bright after it was switched on.” 😂
a light bulb 😂
Having your memories messed with is really the worst, just a bit more than having an enemy you can’t fight at all. Xiao Lan will have to think of something soon if just going upstairs once required using up a lifesaving item… Then again, the boss may never want to call him back haha
Thank you so much for translating! <3
Boss: “You are stupid, so go die first.”
[Xiao Lan use【Dalit’s Bone】]
Xiao Lan: NANI?!
Boss: sweats you are so good, i will not disturb you
~thanks for the chapter~
This time the enemy is so scary 😓
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
Yup, yup, XL you’ll be the employee of the month, grats :3
So, the one who vanished this time was probably that other guy?
Thx for the ch ٩(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
Xiao Lan: Who dares underestimate me? Smile
Enemy bosses: Nobody, s-sir. nervous laughter
Luo: Only I can call him sir, hmph. Jealous
Thanks for the chapter! ^^)❤
thanks for the chpater! ♡
ack! i didn’t look before i clicked post! oh well, everyone knows what I mean.
Luo would’ve gone berserk mode if he found out Xiao Lan’s existence almost disappeared..
Thanks for the chapter <3
Everything is a JoJo ref I guess
Thanks for the chap
Oho did you just say office romance? 👀
💜💜💜
Wait, did he or didn’t he use the item?
He did that heh laugh that sounded is from that item then only danger recided…
What’s jjba? So curious~
Thanks for the chappie~
Ngl this was the first chapter to genuinely freak me out shdbdhdvfhdb
Morale of the story:
never give/sign your rights on a piece of 📝 paper.
Quick solution: fake informations when they are making the id card.
what would Luo do if he did disappear here? what would that company boss (5th male lead) do if he disappeared here? i feel he knows stuff about our mc’s father, ba!
just think 00:44 no one died, 01:44 person died, 02:44 two people where to die… QAQ brothers i’m scared sobs
being forgotten in the blink of an eye QAQ, does that also work with people out side the game? even reaching the real world? QAQ i’m too scared ba!