NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 40 - The Little Girl and the Rules
Witnessing the fear in Teacher Fang’s face, unease sprouted in He Gu’s heart.
“Teacher Fang, that cat is…”
Teacher Fang shook his head solemnly, “Don’t ask.”
“You should take a good look at the Employee Handbook when you get to your dormitory.”
Seeing that Teacher Fang was not willing to elaborate, He Gu did not press on and could only nod in agreement.
Shortly after, the elevator arrived at the first floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, He Gu noticed that everyone in the lobby had stopped in their tracks and turned to look at him.
Teacher Fang’s face slightly changed. He whispered, “Don’t speak, don’t look around, just walk fast.”
After hearing this, He Gu felt a tightening in his chest and could only lower his head and quickly follow Teacher Fang out of the lobby.
Once they had left the administrative building, Teacher Fang let out a noticeable sigh of relief, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to Building 4.”
He Gu had many questions at this point but didn’t know where to start.
Seeing that Teacher Fang didn’t seem interested in explaining further, He Gu remained silent.
After all, he was in the World of Strange Tales now, in a new place where he hadn’t even seen the rules. It would be best to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
So, with the storage box he had just received in one hand and his suitcase in the other, He Gu quietly followed Teacher Fang towards the dormitory building.
The factory area of this traditional Chinese medicine company was bizarre, with many old buildings that seemed to be remnants of the late last century, interspersed with some newer constructions that appeared to be built in recent years.
After walking for about ten minutes with Teacher Fang, passing through several clusters of unknown buildings, they finally arrived at a building that looked neither new nor old.
“This is Building 4. You can find your room according to the room number.”
Teacher Fang stopped at the entrance of the dormitory building, and added, “For this month, I am the assigned teacher for this area. Contact me if you have any questions.”
With that, Teacher Fang turned and left.
After bidding Teacher Fang goodbye, He Gu proceeded to climb the stairs carrying his luggage.
The style of this building was similar to the dormitory buildings at school, with stairs on both sides leading upwards and a long corridor on each floor, with rooms lined up on either side like a beehive.
Maybe because there was no one in the dormitory at this time, the whole building was eerily quiet, without a hint of sound.
The dim lighting in the stairwell added to the oppressive atmosphere, making He Gu’s climb somewhat dreadful.
With the storage box in one hand and his suitcase in the other, He Gu’s climb was somewhat awkward.
Just as he was panting heavily, close to reaching the fourth floor, a “tick-tock” sound suddenly came from above.
Looking up, He Gu saw a glass marble rolling down the stairs.
The marble rolled to He Gu’s feet, and he instinctively stopped it with his foot.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell above.
Looking up, He Gu saw a Little Girl in a Red Dress running down the stairs in a hurry.
She was a four or five-year-old girl, fair and clean, with big watery eyes, extremely adorable.
Considering some companies provide small suites for their married employees, He Gu didn’t find it strange that there were children here.
When the little girl saw the marble at He Gu’s feet, she politely asked, “Big brother, can you return my marble to me?”
He Gu nodded, put down his suitcase, picked up the marble, and handed it to the little girl.
The little girl smiled sweetly, “Thank you, big brother!”
Seeing the little girl’s sweet smile, He Gu couldn’t help but smile back, softly saying, “You’re welcome.”
With that, He Gu continued his ascent, pulling his suitcase behind him.
The little girl watched him curiously, “Big brother, are you moving in here?”
He Gu softly replied, “Yes, I am.”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled, “Great! We’re going to be neighbors then!”
He Gu also smiled and nodded, “Yes.”
“By the way, kiddo, where do you live?”
The little girl pointed to the stairs above, “I live upstairs.”
He Gu nodded and quickly dragged his luggage up the remaining stairs, arriving on the fourth floor.
The corridor was lined with rooms on both sides, giving a familiar feeling of a hotel.
Only the two ends had a window each, making the entire corridor dimly lit.
He Gu, dragging his suitcase and carrying his storage box, began to search for his room number 44 along the corridor.
Having crossed the entire corridor to the other end, He Gu finally found the room marked “4-44”.
Just as he was about to unlock the door after putting down his suitcase, he noticed that the little girl had been following him all along, standing quietly behind him.
A slight tension gripped He Gu’s heart, he asked tentatively, “Little girl, why haven’t you gone home yet?”
The little girl stuck out her tongue, “My parents have gone to work, I was playing in the corridor, accidentally closed the door, I don’t have the keys, can’t get back in…”
He Gu thought for a moment, then said, “Do you know your parents’ phone numbers? I can help you call them.”
The little girl shook her head, “My parents never bring their phones to work.”
Hearing this, He Gu’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
If this were on Earth, he would probably let the little girl wait in his room without hesitation for her parents to return.
But this was the World of Strange Tales.
Inviting a stranger into his room before even understanding the rules didn’t seem like a wise choice.
Even if the stranger was just a child.
As He Gu was hesitating, the little girl spoke again, “Big brother, can I use your bathroom? I can’t hold it in any longer.”
Looking at those big eyes, He Gu found it hard to refuse her.
It was just using the bathroom; it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Besides, not everyone in the World of Strange Tales was dangerous.
Comforting himself internally, He Gu eventually opened the door and led the little girl into the room.
It was a small room of about ten square meters, with one room, one window, one bed, a simple wardrobe, and a small bathroom in the corner, much like a dormitory room.
Fortunately, the room was reasonably clean, seemingly just cleaned, with fresh bedding laid on the bed.
He Gu took a look, walked inside, and put away his suitcase and storage box.
The little girl hurried into the bathroom and closed the door.
He Gu sat down on the bed, opened the storage box he just received from the HR department, and took a look inside.
There wasn’t much in the box: two sets of green work uniforms, an intercom, four sausages, a medicine bottle the size of an egg filled with white pills, and an Employee Handbook.
While He Gu was opening the box, the little girl stood quietly at the door, occasionally stepping outside to look around.
He Gu glanced briefly at these items, then began to flip through the Employee Handbook.
The Employee Handbook was full of content, including the rules and regulations of Kangde Traditional Chinese Medicine Factory, factory maps with detailed annotations, etc., totaling over twenty pages.
He Gu quickly flipped through it, his gaze eventually stopping on the last page.
…
**Rule One**:
1. Please wear your work uniform outside of rest times;
2. Under no circumstances are you to wear red clothing; (Instant death)
3. If you see someone wearing red clothing within the factory premises, immediately press the Red Button on the intercom, then lean your back against the wall until they leave;
4. Remember, there are no children in the factory premises.
5. Within the factory area, everyone is referred to by their assigned number. Do not reveal your own name. If you hear someone calling your name, do not respond; (instant death)
6. If you see any cats within the factory area, please offer them some Sausage. However, if you encounter a Black Cat, leave immediately;
7. Please take the White Medicine punctually between 22:00 and 22:30 every day;
8. The Employee Dormitory only has four floors. Keep this in mind;
9. You can trust the people wearing blue work clothes;
10. Entry into unauthorized areas is forbidden; (instant death)
Hidden Message: When alone with someone, they might guide you towards the light, or they might drag you down to hell.
…