NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 459: Want to Play?
The third floor of the European-style orphanage.
After shooing away that sneaky little brat, Xu Shuo brewed some tea he found in the office and leisurely leaned by the window to watch the scene below.
Some outsiders pressed the doorbell and then, without his permission, directly entered.
Although, it seemed like they didn't need his permission anyhow.
When the door twisted eerily, Xu Shuo saw it too. At the same time, the aura of the entire orphanage was implicated, seemingly altered by the vortex that appeared, changing certain rules.
Xu Shuo was inclined to investigate, yet matters involving the layer of rules were beyond his comprehension.
Moreover, when he touched upon the existence of those rules, his consciousness seemed to be affected to some degree.
He had experienced it twice.
Once when he tried to transfer his spiritual power into the "heart," and another time in the underground parking garage, when his spiritual power intertwined with the power of Themis.
At that time, he didn't know what state he had entered, vaguely recalling, it seemed to be a kind of indescribably supreme sensation—extremely sparkling, positive, uplifting!
In any case, it was so comforting that one could become addicted and lose oneself, much like a land of tender illusions.
In comparison, the much-feared Abyssal erosion really wasn't worth mentioning, at least the Abyss had never caused him to lose his sanity.
That eye also looked quite ordinary.
Xu Shuo took a sip of tea and watched as those people stood outside, stiffly enduring ten seconds with their eyes shut, before stepping into the domain of Qiming Orphanage under the guidance of the police assistant.
And on that police assistant who rang the doorbell, there was clearly an extra wisp of darkness entangling him.
The warnings about not breaking the rules casually were not false.
On the director's desk, there were a few sheets of paper printed with "Qiming Orphanage Investigation Rules" on A4 paper, and on the blank space at the back of the pages, there were new rules scribbled in messy red ink like Ghost Glyphs.
As well as some old rules that were crossed out and modified.
Xu Shuo leisurely took another sip of tea.
The orphanage wasn't actually as dilapidated as it appeared on the surface, and the yard was not empty; at least there was a little girl in a pink princess dress swinging on the swing.
Then, Xu Shuo watched as that group of people paused in the yard for a while before four followed the police assistant and left, the other two headed towards the little girl.
How brave.
They wouldn't be so foolish as to provoke abnormalities completely unannounced from the start, would they?
And they even specifically split up into groups.
Could it be related to their task?
...
...
In the dim courtyard, the unoccupied swing creaked "squeak, squeak," the rusted chains making a grating noise.
After receiving subsidiary task number two, the female reporter subconsciously glanced over there.
The yard was very large, but there was only one swing set, so the target of the task was quite obvious.
She then noticed that the other five were also glancing over to some extent, and the expressions on their faces spoke volumes.
"Hmm? Why aren't you moving?"
At this moment, the lead police assistant, realizing no one was following, turned back and asked in confusion.
The female reporter struggled to find the right words and, pointing to the swing, said, "Can we take pictures of this place?"
The police assistant replied expressionlessly, "No."
He stood on the cobblestone path leading to the building, with half of his face shadowed in the dim light, giving an inscrutable impression.
There was an awkward silence for a while until the police assistant, seeming to understand their intent, spoke up again, "If you violate any of the rules in the manual, Qiming Sub-district Office will not be responsible for your safety, as it is clearly written in the visitation terms."
After saying that, he turned and walked away, while his voice continued to drift over:
"The orphanage's archive room is on the third floor, if you want to see the archives just don't do anything extra, I'll take you there directly."
As he spoke, the auxiliary police officer walked straight towards the building, apparently no longer wanting to deal with them.
The six of them watched his retreating figure, their expressions slightly enlightened.
This seventh person was either not a player or was from a different camp than theirs, which is why he didn't receive the side mission. Or perhaps, he was betting that others would complete the side mission for him for the sake of his performance value.
In fact, as long as it wasn't a deadly dangerous mission, players would want to try any side mission they encountered.
After all, the rewards were generous.
"So what do we do now?" the female reporter asked, looking at the other five.
"That's where the purpose of dividing into groups comes into play, one group stays behind, and the rest continue to follow him," the white-collar woman from the married couple's team said with folded arms, nodding towards the auxiliary police officer's back.
"Our group will follow him," the social worker said, speaking up immediately after the woman finished.
"Then we'll follow, too," the female reporter said quickly after.
The four then turned to look at the other two.
But within two seconds, the group that would stay was decided, as the married couple exchanged a meaningful glance and the white-collar woman shrugged.
"Fine."
Don't think there's no danger behind, with the nature of these side missions, you're probably going to have to step into every rule's trap!
The two stood in place, watching the other four walk towards the building with the auxiliary police officer, and then turned to look at the yard, where a swing was swaying slightly.
There was no wind, no one, yet the swing maintained a consistent amplitude, swaying without variation.
The white-collar woman dressed in a deep V-neck apricot dress stood with her arms folded, assertively by the side of the road, looking at the man next to her.
The man was dressed in a smart black suit, with a slightly noticeable beer belly, looking sturdy but with decent hair and appearance, which barely saved him from resembling a pot-bellied, uncouth businessman.
"Old Wang, you going up?" the woman asked, pursing her lips in his direction.
"Sure, then you step back a bit," he replied.
Old Wang, referred to as such, unbuttoned his suit jacket and then walked with an aggressive demeanor towards the swing by the flowerbed in the yard; he turned and bravely, decisively sat on the swing that wasn't moving on the right!
And the scene was that of a burly man, somewhat awkwardly curled up on a narrow, solid wood footboard that was only twenty centimeters wide.
The white-collar woman saw this and struggled to suppress her laughter.
But the next moment, the entire yard's atmosphere changed instantly, a dense and cold breath attacking from all directions, and a sharp, cold wind blew through the yard without any breeze!
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On the left swing, there sat a little girl, about five or six years old, unknowingly.
She had shoulder-length, fluffy curly hair, wearing a pink princess dress and pink leather shoes, and also held a pink doll similar to her outfit in her arms, like a delicate and adorable little princess.
But her eyes, both the sclera and pupils, were completely black, void of discernible emotions, emitting a strange and oppressive aura.
At that moment, the little girl was tilting her head slightly, her demeanor reflecting innocence and naivety, her eyes staring intently at Old Wang, who was sitting on the adjacent swing.
"You..."
"Want to play with me?"
…
"Qiming Charity Hall Visit Manual"
5. Qiming Orphanage welcomes your arrival; each child here is an angel, so please treat them kindly. Also, strictly adhere to Qiming Orphanage's rules, or we will not take any responsibility for your safety.
6. There are two swings in the yard; visitors can take photos with the swings and play on them. However, the swings absolutely will not move by themselves when not in use. If you see a swing moving, do not approach, do not touch, and certainly do not sit on it.
7. If you do sit on it, please play with her happily and try to fulfill her wishes as much as possible!
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