Jing Shu ran out of the villa courtyard, the robot bouncing along behind her. From the courtyard gate, she looked towards the main entrance and began to translate; she was curious about what the middle-aged man was actually saying.
He wore gray trousers, a white shirt, a well-fitting vest, and a perfectly chosen blue tie. His entire appearance exuded precision: a well-proportioned physique, impeccable attire, and a custom-tailored Western dress hat. All these elents contributed to his exceedingly polite deanor, while his silver mask underscored his nobility.
Jing Shu quickly translated the ensuing dialogue.
"I’m very sorry, my friend. I may have interrupted your pleasant activities, and I apologize for my rashness. At the sa ti, thank you for visiting my private estate, Rhein Manor, during your busy schedule. Of course, your presence is most welco."
He was a tycoon! The owner of this private estate!
The man removed his hat in a gesture of apology and welco. Then, he stood up, leaned on his elegant cane with his back to Jing Shu, and contemplated for a mont before turning around to speak.
"You must be a capable adventurer, or perhaps a team. Otherwise, how could you have acquired the ’Key’ after infiltrating and navigating traps filled with lasers? I must say, I admire you. You passed my test."
Was this video pre-recorded? she wondered, looking around cautiously. Then what triggered its playback? Was it this little robot? It seed to have BEEPED a couple of tis just now.
No matter what the man on the TV said, Jing Shu kicked the little robot. She didn’t know what it was made of, as it remained completely undamaged and continued to bounce along behind her.
At that mont, the gentleman on the TV continued, "Do you still like Rhein Manor? How has your harvest been? This is a gift I specifically prepared for you. That’s right, you heard correctly: everything in this entire Rhein Manor is gifted to you or your team.
Of course, you’ll still need to unearth its value yourselves, as it’s currently filled with various dangers," he chuckled.
"If you’re lucky, you might acquire many of the resources I didn’t manage to take with ."
The key point: "he didn’t manage to take them with him."
That ans he fled? No wonder the whole estate felt sowhat vacant, like sothing was missing. So he’d already taken so resources? Did he leave in such a hurry because he was escaping? Jing Shu cupped her chin, remaining vigilant.
"Alright, my friend, I actually have a request for you. Although I don’t know why you ca to Rhein Manor, there’s no denying your success. Whether you’re after the formula for the latest newly developed drugs, abundant resources, or lifesaving dicine, I have prepared them all for you. They are in the middle of the tower, in a secret room. As long as you carry the ’chip’ Key, you can enter and exit freely and take whatever resources you desire."
"Furthermore, my ’corpse’ is also there. Yes, all the assets of Rhein Manor are yours. The great Job Sibus has only one request: help complete the proof that Job Sibus is dead. Simple, right?
The clever, resourceful, and powerful adventurers killed the top United States tycoon Job Sibus in his secret room and acquired his vast wealth. Isn’t that exciting?
So please follow Little Bu; it will lead you there. Oh, and Little Bu only recognizes the owner who possesses the chip. From now on, you are the master of Rhein Manor."
The man smiled.
Jing Shu had thought the recording would end there. She hesitated. The tycoon wanted to fake his death to evade so terrible predicant; it was highly probable that the corrupt United States Governnt was targeting him. If even such an affluent individual had been forced to flee, had she and her team been overconfident in coming here?
What if she refused his request? After all, she now possessed the chip Key. Jing Shu pulled out the chip again. It was currently flashing, emitting a signal. She wondered if the terminal on the other end could control it; that would be a persistent problem.
Suddenly, the man lunged towards the cara, his face magnified many tis over. He flashed a devilish smile. "Please, you must complete my commission. If it’s not done by 8:00 PM on April 2nd, trouble will co knocking. That is, unless you want to be the scapegoat."
With that, the video finally ended.
The large screen flickered and went completely black. Silence returned to the world. Jing Shu raised her hand and glanced at the ti: 7:59 PM!
Hmm... Did sothing go wrong sowhere? It seems we’ve just perfectly missed the deadline. What should we do now? Grab the things from the tower and evacuate quickly? This place might beco a battlefield. Jing Shu placed her hands on her hips. For the first ti that night, her actions were completely deviating from the plan, and events were changing too rapidly.
Danger lurked everywhere.
"Wake up, wake up, Hao Yunlai!" Jing Shu slapped him several tis, but he showed no signs of waking. Considering her own safety, she reluctantly decided to feed Hao Yunlai a little Spiritual Spring. This guy actually seems sowhat useful, she thought. If a truly dangerous situation arises later, he might help avert so of the danger.
Jing Shu fed him a drop of Spiritual Spring. While doing so, she sent a ssage to Yang Yang to rendezvous, briefly explaining, "I think I’ve found the data for the formula here. et up with !"
She continued to drag Hao Yunlai forward.
After a good while, Hao Yunlai’s bleary eyes fluttered open, and he imdiately cried out, "Painful, painful, PAINFUL!"
"Where does it hurt?" Jing Shu stopped and turned to look at Hao Yunlai, whose eyes were still hazy with confusion.
"Help up," Hao Yunlai said painfully.
Jing Shu hauled Hao Yunlai up. He painfully straightened his body, revealing his scraped buttocks and thighs. The pain made him limp.
"Look, I’m injured. I might not be able to walk."
Jing Shu was speechless.
"AHEM." Jing Shu said, embarrassed, "Things were too urgent just now, so I just dragged you. How about you switch positions so I can drag you from the other side? Sothing urgent ca up."
"Okay." Hao Yunlai obediently took off his clothes and spread them under the sack. "You can go now."
Sothing felt odd, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Jing Shu dragged Hao Yunlai at a frantic pace. With only his head sticking out, Hao Yunlai was frequently struck by a dozen or so swinging bundles, accompanied by THUDDING sounds. He quickly retracted his head back into the sack and tore a small hole to observe their surroundings.
Jing Shu felt a pang of regret. It seed she wouldn’t be able to stuff anything more into her storage space for the ti being. Wasn’t there supposed to be another secret room full of supplies? Still, having a conscious Hao Yunlai with her was, ultimately, for safety.
The robot moved incredibly fast, always staying just slightly ahead of Jing Shu. It guided her with a clear target in mind: the very tall tower.
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