Ghost Story of Factory No. 14

The Snake Bone Ring had a single limitation: the duplication function required a massive amount of energy to maintain. It didn't matter if the superhuman provided the energy themselves or directly used a core as a replacement; in short, each time a duplicate was added, an additional portion of energy was required. But even so, this Snake Bone Ring was still a pleasant surprise, like picking up a million yuan!
Most importantly, looking at the Snake Bone Ring in her hand, Ye Yu immediately remembered the Level 2 Happy Ground in her bag. Although the Snake Bone Ring's energy demand was exceptionally large, making it a true 'glutton,' looking at it the other way, as long as she provided it with a continuous stream of energy, could she have a continuous stream of Happy Grounds?!
Ye Yu's breathing quickened. If that were truly the case, then the surprises this Level 2 Happy Ground would bring her in the future might be even more than the "Worker's Conduct Handbook"!
Thank the heavens! Thank the earth! Thank the blessings of nature!
Ye Yu thanked everyone except the person in the hood, immediately and happily stuffed the Snake Bone Ring into her pocket, and her lips instantly curled up.
It had to be said that danger always goes hand in hand with opportunity. After killing a Level 5 Ghost Story, Ye Yu became rich overnight! Even Ha Zhongliang, who had become a Level 3 investigator, might not be as wealthy as she was!
But this wasn't the end. Ye Yu then supported her tired but excited body and walked quickly toward Workshop C.
In reality, Workshop C was not much different from Workshops A and B; they were all ordinary clean food workshops. However, after a careful search, Ye Yu soon discovered a small hidden room in Workshop C. The room was locked with a large lock, and Ye Yu was too tired to break the door by force.
But this didn't stop her. She directly pushed a small mirror through the crack in the door, then her figure flashed, and she entered the mirror, then came out from the mirror, appearing inside the room.
This small room was not as terrifying as the Ghost Story domain inside; it looked like a cold storage. However, the cooling machinery had stopped, and the temperature was not much different from outside. Inside were boxes of minced meat rotting and stinking because the temperature was too high. Two Level 1 cores lay on the ground, waiting to be picked up.
Ye Yu looked at those pieces of rotten meat, then bent down to pick up the cores on the ground. She was so 'full' this time that she almost didn't care about these two Level 1 cores.
"Meow!!!"
Suddenly, a miserable cry of a stray cat came from outside. Ye Yu was startled, thinking that the Ghost Story of this factory had come back to life.
She hurriedly went out to look and saw that Vu Xi, who had been resting in the ruins earlier, had appeared on the open ground outside Workshop C at some point. A group of Corpse Cats was surrounding him, and he was biting the largest Corpse Cat. With a swipe of his claws and his mouth wide open, he swallowed that Ghost Story core.
As the core was taken, the largest Corpse Cat and the other Corpse Cats attacking Vu Xi quickly 'deactivated' and fell to the ground. Their bodies rotted and disappeared rapidly, and soon, only a set of white bones remained on the spot.
Seeing Ye Yu looking over, Vu Xi instinctively said, "Don't think about it. I've already eaten it; I won't spit it out for you."
Vu Xi's recovery ability was indeed not bad. His swollen claws had recovered, his spirit was much better, and his attitude toward Ye Yu seemed to have returned to his usual cold and harsh self.
Ye Yu naturally felt a bit regretful, but this time she didn't argue with Vu Xi. Instead, she said with a smile:
"Where are you taking my thoughts? You suffered such a great disaster today; I can't pity you enough, how could I still compete with you?"
The big black cat recovered his spirit, and his IQ seemed to take the lead again. "You weren't competing with me just now, and not just once, but twice."
"That Level 5 core matter, how can you call it competing? Didn't we already agree it was mine?" Ye Yu spoke in a soft, weak voice: "I am just a fragile human after all. You are so strong and always talk about eating me. Of course I'm afraid, of course I want to grab the core for protection. As for those Level 1 cores, I was just joking with you. Look at you, you scolded me so harshly earlier, and I still gave those cores to you. If you had caught that Level 5 core, you would probably have swallowed me alive the next second."
Vu Xi was stunned. He tried to recall his previous interactions with Ye Yu. Had she really been that afraid of him before? He wanted to argue, but when he faced Ye Yu's pitiful almond eyes, he choked. He instinctively muttered, "Who said I would eat you if I caught the Level 5 core? I clearly wanted to..."
Vu Xi stopped halfway through his sentence and changed the subject.
"Considering your kindness this time, then... as long as you release me now, I promise not to eat you. How about it?"
"No." Ye Yu refused without a second thought. Then, seeing Vu Xi's eyes widen, she immediately softened her voice again, acting sorrowful: "This is all your fault. Vu Xi, think about it yourself, how many times have you broken your promise to me? You have no credibility with me. I am just a fragile human; I'm timid, and I don't dare to trust you again. Otherwise, if you break your word again, I'll be in a miserable state."
The young girl squatted down, her almond eyes looking straight into the golden cat eyes of the big black cat. Her voice was gentle and sweet, trying to communicate with this cat on an equal footing.
"So let's just leave it like this for now. Rest assured, I will give you more respect in the future, but similarly, I hope you can give me some respect. Let's get along well and learn more about each other. As long as you can give me enough sense of security and trust, over time, when I know you won't hurt me, I will naturally let you go." *As if.*
Ye Yu smiled on the surface but sneered in her heart: Not to mention this cat wanted to eat her the first time they met, but this black cat knew so many of her unspeakable secrets. How could Ye Yu, who extremely valued her own life, let him leave?
"Really?"
Vu Xi still had some doubts about Ye Yu's words, but hearing her say "human" so pitifully, he couldn't help but waver.
Seeing that he didn't immediately argue, Ye Yu's lips curled up, and she quickly changed the subject, not letting him dwell on this issue for too long.
"Speaking of which, I clearly killed the Ghost Story's main body and took out the core. Why did a Level 3 core appear in the Corpse Cat's body? I didn't even notice. And the cat killed by that chef, why would those cats have cores in their bodies? It's so strange."
Vu Xi got a bargain, so annoying!
Vu Xi's attention was successfully diverted. He licked his mouth, his golden eyes showing a bit of pride.
"It's nothing strange. Although composite Ghost Stories are rare, they aren't non-existent. It's just you..."
Vu Xi instinctively wanted to mock Ye Yu for being ignorant, but for some reason, he swallowed the words. Forget it, considering Ye Yu spoke exceptionally well today, he would give her some face.
Ye Yu's eyes moved slightly, acting surprised: "Composite Ghost Story? The materials the investigation team gave me didn't seem to mention this term. I've never even heard of it."
"You don't know because of the narrow knowledge of you humans. Composite Ghost Stories are nothing new."
Vu Xi saw Ye Yu looking at him with amazement. He squatted on the ground, seemingly carelessly playing with a cat bone on the ground with his claws as he continued.
"We Ghost Stories have a phenomenon of cannibalism. Most of the time, the strong swallow the weak, and it's over quickly. But there are special situations, such as when two domain-type Ghost Stories of similar strength expand and their domains overlap, or when a mobile Ghost Story enters the domain of a domain-type Ghost Story of similar strength due to some special reason."
"In this situation, if neither side yields and they don't separate immediately, their rules will collide and intertwine, forming new and more complex rules. This results in a composite Ghost Story with two or more cores. However, this situation is extremely rare. Although mid-to-low-level Ghost Stories have no brains, they have instincts and basically won't do something that hurts the enemy by a thousand and themselves by eight hundred."
"But the situation of this factory Ghost Story is very strange. The overall structure is very abnormal, and that statue... I guess it must be man-made."
Speaking of this, the black cat's face went cold, and he cursed under his breath.
"I was wondering why a Level 5 Ghost Story would have such strong mental pollution ability. It turns out it had that thing."
Then he looked at Ye Yu somewhat unnaturally. After hesitating for a long time, he said vaguely: "Earlier... thanks."
Ye Yu knew Vu Xi was referring to her using the throwing knife to destroy the statue. "No need to be polite; it was just a small effort. And now I want to thank you. I didn't know any of this. You are so knowledgeable."
"Hmph, you only realized it now?"
Vu Xi snorted, but his tail curled up secretly in pride.
Ye Yu took the opportunity to ask: "That hooded person earlier was not simple either. His appearance was too coincidental. It's a pity that what you said about composite and statues is a bit beyond my knowledge. I am far inferior to you in this regard. You know so much; why don't you help me analyze it?"
When there was a benefit, Ye Yu didn't mind flattering Vu Xi. After all, precious knowledge is priceless. What Vu Xi said was not even in the materials provided by the investigation team. It was obviously not something an ordinary person could know. Now she didn't need to spend a penny; a few good words could get it. This was truly worth it!
Vu Xi had no idea what Ye Yu was thinking. At this moment, he was a bit dazed by those sparkling eyes, feeling a tingling sensation from his paws to the tip of his tail.
Just a few words, yet they could make Ye Yu, who usually glared at him coldly, beg him so pitifully. Hmph, humans with narrow knowledge are indeed easily satisfied.
The big black cat also felt it was worth it and wagged his tail.
"That was a statue of the Huanxi God. It was because it was inside that big mouth that this Level 5 Ghost Story gained such strong mental pollution ability. If I hadn't accidentally been affected by that statue, how could you have so easily snatched my Level 5 core?"
"As for those Corpse Cats, they are a Level 3 Ghost Story. I don't know how they ended up in this Level 5 Ghost Story's domain. Fortunately, because the rules of this factory happened to be closely related to cats, this pack of Corpse Cats wasn't swallowed by the Ghost Story. The rules of both sides intertwined quickly, allowing them to survive in the cracks. Wasn't Wang Quan very confused about why this Level 5 Ghost Story was so difficult? This is one of the reasons."
"Earlier I thought this composite was a coincidence, but that statue was definitely not a product of this factory Ghost Story itself. It was placed by a human. Someone intentionally led those Corpse Cats into this factory. Through the operation of rules, they used the living people in the factory to feed this pack of Corpse Cats on one hand, and on the other hand, through the operation of rules, they transferred the Corpse Cats' power into those black-clothed workers. When the black-clothed workers completely transformed into cats, they were killed with one stroke, thus obtaining each Level 1 core."
"In the words of you humans, it's... 'Sowing one seed in spring, harvesting ten thousand seeds in autumn'? As for that statue, it should be used to collect those Level 1 cores, thus avoiding being swallowed by that big mouth."
A beautiful line of poetry recited at this moment added a bit of horror and bloodiness. This was using human lives for 'farming,' treating living people as fertilizer to 'grow' cores. Who could be so insane?!
Ye Yu recalled the hooded person who had escaped, instinctively sensing that this matter was definitely not simple.
"Vu Xi, you even know how to recite "Pity the Farmers"? I didn't expect a cat like you to study ancient poetry! Your reading range is too wide! If you could take the college entrance exam, maybe we could even attend the same university!"
Ye Yu's surprise was half-real, half-fake. Even though she always knew Vu Xi had human intelligence, seeing a black cat recite ancient poetry in front of her—who wouldn't be surprised?!
No wonder everyone kept a safe distance from high-level Ghost Stories. Humans rely on wisdom to defeat Ghost Stories, but high-level Ghost Stories have intelligence similar to humans and can even study human culture. This is indeed a very terrifying thing.
However, Ye Yu didn't show this wariness but continued to ask: "Then do you know who did it? The person who could do such a thing is truly insane; it's better to catch them early."
Vu Xi wagged his tail: "I don't know. Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. This kind of thing is naturally for the investigation team to handle."
Ye Yu blinked: "But I am a member of the investigation team."
Vu Xi: "... This isn't something a small fry like you can worry about. Let the investigation team handle it."
Ye Yu looked at Vu Xi thoughtfully. She felt that Vu Xi didn't seem like he didn't know, but rather like... he knew something but didn't want to say it, intentionally avoiding it.
Composite Ghost Story, Huanxi God statue, hooded superhuman... What did all this represent?
Although Ye Yu was very curious, seeing that Vu Xi had no intention of saying more, she hesitated for a moment and decided to quit while she was ahead.
"Fine, then I won't ask."
Ye Yu stretched, and smelling the scent on her body, she was immediately overwhelmed and held her nose.
"Since this factory is settled, we can go back. First, a hot bath to wash off the stench, then a barbecue meal! Right, when will those unconscious workers wake up?"
"It depends on their constitution and the degree of pollution. Ordinary workers could wake up at any time. If you don't want to be seen by them, we'd better leave quickly. As for the elite workers and night shift workers, they might be unconscious for several hours, a day, or if they're too unlucky... they might never wake up."
The big black cat said this with a very indifferent expression, revealing a non-human coldness.
Ye Yu looked toward the workers' dormitory. Her previous black-clothed workers should all be unconscious in the dormitory now. But she said nothing and did nothing. After all, she couldn't help with this kind of thing; she could only pray for them that the investigation team would arrange for them properly.
"Pick this up." Vu Xi pushed the cat bone toward Ye Yu.
Ye Yu knew this was the remains left by the Corpse Cat Ghost Story, and she was a bit surprised.
"You want to give it to me?"
Originally, to maintain a good relationship with Vu Xi, she had prepared to act as if she didn't see it.
Vu Xi said arrogantly: "I am not a fragile human like you. This thing is useless to me; take it for self-defense."
Getting Ghost Story remains for free, Ye Yu naturally wouldn't refuse. She immediately picked up the cat bone and saw: Level 2 Cat Bone: Can summon two Level 1 Corpse Cats. After the Corpse Cats die, they can only be summoned again after half a month, and after three deaths, the cat bone will be completely damaged.
Looking at it this way, it didn't seem to have much use. But what if it were combined with the Snake Bone Ring that could duplicate? As long as the energy was sufficient, one cat bone could be duplicated five more times. Six cat bones could simultaneously release twelve Level 1 Corpse Cats. As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands; this would provide initial combat power. And what if Ye Yu released 50 Corpse Cats, a hundred, or a thousand at once? Cat sea tactics—you deserve it!
"After the barbecue, I'll go help you buy clothes! Dress up my little cat to be very imposing! No, being able to help me fight Ghost Stories and give me Ghost Story remains, the little cat is already extremely imposing!"
Ye Yu happily stuffed the cat bone into her pocket. Having received a benefit, she gave Vu Xi a burst of sweet words. Level 2 Ghost Story remains were worth at least a hundred thousand yuan. So what if the little cat had a foul mouth? As long as he could bring 'gold bars' home, he was her favorite little cat!
As Ye Yu summoned it, the old bus No. 712 suddenly appeared in front of them. On the way home, Ye Yu felt the heavy weight of the two bags and felt she was truly the happiest person in the world! Could she be even happier?
Reality told her: Yes!
*
Upon arriving home, Ye Yu immediately took a bath. Diluted blood flowed down the floor into the drain. Because the smell of blood on her was too strong and she was afraid of being found out when going for barbecue later, Ye Yu took a rare long bath, even using shower gel to scrub herself as if she were marinating a fish.
After scrubbing her whole body until it was rosy, she wiped her wet hair and came out of the bathroom. The lemon scent hit Vu Xi's sensitive nose, making the big black cat sneeze and retreat several steps.
"What did you put on yourself? It stinks."
"Shower gel, the freshest lemon scent. What's stinking about this?" Ye Yu raised her hand to sniff, then suddenly felt a craving. "I think it smells quite good. Decided! Today's dessert will be my favorite lemon cake!"
Vu Xi expressed disdain: "Lemon cake is just average; iced Coca-Cola is the best."
Ye Yu urged him to go to the bathroom: "We have both, we have both. You should also go take a bath quickly. Right, do you know how to use the bathroom? If you don't like the shower gel I bought, there's also milk soap in the bathroom. But can your cat paws use soap well? Do you really not need my help?"
"Do you think I'm like those stupid cats? I naturally know how to do such a small thing."
Vu Xi raised his chin arrogantly and walked into the bathroom. But then again, using cat paws for these things was after all not very convenient.
When Ye Yu was blow-drying her hair, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye and saw that the bathroom door was not closed, just half-open. She shook her head in her heart, thinking this cat was not careful at all. But the next second, she suddenly saw the cat's shadow on the frosted glass door suddenly stretch and grow tall.
Ye Yu:?!!!
She immediately put down the hair dryer and suddenly pulled the frosted glass door open. Hot air hit her face, and amidst the lingering white mist, Ye Yu's eyes suddenly widened.
The high shower head sprayed warm water, hitting the tiles. The entire bathroom was filled with thick white mist. A tall, slender man stood to one side, water droplets splashing off his firm, white shoulders and chest. Seeing the door opened, he brushed back the wet black hair on his forehead. His narrow golden eyes were slightly raised, and a handsome face, seven parts cold and three parts impatient, looked toward Ye Yu.
"What? You just bathed for nearly an hour; aren't you clean yet?"
Seeing Ye Yu just staring at him blankly without saying a word, Vu Xi's eyebrows knitted slightly: "No cutting in. Wait until I finish bathing."
As he spoke, his long, slender hand reached toward a shelf. He first picked up the milk soap and sniffed it. A lingering fishy milk scent made his eyebrows knit even tighter. After hesitating for a moment, he frowned and reluctantly pressed a bit of the lemon-scented shower gel next to it.
Milk and lemon. What kind of taste do humans have, marinating themselves into the scent of their favorite dishes? Are they preparing to bite themselves if they get hungry in a dream? If it's truly from that kind of psychology, then he can only say... is there an iced Coca-Cola scent?
After tasting small cakes, barbecue, and other human foods, Vu Xi had discovered the greatest love of his life—iced Coca-Cola!
In the bathroom, the handsome man lowered his head to apply shower gel to himself. The smell of blood was gradually neutralized by the fresh lemon scent.
Ye Yu's breath hitched: "Wait, Vu Xi, you..."
Vu Xi said without looking up, "What about me?"
Ye Yu looked down along his hand, instinctively muttering, "You aren't wearing clothes."
Vu Xi: "?"
Vu Xi looked up, his narrow eyes looking toward Ye Yu, with an expression as if looking at someone with a mental disability. "Is your brain damaged by water? Who wears clothes while bathing?"
Ye Yu's brain was indeed a bit dazed. After all, no matter how smart she was, she was only an 18-year-old girl. What 18-year-old girl wouldn't be dazed upon suddenly discovering a naked man in her house?!
The low voice she was used to hearing every day had an extra bit of different flavor because of the man's handsome face and tall, strong model-like figure.
But fortunately, as a girl who had just experienced the high-intensity college entrance exam, Ye Yu was not only at the peak of her life's knowledge but also in the most desireless state. She was only momentarily stunned and quickly regained her reason. "You can actually turn into a human?"
Vu Xi was speechless: "It's just a disguise. Don't be so ignorant."
He reached out impatiently and closed the bathroom door, telling Ye Yu not to bother him. That natural attitude seemed as if he never felt there was anything wrong with transforming from a cat into a human. So Ye Yu's originally shocked mood gradually calmed down.
She picked up her phone and browsed the materials provided by the investigation team for the umpteenth time. The descriptions of high-level Ghost Stories were brief. But in mid-to-low-level Ghost Stories, there were many descriptions of the disguise and mimicry abilities of Ghost Stories.
Even around her, there were many human-like Ghost Stories. Her parents' shadows were roughly human-shaped, the Mirror Girl could directly impersonate a human, the rubber ball girl earlier looked no different from a living person as long as she didn't speak, and even that big-mouthed chef looked like a human before transforming. Looking at it this way, Vu Xi having the disguise ability to turn into a human seemed... completely normal?
Probably because she had subconsciously equated Vu Xi with a cat for nearly a month, she was so shocked when she suddenly saw him turn into a living person. But considering she had only been in contact with this new world for a month, it was normal for her to be ignorant.
Now, what was more worth her attention should be Vu Xi's physical condition. He had never shown this ability before, which should be related to his injuries. Today Vu Xi ate several cores to supplement himself; now his leg was no longer lame, and he could even turn into a living person. She didn't know how much his injuries had improved.
Just a moment ago, she was in a good mood because of today's harvest, but Ye Yu once again felt a sense of crisis. Although Vu Xi never mentioned it, after observing him for these few days, Ye Yu had long suspected his high-level Ghost Story identity. He was currently suppressed by her not because she was too strong, but because his injuries were severe.
Although today, under her intentional efforts, her relationship with Vu Xi had softened a lot, a cat's heart is separated by a belly; who knows what the other party is truly thinking. For Ye Yu, controlling everything in her own hands was the only way to feel safe.
Along with the sound of rushing water in the bathroom, Ye Yu's brain worked at high speed, calculating how to maximize the use of all the resources she had.