Chapter 11: An Ordinary Job

It was still the same temple.

The candles burned brightly, and incense smoke drifted through the air.

The only noticeable difference was that the page floating above the altar had changed once again.

Yet it still looked just as yellowed and worn.

However, the instant Zhou You touched it, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

“Detected item in player’s possession: Bones from Within the Door.”

“The player may choose to replace this instance with a special instance. Please note that the difficulty of this instance may be somewhat high for your current level, but there is a chance of obtaining extremely rare rewards, and you will receive medicine capable of effectively treating your illness.”

“Would you like to enter?”

Zhou You did not answer immediately.

Instead, he stared at the final sentence for quite some time before finally extending a hand and pressing it without hesitation.

After all, wasn’t the entire reason he had entered this damned place to find a chance to cure himself?

Although it only promised medicine capable of treating his illness rather than curing it completely, there was a saying for that.

Something was better than nothing, wasn’t it?

The moment Zhou You made his choice, the page seemed to suffer some sort of error.

It flickered rapidly several times in midair before beginning to transform entirely.

The paper gradually became tattered, resembling an old book from the 1980s.

Even the text changed, shifting from standard printed characters into an older ink-printed typeface.

“Unknown special item detected: Bones from Within the Door.”

“Modifying scenario.”

“Scenario modification complete.”

“Special Instance: Night Watchman.”

“Type: Calamity.”

“Corruption Level: Low to Medium.”

“Revival Count: 10 + 5 (additional bonus from Bones from Within the Door).”

“Background: Like many young people of your generation, you came here filled with dreams and ambitions, hoping to make something of yourself. Because of that, you left your hometown and traveled to this coastal city.”

“Unfortunately, reality did not develop as beautifully as you imagined.”

“Due to your lack of qualifications, you struggled greatly before finally finding a job as a night patrolman.”

“The pay is poor, but it is enough to keep you from starving.”

“What you do not know is that this job is far from ordinary.”

“Before you, five people disappeared and three died horribly while working this same position.”

“And you will most likely become the ninth.”

“Objective: Survive for five days and complete at least one full patrol of the entire district.”

“Please note that time within this scenario is divided into two states: Daytime and Nighttime.”

“When you actively choose certain options within the game space, fulfill specific conditions, or die more than a certain number of times, time will immediately revert to Daytime.”

“Daytime is relatively safer, but your range of movement will be restricted, and you will be unable to complete patrol duties.”

“This scenario only supports automatic saving.”

“Reward One: 500 Soulstones and one random purple-quality special item.”

(Item and talent grades, from lowest to highest: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, Silver, Red, Gold, Dark Gold.)

“Reward Two: An additional one and a half months of lifespan, along with one dose of Three-Chu Decoction capable of suppressing the worsening of your illness.”

“Would you like to enter?”

Well then.

Now there wasn’t even an option to quit.

Zhou You curled his lips and immediately chose to enter.

“Hey...”

Vaguely, he heard a voice.

“Hey, kid...”

The voice grew louder and increasingly irritable.

“Hey, kid, I... I’m talking to you, damn it!”

A sudden thunderous shout jolted Zhou You’s consciousness awake from its haze.

Opening his somewhat heavy eyelids, the first thing he saw was a face filled with anger.

At first glance, the man appeared to be around thirty-six or thirty-seven years old.

Bald.

Dressed in a common green security guard uniform from around the year 2000.

A particularly eye-catching red armband was attached to his arm.

At this moment, the man was glaring at Zhou You with obvious displeasure.

And he seemed far from friendly.

Having just entered the scenario and knowing nothing about his surroundings, Zhou You decided to respond cautiously.

“Um, may I ask who you are...?”

Unexpectedly.

Such a simple and polite question exploded like a lit firecracker.

“Who am I?! Have you slept yourself stupid? You don’t even recognize your own supervisor anymore? Back then you practically cried and begged me for help. I only gave you a chance because we’re from the same hometown and found you a job to keep yourself fed. And this is how you repay my kindness? It’s your first day on the job and you’re already dozing off?”

“Uh, I know you’re upset, but maybe calm down first...”

Casually placating the middle-aged man who looked ready to bite someone, Zhou You discreetly glanced down at himself.

The same green uniform.

Exactly the same as the man’s.

Only older and much dirtier.

Dark black stains could even be seen in several places.

They looked...

Rather a lot like blood.

Before Zhou You could investigate further, the middle-aged man suddenly slammed his hand against the desk.

Bang!

The tremendous noise immediately revealed what had awakened him earlier.

“I’m talking to you, damn it! Are you even listening?”

Zhou You quickly coughed twice and put on an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, sorry. I was a little distracted just now and didn’t notice. What was it you needed?”

As the saying went, one could hardly strike a smiling face.

Confronted with such an innocent and friendly smile, the middle-aged man found it difficult to stay angry.

He could only speak in a deep voice.

“I came specifically to remind you that it’s time to start work.”

“Today is your first day on duty.”

“Because we’re short-handed, you’ll be the only person handling night patrols for the next few days.”

“So keep your eyes open and don’t screw anything up.”

“Um, sorry to interrupt.”

“What?”

“I seem to have forgotten something. Could you remind me exactly what my job is?”

“You don’t even know what work you’re supposed to be doing?!”

The middle-aged man nearly exploded again.

But suddenly he seemed to remember something.

In the end, he forced himself to calm down and explained with strained patience.

“I’ll tell you one more time, and this is the last time.”

“Your task is simply to patrol all the major streets of Qinghe District between eleven at night and four in the morning.”

“That includes Pine Slope, where the park is about to be built.”

“Record every problem you encounter.”

“Then submit the report to me during shift handover each day.”

“Uh, one more question.”

“What now?”

“If something happens during patrol, for example local thugs causing trouble, a gentleman thief generously helping someone move their belongings free of charge, or... something particularly strange, what am I supposed to do?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

The middle-aged man waved a hand dismissively.

“All you need to do is make one round, come back, write your report, and that’s it.”

“Simple, right?”

No.

Possibly not simple at all.

Zhou You watched the middle-aged man closely.

With keen perception, he detected a deeply buried trace of fear and dread hidden within the man’s eyes.

In the end, however, he merely grinned and revealed a calm, friendly smile.

“Yes, I understand everything now.”

“Then I’ll go prepare for work.”