“Someone is coming. I’m hanging up.” Gao Ming put away his phone. The ghostly eyes on the screen slowly closed. His phone was also a cursed object. Xuan Wen traded it with other players through Dead Water Forum. The glass door spun in the dark. Two youngsters in the investigation centre uniform sneaked into the lobby of the pet toy company. They were startled to see Gao Ming.
“Boss, someone’s here before us.”
“Shush. I’m not blind.”
The two parties stayed about five meters apart. A few minutes later, the company backdoor was pried open. A family of four entered the lobby with masks on their faces like bank robbers. They made such a loud noise that they were discovered before they entered the company. It was easier for them to use the front door.
“Honey, didn’t you say you were an expert lock breaker?”
“I’m an internet hacker, not a physical lock breaker. What do you expect me to do?”
A group of four came in from the backdoor. The man looked around forty. He looked surprisingly buff for a man his age. His wife was about five years older. Despite her unforgiving tongue, she was a good person. Their children should be around the high-school age. However, considering the fact that they were sneaking around the anomaly with masked faces and backpacks, it put their parent’s educational style into question.
The three parties had a staredown. The family of four spoke first because they had the number advantage. The father walked over with his arms raised. “We are here because we’re all horror game players. There’s no conflict of benefit between us. We should cooperate.”
“Nonsense.” The two youngsters were about to refute him when the father continued.
“Why would you bring your children into an anomaly?” The two youngsters were embarrassed after being exposed.
“To be able to survive in the tragedy is the greatest education they’ll get. Plus, I’ll handle my own children’s education.” Luo Dong disliked others criticising his family.
“My name is Yu Ruolong. This is my latest underling, Yu Ruohu. We’re from the Catfish Gang based in the old city. We’re one of the first players to join Dead Water Forum.” The young man undid the buttons to reveal the tattoo around his neck. It was a short, black dragon.
“Catfish Gang?” Gao Ming and Luo Dong hadn’t heard of this organisation before. It was probably made by the players themselves.
They turned to Gao Ming. He said, “My name is Gao Ming. I was a chef. I lost my job not too long ago.” Gao Ming’s introduction was unassuming, like his appearance. However, Luo Dong and Yu Ruolong were not so easily fooled. They were merely too lazy to dig deeper.
“Earlier, someone obtained a miracle Easter Egg in the anomaly, and their attribute skyrocketed by ten points. They have risen beyond the definition of a human. We can’t fall too far behind.” Luo Dong eyed the others. “We shouldn’t fight among each other.”
When they reached a consensus, the glass door spun again.
A man carrying a large camera and a female reporter with a voluptuous figure entered the building. They seemed to be recording some kind of show. The hostess’ make-up was light as she faced the camera. When she noticed there were others inside the building, her eyes glowed with great excitement.
“Hello. We’re from the Midnight Horror Program. We focus on recording all kinds of horror stories.” The hostess switched on her phone to show everyone the show. “We have predicted everything before the tragedy arrived. Our program was once loved by netizens.”
“I know your show. It was a lot of horror-baiting. Well. I suppose you’re making a documentary now.” Luo Dong hated the camera. He put his hoodie back on.
“The arrival of the tragedy did provide us with a lot of material. Therefore, we have changed our goals. Our goal is no longer to frighten people with cheap jumpscares but to provide the horror game players with reference information through the most direct reporting.” The hostess passionately introduced their new program website. “Dead Water Forum has gathered a lot of players, but trading there requires a high processing fee. Our Midnight Horror website is more like a home for the players. Everything is free, and everyone can interact freely.” The hostess flashed a professional smile, “It’s not easy to use Dead Water Forum. We Midnight Horror not only has a website, forum but also an app…”
Gao Ming’s expression shifted slightly. He didn’t expect someone would want to compete with Dead Water Forum. Human greed was something even a tragedy couldn’t wipe away.
Gao Ming took a simple look at the content of the website for Midnight Horror. It was basically a copy of Dead Water Forum. They would link Dead Water Forum’s missions at first notice and even release guides for simple anomalies. They also offered low-quality cursed items as rewards.
“The water at Han Hai sure is deep. Who knew someone would copy Dead Water Forum?” Gao Ming’s expression didn’t change. The core of Dead Water Forum was the big ghosts. Gao Ming and Zhang Ding were the biggest anomalies. How could the others copy them?
“We are not running for profit. We are merely doing this to help everyone fight the anomaly.”
The hostess sounded perfect, but Luo Dong frowned. “Do you even believe that yourself? I’ve heard similar things from the investigation centre. But what’s the result? They’ve abandoned the east city, and they’re going to abandon the old city soon.”
“I’m sure we’ll prove our words with actions soon,” The hostess said as if this was some kind of holy mission. “Why don’t you join as member to try it out? Having more options is not a bad thing.”
The Catfish Gang and Luo Dong’s family were unmoved. Instead, it was Gao Ming who asked with intrigue, “How do I register?”
His eyes were clear. His clothes were tattered. He looked like an honest man.