Li Jiannan ignored Chen Xu and hurriedly went over with a smile, saying, "Hello, please wait a moment, I'll be right there." "Wait, wait, what are you waiting for? We've been waiting for more than half an hour!" The boy looked impatient and spoke in a rather rude tone.
But the customer is always right, so Li Jiannan could only smile apologetically and say, "It'll be ready soon, it'll be ready soon. Hey, hurry up and bring up the fruit porridge for number 18!" Then he said to Chen Xu, "What are you all standing there for? Go and serve the porridge to the customer!"
Li Jiannan's attitude really annoyed Chen Xu, but after all, he thought that he was just working for someone else, and it was normal for an employee to be mistreated, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger and go over to serve the porridge, then put on a smile and said, "Please enjoy your meal."
The boy grunted unhappily. Just then, Gao Xiaojie brought over some pastries, and Guan Yi joined in with a grin. He said, "Looks like this kind of work is really interesting."
Chen Xu's hand trembled as the fairy breathed tickling his ear, causing him to accidentally knock over a piece of cake in front of him, spilling a large dollop of cream onto the boy's jacket.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm so sorry!" Chen Xu glared at Guan Yi and quickly apologized. The boy shouted angrily, "What are you guys doing?! My clothes are very expensive, you know?!"
Li Jiannan, who had been watching closely, saw Chen Xu's mouth practically split open with laughter after his mistake and quickly came over to ask, "What happened? What happened?" Then he sternly scolded Chen Xu, "What are you doing? You seem so distracted! I'm going to give you a good talking to!"
Li Jiannan turned to the boy and said, "I'm so sorry, it was our employee who was too careless. I apologize to you, and we will deal with him severely later."
The boy cursed, but when he looked up and saw the group of people, he froze and exclaimed, "It's you?!"
"Us?" Chen Xu, who was getting a napkin to help him wipe his clothes, looked at him strangely. "You know us?"
The boy quickly took the paper and said, "How could I let you do this?! What, you guys are working here?"
Guan Yi raised an eyebrow. He chuckled, "You mean you've never seen waiters, bartenders, and doormen working together in a cake shop?"
"No, no!" The boy, ignoring the cream on his coat, nudged the somewhat disgruntled girl in front of him and said, "You still haven't recognized me? Guan Yi, Gao Xiaojie, and this... Oh right, what's your name again?"
Chen Xu rolled her eyes, pointed to her work ID, and the boy leaned over to take a look and said to the girl, "Hey, it's them! They're the developers of the game 'Jin Yong Heroes' that we're playing!"
"Really?" The girl stood up in surprise, looked at Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie, and said excitedly, "Yes, yes! I've seen your photos online! Wow, you guys are really amazing! You made such a wonderful game! Can you give us your autographs?"
This was a complete turn of events. Li Jiannan was stunned. Although he frequently went online, he mostly played online games and rarely paid attention to other news. Therefore, he had never met Guan Yi, Gao Xiaojie, or the others.
The boy stood up excitedly, pushed Li Jiannan aside, and tugged at Chen Xu's clothes, saying, "Boss, I really admire you guys! I never expected to meet you here. Could you do us the honor of chatting for a bit, or give us an autograph or something?"
Chen Xu chuckled, touched his nose, and said, "We're still working."
"Work?" The boy looked somewhat bewildered and said, "My god, you guys still need to work here? Is it because you're short on funds for the next game or something? If you're short, just say so online! We players will donate money to raise funds for you!"
Seeing the girl next to him nodding frantically, Li Jiannan felt a little dizzy. He thought to himself, "What kind of world is this? How could this be? Who are these poor students anyway?"
Chen Xu noticed many people were looking their way and was about to say something when his phone suddenly vibrated. He apologized, took out his phone, and saw that it was Gao Xiaojie calling. He looked at Gao Xiaojie in surprise and asked, "Why are you calling me?"
Gao Xiaojie suddenly grabbed the phone nervously and said, "Bixuan went out to deliver a cake, and I was worried something might happen to her, so I gave her my phone." Then she immediately answered the call and asked, "Bixuan, what's wrong?"
Tang Bixuan's voice on the other end of the phone was choked with sobs: "Sister Xiaojie, come quick! Something's happened!"
Chapter 107 Possessed by Evil
Tang Bixuan was the kind of girl who was extremely shy and timid. If someone spoke to her even slightly loudly, she would blush terribly, and her voice would become barely audible, as if she couldn't speak at all. Given her habits, she would never call him unless something truly urgent happened, because she was very timid and always afraid of making mistakes. Therefore, Chen Xu judged that something must have happened.
Chen Xu immediately rushed to the counter, grabbed the takeout order, and grabbed Li Jiannan, yelling, "Where did Bixuan go? What address is it?!"
Chen Xu didn't hold back this time and went all out, his movements as swift as lightning. Li Jiannan was lifted up like a chick, instantly feeling a pressure that went straight to his bones. He quickly said, "It's order number 13, to be delivered to Qingyang Road!"
"Qingyang Road..." Chen Xu quickly checked the form: Building 3, Room 101, Qingyang Road Construction Materials Bureau Dormitory. He was about to rush out the door when Gao Xiaojie and Guan Yi simultaneously called out from behind, "Wait for me!" Then the boy who had been eating cake earlier also shouted, "Hey guys, wait for me! I have a car!"
Qingyang Road isn't close; it's at least five or six bus stops away, so driving there now is the best option. But seeing the boy take out his car keys, then frantically try to pull his friend away while tidying up things on the table, Guan Yi quickly snatched the keys away and said, "You wait here. Which car?"
The boy, his keys snatched away, was momentarily stunned and at a loss. He instinctively replied, "The white Nissan Teana at the entrance." Then he watched as Guan Yi, Chen Xu, and Gao Xiaojie rushed out. It took him a while to react before exclaiming, "Cool! Honey, did you see that? It really is Guan Yi! Such a chivalrous woman!"
The girl nodded vigorously, because they, a group of die-hard fans of Jin Yong's Heroes, all knew what had happened at the game expo that day. The video of Guan Yi's stunning leap from the two-meter-high platform and pointing her sword at the man had already gone viral online, making Guan Yi an idol in the hearts of many players. Many girls also followed suit and were filled with admiration for this heroic girl.
At this moment, Li Jiannan walked over. Wiping his sweat, he said, "Um, I'm so sorry, I'll definitely punish them when they get back, I'll definitely punish them!"
"Punish my ass!" the boy yelled. "If you dare say a word against them, I'll report you! Let me tell you! My father is the director of the XX Bureau in this city! You'd better watch out!"
Li Jiannan: "..."
Meanwhile, Guan Yi grabbed the keys and immediately recognized the Teana Duke parked outside. He expertly opened the door and exclaimed, "Oh!" "This young man's family's pretty rich, huh?"
Neither Chen Xu nor Gao Xiaojie knew anything about cars. After getting into the back seat, Chen Xu asked Guan Yi, who was in the driver's seat, "Can you drive?"
Guan Yi started the car with the key and laughed, "I've been driving bumper cars since I was a kid. Buckle up!"
"Bumper cars?!" Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie exchanged a glance. Suddenly, their bodies lurched to the side, the car started moving instantly, and both screamed in fright, grabbing each other. The Heavenly Duke, like a wild dog unleashed, shot off in a flash, then executed a beautiful drift around the street corner. It sped off!
Although Guan Yi was joking, his driving skills were indeed impressive. The Teana Duke's V6 engine showcased the superior performance of a sports car, and after a few smooth turns, it arrived at Qingyang Road. The journey was relatively uneventful, except for running several red lights…
Arriving at the address, Chen Xu found himself in a rather old-looking neighborhood. He rushed in and began frantically banging on the door, from which he could faintly hear someone groaning in pain.
Upon hearing the voice, Chen Xu panicked, wondering if Tang Bixuan had been taken advantage of. Gao Xiaojie grabbed Chen Xu's phone and made a call. Meanwhile, Chen Xu immediately slammed his fist against the door!
Chen Xu's nervousness wasn't without reason; the main reason was his boss, Wu Yuan. After hearing that Tang Bixuan was going through a tough time, that scoundrel Wu Yuan actually shouted, "I'll make her happy!" This shocked Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie so much they burst out laughing. It was also clear that Wu Yuan had genuinely fallen in love. Every day, he'd make Chen Xu hand the phone to Bixuan, then mumble and stammer for ages, saying something unintelligible. When asked about Tang Bixuan, he'd just smile and blink his big eyes, saying it was nothing, just telling me to take good care of myself, and that he was a really good person.
Knowing his boss as he did, Chen Xu figured it wasn't impossible. Wu Yuan was just too reserved and introverted. Getting him to confess was out of the question; he'd probably be the type to stammer and not utter a single word. So, he had to resort to this old-fashioned, cheesy method… showing concern and making conversation!
The houses in this community are quite old, so this wooden door isn't very sturdy. However, Chen Xu's strength and power generation techniques have reached a certain level, and after ramming it a few times, he immediately broke the door open!
However, after crashing through it, they discovered an incredibly shocking scene.
Inside the living room, a man lay on the floor, covered in blood. His body was a gruesome mess, blood pooling everywhere. He was covered in countless wounds, clearly on the verge of death. In his hand, he held a blood-soaked kitchen knife. A large floor-standing air conditioner was running, making the room quite warm. A computer was playing a strangely melodious song, with inexplicable images flashing on the screen, resembling the ripples of music playback in Windows Media Player. The music wasn't very loud; at least Chen Xu hadn't heard it through the wooden door.
The living room was filled with blood. The door to the next living room was tightly closed, but it had many knife marks on it. "Where's Bixuan?!" The two girls screamed at the sight. Chen Xu, suppressing his fear and nausea, rushed in and shouted, "Bixuan, Bixuan, where are you? Gao Xiaojie, call the police immediately! And call an ambulance!"
At this moment, the bedroom door next to the living room, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, and Tang Bixuan's panicked little head peeked out. When she saw Chen Xu, her face lit up with joy at first, but when she saw the horrific scene in the living room, she immediately screamed!
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Chen Xu quickly pulled her out, reached out and pulled the girl into his arms, carrying her out the door. But just before leaving, Chen Xu suddenly felt a strong nausea. He couldn't help but squeeze Tang Bixuan's hand hard, causing the little girl to scream in pain.
The scream woke Chen Xu up. He was shocked. What had just happened? It was as if he had been possessed. At that moment, he suddenly felt a gust of wind behind his head. Instinctively, Chen Xu made a judgment and grabbed someone's wrist. Before he could tell whose wrist it was, he leaned forward and threw the person over his shoulder in a beautiful judo throw!
But as he fell through the air, Chen Xu suddenly heard a woman's scream and immediately knew something was wrong—it sounded like Gao Xiaojie's voice! So Chen Xu quickly used his hand to support her, catching her on her bottom and gently placing her down. Thankfully, she wasn't injured. Otherwise, given Chen Xu's full-force attack, Gao Xiaojie's buttocks would definitely have been split in four!
"Are you crazy? Why are you attacking me?" Chen Xu shouted at Gao Xiaojie, somewhat annoyed.
Gao Xiaojie looked somewhat shaken. After catching her breath, she said, "I... I don't know! I was listening to that music just now, but suddenly my mind went blank, and then... then I really wanted to hit someone, so I uncontrollably threw a punch. It's so weird!"
music?
Chen Xu's mind raced. Just then, Guan Yi turned around with a grim face, a chilling fruit knife in her hand, seemingly out of nowhere. Seeing her like this, Chen Xu immediately cried out in alarm, pulling Tang Bixuan and Gao Xiaojie backward with tremendous force, disregarding whether they would fall. Sure enough, as the two women stumbled and fell backward to the ground, Guan Yi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and she raised the knife, aiming a vicious slash at Chen Xu's throat!
This attack was swift and brutal, as if they harbored some deep-seated grudge. Fortunately, Chen Xu reacted incredibly quickly, dodging the attack with his side and grabbing the woman's hand. But Guan Yi was no ordinary person. She had practiced that fitness routine for a long time and could complete over fifty movements. Her coordination, flexibility, and reaction speed were astonishing! Moreover, this woman had previously claimed to have practiced martial arts; in reality, she had learned some self-defense techniques since childhood. If this had happened before Chen Xu entered the virtual reality training, and they were fighting bare-handed, Chen Xu would definitely have been beaten up!
The two clashed instantly. Guan Yi seemed to be possessed, pressing forward relentlessly, with almost every move aimed at Chen Xu's vital points. Moreover, her reflexes were extremely sharp, perhaps even superior to Chen Xu's. In addition, she had a knife in her hand, and Chen Xu was afraid of hurting her, so he dodged in a very awkward manner!
What on earth is going on?!
Chen Xu dodged while frantically shouting Guan Yi's name. How could he suddenly be possessed?!
Chapter 108 Subconscious Songs
Guan Yi's relentless attacks left Chen Xu almost powerless to retaliate, and he was nearly stabbed several times by the sharp blade. Chen Xu, Gao Xiaojie, and Tang Bixuan frantically shouted Guan Yi's name, creating such a commotion that it alerted the neighbors upstairs. Guan Yi, however, remained enraged and continued his desperate attacks.
"This won't do!" Chen Xu had rich combat experience, but he couldn't withstand Guan Yi's relentless attacks. Guan Yi's moves were completely undefended, purely offensive. And when Chen Xu wanted to strike hard, Guan Yi reacted very quickly, making Chen Xu as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
If this continues, the medicine might really end up in this woman's hands!
With a fierce determination, Chen Xu finally saw an opening when Guan Yi thrust her knife. After dodging her blade, he pounced on her, and the two of them fell heavily to the ground... Of course, Guan Yi fared worse; not only did she fall, but Chen Xu was also on top of her!
This move was unprecedented in virtual training because if Chen Xu couldn't subdue her instantly and knock her dagger away after being tackled like this, the woman could absolutely stab him in the back with the dagger in an instant! If that happened, Chen Xu would be completely dead!
But as Chen Xu lunged forward, Guan Yi's head hit the ground, and her eyes widened immediately. Her expression was no longer the previous sinister rage, but rather one of confusion and astonishment. The knife in her hand, which had been poking through the air, finally loosened and fell to the ground.
He finally woke up! Chen Xu breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the woman beneath him cried out, "Ouch, that hurts! What are you doing?!"
"What are you doing?" Chen Xu replied irritably, "Damn it! Do you know you were acting like you were possessed just now! You almost killed me!"
"Huh?" Guan Yi was startled; this expression was definitely not feigned. Then she thought hard for a moment before revealing a look of lingering fear. Ignoring Chen Xu who was pressed against her, she said in a confused tone, "Just now, what happened to me?! Just now I suddenly felt a strong hatred for you, a strong urge to kill you! Then I saw a knife on the table... Are you alright?!"
"No," Chen Xu got up and picked up the woman. He also looked shaken: "But it was so close, what exactly happened?"
Guan Yi touched the spot on the back of his head where he had been hit, and said somewhat confusedly, "I think I was listening to music just now. I got a little drowsy while listening."
Another song?!
Chen Xu subconsciously glanced at his watch... because he always asked Xiao Min for help when he encountered problems he couldn't solve or things he didn't understand, but now that there were other people around, he couldn't ask in public.
But Chen Xu was shocked when he saw the watch, because the watch's LCD screen displayed: "Warning! Subconscious sound waves conveying violent messages!"
Subconscious sound waves?!
Chen Xu immediately thought of the "Qingxin Pushan Mantra" that helps people sleep and the "Dabei Mantra" that drives the male singer crazy! Both of those songs belong to the subconscious mind, but the subconscious information they release is beneficial to people.
And this is harmful to people!
Thinking of this, Chen Xu immediately shouted, "Everyone cover your ears! There's something wrong with the music!"
Then Chen Xu quickly covered his ears with his clothes, rushed into the house, and turned off the speakers and computer!
Subconscious songs. Why would such songs appear? And songs that spread violent messages?! Chen Xu glanced at his watch again and saw that the display indicated: "Analysis of this frequency band shows that this subconscious music amplifies violent emotions, causing people to have extremely serious tendencies to attack others or self-harm!"
Upon seeing these words, Chen Xu was immediately shocked again. He looked at the man lying in a pool of blood; he was already dead. Chen Xu had initially thought it was murder. But now it seemed to be a blatant act of self-harm!
This is terrifying!
Imagine if this kind of subconscious music were played openly on the street or on television—how many people would be harmed?! And most people would have absolutely no idea why! This is even more terrifying than some highly lethal weapons!
Just then, sirens blared, and a group of police officers rushed in. They were shocked by the horrific scene inside. The lead officer shouted, "Call 120 (emergency services) immediately! And who called the police? What happened?!"
The fight between Chen Xu and Guan Yi had attracted a large crowd of onlookers. Now, whispers were circulating: "It must have been a crime of passion!" "That's right! It was probably that young man who did it. That girl was probably the dead man's girlfriend..."
This is truly a huge injustice!
Chen Xu hurriedly tried to explain to the police officers that the matter had nothing to do with them. However, the officer in charge walked up to him and said, "Sir, please come with us. There are a few others with you. We need to understand the whole incident. You are the only eyewitnesses at the scene."
Well! This has completely sealed Chen Xu's fate! Just as Chen Xu was about to speak, a younger police officer next to him said with a stern face, "You don't need to say anything now. We will investigate. Yes, you have the right to remain silent."
Chen Xu was truly on the verge of fainting. Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie both stood up and said, "This has nothing to do with him!", but it was no use. Just then, the ambulance arrived, and a group of people in white coats rushed inside, shouting and yelling. Chen Xu said, somewhat frantically, "Can I make a phone call now?"
The two policemen exchanged a glance and said, "Go ahead and start." At that moment, the officers in white coats rushed out again, carrying a stretcher and shouting. Chen Xu and the others quickly stepped aside. Several policemen went inside to check the clues. Chen Xu took out his phone, thinking that the policeman next to the school probably didn't have much influence. But luckily, he also had the phone number of Director Wang of the Municipal Public Security Bureau... which he had memorized when they arrested the singing man last time.
So Chen Xu dialed Director Wang's number. When the call connected, the voice on the other end was very friendly: "Oh, it's Xiao Xu! Hehe, what can I do for you, Uncle?" Director Wang was quite grateful to Chen Xu. The singing man incident was a huge deal; it was the first time in many years that the city had sounded the alarm. One could imagine how precarious his position must have been at the time. Fortunately, Chen Xu caught the singing man quickly, which not only absolved him of any wrongdoing but also earned him merit. Moreover, Chen Xu was just a college student and a minor celebrity in the media. Officials of Director Wang's rank wouldn't put on airs or act pretentiously for someone like that, to maintain their reputation and approachable image.
Chen Xu quickly said, "Uncle Wang, you still remember me? Something's happened to me! Um, I'm on Qingyang Road. I don't know if you've heard the news, but just now, a man in this house was stabbed multiple times and is bleeding a lot. I happened to be here, and because of a small misunderstanding, the police officers who came here thought I was the murderer and wanted me to go back to make a statement. Well, it was my classmate and I who called the police. Making a statement is fine and necessary, but could you please not label me as the murderer for now...?"
Upon hearing this, Director Wang quickly said, "Is that so? You should let the leader answer the phone right away, I'll talk to him!"
It's no wonder Director Wang was a little nervous, because he knew some of the bureau's rules. For suspects with high suspicion, especially those whose crimes were serious, the interrogation process was anything but polite. If Chen Xu was taken in and immediately bombarded with information without a word, then there would be serious problems.
After receiving the call, the police officer in charge immediately said, "Okay, okay, I understand." Then, his expression softened considerably when he saw Chen Xu... probably because Chen Xu had caught the singing man... because these police officers might not recognize Chen Xu's face, but they had definitely heard his name.
Chen Xu took the phone, walked aside, and whispered, "Uncle Wang, there's something else I have to tell you, but please don't think I'm making this up. The injured man from earlier, who had been slashed more than a dozen times all over his body, is very likely not attacked by someone else, but by himself!"