lerbook Chapter 710 A Farewell with Orange Flavor
Chapter 710 A Farewell with Orange Flavor
Dai Mao informed the departing doctor that he and his group were searching for those who had had close contact with Wu Wang.
The other side immediately realized that this group was targeting Wu Wang, and a sense of camaraderie, like that of two people sharing the same fate, almost surfaced.
He immediately patted his chest and promised to help with the search as quickly as possible.
He then turned around and went to find a colleague for help.
As a result, as soon as I turned around, I bumped into someone who was standing ramrod straight.
Before the departing doctor could say anything, they were surprised to find that the other person had a familiar smile on their face and a name tag on their clothes.
This is the person who is smiling!
The doctor who left the job was well aware that things were getting tense lately.
In addition to the sudden increase in the frequency of the Smile Guard patrols during the day and the number of people on duty at various locations, even the situation where Smile Guards were rarely seen at night has changed to having someone on duty 24 hours a day.
Since the previous incident could not be identified or apprehended, the crime was directly attributed to the loan salespeople.
The factory doesn't care who pays the price; it just wants someone to take responsibility.
This resulted in loan salespeople who thought they were living a comfortable life being not only placed on the list of inefficient assets, but also being penalized with a considerable amount of wish points.
Doctors who have recently left their jobs are now afraid of people who smile.
He quickly smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming. I'll leave right away."
After saying that, he turned and tried to leave quickly.
Unexpectedly, the smiling person raised his hand and pressed down on his shoulder, saying with a forced smile, "Employee #2557, please wait. The factory needs you to complete a questionnaire. Please cooperate."
Then, his gaze fell upon the hawksbill turtle and the others.
He read out the player IDs of all the players one by one in the same tone.
They also indicated that they needed to complete this survey as well.
Faced with this sudden event, the players couldn't help but feel a chill.
Could it be that they've already been exposed?
That shouldn't be the case! After Wu Wang's commotion, no matter how quickly the data model for the Great Purge is built, it shouldn't be ready until tomorrow afternoon, right?
Hawksbill turtles, on the other hand, thought about things more deeply.
She observed every detail of the smiling person, including their expression, movements, and even the frequency of their blinking.
Speculating on another possibility—
"Could this guy be Wu Wang in disguise?"
Ever since she guessed that the other party was a woman disguised as a smiling person to secretly carry out her plan, Dai Mao now sees every smiling person as if Wu Wang is in disguise.
Especially now, and of all times, the one who came out to take away their smiles...
Unfortunately, she had no way to verify it.
This is also what Dai Mao considered to be the cleverness of the person who pretended to be the Smiling One before the fall of Wu.
Even if the two players on her side on the fourth floor realized that the other party might be Wu Wang.
They would absolutely not dare to confront Wu Wang and try to expose his disguise.
Even if there's only a one percent chance of admitting fault.
Neither the employees nor the players would dare to question the Smiler.
Just like now, even the hawksbill turtle himself, faced with the smiling man's request, could only lower his head and walk upstairs with him, not daring to verify whether he was Wu Wang.
After arriving at a meeting room upstairs that resembled the previous experience-sharing session, they were handed a stack of questionnaires.
All the players, including the hawksbill turtle, were dumbfounded.
The departing doctor was so stunned that his mouth was agape, unable to believe it was real.
"You call this a survey questionnaire?" Qing Ning couldn't help but ask.
The reason is simple: each of these questionnaires is as thick as a book.
It's hard to imagine how many questions there are, or how long it would take to finish them.
"Of course, please fill this out carefully, as it will affect your behavior rating," the smiling man said calmly.
Then he sat down opposite everyone and stared at them intently.
That "I'll keep a close eye on you no matter how long you work" attitude completely shattered everyone's hopes.
What kind of person are they looking for?!
By the time this questionnaire is finished, the daylily will be too cold to even look at!
The hawksbill turtle narrowed its eyes and clenched its fists.
Something's not right, something's really not right...
If the other party really intends to stay here and monitor us, then it's most likely not Wu Wang in disguise.
That kid doesn't have that much time to stay with the players; he must have other plans to carry out.
But if the person in front of you is truly a smiley person, then why would they make them complete such an exaggerated questionnaire?
This is clearly a delaying tactic!
Is the smiling person helping Wu Wang?!
Turtle felt her brain was about to give way; she couldn't understand how such a thing could have happened.
Now everyone in the factory who smiles is eager to find Wu Wang and tear him apart.
How could they possibly help him stall them?
Seeing that the hawksbill turtle showed no intention of writing, the smiling person simply maintained his smile, pointed to the questionnaire on the table, and said, "Please answer as soon as possible. If you need a meal or need to use the restroom, please let us know in time. I will have a specialist deliver a late-night snack or accompany you to the restroom. Please rest assured that we will absolutely protect your privacy and safety."
This statement completely blocked any way out.
They even send someone to accompany them when they go to the toilet.
It's practically saying outright that none of you will be leaving anytime soon.
The meeting room was dimly lit.
The sunlight shone on the smiling man's name tag, making his employee number shine brightly.
HR-2714.
He has another name.
His name is Zhang Mingyuan.
Zhang Mingyuan had been thinking about it for a long time ever since Wu Wang pointed out that there were pebbles on the blanket.
In the end, the carpet that had been trampled and dented was replaced with a new one.
If there are small stones in the shoes and they've rubbed your feet raw, then the shoes are probably worn out by now.
Wearing shoes like these will also make your walking posture incorrect.
Then I might as well change my shoes.
He didn't know what Wu Wang wanted to do now.
But he knew that the best time to start over was immediately.
Stop thinking about the external programs you once set up.
Let Wu Wang go crazy and make a scene.
All I need to do is help the other party with some minor issues that they don't have time to deal with.
For example, this group of guys who also don't seem like normal employees, but who don't have a good relationship with Wu Wang.
"Hopefully, there won't be any pebbles in my shoes this time."
Thinking this, Zhang Mingyuan stared intently at the players, making them feel uneasy...
At this very moment, in the staff quarters on the 33rd floor.
The lighting in the corridor remained as comfortable as ever, after all, the theme of this floor is the warmth of home.
A ghostly figure emerged from one of the shadows illuminated by the light.
Then, he slowly walked to the door of room 233 and gently knocked.
The dent on the door, made by a fist, is still there, like a scar that will never heal.
dong dong dong-
I knocked three times, neither too hard nor too soft.
There was no response.
dong dong dong-
He knocked three more times and said softly, "Zhou Ping, I've come to return your things."
After a moment of silence, footsteps could be heard from inside the room.
However, his steps were slow and heavy, like a person who had walked in the desert for a long time and suddenly heard the sound of water. He was afraid that it was a mirage and worried that he would find that there was nothing there when he went over.
Click—
The door opened.
Zhou Ping stood behind the door, wearing a wrinkled white shirt with the collar open, revealing long scars all over his neck.
That wasn't a work injury; he scratched himself.
During this time, he fell into deep insomnia, scratching his skin again and again at night, the stinging sensation making him feel alive.
Wu Wang had only been separated from him for a few days, but he seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
"You've arrived." Zhou Ping's voice was hoarse. Wu Wang nodded, not asking why the other party had become like this, and walked straight past him.
The room was furnished the same as when I last visited.
Or rather, they're a bit too similar.
Even the plate of oranges that was previously on the coffee table is still there.
The reason I was sure it was the same plate of oranges was because they were completely dried out, and their wrinkled appearance was heartbreaking.
Clearly, Zhou Ping had not tended to the room since Wu Wang left.
Oh, there is still one difference.
There was a dark red mark on the fruit knife next to the fruit plate. Judging from Wu Wang's rich experience in suicide, it was definitely dried blood.
Zhou Ping walked to the opposite side of Wu Wang, and the few wounds on his arm confirmed some of the guesses.
"You're not a kid anymore, why are you trying to copy Landmine Girl's fancy knife? Are you planning to cosplay as King of Kings sausage?" Wu Wang teased casually.
Zhou Ping looked down at his hands and said calmly, "I can't sleep. It's been too quiet without her. I want to use this method to make sure I'm still alive and can keep going."
Wu Wang did not respond.
After sitting down, I casually picked up a shriveled orange, peeled it, and put it in my mouth to eat.
It tastes like chewing paper, and it's also sour and astringent.
"It tastes awful," he said after swallowing with difficulty.
Zhou Ping's lips trembled slightly, not because he empathized with the bitterness, but because of a certain expectation he dared not voice.
"You...you said you came to return something..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Wang took something out of his pocket and put it on the table.
It's the same orange.
But it wasn't shriveled and wrinkled; instead, it was plump and full, and its color wasn't the normal orange-yellow, but rather a strange grayish-white.
The poor man's gaze was fixed on it.
His body began to tremble.
"This is……"
Zhou Ping wasn't sure; he wanted the most certain answer.
"Your wife's memories." Wu Wang leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs. "The factory extracted these memories from her brain because they needed to make them into products to sell to you. After you bought the 'Return of the Dead' product, it was no longer of any use and was simply disposed of as waste."
Upon hearing the word "scrap," Zhou Ping's forehead veins bulged, and even his breathing became rapid.
But he never reached out and picked up the gray orange.
After about a minute or two, Wu Wang finally spoke calmly, "What? You don't dare to look?"
Are you afraid that after seeing it, you'll find it's not real? Are you afraid it's another factory trap? Or are you afraid that the little bit of determination you've worked so hard to build up will shatter at the slightest touch?
Wu Wang's voice was neither loud nor soft, but every word pierced the other person's heart like a nail.
But he didn't stop and continued, "Or are you afraid that she's really inside, because that would prove she'll never come back?"
Zhou Ping's knees bent.
He slowly squatted down, then plopped down on the floor, leaning against the coffee table, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders were trembling, but no sobbing could be heard.
It's not that he doesn't want to cry.
Rather, she had cried too much during this period, her voice was hoarse, and she had run out of tears.
Xiao Qiu jumped down from Wu Wang's head, walked to Zhou Ping's side, tilted his head and looked at him for a while, then rubbed his furry head against Zhou Ping's hand.
"Meow~"
[Although the eldest brother has a sharp tongue, he doesn't lie, meow.]
You should take a look.
Zhou Ping slowly lowered his hand, his eyes were already red and swollen. He looked at Xiao Qiu and then at Wu Wang.
Then he asked, "She...is really inside, right?"
Wu Wang spread his hands, indicating, "I don't know."
“I didn’t see the specific contents inside; you are the only one qualified to see it.”
He did not deceive Zhou Ping.
[Bai] used the other forgotten memories to analyze the waste virus, and finally covered the orange with the virus.
The reason for choosing the gray orange as the source of transmission is that while others are being spread by the waste virus, the fresh emotions and desires of living people will also nourish the orange.
During the interaction between the two, Wu Wang also adjusted the employees so that they could not read the memories within.
After all, this thing had been completely drained by the factory and deemed to have no further value before being thrown into the forgotten section.
It was just a hair's breadth away from turning to ashes with the slightest touch.
Even with this slight nourishment, it can probably only satisfy one complete reading session before it completely dissipates.
Upon hearing Wu Wang's words, Zhou Ping finally reached out his hand.
The moment his fingers touched it, the grayish-white light spread from the surface of the orange, quickly climbing upwards along his fingertips.
Zhou Ping showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he grabbed the whole orange, as if afraid it would fall to the ground.
Then his whole body suddenly stiffened.
Then he saw the girl with the ponytail in the orchard stand on tiptoe, reach for the highest orange, pick it, peel it, take a bite, and then hand it to him.
I took a bite without any warning, and the sourness made me wince.
It was only then that I realized the girl finally couldn't hold back and also showed the same sour expression.
He then burst into laughter, saying that he had finally been fooled.
He saw the two of them curled up on the sofa in the rented room, just like always on weekends.
Watching TV and eating oranges, everything was so peaceful and cozy.
He also saw...
Countless memories surged forth like a tsunami.
Those most beautiful memories between the two of them played on repeat like a slideshow, yet Zhou Ping always felt that something was missing.
Yes, what's missing?
When the video finally finished playing, the grayish-white light dissipated, and the orange turned into a handful of ashes that slipped from Zhou Ping's fingers.
Zhou Ping knew something was missing.
emotion.
These images are simply memories, completely devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Because they have been completely drained.
Even so, Zhou Ping still saw what he wanted to know in his gray memories—his wife's love for him.
She never hated herself.
She loved herself so much.
The next second, Zhou Ping's ash-covered fingers clenched together, and he made a strange noise.
"Hahaha……"
He laughed, a soft and dry laugh.
Then, the tears he thought he had cried all his life out flowed out again.
Laughter and crying mingled together to create a strange sound.
Seeing this, Wu Wang stood up.
"I've already done half of what I promised you."
"Your memories are back to you. Whether you keep them in your heart or bury them forever is up to you. Goodbye."
Having said that, the little hill on the ground jumped onto Wu Wang's head, and the two of them walked towards the door.
But before he could open the door, Zhou Ping's voice called out to him.
"And... what about the other half?"
Wu Wang shrugged and said in a light tone, "It's being done, and it'll be done soon."
Zhou Ping's voice, which had been sobbing, became firm and filled with a sense of expectation and gratitude.
He said, word by word:
"Please...you must succeed..."
"Please destroy this place completely!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Wang turned his head.
Looking at Zhou Ping's ferocious face, he revealed a bright smile.
"Of course, this is what I do best. I would do it even without you telling me."
"Live well and witness its demise." (End of Chapter)