Chapter 52 Escape

Xixike Street, the Wasp Logistics Center within the gated community.

A large volume of goods and packages from the gated community were transported and concentrated here, including some shady cargo. Anyone working in logistics within the gray districts naturally needed to have some backing and connections.

However, it was the frontline workers who suffered the most.

Their wages were meager, and if they could just work ordinarily, it would still be bearable. What they feared most was accidentally stumbling upon something they shouldn't have while on the job.

Those with better luck might earn hush money to let the matter slide, making a little extra on the side, keeping their mouths shut, and pretending nothing had happened.

Those with worse luck simply wouldn't show up for work the next day.

"Xiao Lu, the people from Cameron Street seem to have come looking for an explanation regarding that batch of goods sent to the wrong address last time..."

"Tch, what does that have to do with me? I had personal matters that day and even paid that drunkard James to cover my shift. Am I still supposed to take the blame now that something went wrong?"

"The problem is the work schedule wasn't updated... Hey, your temper has been getting worse and worse lately. Although the mafia influence isn't huge over there, they're still not people we logistics workers can afford to offend."

Right now, two men were talking near the edge of the warehouse. The middle-aged man looked somewhat helpless as he watched the young man beside him wear a disgruntled expression.

"Pfft, do the people from Cameron Street dare to cause trouble for Wasp Logistics?"

"Hard to say. They might just hand over the person in charge as a scapegoat to quell the matter and make a big issue small," the middle-aged man advised earnestly. "The supervisor doesn't care about any of that. He doesn't care who actually did it; whoever's name is on the schedule is who he makes take the fall."

"That bald bastard!" The young man stood up angrily, startling the middle-aged man.

He looked at the other person's somewhat frightened expression with shifting emotions, but finally managed to suppress his feelings. "Sigh, I'm sorry. Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Wang."

"N-No problem... As long as you've calmed down. It's just, Xiao Lu, have you been dealing with something else lately? You seem to be in a really bad mood." Seeing this, Brother Wang asked with concern.

Xiao Lu pulled back the stool he had knocked over and sat down. "It's nothing, just troubles at home..."

He lowered his head to gaze at the floor, forcing himself not to look at the corner of his vision where something was shifting and weaving among the warehouse cargo.

*Lu-lu~.*

An empty and playful voice kept echoing, resounding right beside his ear and grating on his nerves.

"Let's not talk about this. If they really come looking for me, we'll deal with it then," he said in a suppressed voice.

Brother Wang nodded and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, a lot of suspicious people have been sneaking into our logistics center lately. Although there were plenty before—after all, the supervisor has ties with the surrounding gangs, and they secretly run operations here—this time feels a bit different..."

"Yeah... I know about that." Hearing this, Xiao Lu's lowered face grew even gloomier.

"They're probably people from an agency. Who knows why they tracked it down here? Maybe some gang messed up, got targeted after a commission was issued against them. Haha," Brother Wang chuckled.

Noticing that Xiao Lu wasn't responding at all, he awkwardly stopped laughing. "Uh, it's almost lunchtime. I'll go get your boxed meal."

"Yeah... Thanks."

Brother Wang walked away, and Xiao Lu slowly raised his head. At this moment, that terrifying shadow was right in front of him, face-to-face.

*Lu-lu~.*

"Get lost!" Xiao Lu gritted his teeth, still forcing his voice down to prevent anyone else from noticing anything amiss.

"I've helped you so much! I used my job and the shoe factory to cover for you, helping you secretly contact buyers to pick out so-called prime targets, and what did you give me in return? What happened to the promised power to escape this situation? My family has run out of money! And now I can't even protect myself..."

"It has... nothing to do with me~. That day, you were the one... in a rush to take leave and visit your mother at the hospital~," the voice teased playfully.

"The agency's people have noticed! How much longer can our little tricks fool them? ...Shit! I'm done! Get lost! I'm done!" The moment "mother" was mentioned, Xiao Lu's emotions instantly shattered. Even though he kept a tight rein on it, his suppressed voice still rebuked the entity furiously.

He stood up abruptly, intending to go find the supervisor and have a talk.

However, his body instantly froze, losing all control. His soul felt as though it were being caressed and kneaded by countless hands, and the entity could crush his "consciousness" at any moment.

His body, his very existence, had long ceased to belong to him...

"Sorry~, no can do... You... must keep working... until I find... a satisfactory one... Who made Xiao Lu... so useless... I don't even want to settle... Otherwise, I could have changed you long ago... Hehe."

"Bastard!"

"Relax~, I'll help you... deal with that bald supervisor... Just a tiny mishap... You're only a low-level employee... No one will ever notice you..."

As the words faded, the binding sensation on Xiao Lu's body vanished abruptly.

The entity had disappeared somewhere in an instant.

"Eh? Miss, what are you here for? Unauthorized people aren't allowed to just walk around inside..."

At that moment, Brother Wang's voice came from nearby. Following the sound, Xiao Lu saw Brother Wang holding a lunchbox while talking to a young woman. The woman was very pretty, but a scar covered part of her face.

"I got permission from your supervisor. I'm looking for the worker who was on duty during this date and time. The cargo tracking numbers he handled are these—can you help me find him? There are some things I need to ask clearly." The woman showed the content on her phone screen.

Brother Wang squinted at it, showing a surprised expression.

Naturally, he would be surprised, considering they had just been talking about this exact matter.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lu felt as though his whole body had plunged into an ice cellar.

In his heart, he prayed desperately that Brother Wang would not answer.

If real danger targeting him and that entity arrived, he didn't care what happened to the entity itself, but he would most likely be dragged down with it, completely losing any chance of turning things around!

"Um, there might be some mistake. Let me go ask again." With that, the woman turned and walked away.

Huh?

Xiao Lu stood frozen in place.

Brother Wang trotted over with the lunchbox and said, "Ah, Xiao Lu, that girl just now is definitely from an agency. I've dealt with their kind many times, I know that vibe all too well. It looks like there's a big problem with that batch of goods. They're actually coming around to investigate!"

Xiao Lu wore an ugly smile. "Brother Wang, did you... did you cover for me?"

"Hey, small matter. Life isn't easy for your family, and it's a pity you got dragged into this mess. Here, take your lunch. Why don't you head back first? I'll ask the supervisor to give you some time off. It's not safe to stay here today. Those agency folks aren't pushovers—if they catch you, you'll be in deep trouble."

"Th-Thank you..." Xiao Lu took the lunchbox and apologized blankly.

After a long while, he suddenly snapped back to his senses. The noisy footsteps in his ears had vanished to who knows where.

His body felt lighter than ever before, as if shackles had been stripped away.

How...

He turned his head instinctively, wanting to know the reason.

Then, he saw a pitch-black figure with its hands in its pockets standing leisurely beside him. A black vortex seemed to be swallowing all the colors around it, and the dark fluid dyed the mottled, impure earth.

Even the air he breathed felt ephemeral, simply because the entity standing close by was a horror that should not exist in this world.

He must be hallucinating.

A hallucination even more terrifying than that entity.

Even when facing that monster, he had still harbored a sliver of wishful thinking, believing it might be an opportunity.

Yet, seeing this presence standing casually beside him, all he could think of was fleeing from this world as fast as possible.

Even if it meant dying...

"Running pretty fast. Quite vigilant, or did the spare vessel prepare in advance..." A hoarse, grating voice, like fingernails scratching a blackboard, echoed slowly.

Footsteps approached. Xiao Lu and Brother Wang looked toward the sound, and the scarred-faced girl had somehow returned:

"Lying is not a good habit. But that thing really is vigilant. Did it run away without a shred of attachment the moment it saw me or sensed the risk? Looks like it really didn't think much of this body after all."

Xiao Lu: "..."

Lin Yilin's offhand remark made him feel as though he had been inadvertently stabbed in the heart.