Someone returned from outside: "Dinner's ready, come eat."
Lu Chongming had just finished repairing the vehicle and looked up in surprise when he heard about dinner: "Big Brother, is there some for me?"
"Ah, this..." The person who brought the food suddenly didn't know what to say.
"No, we already said it's temporary. Your hourly wage is high, but we didn't say anything about providing meals," another person interjected coldly, thinking they could scare Lu Chongming.
Lu Chongming could only force a smile, having already cursed out everyone in his mind.
However, since there was nothing else to do for now, he sat down to rest.
While eating, a few people chatted about this and that, and eventually, they started talking about Lu Chongming.
"Hey, Little Lu, you said you've done a lot of jobs, so you must have saved quite a bit of money."
"Uh, mm-hmm," Lu Chongming replied with a shy smile.
"It's hard to earn money in the Grey District these days. A pretty boy like you, unless you find a rich woman, it's too difficult to live stably on your own," everyone laughed, not shying away from using derogatory terms.
Lu Chongming cursed inwardly: "You low-lifes, whose meals only have shredded meat from the vegetables, have the nerve to talk about me?"
"Little Lu, what was your last job?" Karaero asked.
Lu Chongming vaguely replied: "Taking care of someone else's child."
"Oh, which noble family in the district let you take care of their child? That must have paid a lot, right?"
"It was quite a lot."
"Then why did you stop?"
"The child's... pet was too fierce..." Lu Chongming's expression was not good.
This truly amused everyone.
Suddenly, the phone of the person responsible for communications among the group rang. Everyone understood the meaning, and their laughter abruptly ceased as they waited for that person to answer the phone.
"Arrived."
There was only one concise sentence on the other end of the phone.
Immediately after, Lu Chongming keenly sensed something and looked towards a corner of the room.
Someone had infiltrated there at some unknown point, and it wasn't until he walked out that these people reacted, their faces filled with terror.
"Black Scorpion? How did you..." It was an acquaintance; Karaero immediately recognized the other party: the bald head, the black mask, the scorpion tattoo on his head.
"Just helping to pick up something on the way, where's the goods?"
"It's over there, that quilt," Karaero quickly pointed.
As Lu Chongming looked at the other party, he also pondered in his mind.
He also knew this person. Because of his mingling in the lower echelons of Xixikoko, he had come into contact with many things. For example, this person, whose name was unknown, was called Black Scorpion. He was the boss of a small gang, the Black Scorpion Gang.
However, the Black Scorpion Gang had suffered heavy losses due to some incident a while ago, and the gang couldn't operate anymore, finally turning to the highly popular Banmu Office...
Lu Chongming didn't know how Black Scorpion felt about the change from being a boss to someone else's subordinate, and could only secretly gloat in his heart.
However, he suddenly realized something.
Black Scorpion was now a Banmu person, which meant that the buyer of these people's transaction was the Banmu Office?
As for the item being traded, with Lu Chongming's experience, he could easily guess it was something supernatural. He had overheard them talking earlier, and it seemed they mentioned it was goods swallowed by the Processing Bureau?
Lu Chongming's hands, hidden behind his back, trembled slightly, while his expression and gaze showed just the right amount of clear stupidity.
Coming here to help with odd jobs was in vain, but he vaguely felt like he could get another source of income.
Black Scorpion completely ignored him and walked over to the quilt lying on the ground: "This is it, the missing goods that bitch mentioned." His tone clearly showed his displeasure.
He reached out and unfolded the quilt.
Instantly, everyone present was stunned.
What was this? Why was a Toast wrapped in the quilt? Why was the Toast's outline so perfect? It was simply the most perfect Toast in this world! And this rich fragrance, it was clearly the finest of Toasts, the king of Toasts, the Toast of Toasts...
Everyone stood strangely in place, staring blankly at the Toast.
And although Lu Chongming's attention was instantly drawn by the Toast, he was the first to regain his composure. However, he then looked at the pair of Lu Lu Shoes next to the Toast, and his mind was immediately filled with immense fear.
Why... were these Lu Lu Shoes here!?
"Lu Lu~." The demon's playful and contemptuous laughter seemed to echo in his ears.
Among the many Lu Lu Shoes made by that thing through his hands, this was one pair Lu Chongming could never mistake.
Because this pair of Lu Lu Shoes was the only one that was barely presentable among that thing's pitiful aesthetics!
Suddenly, he noticed the pair of Lu Lu Shoes, and the Toast next to the Lu Lu Shoes, moved.
"Huh?"
Whoosh!
The three enigmatic objects lying on the ground instantly leaped up. The Toast was in the middle, the Lu Lu Shoes on the left, and the quilt on the right, just like a trio of protagonists in some hero drama!
That's right, the reason why Toast and Lu Lu Shoes were so quiet after being brought to the location was, firstly, to wait for an opportunity and not alert the enemy easily. Secondly, they were negotiating with the quilt.
It could be considered that they became acquainted through conflict; they took this opportunity to have a serious conversation between warriors.
...
You, you touched high school girls, you are not clean.
Not so, I just like her. She saved me from distress, and these people are truly very unclean.
You, you almost suffocated your savior.
Not so, it was just too hot in summer, I only liked it in winter.
Then why did you only hug her in summer?!
I'm afraid of the cold.
You, you are untrustworthy. Once a bad Phantasms, always one! A rotten quilt is a rotten quilt!
Me, Fan Laoda said I wasn't clean before either.
Lu Lu Shoes, are you speaking for it?
Toast, I just think every Phantasms can have one chance...
I truly love that girl.
But a quilt and a human are impossible.
Lu Lu Shoes is right!
Shock! Really?
Probably... maybe.
...Well, I should indeed let go. I can't let the girl continue to suffer because of my love... This dream, it's time to wake up.
It's not too late to repent now, we still have to fight against these evil humans! Escape from here!
Yes, at home, Fan Laoda, Mrs. Lin, and the coffee machine are waiting for us!
Can I also have a home...
You can, come along!
Let's fight side by side!
...
The people controlled by Toast couldn't react in time and were instantly subjected to fierce kicks from Lu Lu Shoes, violent impacts and bites from Toast, and the Quilt Spirit's exquisite martial arts!
In a flash, the other rabble were easily knocked down. Only Black Scorpion, although initially taking a heavy blow from Toast, stood up without serious injury after recovering.
Looking at the three Phantasms in front of him, his eyes gleamed with strange brilliance: "Buy one get two free? Their combat power is decent, and perhaps they have more uses."
He only felt that this deal was a huge profit. As for not being able to win... he was just caught off guard just now. Now that he had reacted, these Phantasms could only bully unprepared ordinary people. He, Black Scorpion, was a man who had coincidentally received orthodox Fantasy Factor from an Illusion, so he would never lose to these three things!
"Awoo!" Toast, with Lu Lu Shoes and the quilt, looked sternly at the man in front of them. They sensed that the opponent was not just a mere minion.
All together!
Three heroes fighting Lu Bu, an otherworldly Dadu super mini youth version.
Black Scorpion's arm muscles bulged, showing no weakness. His every move was indeed not that of a small fry. He easily parried Lu Lu Shoes' attacks, defused Toast's most powerful direct impacts and bites, and quickly exchanged blows with the Quilt Spirit, who was practically practicing Tai Chi.
Amidst the stalemate, a fist larger than a human head suddenly emerged from Toast, striking out and once again catching Black Scorpion off guard.
The quilt seized the opportunity to pursue, the transition between soft and hard in its moves was instantaneous. It charged Black Scorpion's face, sending him flying backward and crashing clumsily onto the ground.
"I actually got beaten like this by Lu Lu Shoes, a quilt, and Toast..." Black Scorpion's face was bruised and swollen, his mask had been knocked off, and he was in disbelief.
Rage surged in his heart, and he unhesitatingly activated the Fantasy Factor on his body. His left arm suddenly swelled, and exoskeletons proliferated, transforming into a scorpion tail that swept forward!
"Awoo!" Watch out!
But the sweep of that scorpion tail was simply too fast; all three were unable to react in time!
Screech!
At the crucial moment, the quilt stepped forward and, to the shock of Toast and Lu Lu Shoes, enveloped them.
"Awoo!" Toast wailed, and Lu Lu Shoes grieved.
The cotton from the quilt scattered across the floor like blood. Toast and Lu Lu Shoes were sent flying, but they were unharmed.
Lu Lu Shoes fell into a corner, struggled to right itself, and suddenly sensed something. It turned to see Lu Chongming hiding in the corner. Lu Chongming stared blankly at Lu Lu Shoes, and Lu Lu Shoes also stared blankly back at him.
A wonderful calling was brewing in their hearts.
Lu Chongming was puzzled.
How could this be? It was a memory he feared, yet now, in close proximity again, perhaps due to past influence, he could vaguely perceive the Lu Lu Shoes's... emotions?
Unwillingness, anger!
The same kind of anger he felt after working for hours only to have his wages withheld and be made a laughingstock!
As if by a ghost's hand, he reached out to Lu Lu Shoes, and Lu Lu Shoes did not resist.
Black Scorpion looked at the mess on the ground, spitting out blood mixed with dust: "Damn it, if anyone sees this, I'll have no face to show in Xixikoko!"
"Awoo..." A suppressed cry echoed through the factory.
"Hmm?" Black Scorpion had an ominous premonition.
A bloody light shimmered in the dim factory.
Light footsteps slowly approached, echoing through the factory, inexplicably giving Black Scorpion immense pressure.
Yet, it was just a piece of Toast.
A crimson blade, constructed from dense blood-red factors, was held in Toast's mouth.
Toast with Blood Blade!
For the fallen comrade!
Black Scorpion took a step back, startled by this scene that had no pressure at all.
Suddenly, footsteps came from behind him again. He looked back.
This time, at least it was a person.
Lu Chongming, wearing Lu Lu Shoes, stood behind Black Scorpion, his eyes resolute, dual-wielding a wrench and a crowbar: "I won't let you get away."
"Run? Do I need to run from you ghostly things?!" Black Scorpion was so angry he laughed.
Lu Chongming let out a cold laugh, then suddenly pushed off the ground and accelerated.
Lu Lu Shoes worn by a person are good Lu Lu Shoes! Using Lu Lu Shoes as a medium, Lu Chongming activated the Fantasy Factor that the Illusion had left on him, which had been dormant due to fear and resistance!
Black Scorpion's left scorpion tail stabbed out at lightning speed.
Lu Chongming suddenly dropped to the ground, crawling to avoid the stab, then used all four limbs to burst forth with a strange speed, closing in on Black Scorpion.
The wrench and crowbar slammed into Black Scorpion twice with a clang. Black Scorpion shook his head, and as pain surged, he became ruthless, parrying Lu Chongming's attack. The gap in combat experience was still huge; Lu Chongming was quickly disarmed by Black Scorpion, who then used his scorpion tail to knock him to the ground.
Lu Chongming fell to the ground, letting out an exaggerated scream, then clumsily rolled over and pulled something out. Black Scorpion saw the gun barrel subtly emerging from a torn seam in his pocket.
Bang!
"You... how do you have a gun?" Black Scorpion clutched the gunshot wound on his stomach.
"A complimentary gift after being fired as a supermarket security guard," Lu Chongming said with a bitter smile, wiping the blood from a wound on his face, "Don't look down on us laborers, even if you're a laborer now too."
Black Scorpion was furious. This gunshot wound was nothing, but Lu Chongming had hit a sore spot. He wanted to make this kid's life worse than death!
But the chill from behind him forced him to turn his attention and look back.
He saw only a small shadow erupting, leaping high and directly breaking through the factory roof.
Brilliant sunlight streamed down, and Black Scorpion, facing the sun, saw that perfect Toast, gripping a red blade no bigger than a kitchen knife in its mouth, descending upon him with an unstoppable, invincible momentum!
The scorpion tail stabbed out, but was easily severed, utterly unable to resist. Just as he reacted and tried to dodge.
Swish—
A line of blood had already cut across his neck.
Even as Black Scorpion's head separated from his body, he still couldn't believe it.
One day, the gang he had painstakingly built would suddenly suffer massive casualties, lose business for unknown reasons, and finally be reluctantly absorbed under the threat of the Banmu Office.
One day, he would be called to casually pick up some goods, then be ganged up on by the goods and complimentary items.
One day, he would be shot and mocked by a laborer kid.
One day, he would be beheaded by a Toast falling from the sky...
After Black Scorpion fell, Toast also instantly became exhausted. Its physical features contracted, and it entered sleep mode, lying on the ground.
In the factory, only Lu Chongming's gradually steady breathing remained.
Clang!
Suddenly, the rolling shutter door was pulled up.
Lin Yilin and Zheng Fan walked in, then stared blankly at the scene.
What happened here?
